Are Ghosts in the Bible… Real?
By Scott MacFeat
Are ghosts in the Bible… Real?
To answer this question and finally bring our series to an end, we need to talk about what exactly happens to people when they die. In the last episode, we covered what happens to a person who dies and had put their believing loyalty in Jesus. But what about the non-believer? Could they get a second chance from beyond the grave? And could the afterlife for the non-believer be this never ending party where everyone is doing whatever they want? This episode investigates all of these questions from the biblical perspective. We’ll also end with our theory on what actually happened with Pastor Scott’s aunt! You’ll find the video and show notes below. Thanks for watching and feel free to email us with your own questions that deal with faith and the Bible!
Show Notes:
1. Where do people go when they die?
- “Sheol” = Hebrew word for “the realm of the dead” or “the grave”
- “Hades” = Greek word for “the realm of the dead” or “the grave”
- “Gehenna” = “Hell” or “the Lake of Fire”
- “Tartarus” = found only in 2 Peter 2:4; thought to be the place of divine punishment below Hades where God holds the Genesis 6 spiritual beings that sinned again Yahweh
2. What exactly happens to an unbeliever when they die?
- 2 Peter 2:9 [see chapter 2 and 3 for context] – God “holds” them in the realm of the dead for a future judgment
3. What does the afterlife look like for the unbeliever according to the Old Testament?
- It’s quiet – Psalm 6:5, 30:9, 88:10-12, 115:17, Ecclesiastes 9:10, Isaiah 38:18
- It’s the most boring party ever – Ecclesiastes 9:1-10
- It’s not fun…
- It’s terrifying – Job 26:5-6
- It’s a place of darkness – 1 Samuel 2:9, Job 10:20-22 [& Matthew 8:12]
- It’s a place of no return – Job 7:9, 1 Samuel 2:6, Deuteronomy 32:39
4. Remember, there is hope/assurance of eternal life with Jesus for the faithful!
- Psalm 49:15, Hosea 13:14, Revelation 20:11-15, Revelation 21-22