Will People Marry and Have Sex IN ETERNITY?

Christ said “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30). He didn’t say they would be angels, just that they wouldn’t marry or be given in marriage (not to mention they’d be immortal like angels, if you compare the verse with the fuller account in Luke 20:34-36).

A possible reason there will be no marriage is that in the eternal age of the New Heavens and New Earth we will experience the transparency and intimacy with the Lord that some of us enjoy now with our spouses, albeit to the nth degree. Keep in mind that the Church is called the “bride of Christ” and will in essence be married to the Lord in eternity (2 Corinthians 11:2 & Revelation 19:7-9).

Furthermore, since the redeemed are collectively the “bride,” it suggests transparency and closeness with all fellow redeemed people.

Think about it, what separates us from other people, including fellow believers? What keeps us all from being close? What keeps us from being honest and transparent with each other? Either 1. issues of the flesh, i.e. sin, or 2. because of lies and error.

For instance, you might have to separate from confessing Christians because they’re impenitent gossips/slanderers and the Bible instructs us to not even eat with such people (1 Corinthians 5:11). Or someone believes lies about you and thus refuses to associate with you, like your neighbors. Or the assembly down the street embraces grossly false doctrines, which naturally hinders fellowship with them.

Thankfully, sin, lies and error will no longer exist in the eternal New Heavens and New Earth (Revelation 21:7-8,26-27). Since these maladies will no longer hinder relationships and keep us apart, there will be true unity, closeness, honesty and harmony in eternity. Praise God!

A secondary reason might be that the LORD doesn’t want humans propagating any further since there will be more than enough for his purposes in the eternal age.

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Eternal Life (“Heaven”) — What Will It Be Like?

What IS Marriage? (and Related Topics)

Does the Bible support Monogamy or Polygamy?

Beauty, Objectification and Lust

Does the Bible Acknowledge GERMS?

Yes, the Bible does acknowledge germs, albeit not directly. God gave the Hebrews laws on diet, sanitation and quarantining, as observed in Leviticus 11-13, which was well over 3000 years before germs were discovered in recent centuries.

BEREAN SPIRIT — What Is It? How Do You Cultivate It?

HEALING — How Do You Receive?

Should You Get the Surgery or BELIEVE FOR HEALING?

Are Christians Commissioned to RAISE THE DEAD?

Why Do Unclean Spirits Seek Out DRY PLACES?

Christ said impure spirits naturally seek “arid places,” which means dry, waterless areas (Matthew 12:43). This isn’t referring to places that are physically dry, like deserts, but rather spaces that are spiritually dry; that is, places where God is absent. You see, the LORD is likened to Living Water in the Bible — God is The Fountain of Life who gushes forth life (Psalm 36:9). This corresponds to what Christ said about Himself and the Holy Spirit:

…Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

John 7:37-39

The Lord encourages those who are spiritually thirsty — spiritually dry — to come to Him and drink. He then points out that those who receive the Holy Spirit will have “rivers of living water” flowing within them.

Furthermore, it is through “the washing with water through the word” that Christ cleanses his Church, making ‘her’ holy (Ephesians 5:26), which refers to the process of sanctification.

So the key to repelling demonic spirits in your personal life is to stay well-watered by cultivating a relationship with the LORD. Saturate yourself with the things of God: prayer, simple communion, Scripture reading & meditation, praise & worship, fellowship with genuine believers, mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21), etc. As you do this, you automatically stave off wicked spirits. How so? Because demons seek dry places — waterless spaces absent of God’s presence.

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How Can GHOSTLY Sightings or Activity Be Explained?

Although I’ve encountered people who were demonically possessed/oppressed, I’ve personally never seen an apparition or experienced ghostly activity. But some individuals insist that they have seen paranormal goings-on and it’s highly doubtful that all of them are lying. How can such things be explained from a Scripture-focused Christian perspective?

Let’s start with the question: Are ghosts mentioned in the Bible? They are, but the specific meaning is uncertain. To explain, the disciples mistook Christ for a “ghost” when they were out on the Sea of Galilee after 3:00 AM and the Lord miraculously walked on the water to meet them on their boat (Matthew 14:26; Mark 6:49). The Greek word for “ghost” in these two verses is phantasma (FAN-tas-mah), which is where we get the English word phantom. It literally refers to the manifestation of an apparition. Of course the person seeing the ‘phantom’ doesn’t know its actual nature because it’s a supernatural phenomenon (assuming of course that what they’re experiencing is authentic). In the case of Christ walking on the water, he obviously wasn’t a phantom, but the disciples mistook him for one.

Christ was again mistaken for a ghost by the disciples after his resurrection when he suddenly appeared to them in his glorified body:

While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

³⁷They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ³⁸He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”

Luke 24:36-39

The Greek word for “ghost” in this case (verses 37 & 39) is pneuma (NYOO-mah), which is the common word for spirit in the Greek. Depending on the context, this word can refer to the human spirit, the Holy Spirit, an unclean spirit, an angelic spirit, breath or wind.

This brings us to the uncertain nature of the apparition that people claim to witness; and I mean uncertain to the person seeing the phantasmal phenomenon in question:

Is it the activity of a demon (fallen angel or evil spirit) mistaken to be a ghost (the soul/spirit of a person who has physically died)? If so, is the demon merely carrying out its usual business or is it intentionally deceiving people into thinking it’s a ghost?
Is it a disembodied soul of a physically dead person stuck on this plane or returning to this plane for some purpose?
Is it “flash from the past” or “residual energies”?

Interestingly, the iconic movie Ghostbusters entertains all three of these possibilities.

Another possibility, of course is that the person claiming to see the paranormal happening is either delusional or simply lying. Needless to say, if the individual is known for telling dubious stories and drawing attention to himself/herself, their claims should be dismissed out of hand. In this article we are solely talking about ghostly goings-on that people have actually encountered.

Now let’s address each of the three prospects in more detail including potential biblical support:

1. Demonic activity

This is the typical explanation for spectral phenomena from Christian ministers. In other words, the paranormal activity that someone encounters is the actions of evil spirits and mistaken by witnesses as ghostly hauntings. Since demons are deceptive by nature it’s possible that the filthy spirits are deliberately misleading people into believing they’re encountering ghosts, at least in some cases (John 8:44; Revelation 12:9).

We know from the Scriptures that satan can masquerade as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14), which means that his demonic underlings can do the same thing and this could include masquerading as one’s departed spouse or what have you. Perhaps this is why the Torah expressly forbids contact with the dead or dubious spirits (e.g. Deuteronomy 18:9-14).

What about ghostly activity in a manor, such as the sound of chains in the attic or the appearance of an apparition? Could this be the presence of an evil spirit? Yes. Let me explain: The Bible reveals that there are demonic hierarchies (Ephesians 6:12) and so higher ranking devils rule over whole countries, like “the prince of Persia” and “the prince of Greece” noted in Daniel 10:13 & 10:20. Lower ranking demons would be dispatched to smaller areas accordingly. For instance, the conglomerate of demons named “Legion” begged the Mighty Christ not to send them out of the region of Gerasenes (JAIR-uh-seens) (Mark 5:9-10), which suggests that this area was their assigned territory, their ‘home.’

This is supported by the fact that the devil is “the god of this world” and thus “the whole world is under the control” of the kingdom of darkness to one degree or another (2 Corinthians 4:4; 1 John 5:19). Some places are under greater satanic control than others, as witnessed by what Christ said about the city of Pergamum in Revelation 2:13. To carry out this diabolic control, demonic underlings are assigned areas according to their rank — countries, counties, cities, villages, neighborhoods and, hence, abodes within these neighborhoods.

Now consider that Christ said impure spirits naturally seek “arid places,” which means dry, waterless areas (Matthew 12:43). This isn’t referring to places that are physically dry, like deserts, but rather spaces that are spiritually dry; that is, places where God is absent. You see, the LORD is likened to Living Water in the Bible — God is The Fountain of Life who gushes forth life (Psalm 36:9). This corresponds to what Christ said about Himself and the Holy Spirit:

…Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.

John 7:37-39

The key to repelling demonic spirits in your personal life is to stay well-watered by cultivating a relationship with the LORD. Saturate yourself with the things of God: prayer, simple communion, Scripture reading & meditation, praise & worship, fellowship with genuine believers, mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21), etc. As you do this, you automatically stave off wicked spirits. How so? Because demons seek dry places — waterless spaces absent of God’s presence.

Another thing to consider is familiar spirits and I’m not talking about the human “spiritists” noted in Leviticus 19:31 & 20:6,27; Deuteronomy 18:9-14. These sorcerers (not cons) have regular contact with a spirit guide — a demon — and hence mislead people accordingly. The evil spirit in these cases would be the “familiar spirit” since it is familiar with the spiritist with whom it regularly makes contact.

Yet, it is presumed that there are demons that become familiar with the person to which they’re assigned. To explain, there are angelic spirits who are assigned to individuals (Hebrews 1:14; Matthew 18:10) and thus it is assumed that the kingdom of darkness does likewise since satan’s kingdom habitually counterfeits God’s kingdom. The evil spirit in question naturally becomes familiar with the person it’s assigned to because it’s around him/her all the time. Thus, when the individual physically dies, the spirit is able to mimic him/her and deceive living loved ones. Two plus two equals four.

What does all this have to do with ghostly activity? As detailed above, the scriptural evidence shows that evil spirits are assigned to nations and regions and, therefore, cities, towns, neighborhoods and… domiciles. But they are most entrenched in “dry places,” places where God’s manifest presence & influence is absent. For instance, in the late 1st Century satan set up shop in Pergamum in what is today western Turkey (Revelation 2:13).

This explains why houses should ideally be blessed and consecrated to the LORD, as well as church facilities. When I purchase a motel room I immediately bless it and play some praise & worship music. Why? It drives filthy spirits away (they might be in the next room, but they won’t be in my room). Meanwhile church facilities can have religious demons lurking in them to hinder biblical truth and effective ministry. They need to be driven out. You can read more about this kind of spiritual warfare here.

While all of this reveals that demonic spirits can be the cause of ghost-like happenings, and perhaps are likely the cause, there are no accounts in the Scriptures of evil spirits being mistaken for ghosts by rattling chains in the attic or what have you.

However, since most cases of supposed hauntings are associated with feelings of fear, disturbances, insomnia, strange noises, bad odors, scratches on walls, broken objects, shadowy figures and possessions — not to mention the occasional involvement of occultic items, like Ouija boards, and the typical eerie nature of the locales — all of this lends credibility to this explanation, aka demonic activity. Think about it: Why would there be this in-built dread of ghosts if they were merely people who have passed from this natural realm, including loved ones?

2. A person who has physically died, but has delayed entry to Heaven or Sheol and is therefore stuck on this plane (or returns to this plane from Heaven or Sheol)

This is the typical definition of the term ‘ghost’ — a person who has passed away appearing to someone still alive on Earth, typically as an apparition. Are there any examples of this in the Bible? Yes, but only in reference to the Sovereign God permitting people to return from Sheol/Hades or Heaven for a brief time:

God allowed the prophet Samuel to be resurrected from Sheol to prophesy to King Saul and be a witness to the witch of Endor (1 Samuel 28:3-20). This was actually Samuel, albeit in disembodied form, and not an illusion or evil spirit, as proven here.
Moses and Elijah visited from Heaven during Christ’s earthly ministry (Matthew 17:1-8), which you can read about here.

In both of these cases they (Samuel, Moses and Elijah) would technically be ghosts — physically dead people manifesting to individuals in the natural realm.

Another possibility (I stress possibility) is that witnesses of a ghostly sighting are observing the passing of a person’s soul to Heaven or Sheol. For instance, there was a horrible traffic accident wherein a woman died. A passing motorist snapped a shot at the scene on her phone. It showed a light going up to the sky with an orb in it, which experts said wasn’t doctored. While not definitive proof, the mother of the woman who died was understandably comforted by the picture since it presumably showed her daughter’s soul going to Heaven.

What about a delayed entry to Sheol or Heaven, if indeed such a thing even occurs? Again, I’m just listing this as a possibility. The classic movie Ghost entertains this option and features characters having a delayed entry to Heaven or immediately being escorted down to Sheol. One character, a ghost, is shown haunting a train car because he was not yet willing to pass from this plane and had a fixation for the train car for one reason or another. Meanwhile Evil spirits are also depicted in the film as shadowy figures. Of course this is just a movie and the scriptwriters were merely speculating on the afterlife.

While the Bible shows Samuel being resurrected from Sheol to give a message to Saul, as well as Moses & Elijah visiting Christ on the mountain, there’s no evidence of a deceased person having a delayed entry into Sheol or Heaven, the latter being depicted in Ghost. However, this doesn’t mean it absolutely cannot happen, just that the Bible is silent on the topic. Opponents of this possibility argue that the Scriptures say “people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27), but this verse contains zero details, not to mention judgment for unsaved people doesn’t occur until after the millennial reign of Christ (Revelation 20:11-15), which means souls are held in Sheol for a very long time before resurrection & judgment and the verse says nothing about these important details. In other words, the verse is a simple statement of general truth rather than a detailed one of more complex truth.

3. “Flashes from the past” or “residual energies”

This proposed explanation means that the person seeing the ghost is simply picking up residual images of former events. In other words, he or she perceives something that happened in the same location on the timeline, but at some point in the past. For instance, a man testified that he saw a wounded Civil War soldier moaning in pain on the ground of a path while visiting Gettysburg. He was convinced of what he saw and others supposedly saw the same apparition on separate occasions.

To understand this principle on a much smaller scale, simply wave your hand in front of your eyes and you’ll observe images of your hand in its trail. These fleeting images aren’t your real hand because your hand is no longer there, yet you saw them.

A variation of this explanation is that the paranormal activity is due to residual “energies.”

While the Bible is silent on this possibility, it doesn’t necessarily negate it as a valid explanation on certain occasions. The Scriptures don’t directly mention germs either, but that doesn’t mean they don’t exist. (Germs are indirectly acknowledged in the Bible via God’s laws for the Hebrews on diet, sanitation and quarantining, as observed in Leviticus 11-13, which was well over 3000 years before germs were discovered in recent centuries).

Closing Word

This covers the spectrum of possibilities, although I’m sure there are minor or mixed variants. Even if one discovers evidence that most cases can be pinpointed to one reason, this doesn’t discount that some cases may be attributed to others. For instance, the go-to response from ministers is that any ghostly goings-on a person experiences is absolutely the activity of evil spirits, but when Samuel was resurrected from Sheol to prophesy to Saul he wasn’t a demon, neither were Moses & Elijah when they visited Christ on the mount of transfiguration; on both occasions they were the real persons who had passed from this plane to the other side. In short, they were what we would understand as ‘ghosts.’

I think it’s pointless and perhaps even unhealthy to pursue the topic further since the Torah expressly forbids contact with the dead and unclean spirits (e.g. Deuteronomy 18:9-14) and therefore people who are overly interested with the subject are treading the borders. Paul had a guideline for New Testament doctrine: “Do not go beyond what is written” (1 Corinthians 4:6). So, with subjects like this, my advice is to stay within the wise parameters of God’s Word and leave mysteries as they are. Some things will remain a mystery on this side of glory (Deuteronomy 29:29) yet, ultimately, everything will be revealed in eternity (Luke 12:3); for now we know in part, but then we shall know fully, even as we are fully known (1 Corinthians 13:12).

Did MOSES & ELIJAH Really Appear to Christ on the Mount?

The “transfiguration” refers to the occasion where Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain whereupon the Lord was gloriously transfigured before them. Moses and Elijah then appeared and talked to Christ. Let’s read the passage:

Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. ² And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. ³ And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. ⁴ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” ⁵ While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!” ⁶ When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. ⁷ And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” ⁸ And lifting up their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.

⁹ As they were coming down from the mountain, Jesus commanded them, saying, “Tell the vision to no one until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”

Matthew 17:1-9 (NRSV)

Did Moses and Elijah actually appear to Christ on the mountain and talk to him? If so, how was this possible? There are two general explanations:

1. After his spectacular transfiguration, Jesus said to his disciples, “Tell the vision to no man” (Matthew 17:9). The Lord referred to what they saw as a vision. A vision is not a material reality, but a supernatural picture seen in the mind or eyes. This same Greek word for “vision” was used in reference to Peter’s vision of the unclean beasts being made clean (Acts 10:3,17,19 &11:5). This leads to the possibility that Elijah and Moses were not real but a supernatural picture. If this was the case, the transfiguration was perhaps a prophetic vision of that which would take place in the distant future. Peter, James and John saw the Son of Man glorified in the Kingdom and communing with Moses & Elijah in this vision.

Although this seems like a plausible explanation since the Messiah himself specifically called it a vision, it’s weak in that Christ was seen talking to Moses and Elijah. If these two figures were, in fact, a vision why would Jesus—who is real in this situation, not a vision—talk with “them”? It makes no sense.

There’s a better explanation:

2. Elijah & Moses literally came “down” from Heaven and visited Jesus on the mountain. The evidence for this position is that Elijah escaped death and Sheol altogether and was spectacularly translated to heaven (2 Kings 2:11). This is apparently what happened to Enoch as well (Genesis 5:24). As for Moses, we know he wasn’t translated to heaven like Elijah because the Bible shows that he died and the LORD kept his gravesite hidden, but there’s evidence that he was resurrected from Sheol and went to heaven.

To explain, in the Old Testament period people’s souls went to Sheol at the point of physical death and the animating breath of life returned to the Almighty (Psalm 146:4 & Ecclesiastes 12:7). Elijah and Enoch were exceptions. They bypassed death — Sheol — and were supernaturally translated to Heaven in the same manner that believers will be during the Rapture of the Church. God is the all-knowing, all-powerful Sovereign Creator of the universe who occasionally chooses to treat some differently; and he chose to spare these two from death — Sheol. What was God’s purpose in making these exceptions? To offer Old Testament examples of the resurrection of New Testament believers, specifically translation to Heaven, which is what will happen when the Rapture occurs. Believers who die before the Rapture are translated as well, it’s just that their souls are translated to Heaven first — when they physically die — and subsequently experience a bodily resurrection at the time of the Rapture where they receive new glorified bodies.

Since Elijah was already alive in Heaven it wouldn’t be a problem for him to appear to Jesus on the mountain and speak with him. The Scriptures also offer evidence that Moses was in Heaven, along with Elijah and Enoch; in other words, although Moses certainly died and his body was buried, he too was resurrected to Heaven after a brief time in Sheol. What proof is there of this?

Deuteronomy 34:5-6 shows that Moses physically died and his body was buried in Moab, but no one knows exactly where because the LORD—who buried him—intentionally wanted it kept hidden, likely to keep his gravesite from becoming an idolatrous shrine, which would’ve been a stumbling block to the Israelites. With this understanding, there’s a curious passage about Moses’ body in the New Testament:

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Jude 1:9

This passage leaves you scratching your head. Why would Michael be arguing with Satan over Moses’ body after his death? Obviously the LORD did something extraordinary with Moses.

As you can see in the verse, Michael is described as an “archangel,” literally meaning an angel of the highest ranking. The Greek word for “archangel” is only used twice in the New Testament — here and 1 Thessalonians 4:16 — the latter addressing the bodily resurrection of believers. Michael is also associated with the resurrection of the dead in Daniel 12:1-2. This offers evidence that Michael is God’s chief servant in the process of the resurrection of the dead. With this in mind, Jude 1:9 shows Michael arguing with the devil about Moses’ body, which suggests that Moses was resurrected from the dead at some point after his death.

The Scriptures are like a puzzle when it comes to topics like this and we have to put the pieces together based on the evidence God provides in his Word. From this evidence — even if it’s scant — we can draw possible conclusions; and the evidence at hand points to Moses being bodily resurrected sometime after his death and going to Heaven. Before this resurrection his soul was dead in Sheol for a time, as shown in this article in the section “Gathered to His People” (scroll down to it).

After Christ’s transfiguration, Jesus told his three closest disciples not to mention the supernatural event to anyone else until he was resurrected from the dead (Matthew 17:9 & Mark 9:9). Why? Because they didn’t yet understand the resurrection unto eternal life, which includes three general types:

Believers going straight to heaven when they die and their later bodily resurrection at the time of the Rapture of the church (1 Thessalonians 4:13-18); this type of resurrection also includes people who become believers during the Tribulation and die (Revelation 20:4-6), as well as mortal believers during the Millennium; the latter will be similar to the time of the Rapture in which dead believers will be resurrected and living believers will be transformed from mortal to immortal.
The translation of physically living believers at the Rapture, which includes the miraculous transformation of their bodies from mortal to immortal (1 Corinthians 15:51-54 & 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). This will take place at the end of the Millennium as well.
The resurrection of the righteous from periods preceding the resurrection of Christ, which will take place at the time of Christ’s Second Coming after the Tribulation and before the millennial reign (Daniel 12:1-2 & Matthew 19:28-30).

What Peter, James and John saw on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured were examples of these three types of resurrections. Think about it: Elijah was supernaturally translated to Heaven while Moses and Jesus were resurrected sometime after their physical decease. As such, Elijah represents the “type 2” resurrection specifically and “type 1” generally (as does Enoch); and Moses and Jesus represent “type 3.”

Another reason Moses & Elijah appeared to Jesus is that they represent the law and prophets respectively. Jesus was The Prophet who fulfilled the law and implemented a superior covenant (Hebrews 8:6). Again, Enoch, Moses and Elijah were types of the first resurrection, which is the resurrection of the righteous (covered here). Perhaps the LORD wanted types from each era of history: Enoch represented the righteous populace before the flood; Moses the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egypt and establishment of the theocracy of Israel; and Elijah the kingdom of Israel.

Was Samuel RAISED FROM THE DEAD to Speak to Saul?

Samuel was the last of the judges and the first of the major prophets (1 Samuel 3:19-21). After Samuel died, ungodly King Saul was desperate for counsel and so went to a medium to get word from the dead prophet, which was a wicked act strictly forbidden by the LORD (Deuteronomy 18:10-13). The question is, was it really Samuel who appeared on this occasion or was it an evil spirit masquerading as the prophet?

For answers, let’s read the passage:

³ Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.

⁴ The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all Israel and set up camp at Gilboa. ⁵ When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. ⁶ He inquired of the Lord, but the Lord did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. ⁷ Saul then said to his attendants, “Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her.”

“There is one in Endor,” they said.

⁸ So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. “Consult a spirit for me,” he said, “and bring up for me the one I name.”

⁹ But the woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?”

¹⁰ Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As surely as the Lord lives, you will not be punished for this.”

¹¹ Then the woman asked, “Whom shall I bring up for you?”

“Bring up Samuel,” he said.

¹² When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!”

¹³ The king said to her, “Don’t be afraid. What do you see?”

The woman said, “I see a ghostly figure [a “spirit” or “god” in the Hebrew] coming up out of the earth.”

¹⁴ “What does he look like?” he asked.

“An old man wearing a robe is coming up,” she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

¹⁵ Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?”

“I am in great distress,” Saul said. “The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has departed from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do.”

¹⁶ Samuel said, “Why do you consult me, now that the Lord has departed from you and become your enemy? ¹⁷ The Lord has done what he predicted through me. The Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. ¹⁸ Because you did not obey the Lord or carry out his fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the Lord has done this to you today. ¹⁹ The Lord will deliver both Israel and you into the hands of the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”

²⁰ Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel’s words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and all that night.

1 Samuel 28:3-20

Was Samuel’s appearance after his death an illusion, an evil spirit masquerading as Samuel or Samuel himself coming back from the dead, that is, coming back from Sheol/Hades? How scholars can be divided on the issue is bewildering because the evidence clearly shows that it was indeed Samuel in disembodied form. Verses 12, 14, 15, 16, 17 and 20 prove this and a couple verses state point blank that it was Samuel; for example, verse 15 says “Samuel said to Saul” and verse 16 that “Samuel said.” Notice that these verses don’t say “A spirit masquerading as Samuel said.” No, “Samuel said.”

God chose to allow Samuel to be resurrected from Sheol to ‘witness’ to the witch and prophesy to King Saul. Further proof that this was actually Samuel can be observed in that the witch cries out in fear when she sees the prophet coming up out of the earth; in other words, she wasn’t used to such real manifestations! Lastly, notice that what Samuel says is in line with God’s Word, and what he predicted came to pass — Saul and his sons were dead the next day (1 Samuel 31).

This was edited from chapter 6 of…

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What Scripture Passages Disprove CALVINISM?

The Scriptures that disprove Calvinism are as follows: Genesis 1:1 – Revelation 22:21.

Yes, I’m being amusing, but also serious. For respectful details, see David Servant’s excellent Calvinism’s Five Points Considered.

Related Topics:

Human FREEWILL and God’s SOVEREIGNTY

God’s Perfect Will vs. God’s Permissive Will

Hermeneutics — Proper Bible Interpretation

BEREAN SPIRIT — What Is It? How Do You Cultivate It?

What Are the GREATER WORKS Christ Said Believers Will Do?

The Lord said “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). What are these “greater works” that believers are supposed to be doing?

Since one could hardly do greater works than Christ when he ministered on Earth, such as raising the dead, he was possibly referring to volume of works, particularly since he notes that he would be going to the Father and proceeds to emphasize that the Holy Spirit would come down and live inside believers as their Helper (John 14:16). When this occurs it wouldn’t be just one man doing the awesome works of Christ in one location, but rather believers all over the world because the spirit of Christ is in all of them (Romans 8:9).
The “greater things” Jesus was referring to would certainly include evangelizing people wherein they receive spiritual regeneration by the Spirit (Titus 3:5), which was not available during Christ’s earthly ministry until after he died for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:1-4 & Romans 4:25). This would be raising the dead in a spiritual sense (Ephesians 2:4-5) and would definitely be a greater work than what Christ did during his 3.5 years of earthly ministry. Another “greater work” would be laying hands on converts and their receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit & and benefits thereof.

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The Basics of Christianity

Are Christians Commissioned to RAISE THE DEAD?

Christ raised three people from the dead during his earthly ministry:

The widow’s son at Nain (Luke 7:11-17)
Jairus’ daughter (Matthew 9:18-26, Mark 5:21-43 & Luke 8:40-56)
Lazarus (John 11:1-44)

Because the Lord said “Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father” (John 14:12), some understandably argue that believers should be raising the dead as well. Here are two things to keep in mind on this:

Since one could hardly do greater works than Christ when he ministered on Earth, such as raising the dead, he was possibly referring to volume of works, particularly since he notes that he would be going to the Father and proceeds to emphasize that the Holy Spirit would come down and live inside believers as their Helper (John 14:16). When this occurs it wouldn’t be just one man doing the awesome works of Christ in one location, but rather believers all over the world because the spirit of Christ is in all of them (Romans 8:9).
The “greater things” Jesus was referring to would certainly include evangelizing people wherein they receive spiritual regeneration by the Spirit (Titus 3:5), which was not available during Christ’s earthly ministry until after he died for our sins and was raised to life for our justification (1 Corinthians 15:1-4; Romans 4:25). This would be raising the dead in a spiritual sense (Ephesians 2:4-5) and would definitely be a greater work than what Christ did during his 3.5 years of earthly ministry. Another “greater work” would be laying hands on converts and their receiving the baptism of the Holy Spirit & and benefits thereof.

After Christ’s death & resurrection, there are two cases where believers prayed for dead people and they were brought back; and one instance of a mortally-wounded person being fully healed:

Tabitha, who died after falling ill, but was raised from death after Peter prayed for her (Acts 9:36-42).
The boy, Eutychus (YOO-too-kus), who fell from a window and died while Paul was preaching, but was raised to life via Paul’s Holy Spirit-led service (Acts 20:7-12).
Paul was mortally wounded after being stoned by religious zealots in Lystra and left for dead, but the believers gathered around him in prayer and he was fully healed (Acts 14:19-20).

While these believers were led of the Spirit to pray for the dead or dying and they were miraculously raised up, believers are not technically commissioned to raise the dead, as observed in the two passages that relay the Great Commission and the corresponding signs:

¹⁵He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. ¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. ¹⁷And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; ¹⁸they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

¹⁹After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God. ²⁰Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs that accompanied it.

Mark 16:15-20

¹⁸Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Matthew 28:18-20

The Great Commission involves going out and making disciples from all over the world, baptizing them, and teaching them the New Covenant truths of Holy Scripture. In the passage from Mark 16 Christ also lists the signs that will accompany believers carrying out this commission, which includes exorcizing demons and laying hands on people to heal them. Yet notice that nothing is said about raising the dead nor are there any instructions in the epistles concerning believers going out to raise the dead. Instead, this is what is taught:

¹⁴Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven.

James 5:14-15

This corresponds to one of the signs Christ said would accompany believers — they will place their hands on sick people and they will get well. But please note the key element in releasing God’s power to heal the sick in verse 15 — FAITH. This is what the believers did when they gathered around the near-dead Paul in prayer and he miraculously received a full healing (Acts 14:19-20). You can learn more about healing by faith here.

So, believers are not commissioned to run around laying hands on dead people in the hope of raising them to life. Can you imagine the awkwardness and embarrassment of a zealous believer trying to raise someone from the dead at a funeral and nothing happens, not to mention the serious legal ramifications?

That said, if you are led of the Spirit to lay hands on the freshly dead in a tragic situation, like Peter did with Tabitha and Paul with Eutychus, do as you are guided; the same if you’re dealing with someone near-death, like Paul after being stoned and left for dead. Since raising someone from the dead or healing someone who is mortally wounded are great works, you’ll at least have to be a great man/woman of faith to be effective; and you’ll likely need one of the gifts of the Spirit to be flowing in you at the moment, like special faith, healing or working of miracles (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

I stress being led of the Spirit because God does not automatically want someone brought back from physical death. For instance, when my father passed away at the hospital after suffering a series of strokes for several years and slowly deteriorating, including his leg being amputated on his final visit, I had zero leading to lay hands on him and pray for him to be brought back. Why? Because God was done with him on Earth and it was time for him to go.

Tabitha, by contrast, needed to be brought back so that she could continue her notable ministry to the poor and Eutychus was brought back because he was just a boy with a whole life in front of him. Meanwhile Paul was fully healed after being left for dead because he had years of world-reaching service to conduct, including two more missionary journeys.

This article is available in book form as part of chapter 8 of….

The print book is available here for only $12.50 (303 pages)
The Kindle eBook is available here for just 99¢!

Both links allow you to “look inside” the book.

Will People Marry and Have Sex IN ETERNITY?

This article is available in book form as the Epilogue in…

Does the Bible Acknowledge GERMS?

Why Do Unclean Spirits Seek Out DRY PLACES?

This article was edited from chapter 9 of…

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How Can GHOSTLY Sightings or Activity Be Explained?

1. Demonic activity

2. A person who has physically died, but has delayed entry to Heaven or Sheol and is therefore stuck on this plane (or returns to this plane from Heaven or Sheol)

3. “Flashes from the past” or “residual energies”

Closing Word

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Did MOSES & ELIJAH Really Appear to Christ on the Mount?

Was Samuel RAISED FROM THE DEAD to Speak to Saul?

This was edited from chapter 6 of…

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What Scripture Passages Disprove CALVINISM?

What Are the GREATER WORKS Christ Said Believers Will Do?

Are Christians Commissioned to RAISE THE DEAD?

This article is available in book form as part of chapter 8 of….

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