Demonic Possession
The Bible not only teaches that the existence of the devil and demons are real. But, that they were once holy. However, they allowed their leader, Satan to lead them away from God. Their ultimate end will be eternal damnation when God judges the demons and Satan at the Great White Throne of judgment (Revelation 20:10-15).
There are a few things we need to know about demons. They are spirits without bodies (Eph. 6:12), demons as I said before were in fellowship with God at one time (Jude 6). Demons are innumerable (Mark 5:8-9). Demons are organized (Matt. 12:24). Demons have supernatural powers and are knowledgeable about God (Rev. 16:14; Matt. 8:29). Demons are allowed to roam the earth and torment those who do not believe and they can inflict sickness from time to time (Matt. 12:43-45; 9:32-33). Demons can control and possess animals and human beings, as well as cause mental illness (Mark 5:13; 5:2-3,5; Luke 8:2;). Demons know that Jesus is God and tremble before Him (Mark 1:23-24; James 2:19). Demons teach false doctrine and oppose the people of God while trying to destroy God’s Kingdom (1 Tim. 4:1; Eph. 6:12; 1 Peter 5:8). God uses the demons for His purposes and will judge them at the last judgment (Judges 9:23; 2 Peter 2:4), (McDowell 175-177).
The scripture is full of evidence but that evidence is not there for the skeptic because he is not impressed with Scriptural evidence. Scriptural evidence is the most important witness of all. We must remember that everything that God has created has been for Him. The New Testament is full of evidence that demons exist. Their existence is declared in James 2:19 and Revelation 9:20. Their nature is described in Luke 4:33 and 6:18. Their activities are mentioned in 1 Timothy 4:1 and Revelation 16:14. There is evidence of their exorcism from human beings in Luke 9:42. They are organized as told of in Matthew 12:26 and Ephesians 6:12. Luke 8:31 and Revelation 9:11 tells us where they live. In Matthew 25:41 their final end is told to us. Christ himself told his disciples to cast demons out in Matthew 10:1, he cast them out himself in Matthew 15:22,28, rebuked them in Mark 5:8, and in Matthew 12:29 showed his power over them and over Satan in Luke 10:17-18.
There are those out there who need something other than scripture for proof that demons exist. Nature is full of examples of the supernatural world played out in the natural. Illustrations abound that Satan and demons exist. We only need a look at plants and the pests that are continually attacking the farmer. Animals have their natural enemies who kill and feed upon them. The human body is besieged by germs that attack the body with disease and death. These illustrations are not to suggest that there is some connection between the pest and parasites, germs and disease in the natural realm and the demons of the spiritual realm. God is seen in all that is made (Rom. 1:20, my paraphrase).
There are those who may think that Scripture and nature hold no answers as to the existence of demons and Satan. There is proof in human nature. Thomas Davies says, “The belief in evil spirits is universal.” L.T. Townsend concurs in this manner about mankind’s belief in demons, “persistent and widespread . . . as belief in God, in good angels, or in the soul’s immortality” (Unger 38).
The demonic is spiritual. God is also a Spirit. However, he is such that no other spiritual being can compare. When dealing with the spirituality of the occult, you deal with things that are not fully understood. The occult is “non spiritual or anti spiritual, but still spiritual” (Philpott 97). It has enough spirituality within it that it can be counterfeit. Those who have become embroiled in its use have been deceived through the occult’s counterfeits. They believe that because of the aspect of spirituality it must come from God. In many of the black practices truly authentic spiritual gifts are counterfeited. When this happens, the occultist passes off their visions or predictions as prophecy. Many of those involved teaching that the readings from palms and astrology predictions come from God. Occultists’ may also counterfeit the gifts of speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues.
Those who are not experienced with dealing with the demonic cannot easily spot the counterfeit that happens. We see in 1 Corinthians 12:10 that the Holy Spirit, convicts people of sin, judgment, and righteousness. The power that is behind the occult excuses sin, denies judgment, and promotes self-attained morality. The Holy Spirit also testifies of, points to, honors, and glorifies our Lord and Savior Jesus.
There are changes that come along with demon possession. Some of those changes are spoken of in the book of Mark 7:24-30 and 9:17-29. Those who are possessed have distinctive characteristics. They are personality, physical, mental, and spiritual changes. There is deliverance through the name of Jesus (McDowell 177).
There is no single explanation as to why the fascination with demonic possession or occultic behavior has been booming of late in this country and across the world. Growing up I would watch such television shows as “The Sixth Sense,” “Night Gallery,” “Ghost Story,” “Bewitched,” and “Dark Shadows.” Today there is a resurgence of television shows and movies that deal with occultic themes, “Diary of a Vampire,” “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Spawn,” “Charmed,” “Dark Angel,” and “Angel.” Most of these deal with witchcraft and demonic characteristics. Demons are real, this is clearly testified too in scripture. However, unbelief is so widespread that many people do not believe in the devil or demons. Yet many movies have been made with both as lead characters. The rock band, The Rolling Stones recorded a song entitled “Sympathy for the Devil.” Many people all around have encounters with the supernatural and never even know it.
Satan and demons are very active today and it is this activity that is seen in his attack against human beings. Their attacks can do great harm to humans. The unregenerated person can be lead into great evil by demons. The demon’s main job is to bring about the will, of his master Satan the adversary. His name was changed from Lucifer when he led the rebellion against God. Lucifer’s name meant Lightbearer. The demonic is all about the exaltation of self, which is in direct opposition to God.
We must know our enemy because our enemy knows us. Satan does not fear or worry about the uneducated believer. In fact he devises numerous tricks to get us to believe he doesn’t exist. Satan’s oldest trick is in trying to get us to worship him, not God. Another one is trying to get us to believe him or his demons don’t exist. Then there is the trick that he and his demons are everywhere. Satan wants to tell our future and show us what he can do. Satan tells us that he is a very nice guy and that God doesn’t really love us.
Through these tricks or sin in and of itself in the believer and unregenerate person, demonic possession does exist. Demon possession is not found in the Bible the words used in the Greek are those used to mean pagan gods (Murphy 51-52). With increased occultic and demon activity there are not many differences as to whether the unregenerate person can and does become possessed within the Christian realm. However, those who would hold a rational view see demonic possession in the accounts of the Bible as purely symbolic. There are others who feel that demon possession is pure hallucination. Those who hold to the first view say that Jesus adapted himself to popular culture of his time. He committed to neither the existence nor nonexistence or whether the incidents described were true or false. Those who consider demon possession pure hallucination or psychological delusion and those who think Jesus just rearranged his thinking, missed the whole point altogether. Those in the counseling field today who do not recognize evil and the supernatural of demon possession cannot deal adequately with this phenomenon (Unger 101-102).
How can demon possession be defined? It is a condition in which one or more of the evil spirits, commonly called demons, inhabit the body of a human and as such can and often do take control of the victim. Generally the person does not remember a thing when the demons are in control. They speak and act through the host and use them like a puppet. The demon uses the host as one would live in a house. When the demon is at home, the host is an entirely different person. The demoniac will go into fits when the demon is active in its host.
The demoniac will go from depression and deep melancholy, to varying degrees of vacancy and stupidity that makes the victim look like a total idiot. Sometimes the host will be in fits of great joy and fall into violent fits foaming at the mouth. The times between attacks vary from minutes to days. Some are mild while others are violent. If they are frequent and violent, the hosts’ health will suffer.
There are some very distinguishing marks when it comes to recognizing demonomania is the change in personality. During the demon attack the host’s own personality is completely wiped out. The demon completely takes over using the host as the vehicle to make its thoughts, words and acts known. The demon will even tell you who and where he comes from using the host.
The personality and voice are very different from the host. It will use language or dialects that are on a completely different educational or cultural level. The demon will speak in the first person. Those whom it meets are spoken of in the second person and the host is spoken of in the third person (Unger 103).
Demonomania is clearly defined from insanity. The host does not imagine himself to be someone else. The demoniac when in the demonized state, is a completely different person. However, the insane person is only the diseased version of himself. There is some proof and concern by those who have dealt with demoniacs that some have been misdiagnosed. When demoniac is not in the throes of demonization he is able to explain exactly what is compelling him to act in the manner in which he does.
The demoniac’s gain knowledge and intellectual power as well as physical strength that can only be explained through the supernatural. There is another aspect that demoniacs display and that is a moral depravity. Like humans, demons have different personality and traits of their own. Some are well educated, cultured, refined, and can appear to be good. Others are vile, unrefined, uneducated, and morally filthy. However, one thing is held in common. Both types of demons are opposed to Jesus Christ (Unger 107-108).
There are three camps within the Christian community that have varying degrees about how demons deal with believers. We must also visit these ideas to gain a true reading of demonic possession. Many believers naively assume that because a person is regenerate that satanic power has no effect upon them. Christians are somehow magically removed from a demonic invasion or satanic attack.
There is another segment of believer’s who hold a view that is a more realistic view according to Merrill F. Unger. These believers are fully convinced that demons not only tempt and attack believers. If they are not deterred, they will eventually do serious harm to his walk. These attacks always come from without. There are some that believe the possibility of one or more demons invading a believer is out of the question.
The third segment of believer’s, feel that the most realistic view about satanic involvement of in the life of believers, is that a grievously sinning saint may go beyond the old nature. Some would consider these to be in an apostate state. When someone is involved in gross immorality or participation in occultic practices, demons may exercise great control over a believer until sin is confessed and repented of. Deliverance is gained.
Demon influence is demonic power working to corrupt a person. It can come in varying degrees or severity. The resistance lays with the demonically influenced person.
When evil spirits are allowed to go unchecked upon the mind, will, emotion and bodily appetites, these forces grow stronger and stronger. If the demonic attack is not resisted, the result is a demonic invasion. This can lead to demonic possession or enslavement.
There are step’s demoniac’s can take to be set free. First we must set right our misconceptions. We have mistakenly used methods formulated for the gospels and not the epistles (Matt. 28:18; Col. 2:15). Some believe that no continuing ministry exists for setting captives free because there are no specific instructions found outside the gospels (Matt. 12:43-45). We believe that freedom comes from a power encounter rather than a truth encounter (John 8:32). Finally we have associated giftedness or calling with setting the captives free instead of character or the ability to teach (2 Tim. 2:24-26), (Anderson 216-220).
Finally in order to help those afflicted whether regenerate or not, we must gather information, confront false teachings, deal not with the demons but the individuals, lead them through the steps to freedom.
Works Cited
Anderson, Neil T. The Bondage Breaker. Eugene: Harvest House, 1993.
McDowell, Josh & Don Stewart. Handbook of Today’s Religions. Nashville: Nelson, 2001.
Murphy, Edward F. The Handbook For Spiritual Warfare. Nashville: Nelson, 1996.
Montgomery, John Warwick. Demon Possession. Minneapolis: Bethany, 1976.
Nevius, John L. Demon Possession. Grand Rapids: Kregel, 1968.
The NIV Thematic Reference Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999.
Noll, Stephen F. Angels of Light, Powers of Darkness. Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1998.
Philpott, Kent. a manual of Demonology And The Occult. Grand Rapids: Zondervan 1976.
Reflecting God Study Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2000.
Unger, Merrill F. Demons In The World Today. Wheaton: Tyndale House, 1972.
- - - What Demons Can Do To Saints. Chicago: Moody Press, 1977
Zodhiates, Spiros. The Complete Word Study Dictionary New Testament. Chattanooga: AMG, 2000.
