On our lighthouse tour, we encountered a rather unusual lighthouse in Dunkirk, NY.

The appearance of it was normal, even the history of it was unremarkable. What made this lighthouse strange was a little paragraph in the one-page informational pamplet, with the heading “Paranormal Activity.”

Uh-oh, what have we gotten ourselves into here… This paragraph prompted me to ask the volunteers working there about this, and what I found out was the paranormal activity wasn’t just a side note they wanted to sweep under the rug, but rather something they were very proud of.

One certain volunteer, a rather old gentleman, took me aside and began explaining all the different ghosts that haunt the lighthouse. One, he claimed, was an old light keeper, because (according to him) this job of being a light keeper wasn’t just a job–but a way of life. It became their identity. The other ghosts were children who drowned in the lake.

To prove this claim, he then proceeded to show me two pictures. The first one, he said, was captured by paranormal investors. They caught “an orb” with a face in it.

The second picture has a story attached to it. There were some civil war reenactment actors who wanted a “period photo” with the interior of lighthouse as the backdrop.  (Side note: the timeline doesn’t match up because the civil war was over before the lighthouse was built.) But the volunteer claimed that there was a little girl playing piggy back with the woman actor. And that was captured in film.

But, here’s the deal: Ghosts aren’t real. 2 Corinthians 11:14-15, “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.” When people die, their souls are immediately judged, to righteousness (because of Jesus) or to damnation (because of sin). Hebrews 9:27-28 says this,  “And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him.” (Emphasis added)

So, if souls do not stay on earth, attending to “unfinished business,” what, then, was haunting the light house? You’re right: servants of Satan, speaking their native language of lies and deciept, decieving people like lighthouse volunteers to be accepting of their presence.

This lighthouse, a metaphorical light in a dark place, is instead a dark place. And yes, there was a feeling of uneasiness that was felt as you got near the building. (I prayed a prayer of protection over my family.) We had originally planned to tour this lighthouse but, in the end, decided not to.

So, what’s the point? 1 Peter 5:8-9 warns us, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world.” And this happens all the time, all around you. Be it at beautiful lighthouses, or on TV, or at the grocery store.

Be watchful for the darkness in this broken world. In Luke 11:34-36, Jesus says, “Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”