Does Christianity acknowledge the existence of “ghosts”?
Christianity acknowledges the existence of spirits, both good (angels) and evil (demons), but not “ghosts”, meaning the spirits of dead humans. Angels and demons were created as spirits. They were never human. Spirits of dead humans are in heaven or hell, not rattling chains and throwing dishes in old farmhouses.
Question: “What does the Bible say about ghosts / hauntings?” Answer: Here are some Bible truths that relate to hauntings and visits by the spirits of dead people. There are only a few incidents that deal with the living having contact with a “dead” person. a) In 1 Samuel 28:7-19, King Saul seeks a woman with a familiar spirit (demon) to inquire of Samuel about what to do. That she actually manages to communicate with the dead shocks her (v. 12) indicating to me that it did not previously happen. b) In Matthew 17:1-8, Peter, James and John see Moses and Elijah with Jesus for a brief period of time. c) In Luke 16:19-31 Jesus tells the story of the rich man and Lazarus. In this story we learn of there being two compartments for the dead until the Great White Throne Judgment (Revelation 20:11f.). Also in the story the rich man asks for Lazarus to be sent back to warn the living. Abraham says it would do not good because if they will not believe God’s written word, they will not believe th
