The Creepy Lie, Part One

Are ghosts real? If they aren’t, what happens after we die? And if ghosts aren’t real, why do we see so many creepy creatures? These questions haunt some people. But in reality, the answer to these “mystery” questions is right there in the bible! Let’s dive in!

So, what happens when we die? Well, we die.‎ Obviously, I haven’t died personally, or I wouldn’t be writing this article, but the bible gives us some hints. First of all, Jesus himself died! And did he haunt the disciples or pop up in heaven after that? No! He stayed in his tomb - dead - until he was resurrected. Lazarus died too, and he stayed in his grave - dead - until Jesus raised him. I’m sure if someone had asked him what it was like to be dead he would have rolled his eyes and said, “I was dead, I couldn’t feel anything.”

The thing that puzzles some people, though, is that dead people “appear” to them. Sometimes they say they’re in wonderful heaven - and it’s worth everything to get. And sometimes they just walk around, or “prophesy”. Sometimes people don’t see the ghosts, but they hear footsteps, moans, and knocks. It generally gives them a “thrill”, or a creepy feeling. Let’s discuss some stories.

His beloved wife had recently died, and he was grieving. He lay on his bed, thinking of all the memories he had with her. Oh, how he wished he could see her again. He knew he would, when Jesus came again, for he was a preacher in a Christian denomination. But he was still very sad as he fell into a troubled sleep. He was suddenly awakened, and, to his surprise, there was a beautiful shining and shadowy shape. Then he heard her voice - Mary’s voice - his dead wife’s voice. It was so beautiful as it said, “I’m closer to you than when I was on earth. I’m here to give you comfort.”

The preacher wanted to hug her, but, suddenly a verse rang in his ear. “The dead know not anything” (KJV, Ecc. 9.5). He drew his hands back. The lovely voice said in such a persuasive voice, “Stephen, honey, don’t you know me?”

But Stephen boldly said, “No, I don’t and never have. You are not my Mary. You are a demon sent by Satan. You are here to deceive me, not comfort me! In the name of Jesus, leave and trouble me no more!”

Immediately the gentle expression turned to anger and hatred before vanishing. Stephen Haskell felt God’s peace and presence.

Another time, Pam* lay asleep in her new home when she heard a knock. This home was hers because her aunt, who had owned it previously had died. She was still mourning the death when this occurred.

Pam was surprised to hear a knock. And thought, “Am I dreaming?” But she wasn’t, so she opened the door. To her utter astonishment, her aunt was there! Pam was amazed and confused, so she invited her aunt in. Her aunt proceeded to tell her all about heaven and how “wonderful” it is. Then she said goodbye and left. Pam went to bed again, confused. She was sure she had not been dreaming, but how could her aunt have appeared? Well, she believed that after death, you go to heaven, so in her brain, it all clicked and she went to bed happy.

We’ve learned all these stories, but what does the bible say? “For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything.” (KJV, Ecc. 9.5) If the dead don’t know anything, they’re dead, cut off from the world, and not in heaven or hell. However, some people argue and think that they can “interpret” the verse to mean that the people’s bodies don’t know anything, but their souls do. I don’t know how you can argue that, but let’s go ahead and pretend this verse doesn’t exist. What does the word “soul” mean?

“The traditional concept of an immaterial and immortal soul distinct from the body was not found in Judaism before the Babylonian exile,^[1] but developed as a result of interaction with Persian and Hellenistic philosophies.^[2] Accordingly, the Hebrew word נֶ֫פֶשׁ‎, nephesh, although translated as "soul" in some older English Bibles, actually has a meaning closer to "living being". Nephesh was rendered in the Septuagint as ψυχή (psūchê), the Greek word for soul. The New Testament also uses the word ψυχή, but with the Hebrew meaning and not the Greek.^[3]” (Soul in the Bible - Wikipedia, 2022).

Oh, so actually “soul” means living being, the life in you. “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (KJV, Genesis 2.7). The soul is a living, conscious body, not some immortal thing that floats up to heaven when we die.

“When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish.” (ESV, Psalm 146.4). The “breath” in this verse means “soul”. And what it means by his breath departing, is that he no longer has life in him. It’s just a fancy way of saying he can’t breathe anymore, he’s dead, and he has no life (remember, the simple word for soul or spirit) in him. The bible uses that phrase a lot, and it confuses some people, but we don’t need to be confused!

So death is like sleep! Jesus often refers to it like that. When you die, you don't know anything, kind of like when you're sleeping. Then, when Jesus raises you to life at His second resurrection, you will go to meet Him in the clouds.

In the next part, we will discuss some of the doubts people have.

~Alice

*Name has been changed

Sources:

"Ecclesiastes 9 (KJV) - For the living know that." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 16 Aug, 2022. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/ecc/9/5/s_668005>.

En.wikipedia.org. 2022. Soul in the Bible - Wikipedia. [online] Available at: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soul_in_the_Bible> [Accessed 16 August 2022].

"Genesis 2 (KJV) - And the LORD God formed." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 16 Aug, 2022. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/kjv/gen/2/7/s_2007>.

"Psalm 146 (ESV) - When his breath departs, he." Blue Letter Bible. Web. 16 Aug, 2022. <https://www.blueletterbible.org/esv/psa/146/4/s_624004>.