Is There a Spirit World?

A spirit world—if there is such a thing—would exist beyond the physical dimensions. It could not be measured or understood simply by physical senses. It would be a world in which phenomena cannot normally be seen, felt, touched, tasted or heard. If it exists, it would be outside the normal human experience. But is there such a world?

In earlier, less sophisticated times most people had no difficulty believing that they shared their existence with unseen forces and supernatural beings. There were fairies at the bottom of the garden, gnomes and elves in the woods, ghosts that roamed haunted houses. Every tree, rock arid mountain had its spirit. Some were good and helpful, some mischievous, others downright malevolent. Mortal beings were quite conscious of these unseen spirit forces, and they lived carefully so as not to offend them.

As understanding of the physical world grew, scientists showed us natural forces that governed the world. Everything could be explained without recourse to the supernatural. At least, that is what scientists used to think. Now some of them are not so sure.

As scientists have pushed forward the frontiers of knowledge in every direction, they discovered that not everything can be explained by physical and natural forces. Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist John Eccles wrote:

“[Science] cannot explain the existence of each of us as a unique self, nor can it answer such fundamental questions as: Who am I? Why am I here? How did I come to be at a certain place and time? What happens after death? They are all mysteries that are beyond science.”

Call it what you will—paranormal, supernatural, singularity—but some things can be explained only in terms of a “nonphysical” (most scientists would hesitate to call it “spirit”) realm.

When scientists admit that the answers to life’s big questions lie beyond the scope of science, it no longer seems so naive and unscientific to believe there is a spirit world, which, although beyond the dimensions of normal human experience, nevertheless affects our lives. It is also only natural that many would want to make contact with it, whether out of curiosity or seriously—or even in a desperate attempt to gain insight, comfort and power.

How does a spirit world influence what happens in our material world? Can we—should we —contact it? This booklet has been written to help you understand more about the spirit world.

When we approach the world of the supernatural, we come in contact with powerful forces, and they are not all friendly. People who are desperate, thrill seekers—or even just curious—can quickly get into trouble. It is no place to wander without a guide.

There is so much material available on this subject today. Some of it is superstitious nonsense and some the work of charlatans preying on the fears of the gullible and naive. But there are also many sincere and well-intentioned people who are anxious to be your guides to the spirit world.

Our guide will be the Bible. This book gives us God’s revelation to humanity. In it, he tells us things that we cannot know, or cannot fully understand, by our five physical senses. It gives human beings instructions for life from our Creator. As such, it is a safe and reliable guide to what we need to know about the forces, powers and influences that lie beyond our natural experience.

In this series, we will show you what the Bible says about the spirit world. We will look at several of the most common ways by which people try to make contact with that world. In a short booklet like this one, we can’t cover everything. But there will be enough here to show you why the wrong kind of contact with the spirit world is at best misleading and possible even terribly dangerous. So first let’s see what the Bible tells us about the spirit world, and how we should relate to it.