BIBLICAL DEMONOLOGY
AND DEMONIC POSSESION
"The whole subject is at the same time rendered more acute because of the remarkable prominence accorded demon inhabitation in Scripture, especially during the life and ministry of our Lord."
"A. DEMON POSSESSION AND PSYCHISM"
"...While telepathy, or thought transference, and mind-reading are problems of the psychologist, and are fields of investigation, in many respects still in their infancy, and much remains to be discovered concerning them, yet this much is established: the mind of one person cannot only influence that of another, but can mesmerize, or hypnotize, or take control of it to such a degree as to impart to it a knowledge previously unpossessed."
( Years ago I was watching a TV program about Petra
and an individual
who I know had no knowledge about it
walked in the room and stated,
"Petra?
Thats a trigger word around here."
I knew exactly what was up.
Some?
Preachers and others?
Just kinda shrugged their shoulders when I told them.
I just kinda had that:
"How are you preaching on Sunday but you don't believe in what I am telling you? When have I ever lied to you in the past? Why would I be lying about this now? What have I to gain other than you're gonna think I'm nuts?"
vibe going on.
Point is?
This is the truth,
this is how this works.)
"...provided such beings as good angels exist. That they do exist, and have a ministry in behalf of believers, must be conceded by those who believe the testimony of Scripture (Ps. 104:4; Matt. 6:10; Heb.1:14), Also the basic Christian tenet that the Holy Spirit can indwell the believer's body and act directly upon the minds of those who submit themselves to God's will, inspiring them with lofty aims and thoughts, guiding them in the ways of finds in telepathy a rational basis of corroboration."
"The deduction to be made from the foregoing facts is this: if the mind of one person can influence or take control of that of another, if good angels can comfort and otherwise influence the minds of God's people, and if the Holy Spirit can enter, and take possession, and influence for good those who choose the way of salvation, then what valid objection may be offered why Satan and demons, as the Bible teaches, may not also enter into the bodies, and take possession of the minds of those who willingly yield themselves slaves to these evil agencies? This is a question that unbelief must answer, and which no candid philosopher or scientist, who does research in psychology, can reasonably ignore."
"B. THE PREVALENCE OF DEMON POSSESSION
"Much skepticism arises from the common erroneous notion, that what is called demon possession was occurrent in only one period of history and characteristic of but one epoch, and is, therefore, to be explained otherwise than what it is actually claimed to be physical indwelling and bodily control by evil spirits."
"1. ITS PREVALENCE IN BIBLICAL TIMES
"It can not be denied that the period of Jesus' public ministry was the time of an unusual and startling outbreak of demonism. It seemed as if all the fury of the underworld of evil was concentrated against the Messiah and His public ministry, so that in the synoptic Gospels cases of demon possession and demon expulsion are extremely common. Not only did the Lord Jesus cast out demons as one of the functions of His ministry of mercy (Mark 1:23-27, 32-34, 39; 3:11-12, 5:1-20; 7:25-30; 9:17-29, 38, 16:9, 17) He delegated this power to the Twelve (Mark 3:15) the seventy (Luke 10:17), and even to believers (Mark 16:17)"
"But such an eruption of demon power against the ministry of dhe Saviour ought not to be thought amazing.
It was but the critical and inevitable
clash of the white light
of perfect holiness and truth
against the gross darkness
of error and deceit.
It was the unavoidable collision of the unhindered power of the Holy Spirit, manifested through a sinless life, with the opposing power of Satan. It was impossible for the Son of God to be in the vicinity of evil power, and not expose it, and challenge it. Shadows of twilight and the curtain of night only temporarily hide what the brilliance the noonday sun reveals."
"The Son of God, moreover, was manifested with the specific purpose "that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 John 3:8). It was His avowed intention to engage the enemy in order defeat him, to challenge his power in order to destroy it, to search out the cancerous sore in order to heal it, to undo, in short, all the woe und wickedness Satan had wrought, and to prove His own deity and Messiahship in the conquest of moral and spiritual evil. Therefore, with head-on impact He collided with Satan's fury and tyranny. It is not to be thought astonishing or unusual such a phenomenal outburst of demonism should emerge dating the Lord's ministry. Indeed, what would be surprising is if such a manifestation had not taken place."
"...long before the Advent of the Messiah, demon possession and demon expulsion were established doctrines in Jewish demonological thought The following comment of Johannes Weiss is to the point:
"The historicity of Jesus' successful treatment of demoniacs is admitted even by adherents of the critical school. Exorcisms were the order of the day and were expected of a Messianic prophet, and the chief proof of their historicity lies in the statements of Jesus, which represent their importance for Himself and His activity as the Messiah (Matt. 11:5; Luke 7:22).2}
"The presence of demonic phenomena in the Old Testament, if not actual cases of possession, is strongly suggested by such instances as the orgiastic rites of the priests of Baal (I-Kings 18:28) and Nebuchadnezzar's sudden manifestation of practices of lower animals (Dan 4:33). David's feigned dementia (1 Sam 21:13-14) argues for the frequency of such phenomena at that date, and Saul's persecution mania, which Josephus attributes to actual demon possession is clearly a case of demon influence (1 Sam, chaps, 16, 18-21)"
"Cases of demon possession and demon expulsion, while not so frequent, and perhaps not so spectacular as in the ministry of the Messiah, continued in the early Church, in accordance with the Apostolic Commission (Mark 16:17; Acts 5:16; 8:7; 19:12), Of particular interest is Paul's expulsion of the divining demon (a spirit, a python") from the soothsaying maid in Philippi (Acts 16:16-18), linking her power of prognostication with the same evil supernaturalism that inspired the famous heathen oracles at ancient Delphi. The narrative of Acts 19:18-19 is valuable in showing the prevalence of itinerating Jewish exorcists, and in illustrating the contrast between their magical methods for casting out demons and the simple employment by the Apostles of the mighty name of Jesus."
"The Epistles contain no direct statements concerning demoniacs or expulsions, but it should not be imagined that Paul did not believe in these phenomena, when, as a matter of practice, he cast out demons in his own ministry (Acts 16:18; 19:12).
"Laying aside the Scriptural witness and proof, the facts of physical nature, human nature, and human experience combine to adduce substantial evidence that demons, as well as cases of demon possession, do exist today."
"That demon possession by no means ended with New Testament times is irrefutably proved by the witness of early Church history. The "Epistle of Barnabas" (13:19) represents the heart idolatry as the abode of demons."
(Think about your country our world today and think about how many are worshiping the false idols of: $, Status, Influence, Wordily possessions etc all put in front of God, it aint hard to figure out whats going on...)
"The authority of the Scriptural narratives and the
general supernatural standpoint from which their exposition is
approached find strong support in both Roman Catholic and
orthodox Protestant Churches."
"3. THE PREVALENCE OF DEMON POSSESSION TODAY
"But it must not be expected that Satanic strategy should be the same in every locality. Demons, notoriously clever and intelligent themselves, have a superlatively wise and cunning leader. It is only reasonable to conclude that they are adapting their stratagems to the enlightenment of the age and the locality. With the crude savage, Satan may best accomplish his purpose as a "roaring lion," inspiring dread and base fear, but with the cultured and educated, in a so-called Christian society, he can often work more effectively when disguised as "an angel of light."
"There can be no doubt, either, that the beneficent effects of centuries of gospel light and Christian faith act as a natural deterrent in restraining the grosser and baser power of Satan manifested in demonic possession (II Thess. 2:7)...demon possession is undoubtedly often unsuspected because of the prevailing failure to realize demons are capable of inspiring a moral life of self-trust and self-effort, without reliance upon a crucified and risen Redeemer.
(Self trust and self effort.
Look at our age we are living in.
Everybody did it themselves right?
Everybody only trust in themselves right?
This is exactly what happens
when trust and faith in God Almighty
are removed from the equation.
Look at us.)
"Another is the effect of civilization, considered largely apart from Christianity, in bringing with it education and, as in the history of modern Europe, an Age of Enlightenment which, in the case of those who do not embrace Christian salvation, frequently gives birth to a naturalistic rationalism that rejects belief in evil supernaturalism.
(UAP
have just flat out demolished:
"naturalistic rationalism"
for the sham it was.
They (UAP) defy the laws of nature and of rationality.)
"...as the power of the Holy Spirit decreases among Christians in proportion as they fail to believe the Word of God-culture and education are frequently factors, along with the restraining ministry of God's Spirit through Christians, in diminishing cases of possession and other more overt and direct demonic activities in civilized lands. This does not mean, on the other hand, that Satan does not work in other more subtle ways, hidden from the natural man, and more consonant with the attitude and refinement of sophisticated society such as deceiving him (Rev. 12:9), blinding his eyes to the power of the Gospel (II Cor. 4:4), and holding him in spiritual captivity. (Luke 13:16)."
"...the subject at the time of possession passes into an abnormal state (cf. Mark 9:18). During the transition he is frequently thrown into a violent paroxysm, falling senseless on the ground or foaming at the mouth (cf. Mark 9:18; Luke 9:39, 42). During the attack he evidences another personality, his normal personality for the time being wholly or partially dormant (ef. Mark 5:7). The new personality presents traits of character utterly foreign to those characteristic of the demonized in his normal condition, and this change of character is practically always in the direction of moral impurity (cf. Luke 8:27). Many people while being demon-possessed display a super- human knowledge."
(See comments above about Petra. I knew what was going on, I didnt care if anybody believed me or not.)
"Frequently they appear to know the Lord Jesus Christ as a divine person and show a fear of Him (cf. Luke 8:31). They sometimes converse in foreign languages, of which in their normal condition they are totally ignorant. Prayer in the name of Jesus is the effectual remedy, some victims being delivered very readily, others with difficulty-more earnest intercession with fasting being necessary in some stubborn cases. In no instance, so far as appears, has the distemper returned, if the subject has become a Christian and continues to live a Christian life."
"...concerning demon activity in North China: "Antecedent to any knowledge of the New Testament the people of North China believed fully in the possession of the minds and bodies of men by evil spirits. This belief is a part of that animism, or spirit worship, which has existed in China-as in many other countries- from the very beginning of history or tradition."
"In an article in the Swedish weekly, Missions Vannen, entitled "Demon Possession in Our Day, David Almquist, a missionary to China, makes the following pertinent statement concerning the New Testament passages that deal with demon expulsion by our Lord and the early Apostles:
'There are many person living in Christian countries who have some question about these narratives. It seems that we do not meet such occurrences nowadays and therefore many are inclined to doubt the existence of evil spirits. But on foreign mission fields these powers of darkness manifest themselves in a brutally realistic way. One frequently meets cases of demon possession in those countries, that are counterparts of the instances recorded in the New Testament. The struggle is intense; the opposition is determined; and one must abide constantly at the Cross to obtain power for victory over these forces of darkness."
"C. Gordon Beacham, missionary of the Sudan Interior Mission, thus writes of demonism in the Central Sudan, Africa:
The demons which the people worship are of various orders, each with its own name While the air is supposed to be full of these terrifying spirits, the water is thought to be their special place of abode, reminding one of the Scriptural account of that unclean spirit which 'walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Many other similarities are to be found be- tween the records concerning demons in the New Testament and those in the life of these backward peoples. I have frequently seen natives who are covered from head to foot with scars of burning, some unseen power having taken possession of them and cast them into the fire. Such occult possession is not to be confused with mere dementia. The native recognizes the difference between insanity and demon possession, and calls each by its appropriate name. Actual conversation is held by normal people with the demons temporarily possessing another individual, and the words which come from the lips of the possessed one are, beyond doubt, the words of some other being."
(Seen it a minimum of five different times, different people etc, first time is kinda spooky after that you kinda get used to it.
5 years ago or so:
"So what are your plans Andrew?"
And it was quite obviously
not the person
who was standing in front of me
talking just a few short seconds ago.
Voice sounded different, more flat, no rhythm, no cadence, facial expression changed, body posture changed, non verbal signals different all in an instant.
I knew what was up and I knew who was doing the talking, he didn't send a lower level being to be his messenger, it was flat out Satan wanting to know what my planes were, to which I responded:
"To continue to live by faith till I am with the other part of my soul."
And just as soon as the individual had left and the evil one had appeared? The evil one left and the individual returned.
Not so much possession in the instances I am talking about as influence, as in, can enter and leave a body without the Holy Spirit in it at will...
I didn't sleep good that night,
I thought:
"Holy S%*&.
Satan knows who we are."
Few days later it dawned on me,
that was the entire point,
to convince me even more so
of what I already knew.
Did I mention God uses his accuser
to sharpen his swords
he wants sharpened?
People better wake up to what time it really is.)
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