More than a Ghost Story



(from 2002)



As we enter the month of October our thoughts turn to cooler weather, Fall colors, and the remaining holidays that arrive. Others will think about Halloween and the fun that comes with it; Jack-O-Lanterns, witches, ghosts, and things that go bump in the night. Children will put on costumes and go into the streets "scaring" up candy through trick or treat.

Some of the denominational churches however will promote haunted houses and Halloween parties for safer celebration of this pagan holiday. Their thoughts are, “As long as you are with other church members in the church building it’s okay”.

The scriptures make no mention of haunted houses or parties within the assembly (Rom. 14:17; 1 Cor. 11:34; 2 John 9; Gal. 1:6-7). However, there is a ghost story, of sorts, in the book of Matthew. It’s more than a ghost story to scare people for it has a very profound meaning. In chapter 27 and verses 50-53, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” (NKJV)




The writer is not talking about spirits from the grave, or even zombies, but living-breathing individuals brought back to life. He is talking about resurrection of the body in the same way Lazarus was raised (read John 11: 1-44). If these saints were merely spirits then it would defeat the hope of resurrection for all of us. Jesus said, “…I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25-26, NKJV)

Although we don’t know what happened to the saints after they appeared to people, they most likely were allowed to live just a few more days to prove the power of the resurrection and help establish Jesus as deity as well as his victory over the grave (1 Cor. 15:22, 55-57). The Roman Centurion summed up the event in Matthew 27:54, "Now the centurion, and they that were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God."

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