by Al Sabado
Are ghosts any of the people who died? No, they’re not. Contrary to popular belief, dead people, including our deceased
relatives, neighbors, and friends can no longer come back, even in ghostly
form, and roam around earth to visit or guard us. Our appointment, as humans, is
to die once:
“And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:” (Hebrews 9:27)
Then
what are those “ghosts”? Such apparitions are
demons or familiar spirits. In verse 27 of Hebrews 9 we can note that no activity
transpires between death and the judgment. Did you notice that too? But Satan must be pleased to assume the exact appearances of dead people and make us believe we can
still talk to our deceased loved ones, when God forbids us from doing such an abominable
thing (see Deuteronomy 18:11).
“Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Satan will do everything in his power to
fabricate lies and distract us from knowing God’s truth. He’s out there to deceive
humans. As it is written,
“And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” (Revelation 12:9)
Satan, whose name is a Hebrew word meaning
“enemy,”1 is capable of transforming into something else with his ministers, to appear as good entities despite being evil to the core. We can confirm this by reading God’s Word:
“And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15)
God
forbids us to consult or commune with familiar spirits. For this reason, we must have nothing to do with familiar spirits or
demons and we must not consult those who communicate with such evil spirits; they
are not of God but of Satan. So to the “experts” out there performing these
exact activities and those consulting such experts, listen to what God’s Word
says:
“Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the LORD your God.” (Leviticus 19:31)
“There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the LORD: and because of these abominations the LORD thy God doth drive them out from before thee.” (Deuteronomy 18:10-12)
When
we die, we’re dead. We’re no immortal beings who stay
on earth earth after death—even in spirit form—to deal with unfinished business
whatsoever. We won’t even know anything once we’re dead. God’s Word says,
“For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5)
And
so the idea of purgatory or the reincarnation is also a lie of all time. These two man-made concepts—that is, purgatory and reincarnation—are
not God’s design, but among the greatest lies of Satan. Once we’re dead, we can’t
correct our wrongs in some midair and we can’t be re-created to take another
form of life (e.g., bird, tree, etc.). God gave His only begotten Son, the Lord
Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for all our sins so that instead of perishing
in the fires of hell, we may live an eternal life in heaven. It’s our choice—NOW
that we’re still alive—to accept or reject the reason behind the crucifixion of
the Lord Jesus Christ on the cross. None of our good works will change that.
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
The Lord Jesus Christ is the only way.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6)
So,
are heaven and hell real? Upon reading the Bible we
can note that they are. They’re not just a state of the mind or fictional places
we replicate on earth. God’s Word describes that an immense gulf separates these
two eternal places, so that those who go to heaven can’t cross paths to reach
hell, and vice versa. As it is written, during the conversation of Abraham and a
dead man,
“And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.” (Luke 16:19, read also following verses 20-31)
Do
we then go to heaven, or hell, when we die? The
condition God has set for us to enter heaven is in verse 16 of John 3:
believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Not
our good works. Not our church affiliations, rituals, or practices. Now, let me ask you, do you believe in God’s
only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ? “Yes,” you say. That’s good. Let me
ask you another question, if you die this very minute, do you go to heaven? Is your
answer
a. “I’m not sure I know.”
b. “It’s up to God, really.”
c. “I believe so. I’ve done many good things in life.”
d. “I have no idea.”
e. “Yes, because I’m saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Is your answer the last one? Praise God! Or is your answer any one from “a” to “d”?
Dear friend, we ought not be uncertain
about this important matter. We don’t guess where we go when we die. God has
made that one thing, our eternal security, certain for us: do read John 3:16
again. I won’t tell you to say a sinner’s prayer. (I thought that’s the one
thing to do to be saved from eternal damnation.) Just remember, nothing in what
we do can change or add to the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ on
the cross, for us. Our salvation is a gift from God. But a gift can’t be ours
unless we accept it.
“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:” (Ephesians 2:8-9)
“And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.” (Acts 16:31)
Repent. Some people say that once we're saved, we're always saved. But if we don't repent of our sins and continue sinning, then that makes us disobedient, just like King Saul who'd lost the favor of God, right? Believing in the Lord Jesus means doing the will of God and refraining from sinning.
“And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:11-13)Fear no one and nothing but God. Years ago I had to stay overnight in a two-story office building to finish editorial work. The following day the security guard asked, “Ma’am, hindi po ba kayo natakot (Ma’am weren’t you scared),” because the building was known to have familiar spirits. I smiled at him and said, “Hindi po, meron po tayong Panginoon (No, we have God).” And God is greater than he who is in this world (1 John 4:4).
“But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.” (Luke 12:5)
“Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” (Ephesians 6:10-12)
Updated: 4 November 2015
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1 Holy
Bible. Authorized or King James Version. Red Letter Edition. Wichita, Kansas:
Fireside Bible Publishers, 1970.
