October blogging and ghosts in the Bible

Back in August, I put up a post detailing my blogging plans for October, November, and December. Well, the plan still stands...although due to work, a week of vacation in DC, and trying to initially put some wedding plans together, October has gotten away from me. I am still gonna take the last days of the witching month to follow the plan, and I apologize for just now getting this thing going.

I figure the best way to start is to take a quick look at what the Bible says about spirits, ghosts, demons, etc. A quick Google search ("what does the bible say about ghosts") took me to this website. The thing that immediately stands out is the differentiation between the words "spirits" and "ghosts." Most of us know that spirits (angels and demons) are referenced in the Bible through various stories. However, if the term ghost is taken as the spirit of a person who has died, then the idea of ghosts in our world is not supported by the Word. Instead, the Bible speaks directly against the idea of ghosts. The referenced website uses Hebrews 9:27 to support this, which states that a "...man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment..." (NIV). The Word is also very clear that upon facing judgment, a late person's spirit will either "go away to eternal punishment" or to "eternal glory" (Matthew 25:46 NIV). This leaves little doubt that while spirits might be found on Earth, those spirits are not ghosts in the sense that we think of them.

So what kind of spirits are floating (bad pun!) around out there? Tune in tomorrow (or the next day) for a look at "hauntings" in the Bible, and what the Word says about Earthly spirits.