Demons, Pigs, Restoration, And Rejection

You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

James 2:19

It is going to be a sad time when those who refuse to believe in Jesus will have to give a reason why they choose not to believe. Because the bible tells us that we have one life and then the judgement. At least the demons tremble at the name of Jesus, but the unrepentant world wants to eliminate the very mention of His name.

Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.

Matthew 8:30-32

Okay, we discussed the demons, now let’s add the pigs to the mix. Normally when Jesus casted a demon out of a person they went to a void, or a nowhere place, which in Luke 11 is called “dry places.”

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

Luke 11:24-26

An unclean spirit is another way of saying demon. From our first two sections of our message scripture, along with the one I just read, we can see the desires and goals of demons…to destroy you and can you from seeing your place in heaven. Once casted out the demons no longer can do what they desire to do, that is inhabit a being and slowly destroy it. That is why it is important for us to have a clean house, which refers to your body and soul, but it must not be empty! After our body and soul is cleaned, we need to invite Jesus into our house and allow the Holy Spirit to take up residence so there will be no room for demons to come back in. So, let me put your mind to rest for those with the question, can Christians be demon-possessed? The answer is no, and the Bible teaches that they cannot. We might be attacked and caused a great deal of trouble in the spiritual battles of life by unclean spirits; but if the Holy Spirit is indwelling the Christian, as the Bible affirms, then demons cannot. We are told in the Bible to resist the devil and he will flee from us; how we resist the devil is by submitting to God. Apparently, there are too many easier places for evil to lodge than in a Spirit-controlled Christian who is aware of Satan’s devices and resists them.

Satan's purpose is to make humanity like him, and for that purpose he sends his demons to seek to wreck our life. "The encounter with the demoniacs of Gergesenes had a lesson for the disciples, which also applies to us today. It showed the depths of degradation to which Satan is seeking to drag the whole human race, and the mission of Christ to set men free from Satan's power. Those wretched beings, dwelling in the place of graves, possessed by demons, in bondage to uncontrolled passions and loathsome lusts, represent what humanity would become if given up to satanic jurisdiction. Satan's influence is constantly exerted upon men to distract the senses, control the mind for evil, and incite to violence and crime. He weakens the body, darkens the intellect, and debases the soul. Whenever men reject the Savior’s invitation, they are yielding themselves to Satan. Multitudes in every department in life, in the home, in business, and even in the church, are doing this today. It is because of this that violence and crime have overspread the earth, and moral darkness, like the pall of death, enshrouds the habitations of men. Through his specious temptations Satan leads men to worse and worse evils, till utter depravity and ruin are the result.”