Demons and Ghosts

[tigger398]

Ok I was watching this silly show on tv about demons and ghost. What is the diffrence arn't the same thing, they even had a demonoligist ok is that um a demon ghost buster.

[Datan]

No. Ghosts and demons are not nearly the same thing. Although I haven't studied the world of these paranormal 'beings,' from what I understand of them, they are very, very different.

Ghosts were living, breathing humans who had died from whatever reason and they still residing in this world. Now, that does go along with the idea that some of these ghosts are not aware that they have died, so you have to understand that a haunting can be brought on by messing with a spirit's former home or surroundings.

Demons, however, are under Satan's rule. And I've read that they include fallen angels, much like Satan himself. But beyond that, I don't know much of the origin of those sort of beings.

There is something else I wanted to mention, though. There are, from what I understand, several types of haunting types. One would be residual: When a spirit sometimes doesn't know that they have died and they go on doing what they have been doing for how ever long. Usually it's the same sort of incident happening over and over again.

Secondly, there is the "smart" or "active" haunting type. This is where a spirit is aware you're there. It wants to make contact -- for reasons being purely out of curiosity or something more malevolent. If the spirit is more towards the violent side -- again, I don't know a whole lot about this field -- then it's of the poltergeist area. And I have no idea whether they fall under "demonic" activity or not.

I can say, however, that a local family from my very town has reported that they themselves were victims of a demon -- but how much truth lies in that, well, I cannot say.

Here's their story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smurl_haunting

I wasn't born when this was going on. But my dad was friends with someone who had lived next-door to them, and he says he had never, ever heard anything; my mother's best friend's son had been a little younger than I am now when he was friends with someone who had lived there also, and he says the same. He heard nothing.

Hmmm.

Interesting topic. I enjoyed that. xD

Edited November 23, 2007 by Datan

[Emily~Anne]

I do wonder if demons impersonate dead people, so as to try to give grieving people a false comfort in a very wrong belief?

[kat8585]

I do wonder if demons impersonate dead people, so as to try to give grieving people a false comfort in a very wrong belief?

Yes, they do, and there is a scripture saying demons do impersonate. I will look for it. I still don't have my concordance, but it's in the OT.

[kat8585]

No. Ghosts and demons are not nearly the same thing. Although I haven't studied the world of these paranormal 'beings,' from what I understand of them, they are very, very different.

Ghosts were living, breathing humans who had died from whatever reason and they still residing in this world. Now, that does go along with the idea that some of these ghosts are not aware that they have died, so you have to understand that a haunting can be brought on by messing with a spirit's former home or surroundings.

Demons, however, are under Satan's rule. And I've read that they include fallen angels, much like Satan himself. But beyond that, I don't know much of the origin of those sort of beings.

There is something else I wanted to mention, though. There are, from what I understand, several types of haunting types. One would be residual: When a spirit sometimes doesn't know that they have died and they go on doing what they have been doing for how ever long. Usually it's the same sort of incident happening over and over again.

Secondly, there is the "smart" or "active" haunting type. This is where a spirit is aware you're there. It wants to make contact -- for reasons being purely out of curiosity or something more malevolent. If the spirit is more towards the violent side -- again, I don't know a whole lot about this field -- then it's of the poltergeist area. And I have no idea whether they fall under "demonic" activity or not.

I can say, however, that a local family from my very town has reported that they themselves were victims of a demon -- but how much truth lies in that, well, I cannot say.

Here's their story:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smurl_haunting

I wasn't born when this was going on. But my dad was friends with someone who had lived next-door to them, and he says he had never, ever heard anything; my mother's best friend's son had been a little younger than I am now when he was friends with someone who had lived there also, and he says the same. He heard nothing.

Hmmm.

Interesting topic. I enjoyed that. xD

I've never heard of this, and it sounds really strange.

[Emily~Anne]

I do wonder if demons impersonate dead people, so as to try to give grieving people a false comfort in a very wrong belief?

Yes, they do, and there is a scripture saying demons do impersonate. I will look for it. I still don't have my concordance, but it's in the OT.

If you could find that, that would be SO very much appreciated. I have an aunt who lost her daughter a year ago. Her daughter was a 'good witch' (I know, oxymoron) anyways, my aunt is surrounded by supernatural happenings and such that she believes are from her daughter. I try to share the gospel with my aunt, but kinda hard to compete with all that weirdo stuff.

[Guest Faith Defender]

I think Datan has been watching too many movies

On a serious note, they are one and the same. In reality, there is no such thing as ghosts, not in the sense of what you are speaking about here.

I Samuel 28:11-16

Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth. And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do. Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the LORD is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

Saul believes it to be Samual, but it was his perception, not reality.

Isaiah 8:19

And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead?

Isaiah makes it clear that demons "peep" into our affairs.

[MorningGlory]

The biggest problem with this notion, is that I have never seen it taught in the Bible. The Bible indicates that when a person dies, they immediately go to heaven or hell. There is some reason to believe that the idea of ghosts existed back to Bible days. When Jesus came walking on the sea, the disciples immediate reaction was fear, as they said, "...It is a spirit; and cried out for fear," Matthew 14:26.

I have a question about this....the Bible tell us in Revelation that 'the dead will rise first'. If they are already in Heaven (or hell) why would they need to rise? Or must they rise to obtain their immortal bodies? I am not yet knowledgeable enough of Scripture to understand this.

[kat8585]

The biggest problem with this notion, is that I have never seen it taught in the Bible. The Bible indicates that when a person dies, they immediately go to heaven or hell. There is some reason to believe that the idea of ghosts existed back to Bible days. When Jesus came walking on the sea, the disciples immediate reaction was fear, as they said, "...It is a spirit; and cried out for fear," Matthew 14:26.

I have a question about this....the Bible tell us in Revelation that 'the dead will rise first'. If they are already in Heaven (or hell) why would they need to rise? Or must they rise to obtain their immortal bodies? I am not yet knowledgeable enough of Scripture to understand this.

I agree. Why come back to get this decrepid body just to have it changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye? And why would they need to get this body if they are in hell, where they won't get a new body?

[MorningGlory]

The biggest problem with this notion, is that I have never seen it taught in the Bible. The Bible indicates that when a person dies, they immediately go to heaven or hell. There is some reason to believe that the idea of ghosts existed back to Bible days. When Jesus came walking on the sea, the disciples immediate reaction was fear, as they said, "...It is a spirit; and cried out for fear," Matthew 14:26.

I have a question about this....the Bible tell us in Revelation that 'the dead will rise first'. If they are already in Heaven (or hell) why would they need to rise? Or must they rise to obtain their immortal bodies? I am not yet knowledgeable enough of Scripture to understand this.

I agree. Why come back to get this decrepid body just to have it changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye? And why would they need to get this body if they are in hell, where they won't get a new body?

Oh! I hadn't thought of that, Kat. Isn't there someone on this board that knows about this? I can't seem to pull the answers from the Bible. I sometimes feel like a kindergartner when confronted with things like this.