Before we had this discussion, I thought of ghosts as a useless topic. I never thought of a ghost as something that could actually offer comfort to someone. My relative would have felt better knowing that her father's ghost was with her, looking out for her. She made me realise that people don't always see ghosts as scary. At the same time, I realised how focused human beings, even Christians, can become on the here and now.
How do you know what happens to people when they die? The Bible really is sufficient and as I grew up and fell a little more in love with searching the scriptures, the answer became so clear.
According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven...and the dead in Christ will rise first...And so we will be with the Lord forever (1 Thessalonians 4:15-17)
So if I'm reading this right, when people die, they don't go anywhere. They neither go to heaven nor hell, that's for sure. Like the living, they must first face Judgement Day. We may know this but choose to comfort ourselves with the thought of our loved ones sitting up in heaven already, smiling down at us. But so then what happens to our spirits while we wait for Judgement Day?
Is it possible that we become ghosts then? No, because the author of Hebrews says that "man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgement"(9:27). We're not doing anything. We're not watching over our loved ones or protecting them because we don't become angels when we die. We're only waiting. It figures because for God, a day is like a 1000 years and a 1000 years like a day (2 Peter 3:8) so we're probably not waiting very long.
It's important that Christians are realistic about physical death and what happens after because it's inevitable; and by realistic, I mean Bible-informed. One thing we know for sure is that whether our bodies are alive or dead, our spirits and souls are conscious and we can find true comfort in knowing that "Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints"(Ps. 116:15). Dead or alive, God cherishes His children.
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2 comments:
A better way to look at this issue is to NOT look at it at all. I mean that's not the basis of our faith. While we're yet alive, let's live as we should, in the fear of God and in the knowledge of Jesus Christ. Love more, pray more, live life to the fullest; and when we die we can know for sure what then.... Although nichodamously, I wish someone from the dead would come to me and tell me about what's going on in his/her world. Should be fascinating, that.
Interesting. Yeah I agree with your comment..a better way IS not to look at it at all.
About ghosts..ghosts will always be scary for me oh..hmm, because me i dun see how I can see a ghost as anything of God, especially when the devil is hell-bent (literally n all) on fooling people and tricking them. But yeah, I believe I felt an apparition of my father when he died, I was alone, and I did not find any comfort in that at all..infact I can't quite remember but I might have either being confused or scared..but definitely not happy because I knew this ghost or spirit or whatever was not going to talk to me. I mean seriously though, If you know you won't talk to me why are u hanging around. Plus, how do I take you seriously, how do I know its not all a figment of my stressed out, depressed imagination..chale, I say, we can only hope they will go to heaven and wherever they are rightnow really is a better place.
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