Have you ever wondered why there have been so many TV shows and movies about ghosts or spirits of the dead yet wandering earth, either to finish a task, say a proper goodbye to loved ones, or simply to torment others? In that question, I've named two movies, Ghost (1990) and The Others (2001). We could add to this list The Sixth Sense (1999) and many other movies (The Changeling, The Shining, Poltergeist, etc.), as well as TV shows like The Medium (ending in 2011) and Ghost Whisperer (ending in 2010). Of course there is the 1968-1970 sitcom The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, based on the 1947 movie of the same title, and Casper, the Friendly Ghost, from as far back as 1945, re-appearing in the 50s, 70s, and, most recently, in 2012.
I think that this reveals the innate desire in all humans for something beyond this life. We don't want this life to be "all there is." We want life after death, eternal life, something more.
The believer in reincarnation wants to live multiple lives as multiple people or creatures. (I can't imagine coming back as a spider or wasp, two creatures I dislike intensely.) But how confusing it would be to live as different people in different time periods. The latent memories would generate a lot of perplexity and disorder. The idea of it also erodes one's individuality—that belief that each individual (spirit/soul/personality/essence) is unique and different from all others. Besides, the word of God declares that, "It is appointed unto men (people) once to die, but after this the judgment"—Hebrews 9: 27. Though that verse also has a deeper, symbolic meaning, it is no less true on the surface, for "death is the end of all people"—Ecclesiastes 7: 2. So, we couldn't live and die more than once, and especially not as more than one species.
Thus, if we die once (and following Aristotle's logical syllogism, we all are mortal and will die), what happens to us then?
"When you're dead, you're dead," some say. And as for the physical body of flesh, that is so. We do eventually become dust (or ashes if we are cremated). Even those eaten by animals or fish become dust, since we are basically bio-degradable (or bio-destructible).
But what of the spirit, the personality, the soul, the essence of our identity? That thing that Hollywood calls "ghosts" or "dead people," with the implication that, even though dead, we are still "people," not just tissue subject to "bio-deterioration."
Do we wander around on earth looking for closure? Do we all need direction toward "the light" so we can "cross over"? The word of God tells us that when a believer in Jesus Christ dies, our spirit/soul/personality/essence is absent from the body and present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5: 8). That quickly. No time to roam around planet Earth for awhile. Jesus told the repentant and believing thief on the cross, "Today you shall be with me in Paradise" (Luke 23: 43).
So there is a glorious future for those of us who believe. We need not fear death. It is our passage into the very presence of God, our trip to our eternal home.
But what of the non-believer? That will be next week's topic.
Crack in the Liberty Bell
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7/4/2022
Resurrection Miracles
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4/16/2022
Globalism: Olympic Games Canceled
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2/20/2022
Happy Valentine's Day from God
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2/13/2022
Beginnings and Endings
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12/30/2021
The Light of the World
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12/24/2021
He Is Risen As He Said
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4/2/2021
Three M's of Christmas
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12/25/2020
Silenced and Silent
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8/4/2020
The Right Way
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7/13/2020
"Let Freedom Ring"
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7/3/2020
Caring and Sharing
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6/20/2020
One Race -- Two Creations
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6/10/2020
An End to Racism
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6/2/2020
With One Voice
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5/24/2020
Trust in God
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5/17/2020
A Firm Foundation
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5/9/2020
No Fear!
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5/2/2020
Author of Peace, Not Confusion
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4/28/2020
Too Timid to Tell
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4/24/2020
Resurrection Promise
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4/11/2020
God's Mercies
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4/2/2020
Yet I Will Rejoice
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3/18/2020
Slow Suicide—Part 2
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3/5/2020
Slow Suicide—Part 1
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3/2/2020
V-I-C-T-O-R-Y
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2/6/2020
A Stable and an Empty Tomb
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12/24/2019
Do Definitions Matter?
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12/17/2019
Darkness Creeping In
Vicki Dorshorn
11/26/2019
The Presence and Purpose of Pain and Sorrow
Vicki Dorshorn
8/31/2019
Salt and Light
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8/21/2019
Real Rainbows and True Light
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8/17/2019
The Light of Life
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8/7/2019
A Giant Eraser
Vicki Dorshorn
4/23/2018
He Is Risen
Vicki Dorshorn
3/30/2018
Rejection
Vicki Dorshorn
7/22/2015
Liberty Bell & more
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7/4/2015
Breaking News
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6/22/2015
Cracked Foundations
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6/12/2015
Power Transformers
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6/5/2015
Transformers
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5/28/2015
What is my name?
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5/20/2015
What age is Jesus for you?
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12/21/2014
Part 2 - Stories of Sovereignty from England
Vicki Dorshorn
11/21/2014
Stories of Sovereignty from England
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11/15/2014
Coincidence or Sovereignty?
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11/3/2014
Time to Care
Vicki Dorshorn
8/24/2014
"Lion on the Loose"
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8/16/2014
Lessons from My Garden - Part 6
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8/10/2014
Lessons from My Garden - Part 5
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8/3/2014
Lessons from My Garden - Part 4
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7/27/2014
Lessons from My Garden - Part 3
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7/20/2014
"Lessons from My Garden -- Part 2"
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7/12/2014
Lessons From My Garden - Part 1
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7/7/2014
Dreams, Revisions, and Renewal
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6/29/2014
A Dream that is Reality
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6/21/2014
The Return of the Swallows
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6/14/2014
Part 2 - Where will I go when I die?
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6/7/2014
Where will I go when I die?
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5/31/2014
Truth or Deception
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5/24/2014
Deliverance from Falling
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5/16/2014
Deliverance from Tears
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5/10/2014
Deliverance from Death
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5/3/2014
The Significance of Death
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4/27/2014
Conclusion of Why Bad Things Happen
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4/19/2014
Good and Bad, Relatively Speaking
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4/12/2014
The Potter and the Clay
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4/5/2014
"Bad Things" - Part 5
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3/29/2014
"Bad Things" - Part 4
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3/21/2014
"Bad Things" - Part 3
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3/15/2014
"Bad Things" - Part 2
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3/8/2014
"Bad Things" - Part I
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3/1/2014
Who are "good" people?
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2/26/2014
Why do bad things happen to good people?
Vicki Dorshorn
2/22/2014