Is there a difference between a ghost and a demon?

A spirit being can be either good or evil.  Angels are spirit beings.  Good angels, such as Gabriel, serve God and act as his messengers.  “Bad” angels, often referred to as “fallen angels” (demons), fell from their once heavenly estate (Genesis 6) and now serve Satan.

What is a “ghost”? Many think that a ghost is the actual spirit of a dead person.  However, nothing could be further from the truth!  The Bible teaches, “the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten.  Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6)

What about people who have actually seen so-called “ghosts” of persons who have died?  Since the Bible teaches that ghosts cannot be the actual dead person’s spirit raised to life, then who are these apparitions?  They are the evil angels or demons pretending to be the dead who have come back to life in a spiritual form.  The purpose of these demons is to deceive people into believing that the soul lives on after death.  This is Satan’s and his evil demons’ biggest lie – that when we die our soul continues on.  This falsehood is known as the immortality of the soul. 

Is there a difference between a ghost and a demon?  Yes.  A so-called “ghost” is only a vision of a dead person that a demon created.

You also wanted to know if God protects “believers” from seeing demons.  

We believe God protects us from seeing demons providing we ask Him to protect us and believe He will do so.  If we are attacked, we must call upon the Lord to deliver us. “Submit yourselves, then, to God.  Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.  Come near to God and he will come near to you.” (James 4:7-8) 

The Apostle Paul tells us that in order to be strong spiritually when Satan attacks us, we must put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18).  “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.”

The Apostle Paul gives us this great encouragement:

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:38-39)

Does God protect believers from seeing demons?  Yes, providing we believe His promises to us and call upon Him for strength in our hour of need.

For more on ghosts listen to, “Ghosts, Reincarnation and Humanity- What’s Real?”

For more on demons listen to, “How Do Demons Influence Our World?”