Question: Gift from South Africa asks:
Dear Pastor,
I want to know if dead people see what is happening to their loved ones on earth- if they are watching over us, and if they can send a sign or message to the living?

Well, it depends on where they (dead people) are. They are not in the cemetery; their bodies are in the cemetery or anywhere else where they were left buried in the sand or something. But, when a man dies, depending on the life he lived- toward God or toward Satan, in other words, did he know Jesus? did he have eternal life? was he a child of God? was he born again? - that will determine whether he goes to God or he goes to hell. Is he going to heaven or is he going to hell? So, the dead must be somewhere; heaven or in hell!
Now, there are some who are roaming around awaiting their movement, howbeit it’s temporary. That’s where you talk about ghosts and so on and so forth, but... Read More Well, it depends on where they (dead people) are. They are not in the cemetery; their bodies are in the cemetery or anywhere else where they were left buried in the sand or something. But, when a man dies, depending on the life he lived- toward God or toward Satan, in other words, did he know Jesus? did he have eternal life? was he a child of God? was he born again? - that will determine whether he goes to God or he goes to hell. Is he going to heaven or is he going to hell? So, the dead must be somewhere; heaven or in hell!
Now, there are some who are roaming around awaiting their movement, howbeit it’s temporary. That’s where you talk about ghosts and so on and so forth, but can’t hang around for too long! For how long? We can’t tell because they are over in the spirit realm where time is not the same as what we’ve got here. So, such people may do some things that those in the earth can be influenced by and say “well, I think a ghost or I saw a ghost”, or something happened and then they think it’s a ghost. Ghosts are real! The Bible shows us they are real. But do they try to contact the living? Of course! Those ghosts who are moving around, who have not been taken to their final place of abode try to make contact because they are yet to understand that they have passed over to the other realm, and so they are trying and it’s not working, until they are taken away to heaven or to hell.
If you’ve listened to certain people who passed out of their bodies, they say they tried to talk to someone because they could see their bodies. They didn’t feel like they lost something and they tried to make contact. Now, does that mean that, maybe, someone is trying to contact you, so you make yourself available so you can contact the dead? The Bible tells us it’s wrong! In the Old Testament, God specifically warned the children of Israel to not make efforts to contact the dead. He says it’s wrong, don’t do it! Saul, the King of Israel did it and he got into trouble for it. God doesn’t want His children doing it.
How can a man that didn’t know the future tell you the future after he has died? Don’t think he’s going to help you. Don’t expect help from someone who has died: it’s not going to happen. He doesn’t know the future. What about the angels, do angels even know the future? They don’t! The only future you know is the future revealed to you, and you don’t have to die to have that revelation. Jesus said when the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth, is come, he shall show you things to come, so, why not depend on the Holy Spirit instead hoping that somehow, someone who has died would tell you some secret things. He doesn’t know anything! He only knows those things he knew before. So that’s very important! Don’t be deceived by the dead.
There’s another thing- what about those who say that they actually had a revelation: they saw in a dream their father, their grandfather, their mother or so and so spoke to them? Make no mistakes about it; there are manifestations of the Holy Spirit in which He ministers to us in different ways. He can use the face of your pastor to talk to you, He can use the face of a brother or sister to bring you a message, a word. He does such things and He could also talk to you through the voice and the face of someone who has passed on to glory- he can do it. He is eternity. He’s not restricted! But here is what you have to learn: don’t try to make contact with the dead. Don’t do it! And everything you hear whether from a living person or from one that’s dead, the Bible says, even if an angel came to preach to you another gospel, he says let him be accursed! Don’t accept it! Which means, no matter what you hear from living or dead, check up with the scriptures, with the Word of God. Is it consistent with the scriptures? That’s what counts. So, it’s not more authentic because it was an angel that brought it to you. It’s not more authentic because it was someone that died that spoke to you, it doesn’t make it any more authentic. Word is word, irrespective of where it’s coming from. What gives it power is whether it is consistent with God’s eternal Word. That’s the biggest thing! If it’s not consistent with it, let it go. Very, very important! Don’t say, I got a dream and then it makes it more serious. No! No! To me it doesn’t matter who I see in the dream, if I don’t like you, I say, ‘Go!’. That’s the way it’s supposed to be. Glory to God! Less