What About Demons and Possession?

Introduction

When I was kid it was popular to try and make excuses for bad behavior by saying “The devil made me do it.”

In reality, the influence upon my life was my own brokenness and sinfulness, yet there are truly demonic influences around us that create an ease for our own sinful inclinations.

If we are not mindful and intentional about lives, we can easily be swayed by evil spiritual influences.

Ephesians 6:10–13 ESV

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.

1) Reality of Realms

There are multiple realms that exist.

I’m not talking about science fiction, but I am talking about scriptural and true realities.

There is the Physical realm in which we live and presently exist.

There is a Spiritual realm in which Spiritual beings live and presently exist.

God has created both of them!

Colossians 1:16 ESV

16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

We, as God’s special creation, have a connection to each.

We are spirits who live within a physical body that primarily operates, currently, in a physical world.

We live in a physical world, yet we are influenced by spiritual forces which exist in a spiritual world.

Sometimes these spiritual influences can have direct impact upon our situations and circumstances.

Job 1:6–10 ESV

6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.” 8 And the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?” 9 Then Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for no reason? 10 Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land.

2 Kings 6:8–17 ESV

8 Once when the king of Syria was warring against Israel, he took counsel with his servants, saying, “At such and such a place shall be my camp.” 9 But the man of God sent word to the king of Israel, “Beware that you do not pass this place, for the Syrians are going down there.” 10 And the king of Israel sent to the place about which the man of God told him. Thus he used to warn him, so that he saved himself there more than once or twice. 11 And the mind of the king of Syria was greatly troubled because of this thing, and he called his servants and said to them, “Will you not show me who of us is for the king of Israel?” 12 And one of his servants said, “None, my lord, O king; but Elisha, the prophet who is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom.” 13 And he said, “Go and see where he is, that I may send and seize him.” It was told him, “Behold, he is in Dothan.” 14 So he sent there horses and chariots and a great army, and they came by night and surrounded the city. 15 When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” 16 He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

The reality of the realms is that there is likely more influencing our lives that we realize, both positively and negatively.

Positively from our Creator who made us in His image and is Sovereign over all things seen and unseen.

Negatively from those spiritual forces whom rebel against our Creator and seek to rob Him of the glory He is due.

We are not merely participants in a cosmic battle of good and evil. God has made us special. God has made us responsible.

There are real influences around us, but there is also a real influence within us that we are responsible for.

Internal influence: My personal disciplines, inclinations, personality, habits, etc.

External influence: worldly, demonic, ideological, and elemental forces of the world.

Eternal influences: Godly, Holy, Righteous influences from our creator.

2) Details of the Demonic

In the Old Testament

Within the Hebrew scriptures, demons or evil spirits were recognized in connecting with the false gods of the nations who had turned their backs on their Creator.

There is not an abundance of references that correlate these two, but when they are discusses it is in a tone of widely known and implied understanding by the readers, therefore, you wouldn’t expect for there to be a detailed account of such a correlation.

Deuteronomy 32:15–18 ESV

15 “But Jeshurun grew fat, and kicked; you grew fat, stout, and sleek; then he forsook God who made him and scoffed at the Rock of his salvation. 16 They stirred him to jealousy with strange gods; with abominations they provoked him to anger. 17 They sacrificed to demons that were not God, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had never dreaded. 18 You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you, and you forgot the God who gave you birth.

Interestingly, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures (The Septuagint) uses the word “diamons” in a negative tone when referring to these spirits.

This is unique in comparison to other Greek Literature outside of the scriptures that use the same word in positive tones.

The implication is that when one has a proper understanding of the One True God, these spirits are revealed for what they are, evil and deceitful; but when one’s heart is not set upon the One True God, these deceitful spirits are revered and relied upon.

Unfortunately, those who revere and rely upon deceitful and evil spirits will share their eternal fate.

Other views of evil spirits and their influence in the Old Testament:

Job’s life is affected by evil spirits that results in loss of health, property, and family.

Upon his rejection of God, Saul is given an tormenting spirit. (1 Sam. 16)

He also seeks out divination from the witch of Endor (1 Sam. 28)

In Judges 9:23–24 we see an evil spirit between Abimelech and the leaders of Schechem that stir up strife and violence.

In the Old Testament, evil spirits are synonymous with violence, unholiness, and opposition to God’s people. This carries over to the New Testament, but with more specificity.

In the New Testament

Demon-possessed is better understood as “demonized” persons.

Demon possession is not someone being taken over unwillingly by demons, but rather someone who has opened themselves us to demonic influences and have been swept away into such a life so that it progressively gets worsen.

In Luke 11:24-26 Jesus gives a glimpse about the nature of demonic spirits and a person who does not have the power of God to free them from the influence of evil spirits.

Luke 11:24–26 ESV

24 “When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and finding none it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ 25 And when it comes, it finds the house swept and put in order. 26 Then it goes and brings seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there. And the last state of that person is worse than the first.”

This insight gives us a warning that NOT placing faith and trust in God and entertaining evil spirits and influences, over time, they will progressively worsen and take a person down a dark road far beyond they ever wanted.

Power to remove direct demonic influence is a major staple in Jesus’ earthly ministry.

Matthew 8:14–17 ESV

14 And when Jesus entered Peter’s house, he saw his mother-in-law lying sick with a fever. 15 He touched her hand, and the fever left her, and she rose and began to serve him. 16 That evening they brought to him many who were oppressed by demons, and he cast out the spirits with a word and healed all who were sick. 17 This was to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He took our illnesses and bore our diseases.”

Mark 5 tells us about Jesus casting out the Legion of demons from a man

1 Cor. 10 Paul warns believers to not be in participation with demons by eating food sacrificed to idols (false gods, emphasized understanding from Old Testament).

1 Tim. 4:1 warns us that there are deceitful spirits who persuade many to turn away from the true Gospel of Jesus and towards teachings of demons.

Acts 19:13-17 describes some Jews in Ephesus who were wanting to exercise power of the demonic so they invoke the name of Jesus, but without really knowing Jesus. The demons were not exorcised, but rather beat down those who tried to exercise influence without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 19:13–17 ESV

13 Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.” 14 Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. 15 But the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?” 16 And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. 17 And this became known to all the residents of Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks. And fear fell upon them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was extolled.

While the Bible doesn’t give us great detail about demons and the demonic it does give us enough insight to draw some very firm conclusions:

Demons are real.

They are spiritual beings who seek influence within the physical world through deceit and ideological warfare.

Their intentions are to rob God of His glory by influencing His humanly Creation to reject Him and His righteousness.

Their are ultimately subjugated to God’s Sovereignty where their ultimate ending will be eternal torture and destruction.

The more a person embraces demonic influence, the more their inclinations stray from God’s righteousness.

It is possible for an unsaved person to give in to such demonic influences that they allow themselves to become demonized (i.e., possessed).

Once a person crosses that line, the extent of darkness to which their lives go is unpredictable and incredibly dangerous.

Only Jesus can truly rescue someone from demonization.

Because of the authority and sovereignty of Jesus, saved people who have the indwelling Holy Spirit, cannot be demonized.

Furthermore, because of the Lordship of Jesus, saved people should not tolerate the influences of evil spirits.

3) Lessons for Living

1 Peter 5:8 ESV

8 Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.

Don’t be neglectful about evil influences. Be aware and alert. Our enemy is real so take up the whole armor of God daily and be prepared.

Proverbs 4:25–27 ESV

25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you. 26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. 27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.

Be intentional about your life. Don’t let your routines and the daily grind let you settle into coast mode. Keep your focus on Christ.

“Keep Your Eyes on the Cross!” - Billie Dupler

Philippians 4:4–8 ESV

4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5 Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Don’t sweat the small things. Be aware of false and deceitful influences that want to rob you of your joy and hinder your walk with Christ.

Seek to always have a heart that is rejoicing.

Do not let anxiety be used to influence you. Rely on your faith and trust in God to guard your heart and your mind.

Be mindful of what ideologies are influencing you and seek to dwell on what is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, and worthy of praise.

Colossians 3:1–17 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. 5 Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. 6 On account of these the wrath of God is coming. 7 In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. 8 But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. 9 Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices 10 and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. 11 Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all. 12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. 14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. 15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 17 And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

CLOSING

While we live a broken world that is harassed by evil spiritual influences, we do not have to succumb to that ever present darkness.

If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation!

We don’t have to be conformed to the patterns of this world. Rather, we are to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.

We are not to let the old life be our drive and motivation. We are to walk in the light as He is in the light!

Ephesians 5:1–16 ESV

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children… 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil.

For those we know who are lost in darkness, there is hope…there is life…there is salvation! It is found in the One who has authority and sovereignty over darkness and demons. It is found in Jesus and in Jesus alone!