Satan and his tribe of minions can certainly bring sickness and suffering. The devil uses the direct results of Adam and Eve's fall to cause sickness and suffering. His tools are bacteria, viruses, poison, malnutrition, Alzheimer's, and premature birth for illness — while deploying accidents, blindness, warfare, old age, rapists, and murderers for suffering.
Is sin's wicked darkness the root cause of these infirmities? We should gather from scripture that, indeed, Sin could be a major factor. This can be from a person's sin or original sin that has been handed down from generations.
In all likelihood, the causes of our most wretched moments fall into those categories mentioned previously. That some people have been cured of these afflictions by the name and power of Jesus Christ shows strong evidence that sickness and suffering can be the product of Lucifer and his ilk.
John chapter 9 verses 1 to 3 tells us of a man born blind who receives sight by the spit of Jesus Christ. “And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Upon reading this gospel, I interrupted this essay to review this entire, very powerful, chapter of John.
Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but that the works of God should be revealed in him. I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
When He had said these things, He spat on the ground and made clay with the saliva, and He anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay. And He said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam.” So he went and washed, and came back seeing.
Therefore, the neighbors and those who previously had seen that he was blind said, “Is not this he who sat and begged?” Some said, “This is he.” Others said, “He is like him.”
He (the blind man) said, “I am he.” They asked of him, “How were your eyes opened?”
He answered and said, “A Man called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ So I went and washed, and I received sight.”
Then they said to him, “Where is He?” He answered, “I do not know.”
They brought him who formerly was blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath when Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also asked him again how he had received his sight. He said to them, “He put clay on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.”
Some of the Pharisees said, “This Man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.”
Others said, “How can a Man who is a sinner do such signs?” And there was a division among them.
The Pharisees said to the blind man again, “What do you say about Him because He opened your eyes?”
He said, “He is a prophet.”
But the Jews did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind and received his sight until they called the parents of him who had received his sight. And they asked them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?”
His parents answered them and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but by what means he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we do not know. He is of age; ask him. He will speak for himself.” His parents said these things because they feared the Jews, for the Jews had agreed already that if anyone confessed that He was Christ, he would be put out of the synagogue. His parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”
So they again called the man who was blind, and said to him, “Give God the glory! We know that this Man is a sinner.”
He answered and said, “Whether He is a sinner or not I do not know. One thing I know: that though I was blind, now I see.” Then they said to him again, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?”
He replied, “I told you already, and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become His disciples?” (Who is showing the most common sense, the Pharisees or the everyday people?)
Then they reviled him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are Moses’ disciples. We know that God spoke to Moses; as for this fellow, we do not know where He (Jesus) is from.”
The man answered and said to them, “Why, this is a marvelous thing, that you do not know where He is from; yet He has opened my eyes! Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. Since the world began it has been unheard of that anyone opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this Man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
They answered and said to him, “You were completely born in sins, and are you teaching us?” And the Pharisees cast him out.
True Vision and True Blindness
Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
He answered and said, “Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?”
And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you.”
Then he said, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.
And Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, that those who do not see may see, and that those who see may be made blind.”
Then some of the Pharisees who were with Him heard these words, and said to Him, “Are we blind also?”
Jesus said to them, “If you were blind, you would have no sin; but now you say, ‘We see.’ Therefore your sin remains.
Paul the Apostle was also afflicted by Satan as well. Notice he attributes this as from “a messenger of Satan” demon spirits, if you will. 2nd Corinthians 12:6-10 “For though I would desire to glory, I shall not be a fool; for I will say the truth: but now I forbear, lest any man should think of me above that which he sees me to be, or that he hears of me. And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing, I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.”
A woman in Scripture was afflicted. Luke informs us in chapter 13:10-13, “And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath. And, behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.”
In today’s endeavors to cure this woman, the Medical community would never even consider that her health problem could have been caused by an evil spirit. Many of today's physicians never consider what Luke said in his Gospel that Jesus healed all who he came in contact with that were oppressed by the devil.
Psalm 107:17 Fools because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, are afflicted.
Scriptures like this seem to foretell there is an unswerving, direct connection between sin and physical maladies. There is certainly a connection between sin and Satan. Except for the devil, there would be no sickness. More importantly, if not for the devil there would be no sin. Adam and Eve’s acceptance of sin opened the door for the devil to enter all of humanity.
How can that be said? Was there no sickness on the earth before the devil came? There isn’t any scriptural evidence of prior illness in the Garden of Eden. No crime or murders—yet. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Death is a spiritual condition, a condition of separation from God, in which demonic activity thrives. Sin in humans creates the spiritual atmosphere for sickness to thrive on and on.
I personally believe that many illnesses and sufferings have their roots in a demonic presence. You may or may not disagree with that opinion, but it seems that the people living during Jesus’ ministry had a clearer understanding. It seemed to be common knowledge that sickness and suffering were connected to the works of evil spirits. Let’s consider these scriptures which support those sentiments.
Mark 9:17-29 Jesus asked, “What are you arguing about with the teachers of the law?”
A man answered, “Teacher, I brought my son to you. He is controlled by an evil spirit that keeps him from talking. The spirit attacks him and throws him on the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes very stiff. I asked your followers to force the evil spirit out, but they could not.”
Jesus answered, “You people today don’t believe! How long must I stay with you? How long must I be patient with you? Bring the boy to me!”
So the followers brought the boy to Jesus. When the evil spirit saw Jesus, it attacked the boy. The boy fell down and rolled on the ground. He was foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
The father answered, “Since he was very young. The spirit often throws him into a fire or into the water to kill him. If you can do anything, please have pity on us and help us.”
Jesus said to the father, “Why did you say ‘if you can’? All things are possible for the one who believes.”
Immediately, the father shouted, “I do believe. Help me to believe more!”
Jesus saw that all the people were running there to see what was happening. So he spoke to the evil spirit. He said, “You evil spirit that makes this boy deaf and stops him from talking—I command you to come out of him and never enter him again!”
The evil spirit screamed. It caused the boy to fall on the ground again, and then it came out. The boy looked as if he was dead. Many people said, “He is dead!” But Jesus took hold of his hand and helped him stand up.
Then Jesus went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, “Why weren’t we able to force that evil spirit out?”
Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can be forced out only with prayer.”
So then Jesus Himself also addressed this condition as a spirit, a dumb and deaf spirit, a foul spirit. You’ll notice as you read the gospels that Jesus treated both devils and sickness in a similar way—with rebuke.
What is suggested here is that we will receive healthier results if we could deal with the unholy aspect of sickness and suffering. Certainly, we should attend to the obvious physical condition but deal, as well, with the spiritual root in the authority of Jesus’ name. If we take the more Biblical belief that sickness is of diabolical origin, we will deal with it differently, and we will improve the overall results by also praying for the sick and those suffering from calamity's misfortunes.
Let’s look at another example in Mark 7:25-30.
For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter.
Her daughter had an unclean spirit. She didn’t say, My daughter is sick.
Verse 27, But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not right to take the children's bread and to cast it unto the dogs.
Have you ever heard the expression “Healing is the children’s bread?” This scripture is where that expression originated. But this woman was seeking Jesus' help in casting out an unclean spirit. These verses do not say she was asking for healing.
Verse 28, And she answered and said unto him, Yea, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs.
Yes, Lord, I’m a dog, if you say so. But even the dogs get to eat something under the table.
Verse 29-30, And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she came to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.
When Jesus said, “Go your way, the devil is gone out of your daughter.” He referred to the condition as the work of a devil. She went home and her daughter was well. So then getting rid of an unclean spirit seems to have solved her physical condition. She was cured, she was all better.
Luke 13:11-13 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity. And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
The Bible tells us here that she had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. But this spirit of infirmity manifested in her being bent over and unable to straighten up.
Who said that it was a spirit of infirmity? This is recorded in the gospel of Luke, so it was Doctor Luke, the physician. Did Jesus command the devil to leave? No, He said, Woman, you are loosed.
Luke 13:13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
Was there sickness in the earth before the devil came? There isn’t any scriptural evidence of sickness in the Garden of Eden. The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Death is a spiritual condition, a condition of separation from God, in which demonic activity thrives. Sin in the earth creates the spiritual atmosphere for sickness to thrive in the earth.
John 9:2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? Jesus answered, neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.
Mark 9:17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
The man who had brought his son for healing did not say, “My son is deaf and dumb”, as we might say. He said, He has a dumb spirit. Why did he say that? Who told him that? Did Jesus correct him and set him straight on the matter?
Mark 9:25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
What I’m suggesting is that we might get better results if we would deal with the demonic aspect of sickness and disease. Tend to the obvious physical condition, but deal with the spiritual root in the authority of Jesus’ name. I believe that If we take the more Biblical belief that sickness is demonic in origin, we will deal with it differently, and we’ll get better results when praying for the sick.
Luke 13:11-12 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself. And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
The Bible tells us here that she had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years. But this spirit of infirmity manifested in her being bent over and unable to straighten up.
Who said that it was a spirit of infirmity? This is recorded in the gospel of Luke, so it was Doctor Luke, the physician. Did Jesus command the devil to leave? No, He said, Woman, you are loosed.
Matthew 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
It seems to be evident that in the days of Jesus’ earthly ministry demonic activity and sickness ran together? Have things changed so much from Bible days to now? Or have we merely changed the way we view things?
Unbelief is a form of belief. They believed the wrong thing, and it stopped the power of God. It didn’t say He wouldn’t do any mighty work. It said He couldn’t.
Let’s put some thought and meditation into the idea that sickness and disease are of the devil and that they originate in demonic activity, the activity of the devil. Then we will approach praying for the sick in a different way. It will become an exercise of divine authority that Jesus endowed to all believers.
Mark 16:17-18 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Well, brother and sisters, I just don’t believe that. That’s okay, you can believe whatever you want to. But did you know that it does make a difference what you believe? Do you recall that Jesus had some difficulty in His hometown of Nazareth?
Mark 6:4-6, (ERV) Then Jesus said to them, “People everywhere give honor to a prophet, except in his own town, with his own people, or in his home.” Jesus was not able to do any miracles there except the healing of some sick people by laying his hands on them. He was surprised that the people there had no faith. Then he went to other villages in that area and taught.
Their unbelief—false beliefs obstructed the power of God. Scripture does not say He could not do any mighty work. It indicates He chose not to because of their lack of faith. Why do miracles for the non-faithful?
Let’s reflect on the idea that much sickness and suffering originate from Satan. Then we will approach a substantial portion of the “cure” by praying for the afflicted differently. Let's exercise the divine authority that Jesus endowed all believers with.
Friends, bear witness for these matters are real. If more people would recognize that and deal with it, then more people would be freer from illness and suffering! The Scriptures clearly describe that Jesus healed many. He will heal you in his own time or take you to heaven. When you become disheartened and think God is ignoring your pain or suffering, just think of the Blind man in the book of John. The blind man was born blind and kept that way for a purpose. So that everyone would know he had been blind his whole life until Jesus spat on the ground and made mud to put on his eyelids. Then the blind man not only followed the instructions of Jesus to the “T.” He also had a mission to speak with the Pharisees. There he testified before them to the extent he was banished from the synagogue. But when Jesus asked him if he believed, the previously blind man had the right answer, “Lord, I believe!” And he worshiped Him.
