The holy spirit casts out demons

This is a collection of writings dealing with the Holy Spirit casting out demons by Jesus, and by believers. The Holy Spirit is essential for this task.

1. THE HOLY SPIRIT CASTS OUT DEMONS
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE


Matthew 12:28 “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit
of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.


An Argument With A Warning
Matthew 12:28
R. Tuck
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come
unto you. The sin against the Holy Ghost, which cannot be forgiven, has been
so much misunderstood, because its immediate relations have not been
sufficiently noticed. It has been treated as a general form of sin, of which any
one may be guilty, rather than as a specific sin, of which a particular class of
persons in a particular age were guilty. Our Lord was replying to certain
Pharisaic objectors. He claimed to work miracles in the power of the Spirit of
God. They declared that he worked the miracles in the power of the chief of
the evil spirits. To say that was to offer open insult to the Holy Spirit in Jesus.
And that is a hopeless kind of sin, because only in the power of the Spirit can
men be saved. He who calls the Spirit Beelzebub will never seek his saving
help, and so he never will be forgiven or regenerated. Forgiveness only comes
to the penitent and humble. It is quite clear that they are neither penitent nor
humble who think the Holy Spirit in Jesus is Beelzebub.
I. TWO POSSIBLE EXPLANATIONS OF OUR LORD'S CASTING OUT
DEVILS.

2. 1. He may do it with the help of the prince of the devils. Is that a reasonable
explanation? If it were merely directing the movements of devils from one
sphere of work to another, it might be reasonable; but the case before us is
distinctly one of stopping the devils work. Jesus "cast out" the devils. It is not
reasonable to think of princes of devils stopping their subordinates' work.
Then see that these Pharisees were shut up to, and obliged to accept, the other
possible explanation. Jesus cast out devils by the Spirit of God; that is every
way reasonable, according to their own showing, for the good God must be
opposed to the work of evil spirits.
II. THE CONSEQUENCES OF ADMITTING THE ONLY REASONABLE
EXPLANATION. These Pharisees came under the gravest responsibility. If
Jesus wrought in the power of the Spirit, they were bound to believe him, and
come into discipleship with him. This they would not do. Then Christ presses
home the consequences of their wilfulness. They sinned against light; they
resisted inward convictions; they grieved the Spirit; they blasphemed the
Spirit; they put themselves into such moral attitudes that they could not be
forgiven; forgiveness is of no value to those who are not humble. - R.T.


STUDYLIGHT RESOURCES

Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary
Matthew 12:28
"But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has
come upon you.
Adam Clarke Commentary
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God - Perhaps the Spirit of God is here
mentioned by way of opposition to the magical incantations of the Jews; for it

3. is well known that by fumigations and magical washings, they professed to
cast out devils. See a case mentioned by Schoettgen on this verse.
Then the kingdom of God - For the destruction of the kingdom of Satan
plainly implies the setting up of the kingdom of God.
Is come unto you - Is come unexpectedly upon you. Εφθασεν, from φθανω, to
appear suddenly - unexpectedly.
They pretended to be in expectation of the kingdom of God, and consequently
of the destruction of the kingdom of Satan. But, by being not prepared to
receive Christ in these proofs of his Divine mission, they showed that their
expectation was but pretended. They were too carnal to mind spiritual things.

Copyright Statement
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Bibliography
Clarke, Adam. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "The Adam Clarke
Commentary". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/acc/matthew-
12.html. 1832.
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Coffman's Commentaries on the Bible
But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God
come upon you.
In this, Christ turned their own arguments against them. His works,
accomplished by God's power, were proof enough that the kingdom of God
was at hand. "Come upon you" does not mean that the kingdom had been set
up at that point, but that the King had certainly appeared, and that its
establishment was near.

4. Copyright Statement
James Burton Coffman Commentaries reproduced by permission of Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. All other rights reserved.
Bibliography
Coffman, James Burton. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Coffman
Commentaries on the Old and New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bcc/matthew-12.html. Abilene
Christian University Press, Abilene, Texas, USA. 1983-1999.
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John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God,.... As it was certain he did, from
the nature, use, and design of such miracles; and it could not be reasonably
thought, that Satan would assist in what was so very opposite to his kingdom
and interest, and was so serviceable to the cause and glory of Christ. All the
three persons had an hand in the miracles of the Messiah; they were done by
Christ, in his Father's name, and by the power of the Spirit of God; from
which the following inference may be justly deduced,
then the kingdom of God is come unto you: meaning, either the Messiah
himself; or rather, his kingdom, the Gospel dispensation, which both Christ
and John had declared to be at hand; of which the performing of miracles,
particularly the casting out of devils, whereby the kingdom of Satan was so
much weakened, was a clear proof.

Copyright Statement
The New John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible Modernised and adapted
for the computer by Larry Pierce of Online Bible. All Rightes Reserved,
Larry Pierce, Winterbourne, Ontario.
A printed copy of this work can be ordered from: The Baptist Standard
Bearer, 1 Iron Oaks Dr, Paris, AR, 72855

5. Bibliography
Gill, John. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "The New John Gill Exposition
of the Entire Bible".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/geb/matthew-12.html. 1999.
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God — In Luke (Luke 11:20) it is, “with
(or ‹by‘) the finger of God.” This latter expression is just a figurative way of
representing the power of God, while the former tells us the living Personal
Agent was made use of by the Lord Jesus in every exercise of that power.
then — “no doubt” (Luke 11:20).
the kingdom of God is come unto you — rather “upon you,” as the same
expression is rendered in Luke (Luke 11:20): - that is, “If this expulsion of
Satan is, and can be, by no other than the Spirit of God, then is his Destroyer
already in the midst of you, and that kingdom which is destined to supplant
his is already rising on its ruins.”


Copyright Statement
These files are a derivative of an electronic edition prepared from text
scanned by Woodside Bible Fellowship.
This expanded edition of the Jameison-Faussett-Brown Commentary is in the
public domain and may be freely used and distributed.
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Matthew 12:28". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole
Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfb/matthew-12.html.
1871-8.

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People's New Testament

If I by the Spirit of God, etc. If it is the power of God manifest in me, then it
demonstrates that I am the expected Messiah King, the Son of David, of whom
the multitude spoke. See Matthew 12:23.

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website.
Original work done by Ernie Stefanik. First published online in 1996 at The
Restoration Movement Pages.
Bibliography
Johnson, Barton W. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "People's New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pnt/matthew-
12.html. 1891.
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Vincent's Word Studies
Is come unto you ( ἔφθασεν ἐφ ' ὑμᾶς )
The verb is used in the simple sense to arrive at (2 Corinthians 10:14;
Philemon 3:16), and sometimes to anticipate (1 Thessalonians 4:15). Here with
a suggestion of the latter sense, which is also conveyed by the Rev.,
“comeupon. ” It has come upon you before you expected it.

Copyright Statement
The text of this work is public domain.

7. Bibliography
Vincent, Marvin R. DD. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Vincent's Word
Studies in the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/vnt/matthew-12.html. Charles
Schribner's Sons. New York, USA. 1887.
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The Fourfold Gospel
But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God
come upon you1.

But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the kingdom of God
come upon you. The third argument. Jesus exercised this power in unison
with the Spirit of God. Jesus here draws a conclusion from the two arguments
presented. Since he does not cast out by Satan, he must cast out by the power
of God, and therefore his actions demonstrated the potential arrival of the
kingdom of God. The occasional accidental deliverance of exorcists might be
evidence of the flow and ebb of a spiritual battle, but the steady, daily
conquests of Christ over the powers of evil presented to the people the
triumphant progress of an invading kingdom. It is an argument against the
idea that there was a collusion between Christ and Satan.




Copyright Statement
These files are public domain and are a derivative of an electronic edition that
is available on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library Website. These files

8. were made available by Mr. Ernie Stefanik. First published online in 1996 at
The Restoration Movement Pages.
Bibliography
J. W. McGarvey and Philip Y. Pendleton. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28".
"The Fourfold Gospel".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tfg/matthew-12.html.
Standard Publishing Company, Cincinnati, Ohio. 1914.
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Abbott's Illustrated New Testament
The Spirit of God; the power of God, in this case as is proved by the
phraseology in Luke 11:20.

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Abbott, John S. C. & Abbott, Jacob. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28".
"Abbott's Illustrated New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ain/matthew-12.html. 1878.
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Calvin's Commentary on the Bible

28.But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God. Luke says,if I cast out devils by
The Finger of God; employing the word Finger metaphorically instead of the
Spirit. As God works, and exerts his power, by his Spirit, it is with propriety
that the word Finger is applied to him. And this mode of expression was
common among the Jews, as Moses relates that Pharaoh’s magicians said,
This is the finger of God Now Christ infers from what he has already stated,

9. that the scribes prove themselves to be ungrateful to God, by being unwilling
that He should reign among them. Hitherto, he replied to their idle calumny;
but now, he treats them as convicted persons, and charges them not to make
ungodly opposition to the kingdom of God. He does not confine himself to a
single miracle, but takes occasion from it to discourse on the object of his
coming, reminds them that they ought not merely to look at one remarkable
fact, but at a far more important truth, that it was the will of God, by
revealing His Messiah, to raise up their salvation which was fallen, and to
restore his kingdom among them. Thus we see that Christ complains of their
ingratitude, in madly rejecting from the midst of them the inestimable grace
of God. The kingdom of God hath come to you The word come is emphatic,
and implies that, without any request from them, God appears as their
Redeemer, while they do everything that is in their power to drive him away,
and, when he is present and prepared for their salvation, refuse to give him a
place.


Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Calvin, John. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Calvin's Commentary on
the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cal/matthew-
12.html. 1840-57.
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John Trapp Complete Commentary

28 But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is
come unto you.

10. Ver. 28. Then the kingdom of God is come unto you] A certain sign of the
setting up whereof among you, is this casting out of devils "by the Spirit of
God;" or as Luke hath it, "by the finger of God;" for the Holy Ghost is the
essential power of the Father and the Son.


Copyright Statement
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Trapp, John. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". John Trapp Complete
Commentary. https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jtc/matthew-
12.html. 1865-1868.
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Thomas Coke Commentary on the Holy Bible
Matthew 12:28. Then the kingdom of God is come unto you— That is, "You
may thereby discover that I am the Messiah, or that king who was promised
to the Jews." The miracles of our Lord, and the manner in which he
performed them, were manifest demonstrations of his having been sent from
God (see John 3:2.), and consequently that what he said of himself was true.
But the casting out of devils, in particular, was a miracle which proved Christ
to be the Messiah; since he came into the world on purpose to destroy the
works of the devils. See 1 John 3:8. John 12:31. Hebrews 2:14 and Beausobre
and Lenfant.

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11. Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Coke, Thomas. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". Thomas Coke
Commentary on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/tcc/matthew-12.html. 1801-
1803.
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Greek Testament Critical Exegetical Commentary
28.] ἐν πνεύματι θ. = ἐν δακτύλῳ θ., Luke; see Exodus 8:19.
ἔφθασεν] emphatic in position: but merely, has come upon you: not in the
more proper sense of φθάνω, ‘is already upon you,’ i.e. ‘before you looked for
it,’—as Stier and Wesley. It does not seem to occur in this latter sense in the
N.T. But Fritzsche’s dictum, ad Rom. 2:356, “Alexandrinis scriptoribus
φθάνειν nihil nisi venire, pervenire, pertinere valet,” certainly is not right; for
we have it indisputably in the sense of to anticipate, prevent, 1 Thessalonians
4:15.

Copyright Statement
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Alford, Henry. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". Greek Testament Critical
Exegetical Commentary.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hac/matthew-12.html. 1863-
1878.
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Heinrich Meyer's Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament

12. Matthew 12:28. Previously it was ἐγώ that was emphatic in the antecedent
clause; but here it is ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ: but if it is by THE POWER OF GOD’S
SPIRIT that I, on the other hand, cast out the demons, then it follows that the
KINGDOM OF GOD has come to you; in the consequent clause (the apodosis)
the emphasis is on the words: the kingdom of God has come, etc. The
reasoning is founded on the axiom, that such deeds, wrought as they are by
the power of God’s Spirit, go to prove that He who performs them is no other
than He who brings in the kingdom—the Messiah. Where the Messiah is
present and working, there, too, is the kingdom; not yet, of course, as
completely.established, but preparing to become so through its preliminary
development in the world. See on Luke 17:20 f. For φθάνειν (used by classical
writers as meaning to anticipate, 1 Thessalonians 4:15), in the simple sense of
to reach, arrive at, see on Philippians 3:16; Fritzsche, ad Rom. II. p. 356;
Lünemann’s note on 1 Thessalonians 2:16.
Notice, in the form of the reasoning in Matthew 12:27-28, the real dilemma
(tertium non datur): εἰ δέ, etc.

Copyright Statement
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Meyer, Heinrich. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". Heinrich Meyer's
Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hmc/matthew-12.html. 1832.
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Johann Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament
Matthew 12:28. εἰ, κ. τ. λ. if, etc.) The first portion of the dilemma having
been dismissed, this particle has the force of since.— ἐκβάλλω, I cast out)
Jesus in every way destroyed the kingdom of Satan.— ἄρα, therefore) The

13. expulsion of Satan, together with his belongings, is the mark and token of the
kingdom of God; for this was reserved for the Messiah.— ἔφθασεν, has
prevented)(572) This word is used here in its strict and proper sense, and
intimates something important; cf. πρῶτον, first, Matthew 12:29.— ἡ
βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, the kingdom of God) in contradistinction to that of Satan,
mentioned in Matthew 12:20.

Copyright Statement
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Bengel, Johann Albrecht. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". Johann
Albrecht Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jab/matthew-12.html. 1897.
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Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible
Luke hath the same, Luke 11:20, only for the Spirit of God he hath the finger
of God. By the kingdom of God he here meaneth the coming of the Messiah,
which is so called, Daniel 2:44. The time is come, when the Lord begins his
kingdom of grace, setting up his King upon his holy hill of Zion, Psalms 2:6;
whence we may observe, that Christ giveth in his casting out of devils by a
Divine power, as an argument to prove himself the Messiah; for saith he, By
this you may know the kingdom of God is come amongst you, that there is one
come among you who by the finger, power, or Spirit of God casts out devils.
But where had the force of this argument been, if the Jews had had exorcists
whom God had so honoured, though vagabonds, as to cast out devils, upon
their calling upon the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, while in the mean
time they derided and contemned Christ?

14. Copyright Statement
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Poole, Matthew, "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". Matthew Poole's English
Annotations on the Holy Bible.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/mpc/matthew-12.html. 1685.
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Justin Edwards' Family Bible New Testament
Kingdom of God; the reign of the Messiah on earth.
Is come unto you; has already come upon you.

Copyright Statement
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Bibliography
Edwards, Justin. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Family Bible New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/fam/matthew-
12.html. American Tract Society. 1851.
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Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
28. ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ. ἐν δακτύλῳ θεοῦ (Luke).
ἔφθασεν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς. ‘Came upon you,’ surprised you; aorist of immediate past.
φθάνειν, from its classical force of ‘anticipating,’ or ‘coming before others,’
passes to that of simply coming and arriving at a place. This was indeed

15. probably the original meaning of the word (Geldart, Mod. Greek, p. 206). It is
also the modern meaning; προφθάνειν being used in the sense of ‘to
anticipate.’ But in such a phrase as ἔφθασα τὸ ἀτμόπλοιον, ‘I caught the
steamer,’ a trace of the prevailing classical use is discerned. Both senses are
found in N.T. For the first, 1 Thessalonians 4:15, οὐ μὴ φθάσωμεν τοὺς
κοιμηθέντας, for the second, Romans 9:31, Ἰσραὴλ δὲ διώκων νόμον
δικαιοσύνης εἰς νόμον οὐκ ἔφθασεν. In 2 Corinthians 10:14, φθάνειν is
synonymous with ἐφικνεῖσθαι.

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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
"Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools
and Colleges". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/cgt/matthew-
12.html. 1896.
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Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
28. The kingdom of God — So numerous and powerful had been our
Saviour’s works that the Jews had ascribed them, not to a spirit of common
order, but to the very prince of hell. But if they were as beneficent as they
were powerful, why not ascribe them to the prince of heaven, and so conclude
that the kingdom of heaven had come?

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16. Bibliography
Whedon, Daniel. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Whedon's Commentary
on the Bible". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/whe/matthew-
12.html. 1874-1909.
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Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible
“But if I by the Spirit of God cast out demons, then is the Kingly Rule of God
come upon you.”
So having demonstrated that He (emphatic) cast out demons by the Spirit of
God, that has really demonstrated that the Kingly Rule of God has truly come
upon them. It could no longer be doubted. And this was because in His case
He was doing it as the son of David. It demonstrated quite conclusively that
the Kingly Rule of God was therefore now here and present among them. By
this Jesus connects the Kingly Rule of God with present activity of the Spirit.
This also demonstrates that all who are in the Kingly Rule of God are
enjoying the blessing of the Spirit well prior to Pentecost. It also demonstrates
the presence of the Kingly Rule of God, not as something temporary, but as
something permanent. It is here all the while that the Spirit is at work among
men.
Note the use of the rarer (in Matthew) ‘Kingly Ruleof God’. This links it
directly with the Spirit ‘of God’ and avoids any idea that God is not Himself
totally involved in this. It brings out the living God’s direct opposition to
Satan in Jesus.
The link between the Holy Spirit, and the coming Kingly Rule of God and
renewing of the true Israel, was common in the prophets, and described in
various ways. See for example Isaiah 32:15; Isaiah 44:1-5; Ezekiel 36:24-28;
Ezekiel 37:1-14; Joel 2:28-29. It was confirmed by John the Baptist (Matthew
3:2 with 11). So Jesus was now giving a mighty visible evidence of the fact that
the Kingly Rule of God was present among them.

17. Copyright Statement
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Pett, Peter. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Peter Pett's Commentary on
the Bible ". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/pet/matthew-
12.html. 2013.
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Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable

The Spirit of God stands in stark contrast to Beelzebul. Matthew probably
used "kingdom of God" here rather than "kingdom of heaven" to connect the
kingdom with the Spirit.

"References to the Spirit occur only twelve times altogether in Matthew"s
gospel, with one-third of them in chapter12. As might be expected in a gospel
concerned to interpret the significance of the life and ministry of Jesus, most
of the references describe the work of the Spirit in relation to Him." [Note:
Lowery, pp31-32.]

Jesus was claiming that He received His power from God"s Spirit (cf.
Matthew 12:18), a clear messianic claim. [Note: See Mark R. Saucy, "Miracles
and Jesus" Proclamation of the Kingdom of God," Bibliotheca Sacra153:611
(July-September1996):281-307.] The kingdom was imminent because the King
was present.

18. "Upon" you does not mean the kingdom had somehow entered the Jews or
overtaken them and they were then in it. Jesus was addressing the Pharisees,
and He did not mean the kingdom had come on them of all people. Moreover
Jesus" concept of the kingdom was an earthly physical one. Furthermore
everywhere else Jesus spoke of people entering the kingdom, not the kingdom
entering them. [Note: H. D. A. Major, T. W. Manson, and C. J. Wright, The
Mission and Message of Jesus, p596.]



Copyright Statement
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Constable, Thomas. DD. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Expository
Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/dcc/matthew-12.html. 2012.
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Schaff's Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Matthew 12:28. By the Spirit of God, i.e., in union with the Spirit of God. The
contrast with ‘Beelzebub’ points to a ‘Person,’ not an influence. The
alternative raised by the Pharisees is accepted, namely, such works of power
are done either by God or Satan. Then having proved the absurdity of the
latter explanation, our Lord declares that the agent is ‘the Spirit of God.’
Then the kingdom of God is come upon you. ‘The kingdom you profess to be
waiting for, has come upon you suddenly, before you expected it, in spite of
your opposition to me.’ An assertion, that His power was not only Divine, but

19. sufficient to prove Him the expected Messiah. This strong charge against them
grows directly out of the falsity of theirs against Him.



Copyright Statement
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Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Schaff, Philip. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "Schaff's Popular
Commentary on the New Testament".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/scn/matthew-12.html. 1879-
90.
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The Expositor's Greek Testament
Matthew 12:28. The alternative: if not by Satan then by the Spirit of God,
with an inevitable inference as to the worker and His work.— ἐν πνεύματι
θεοῦ. Luke has ἐν δακτύλῳ θ. The former seems more in keeping with the
connection of thought as defending the ethical character of Christ’s work
assailed by the Pharisees. If, indeed, the spirit of God were regarded from the
charismatic point of view, as the source of miraculous gifts, the two
expressions would be synonymous. But there is reason to believe that by the
time our Gospel was written the Pauline conception of the Holy Spirit’s
influence as chiefly ethical and immanent, as distinct from that of the
primitive apostolic church, in which it was charismatic and transcendent, had
gained currency (vide my St. Paul’s Conception of Christianity, chap. xiii.). A
trace of the new Pauline view may be found in Matthew 10:20 : “It is not ye
that speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you”. The influence is
within, and the product is not unintelligible utterance, like that of the speaker

20. with tongues (1 Corinthians 12, 14), but wise, sincere apology for the faith.
But why then did Luke not adopt this Pauline phrase? Because one of his
main aims was to bring out the miraculousness of Christ’s healing works; that
they were done by the very finger of God (Exodus 8:19).— ἔφθασεν. Fritzsche
takes this word strictly as signifying not merely: the kingdom of God has come
nigh you ( ἤγγικεν, Luke 10:9), but: has come nigh sooner than you expected.
The more general sense, however, seems most suitable, as it is the usual sense
in the N. T. The point at issue was: do the events in question mean Satan’s
kingdom come or God’s kingdom come? It must be one or other; make up
your minds which.

Copyright Statement
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Bibliography
Nicol, W. Robertson, M.A., L.L.D. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". The
Expositor's Greek Testament.
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/egt/matthew-12.html. 1897-
1910.
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George Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
Kingdom of God. Christ either calls himself and his coming the kingdom of
God, because it was the beginning of the kingdom of God, and laid open the
way to us: or the sense may be, If I, as proved in an argument above, cast out
devils by the spirit of God, therefore what I, my apostles, and John preach, is
true, viz. that the kingdom of God is at hand; because the Holy Ghost, who
worketh miracles by us, proveth that our preaching is true. (Maldonatus)

Copyright Statement

21. These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Haydock, George Leo. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "George
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/hcc/matthew-12.html. 1859.
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E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes
the Spirit. There is no Art. Greek. pneuma. (App-101.) = by God"s pneuma,
put for Divine power. In Luke 11:20 God"s "finger" put for the power
exercised by it by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Cause). So in Exodus 8:19.
then = it follows that.
the kingdom of God. The second of five occurrences in Matthew. See note on
Matthew 6:33 and App-114.

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Bullinger, Ethelbert William. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "E.W.
Bullinger's Companion bible Notes".
https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/bul/matthew-12.html. 1909-
1922.
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Unabridged

22. But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come
unto you.
But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God. In Luke (Luke 11:20) it is, "with
(or 'by') the finger of God." This latter expression is just a figurative way of
representing the power of God, while the former tells us the living Personal
Agent made use of by the Lord Jesus in every exercise of that power.
Then ("no doubt" (Luke 11:20)) the kingdom of God, is come unto you , [ ef'
(Greek #1909) humas (Greek #5209)] - rather 'upon you,' as the same
expression is rendered in Luke: q.d., 'If this expulsion of Satan is, and can be,
by no other than the Spirit of God, then is his Destroyer already in the midst
of you, and that kingdom which is destined to supplant his, is already rising
on its ruins.'

Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Text Courtesy of BibleSupport.com. Used by Permission.
Bibliography
Jamieson, Robert, D.D.; Fausset, A. R.; Brown, David. "Commentary on
Matthew 12:28". "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
- Unabridged". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/jfu/matthew-
12.html. 1871-8.
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The Bible Study New Testament
No, it is God's Spirit. This is a sharp confrontation. The power of God's Spirit
in Jesus proves he is the Son of David—the promised Messiah (Matthew
12:23). The Kingdom of God has already come upon you. See Luke 17:20-21;
Romans 14:17. The question was: Did the power of Jesus represent Satan or
God? Jesus declares it is the power of God!

23. Copyright Statement
These files are public domain.
Bibliography
Ice, Rhoderick D. "Commentary on Matthew 12:28". "The Bible Study New
Testament". https:https://www.studylight.org/commentaries/ice/matthew-
12.html. College Press, Joplin, MO. 1974.
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Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(28) By the Spirit of God.—In Luke 11:20 we have as an equivalent phrase,
“the finger of God.” So in Old Testament language the fulness of the
prophet’s inspiration was expressed in the words, “the hand of the Lord was
strong upon me” (Ezekiel 3:14). The second hymn in the Ordination Service
reproduces the symbolism in the words addressed to the Holy Spirit—
“In faithful hearts thou writ’st thy law,
The finger of God’s hand;”
and it obviously connects itself with the older language which describes the
Ten Commandments as written on the two tables of stone with “the finger of
God” (Exodus 31:18).
Then the kingdom of God is come unto you.—The word describes a coming
suddenly, unlooked for, sooner than men expected. The argument may be
briefly formulated thus:—The work was confessedly superhuman, either from
the power of Satan or that of God, but the former hypothesis was excluded by
the reasoning of Matthew 12:25-27; the latter was therefore the only
explanation. But if so, if Jesus gave proof that He was thus filled with the
power of the Spirit to heal and save, then He was what He claimed to be, the
Head of the divine kingdom. That kingdom had burst upon men unawares."

24. Why Couldn’t We Cast Out The Demon?
Posted on February 7, 2018 by Jonathan Posted in annointing, Bible,
Deliverance, dominion, Faith, Prayer
When I started ministering healing, it soon led to ministering deliverance. I
tried to learn as much about healing and deliverance as I could in order to be
more effective. I initially accepted several popular teachings, but I couldn’t
get away from the questions that came to me as I read scripture. I eventually
concluded that these popular teachings had hindered me rather than helping
me.
Please don’t be offended at this post. I know from experience that this topic
has the potential to spark angry reactions. I do have friends who think
differently! If you have questions about the implications of my view, please
ask. I’m not discounting all counseling or the importance of dealing with heart
issues, but I am examining common beliefs about what it takes to cast out a
demon.
These are the taboo questions I began to ask myself as a young believer
reading scripture, but I hardly dared to ask anybody else. Even as I half-
accepted many of the popular teachings I read, I couldn’t shake these
questions from the back of my mind. Join me on my thought-journey, and
you’re welcome to share your own thoughts in the comments.
How Did Jesus Cast Out Demons?

How did Jesus cast out demons?
Matthew 8:16 (NIV) When evening came, many who were demon-possessed
were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all
the sick.
All it took for Jesus was “a word?” He didn’t even need two words? Surely,
out of all the demon-possessed people that they brought to Jesus, there must

25. have been a few demons that required a little more work to expel! Surely,
some of those demons must have had a “legal right” to afflict the person. After
all, how did they ever enter in the first place? Can you imagine Jesus saying
“It’s not working. The demon is holding on because we still haven’t found
how it entered or dealt with the generational curse it’s holding on to. “
And how could Jesus do all that in only one evening? When you have so many
deep-rooted issues to work through, it takes a lot of time!
I’ll be honest. With some of the methods I learned about for ministering, an
evening would only be enough time to get the demon go. That is, if it wasn’t a
really deeply rooted issue that would take several ministry sessions to deal
with. But Jesus cast out many demons in one evening, and he did it “with a
word!”
When Jesus Couldn’t Cast Out A Demon

Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit? Since Jesus is our model, we should
look at the life of Jesus to answer this question. There’s one problem.
Scripture doesn’t record any instances of Jesus being unable to cast out a
demon.
It does, however, record an event in which the disciples were unable to cast
out a demon. The story is found in Matthew 17:14-21 (NIV):
When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him.
“Lord, have mercy on my son,” he said. “He has seizures and is suffering
greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your
disciples, but they could not heal him.” “You unbelieving and perverse
generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I
put up with you? Bring the boy here to me.” Jesus rebuked the demon, and it
came out of the boy, and he was healed at that moment. Then the disciples
came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He
replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as
small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to
there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”

26. Notice what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t say:
“You couldn’t cast out that demon because it had a legal right to the boy’s
life.”
“You couldn’t cast out that demon because you need to find and close the
door that allowed it to enter.”
“You couldn’t cast out that demon because you didn’t deal with a
generational curse affecting the boy.”
“You couldn’t cast out that demon because you didn’t know its name.”
Jesus said “You couldn’t cast it out because of your little faith.”
Wait! What an offensive statement! Jesus’ disciples had already cast out many
demons and healed many sick people, going through all the towns and villages
to declare the gospel! They were experienced! Wasn’t something more
complicated than that going on?
I guess not. I have to admit that Jesus must have been right!
What did Jesus do? He cast out the demon with a rebuke. “Go!” That was all
it took for Jesus. Notice what he didn’t do:
He didn’t have a counseling session.
He didn’t ask if anybody else in the family had similar problems.
He didn’t ask “When did this problem start and were there any significant
events around that time?
He didn’t lead the father and son through prayers of repentance.
He didn’t have a drawn-out interview with the demon.
Since Jesus said that those who believe in him would do the same works as he
did and greater, there has to be a place of walking in communion with God
where we do what Jesus did and it’s just as simple for us as it was for Jesus. If
Jesus cast out demons with a word or with a touch, it must be possible for us
too. When Jesus so much as got near evil spirits, they knew their time was up.

27. Mark 3:11 (NIV) Whenever the impure spirits saw him, they fell down before
him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.”
The Gadarene Demoniac

Mark 5:1-10 (NIV) They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.
When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the
tombs to meet him. This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him
anymore, not even with a chain. For he had often been chained hand and foot,
but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong
enough to subdue him. Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he
would cry out and cut himself with stones.
When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of
him. He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus,
Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” For Jesus had
said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”
Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”
“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” And he begged Jesus
again and again not to send them out of the area.
If anybody needed to go through a process of dealing with heart issues before
he could be free, it was the Gerasene demoniac. He was messed up!
But he wanted to get free. And all he needed was to encounter Jesus.
Notice that Jesus addressed one evil spirit, in the singular. Yet every single
evil spirit knew they had to leave when Jesus spoke. They immediately began
to beg Jesus not to send them out of the area.
How many deliverance sessions did it take for Jesus to set this man free? How
long did it take to get rid of all those demons? It took only a command. They
knew Jesus had authority, and they knew that they couldn’t convince Jesus
that they had a right to stay.

28. Unfortunately, all too often evil spirits have been able to convince Christians
today that they have a right to stay. Instead of inventing reasons why we were
unable to do what Jesus did, let’s let scripture challenge us to grow in Christ.
Next week we’ll look at how the book of Acts confirms the observations in this
post. Then we’ll go on to examine the notion that evil spirits have “legal
rights” to oppress people.

If you liked this post, you may want to check out the Heaven Now book
trilogy. It contains many insights into understanding simple gospel truths and
exercising heaven’s dominion on earth. It’s also filled with testimonies of what
happened when I put these truths into practice. I’m sure these books will
encourage you and help you learn to walk as a heavenly person. Not only that,
but your purchase supports our missionary work in Brazil and in every other
place we go!

If You Remit Anybody’s Sins, They Are Remitted
How Did The Apostles Cast Out Demons? ›
Tagged with: casting out demons, deliverance, demonic footholds, evil spirits,
Gerasene Demoniac, legal rights, the Gadarene demoniac

17 comments on “Why Couldn’t We Cast Out The Demon?”
Steve says:
February 7, 2018 at 11:00 pm
Here’s my problem. Understand first that any deliverance councilor has
either heard all these arguments a million times from others criticizing them
who don’t actually do deliverance or they themselves have one time preached
all of this. Do you actually believe that any deliverance councilor wants to
have to do all this extra work to get a demon out? lol… Of course not. They

29. ALL want it to be one word or a simple quick event. But the reason why it’s
not ALWAYS like that is because of different circumstances. I know for a fact
that you do not cast out every demon you encounter with one word. If you did,
you would be the most famous Christian on earth because everyone you
prayed for got delivered and we both know that has not happened. The reason
why all these other factors of deliverance come into play like “rights” and
counseling, is because it was what was needed to cast the demon out.
Understand, they all start out in the deliverance with the simple word of
“Go!” But when that doesn’t happen, they go to the next option. And then it
works. Some things go really quick like that, and some things don’t. If you
start doing more deliverance and work with the harder cases, I promise you,
you will see why others that you seem to disagree with work the way you do. If
you still are not convinced, I can arrange some sessions with some severe cases
and you can do your thing and say the word, “Go” to them and see if it works.
Jonathan says:
February 9, 2018 at 12:52 am
Steve, first, I believe in getting doctrine from scripture and the life of Jesus,
not from experience. But my experience is much different from yours. If you
disagree, I’d love to hear a scriptural backing for your position.
Second, I don’t claim to have fully the results I’d like to see. But can you point
to someone with a different method who does? If we are growing in Christ
until we all reach the full measure of the stature of Christ, we want to know
where we are headed.
Third, your comment seems to make some assumptions as if people who
believe this way never really have much experience ministering deliverance.
I’ve seen a person healed in a few minutes after months of inner healing
ministry that only left her more frustrated because she wondered if she would
ever finally get through enough of her issues to be healed. That approach
ended up being a hindrance, not a help. (It was HIV with many complications
and symptoms, and although I didn’t see a doctors report I talked to her a few
weeks later and she’d had no symptoms of the multiple problems since.)

30. I’ve often ministered to people involved in witchcraft, even black magic, and
seen them healed. One lady felt a witchcraft spirit leave through her hands
when I released God’s peace into her. I hadn’t even known what she was in to.
In the early days I was taught that Macumba could block a healing and we
needed to find out if they were into Macumba and get them to renounce if the
healing wasn’t working. I found out that if I didn’t believe Macumba could
block it, then Macumba didn’t block them from getting healed. It blocked the
healing for those who believed it could. I’ve seen various Macumba
practitioners healed. I live in a place where it’s not uncommon to see a
butchered chicken or other sacrifices to demons.
So although I can’t claim perfect results, I’m sharing my observances in
scripture and what’s helped me and a few of my friends. I was trained in those
more complicated ministry methods when I started. I read all about
hindrances to healing, spiritual roots of disease, and more. I began getting
MUCH better results when Dan Mohler convinced me to simplify things.
Some of the other most effective ministers I know have a similar approach. I
mentioned Dan Mohler, and one of the things I noticed soon after I met Dan
was that he got results where a lot of other people didn’t. People set free in a
moment when years of extensive ministry did very little before.
It’s not that I have a problem with Spirit-led inner healing ministry. But the
stories of Jesus’ ministry in scripture suggest that Jesus usually healed
someone or cast out the demon first, and then the inner healing and dealing
with peripheral issues followed, not preceded, the healing or deliverance. And
I’ve often experienced the same. Jesus healed a man first, and then told him to
go and stop sinning…
My issue with adding conditions to get someone free is that it negates Jesus’
promise “If you believe, nothing will be impossible,” which was even in the
context of his disciples being unable to cast out a demon. Where did Jesus
make it dependent on something the person receiving ministry did?
More coming in the next few weeks, including on the problems with assuming
Satan has “legal rights.”

31. Blessings.
Steve says:
February 14, 2018 at 9:00 pm
Nobody is arguing the point of what scripture says. What we are arguing is
how to interpret the scriptures and make assumptions from them by what
they did and didn’t say. The scripture never said that Jesus grew out a
missing limb, so by the logic you are using, could Jesus actually do that? On
the same token, The bible never said that Jesus ever had a person repent of
something to cast a demon out. So does that mean it never happened since it
wasn’t recorded? You are familiar with an ‘Argument of Silence’ because of
what you said in your new post. So you should have known you are
committing that fallacy when you make the statement “I believe in getting
doctrine from scripture and the life of Jesus, not from experience.” If you
don’t have experience, then how are you going to know you assessed and
interpreted the scriptures correctly???? You totally committed an argument
from silence. I think one of the worst false doctrines that the church has made
up that is not biblical is the idea that everything that we need to know and live
by is in the bible. The bible itself doesn’t say, ‘Unless it is written in the bible,
then it can’t be of God.’ That is an unbiblical doctrine that came from the
depths of religion. The bible never said anything like that. You’re preaching
nothing new from the word of faith movement.
I already know what you’re going to say regarding the enemy having legal
rights. Again, it will be the same thing from the word of faith movement who
the people you learned all this from, got their theology. The funny thing is,
you admitted you can’t cast everything out. So why criticize ones that use the
methods that you are writing against, when you yourself haven’t proven what
you are teaching is the 100% right way? Doesn’t make any since. Why would
a person who is seeing more success than you in deliverance, go back to the
basic way of simple commanding authority and that most everyone starts out
at, where they saw limited results? I used to be straight-forward and basic
just like you do. I would command demons because of the authority from
Christ I carry and would tell those demons that they had no right and had to

32. go. But I was observing that all wouldn’t leave. But over time, I realized they
did have access, and when I found out what it was and broke it, the demon
would come out easier than commanding it from my authority. You have
made up a reason, probably from Dan Mohler of why demons don’t come out.
You said, “Growing in Christ until we all reach the full measure of the stature
of Christ.” Wouldn’t you think that the teachers who are preaching that
today, should be there yet, or even somewhat close?
I knew for a fact you couldn’t cast everything out, which was why I
commented on this. If you can’t replicate what you’re preaching and proving
that it is true, then why preach it? Because it’s basically a theory until proven
otherwise. All the deliverance and healing that Jesus did wasn’t recorded.
And that’s a fact so nobody knows for sure if He ever got a person to
renounce or repent. All I know is that in some cases, it really works which is
why I don’t preach what you are preaching anymore. Some things go out with
a simple command. Those are the minor demons and that’s how you know
they are minor. The bible didn’t give us a manual on how to do deliverance. It
just said to do it.
Last thing.. I talked to Dan Mohler personally after one of his teachings in
which my friend didn’t get healed after he and todd white prayed over as well
as the guy who came in with the wheel chair. I asked him, what happens when
the demon doesn’t go when you pray and the demon doesn’t listen to you. He
didn’t really have an answer. He just kind of shrugged it off and said that we
just get a team to pray around the person, and then quickly changed the
subject. I like Dan and use some of his teachings, but the guy can’t even
practice what he fully teaches.
Brother, all I’m saying is, don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. Don’t
close the door completely on something, just because it was taught by the
teachers you idolize. If it works, then it works. Look at the results to
determine whether or not you are mirroring scripture. Jesus healed all I
believe. Let’s get to that point and be willing to receive what ever knowledge
Jesus wants to teach, even if it is contrary to the doctrines we were taught by
other we respect.

33. Jonathan says:
February 15, 2018 at 9:53 pm
Steve, I don’t believe in arguing from silence, but this is not. If anything more
than believing is needed, Jesus’ words “If you believe, nothing will be
impossible for you” were false. My problem isn’t with you ministering inner
healing. My problem is with the position that those issues can “block” you
from casting out a demon or healing when they never “blocked” Jesus or the
apostles from healing anybody. Doing so is negating Jesus’ teaching “If you
believe, nothing will be impossible for you.” We come up with other reasons
we were unable to cast out a demon because we don’t like the only reason
Jesus gave, “because of your unbelief.”
The context of Jesus’ words was the disciples failing to cast out a spirit of
epilepsy, which many deliverance ministers consider one of the hardest kinds
of spirits to cast out.
Jesus casting them out “with a word” makes it pretty clear how simple it was.
You said we know it’s not a minor demon when a simple command isn’t
enough. The case of the Gadarene, which was by no means a so-called
“minor” demon, makes it clear how simple it was. The Python spirit that Paul
cast out was not a “minor demon” but a well-known territorial spirit, and
scripture says it left “in that moment” when Paul rebuked it. It’s also clear
that Paul’s handkerchiefs would not have expelled demons if anything more
than God’s manifest presence was needed.
You’re continuing to imply that people with other methods are getting better
results, but I honestly haven’t seen it. I have seen cases of people getting free
in a moment when someone believed after months of deliverance sessions
failed to help them.
About the Word of faith movement, I differ with them significantly on a few
points and I certainly didn’t get my thinking in this article from them. Dan
Mohler was the one who convinced my to simplify it by answering my
questions(around 2006,) and I was not aware of anybody else at the time who
was teaching what he did. I quickly began seeing about twice the results when

34. I did simplify it. I hope I can recognize Dan’s contribution to my life without
being accused of “idolizing” him.
I have seen nearly 100% results before in specific meetings, and once for a
whole month with everyone I ministered to, to the best of my knowledge,
except one person. I know a guy who saw 100% results for two years. I believe
him because he talks about some things that not just anybody would know
unless they’ve been there, and I recognize it. And he also takes the simple
approach.
The problem with criticizing my right to share my position if I don’t get 100%
the results I’d like to see is that you don’t have a right to do so unless you do
get 100% results. Do you get 100% results with healing and deliverance, like
Jesus did? If the failure of the person receiving ministry to deal with some
hidden issue can ever block a healing or deliverance, then is it even possible to
get 100% results as Jesus did? I think not. If not getting 100% results makes
you only a theorist, then you probably don’t have a right to share your
position either.
If you don’t get 100% results and then you put that on the person receiving
ministry because they haven’t worked through some issues or forgiven
someone yet, then you accept something less than what Jesus did as the
standard, because if that stopped him surely there would have been someone
He wasn’t able to get free. And Jesus said we would do the same works and
greater? So this is certainly not an argument from silence.
I marvel that you said we “make up a reason” that the person is not healed,
that we need to grow in Christ. That’s not a made-up reasons, it’s a solidly
scriptural reason. In fact the ONLY reason scripture gives for a disciple of
Jesus being unable to cast out a demon is unbelief. Ephesians teaches that we
are growing in the knowledge of Jesus and growing up in “all things” in
Christ. I’m sure “all things” includes faith and power. I’ve experienced
enough of heaven on earth to know what’s possible and I know that most of
the time I’ve lived very little in all that’s possible. Stephen’s face glowed like
an angel even when they were stoning him, and we have full access to the same
glory but how little we walk in it! When we are in faith it’s a place of absolute

35. peace and fearlessness, no anxiety. With all the amazing things that I’ve
experienced, I can still easily admit that I have plenty of room to grow in
walking in faith.
Jonathan says:
February 15, 2018 at 10:15 pm
Also, if you did try all stuff and it worked, I personally see it as having to do
with perseverance and either the minister or the person receiving coming to a
place of faith. It can also be the thing losing it’s foothold, which isn’t the same
as a “legal right.” But even so, that position of believing we need to do all
those things first becomes more of a hindrance than a help. We will never be
able to cast out a demon as long as we believe it has a “legal right.”
And if you think a person has to renounce a witchcraft spirit to get free of a
witchcraft demon, you probably won’t have faith for it if they don’t. But it’s
not the method, because others are casting out the same thing without that
method. I once released God’s peace into a person I didn’t even know because
someone asked me to pray for her, and an evil spirit left through her hands. I
didn’t know she was into witchcraft!
My question is, if I don’t see it in scripture and I started seeing much more
happen when I stopped believing I needed all that stuff, why would I go back
or let anybody convince me otherwise now?
Steve says:
February 16, 2018 at 11:32 pm
It’s definitely an Arugment from Silence without a doubt. You can say that’s
it’s not, but it flat out is. The only reason you’re trying to argue against it is
because you horribly abusing it in your argument. I totally believe in Jesus’
words, just like every Christian who proudly proclaims that. Again, it’s just
how we’re interpreting it. And this is how ALL theology is disputed.
Interpretation….
You can say that they Never blocked Jesus, but we don’t have every instance
of recorded healing that he did. The Argument of Silence fallacy obliterates

36. your entire platform which is why you have to refute it, even it’s blatant. I too
accept the scripture, “If you believe, nothing will be impossible for you.” Why
would I refute what Jesus said when He’s God? But how we interpret that
phrase is what will separate us. In other words, what does it mean to
“Believe”? How you interpret that word alters the meaning. Also, many
Christians have believed that all will go to heaven and demons will get saved.
So, does that scripture apply in that context? Something for you to ponder.
When it comes to what is minor or major, I don’t define it as being a common
spirit of blindness, compared to territorial spirit. That’s how you look at it.
I’ve seen it when it’s difficult to remove a spirit of deafness, but incredibly
easy to remove a territorial spirit, where that if you fart, the thing could leave.
It’s not based on the demon necessarily, but why it is there and also the
person them self. I’m not talking about if the person has faith or not. That is a
lame judgment that Christians put on others who don’t get delivered. I’m
talking about what the person has invested in something.
Do you know why you simply can’t make a person Christian with your
authority? Because they have free will. Same reason Jesus didn’t cast out the
demons of the Pharisees and make them Christians even though He knew they
were there.
You said, “I have seen cases of people getting free in a moment when someone
believed after months of deliverance sessions failed to help them.” Jonathan,
I’ve seen the same exact thing too.. I’ve done several thousands of deliverance
and healings too. What I’m saying is that for the cases that you have admitted
in which you haven’t got healing or deliverance, consider that what I’ve been
telling you in those instances. Consider that the reason you haven’t seen
breakthrough in those cases is because of the very thing you criticize, you’ve
closed the door to it because it doesn’t fit in your belief system.
You also said that you have had 100% results in meetings before. You’re not
the first to claim that. Trust me, I’ve heard it a million times before from
others who purposely toot their own horn, to try and prove their theology or
get people to run to their ministry. Now, I don’t believe you are doing that. I
believe you have a sincere heart in this and want to get people healed. As for

37. me, I started off as a full time street healer and have taught many others to do
the same. I stopped doing that when I started getting honest with myself and
noticed that everything wasn’t getting healed. Then the Lord taught me about
deliverance. I got shunned from all my friends who strictly did healing sadly.
But I started seeing breakthrough in areas I couldn’t before. I stopped with
the street healing and went in the ministry of deliverance and inner healing.
Here was my observation and experience. Street healers and stage healers can
come away and claim 100% results. The reason is, they don’t follow up with
the people that claimed healing either in the meeting, or on the street. Soooo
many times I would see the sickness or the pain return, while stage healer or
street healer would leave and then tell everyone that 100% got healed. What
was sad was all of the people who had the sickness or pain return, watch the
healing minister parade their results around and get notoriety for it, while
they were still suffering and feeling even worse and discouaged than before.
I’m no longer a fan of street healing and stage healing when the street or stage
healer does not tell everyone ahead of time that if the sickness returns to seek
further ministry because there is a stronghold there. Brother, I’ve got tons
and tons of stories of people getting the pain or sickness to temporarily leave
and then it come back. It shouldn’t be happening, and that is what ticks me
off about the all authority healing model. So many people don’t actually get
healed. It’s just that the healing prayer or deliverance prayer temporarily
incapacitates the demon for an hour or two. Sometimes a couple days. But
usually after a week or two, the symptoms all return. In my opinion, I
wouldn’t call it a healing unless the sickness has stayed gone for at least 6
months. Sometimes even longer.
The people that I devote my ministry to are the people who have gone to all
the stage healers, street healers, deliverance people, and inner healers and
nothing has worked. They have been prayed over by all the big names. People
from Bethel, David Hogan, Dan Mohler, Todd White, Andrew Wommach,
Randy Clark, Todd Bentley, Heidi Baker, Curry Blake, etc… Please don’t get
me wrong. I absolutely love and respect all these people from the bottom of
my heart. They have sowed into me and taught me so much. But there is more
out there.

38. You said, “We will never be able to cast out a demon as long as we believe it
has a “legal right.” Ahhh, than how do you explain the thousands of demons
I’ve casted out already??? Lol… You see, you’re telling me your belief and
theory, and I’m just giving you my experience. So just right there, there’s no
way you could convince me otherwise. You must have been thing that I’m the
type of person who sits in a chair all day pontificating deliverance and the
fundamentals that surrounds it without doing it.
You said, “I once released God’s peace into a person I didn’t even know
because someone asked me to pray for her, and an evil spirit left through her
hands. I didn’t know she was into witchcraft!” And your point is? I’ve walked
by people and demons left. Witchcraft is not a hard spirit to make leave, but it
can be hard to make leave depend on where that witchcraft is rooted in the
person. The other thing is this, I guarantee you, that girl had more than one
spirit of witchcraft in her. You do know that a demon can have more than one
of the same demon. They lodge themselves in different dimensions of their
soul. They could have 200 spirits of witchcraft depending on who they are,
what they’ve been into, what they’ve been born into.
I’ve seen Christians who heal the sick, do deliverance, pastor churches,
prophesy, have tons of encounters with Jesus, that have had demons cast out
of them of witchcraft, anger, Jezebel, then find out later that they literally had
a demonic structure in them that housed over 1000 demons that knew about.
Do why that is? Because Christians don’t know that much about the soul and
what real healing looks like.
I’ve never claimed to heal 100% of the people I work with. Why? Cause I’m
not that foolish to say something like that because I understand what real
healing looks like and what it truly takes to get a person to that place. And
I’m not just talking about physical healing. I’m talking about mental,
emotional and spiritual as well. I believe that everybody can be completely
healed and that is my goal. But the last thing I’m going to do is say that this
method is wrong, and that method is wrong when I’m not seeing it done 100%
myself. If you re-read all that I’ve written, you would know that I never said
what you’re doing is wrong. Why? Because I do what you do as well. I already
said that I use strict authority to heal and cast out demons. What I have been

39. saying is that it is not the only thing that will work. It works in some cases, but
not all.
If you want to talk about this more, why don’t we skype. I can give you my
email if you don’t already have it. I would love to talk to you about this. I
don’t want you to stop doing what you are doing. Honestly, I love that you are
doing this when most Christians aren’t and there are so many out there who
need healing and deliverance. I want you to be successful in this and heal and
deliver everyone you pray for. We both want the same thing ?
Nathan Roman says:
February 8, 2018 at 12:06 am
Good post brother…gbu…i often would think why did it take Christians a
long time to cast out demons or heal people when Jesus said one word and
those demons had to leave or those people were heal instantly.. When i look at
Jesus life the number one thing that stood out is he was in constant
communication with his father he made sure he made time with him becuz his
strength came from connecting with the father everything he did and said
came Directly from the father not on his own. HE was the source..i believe
when were connected to Jesus everyday praying fasting and meditating on his
word soaking it in and just simply falling in love with him and spending time
with him he will use us in mighty ways. Our faith needs to continue to grow
and that happens when we allow the word of God to dominate our heart mind
and soul… we have to be fully convince in our minds of Gods truth so that any
lies of the enemey will quickly be exposed with the truth of Gods word..when
were connected it’s then when we will always be empowered by the holy spirit
and have the authority like Jesus to cast out them demons and see people
around us healed its living like and doing things like Jesus did..its one thing to
talk about it but we must demonstrate actions ppl need to see us out there
praying sharing the good news sharing the Love of JESUS to this world letting
our light shine for all to see so people see our deeds and Glorify our father in
heaven. we gotta know who we are and believe in the one inside us that he is
greater than anything in this world we have have to be fully convinced that
nothing or no one can overcome the children of God who are in christ Jesus. I

40. believe there so many things robbing our time alone with God and if we
wanna continue to see God’s power manifested in our lives if we wanna do the
things Jesus did Even greater things he said we will do then we need to spend
more time with him..amen Blessings brother great post
Jonathan says:
February 9, 2018 at 12:54 am
Thanks!
Cyndi says:
February 8, 2018 at 2:29 pm
Love it love it love it! Mark 3:11- been thinking about this- and we ought to be
the same- one spirit.,?
Jonathan says:
February 9, 2018 at 12:54 am
Yay!
Steve says:
February 8, 2018 at 6:32 pm
Why is my comment waiting to be moderated, but the comment that agrees
with you gets approved instantly?
Jonathan says:
February 9, 2018 at 12:57 am
I approve comments unless they are profane, accusing, slanderous, or grossly
disrespectful. I’ve actually only had a problem with that once. Feel free to
comment.
If you saw a comment approved before yours on this post, it may have been a
person who has commented before and the comment was automatically
approved. This is the first time I’ve seen any of the comments on the post.

41. Eric says:
February 16, 2018 at 9:10 am
As soon as I started reading this post it immediately put Matthew 12:43-45
and Luke 11:24-26 into a more understandable context. “24When the unclean
spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and
finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. 25And
when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. 26Then goeth he, and
taketh to him 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.” when
Jesus sent the disciples out in Luke 10:1-12 healing the sick, casting out the
demons, raising the dead, proclaim the gospel of the kingdom and if they
don’t receive you it will be worse for them than Sodom in the day of
judgment. So a disciple believing in Jesus following this instruction given in
Luke 10 all things being possible to him believing ministers healing and
deliverance and then the person rejects them and does not receive the good
news of the kingdom… then follows Luke 11:24-26 the sickness and demons
return and because they have not accepted the gospel and been filled with the
Holy Spirit of Jesus is open for the return of what was cast out by the
believing disciple and only because that person did not receive the gospel and
chose to be filled with all the fullness of God. As I typed this it occurred to me
further the importance of keeping scripture in context… Luke 10 the
commission with instructions and Luke 11 follows with the immediate
consequence for those who do not receive. If the son sets you free you are free
indeed. Free to live for God unto righteousness and to die unto sin… you are a
slave to whoever you submit your members to obey, God unto righteousness
or sin unto death. Thank you for helping to fill in gaps in understanding.
Jonathan says:
February 16, 2018 at 12:30 pm
Exactly! If the person got everything right before the demon was cast out, why
would Jesus have had to give this teaching?
Jonathan says:

42. February 17, 2018 at 1:16 am
OK Steve, some thoughts…
You continue to say “You give me your beliefs and theory, and I’m just telling
you my experience.” Yet that’s not true. I’m telling you both my beliefs from
what I see in scripture and my experience. My experience is that complicating
things is a hindrance to faith and many people get healed when things get
simpler, not more complicated. In fact I’ve known people who were trained in
that approach and were all excited about it, but even though they practiced it
they had very few (if any) results of real supernatural healing.
When I read that Jesus went through all the towns and villages healing every
sickness and disease, I can’t imagine how that would be possible if he was
taking their approach. They spend weeks with one person. And people were
thronging Jesus to the point that he and the disciples had to escape being
trampled. If just a few of the people throughout “all the towns and villages”
needed a few 1-hour ministry sessions before they could get free, how could
Jesus have healed them all? It would have been far too much work. They
already had trouble just getting away for a little break.
I think it’s the first time I’ve heard anybody share how they believe Jesus’
words “Nothing will be impossible for you” is compatible with the idea that
things can “block” healing or deliverance. Everyone else I can remember
talking to just ignores that scripture and evades it if you bring it up, without
attempting to interpret it.
However, the very context of that scripture is healing and casting out a
demon, not salvation, so I don’t find the argument about not being able to
make someone get saved very convincing.
As for the Pharisees, they didn’t come to Jesus, but scripture does say
everyone who came to him was made whole and everyone who touched him
was made whole. I still have a hard time with us saying about someone who
comes to us for help “I couldn’t help them because…” If everyone who came
to Jesus was made whole, who couldn’t Jesus get free because…?”

43. And if everyone who touched even the hem of his garment were made whole,
then where were the people who touched the hem of his garment and needed
further ministry? This is not silence, because scripture says how they were
made whole. A touch. And it was “all” who touched him, not just some. That
leads us to the logical conclusion that nobody touched him and it didn’t work
because something was blocking it. If there was one person for whom a touch
was not enough, not everyone who touched the hem of Jesus’ garment would
have been made whole.
I don’t really attempt to define “major” or “minor” demons at all, but I’m
referring to other people’s use of these terms, thus the quotation marks. You
brought up “minor” and “major” demons, and I think most people would
consider a “Python spirit” a major one.
The thing is Steve, I’ve got a feel for what faith is, it feels like my heart is
exploding because I’m so strong inside by the Holy Spirit, and I can honestly
say I have never believed and it “didn’t work.” I can easily admit the times
I’ve had a hard time believing, when I was too impressed with something that
I shouldn’t have been impressed with. So I’m honestly never left wondering
“why didn’t it work?”
Our friend Jeff Randle is teaching about “heart art,” and it has really helped.
There are different ways to minister healing. When I started I think a lot of
times it was more the faith of the people I ministered to than me, but I talked
and taught what I learned shared testimonies so much that I got them to
believe. That’s one way, and some ministries operate almost exclusively that
way. (Which, by the way, is one of my major differences with the old word of
faith movement, in that the WOF movement tended to really emphasize the
faith of the receiver.)
But there’s also WOK. There’s also healing angels ministering. There are
some people who see a lot of people healed when ministering to a crowd, but
don’t have the same results with an unbeliever on the street. When I heard
what Jeff was saying, I knew he was for real because several of the things he
said, I don’t think most people would even know unless they had a certain

44. level of experience. Those different modes are fine, but the problem is when
the one we are used to becomes a limitation.
I agree with you about the need to deal with issues and the problem of people
having an issue return. My second day in Brazil with my wife a guy’s deaf
ears were opened and the family stopped their witchcraft, but later they went
back to it and he lost his hearing again. However, Jesus told a guy to repent
after, not before, he was set free. One thing I could do better with (and I’m
working on) is teaching people to repent after they are healed. I don’t
consider those things “legal rights” at all, I consider them footholds that make
the person vulnerable to being attacked. I don’t believe anything the devil
does to oppress people is “legal.”
By the way, I wasn’t at all thinking you don’t have any experience with this.
As for you casting out demons that you believed had a “legal right,” I assume
you did what you believed was necessary first to remove that “legal right.”
That’s not what I’m talking about. I’m talking about being unable to get
someone free because you believe it has a “legal right,” and you haven’t deal
with or found what that legal right was yet.
My point about the witchcraft spirit and other people involved in witchcraft is
that I was taught that those things could block a healing and people had to
renounce them first, and they did until I stopped believing they could.
Anyways, I’m thankful for everyone who gets free even if I don’t have the
same views or methods. What I’m sharing in my articles isn’t to criticize how
others do it so much as to share what I’ve found helpful with my readers. As I
said, I read a lot of books about the spiritual roots of disease and all that stuff,
and I started seeing about twice as much happen when I stopped believing
that could hinder people from getting healed or delivered. It’s certainly not
that those “spiritual roots” don’t exist, or that people can’t get healed or
delivered by dealing with them. If that happens, great! I just don’t see those
things as limitations that have to hinder us. There are people who focus so
much on those things that they rarely get anybody healed, as much as they
talk about healing. If everyone who touched even the hem of Jesus’ robe was

45. made whole, I believe there’s a place of walking in the Lord’s glory where
everyone who so much as touches us will be made whole.
Oh, and about how we define faith, I’m really not happy with the “mind over
matter” type view on it, and I see it much more as relational, knowing God
rather than simple faith over the problem, growing in the degree to which we
are manifesting God’s power and glory.
We may Skype sometime, and I’d be interested in hearing more of your
experience. I’m do have a lot on my plate right now, but if you’d like to meet
in the future, my Skype contact is Quierofuego. If anything, this discussion
may help other readers to understand both sides of the issue, and I think we
may also understand better where each other are coming from.


Jesus Casting Out Demons
Most Relevant Verses

Matthew 4:10
Verse Concepts
Then Jesus said to him, "Go, Satan! For it is written, 'YOU SHALL
WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD, AND SERVE HIM ONLY.'"


Luke 11:14
Verse Concepts
And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone
out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed.

46. Matthew 8:16
Verse Concepts
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed;
and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill.

Mark 1:34
Verse Concepts
And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many
demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew
who He was.
Luke 4:41
Verse Concepts
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.
Mark 1:39
Verse Concepts
And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and
casting out the demons.
Luke 13:32
Verse Concepts
And He said to them, "Go and tell that fox, 'Behold, I cast out demons and
perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.'
Luke 4:35

47. Verse Concepts
But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet and come out of him!" And when
the demon had thrown him down in the midst of the people, he came out of
him without doing him any harm.
Matthew 8:32
Verse Concepts
And He said to them, "Go!" And they came out and went into the swine, and
the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and perished in the
waters.
Mark 5:8

For He had been saying to him, "Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!"
Luke 8:29
Verse Concepts
For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had
seized him many times; and he was bound with chains and shackles and kept
under guard, and yet he would break his bonds and be driven by the demon
into the desert.
Mark 9:25
Verse Concepts
When Jesus saw that a crowd was rapidly gathering, He rebuked the unclean
spirit, saying to it, "You deaf and mute spirit, I command you, come out of
him and do not enter him again."
Mark 7:26
Verse Concepts

48. Now the woman was a Gentile, of the Syrophoenician race. And she kept
asking Him to cast the demon out of her daughter.
Matthew 8:31
Verse Concepts
The demons began to entreat Him, saying, "If You are going to cast us out,
send us into the herd of swine."
Matthew 9:33
Verse Concepts
After the demon was cast out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were
amazed, and were saying, "Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel."
Mark 16:9
Verse Concepts
[Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared
to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.
Matthew 9:34
Verse Concepts
But the Pharisees were saying, "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the
demons."
Matthew 12:24
Verse Concepts
But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, "This man casts out demons
only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons."
Matthew 12:27
Verse Concepts

49. "If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For
this reason they will be your judges.
Mark 3:22
Verse Concepts
The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, "He is possessed by
Beelzebul," and "He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons."
Luke 11:15
Verse Concepts
But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the
demons."
Luke 11:18-19

"If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you
say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. "And if I by Beelzebul cast out
demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges.
Matthew 12:26
Verse Concepts
"If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his
kingdom stand?
Luke 11:20
Verse Concepts
"But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has
come upon you.
Matthew 12:28
Verse Concepts

50. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has
come upon you.


Where Do Demons Go Once They're Cast Out of a Person?
Published
3 months ago
Author
Kathy DeGraw
Posted in
Spiritual Warfare
Comments
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(Pixabay/cocoparisienne)
Where do we send demons after casting them out? When ministering in the
area of deliverance, we can experience several ministries using different
models of healing and sending demons to various places. I believe one of the
reasons the church doesn't fully embrace the ministry of deliverance is

51. because when we hear demons being cast out, there are so many variances
that people get confused on what is the right way or what is the biblical way.
There are variances in deliverance. Most deliverances are not the same. We
say in my ministry deliverance isn't a cookie-cutter ministry: No two sessions
or experiences are alike. However, there are some biblical practices that
should have commonality.
One of the most controversial and asked questions is, "Where do we send
demons after casting them out?" As a minister who hosts deliverance training
schools, I've heard the following responses:
Cast them to the feet of Jesus.
Command them back to the abyss.
Send them to the dry places.
All of these are unbiblical practices. Our current churches are not embracing
deliverance. If we want the church, people and ministries to embrace the
ministry of deliverance, we must do biblical deliverance and follow Jesus'
example in the way He cast out demons in the Bible. When we look at the
biblical examples of Jesus casting out demons, we do not see that He sent them
anywhere nor that He taught His disciples to send them anywhere.

One time the demons asked to go into the swine.
"All the demons pleaded with Him, asking, 'Send us to the swine, so that we
may enter them.' At once, Jesus gave them leave. Then the unclean spirits
came out and entered the swine. And the herd, numbering about two
thousand, ran wildly down a steep hill into the sea and were drowned in the
sea" (Mark 5:12-13).
However, this one example is not a model for us to command demons to go
into animals or anywhere else. Jesus didn't command demons to go anywhere.
The fact is, He just commanded them to come out.

52. Jesus issued the following commands and statements when casting demons
out:

—"Go!" (Matt. 8:32b).
—Rebuked the demon (Matt. 17:18).
—"Be quiet and come out of him" (Mark 1:25).
—"Come out of the man, you unclean spirit" (Mark 5:8).
—"You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him, and enter him
no more" (Mark 9:25).
—"You are loosed from your infirmity" (Luke 13:12b).
—"Unbind him, and let him go" (Luke 1:44c).
When researching these Scriptures showing the deliverance ministry of Jesus
Christ, we don't find any scriptural proof leading up to these statements or
after the demons released that He sent them anywhere.
Let's not get caught up in where to send them and what is the right wording.
Let's simply do what Jesus commanded us to do: "Cast out demons." Release
the ministry of deliverance by commanding the demon to get out in the name
of Jesus. Afterwards, make sure the person is filled with the Holy Spirit.
Assist them in getting active in a good church. Encourage them to get
discipled by a strong mentor, join a Bible study or be active in a Spirit-filled
prayer group. Help them to fill back up spiritually so all the dry and empty
places, the places the demons have just vacated, are filled up with the things of
God so that no demon has a right to re-enter those places. Deliverance and
discipleship must go hand in hand in order to truly set the captives free.
Release the ministry of deliverance as Jesus did, but let's make sure it is
biblical deliverance.

53. Kathy DeGraw is a prophetic spiritual warfare strategist releasing the love
and power of God, to ignite and activate people, release prophetic destinies
and deliver people from the bondage of the enemy. She is the founder of
Kathy DeGraw Ministries and Be Love Outreach. She is the author of several
books, including Speak Out, Discerning and Destroying the Works of Satan,
Identity Invasion, Who is Speaking? and Warfare Declarations. You can
connect with Kathy on Facebook,


The Kingdom of God is here (Matt 12:28) NOW! Do you believe He has
subjects with "POWER" (Acts 1:8)? Why/Why not?
Where's your power then Norine? Power just to rant and accuse others...like
the Atheists?

Ernest S · 4 months ago

That depends on where a church sits under the Cross is the power and a good
Holly Roller Church can display this power you speak of.....but it mostly
depends upon God's Holy Spirit and I've seen it so strong not a member could
stand under it.....but it all depends on Christ and how ones reacts to the
Spirit....for when one is Baptize that is really what counts for then one's only
limit is what Christ has plan....some water, some heal, some sing, some dance,
some roll and some just seek for others, themselves and some just cry...….And
Granny you need to get out from the Bible and walk in the Spirit, for then you
will see what the Kingdom of God is, for a Born Again Christian has eyes to
see God and all you see is the word of God to justify your belief for there way
more to Christ then the comments you made for I judge you not but does
make me worry about you for I think you are a rare one for sure...

54. william ellis · 4 months ago

Jehovah certainly does have followers who are receiving power from holy
spirit which truly does enable us to "be witnesses of me (Jehovah) ...to the
most distant part of the earth." (Acts 1:8) God's holy spirit gives us the
courage and boldness to preach the truth about Jesus and his Father,
Jehovah. just as Jesus said it would. (John 14:15-17+26; John 15:26+27)
Many, prior to becoming witnesses of Jesus and Jehovah,said that they would
never be able to go door to door, but holy spirit has given them the power to
preach. Jehovah's Witnesses are, by means of God's holy spirit, preaching in
240 countries from North Pole to Antarctica. There is no other religion, that I
know of, that is unified in thought and teaching of the Bible as are Jehovah's
Witnesses. We are as one with our heavenly Father and our ransomer and
king, Jesus Christ. If you would like to learn more about what the Bible
teaches, go to the international website, jw.org and Bible Teachings > Bible
Questions Answered. If you believe what you learned, you can request your
free personal Bible study online or from the next witness who knocks on your
door or by visiting your neighborhood Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses.
There is never a collection taken and all are welcome. Thank you for this
question.

The power to be witnesses for Him? Sure
Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria,
and to the end of the earth
But no powers beyond that are our own

55. Do you have to have the holy spirit to be able to cast out devils and heal the
sick?

Matthew 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave
them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of
sickness and all manner of disease. > John 7:39 (But this spake he of the
Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost
was... show more

Best Answer: It would appear not, actually.

Matthew 7:21-23-- “Not everyone saying to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into
the kingdom of the heavens, but the one doing the will of my Father who is in
the heavens will. 22) Many will say to me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in your name, and expel demons in your name, and perform many
powerful works in your name?’ 23) And yet then I will confess to them: I
never knew YOU! Get away from me, YOU workers of lawlessness.

Notice that there would be some who would claim Jesus as their Savior, would
even be expelling demons in His name, but when the time comes Jesus will say
He never knew them. While this is saying that Jesus did not know them rather
than that they did not have the Holy Spirit, logic does say if Jesus did not
know them then they did not know Holy Spirit...and yet they would be able to
cast out demons.

This is not saying that those disciples did not have God's backing in some way,
and that is why they were able to cast out demons. If they did it in another
way, presumably Jesus would have nothing to do with them. It is probable
that what is going on is that the disciples were calling on God to do the casting

56. out of the demons, in which case they were not the ones doing it. They were
simply asking for it to be done, and God obliged as part of His backing of
Jesus and the eventual Christian church.

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Do you not know about the "Trinity"? Jesus is the Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit. And yet are one. Power of the unclean spirits comes from our own
given words: "In The Name Of Jesus". Hello?

Stallion · 8 years ago
Yes, you have to be in alignment with the Holy Spirit to do those things. This
is because our authority over sickness and the demonic is derived directly
from God, and our line of communication with Him is through His Spirit and
ours.

You don't have to be baptized in the Holy Spirit, but you do have to be
walking in Him.

Atarah Derek · 8 years ago
Because he could personally give them the Holy Spirit, but it wasn't for those
who excepted him by faith without being with him until it came after he was
glorified. After Pentecost the holy spirit could dwell in believers through faith
in Messiah.

57. The Shihan · 8 years ago

With all due respect, whomever you are, THIS AIN"T A PULPIT. Methinks,
you wanna find a ghostwriter for your Homily. That stated, GOD has given all
of us the ability to assist with casting out demons and healing the ill in a small
capacity. I REFER TO IT AS COMMON SENSE.
( First Aid training helps with medical emergencies)
GOD BLESS.

You can't have Jesus without being filled with the Holy Spirit. You can't do
miracles without being guided and enabled by the Spirit of God. (assuming it's
His will) In the end, miracles will be done to fool the elect, enticing them away
from God toward false idols


ALLEN ROSS
Beelzebub Or The Holy Spirit? (Matthew 12:22-37)

In this section of Matthew we see the conflict between Jesus and the religious
leaders of His day intensify to the point of their complete rejection of Him,
and His warning to them of what that would mean. In many ways this portion
of Matthew provides the turning point for the emphasis of the book. It is one
thing to oppose Jesus’ apparent violations of the current rules made by
religious leaders, but to say that He is empowered by Satan is another matter
altogether.

58. This section begins with a miracle by Jesus and the blasphemous accusation
by the Pharisees. There follows a lengthy response by Jesus about the source
of power in His miracles, and the accountability for words that reveal what is
in the heart.
In the next section (study 18) the leaders will demand a sign from Jesus, but
He responds with a different kind of sign than they had sought, as well as a
stinging rebuke of their wicked unbelief. So this study 17 and the next one, 18,
provide the major material for the rejection of Jesus, and turning in the book
of His ministry.
Reading of the Text
22 Then one was brought to Him who was demon-possessed, blind and mute;
and He healed him, so that the blind and the mute man both saw and spoke.
23 And all the multitudes were amazed and said, “Could this be the Son of
David?” 24 Now when the Pharisees heard it they said, “This fellow does not
cast out demons except by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.”
25 But Jesus knew their thoughts, and said, “Every kingdom divided against
itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself
will not stand. 26 If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How
then will his kingdom stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by
whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. 28 But
if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come
upon you.
29 Or how can one enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless
he first binds the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.
30 He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me
scatters abroad. 31 Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be
forgiven people, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven
people. 32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be
forgiven him; but whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit, it will not be
forgiven him, either in this age or in the age to come.

59. 33 Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and
its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. 34 Brood of vipers! How can you,
being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the
mouth speaks. 35 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings
forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil
things. 36 But I say to you that for every idle word people may speak, they will
give account for it in the day of judgment. 37 For by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
The Setting and the Structure of the Passage
The passage just before this event is a lengthy citation from the prophet Isaiah
declaring that Jesus is the prophesied Servant who would come to heal and to
restore. That passage also contrasts the peacefulness and tranquility of Jesus
the suffering servant with the malicious hatred of the Pharisees in this
passage, preparing the way for the material to follow.
Our passage is essentially some teaching of Jesus based on an incident--
although that is the immediate cause, the tension toward the teaching has been
building for some time. But in the analysis of the structure we have the event
(v. 22) and the twofold response of amazement (23) and blasphemy (24). Then
the rest of the section is Jesus’ response to the blasphemy of the Pharisees.
That teaching first analyzes their response from the perspective of simple
logic--the divided kingdom (25-28), then the analysis of the strong man’s
house (29), then the warning of blasphemy against the Spirit (30-32), and
finally the principle of nature and fruit (33-37).
This lengthy discussion is paralleled in Luke, but in several places (6:43-45;
11:17-23; and 12:10), prompting a number of scholars to assume that
Matthew has taken several separate teachings and put them together here to
address the issue of the blasphemous charge. While that is possible, it is also
possible that Luke broke up the discourse and used part of it for a topical
purpose (6:43-45), had another part simply in a parallel event (12:10), and the
retains a part (11:17-23) as his summary of this discourse at this time.
Whatever is the explanation of the synoptic connections, the discourse in
Matthew makes a unified and coherent argument.

60. So the study of this passage will primarily deal with the points of argument
that Jesus made in response to the accusation. There are no difficult words to
deal with apart from identifying Beelzebub in passing, or defining
“blasphemy.” I will give a brief explanation in passing, but these can be
studied in any theological dictionary or word book.
There is rhetorical and figurative language in the passage, as in all of Jesus’
teachings. Since these things are so bound up with the teachings they are best
discussed in the analyses of the verses in context.
There are no Old Testament quotations in this section either, and so that part
of the study does not apply. But the reader should become familiar with the
lengthy quotation from Isaiah just before this event, for that is the foundation
Matthew uses to report this event and teaching. But for the study we are
really left with the analysis of Jesus’ teachings.
The Analysis of the Passage
1. The Healing and the Accusation (12:22-24). This section of the passage is
pretty straightforward and will require less attention than what follows. But it
must be understood, nonetheless.
The Healing. A man who was demon possessed was brought to Jesus; the
effect of the demon possession was that he was blind and mute. I suspect that
in your study of Matthew you have had sufficient time now to learn a little
about demon possession. Most of Christianity would affirm that true believers
cannot be demon-possessed, because they have the Holy Spirit indwelling. But
they can be attacked and afflicted by forces in this world, for the spiritual war
is against such powers, as Paul reminds us in Ephesians.
Jesus healed him, so that he could see and talk once again. That is it--a brief
report. This shows that the real point of interest is in the teaching to follow.
And the people who saw this were amazed, wondering if this could be the
“Son of David.” The way the Greek text words the question indicates that the
people were not sure of the answer: “This couldn’t be the Son of David, could
it?” Messiah was expected to perform miracles (see v. 38), and so the exorcism
was an indication that Jesus might be the Messiah. But the people could not

61. yet see past the situation (as we can with the full revelation), and Jesus did not
look the part of the Messiah, even though He was doing these things.
Matthew’s readers, however, would read the passage from Isaiah just quoted,
and look at the whole ministry of Jesus and understand it better.
The Accusation. The Pharisees, however, said that He cast out demons by
Beelzebub (you will want to look this up in a good Bible Dictionary and see the
full discussion). This Beelzebub is identified here as the prince of demons, or
Satan. The name appears to come from the Old Testament world, from either
ba’alzebub, “lord of the flies,” or from a take-off on ba’al zebul, “prince
Baal.” The Greek text has it Beelzeboul, suggesting perhaps “lord of dung,” or
“lord of heights”--however the people referred to Satan in those days. One
plausible suggestion by MacLaurin (NovTest 20 [1978]:156-160) is that it
meant “lord of the house,” meaning the head of the house of demons. This
would explain why Jesus presents Himself here as the head of a house, the
household of God that cannot be divided. At any rate, the leaders were
therefore trying to turn the people against Jesus by claiming His miracles
were diabolic, empowered by Satan.
2. The Reply of Jesus (12:25-37). The rest of the passage records Jesus’
response to this ridiculous charge.
The Logic of the Undivided Kingdom (25-28). Jesus’ argument here is very
clear: any kingdom, city, or house (Matthew does not mention the house, but
see Mark 3:20,23) that is divided against itself will fall. This would be true of
Satan’s kingdom: for the prince of demons to be casting out his demons would
be folly because they were there doing his work. So, if Jesus is casting out
demons, he cannot be working for Satan.
Jesus turns the argument back on them. If this work is empowered by Satan,
then Satan must also be empowering their own disciples (their “sons”) who do
the same kind of ministry on occasion.
On the contrary, if Jesus is doing these miracles by the Spirit of God, then the
kingdom is coming to them. The miracle had to be by Satan or by the Spirit of
God--and it is illogical to think it would be by Satan. And Jesus knows full
well that He has done these things by the Spirit of God, and if the Spirit of

62. God is at work, then the Kingdom of God has dawned on them--the King is
present.
Luke 11:20 has “the finger of God” instead of the “Spirit of God.” The
allusion is clearly to Exodus 8:19, the miracle that Moses performed that the
magicians could not do, proving it was of God. It is hard to know which was
the phrase Jesus used and which evangelist substituted a parallel phrase. The
“Spirit of God” may be the original expression in this event, since it forms
such a contrast with the prince of demons idea. But the meaning is the same in
either case--God alone was at work here, and the evidence that it was God is
indisputable.
The Strong Man’s House (12:29). Now Jesus offers another argument, as if to
say, “Look at it another way” (= “or”). The point now is that if Jesus’ casting
out demons cannot be explained by the power of Satan, then it all reflects an
authority that is greater than Satan’s. By this point, then, the analogy can be
understood. Jesus is the one who is binding the strong man, Satan, and
plundering his house. The little image provides an implied comparison. The
people were expecting the Messiah to come and bind Satan in the Messianic
Age; and so here Jesus shows He has the power and the authority to do just
that. Jesus came with the authority of heaven to defeat and destroy the works
of Satan, and to rescue valuable things--people--from his house.
Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit (30-32). Jesus next announces a very basic
principle: in our relationship to Jesus there is no neutrality (30). Jesus has
made such clear claims and demands that it is impossible to be neutral or
indifferent. His claim to be Messiah draws on the Messianic imagery of the
harvest: the Messiah will at the end of the age gather in the harvest, so to
speak--a work that is attributed to God in the Old Testament. The language of
the harvest is figurative, then, an implied comparison. The statement would
serve as a warning to the crowd not to treat Jesus with indifference, and a
rebuke to the Pharisees not to accuse Him of Satanic powers--because He is
the judge of the world. Gathering in the harvest is the work of the kingdom;
scattering and driving people away from the kingdom is the work of Satan. To
be indifferent or apathetic is to be opposed to Christ, because it is not doing
the work of the kingdom.

63. After making this announcement, Jesus turns to the question of forgiveness
(31). Every sin can be forgiven, even blasphemy against the Son of Man. But
blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Critical to this
passage, then, is the meaning of “blasphemy.” The word refers to speaking
wickedly or slanderously against God or His nature. It is not a minor offense,
but a major one. Sometimes people use “blaspheme” to refer to people using
the holy name in anger. That is an application of the idea; but it is not what is
intended here. In this passage, consciously arguing that the miracles of Jesus
were done by the power of Satan is the primary meaning of blasphemy.
To blaspheme the Son of Man would be to speak evil of Him, to discredit Him
and His message in some way. Within the context of the argument at this
point, this would refer to the rejection of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus. But
if someone considered it further and repented, that one could be forgiven.
But the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit would be the rejection of the same
truth in the full awareness that that is what is happening--it is the thoughtful,
willful rejection of the work of the Spirit of God even though there can be no
other explanation of the healings of Jesus. Blasphemy against the Son and
against the Spirit then means the complete and willful rejection of Jesus as the
Messiah and the crediting of His works to Satan. Thus, this is not a sin that a
true believer can commit, for the true believer has already accepted Jesus as
the Messiah.
In Jewish law there must be two witnesses to establish any point. Here Jesus is
showing that there are two witnesses to His being Messiah--His words and His
works. If a person rejects His words, there is another witness that will
authenticate His person--His works. But if someone rejects that too,
completely, by blaspheming, then there is no other witness.
Or to put it the other way around--there are two witnesses that will condemn
a person: the rejection of the truth of the Gospel of Christ, and the attributing
of his miracles to Satan. This adds up to complete and conscious rejection of
Jesus. For those who maintain that opposition to Christ throughout their lives
and never recant and turn, there is no forgiveness.

64. That Jesus is dealing in first century Jewish thought is evident from the fact
that He clarifies there is no forgiveness in this world or the world to come.
Jewish leaders were often great literalists. If the text of Scripture said
something like “there is no forgiveness”--only saying it once--they would
conclude that meant in this life, but not the life to come. If a passage said
“there is no mercy, there is no forgiveness”--parallel or double expressions--
then that meant in this life and in the life to come. Jesus clarifies what He
meant so they would not play such games with the words.
Nature and Its Fruit (33-37). The point that Jesus now makes is that conduct,
especially speech, reveals character. The section is similar to 7:16-19, but
there the point was to test character by conduct, a little different.
Jesus tells his hearers to make the tree good or bad, knowing then that its
fruit will be good or bad. The metaphor is rather easy to understand. The tree
is the character, or the heart--so if you want to produce good things (fruit),
you have to have a radical change of heart.
He then calls His enemies a “brood of vipers.” This is an implied comparison,
probably addressed to the Pharisees, of whom in John 8 He said were of their
father the devil--i.e., the seed of the Serpent in Genesis 3. The point of the
comparison is that they are evil and dangerous at heart, but sly and deceptive
at first sight. They have an evil heart, and so cannot bring forth good things
out of their mouths. The mouth simply utters what “overflows” from the
heart.
And so in verses 36 and 37 Jesus warns them that they will have to give an
account of themselves on judgment day. These lines may be a proverb, or a
popular saying of Jesus, or of Jesus’ day, for the language shifts to the second
person. A person will be held accountable for every “careless” word--words
that might seem to be insignificant, but are not. In this context the point is
clear--if you recall the beginning of this passage: what one says about Jesus
and His miracles reveals what is in one’s heart. Some said, “Could this be the
Son of David?”--they are on their way to the kingdom; other said, “he
blasphemes”--they are not even near the kingdom.
Conclusion and Application

65. Jesus then took the response of the Pharisees to His miracle as the occasion to
teach about belief and unbelief expressed by the words that people say,
especially what they say about the person and works of Jesus. The passage
affirms again that Jesus is the Messiah, the one who can do the miracles and
help the poor and the needy. But the passage goes beyond this to warn those
who oppose and reject Jesus that they will not be forgiven but will be
condemned for their words, which reflect an evil heart.
The theological application for such folks is to have a radical change of heart,
to receive a new heart, we would say, and find forgiveness. The way to do that
is to believe in Christ as the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the world.
This will mean a change from blaspheming the Lord and the Spirit, to
expressing faith and adoration.
The message is primarily addressed to folks who oppose Christ and
blaspheme the Spirit concerning His miracles--in other words, unbelievers. To
make an application to believers, we would have to formulate secondary
applications, applications derived from the implications here. We could say
things like:
1. Believers should be encouraged in their faith by passages like this because
Jesus demonstrates again that He truly is the divine Son of God.
2. Believers can take comfort in the grace of God that Christ has been judged
for them, in their place. They may have to give an account of their works at
the Bema Seat of Christ, but not at the last judgment where there will be
condemnation for unbelief and unrighteousness, and where there will be no
forgiveness. Believers have been forgiven, and so there is no condemnation for
them.
3. But believers should also guard their words, because what they say reflects
who they are, and those words should reflect a heart of faith and a life of
righteousness.
4. And, believers should do what Matthew is doing here, and proclaim who
Christ is to people and tell them that in Christ there is forgiveness of sin, but

66. there is no neutrality--only by being in Christ can people “gather” with
Christ.
Correlation
As mentioned above, Jesus in several places in the Gospels spoke of evil being
in the heart, or that what proceeds from the heart is evil. So we can correlate
those passages in His teachings to show the importance of being born again, or
repenting, or coming to faith in Jesus.
The passage naturally correlates to Gospel teachings throughout the
Scripture. There is salvation and forgiveness only in the LORD God--and by
His claims and by His mighty works, Jesus reveals that He is this LORD God.
And so passages that center on faith in Jesus Christ as the guarantee of
salvation and deliverance from the judgment would be useful. And Paul
reminds us in Romans that we are to confess the Lord Jesus with our mouth.
Likewise James focuses on speech, showing that good things should come
from a good heart. Our difficulty is that we do not always show by thoughts,
words, or deeds, that our hearts have been cleansed and created anew. We
who know that Jesus is the Messiah, who know that He did His works by the
power of the Spirit, who know that He is coming to judge the world, ought to
make sure that our words and works harmonize with that faith.


Interpretation Of Matthew 12:45 – Demons
By: Michael Bradley
Last updated on: April 11, 2017

This article came about from another email question. This is a very
fascinating verse in that quite a bit of knowledge is given to us by God on
what goes on behind the scenes with demons after they are cast out of a
person.

67. In order to really understand this verse, you also have to look at the two
verses that are right above it – verses 43 and 44. I will go ahead and give you
all 3 verses below, and then give you some commentary as to what might be
going on in this passage.
“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places,
seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from
which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.
Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than
himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse
than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.” (Matthew 12:
43-45)
In just three verses, God is giving us quite a bit of information as to what is
going on behind the scenes in the spiritual realm once a demon is cast out of
someone. I will break down what God is trying to tell us in this verse under
the following caption.
Interpretation
1. The very first sentence tells you right off the bat that you are dealing with a
demonic spirit who has been cast out of someone. The verse says – “When an
unclean spirit goes out of a man.”

An unclean spirit is a demonic spirit. The fact that it is going out of the man
means the demon was on the inside of the man.
And if the demon is going out of the man, then he had to either be cast out of
him by another Christian or direct by God Himself. Otherwise, the demon
would have never left the man on his own.
Once a demon is able to get on the inside of someone, they usually will not
leave unless they are either cast out by God Himself, or another Christian who
is acting under God’s leading and authority to cast the demon out.

68. The next sentence says that the demon then wants to return to the “house”
from which he came out of earlier.
The house he is referring to was the person’s body that he was cast out of
earlier. After a demon is cast out, this verse tells us that the same demon will
then periodically return to see if the person has slipped up in any way in order
to give him the legal right to be able to enter back into him again.
2. Demons cannot enter into a person’s body just because they want to. There
are spiritual laws that are in operation in the spirit realm and demons have to
abide by these laws set up by God.
In order for a demon to be able to enter in a person’s body, they have to have
some kind of legal right, some kind of legal permission to be able to do so. I
talk about what some of those legal rights can be in my article titled, “Dealing
with the Legal Rights of Demons.”
In some of these cases, the person has engaged in some type of sin that has
given the demon the legal right to be able to enter into them.
Common door openers that will allow demons to come in on you are drugs,
especially the heavier ones, abusing alcohol, any type of occult activity such as
witchcraft, Satan worship, ouija boards, along with engaging in any part of
the New Age movement.
Not every person who does all of the above will draw a demon into them. A
hundred people may play the ouija board and nothing will happen. Then the
next person will play it, and they will be the ones who will draw the demons to
them. Why it happens this way, no one really knows for sure.
This is why a person is taking a very big gamble every time they engage in any
of the above activities. They are taking a chance of drawing demons to them,
and if they stay in that activity long enough, then the demons will have the full
legal right to be able to actually enter into this person’s body!

And once that happens, this person is going to be in big trouble! Then the
demons will have to be cast out either by God Himself, or by another

69. Christian who is acting under God’s authority and power to do the
deliverance. The demons will not voluntarily give up their position once they
are inside of a person’s body.
Apparently it is much warmer for them on the inside of our bodies as
compared to roaming in the air seeking who their next victim is going to be.
Also notice in this verse that once the demon is cast out, he is seeking rest and
finds none. The dimension he is roaming about is dry compared to the human
body that he was just inhabiting.
This verse tells you right there that demons would prefer to be living on the
inside of a person’s body rather than roaming through the air.
In some of the deliverances I have read and studied, demons will state that it
is “cold” on the outside, and that they would prefer to stay on the inside of a
person’s body.
They have said that it is much warmer and comfortable on the inside of a
person’s body as compared to the air which is on the outside of a person’s
body. This is why many of them will put up some kind of fight once an actual
deliverance starts up.
3. The next sentence is the key. Once the demon returns back to the same
person he had originally lived in, he will check him out to see if he has any
legal right to be able to enter back into him.
If the demon finds it “empty,” then he apparently has the legal right to be able
to enter back into this person. I believe God is using the word “empty” to let
us know that people who have demons cast out of them have to become Spirit-
filled! They have to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, along with making
an attempt to grow in the grace and knowledge of God.
I believe the word “empty” is possibly referring to the fact that the person
may not have properly grown in God after the demons were originally cast
out of them.
After God makes a dramatic move on you to save you from this type of dire
situation, He will expect you to start walking and growing in Him.

70. God wants that empty space to be filled up with His knowledge, presence, and
grace – and the only way that can happen is if you start growing and maturing
in the Lord.
Once the demon enters into the person’s body, they will then enter into the
person’s soul. If this person is a Christian, the demon cannot enter into the
person’s spirit because the Holy Spirit is already residing there. But if the
person’s soul has not baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit, the demon can
then enter into the person’s soul as well as his body.
This is why it is so important that the person become Spirit-filled after a
deliverance so as to prevent this from ever happening again.
When you receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit will then
move up into your soul area.
And once the Holy Spirit is living up in your soul area, the demon will no
longer be able to enter into that person’s soul again. A Christian can thus
have the Holy Spirit dwelling in their human spirit, but at the same time have
a demon living up in their soul and body area.
Once a demon is up in the soul area, this is how they can temporarily take
control of a person’s vocal cords and literally speak right out through that
person’s mouth at times.
4. Now watch what happens next. The verse then says that if the demon finds
the house empty and in “order,” not only will he enter back in, but he is going
to be bringing back with him 7 more demonic spirits that are going to be even
more wicked than he is!
This one verse is thus telling you that there are levels of wickedness or levels
of evil even among demons themselves. In other words, some demons are
going to meaner and more evil than some of the other ones will be.
In some of the exorcisms I have studied, I have seen this phenomena occur
over and over again. You can tell when the deliverance minister starts casting
the demons out one by one, that some of them are more wicked and evil than
some of the other ones are.

71. The weaker demons will even speak out saying they would easily go without
putting up much of a fight, but they can’t because the higher-ranking and
more powerful demons will punish them if they do not try to stay in and fight
as long as they possibly can.
Satan obviously has to be the most evil of all the demons and probably the
most evil of all created beings – including humans. I believe he has
disintegrated down to the lowest levels of the dark side and that he has now
become nothing but pure evil. I seriously doubt if there is one ounce of
goodness left in him due to the long time that he has been cast out of heaven.
I believe there is no saving grace left for Satan and the rest of the fallen angels
who rebelled against God long before we humans were ever created.
Also notice in this verse that the original demon now has the legal right to
bring back with him 7 more demons. Usually when someone has a demon in
them, they usually have more than one. Most of the time, demons will travel in
groups or clusters. There is one head chief demon who will run the entire
show on the inside, and then rest of the demons will be his underlings who will
be under his direct control and authority.
When casting them out, you can either take one of two approaches:
Bind all the lesser demons to the chief demon and then cast all of them out as
one spirit.
Or cast out each one of the demons one by one.
The first way would obviously be the quickest and easiest, but you have to let
God decide which of the two strategies He will want you to go with on any
given deliverance. Sometimes God will want you to cast out each one of the
demons one by one.
The reason being is that He may want the person to know exactly what kinds
of demons were on the inside of them, and then why they were on the inside of
them in the first place.
Each demon will have his own function name like “murder,” “hate,” “lust,”
etc. Their names will tell you what their functions were on the inside of that

72. person’s body and soul. And as they are coming out one by one by their actual
names during an actual deliverance, the demonized person will then
understand where all of those negative emotions were coming from in the first
place.
This is why the Bible says that the truth will set you free.
5. Now the last part of this verse says that if the original demon manages to
get back in and brings back with him more demons who are going to be even
more evil and wicked than he is, then that person’s second state is going to
end up becoming much worse than what his previous state was. Why?
Because now the person will have at least 7 more evil demons in them than
what they had in them the first time around. And these more evil and wicked
demons will thus be causing much more torment, havoc and destruction on
this person and their life than what the original demons did since they are
much more evil and wicked in their actual natures and personalities.
The more evil a human being is, the more horrible of a crime they are capable
of committing. And it’s the exact same way with demons. The more evil and
wicked the demon, the more oppression, torment, torture, chaos, and
destruction he is capable of inflicting upon that person just because he is a
more evil and wicked demon.
Deliverance ministers have found out that some of the more evil and wicked
demons are those demons who are linked to the occult. That is why it is so
extremely dangerous to be engaging in any part of occult.
Bob, one last thing on the last part of this verse. I also believe that God is
telling us that if the delivered person goes back to the same former sin they
were involved in that drew the demons to them in the first place – then that
will be the door opener that will allow the original demon to not only be able
to come back into them, but to also bring back with him seven more demonic
spirits who are going to be much more evil and wicked than he is.
In other words, if a person gets delivered from demons as a result of engaging
in witchcraft, and then that person goes back into it 3 years later – God may
end up pulling back His protection on them and the above scenario will then

73. be allowed to take place. And if it does, this person is going to be in big serious
trouble. God may not be so willing to cast the demons out the second time
around, and the demons will then be allowed to make that person’s second
state much worse than what their first state was.
Jesus Himself says that you are better off not knowing that you are in sin as
versus someone who knows they are in sin, gets delivered from that sin, and
then goes back into that same sin once again.
Demons just hover and wait for people, especially Christians, to trip up and
commit any type of door-opening sin so they can either move in and start
tormenting that person from the outside, or literally enter into the person’s
physical body if they can go that far with it.
Conclusion
I have always found the above verse very fascinating, as God, in just three
powerful verses, gives us quite a bit of information and knowledge as to what
really goes on behind the scenes with demons. It’s simply amazing how much
knowledge and wisdom is actually contained in the Bible.
The key is being able to cut into the verses and read what God is trying to tell
you in many of the Bible verses.
God likes to make you seek and search after knowledge, and many of the
Scripture verses have to be worked and cut into to really see what God is
trying to tell you, to see exactly what the actual knowledge is that is lying
underneath the verse. It’s like hunting for buried treasure.
God says that the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field.
And in order to be able to find that treasure, you have to seek and search after
it, just like you would seek and search for buried treasure that is underneath
the ground. Same principle applies.
Related Articles
Do NOT Fear Demons

74. Commanding Demons To Stand Down So You Can Properly Witness To
Someone
Deliverance System For Casting Out A Demon Inside Someone

Comments
43 Responses to “Interpretation Of Matthew 12:45 – Demons”
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Newer comments are at the top.
Ronald W Pruitt
- May 25, 2019 at 7:14 pm
As a sinner I tell you all, I was saved , loving life and going to church, giving
testimony’s , trying to live a Holy life as good as I could, I relapsed a few
times, started doing bad drugs, welcoming bad spirits into my life, they came
back at me 10m fold, talking to me, it was sick, I was sick perverted, porn,
fornicating, playing ball with Satan himself, heck I even inviting him in and
had more demons in my life than I ever had, I was trying to kill the Spirit ,
thank God , Jesus had a better plan for me, i’m living clean , back in church’s
testifying and praising God, reading the Word of God… I have a testimony
that makes the demons cry.. )_Praise God, Thank You Jesus….Jesus is Lord !
Reply
Chad Sandberg
- April 2, 2019 at 7:53 pm

75. Deliverance was Jesus largest ministry. It took me 19 months to get totally
from all the demons I allowed in…And I had been born again, and spirit filled
with strong eviden and of speaking in toungues and I wasan ordained minster,
and a Jail and Prison Chaplain. Jesus is in the Heart, demons are in the body.
I had quenched the Holy Spirit so much, I could barely feel His presence.
Reply
Michael
- March 24, 2019 at 6:43 am
Please, please show me Scriptural evidence of the Holy Spirit of God dwelling
in a human at the same time as a demon, and moving up to the soul area as
you call it. I don’t think that you can in any way prove your statement to be
true and found in the Bible.
Reply
Jacquelyn
- March 27, 2019 at 9:11 am
Michael I totally agree with you.
I was really confused about his statement that The Holy Spirit and demon can
dwell in a person at the same time.
Without Biblical references I’m gonna, rule it out.
Reply
Laura Broomfield
- January 6, 2019 at 4:31 am
A few items of note regarding your article. To link what is called the “New
Age Movement” in with Ouigi Boards, Tarot cards and other forms of
“Occult” studies, displays a great lack of knowledge of what the New Age
movement is. I believe that the New Age Movement is the movement that
represents in total the coming of the Christ, Jesus into the earth again, the

76. Rapture, and the clearing up of some Biblical misunderstandings. It is not an
occult path in any way that is evil, (occult meaning magical or supernatural
forces, or knowledge known only to the initiates or learned.) It is important to
remember that the “Wise Men” as they are called today, were actually men
and women of Occult studies, or the Arts and Sciences of Math, Astronomy,
Astrology, and the like. And ,that the Essene Sect of the Jewish religions in
which Jesus the Christ was born into did indeed practice healing arts using
knowledge that was not common to the masses. I would have to agree whole-
heartedly with you that the other forms of occult studies you mention are
documented to invite demonic influences into a person’s physical body.
Another point I’d like to make is that Jesus said that even Satan could be
saved if he were to repent. The next item has to do with a very general
misunderstanding of the demons and sins. Over and again Jesus refers to the
Chakra systems of the body, the 7 Churches named in the bible. Each Chakra
is represented as a church to be entered. The sin of man is to be cast out by
each person from their own body, St Paul says. I believe this refers to doing
what Jesus said to do, to enter into our Holy Temple, (The temple iis the body
of the living God) which is our body, and by going inward to where God
resides, we meet Him there as is promised. It is there, within, through prayer
and meditation that we learn to cast out the demons, or lowest levels of our
selves, the seven demons, or the seven deadly sins. These sins are pride, lust,
envy, hate, and jealousy, fear greed and lying. these behaviors are choices that
lie within us all and can be cast out only by us as we venture into our holy
temples within as Jesus taught. Yes, there are demonic influences outside of
ourselves, wayward entities cast out from the light who try to attach
themselves to humans, but I see often that these two understandings get
confused. The New Age movement is a returning to the true message of the
Bible in all its glory. The misunderstanding of metaphoric biblical passges for
literal meanings is cleared up as we go within as Jesus taught, He meets us
there and all becomes clearer as promised. We then learn to take
responsibility for our actions, and choose to make a mends by refusing to
allow ourselves to be materialistic, greedy and unkind to others. These are the
ridding the body of the unclean spirits. God is a completely loving God, and
through Jesus the Christ, who is also a sole being of pure love and kindness,
by living His example is the surest and easiest way to understanding who the

77. Father, God is, as well as keeping oneself clean of unclean or demonic
influences. I just wanted to lend a more panoramic view to this discussion.
Thank you.
Reply
Jon E Moore
- August 20, 2018 at 8:39 am
Interesting read. The majority opinion seems to be that demons cannot enter
someone who is saved. This would especially hold true for someone who is
spirit filled. The idea that there is a difference between being saved and being
spirit filled is another interpretation that is debated. Personally I lean towards
the spirit filled interpretation as I have experienced it and believe it has
scriptural support especially in Acts.
Your statement that there is no saving grace remaining for Satan and demons
is also the majority opinion. However, I disagree. Collosians 1:19 For God was
pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, 20 and through him to reconcile
to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making
peace through his blood, shed on the cross. This “all things” includes all
created beings, which includes Satan and Demons. This means that the Lake
of Fire is not “eternal” but for an “age” and its purpose is cleansing and
reconciliation … as fire and brimstone are cleansing agents. Remember God
and the burning bush, God is a consuming fire. The Son of God, creator of all
things did not go to the cross only to save a precious few. I don’t claim to fully
understand all of this. I do believe God reveals his mysteries on his own
predetermined schedule. Be blessed!
Reply
Mii
- July 25, 2018 at 4:26 pm
Love your concept and explaination about the demons however everyone to
there own opinion..as for me you have answered and confirmed a lot of things
concerning demons have legal rights to come back.

78. God has begun to bring me into this area of deliverance building me up within
for that day when He says now!!..love also how you give the Holy Spirit
acknowledgement as this is so important..Thank you for the
encouragement..We have a Almighty Powerful God through Christ Jesus who
strengthens us.. May God continue to bless you in the ministry..
Reply
Deborah. Betha
- June 7, 2019 at 2:26 pm
Everything has been exsplained very well by all parties , except I would like to
comment on the demon & God factor I totally disagree with the part saying
that a demon can live inside of a person along side of Gods spirit, that can’t be
true light and darkness can not co exist together ever!!! I’m saved myself and
born again praise our father jehovah God and his son jesus. Deborah. Betha.
God bless you all with the truth !! I pray that God will fix that within all of us
thought His Holy spirit !
Reply
Olga K
- July 13, 2018 at 3:03 pm
There are definitely some inconsistencies in this explanation….
1. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19) therefore anyone
who is saved and indwelled by the Holy Spirit cannot be possessed by a demon
(as darkness cannot dwell in the same space as light) so this idea of the Holy
Spirit living in the spirit and demons in the soul/body is frankly, nonsense.
2. That being said, a saved person CAN give the devil a foothold thus opening
the door to torment by demons. I was baptized by the Holy Spirit (and water)
as a teen, when I was a young adult I turned my back to God because of a bad
divorce and went through several years numbing my pain with alcohol and
sex. This gave the enemy a foothold to influence me. During that time I was
visited by demons at night, but they would leave, and this stopped after I came

79. back to God and he broke the chains of ungodly soul ties and other
strongholds.
3. There is no such thing as demons/Satan having LEGAL RIGHTS, Jesus has
cancelled our debt of legal indebtness (see Colossians 2:14). Saying that the
devil can gain a legal right to enter our body is like saying a burglar has legal
right to enter our house because we left the door unlocked. The biblical term
is “FOOTHOLDS”, all in the Bible. Please read it ???
Gold Bless
Reply
Corey
- December 27, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Actually you can give a demon LEGAL right you are completely wrong about
this, a occupy object has been in crypto’s with a evil spirits entity and they
hold legal ground over that object and as long as your using that object it
gives the demons legal ground to yolk and weigh oppression upon your souls
saved by Jesus or not, Jesus let’s us do sins and not forever be cursed it does
not mean nobody can be legally oppressed they create a vortex of power in
these evil heavenly realms other dimensions if you will and when you use said
object you get some power from that realm they’ve been working day and
night to create.
Reply
Joe
- April 19, 2019 at 10:02 am
concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. John 16:11
Satan has already been judged already. If the saving grace was applied to
them, they would love their first state, demons know nothing about saving
grace and the blood of Jesus CHRIST because they’re spirit…
Reply

80. Susan
- May 12, 2018 at 11:58 am
Can the demon possessed person be invited into the exorcism ” Do you want
to be healed from this demon?” and join forces with the authority who is
casting out the demon/s
Susan
Reply
CLM
- April 26, 2018 at 1:37 am
This article is very informative and I appreciate how it is explaining and
helping people know that that verse is talking about demonic possession. If
that’s the case however, it is not true that participating in the activities named
in the article will open up a Christian, holy ghost-filled for demonic
possession. Maybe it should be restated. And unsaved person perhaps might
be at risk of such things semicolon but never no matter how much
participation they may have had in any of those areas. A Christian that for
whatever reason decided to practice witchcraft, or any of those things
mentioned in the article is definitely moving against the good Lord, and it’s
definitely very much out of order. But he or she cannot be demon possessed.


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DEMONIZATION
The New Testament makes it clear that there is the possibility of demons
entering into people and manifesting themselves. The expulsion of demons by

84. Christ and His apostles is strong evidence of His identity and that he is the
Messiah (Matthew 12:22, 23; 28, 29; Acts 2:22; 10:38).
The apostles and evangelists substantiated the truth of the Gospel through
miracles among which included the expulsion of demons (Acts 5:16; 8:7;
16:16-18; 19:12).
The Bible does not use the term “demonic possession”. The word in the Greek
“daimonizomai” means to have a demon or to be demonized. The Bible speaks
of people possessing demons and not demons possessing people. We will see all
of the examples given in the Gospels.
The term demonized means “under the power of demons”. Some English
versions translate the term “possessed of demons”, or “those who had evil
spirits” (Matthew 4:24; 8:16; 28; 33; 12:22; 15:22; Mark 1:32; 5:15, 16; 18
Luke 8:36).
The rest of the Scriptures translate the term as “to have a demon” (Matthew
11:18; Luke 7:33; John 7:20; 8:48, 49; 52; 10:20, 21), “a man who had an
unclean spirit” (Luke 4:33), “a certain man from the city who had demons for
a long time” (Luke 8:27).
Observing biblical teaching, we conclude that the term “demonic possession”
is incorrect, since it is not a demon that possesses the man, but the man who
has the demon. This means that a demonized person has an evil spirit inside of
him.
CASTING OUT DEMONS
Jesus entrusted the authority of His name along with the weapons from God
to the Church for the task of freeing the captives. The Ministry of deliverance
is the responsibility of the church. Deliverance is the process by which God
uses his servants to free human beings from the influence and power of
demons. Jesus delegated His authority over Satan and his hosts to the church
(Matthew 10:1; 18:18; 28:18; Mark 3:14, 15; 16:17; Luke 10:19).
The authority of the name of Jesus

85. The casting out of demons was an important part of the ministry of Jesus (1
John 3:8). Freeing the oppressed from the hands of the devil was an integral
part of the activities of Jesus (Acts 10:38). Luke recorded the reaction of the
people during this ministry.
Now in the synagogue there was a man who had a spirit of an unclean demon.
And he cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Let us alone! What have we to do
with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You
are — the Holy One of God!” But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and
come out of him!” And when the demon had thrown him in their midst, it
came out of him and did not hurt him. Then they were all amazed and spoke
among themselves, saying, “What a word this is! For with authority and
power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out.” (Luke 4:33-36)
The endowment with power
In a large measure authority and power are proved by the baptism of the
Holy Spirit (Acts 1 8). This is the result of a relationship. The seven sons of
Sceva attempted to use the name of Jesus to cast out demons, but they did not
obey. They did not know Jesus. Our power and authority are a result of our
relationship with Him. In the new birth, God regenerates us, in the baptism of
the Holy Spirit, we submit ourselves to Him as the baptizer.
Jesus made it clear that the power to cast out demons comes from the Holy
Spirit:
But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has
come upon you. (Matthew 12:28)

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But if I cast out demons with the finger of God, surely the kingdom of God has
come upon you. (Luke 11:20)
The Spirit of God is the finger of God. The finger of God is the word of
command given in authority. The church has the Spirit as well as the Word.

86. The name of Jesus
Jesus is in the highest position of authority: at the right hand of the father.
Every name is subject to him.
Far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every
name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come.
(Ephesians 1:21)
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is
above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those
in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, (Philippians
2:9, 10)
Since the church is the body and extension of Christ here on the Earth, Jesus
entrusted it with the authority of His name. In a manner of speaking, he has
given the church His power of attorney. The church operates on the earth in
the name of Jesus (Mark 16:17; Luke 9:49; Acts 16:18). We must operate the
work of deliverance in the name of Jesus, the power of the Holy Spirit and the
Word of God.


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If a “house divided cannot stand” how did non-disciples cast out demons?
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87. 9


1
Really what I'm getting at is two lines of reasoning I see in gospel accounts
that seem to contradict one another.
In particular I'm thinking of the pericope in which Jesus is accused of casting
out demons by Beelzebul, and the one where Jesus indicates that not everyone
who casts out demons will be saved. In the former, I gather from his line of
reasoning that demons cannot be cast out by Satan; in the latter, it seems as
though casting out demons by Satan must be a possibility.
“Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and a divided household
falls. And if Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?
For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. (Luke 11:17-18, ESV)
Jesus's point seems pretty clearly to be that he casts out demons not be
Beelzebul--whom demons presumably come from--but by the Lord. The
argument is a reductio ad absurdum: it would simply not make sense to cast
out demons by Beelzebul, therefore Jesus must be casting out demons by the
Lord.
But then there's the Sermon on the Mount:
On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your
name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your
name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me,
you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:22-23, ESV)
Here, there are those who, evidently, cast out demons, and yet never knew
Jesus. So then, I would think that they must not be casting out demons by the
Lord, and their power to cast out must come from Satan instead.

88. And yet, this conclusion is precisely what Jesus's argument seemed to short-
circuit. So, how does one reconcile these two passages?
matthew contradiction luke
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edited Apr 10 '13 at 1:03

user208

asked Apr 8 '13 at 2:13

Ray
1,67232045

This is rooted in a false dilemma. This false dilemma is rooted in the insistence
that those whom Jesus did not know are necessarily of Satan. – swasheck Apr
11 '13 at 20:32

@swasheck, If you could expand on your thoughts, I'd welcome it as an
answer. – Ray Apr 12 '13 at 11:39

@Ray: Not entirely sure why you'd even think that in the first place. Both
John 11:49-52 and Acts 19:13-17, for instance, depict situations where
wonders are done, by the power of God, through unworthy vessels. – Lucian
Jul 30 '17 at 5:57

89. add a comment
4 Answers
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5


In the former, I gather from his line of reasoning that demons cannot be cast
out by Satan; in the latter, it seems as though casting out demons by Satan
must be a possibility.
I think you are mistaking Jesus' reasoning. As you point out that reading
would put Jesus at odds with himself in Matthew 7 where he speaks of the
'appearance' of good deeds without the true fulfilling of the law that comes
from being known by Jesus.
Similarly, Paul speaks of satan appearing 'good' in order to further his evil
intent:
14And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. 15So it
is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of
righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds. 2 Corinthians 11,
ESV
As in this passage. the clue is in the continuity. To use a chess analogy, though
a queen sacrifice may win you the game, continually throwing away your
pieces will not. In the same way, satan may intend for a demon to be cast out,
to help him deceive and ultimately afflict, but it would be no advantage to him
to continually bring harm upon his own house. Therefore the disguise, as in 2
Corinthians 11, will eventually be found out.

90. Jesus response should be seen in the context not just of this exorcism, but the
continuous witness of his deeds. Notice in the text that the discussion is about
driving out 'demons', not driving out 'a demon'. If Jesus drives out 'a demon'
you may legitimately question his motive, but if his work is characterised by
driving out demons at every opportunity, this is compelling evidence that he is
from God and assaulting the kingdom of satan.
The irony in verse 16 is poignant:
while others, to test him, kept seeking from him a sign from heaven.
What sort of sign were they seeking? The mute speaking is a sign from
heaven. A sign that God and His kingdom are arriving:
then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for
joy. For waters break forth in the wilderness, and streams in the desert;
Isaiah 35:6, ESV
So,
By whom can demons be cast out?
demons can be cast out for good or for evil, but consistently doing good is a
sign from heaven: You will recognize them by their fruits

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edited Apr 12 '13 at 17:40


answered Apr 8 '13 at 13:59

Jack Douglas

91. 8,35484694

Jack, this is a good answer but there's nothing in the text itself that would lead
one to believe that these deeds are invalid. The context of Matt. 7 is a family
talk that Jesus is having with his disciples (Matt 5:1-2). You rightly note that
the context of Luke is one of sign-seeking and some of those doubt the
authority/ability of Jesus to do this. They look for some other authority for
this miracle. I think we are pressing if we try too hard to harmonize these
accounts instead of taking the lessons as we should from each of them. –
swasheck Apr 12 '13 at 16:49
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2

An army would not go around re-building castles broken down by comrades.
That army would fall. Casting out devils (for real), including healing of mind
and body, is like rebuilding a castle wall that took very hard work to destroy.
Jesus assumes that the Devil spends a lot of effort in possessing a soul. Sure if
it was an 'easy thing' to re-posses another soul and just move evil around in a
manner that would make it only seem a Messiah was casting it out, then
possibly, but that is simply not the case. You can't move evil around at whim,
sacking more castles at the flick of a switch. Besides Jesus in casting demons
out also healed those whose minds and bodies had been ravaged by the
possession. Therefore casting devils out can't be divorced from healing.
Something which Satan has no power to do. Therefore we assume the Devil
would not and could not oppose his own works as he would actually destroy
his own efforts.
From a basic logical division of what kinds of people in this world that could
perform miracles, I think we have a resolution of these two verses.
Performing real miracles / exorcisms

92. a. Miracles could be performed by believers through the power and will of the
Holy Spirit.
b. On rare occasions the Holy Spirit could use an unbeliever to perform
miracles also.
Performing fake miracles / exorcisms (lying wonders)
c. Believers could be deceived into thinking they have performed miracles
when they have not.
d. Unbelievers could be deceived into thinking they have performed miracles
when they have not.
e. Unbelievers could pretend to perform miracles when they know full well
that they have not.
Those claiming to have performed miracles are ‘unbelievers’ who truly think
they have performed them, so we exclude a, c and e. Only on rare occasions
can (b) occur because God has rarely made use of unbelievers in this way in
the Bible (possibly Judas and Balaam are notable exceptions.) Therefore, the
only possible large group that Jesus could be referring to who are damned
and yet believe they have performed miracles are:
d. – Unbelievers could be deceived into thinking they have performed miracles
when they have not.
In other words the key phrase is that 'they say' not 'they did'. They thought
they were preaching something very close to the gospel and even doing things
that seemed miraculous and yet never knew Christ. They were total shams
without even knowing it.
Commentators differ in their views on this a bit but a good summary of the
ideas supporting the line I am taking is here:
In their appeal these false prophets state that in the name of Jesus they had
prophesied, driven out demons, and performed many mighty works. Jesus
does not deny the claim that they had indeed represented themselves as his
ambassadors and that in connection with the invocation of his name they had

93. indeed performed astounding deeds. The question that divides commentators
is, “Were these deeds genuine products of supernatural power or were they
fraudulent?” 2 Thess. 2:9, 10 teaches that in connection with the coming of
“the lawless one” there will be a mighty display of power, signs, and wonders,
all of them false. Acts 19:13, 14 shows that when the seven sons of Sceva, a
Jew, tried to imitate Paul’s exercise of miraculous power their attempt at
exorcism failed miserably. There was also the similar failure of Egypt’s
magicians to reproduce the third plague, which failure, as many see it, sheds
doubt on the genuine character of their earlier “successes” (Exod. 7:22, 8:7,
18, 19). Does not all this point to the possibility that also the demon expulsions
and other mighty works of which the false prophets of Matt. 7:22 boast had
been nothing but sham? (Hendriksen, W., & Kistemaker, S. J. (1953-2001).
Vol. 9: Exposition of the Gospel According to Matthew. New Testament
Commentary)
The fact that these fake miracles are so deceptive that those who pretend to
perform them actually convince themselves that they are real, means they
may seem real to us as well. Therefore, we must have great suspicion of
anyone who claims to perform them and at the same time does not hold to the
gospel, or or who lives a sinful lifestyle. If they pretend to be like Jesus and
say, 'Look believe me for my works testify that God has sent me', then we
really have to test the miracles to see if they are sham. For example a healer
comes to town and says many people were healed. Well have the submit the
reports from their doctors months later to show they are still healed. Christ's
miracles were iron clad and could not be denied. Then if they say, 'You are in
danger of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit for distrusting my miracles',
we know for sure they are liars, for the Bible calls us to test all things and then
hold on to what is true. Not to be intimidated by empty threats. True miracles
are never defensive against critical tests, they welcome them as a means to
became more persuasive to those who might doubt.

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94. edited Apr 9 '13 at 13:33


answered Apr 8 '13 at 10:29

Mike
9,44872959
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-1

Forgiveness, and loving one another is an essential requirement for one that
walks in the faith.
When Paul talks about the gifts of the Holy Spirit, he also says that none of
those gifts mean anything unless we use them with love. He doesn't say that
they can't be used without love.
Jesus said that there will be many false prophets and signs and wonders from
them.
I think that those are the people that Jesus is talking about.
1 John 2:4, 9, 11, 15 ESV
Whoever says “I know him” but does not keep his commandments is a liar,
and the truth is not in him, Whoever says he is in the light and hates his
brother is still in darkness. But whoever hates his brother is in the darkness
and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the
darkness has blinded his eyes. Do not love the world or the things in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

95. share
improve this answer
edited Nov 18 '13 at 19:47

Lance Roberts
1,44421230
answered Nov 11 '13 at 0:38

John
1
2
this is a theological interpretation and i understand where you're going with
it. however, if you visit our meta site you'll see our expectations for answers a
bit more clearly. – swasheck Nov 13 '13 at 17:26
add a comment

-2

Notice that the second group of people who Jesus says he never knew, still cast
out demons IN THE NAME of JESUS. They did not cast out demons by any
other name and certainly not by the name of satan. So there is no
contradiction. Instead, the question becomes this - why would Jesus allow
someone who isn't following him to use his name for the casting out of demons
and it actually happen? Well, perhaps it was for his own name's sake that he

96. upheld the authority of his name even when used by those not walking closely
with him (eg lukewarm christians whom he will vomit out of his mouth)

share
improve this answer
answered Nov 5 '13 at 13:01

Shirley
1

I'd like to see you flesh out the logical argument in the first two sentences and
omit the conjecture that follows. – swasheck Nov 13 '13 at 17:28
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Derek Prince
July 17, 2017 ·
Quote from the booklet, "Expelling Demons."

97. For the sake of convenience, we will call the believer who is ministering
deliverance “the minister.” The following are five important conditions that
he should fulfill:
(1) The minister must recognize the authority delegated to him in the name of
Jesus. Jesus Himself said, “In My name the will cast out demons” (Mark
16:17). Then, in Luke 10:17 we read, “The seventy returned with joy, saying,
‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’” In Acts 16:18, when
Paul spoke to the spirit of divination in the slave girl at Philippi, he said, “I
command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.”
(2) The minister needs the power of the Holy Spirit. In Matthew 12:28, Jesus
said, “If I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God
has come upon you.” He thus attributed His ability to cast out demons to the
power of the Holy Spirit. Likewise, in Luke 4:18 He attributed to the
anointing of the Holy Spirit His ability to “proclaim liberty [or deliverance] to
the captives . . . to set at liberty those who are oppressed.”
(3) The minister must understand and apply to each case the relevant
principles of Scripture that define the conditions for forgiveness of sins and
the legal basis of redemption through the blood of Jesus.
(4) The minister must often be prepared to provide both the time and place
for intimate personal counseling. Generally speaking, the most unsuitable
time or place is at the altar rail of a church during a public service!
(5) The minister must beware of spiritual pride in any form. He should be
motivated by sincere, God-given compassion for the one who needs
deliverance.


GENE AND EARLINE MOODY DELIVERA NCE MANUAL

OUR MAIN PAGE IS AT http://www.demonbuster.com

98. NO DEMONS ALLOWED

JESUS CAST OUT DEMONS
EVERYWHERE HE WENT

LIST OF SCRIPTURES
Matthew:
4:23-24 All Galilee, Synagogues(vs.23)
8:14-17 Peter's house (vs. 14)
8:28-33 Seashore (vs. 32)
9:32-33 Outside (vs. 32)
10:7-8 Everywhere (vs. 7)
12:15,22 Great multitudes (vs. 15)
15:22-28 Coasts (vs. 22)
16:13-19 Coasts (vs. 13)
17:14-21 Multitude (vs. 14)
Mark:
1:23-27 Synagogues (vs. 23)
1:32-34 Door-House of Simon and Andrew (vs. 33)
1:39-41 Synagogues, all Galilee (vs. 39)
3:9-15 Small ship (vs. 9)

99. 5:2-20 Out of ship (vs. 2)
6:10-15 House (vs. 10)
7:24-30 House (vs. 24)
9:14-27 Multitude (vs. 14)
9:33,39 House (vs. 33)
Luke:
4:33-36 Synagogue (vs. 33)
4:38-41 Simon's house (vs. 38)
6:17-19 Plain (vs. 17)
8:1-3 Every city and village (vs. 1)
8:26-39 Seashore (vs. 26)
9:37-42 Down from the hill (vs. 37)
11:14-22 Synagogue (vs. 15)
13:11-17 Synagogue (vs. 14)
GENERAL
As you can see, JESUS cast out demons in the synagogues, in all Galilee,
outside, in the multitude, in houses, at the seashore, in a ship, in the plain, in
every city and village, and finally everywhere among the people. I researched
the Bible on where JESUS cast out demons; it is essentially everywhere he
went. I believe this is what JESUS wants us to do. Since we are the temple of
the Holy Spirit, we can have church anywhere two or more are gathered
together. This can be you and the person you are ministering to.
What is casting out demons? Mark 16:17 says "And these signs (casting out)
shall follow them that believe (Christians) in My name (JESUS) shall they
"cast out 'devils'." Cast out means to eject, bring forth, cast forth, drive out,
expel, pluck, pull out, take out, thrust out, put forth, send away and send

100. forth. Casting out demons is a command, not a prayer. For example, the
following is a command for DELIVERANCE. "Spirit of rejection I command
you to come out of me, John, Jane, etc. in the name of JESUS".
There is some strong scripture that applies to those who fight against
DELIVERANCE, especially in the church:
Matt. 7:6 Dogs...do not throw your pearls before swine.
Matt. 23:27-28 Hypocrites...whitewashed tombs - full of dead men's bones and
all uncleanness, full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
They are not fighting against the DELIVERANCE ministers, but against God
and His Holy Bible. I pity them when they stand before God in the Great
White Throne judgment!
MASS DELIVERANCE IN THE CHURCH BY JESUS --
Six references were previously listed telling about JESUS casting out demons
in the synagogues even in all Galilee. There is no term of "mass
DELIVERANCE" in the King James Version of the Holy Bible. However,
there is nothing that says JESUS did not have mass DELIVERANCE! There
are references to JESUS healing ALL the sick and casting out demons out of
them ALL.
THE HOLY BIBLE COMMANDS US TO CAST OUT DEMONS
Matt. 10:7-8 Apostles cast out demons everywhere they went.
Matt. 11:4-6 We should not be offended in any work of JESUS which includes
DELIVERANCE.
Matt. 18:18-20 We are to "bind, loose and agree".
Matt. 28:18-20 Teaching them to observe all things - which includes
DELIVERANCE.
Mark 16:15-20 Go ye into all the world (and churches) - cast out demons.
Luke 4:18-20 A general charge to Christians to preach DELIVERANCE to
captives - set at liberty them that are bruised.

101. Luke 7:21-23 Minister to the "blind, lame, lepers, deaf, dead and the poor".
Acts 8:5-7 Preaching the Word - unclean spirits came out -healing by
DELIVERANCE.
SUMMARY
It is clear from the many scriptures that JESUS cast out demons everywhere
He went and He wants the Christians to follow His pattern of ministry. The
world will never be conquered for God from satan unless DELIVERANCE is
practiced world wide! We should have church everywhere we go.
The biggest enemy of God in DELIVERANCE is the Full-Gospel Christian
that says that a Christian can not have a demon. They are keeping the world
in bondage that cannot be overcome by just salvation, baptism in the Holy
Spirit, divine healing, and material prosperity. God has some strong words to
apply to those that fight against Him.
Christians need a lot of mass DELIVERANCE, group DELIVERANCE and
individual DELIVERANCE. That's why JESUS cast out demons everywhere
He went.
We need all-out spiritual warfare against satan and his forces of evil. If you
look at the statistics of the world, you can see that satan is winning the battle.
There will only be a small percentage of the world population in Heaven. It is
estimated that only about 2% of the world population and 25% of the Church
population will make it to Heaven. "Because strait is the gate, and narrow is
the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it" (Matt. 7:14).

JESUS IS THE DELIVERER
DON'T STOP HERE! SEE INDEX FOR MORE ARTICLES.
THERE IS NO HATE, MALICE, RACISM, ETC. ON THIS SITE. THESE
ARE SINS IN THE EYES OF GOD, AND ARE ALSO DEMONS. THE
BIBLE MAKES IT CLEAR THAT SIN CANNOT GET INTO HEAVEN.

102. Can Satan Cast Out Satan?
November 27, 2009 by Jack Cottrell
Can Satan Cast Out Satan?
by Jack Cottrell (Notes) on Friday, November 27, 2009 at 9:24am
A RECENT QUESTION: By what authority did those in Matthew 7:21-23
and Luke 9:49 apparently succeed in removing demons apart from Christ, if it
is also true that “Satan cannot cast out Satan” as the Lord said?
MY REPLY: In Matthew 7:22-23 Jesus says, “Many will say to Me on that
day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast
out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will
declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice
lawlessness.’” From what Jesus says in v. 23, it is clear that these people are
not Christians. Also, from what he does NOT say, it may be concluded that
the claims of these people in v. 22 are true: they really did prophesy, do
miracles, and cast out demons. I.e., he never said their claims were false. But
how could they do these things if they are not Christians?
I have concluded that they do these things from the deceptive power of Satan.
Satan can empower miracles (Matt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9), even by people who
THINK they are doing them in Jesus’ name. All three of these activities
(prophesying, which is a general term that can include tongue-speaking, Acts
2:17; working miracles, such as healing; and casting out demons) can be
Satanic in origin.
But how is this consistent with what Jesus says in Matt. 12:26? In response to
the Pharisees’ accusation that He was casting out demons by Satan’s power (v.
24), Jesus responds that this would make Satan be fighting against himself,
which is self-defeating (v. 25). “If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against
himself; how then will his kingdom stand?” (v. 26). Jesus goes on to reveal
that he is casting out demons by the power of the Holy Spirit (v. 28).

103. How may we resolve this apparent contradiction? First, the Name of Jesus in
itself, representing the power and authority of Jesus, is powerful enough to
force demons to leave a person, even if the one using that Name is not a true
believer. That may be the case in Luke 9:49-50; see also the incident involving
the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-17, where the Name of Jesus exerts
power over an evil spirit in an unexpected way.
Second, there apparently were Jewish exorcists who had some success in
casting out demons apart from using the Name of Jesus (Matt. 12:27; Acts
19:13). As Jews, they would be evoking the Name and power of Yahweh as He
was known through Old Testament revelation. Thus it is possible that the ones
of whom Jesus speaks in Matt. 7:22-23 began as Jewish exorcists and then
began to use the Name of Jesus in their exorcisms without ever surrendering
their lives to Christ.
There is a third consideration, however, that I believe is the best explanation
of the problem here. One thing we learn, both from Scripture and from
Christians who have been involved in deliverance ministry, is that there is a
hierarchy of authority within the realm of demons. Satan himself is the chief
demon or chief fallen angel (Matt. 12:24); he was probably an archangel
before he sinned (cf. Jude 9; Rev. 12:7, where Satan seems to be equal in
authority with Michael). See Mark 9:29, and Paul’s frequent use of the
“principalities and powers” terminology when referring to demons (e.g., Eph.
1:21; Col. 2:15).
What this means is that some demons are more powerful than others, and can
address the weaker ones with orders that must be obeyed. For example,
missionaries have testified that witch doctors possessed by powerful demons
can indeed drive weaker demons out of the bodies of people who come to them
for help with some kind of problem. How is this consistent with Matt. 12:26,
though? The answer is provided by one of the first modern evangelical experts
on demonology, Kurt Koch. He testifies that in his wide experience with
occultic and demonic situations, he observed many cases where Satanic power
apparently helped a victim of Satan’s wiles (e.g., provided healing), but there
was always a catch, or a trade-off. He may deliver an afflicted person from a
demon that is causing one kind of problem, but that person always develops

104. some other kind of problem later. I can’t remember Koch’s exact terms here,
but I think he calls this something like the “law of compensation.” I.e., Satan
never does something for nothing.
Thus, when Jesus suggests that Satan cannot “cast out Satan,” he is referring
to TRUE deliverance where Satan’s minions are TRULY cast out. Any
situation where demons are driven out of a person by Satan’s own power (as
probably in Matt. 7:22) is actually a FALSE deliverance, i.e., one that is
temporary or is an exchange for an even greater oppression by the devil.


Who Is Able To Cast Out Demons?
by Wayne Blank
Exorcism is derived from a Greek word meaning to adjure, or bind by oath.
Although "exorcist" is only found once in the (King James Version) Bible,
what exorcism represents, in terms of casting out demons, is found in the
Scriptures in a surprisingly complex number of diverse ways, as we shall see
from the Scriptures expounded below.
"Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils"
Much of the Christ's ministry of preaching the coming Kingdom of God also
involved "healing all that were oppressed of the devil." It was done by the
power of God, through the Holy Spirit that was within Him:

"How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with The Holy Ghost and with power:
who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil;
for God was with Him." (Acts 10:38 KJV)
Those that the Christ healed of demon possession were almost always also
healed of a physical or psychological ailment that the demon-possession had
caused either by organic damage or through self-damaging behavior e.g.

105. "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. And when
Jesus saw her, He called her to Him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art
loosed from thine infirmity" (Luke 13:11-12 KJV)
"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."
(Matthew 12:22 KJV)
"And when He went forth to land, there met Him out of the city a certain
man, which had devils long time, and ware no clothes, neither abode in any
house, but in the tombs ... Then they went out to see what was done; and came
to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at
the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind" (Luke 8:27,35 KJV)
"As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a dumb man possessed with a
devil. And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake" (Matthew 9:32-33
KJV)
The Christ also commanded His servants to do the same as He did, as again
made possible by the Holy Spirit:

"And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the
sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils" (Matthew 10:7-8 KJV)
The Seventy gave evidence of how the power of God always overcomes the
powers of Satan:

"And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are
subject unto us through thy name. And He said unto them, I beheld Satan as
lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents
and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any
means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are

106. subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in
heaven" (Luke 10:17-20 KJV)
The apostle Paul (along with all of the others) was given the same power to
cast out demons, by the authority that God had given. This reference also
shows how a servant of God, whenever he could not be personally present
with those who were helped by him, sometimes sent "handkerchiefs or
aprons" that the apostle had touched.

"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul: So that from his
body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases
departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them." (Acts 19:11-12
KJV)
But...
As stated in the introduction, it now gets more complicated. The example of
Paul also provides us with a surprising fact: those who are not God's
specifically-sent servants can also cast out demons, in this recorded example
by "exorcists" who usurped the God-given power provided to His authorized
servants. But unlike God's true servants who, according to the Scripture
record were never harmed when they cast out demons, the usurpers were
injured by the demons. If the horror movie The Exorcist were real, true
servants of God would have successfully cast out the demon, quickly with just
a few words, and without any harm to themselves, unlike the "exorcists" of
the film who were physically harmed in the process of performing their
Church of Rome exorcism ritual.

"Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over
them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you
by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a
Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so. And the evil spirit answered and
said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye? And the man in whom
the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against

107. them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." (Acts 19:11-16
KJV)
It now gets more complicated. "Independent" people who cast out demons are
not necessarily bad, as stated by Christ's famous "he who is not against us is
for us":

"And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in
Thy Name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth
not us. But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a
miracle in My Name, that can lightly speak evil of Me. For he that is not
against us is on our part." (Mark 9:38-40 KJV)
Does that mean that self-appointed people can cast out demons? According to
the verses above, yes they can. But there is more to it. There are many who
may have cast out demons in Christ's name who will yet be condemned
because they did not otherwise obey and live by what He taught. People who
have not actually been commissioned by Christ are "workers of iniquity,"
even if they can cast out demons, if they do not otherwise obey all that the
Word of God says.

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of
heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Many will
say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy Name? And
in Thy Name have cast out devils? And in Thy Name done many wonderful
works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me,
ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23 KJV)
And as a final surprise (to some people), Satan can empower false prophets
and ministers to appear to cast out demons as a charade, as a means of
deception. The Pharisees made reference to that when they blasphemed the
Christ, and the apostle Paul warned of it.

108. "But the Pharisees said, He casteth out devils through the prince of the
devils." (Matthew 9:34 KJV)
"For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into
the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into
an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:13-15 KJV)


Demons are evil spirits or unclean spirits which are under the leadership of
Satan, who is called “the prince of demons” (Matthew 12:24 – NIV). Demons
are his obedient subjects, who do his will. Satan carries on his wicked work
with them.
As far as their origin is concerned, the Scripture doesn’t say how they came
into being. Demons believe that there is one God, and tremble (James 2:19).
Please note the following thing: in the New Testament the KJV speaks of
demons as “devils”. However, the underlying Greek word is not diabolos, the
term for the devil (Satan), but daimonion which is rightly rendered as
“demons” in the NKJV and NIV.

The demons in the days of Jesus

In the days of Jesus there were many people possessed by demons in Israel.
And Jesus cast out many demons.
In the Gospels there are many passages which confirm this. Here are just a
few of them: “At evening, when the sun had set, they brought to Him all who
were sick and those who were demon-possessed …. Then He healed many who
were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He did not
allow the demons to speak, because they knew him” (Mark 1:32,34 - NKJV);
“And He was preaching in their synagogues throughout all Galilee, and

109. casting out demons” (Mark 1:39 - NKJV). Jesus cast out demons by the Holy
Spirit (Matthew 12:28), but the scribes and the Pharisees accused Him of
casting out demons by Beelzebub, that is, the prince of demons (Matthew
12:24). So Jesus rebuked them, saying: “Every kingdom divided against itself
is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not
stand: And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall
then his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils [demons], by
whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.
But if I cast out devils [demons] by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God
is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man's house, and
spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? and then he will spoil his
house. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me
scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and
blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy
Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against
the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the
Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the
world to come. Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the
tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit. O
generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the
abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh. A good man out of the good
treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the
evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. But I say unto you, That every idle
word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of
judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou
shalt be condemned” (Matthew 12:25-37). As you can see, Satan cannot cast
out Satan, so anyone who is under the power of Satan cannot cast out demons.
That is confirmed by the following incident which occurred in the province of
Asia while Paul was there: “Some Jews who went around driving out evil
spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-
possessed. They would say, ‘In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I
command you to come out.’ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were
doing this. The evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know and Paul I know
about, but who are you?’ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on
them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran

110. out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews
and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of
the Lord Jesus was held in high honor” (Acts 19:13-17 – NIV).
Jesus gave His apostles power over demons to cast them out (Matthew 10:1)
and commanded them to cast out demons (Matthew 10:8), and His apostles
cast out many demons (Mark 6:13) in obedience to His command.

The different kinds of demons

As in the kingdom of God there are different kinds of good spirits (cherubim,
seraphim, an archangel, and angels) which have different jobs, so is in the
kingdom of the prince of the power of the air (that is, the devil), for in it there
are various kinds of evils spirits (demons).
There are evil spirits which cause dumbness and deafness like that evil spirit
which Jesus cast out of a boy, as it is written in the Gospel according to Mark:
“And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and
the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they
beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. And he
asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude
answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a
dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth,
and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that
they should cast him out; and they could not. He answereth him, and saith, O
faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you?
bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him,
straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed
foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto
him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and
into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have
compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all
things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the

111. child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.
When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul
spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of
him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and
came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is
dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose” (Mark
9:14-27). In the Gospel according to Matthew we find another case of a person
who was dumb because of a dumb spirit and was able to speak only after
Jesus cast out the demon he had, for it is written: “As they went out, behold,
they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil [demon]. And when
the devil [demon] was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes
marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel” (Matthew 9:32-33).
Therefore some of those who are dumb and deaf have a demon, which causes
dumbness and deafness; so in these cases, in order to see these persons healed
of their dumbness and deafness, this kind of demon must first be discerned
and then cast out. Pay attention to this: I have not said that all those who are
dumb and deaf have a dumb and deaf demon which causes their sickness, but
that some of them have a dumb and deaf demon, for the fact that a person is
deaf and dumb does not necessarily mean that he has a dumb and deaf spirit,
it can be so, but this is not always the case. It is erroneous – according to the
Scripture - to state that every deaf or dumb person is demon-possessed, for
just as in the days of Jesus there were many dumb and deaf people who were
not demon-possessed at all but simply sick - that’s why Jesus did not cast any
demon out of them, but He just healed them (Mark 7:32-37) – so today there
are many dumb and deaf people who do not need to be delivered from
demons, but simply healed of their sickness.
There are evil spirits which are called ‘seducing spirits’ because their job is to
deceive people into accepting all kinds of false doctrines. Paul mentions them
when he says to Timothy: “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits,
and doctrines of devils [demons]; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to
abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving
of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good,

112. and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is
sanctified by the word of God and prayer” (1 Timothy 4:1-5). These evil
spirits help the false prophets and false christs spread their damnable heresies
among the people of this world, as well as the false ministers of the Gospel
who are among the Church of the living God spread doctrines of demons,
which unfortunately many believers have accepted. I remind you that the
father of lies is Satan (the devil), so every false doctrine does not come from
God, but from Satan. In order not to be deceived by these spirits it is
necessary to watch and pray, and to search the Scriptures continually to see if
what is taught is true.
There are evil spirits which perform signs and wonders. The apostle John saw
some of them in a vision, for he says in the Book of Revelation: “And I saw
three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out
of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they
are the spirits of devils [demons], working miracles, which go forth unto the
kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that
great day of God Almighty” (Revelation 16:13-14). These spirits enable the
false prophets and the false christs to work signs and wonders in order to
seduce people. Many Indian gurus, and the witches and the wizards have
these unclean spirits, which enable them to perform signs and wonders, and as
you know these servants of the devil have many followers. However, bear in
mind that these evil spirits work signs and wonders even among believers
through false ministers of the Gospel, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but
inwardly they are ferocious wolves. Beware of them too.
There are evil spirits called spirits of divination, by which some people predict
(or foretell) the future, for in the Scripture we read that while Paul and his
fellow workers were at Philippi they met a slave girl with a spirit of divination
and Paul one day discerned that evil spirit and cast it out. Here is the biblical
account of that deliverance: “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: The same followed Paul and us, and cried,
saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us
the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved,
turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to

113. come out of her. And he came out the same hour” (Acts 16:16-18). Many
people today have this kind of evil spirit and they need to be delivered from it.
There are evil spirits which induce people to kill other people; for instance,
one day one of these demons came upon king Saul, while David was playing
the harp, and Saul tried to pin David to the wall with his spear, but David
eluded him as Saul drove the spear into the wall (1 Samuel 19:9-10)
There are evil spirits which rule over large areas of the earth as lords or
leaders and governors in the evil spirit world; in the book of the prophet
Daniel we read that the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted the messenger
of the Lord sent by God to Daniel (Daniel 10:1-20) 21 days, that prince was an
evil spirit.
There are evil spirits which are stronger than others, for Jesus said that the
spirits which cause dumbness and deafness can be cast out only by prayer and
fasting (Mark 9:29); and there are evil spirits which are more wicked than
others (Matthew 12:43-45).

The places where demons live

Demons principally live in the air above the earth, since their prince, that is,
Satan, is “the prince of the power of the air” (Ephesians 2:2). It’s in the air
that is above the earth that we find the four categories of demons, which are
the principalities, the powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world and
spiritual wickedness in the heavenly places (Ephesians 6:12).
Some demons live under the earth, and even under the sea; there are several
testimonies of former wizards which confirm this.
Some demons live in the bodies of some human beings, in this case we speak
about demon possession. Since, according to the Scripture, demons can enter
animals as well (Mark 5:11-13), we say that some demons live in certain
animals.

114. Some demons live in arid places, for Jesus said that when an unclean spirit
goes out of a man, he goes through dry places seeking rest (Matthew 12:43).
Some demons live in buildings, both private and public buildings. Some
houses where some crimes have been committed are inhabited by certain
demons. The pagan temples are inhabited by demons.
Demons live in cities; some cities of certain countries are particularly full of
demons.
Demons live in certain mountains, rocks and trees, which are inhabited by evil
spirits; the heathen know very well these places for they go there to worship
these demons.

Demons and idolatry

Idolatry is one of the works of the devil. That’s why Paul warns us not to
become idolaters. Here are his eloquent words: “What am I saying then? That
an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the
things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons and not to God,
and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the
cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s
table and of the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are
we stronger than He?” (1 Corinthians 10:19-22 - NKJV).
From the words of Paul we learn that even though both the idol and what is
offered to the idol are nothing, all the sacrifices that the Gentiles sacrifice to
the idols are sacrificed to demons and not to God. In other words, behind all
the idols there are demons. That every time someone sacrifices something to
an idol he sacrifices it to demons, is confirmed by these passages of the
Scripture concerning the Israelites: “They served their idols, Which became a
snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons,
and shed innocent blood, the blood of their sons and daughters, whom they

115. sacrificed to the idols of Canaan; and the land was polluted with blood”
(Psalm 106:36-39 – NKJV).
Therefore, since these sacrifices sacrificed by the pagans are polluted by idols,
we must abstain from them lest we have fellowship with demons and thus
provoke the Lord to jealously, because He is a jealous God. That’s why when
the apostles and the elders gathered together in Jerusalem they decided in the
Lord to command the brethren who were of the Gentiles to abstain from
things polluted by idols or offered to idols (Acts 15:20,29). Their command is
still mandatory, therefore I exhort you to abstain from all those things which
the pagans offer to their idols.

The form of demons

Even though demons are spiritual beings or entities, they have a form (or a
shape). Some of them look like animals. As we saw before, the spirits that
John saw looked like frogs (Revelation 16:13). But there are others which look
like monkeys, crocodiles, snakes, goats, pigs, etc. Other evil spirits look like
ordinary persons, others are half human and half animal, and others look like
unknown creatures. The Holy Spirit sometimes allows believers to discern the
demons, so that they might be warned against their schemes and they might
cast them out. This manifestation of the Spirit of God is called “discerning of
spirits” (1 Corinthians 12:10).

Demons can be cast out in the name of Jesus Christ

Demons are at work all over the world. In some countries their work is more
evident than in others, but certainly they do evil works everywhere. According
to some of the above mentioned passages of the Holy Scripture, one of the
ways the demons manifest themselves is through the human beings. They
enter the bodies of human beings and begin to work evil things. This is called

116. demon-possession and when a person has one or more than one spirit (a
person can be possessed even by thousands of demons) we say that he is
demon-possessed. When demons enter a person, that person loses the control
of his body and begins to do and say strange things; in other words his
behaviour becomes completely different. Let’s see some of the things such a
person can say and do while he is under the power of demons. He can undress
himself before other people, he can cry out with a loud voice blaspheming and
insulting people (very often he speaks in a voice entirely different from his
normal one), he can go to live in the tombs, he can cut himself with stones or
knives, he can display a superhuman strength, he can disappear from sight
and appear again some time later, he can be thrown to the ground by the
demons and begin to foam at the mouth, to gnash his teeth and become rigid.
Demons can induce him to kill other people, to slaughter children in order to
sacrifice them to Satan, and he may perform various lying wonders or display
occult powers (such as telepathy, clairvoyance, clairaudience). Many people
who are regarded as ‘crazy’ actually are demon-possessed. At this point let me
tell you that a person who is born again and walks in the Spirit cannot be
possessed by demons, for the Scripture states that the One who dwells in him
is greater than any demon who might attack him and that “when the enemy
comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD will put him to flight” (Isaiah
59:19 - NIV).
Can we deliver the demon-possessed from the power of demons, as the
apostles did in the first century after Christ? Yes, we can. How? By invoking
the name of Jesus Christ over those who are possessed by demons, rebuking
the demons and commanding them in the name of JESUS CHRIST to come
out of the body where they are. Demons know that they must obey when they
are rebuked in the name of Jesus Christ and so they know that they must
leave the body where they dwell. It doesn’t matter how many demons are in
that person, or how much strong they are, they must obey and will obey. Jesus
Christ said about those who believe in Him: “In My name they will cast out
demons” (Mark 16:17 - NKJV). Let us, therefore, have faith in the name of
Jesus Christ, and let us invoke His glorious and powerful name, which scares
Satan and all his evil spirits, over the demon-possessed, and we will see the

117. captives delivered by the power of the Holy Spirit, yes, for – as I said before -
demons are cast out by the Holy Spirit.
As we saw before, Jesus rebuked severely those who accused Him of casting
out demons by Satan, for they attributed the work of the Spirit to the devil.
Among other things, He said to them: “All manner of sin and blasphemy shall
be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be
forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it
shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall
not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come”
(Matthew 12:31-32). Therefore, I warn all those Christians who have been
deceived into believing that the days of miracles ended with the death of the
apostles not to speak against the Holy Spirit, when they see or hear that some
Christians invoke the name of Jesus Christ over the demon-possessed. ‘Be
careful not to say, ‘They cast out demons by Satan,’ lest you blaspheme
against the Holy Spirit.’

The destiny of demons

One day all demons will be thrown into the everlasting fire, where they will be
tormented for ever along with their prince (that is, Satan) and all the
disobedient angels. They know that this is the destiny awaiting them, for on
one occasion some of them asked Jesus: “Have You come here to torment us
before the time?” (Matthew 8:29 – NKJV). Therefore, there is an appointed
time when they will be tormented.
www.the-new-way.org/


Work of the Holy Spirit with Jesus While on Earth
Bible study on the Holy Spirit with Jesus on earth.

118. Is. 11:1-2; 42:1; 61:1
There are Old Testament prophecies concerning Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit of the Lord shall rest on Christ; the Spirit of wisdom,
understanding, counsel, might, knowledge, and fear of the Lord (Is. 11:1-2).
God would put His Spirit upon Jesus to bring justice to the Gentiles (Is. 42:1;
cf. Matt. 12:18-21). The Spirit of the Lord God would be upon Jesus,
anointing Him to preach, heal, and proclaim liberty (Is. 61:1; cf. Lk. 4:14-21).

Matt. 1:18; Lk. 1:35

The Spirit was the power of God by which Mary conceived Jesus (incarnation
of Christ).

Lk. 2:25-32

The Spirit revealed to Simeon that Mary and Joseph had brought Christ into
the temple.

Matt. 3:16; Mk. 1:10; Lk. 3:22; Jn. 1:32-33

The Spirit descended upon Jesus as a dove at His baptism.

Matt. 4:1; Mk. 1:12; Lk. 4:1

119. Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, was led by the Spirit into the
wilderness.

Matt. 12:18-21

God put His Spirit upon Jesus (cf. Is. 42:1-4).

Lk. 4:14

Jesus returned from the mountain of temptations in the power of the Spirit
(cf. Is. 61:1).

Jn. 3:34

Jesus was given the Spirit without measure.

Heb. 2:4
God bore witness of Jesus through the miracles that He performed (cf. Jn.
10:37-38).

We believe in Jesus today because of the miracles He performed which are
recorded in Scripture (Jn. 20:30- 31).

Lk. 10:21

120. Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit.

Matt. 12:28; Lk. 11:20

Jesus cast out demons by the Spirit of God.

Acts 1:2

Jesus gave commandments through the Holy Spirit.

Heb. 9:14

Jesus offered Himself to God through the Spirit.

Jn. 16:13-14
Jesus foretold that the Spirit would come upon the apostles to guide them into
all truth and to glorify Him.


3 Keys for Deliverance from Demons JAKE KAIL
Jake May 19, 2015 Faith, Featured Leave a comment 1,487 Views

121. When it comes to setting people free from the influence of evil spirits, there
are no formulas or rituals that we should be locked into. Each situation is
unique and requires the leading and empowerment of the Holy Spirit.
In Matthew 12:28 Jesus said, “But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God,
surely the kingdom of God has come upon you.”
It is by the authority of the name of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit
that we can cast out evil spirits.
That being said, there are some guidelines that can be very helpful when
leading someone through deliverance. I have found that there are essentially
three keys to effective deliverance ministry. They do not always happen in the
order that I outline below, but are important parts of any deliverance process.
1. Discern the presence of evil spirits
Demons prefer to dwell in darkness and work behind the scenes. Since it is not
always obvious to the natural eye when a person needs deliverance,
discernment is needed. The presence of evil spirits can be exposed through a
gift of the Holy Spirit called discerning of spirits. Other times, demonic
manifestations expose their presence. Still other times, a process of gathering
information from the one seeking ministry can give us clues to demonic
influence.
2. Discover and close doors
Not only is it important to know if evil spirits are at work, it is important to
know how they got there in the first place. The term open doors refers to the
access points through which demons gained a place in a person’s life. Sin,
occult activity, and unforgiveness are common open doors. (Check out this list
of the most common open doors). Once doors are discovered, they need to be
closed through prayers of repentance, forgiveness, and renunciation. I often
use this prayer when leading someone through this process.
3. Drive out the evil spirits
Deliverance is not normally accomplished through prayers of petition to God,
but by exercising authority over demons and commanding them to go. The

122. apostle Paul said this when he was casting out a demon: “I command you in
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her” (Acts 16:18). Notice that he
spoke directly to the demon and that he did it in the name of Jesus. It is not
our authority, but His that sets captives free.
Let me say again that there is no formula for deliverance. We need to rely on
the Holy Spirit and be led by Him each time we minister. But these keys can
provide a framework from which to begin stepping out to set captives free in
Jesus’ name!
Have you ever ministered deliverance to someone in need? Have you found
other keys for setting captives free?



The New Testament Gospels are unlike the other gospels that didn’t make it
into our Bible. For example, there is a story about Jesus as a boy making mud
birds in a puddle, and then, to dazzle those around him, waving his hands and
sending the birds off flying. That tale didn’t make the cut. It doesn’t portray
the real, human Jesus of the four Gospels.
However, we know that the human Jesus had to learn mathematics; he had to
learn the names of friends; and he had to grow in wisdom and knowledge like
the rest of us. He also had emotions (Matthew 27:46; Mark 3:5, 12; 6:3; 7:34;
8:12; 14:33; Luke 10:21; 19:41; John 11:33, 35, 38). In fact, the Gospels let us
in on how Jesus felt: he was exasperated, he wept, he wailed, he got angry
with other people, and he even cried out in despair. But he also expressed
victory and triumph. C. S Lewis, in a letter he wrote to Mrs. Frank Jones,
rejoiced over Jesus’s real human emotions: “God [could], had He pleased,
have been incarnate in a man of iron nerves, the Stoic sort who lets no sigh
escape Him. Of His great humility He chose to be incarnate in a man of
delicate sensibilities who wept at the grave of Lazarus and sweated blood in
Gethsemane.” (The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis, Volume II: Books,
Broadcasts, and the War, 1931-1949 [HarperOne, 2004], 764.)

123. Jesus was a real human being, which means he grew Spirit-ually by learning
to be open to the Spirit. I know busloads of Christians who deny this was true
of Jesus. Other Christians would like it not to be true, so they choose to avoid
the truth. Most of us, however, would prefer to not explicitly deny a plain
reading of the Gospels. So I’ll say it again: Jesus was human and because
Jesus was a human, he needed to be empowered from day one with and by the
Holy Spirit. If this is true, then it is true that you and I need the Holy Spirit.
Even more so.
How Did He Pull Off the Miracles?
Jesus healed people; he exorcised demons and unswirled a storm at sea. He
knew things in people’s hearts before they expressed them. How did he do
these things? I will begin with Peter, a disciple who knew because he was
there. Peter gave a sermon that was heard by a gentile named Cornelius, who
himself had experienced a life-altering vision. In his sermon, Peter said this
about Jesus:
You know… how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under
the power of the devil, because God was with him. (Acts 10:37-38)
Peter was pointing out two things. First, what Jesus did is accurately
characterized as “doing good” and “healing.” How Jesus did these things is
clear: God anointed Jesus . . . with the Holy Spirit and power.” Jesus did these
things “because God was with him.” Jesus’s kingdom powers were at work in
him because he was wide open to the Holy Spirit.
Peter and others who wrote the New Testament don’t leave us any room for
doubt. Jesus, as a human, did all that he did—living, eating, praying,
conversing, healing, teaching, doing good, rebuking, defending—by the power
of the Spirit.
The highly regarded Wheaton College professor, the late Gerald Hawthorne,
summarized his study of Jesus and the Spirit in these words: “The Holy Spirit
was the divine power by which Jesus overcame his human limitations [such as
being limited in knowledge and bound by physical space and human

124. strength], rose above his human weakness, and won out over his human
mortality.” Unlocking the doors to so the Spirit can come in begins with Jesus,
the perfectly wide-open human.
Jesus, the Spirit-Filled Man
What often has been overlooked needs to be made clear. Every major facet of
the life of Jesus is a Spirit event—so much so that we need to see that the more
Christlike we become, the more Spirit-ual we become. Again, the closer our
Spirit-uality gets to Jesus, the more dependent on and empowered by the
Spirit we will be.
The gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke open with the baptism of Jesus: “As
soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment
heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting on him.” This same event is described by John:
Then John [the baptizer] gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down
from heaven as a dove and remain on him. And I myself did not know him,
but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom
you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the
Holy Spirit.'” (John 1:32-33)
John saw the Spirit descend on Jesus. He knew the Spirit-anointed Jesus
would have a perpetual filling of the Spirit and would go about plunging
people into the Spirit.
A window was opened into the Spirit-prompted religious experience of Jesus,
which is capture in the word Abba:
As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment
heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and
alighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love;
with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17)
When the Father announces that this Jesus is God’s very beloved “Son,” Jesus
knows that God is his special, loving Father. This event was an epochal

125. moment in Jesus’s spirituality. From this point on, Jesus will be known as Son
and he will teach his followers to call God “Father.”
To call God “Father” ushers us into an intimate relationship with God, and it
is one that Jesus himself knew personally. How so? Jesus’s reference to God
as his Father shows the trust of Jesus, the intimacy of Jesus with God, and the
interactive relationship of Father and Son in the life of the man Jesus. This is
a Spirit-ual reality because it was when the Spirit came upon Jesus that this
reality was announced to the world.
Spirit-uality in Times of Testing
The temptations, or testings, of Jesus are connected to the Spirit. “Jesus, full
of the Holy Spirit,” Luke wrote, “left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into
the wilderness where for forty days he was tempted by the devil.” (Luke 4:1-2)
Jesus was led into the wilderness for testing, and he succeeded in overcoming
the temptations because he was filled with the Spirit.
Jesus knew he was being empowered by God’s Spirit. For his opening-day
sermon in his hometown, Jesus read from the prophet Isaiah:
The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me,
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
to proclaim the year of the Lord s favor.
(Luke 4:18-19)
Why did Jesus select this passage? First, at that rime it was Jesus upon whom
the Spirit of the Lord was resting. Second, Jesus’s work all would be done in
the power of the Spirit: proclaiming the gospel to the poor and co the
prisoners and to the blind and to the oppressed. Jesus was announcing in

126. Jubilee-like fashion the “year of the LORD’s favor.” (Leviticus 25:10; Isaiah
61:1-2) All of these are Spirit-prompred acts.
When Jesus read from Isaiah 61, he could well have reminded those in the
synagogue that fifty chapters earlier, the same prophet, Isaiah, had said this
about the coming Messiah:
A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
the Spirit of counsel and of might,
The Spirit of the knowledge and fear of the LORD—
and he will delight in the fear of the LORD. (Isaiah 11:1-3)
Jesus was a Bible reader, and he knew that these great words about the Spirit,
God’s ruach (roo-ach), pertained to him and the new age God was ushering in
through him. We should not be surprised that Jesus at times attributed his
powers to the Holy Spirit. “If it is by the Spirit of God,” Jesus declared, “that
I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.” (Matthew
12:28) Hence we read in another gospel that the “power of the Lord was with
Jesus to heal the sick.” (Luke 5:17)
In everything, Jesus was a charismatic, or pneumatic, person. What is evident
in the lives of those who are wide open to the Spirit was present in Jesus. He
could discern the motivations of others; he could see what might happen if he
continued on the same path; he had a vision of Satan’s downfall; he had an
unusually explicit prayer life wrapped up in his experience of God as his
Father. Further, he could predict and prophesy the future, and he possessed
an unusual sense of authority. One more thing: not a few theologians have
wondered if Jesus’s sighings were signs of his speaking in tongues. (Mark 2:8;
Luke 4:30; 10:18; Matthew 26:42; 24; 7:28-29; Mark 7:34)

127. Keep in mind that the Crucifixion and the Resurrection are events also
empowered by the Holy Spirit. The writer of Hebrews summed up the life of
Jesus as a sacrificial offering of himself to the Father through the eternal
Spirit. The apostle Paul wrote that it was the Spirit who raised Jesus from the
dead, or perhaps we could say the Father raised Jesus from the dead by the
Spirit. (Hebrews 9:14; Romans 8:11)
—
Enjoy this entry? It is an excerpt from Open to the Spirit: God in Us, God
with Us, God Transforming Us (WaterBrook, 2018). Used by permission.
View it on Amazon here (affiliate link).
—
Dr. Scot McKnight is a speaker at the 2018 New Room Conference.


How Did Jesus Perform His Miracles?
One of the most fundamental beliefs of Christianity is in regards to the Nature
of Christ. We believe that Jesus is FULLY GOD and FULLY MAN. That He
has always been divine…but “added to His divinity humanity” in the
incarnation (John 1:1-18, Colossians 1:15-20, Hebrews 1:1-14, Philippians 2:5-
11). Even throughout His earthly life as a baby/child/man, He never stopped
being God. We refer to this doctrine as the “Hypostatic Union”.
Philippians 2:5-11 says that Jesus, “…emptied himself…humbled
himself…becoming obedient.” During His earthly ministry Jesus retained His
full divine nature…but did not exercise the attributes unique to that nature in
his humanity (ex. Jesus’ physical earthly body was not omnipresent).
So one question that the doctrine of the Hypostatic Union introduces is:
“When Jesus performed His miracles, was He operating out of His divinity, or
His humanity (the “emptied/humbled” part)?

128. THE BIBLE INDICATES THAT JESUS PERFORMED MIRACLES IN HIS
HUMAN NATURE – BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT – RATHER
THAN DRAWING ON HIS DIVINE NATURE.
Here are a few verses that lead me to think that this is true:
“…GOD ANOINTED JESUS OF NAZARETH WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT
AND WITH POWER. HE WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD AND HEALING
ALL WHO WERE OP PRESSED BY THE DEVIL, FOR GOD WAS WITH
HIM.” (ACTS 10:38)
Here, Peter says that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit and with power.
Jesus RECEIVED power from the Holy Spirit here. Now, in His divine
nature, Jesus needs NOTHING, because He is already full/complete/not
lacking anything. He does not need to search for power, or gain it. All power
is eternally His. However, in His human nature, He had all the (amoral)
limitations of natural man. In His human nature he could receive power.
The next sentence says that he did works “for God was with him.” Peter does
not appeal to Jesus’ divinity saying, “because He was God”. Instead he
attributes Jesus’ miracles to the fact that God was “with him”.
Abraham Kuyper said that the Holy Spirit endowed Christ’s “human nature
with the glorious gifts, powers, and faculties of which that nature is
susceptible.” Regarding John 3:34, “he lacked nothing, possessed all; not by
virtue of His divine nature, which can not receive anything, being the eternal
fulness itself, but by virtue of His human nature, which was endowed with
such glorious gifts by the Holy Spirit” (The Work of the Holy Spirit, 1966:94-
95).
“BUT IF IT IS BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD THAT I CAST OUT DEMONS,
THEN THE KINGDOM OF GOD HAS COME UPON YOU.” (MATTHEW
12:28)
Here Jesus is responding to the charge of the Pharisees that He was casting
out demons in the name of Beelzebul. He responds by saying that He cast out
demons “by the Spirit of God.” Again, He does not say that He performed a

129. miracle as a demonstration of His divine nature, but credits the Holy Spirit
working through His human nature.
“HEAL THE SICK, RAISE THE DEAD, CLEANSE LEPERS, CAST OUT
DEMONS…” (MATTHEW 10:8)
In this passage Jesus authorizes/commands His disciples to perform the same
*kind of works that He did. The Bible records multiple accounts of prophets
and disciples who healed people, performed great miracles, raised people
from the dead, etc. Of course, no man has the power to do these things on his
own. They are acts performed by the Holy Spirit working through human
vessels. It would seem that Jesus’ miracles were performed in the same way.
*Note: There were two miracles performed by Jesus during His earthly
ministry that seem to be of an altogether different type/order/nature: 1) The
transfiguration, and 2) the resurrection. These two seem almost certainly to be
demonstrations of His DIVINE power (or revealing of His divine nature as
with the transfiguration), and are performed by Him alone.
This does not mean that Jesus NEVER appealed to His divine nature to
perform miracles. But the Bible indicates that many of the works of Jesus
were empowered by the Holy Spirit working through His human nature.
HERE’S WHY I THINK THIS MATTERS:
THERE IS ONLY ONE MIRACLE -WORKER WHO IS WORTHY OF OUR
WORSHIP.
Some people point to Jesus’ miracles as indelible proof that He is God.
Essentially, they claim, “Miracles prove the divinity of the one who performs
them!” If this is true…then miracles should result in our immediate worship
of – and devotion to – the one who performs them (i.e. Jesus alone).
However, “Miracles prove the divinity of the one who performs them” is not a
true statement. As already stated, the Bible tells us that many people
performed miracles. While every true/holy miracle is made possible by God
alone, the Messiah is not the only man in history to have performed them.
Jesus even warns that there will be false prophets who “cast out demons…and

130. do many mighty works” (Matthew 7:22). Note also: The “Man of
Lawlessness” in 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12, and the “Beast” in Revelation 13:13-
14.
Because of this…
MIRACLES SHOULD NOT BE THE FINAL TEST OF WHAT IS TRUE.
I have heard people claim to have experienced miracles which subsequently
led them to join false religions. While it is true that Jesus’ miracles (and the
miracles performed by His disciples) served to authenticate the Gospel
message (John 5:36,10:25,37-38), the experience of witnessing a miracle
should not preclude the Bible’s command to “test everything” (1
Thessalonians 5:21). In other words, if a person witnesses a miracle, that does
not permit him to submit to every claim the miracle-worker might make
without proper evaluation.
JESUS COMMANDS US TO DO GREAT WORKS!
In John 14:12, Jesus says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me
will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do,
because I am going to the Father.” For the record, I do not think that this
statement is referring exclusively to miracles. I think Jesus also has in mind
the global spread of the Gospel, and the perpetual advance of the Kingdom in
the Church Age (which would be far “greater” in scope than His own earthly
ministry). However, for Jesus to say that His disciples will do “greater works”,
He is clearly not telling them that they should be discouraged because they are
not God, as He is God. By the power of the Holy Spirit (whom Jesus – in this
same passage – is promising to send), they will do these great works.
When Christians read the accounts of Christ’s miracles in the New
Testament, we should be awe-struck by the power of God, and the perfections
of Jesus. But we should also be encouraged to do great things – by God’s
power – for the advance of the Kingdom. The same spirit that
indwelt/empowered Jesus now indwells and empowers us to do the works He
has called us to!
Ritch Sandford

131. The Jesus Deliverance Method
Posted January 6, 2016 by Neal Leazer
In this post, I want to go through some things we can learn from Jesus in the
area of dealing with demons.
As I pointed out in other another post, there are two important facts we
should keep in mind about Jesus and demons:
Jesus spent a lot of time and energy setting people free from demonic
influence
Jesus always told all of his representatives to set people free from demons as a
part of their mission.
Because of these two facts, I believe that any follower of Jesus should at least
know the basics of how to exercise authority over demons. I find it
unfortunate that such a major aspect of the ministry of Jesus is so often
ignored. The children of God should be winning the spiritual battles that
come against them, but so many times the people are either unprepared or
completely ignorant of what is going on.
Though I do not consider myself an expert, I do feel like I have learned a lot of
things that can be helpful. I have done my share of research, and I have acted
on the things I have learned.
I have seen my share of bizarre and amazing things, both good and bad.
During times of ministering to people, I have seen demons leave with little
fanfare. At other times, I’ve had demons threaten me through the voices of
people I was ministering to…growling, yelling, mocking, threatening me, and
trying other silly things to intimidate me. I have seen demons cause people to
writhe in the floor, scream, spit, kick, attempt to harm themselves, and so on.
There are lots of examples and lots of stories I could tell, but the point I am

132. making is that I am not writing these articles from a place of theory, or from a
place of book knowledge only.
My method in learning about demons is the same as my method for learning
about healing, or the gifts of the Spirit, or salvation by grace, etc. I invite the
teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit. Then I read the Bible. Sometimes I will
also research specific topics further through sources that I trust. Then I exert
effort in convincing myself to believe what I am reading. Then I begin acting
as if the information is true, expecting to see the results promised in the
scriptures.
In my studies, I have found that there are a lot of different opinions, a lot of
traditions, and a lot of different “experts” when it comes to the subject of
spiritual warfare and casting out demons. I have come to this conclusion:
Jesus is the top expert in deliverance. He is the leading and final authority on
spiritual warfare. And although he is God, he was doing these works as a
“man” that was full of the Holy Spirit. Because of that, he is the example for
me to follow.
If Jesus consistently did things a certain way, then I want to do things that
same way. Whatever principles he was acting on, I want to find out what
those were and act on them myself. He is the teacher, and I am the student.
He is the rabbi, I am the disciple.
Here is a list of things Jesus would always do when it came to demons:
He would operate in the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28)
He would rebuke the demons, but rescue their victim
He would speak and give orders to the demons and they would obey him
He would exercise absolute authority over every demon
He had a 100% success rate for any person that wanted to be free
Here is a list of things Jesus would sometimes do when it came to demons:
He would sometimes have brief conversations with the demons to gather
information before casting them out

133. He would sometimes have brief conversations with the afflicted person or a
family member to gather information
He would sometimes compel the demon(s) to identify themselves.
Here are a list of things Jesus never did:
He never prayed for God the Father to make the demons leave
He never told his followers to “pray” for God the Father or Jesus to drive out
the demons (he told them to cast them out, not pray about it – Mat 10:8, Luke
10:17-19, Mark 16:17)
He never backed down, retreated, or gave up
He never rebuked the person that was being harassed by demons, or made
them feel guilt, shame, or condemnation
He never had counseling sessions where he dug up the person’s past
He never mentioned anything about generational curses, soul ties, etc
He never forced, controlled, or overrode the free will of anyone
The way Jesus did things seems so simple, so uncomplicated. Here is the basic
breakdown of the “Jesus Deliverance Method”
Identify the problem by revelation from the Holy Spirit, by observation, or
through brief conversation
Evict the demon(s) by using His authority
When we look at what his followers and disciples did in the New Testament,
we can clearly see that they continued this aspect of his ministry by casting
demons out of people (Acts 5:16, Acts 8:7, etc). Below is one account in Acts
where we get to see some level of detail.
Acts 16:16-18
Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with
a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by fortune-
telling.

134. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, “These men are the
servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.”
And this she did for many days.
But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And he came out that very hour.
Paul was using the same method that Jesus used over and over.
Identify the problem by revelation from the Holy Spirit, by observation, or
through brief conversation
Evict the demon by using His authority
Notice that Paul did not have lengthy counseling sessions with her, nor did he
pray for her. Once he realized what was going on, gave orders to the demon.
He spoke to the demon, rather than praying for God to do something. God
had already done something…He gave authority to His children. Paul was a
child of God, filled with the Holy Spirit. All children of God have absolute,
complete, unconditional authority over every demon on the universe (see my
post on authority for more on this). They way you exercise your God-given
authority over demons is to give them orders in the name of Jesus.
There is no need to make things complicated. Keep it simple. Do what Jesus
did, and do it the way he did it. Learn how to use your God-given authority.
It is a process that you grow in. Just like any other subject, you will gain
experience and wisdom over time. I am still growing in this. I do not have the
same 100% success rate that Jesus had, but I have seen many many people get
free from demonic oppression…and so will you if you choose to believe and
begin stepping out in faith.


Casting out demons
Questions? - Our Newsletter

135. QUESTION: Should Christians, through fasting and prayer, attempt casting
out demons from allegedly possessed people?
ANSWER: The situation you are referring to in the Bible is when the disciples
tried casting out a demon from a man's son but could not. The man told Jesus
what happened.
Sir (Jesus), have mercy on my son! He is an epileptic and has such terrible
attacks that he often falls in the fire or into water. I brought him to your
disciples, but they could not heal (cast the demon out of) him (Matthew 17:15 -
16).
Jesus, of course, could and did cast the demon out of the man's son. The son
was immediately healed. Perplexed as to why they could not help the man, the
disciples asked Christ why they could not cast the evil spirit out. His response
was "It was because you do not have enough faith" (Matthew 17:20). He also
added, however, that it required fasting and prayer to remove the type of evil
presence they had encountered.
Why did the devil attack heaven?
Will humans ultimately judge demons?
What is casting lots?

The writer of this article has never seen a person who, without a doubt, had a
demon. A minister or two may have commented they experienced a person
who had one they had to deal with, but it is not entirely clear whether they
were telling the truth or not.
Years ago I witnessed an unexpected "tongues outbreak" by a fellow
employee who was a member of one of the tongues-speaking churches. He was
loudly calling on Jesus and speaking words nobody knew. Everyone in the
work area was startled! After my break I had to walk past the tongues-
speaking employee to get to my work area.

136. As I came near him the hair on the back of my neck stood up and I started to
get goose bumps! Because I was becoming very uneasy I quickly went by the
fellow worker. Did he have an evil spirit (demon) or had he worked his mind
into a state of confusion? I was not sure what was the real cause of the tongues
speaking but I do know, based on the person's religious beliefs, that even if he
had a demon it was doubtful he would want it cast out!

Interestingly, just before Matthew's account of the disciples' inability to cast
out a demon, Jesus had sent them on a "gospel training mission" to some
cities. Jesus, before they left, gave them the authority to heal the sick, raise the
dead and cast out demons wherever they went (Matthew 10:5 - 15).
Another interesting thing to note is that initially the demon in Matthew 17
could not be cast out not only due to a lack of faith on the part of the disciples
but also the faithlessness of those around the demonically-possessed person.
Jesus said, "O FAITHLESS and perverse generation . . ." (Matthew 17:17). It
was only after the disciples failed to cast out the demon and the crowd was
chided for their faithlessness that Jesus rebuked it.
These scriptures warn us that just because someone (including ourselves)
believe in Jesus or uses his name does not mean they (or we) have the faith
and authority from God for casting out evil spirits!

Casting out demons is serious business and not to be taken lightly. Anyone
taking on themselves the driving out of these spirits had better be well
grounded in the scriptures and have an ample portion of God's Holy Spirit!
Those who wrongly assume they have the authority necessary for casting out
demons can suffer some very real painful consequences, as seven sons
mentioned in the New Testament found out. They tried to claim power over a
demon by saying 'I command you in the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches.'
(Acts 19:13). The spirit was not amused. It caused the man it possessed to
attack the men and wound them (verse 16)!

137. Those in Acts 19 who were claiming the ability to cast our demons were sons
of a Levite chief priest. Because of this, they must have thought of themselves
as being pretty important and powerful, certainly powerful enough to simply
assume they could use the name (authority) of Jesus Christ (after only hearing
of Him through the apostle Paul) to command obedience from fallen angels.

There was, however, one problem. These men believed all they needed to do
was use Jesus' name, kind of like a magician who says some "magic words"
before a trick, and then what they wanted to happen would occur. The
difficulty was the evil spirit(s) they were trying to cast out knew the true
power it took to force them to leave and knew these men were pretending that
they had it!
Ironically, the men trying to act like they were God were in reality deceived,
while those whose existence was based entirely on deception (demons) knew
what was the real truth!
Those who saw or heard of what happened quickly learned not to take the
name and authority of Jesus Christ lightly! They knew not to assume they had
God's authority to do whatever they pleased whenever they wanted. If God
has not ordained you to use His name for casting out demons, do not think
you can simply conjure up some faith and do it anyway. Based on the Bible, it
will not work! https://www.biblestudy.org/


Why Did Jesus Need the Holy Spirit?
Posted by Nick Batzig
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As we make our way through the Gospel records, we quickly discover that
Jesus needed the Holy Spirit at every step and in every stage of His life and
ministry. While the human nature of Jesus was inseparably united to the

138. Divine nature of the second Person of the Godhead, Jesus needed to live a
perfectly sinless life in the power and by the grace of the Holy Spirit. It was
not sufficient for Him--as the second Adam and representative of a new
humanity--to merely live according to His Divine nature. What we need as
fallen men is a human Redeemer who would gain a human holiness for His
people and would die a human death in their place. As was true for Adam so it
was for Jesus--the Last Adam. The Savior needed the Holy Spirit to sustain
and empower Him to obey His Father, even to the point of death on the cross
(Phil. 2:10).
Jesus needed the Holy Spirit in every act that took place in His life and for the
work of redemption. The Holy Spirit had to overshadow the virgin Mary at
Jesus' incarnation (Luke 1:35); Christ needed the Spirit at His anointing for
public ministry when John baptized Him (Matt. 3:16; Luke 3:22); He needed
the Spirit when driven into the wilderness in order to be tempted by the devil
(Matt. 4:1; Mark 1:12); He needed the Spirit when casting out demons in
order to establish the kingdom of God (Matt. 12:28); He needed the Spirit to
enable Him to offer Himself without spot to God as an atoning sacrifice for
the sin of His people (Heb. 9:14); and, He needed the Spirit to raise Him from
the dead (Rom. 8:11). At every step in the Messianic ministry, Christ relied
upon the Third Person of the Godhead.
In his masterful work on The Holy Spirit, Sinclair Ferguson succinctly
summarized the various stages in Jesus' life in which the Holy Spirit was at
work:
The Spirit who was present and active at Christ's conception as the head of
the new creation, by whom He was anointed at baptism (John 1:32-34), who
directed Him throughout His temptations (Matthew 4:1), empowered Him in
His miracles (Luke 11:20), energized Him in His sacrifice (Hebrews 9:14), and
vindicated Him in His resurrection (1 Timothy 3:16; Romans 1:4), now
indwells disciples in this specific identity.1

Somewhat surprisingly, while theologians have righty devoted much time to
unpacking and systematizing the biblical teaching about the two natures of

139. Jesus, very little has actually been written--in a concentrated way--on the role
of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of Jesus. In addition to Ferguson's
work, there is R.A. Finlayson's collection of short essays titled, Reformed
Theological Writings, in which he contributed two short articles--"The Love
of the Spirit in Man's Redemption" and "The Holy Spirit in the Life of
Christ"--to flesh out the essence of this all-important aspect of Christology.
However, it was John Owen, the Prince of the Puritan theologians, who has
written what is arguably the most substantial treatment on this subject. In vol.
3 of his works, Owen set out eleven ways in which the Holy Spirit is said to
have worked in the life and ministry of Jesus in the Scriptures:

"First, the framing, forming, and miraculous conception of the body of Christ
in the womb of the blessed Virgin was the peculiar and especial work of the
Holy Ghost...2
Second, the human nature of Christ being thus formed in the womb by a
creating act of the Holy Spirit, was in the instant of its conception sanctified,
and filled with grace according to the measure of its receptivity...3
Third, the Spirit carried on that work whose foundation he had thus laid. And
two things are to be here diligently observed:
That the Lord Christ, as man, did and was to exercise all grace by the rational
faculties and powers of his soul, his understanding, will, and affections; for he
acted grace as a man, "made of a woman, made under the law."

The human nature of Christ was capable of having new objects proposed to its
mind and understanding, whereof before it had a simple nescience...

Fourth, the Holy Spirit, in a peculiar manner, anointed him with all those
extraordinary powers and gifts which were necessary for the exercise and
discharging of his office on the earth...4

140. Fifth, it was in an especial manner by the power of the Holy Spirit he wrought
those great and miraculous works whereby his ministry was attested unto and
confirmed...5
Sixth, by him was he guided, directed, comforted, supported, in the whole
course of his ministry, temptations, obedience, and sufferings. Some few
instances on this head may suffice...6
Seventh, He offered himself up unto God through the eternal Spirit, Heb.
9:14...7
Eighth, there was a peculiar work of the Holy Spirit towards the Lord Christ
whilst he was in the state of the dead; for here our preceding rule must be
remembered,--namely, that notwithstanding the union of the human nature of
Christ with the divine person of the Son, yet the communications of God unto
it, beyond subsistence, were voluntary...8
Ninth, there was a peculiar work of the Holy Spirit in his resurrection, this
being the completing act in laying the foundation of the church, whereby
Christ entered into his rest,--the great testimony given unto the finishing of
the work of redemption, with the satisfaction of God therein, and his
acceptation of the person of the Redeemer...9
Tenth, it was the Holy Spirit that glorified the human nature [of Christ], and
made it every way meet for its eternal residence at the right hand of God, and
a pattern of the glorification of the bodies of them that believe on him...10
There is yet another work of the Holy Spirit, not immediately in and upon the
person of the Lord Christ, but towards him, and on his behalf, with respect
unto his work and office; and it comprises the head and fountain of the whole
office of the Holy Spirit towards the church. This was his witness-bearing unto
the Lord Christ,--namely, that he was the Son of God, the true Messiah, and
that the work which he performed in the world was committed unto him by
God the Father to accomplish..."11

141. Churches that Cast Out Demons
Why Look into Spiritual Warfare?, Satanic Strategies and Tactics
Recently I asked on my facebook status, "When was the last time you saw a
demon come out in a local church?" Answers came back: "Never", "1992",
"23 years ago", "last year" and so on. Someone said that demons feel quite at
home in the modern church today – no need to come out!
A lot of time church people (and leaders) carry on as if:
"There are no demons in Australia [substitute your favourite sophisticated
town, city or country]! You might find one in Africa though."
"Since Jesus died on the cross, the devil was defeated, so we don't need to cast
them out any more".
Some feel there is no point casting demons out of people in the world, since
they will just come back in – and there is no need to cast them out of someone
who has received Christ, since in Hezekiah 3:16 it clearly states that a demon
and the Holy Spirit cannot live in the same body at the same time.
Tom Woythal posted on my facebook status as a comment: " 'We have been
taught by devils not to fight devils.' That just about sums it up."
Well, I can't be satisfied with the status quo here.
I can't be satisfied when I observed my own wife who is a very sincere
Christian TORMENTED DAY AND NIGHT by thoughts and pains. Yet
when the demons were cast out – along with a lot of vomit, she was able to
rejoice in the Spirit and the constant harrassment ceased! These demons
mostly got in through moments of weakness associated with extremely
traumatic events which happened in her childhood years. My wife is a genuine
overcomer. Most people who grew up with a single alcoholic father in a city
like Bucharest would not have done as well as her.
I have to be honest with everyone and say that I myself have needed
deliverance on many occasions. In 1988 for most of the year I was practicing

142. deliverance on myself. Demons that were binding my mind in various ways
were coming out – mostly with yawns, tears and sometimes with coughs.
I have learned that almost everyone needs deliverance. Maybe if you are a
third generation pentecostal preacher you may not have that many iniquities
to deal with, but not many people are like that out of the total population.
I know this whole area is controversial, but I am willing to stick my neck out
here. I KNOW that many many Christians are in need of help, and cannot
find it in their local churches.
I pray that God will raise up churches and MORE online fellowships which
are effective in dealing with this kind of thing. Because it is SORELY needed.
For theological justification of some of my statements, please read the
Spiritual Warfare section of my site.
If you agree with what I am saying here, I urge you to rise up in the Spirit and
band together with people who are serious about putting into practice the
ministry of Jesus.
Because Jesus said, "These signs will follow those who believe. In my name
they will cast out demons." (Mark 16:17) https://www.christian-faith.com/


Jesus Casts Out Demons
September 7, 2015 John (HFJ Director) 1 Comment
In Matthew 8:28-33, Jesus casts out demons from two violent men. We gain
some insight into the relationship of Jesus, demons, and the people.
28 When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the
Gadarenes,[g] two men who were possessed by demons met him. They lived in
a cemetery and were so violent that no one could go through that area.
29 They began screaming at him, “Why are you interfering with us, Son of
God? Have you come here to torture us before God’s appointed time?”

143. 30 There happened to be a large herd of pigs feeding in the distance. 31 So the
demons begged, “If you cast us out, send us into that herd of pigs.”
32 “All right, go!” Jesus commanded them. So the demons came out of the
men and entered the pigs, and the whole herd plunged down the steep hillside
into the lake and drowned in the water.
33 The herdsmen fled to the nearby town, telling everyone what happened to
the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the entire town came out to meet Jesus,
but they begged him to go away and leave them alone.
A few observations to highlight:
Jesus wants to help even violent men whom others have given up on. Jesus, as
son of God, has no fear of the two men in the cemetery.
The demons not only believe in Jesus, but they also recognize Him as son of
God, when many religious people do not. However, they do not follow or serve
Him. If we tell ourselves we “believe in” Jesus, or “know” Jesus… that puts us
in the same relationship with Him as demons. The better question is “Do we
follow and serve Jesus?”
The demons recognize that Jesus has power over them. They know they can
not win over Him. They simply ask why He is coming before the appointed
time to torture them, presumably to cast them into Hell.
Jesus is not there to change the appointed time for the demons to be
destroyed, just to help the men and demonstrate the power of God. He casts
the demons into the herd of swine at their request.
The immediate and dramatic change in the behavior of both the men and the
pigs demonstrates a conclusive picture for those who witnessed it of the real
existence of demons. They exist to destroy, but are constrained by God to
within certain boundaries.
The herdsman fled and told everyone what happened to the demon possessed
men. Instead of celebrating or worshipping Jesus, they asked Him to leave.
How sad for people to clearly see the power of almighty God and have a
response to push it away.

144. Reflect on these points and others in the scripture. How can you apply them to
your life today?
Are you celebrating the power of God in your life? or pushing it away?
Do you “know” and “believe in” Jesus? or do you serve and follow Him? Can
others tell? How does your life reflect this by being different from those
around you who do not serve Jesus?