Expert: Dr Don Howe - 11/7/2008

Question
would you say ghosts are demons in disguise as humans? and if they are truly human souls why are they not in heaven or hell? im familiar with sheol do any souls go to "paradise" "ABRAHAMS BOSOM" ANYMORE?

Answer
  Connor, thank you for your questions. You asked “would you say ghosts are demons in disguise as humans?” Tough question and everyone has his own ideas. What is a spirit, ghost, or demon”

WHAT BIBLE SAY ABOUT SPIRITS?

   Easton's Bible Dictionary states spirit is defined as “Heb. ruah; Gr. pneuma), properly wind or breath. In 2 Thess. 2:8 it means "breath," and in Ecc 8:8 the vital principle in man. It also denotes the rational, immortal soul by which man is distinguished (Act 7:59; 1Cr 5:5; 6:20; 7:34), and the soul in its separate state (Hbr 12:23), and hence also an apparition (Job 4:15; Luk 24:37,39), an angel (Hbr 1:14), and a demon (Luk 4:36; 10:20). This word is used also metaphorically as denoting a tendency (Zec 12:10; Luk 13:11).” Spirit is interchangeably with soul of a man, separate state, and as a demon. Luke 4:36 states “And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word [is] this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.”
    Luke 10:20 also states “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” Jesus is talking about evil spirits in verse 20 because in Luke 10:19 Jesus told the seventy disciples that they would have power “over all the power of the enemy.”

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT GHOSTS?

 Ghosts are generally defined “are disembodied spirits that haunt the earthly abode of the living.”  The Easton’s Bible Dictionary states that a ghost is “an old Saxon word equivalent to soul or spirit. It is the translation of the Hebrew nephesh and the Greek pneuma, both meaning "breath," "life," "spirit," the "living principle" (Job 11:20; Jer 15:9; Mat 27:50; Jhn 19:30). The expression "to give up the ghost" means to die (Lam 1:19; Gen 25:17; 35:29; 49:33; Job 3:11).
   W. L. Walker writing for the International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia about ghost: “gost (nephesh; pneuma) :"Ghost," the middle-English word for "breath," "spirit," appears in the King James Version as the translation of nephesh ("breath," "the breath of life," animal soul or spirit, the vital principle, hence, "life"), in two places of the Old Testament, namely, Job 11:20, "the giving up of the ghost" (so the Revised Version (British and American)), and Jer 15:9, "She hath given up the ghost"; gawa‘, "to gasp out, "expire" (die), is also several times so translated (Ge 25:8,17; 35:29; 49:33; Job 3:11; 10:18; 13:19; 14:10; La 1:19). In Apocrypha (Tobit 14:11) psuche is translated in the same way as nephesh in the Old Testament, and in 2 Macc 3:31, en eschate pnoe is rendered "give up the ghost," the Revised Version (British and American) "quite at the last gasp."
   In the New Testament "to give up the ghost" is the translation of ekpneo, "to breathe out" (Mr 15:37,39; Lu 23:46; so the Revised Version (British and American)); of ekpsucho, "to breathe out," "expire" (Ac 5:5,10; 12:23); in Mt 27:50, apheken to pneuma, and in Joh 19:30, paredoken to pneuma, are rendered respectively, "yielded" and "gave up the ghost," the Revised Version (British and American) "yielded up his spirit," "gave up his spirit."
   "The Holy Ghost" is also frequent in the King James Version; in the American Standard Revised Version it is invariably changed to "Holy Spirit," in the English Revised Version sometimes only, chiefly in the Gospels.
       Based on Easton’s Bible Dictionary and what W. L. Walker’s definitions that spirit and ghost are used interchangeably because both are using the Greek word “pneuma.”
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT DEMONS?
    Easton’s Bible Dictionary does very well in defining the characteristics of demons. It uses the old English word for demon as Daemon.
   1).  Daemons are spoken of as spiritual beings at enmity with God.
     Matthew 8:16 states “When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with [his] word, and healed all that were sick. Notice Jesus cast them out with his word. Jesus had power over demons and the Satan himself.
   Matthew 10:1 states “And when he had called unto [him] his twelve disciples, he gave them power [against] unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Jesus was empowering the twelve disciples to cast out unclean spirits or demons.
     Matthew 12:43-45 states “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth [it] empty, swept, and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last [state] of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.” Verse 43 states that unclean spirits or demons walk through dry places which means spiritual barrenness, dry with no physical infirmity, or walking around in emptiness with no place or human to rest into or upon. This reminds of ghosts or evil spirits that are walking around on the earth in barrenness looking for some human to devour. Bible says they have no place to rest. I wonder when you see Ghost Hunter and we see on film aberrations that can not be explained and these could be unclean spirits who are in dry places.
      All three verses show that these unclean spirits or demons or ghosts are out of the will of God and are enmity with God.

   2). They recognize our Lord as the Son of God.
     Matthew 8:28-29 states “And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way. And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? Connor, notice Jesus came to Geregeseness and the two devils met him and recognized him, which means demons have a mind and can think. The demons are strong and fierce. Demons scared everyone who passed by. The demons recognized the Son of Man and knew he had power over them and wanted to know why he was there to torment them before there designated time of final eternal damnation in Hell at the White Throne Judgment.
   Demons recognize who Jesus is but MAN CAN NOT.
   Luke 4:41 states “And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking [them] suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.”
     Notice again they knew him as Christ.
    3). They belong to the number of those angels that "kept not their first estate," "unclean spirits," "fallen angels," the angels of the devil.
     Matthew 25:41 states “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
   Rev. 12:7-9  states “And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which decieveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” This verse tells it all.
    4). They are the "principalities and powers" against which we must "wrestle.”
    Eph. 6:12 states “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world.” So as Christians we fight against principalities, powers of the Devil, and against the rulers of this world.

   Connor then you asked “do any souls go to "paradise" "ABRAHAMS BOSOM" ANYMORE? The answer is No. When Jesus died on the Cross and was resurrected, Abraham’s bosom was emptied, because there was not reason for the O.T. saints to stay there. They are in Heaven. Many times in Revelation it is mentioned about the saints of old and the elders.

Thank you for you question.

Dr. Don Howe