Possessed With Devils
It is generally supposed that there
are no persons on earth in these days who are possessed
with devils. But this is a mistake, for the devil is
working today the same as he did in the days of Christ and
the apostles. The only reason we do not hear of more
people being possessed with devils now is, that there is
not enough spiritual power and discernment among the
professed followers of Christ to detect and expose the
devil.
Devils are just as many now as they
ever were, and if Jesus were on earth today He would find
as many, if not more, devils to cast out than when He was
here. One of two things we must admit, either there were
more devils when Christ was here in person, or many people
are now possessed with the devil that are supposed to be
otherwise afflicted. And I am thoroughly convinced that
the latter is the right conclusion, for we have no better
means of preventing the devil from entering fallen souls
than had the people when Jesus walked among men. Indeed,
if there is any difference, the devil has much better
chance to take possession of people now than then.
We cannot argue that civilization,
education or anything that man has attained to would
prevent the devil from possessing a soul, or in any way
hinder his progress. First, because the devil is not a
creature subject to civilization or education. Secondly,
there were many educated people when Christ was on earth
and found so many people possessed with the devil. Thirdly
if civilization or education would keep the devil out,
Christ died in vain, and the Greeks conquered the devil
long before Christ came. The only reasonable conclusion
is, that many people who are in the insane asylums and
many who are afflicted with epilepsy and many other like
infirmities are really possessed with evil spirits. This
brings the question to our minds as to
DIFFERENT KINDS OF DEVILS.—It is
certain that there are many devils, for Jesus cast a
legion out of one man. Mark 5:2-19. In Luke the eighth
chapter and the second verse we read of "certain
women which had been healed of evil spirits and
infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven
The Scriptures seem to justify a
general division of evil spirits as follows: (1) Those
that inflict physical and mental derangements; such as
blindness, deafness, insanity, etc. (2) Those that affect
only the spiritual part of man, such as unclean spirits,
familiar spirits, and sorcerers. Not every one who has a
physical derangement is possessed with evil spirits, and
not every one who is possessed with evil spirits has
physical derangement Jesus healed many who had no evil
spirits, and cast evil spirits out of some who were not
afflicted physically.
It will be noticed, however, by a
careful examination of the Gospels, that the majority of
evil spirits which were cast out by Jesus were accompanied
by physical or mental ailments. A few of the ailments
which seemed to accompany the evil spirits, and by which
the spirits were sometimes named were:
1. Dumbness. "As they went
out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with
a devil." Matt. 9:32. It seems that Jesus sometimes
named the devil according to the disorder it inflicted;
hence Luke said, "And he was casting out a devil and
it was dumb." Luke 11:14.
2. Blindness and dumbness.
"Then was brought unto him one possessed with a
devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him insomuch that
the blind and dumb both spake and saw." Matt. 12:22.
Whether this twofold affliction was the effect of more
than one devil or not, it seems that one person was often
tormented in many ways.
3. Insanity. "And when they
were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain
man kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on
my son: for he is a lunatic, and sore vexed." Matt.
17:14, 15. Luke, in describing the same case, says:
"And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth
out; and it teareth him that he foameth again, and
bruising him hardly departeth from him." Luke 9:39.
This person seems to have had all signs of both insanity
and epilepsy. Had this case been brought to modern
physicians, as many similar cases are, they would have
diagnosed the case and pronounced it epilepsy; but would
never have thought of the devil being the cause of it, and
would have ridiculed the idea of casting the evil spirits
out to cure the disease. Many a person is dosed with drugs
to cure a disorder which can never be reached by such
means.
During the dark ages, Satan dressed
up in a robe of divinity, and the priests and monks were
superstitious enough to worship him; but since
superstition has partly passed away and Satan has been
driven from this hiding place, he has put on a scientific
robe, and D.Ds and M.Ds call his works by a scientific
name, and pass it by as a natural consequence; while Satan
chuckles at their ignorance, and deceives the souls of
men, and destroys and undermines the physical
constitution.
I see no reason why all the
foregoing spirits, with all other spirits that cause
affliction, could not be properly classed as "spirits
of infirmity." Jesus mentions a spirit of infirmity,
which is recorded in the thirteenth chapter of Luke:
"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."
It is evident from this text that
there is a real spirit of infirmity, and in many cases of
affliction or infirmity it would possibly become necessary
to rebuke the spirit of infirmity in the name of Jesus,
that the power of the devil might be broken. We do not
mean to say that all affliction is from the devil, for
many times it comes from natural causes; but it is certain
that much of the affliction and disease suffered by the
human family comes from the devil.
We shall now notice a class of evil
spirits which do not afflict the bodies of those in whom
they dwell. "And in the synagogue there was a man,
which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with
a loud voice, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do
with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to
destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of
God." Luke 4:33, 34. Unclean devils are as numerous
today as they were in the days of Christ, and we meet many
persons of both sexes who are possessed with them. They
manifest themselves in lascivious looks and actions, lust
and concupiscence, free love and adultery. Of all devils,
the unclean devil is certainly the most obnoxious and
disgusting to pure men and women.
Whether or not they can be classed
as fierce and strong devils, the devil often gives super
human strength (Luke 8:29), and causes people to become
fierce. Matt. 8:28.
Next we have soothsaying or
familiar spirits. "And it came to pass, as we went to
prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of
divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by
soothsaying." Acts 16:16. Under this class we find
all such as spiritualists, clairvoyants, fortune tellers
and many hypnotists, sleight of hand performers,
conjurers, and pow-wows.
Every person who is unsaved is more
or less under the control of the devil; but there is a
vast difference in teeing a sinner and merely under the
devil's control, and being possessed with evil spirits.
Some who have been fanatic on this line have been able to
conclude that almost every sinner is possessed with
devils, but this is not the case, and we should be sure
that we have the mind of the Lord before we conclude that
a person is possessed with devils, or Satan will take
sides with us and push us too far.
CASTING OUT DEVILS.—Those who are
bound by the devil either in soul or body, must be loosed
before they can find salvation or obtain healing.
Sometimes, however, casting out the devils may effect a
cure for physical ailments; but it can never effect
salvation. When the devil is cast out of a man he is left
"empty, swept, and garnished" (Matt. 12:44), and
if the vacuum is not filled by the salvation of Christ,
the unclean spirit "walketh through dry places,
seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will
return into my house from whence I came out; . . . Then
goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more
wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there:
and the last state of that man is worse than the
first." Matt. 12:44, 45. When the evil spirits have
been cast out of a person, repentance should immediately
follow, that the soul may be saved and fortified, so that
when Satan returns, as he invariably does, he will find
his room occupied by One that is mightier than he.
Every minister of the gospel who is
called and sent by the Lord is commissioned to cast out
devils. There have been three commissions given to preach
the gospel: (1) The commission to the Twelve, which was
only to "the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
(2) The commission to the Seventy. (3) The great
commission to preach the gospel to all nations. Each of
these commissions contained the power and authority to
cast out devils.
1. The commission to the Twelve.
"Then he called his twelve disciples together, and
gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure
diseases." Luke 9:1. The apostles exercised this
power both before and after Pentecost. "For unclean
spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that
were possessed with them." Acts 8:7.
2. The commission to the Seventy.
"After these things the Lord appointed other seventy
also." Luke 10:1. And He said to them, "Behold,
I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, over
all the power of the enemy." Luke 10:19. "And
the Seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even
the devils are subject unto us through thy name."
Luke 10:17.
3. The commission to preach the
gospel to every creature. This commission also contains
the power and authority to cast out devils. "In my
name shall they cast out devils." Mark 16: 17. Jesus
did not give the Seventy power over all the power of the
enemy and leave us powerless to withstand him; but through
faith in His name, the true followers of Christ today have
power to command the evil spirits of the devil to come
out, and they are compelled to obey. Neither are we left
like the sons of Sceva, to "adjure the devils in the
name of Jesus whom Paul preached" (Acts 19:13-16);
but we may have a living reality of a present and powerful
Christ dwelling in our souls, at whose name the devils
tremble and recede to the abyss from whence they came.
All devils do not come out by
merely commanding them to depart, but in some cases much
earnest prayer, and fasting, is required. Matt. 17:21.
MANIFESTATIONS OF DEVILS.—The
manifestations of the devils in those possessed with evil
spirits are as varied as the unnumbered legions of devils
themselves. Sometimes the only manifestation is nothing
more than a false doctrine and a spirit of heresy combined
with stubbornness. Many times there are few or no
manifestations till the devils are commanded to come out,
when they will cause the greatest physical contortions,
often foaming, growling like a dog, or hissing like a
snake, and many other noises. Afflictions, such as
insanity, epilepsy, and many other infirmities are
sometimes the manifestations of devils. Sorcery,
witchcraft, and all other familiar spirits are always the
manifestation of evil spirits, which manifestations will
be more thoroughly treated in the following chapters. For
a more extensive work on casting out devils, the reader is
referred to "The Secret of Salvation," published
by Faith Pub. House, Guthrie. Okla.
