Deliverance 101

A Basic Summary of Demonology and New Testament Deliverance Ministry

Introduction — My Story

I had a passion to see people get free of demonic bondage, but no demons would manifest when I would pray for people — even when I knew they were being tormented.

I began to build an altar for the fire to fall, learning all that I could about deliverance, fasting and praying for a greater anointing to rest on my life.

Example — John G. Lake

For many months Brother Tom and myself had been praying for greater power for the healing of the sick and the casting out of demons. At this time, one morning in coming to breakfast, I found I could not eat, but felt well. At noon it was the same, this continual [illegible] great desire to pray came upon [illegible]. On the evening of the 4th and 5 day, as I knelt to pray, the Spirit of God spoke to me and said, “From here after thou shalt cast out demons.”

Over a year later, I began to receive dreams of me casting out demons, which had never taken place before.

God will often give you dreams of things He is about to bring forth in your life. Dreams pave the way.

In faith and obedience, I signed up to be a deliverance minister on Isaiah Saldivar’s map in Washington State. Shortly after, a man reached out to me from Seattle and I drove over to his home to pray for him.

Testimony — Right into the Deep End!

Since then, I spent the next two years doing 40+ private deliverance sessions and countless public ones. What I am going to teach you today is a product of that season.

At the end of our sessions, we will have a time where we ask the Holy Spirit to anoint us with more authority and power for deliverance.

Demonology — What Are Demons?

Before we can talk about casting out demons, we should discuss what they are. The study of the demonic is called demonology.

To be clear: the Bible does not give us a concrete answer as to what demons are; their nature or origin. We can only speculate these things. However, the Bible is clear that they are evil, they torment mankind, Jesus defeated them through the cross and the resurrection, and we are to cast them out.

Having said that, lets do some speculation!

View #1 — Fallen Angels

Some Bible teachers teach that demons are fallen angels, that fell along with Satan when he was cast out of heaven.

This view is the most common one with modern Evangelicals, though many such as Derek Prince, Dr. Michael Heiser, Greg Boyd, Clinton E. Arnold, and C. Peter Wagner, Neil Anderson, and John Wimber disagree.

Revelation 12:4 NASB95

And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she gave birth he might devour her child.

Revelation 12:9 NASB95

And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

Matthew 25:41 ESV

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Challenges with this View

Demons and fallen angels seem to be different entities in scripture.

Demons want to live in human bodies, angels do not. We have no Biblical example of an angel (fallen or not) entering a human being.

Example — Satan entering Judas (Luke 22:3-4, Luke 13:11, 16).

Demons are earth-bound beings, fallen angels seem to be in the heavenlies (Dan. 10:13).

2. The devil’s angels could include demons as well.

The term angel (gr. ἄγγελος) in the New Testament is a broad term that references many nuanced kinds of spiritual beings.

The Greek Mythological View of Demons

Since the term demon (δαιμόνιον) is a Greek term, it is helpful to see how the Greeks interpreted the word.

In Greek mythology, there was a hierarchy of spiritual beings. The highest level were the gods (theoi), then there were the higher demons (δαίμων) then the lower-demons (δαιμόνιον). The role of the higher demons was to assign to each human being the destiny assigned to them by the gods. The lower-level demons were earthbound spirits, who carried it out.

In the New Testament, these three levels of the demonic realm work together to harm us and the Kingdom of God. Jesus defeated them on the cross and now we exercise His power and authority over them!

This could be what Paul is referencing in Ephesians 6:12.

View #2 — The Disembodied Spirits of a Pre-Adamic Race

The "demons are pre-Adamic race" theory comes from the Gap Theory, which preposes a long period between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2 where a previous world and its inhabitants existed. Proponents of this theory believe these pre-Adamic beings were destroyed, and their disembodied spirits became the demons we know today, searching for bodies to possess. This view emerged in the late 18th and 19th centuries with proponents like Thomas Chalmers and George H. Pember and gained popularity through sources like the Scofield Study Bible.

Challenges with this View

There is no biblical or credible historical evidence for this theory. It is mere speculation at best.

View #3 — The Disembodied Spirits of the Nephilim

Another common view which is more Jewish in origin is that demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim, which in Biblical and Jewish literature were quasi-divine giants birthed when fallen angels slept with the daughters of men.

Genesis 6:1–4 NASB95

Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Jude 6 ESV

And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

When God sent the flood, He killed many of the Nephilim along with the rest of humanity. Jewish literature teaches that their spirits became demons on the Earth.

1 Enoch 15:8-9, 12b

“And now, the giants, who are produced from the spirits and flesh, shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling.

Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies; because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers is their beginning and primal origin; they shall be evil spirits on earth, and evil spirits shall they be called…And these spirits shall rise up against the children of men and against the women, because they have proceeded from them.”

This would explain why demons desperately long for human physical bodies to dwell in, as it was their previous home.

This would explain why they hate God and have sided with Satan, for they were destroyed in the flood and their parents were punished.

In the Dead Sea Scrolls, demons are called “bastard spirits” because they were born from immoral sexual acts.

In the New Testament, demons are called “unclean spirits” (Matt 10:1, 12:43-45, Mark 1:23, 3:1, Acts 8:7) The term "unclean" accurately describes their origin as an unnatural, illegitimate mixture of human and angelic beings.

Church Fathers and Theologians that held to this view

Justin Martyr (AD 100-165)

But the angels transgressed this appointment, and were captivated by love of women, and begat children who are those that are called demons… (Second Apology; Ch. 5)

Athenagoras of Athens (AD 133-190)

These angels, then, who have fallen from heaven, and haunt the air and the earth, and are no longer able to rise to heavenly things, and the souls of the giants, which are the demons who wander about the world… (Plea for the Christians, ch. 24–25.)

Others such as Tatian and Theophilus of Antioch also believed the same thing.

Irenaeus (AD 130-202)

He believed the literal report of Genesis 6:1-4, but we have no evidence of him believing that demons came from the Nephilim killed in the flood.

…and in the days of Noah He justly brought on the deluge for the purpose of extinguishing that most infamous race of men then existent, who could not bring forth fruit to God, since the angels that sinned had commingled with them, and [acted as He did] in order that He might put a check upon the sins of these men (Against Heresies 4.36.4.).

Challenges with this View

If God sent the flood to kill off the evil influence of the Watchers, then why would He let demons remain on the Earth?

If God sent the flood to kill off the Nephilim, why did some remain?

Talmudic legend: The legend of King Og surviving the flood is found in the Talmud. It claims that Og was allowed to cling to the outside of the ark in exchange for serving Noah and his family.

It is important to note that no view of demonology can answer this problem, as its an issue for every perspective.

My Personal View

It’s hard to hold to a concrete view when the Bible is not perfectly clear. However, if I had to choose one, I would side with the view that demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim. The demonic spiritual realm is composed of satan, evil angelic principalities over regions, and earth-bound demonic spirits.

Demons in the Old Testament

We do not have time to cover this subject in detail, but its worth mentioning that we see demons in both the Old and New Testament.

The Bible teaches that demons were directly connected to the idols that people worshipped.

Deuteronomy 32:17 NASB95

“They sacrificed to demons [heb. shedim] who were not God, To gods whom they have not known, New gods who came lately, Whom your fathers did not dread.

Psalm 106:37 NASB95

They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons,

Leviticus 17:7 ESV

So they shall no more sacrifice their sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.

Paul taught something similar in 1 Corinthians 10:20.

Imagery of Demons Throughout the Bible

The Bible also attributes the imagery of the sea and the desert to the dwelling of demons, along with its animals, because they were places of fear and death for the Israelites.

Isaiah 34:14 LEB

And desert creatures shall meet with hyenas, and a goat-demon shall call to his neighbor; surely there Lilith shall repose, and she shall find a resting place for herself.

Isaiah 27:1 NASB95

In that day the Lord will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, With His fierce and great and mighty sword, Even Leviathan the twisted serpent; And He will kill the dragon who lives in the sea.

Luke 10:19 NASB95

“Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you.

This also sheds more light on the significance of the wilderness. Why was the scapegoat released into the wilderness on the Day of Atonement? Why is it that Jesus went into the wilderness to be tempted for 40 days? How is it that He encountered Satan there?

Can Christians Have Demons?

This has been a modern debate over the last few decades that has caused much division and disagreement. The answer lies in the semantics: what do you mean by have? If you asking, “Can a Christian be possessed by a demon” then the answer is no, because a born-again Christian is Christ’s possession. But if you are asking, “Can a Christian be heavily influenced by demons” then the answer is yes.

I prefer to use Derek’s Prince’s term of demonized. A Christian can in-fact be demonized, but not demon-possessed.

Example — The Demonized Spectrum

On one end of the spectrum we have oppression. This is where a demon is attacking you either physically or mentally. It does not mean that it lives in you or can control you in any way, its on the outside trying to get in.

Example — Preaching in Ukraine

Example — Interceding in the Secret Place

Example — Spirit of Fear After First Session

Example — Lester Sumrall and the Bed

However, if you give space for the demonic to operate in your life, you can open a door for greater influence and control. Depending on how severe this is and for how long will determine how demonized a Christian can be.

Example — Unforgiveness (Matthew 18:34-35).

Example — Witchcraft

Example — Sexual sin

Example — Fear

Unbelievers can give so much control to the demonic that they become demon-possessed. This is in fact the case with most witches and warlocks, especially when they make blood covenants with the demons.

What About 1 Corinthians 6?

Some people teach that Christians cannot have demons because of what Paul states in 2 Corinthians

2 Corinthians 6:14–15 ESV

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?

Paul is not stating that it is not possible for these things to happen, but rather that it should not happen.

We all know of Christians who dated or married unbelievers. Its something that should not happen, but its still possible. In the same way, Christians should not have demons, but it is still possible.

Some might say, “how can the Holy Spirit and a demonic spirit reside in the same temple? The Holy Spirit cannot be near any demons!” Well if thats the case then you must deny the omni-presence of God. If the Holy Spirit cannot be near any demon, then God’s presence does not completely fill creation.

Deliverance Accompanies the Preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom

Story — Talking about deliverance to my first small group

1. Deliverance is a unique sign that the Kingdom of God has arrived.

We have no clear accounts of demons being cast out in the Old Testament (closest would be David playing for Saul when he was being tormented). The religious leaders practiced deliverance during Jesus’s day, but they were wildly unsuccessful.

When Jesus came on the scene preaching and teaching, He cast out demons easily with a word. The confrontation of demonic powers was a sign that God’s kingdom has arrived.

The first thing that Jesus did after He entered the ministry was choose a few of His disciples and then cast out a demon.

Mark 1:21–27 NASB95

They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath He entered the synagogue and began to teach. They were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are—the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” Throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried out with a loud voice and came out of him. They were all amazed, so that they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.”

We are all growing in revelation, power and authority over the demonic, so the goal is to get to the place where our deliverances are instant.

Example — Alex Pekun’s service in the Seattle-Area.

2. Jesus’s disciples all practiced deliverance

The Twelve Apostles

Luke 9:1–2 NASB95

And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to perform healing.

The Seventy

Luke 10:1 NASB95

Now after this the Lord appointed seventy others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come.

Luke 10:17–19 NASB95

The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you

Other Disciples

Luke 9:49 NASB95

John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”

We see that there were other believers in Jesus that were successfully performing deliverances who were not following Jesus like the twelve or the seventy!

3. The Early Church of Acts Cast Out Demons

Philip the Deacon and Evangelist

Acts 8:5–7 NASB95

Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them. The crowds with one accord were giving attention to what was said by Philip, as they heard and saw the signs which he was performing. For in the case of many who had unclean spirits, they were coming out of them shouting with a loud voice; and many who had been paralyzed and lame were healed.

Paul

Acts 16:16–18 ESV

As we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a slave girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners much gain by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us, crying out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation.” And this she kept doing for many days. Paul, having become greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out that very hour.

See also Acts 19:11-12

4. The Early Church Throughout History Cast Out Demons

Early Church Fathers such as Tertullian, Justin Martyr, Theophilus of Antioch, Origen, and Athanasius all claimed that regular, authentic Christians in their day could easily cast out demons.

In fact, some of these church fathers saw it as real evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If Jesus has been raised and is currently alive, then He can confront the demonic powers of the day and cast them out. Demons will not respond to a dead God or a dead Savior.

We have one recorded account of Martin Luther performing a exorcism on a distressed woman in 1545.

John Wesley also recorded in his diary a five-day deliverance with a woman who was severely tormented.

5. Jesus Defeated the Powers of Darkness On the Cross

Colossians 2:13–15 NASB95

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him.

Jesus has disarmed the demonic rulers and authorities, making a humiliating public display of their defeat, through the cross!

Jesus, after He had raised and before He was to ascend to the right hand of the Father tells His disciples:

Matthew 28:18 ESV

And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

Jesus now has all authority in heaven and on earth! Since we are in Him, we have access to that authority and power!

6. Jesus Gives Us That Authority and Power

Luke 10:19 is a verse we have already mentioned that proves this point.

Mark 16:17-18 teaches us that the first sign of a born-again believer is that they will cast out demons in Jesus’s name, handling serpents (demons) without getting injured by them.

Although it is not original, it is valuable because it teaches us that this was deeply embedded in the culture of the early church. So much so that a scribe added it on later and the church accepted it.

Summary

We see that Jesus cast out demons, so did His twelve disciples and the seventy, so did other followers, Philip, Paul, the early church fathers, and church leaders throughout history.

Deliverance is not a ministry that has fallen away or ceased. It is needed today when we preach the gospel, and every believer has the power and authority in Christ to confront and cast out demons because He has conquered them all.

How to Grow in Authority and Power in Deliverance

If we have access to all the authority and power over sickness, disease, and the demonic that Jesus has, then why do we not see the same results? Why are people leaving sick and diseased? Why are demons not shaken at our passionate prayers and put-together sermons? It is because we have to grow into the authority and power that has been given to us.

Jesus is our greatest model, and He taught that fasting and prayer is the key to greater authority over sickness, disease, and the demonic.

1. Fasting and Prayer

Before that, He spent 40 days of fasting in the wilderness, conquering the devil and all his temptations:

Luke 4:1–2 NASB95

Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led around by the Spirit in the wilderness for forty days, being tempted by the devil. And He ate nothing during those days, and when they had ended, He became hungry.

Luke 4:14 NASB95

And Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about Him spread through all the surrounding district.

Luke 4:36 NASB95

And amazement came upon them all, and they began talking with one another saying, “What is this message? For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits and they come out.”

Where did Jesus get this amazing power over unclean spirits? He returned with it from the wilderness after conquering Satan there.

Before you can have public victory over the enemy, you need to defeat him in private through fasting and prayer.

Matthew 17:14–21 NASB95

When they came to the crowd, a man came up to Jesus, falling on his knees before Him and saying, “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is a lunatic and is very ill; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. “I brought him to Your disciples, and they could not cure him.” And Jesus answered and said, “You unbelieving and perverted generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked him, and the demon came out of him, and the boy was cured at once. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not drive it out?” And He said to them, “Because of the littleness of your faith; for truly I say to you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you. “But this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

Here we see an account where a desperate father brings his demonized boy to a group of Jesus’s disciples while Jesus was on the mount of Transfiguration. They tried there best and could not cast it out. When Jesus came down from the mountain, he met the group, rebuked the demon that was in the boy, and it left him at once.

When the disciples approached Jesus privately asking “why could we not drive it out?” Jesus answered them, “because of the littleness of your faith.”

In the TR, the phrase there is “unbelief” not “littleness of faith”. Both communicate the same thing. Your faith is little because of the presence of unbelief.

Jesus taught them that even a mustard seed size of pure faith (the smallest of seeds), free from the corrupting presence of unbelief, can move mountains (the largest of obstacles).

In verse 21, Jesus stated that “this kind [of demon] does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” The reason the disciples could not deliver the boy is because they haven’t spent enough time in fasting and prayer to get rid of the unbelief in their hearts.

Verse 21 is not found in the earliest of biblical manuscripts, so I do believe its not original. However, Mark 9:29 is found in these early manuscripts, so it is original, and the fasting was added later because of how often the early church would pair fervent prayer with fasting. A later scribe added Matthew 17:21 to make it match Mark 9:29.

Luke Tied Jesus’s Success in Healing and Deliverance with His Prayer Life

We already mentioned Luke’s account of Jesus in the wilderness and the amazing authority and power that followed shortly after. Let’s turn our attention to other passages.

Luke 4:40–42 NASB95

While the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and laying His hands on each one of them, He was healing them. Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ. When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place; and the crowds were searching for Him, and came to Him and tried to keep Him from going away from them.

In Luke’s writings, Jesus leaving to a secluded place implies a time of prayer alone with the Father. The power of God and Jesus’s dedicated prayer life are both tied together here.

Luke 5:15–16 LSB

But the news about Him was spreading even farther, and large crowds were gathering to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But He Himself would often slip away to the desolate regions and pray.

Luke 6:12 NASB95

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Luke 6:17–19 NASB95

Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great throng of people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled with unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, for power was coming from Him and healing them all.

Jesus spent all night in prayer before choosing His 12 disciples, but shortly after that large crowds were coming to Him to be healed and delivered of demons.

It should be noted that Luke states that Jesus went up on the Mount of Transfiguration to pray, then afterwards came down and instantly cast out a stubborn demon (see Luke 9:28-43).

2. Revelation of the Truth

We see that fasting and prayer are tools that can remove the presence of unbelief in our hearts and grow our faith in God. But just fasting and praying is not enough! People in different religions practice these disciplines and have no authority over the demonic. We must fast and pray while feeding on the truth of God’s word! These tools help us grow in the revelation of what Jesus accomplished and who we are!

3. Ask!

James says:

James 4:2 NASB95

…You do not have because you do not ask.

Jesus says:

Matthew 7:7–8 NASB95

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

John 16:23–24 NASB95

…Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full.

Are you praying for a greater anointing for deliverance? Are you asking God for more authority and power over the demonic? If not, that answers your question as to why you do not cast out any demons.

Practicals to Public Deliverance

Now we know that:

Demons are evil spirits who love to torment humanity.

Even Christians can be influenced by them to varying degrees.

Deliverance accompanies the preaching and teaching of the gospel of the Kingdom.

Jesus and all of His disciples throughout church history believed in and practiced deliverance.

We have been given access to all the authority and power to cast out demons.

We grow in this authority and power by spending time in fasting and prayer, growing in the revelation of the gospel and our new identity in Christ.

So lets say we’ve learnt and practiced these things. Our faith has been growing as we’ve been fasting and praying, reading the word and other books on this subject. How do we go after deliverance in the ministry?

It is true that every deliverance listed in the New Testament is a public one. We can find no example of private deliverance in the Bible.

Sometimes, moving a deliverance that started in public to a private space can be counter-productive.

Example — Demonized girl at the Banner

We don’t seek to humiliate people, but deliverances done in public bring the fear of the Lord into congregations and to the lost.

See Mark 1:27, Acts 19:17

1. Preach and Teach the Gospel of the Kingdom

If we proclaim the gospel, praying for us to be anointed to powerfully preach and demonstrate it, then demons will be confronted and cast out.

In the New Testament, deliverances were tied to preaching and teaching. Some people want to cast out demons but fail to preach the gospel.

Deliverance is meant to be an accompanying sign to the message of the gospel. We preach, “Jesus defeated the powers of darkness!” and then we are to demonstrate it through healing and deliverance.

Example — Unclean spirit at the Portland Jesus March. Teaching the gospel has great power.

2. Directly Rebuke the Evil Spirits

Do not be afraid to directly confront demons in peoples lives. Jesus would speak to the demons in people, rebuking them, then casting them out.

See Matthew 17:18, Mark 1:25, Luke 4:41

Example — First Deliverance at Jesus Place