Let’s clear the fog with Scripture, not séances. The question was: “What does the Bible say about ghosts?” And the answer isn’t floating in a library of psychical research or nestled in a footnote by Dale C. Allison—it’s etched in the eternal, unchanging Word of God.
First, yes, Jesus’ disciples thought He was a ghost in Mark 6:49—but thinking something doesn’t make it true. The point of that passage wasn’t that ghosts are real, but that fear distorts faith. And what did Jesus do? He didn’t validate their ghost theory—He said, “Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid” (v. 50). In other words: stop freaking out, it’s not Casper, it’s Christ.
Now let’s get serious. Scripture draws a hard, holy line between the living and the dead. Hebrews 9:27 declares, “It is appointed unto man once to die, and after this the judgment.” No loopback. No soul cameo. No post-mortem walkabouts. The dead are not taking strolls through our living rooms or whispering bedtime encouragements. They are either with the Lord (2 Cor. 5:8) or awaiting judgment (Luke 16:22–23). Those are the only two paths.
You say millions experience these phenomena, including “respected evangelicals.” Let me remind you: truth isn’t crowd-sourced. The broad road is packed too, and we know where it leads (Matthew 7:13). Even Satan masquerades as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14), so don’t think your goosebumps are divine just because they feel good. Demons don’t need pitchforks and red capes—they’ll use Grandma’s voice if it means you’ll bypass the Bible and chase a mystical breadcrumb trail into deception.
Your concern that “to ascribe these to demons is silly”? Let me flip that: to ignore Scripture’s clear warnings about deceptive spirits (1 Tim. 4:1, 1 John 4:1, Deut. 18:10–12) in favor of emotionally satisfying encounters is not just silly—it’s spiritually dangerous. You’re right that demons deceiving Christians and atheists alike is disturbing. That’s the point. Deception should disturb you. It should wake you up, not woo you deeper into sentimentalism.
As for those “positive effects” of your experiences—Satan is perfectly content to enhance your belief in anything but the truth. If an “after-death communication” convinces you that God’s Word is incomplete, insufficient, or irrelevant, then the mission was a success. The devil’s favorite trick isn’t to scare you—it’s to comfort you right out of discernment.
And let’s be clear: we’re not mocking grief. We’re calling people back from the brink of spiritual gullibility masked as mystical insight. The Bible doesn’t say the dead sometimes pop in for a chat—it says the devil roams like a lion looking for someone to devour. You want to know the difference between a ghost and a demon? Easy. One’s fictional. The other is hunting.
So no, I won’t be recommending Dale C. Allison’s Encountering Mystery. I’ll be recommending Scripture—because unlike spiritual experiences, it won’t lie to you.
You want a real encounter? Try the empty tomb.
—Sincere Seeker. Scripturally savage. Here for the Truth.
