Demonic possession
This week, I received a few questions from X. He started with the following:
Do you believe in demonic possession?
When I get a question like that, all my “traffic lights turn amber” immediately. Because… behind such a question, there’s always more, much more. Often these conversations are not very cheerful, and you can really feel evil hanging in the air.
Then I always go back to the “armor of God” which clearly indicates that we should, in the first instance, be defensive (5 out of 6 items in that armor are defensive) and if we must say anything, we should use “the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:11-18). So: the Bible.
So my answer was simple: the Bible says it exists, so it cannot be denied.
X’s reply was (and now we get a little closer to the “why” of his question):
I am asking if you personally believe in it, not what the Bible says or anything else. Do you think someone who has been possessed by a demon can get into heaven?
Ah, you see, now we are slowly getting to the “why” behind that question. As expected, there was more, much more, behind it. His tone also suddenly became very(!) aggressive and dark. Furthermore, X did indicate that it concerned a person who is a Christian. And I continued from there.
If “has been possessed” means it was in the past, then that person can certainly get into heaven, if(!) that person repents and believes in what Jesus did for all our sins.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16, NASB)
But, if that person still has the devil in them, then the question is: is that person actually a Christian?? Because if God is 100% in us, there is no room for evil. Imagine a room that is 100% filled with concrete. Is there still room to breathe in that room? The answer is clear: no. The same applies to demonic possession. If God is 100% in you, there is no more room for demonic possession.
James 4:7 tells us how it works:
Submit therefore to God. But resist the devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7, NASB)
This “Submit therefore to God” does not mean 50% submission. It is complete, total, and 100%. And when we do that, we can and will “resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” And if we submit 100% to God, we will get into heaven. If you believe what Jesus did for you, the demon leaves, and you will enter heaven. It’s that simple. And then X said this:
I was possessed by a demon, and I got that demon out. But personally, I would like to beat up the Christian God in a dark alley. I have a problem with God. That God has done nothing for me at all. Jesus is okay.
And now to you as a reader, please read carefully what he said. Do you notice anything?
- Initially, he spoke in the third person. It was not supposed to be about himself, but about someone else. But now that we were talking further, it turned out to be about himself. He also initially indicated that that person (so, he himself) was a Christian, but note:
- “I got that demon out” is something VERY different from “God saved me from a demon”. Do you see the difference?
- “the Christian God” does that sound like a Christian speaking? Or someone who believes in multiple “gods,” or is still searching?
- “That God has done nothing for me at all“? If you are a true Christian, you know what God has done for you, you know what Christ has done, and the Holy Spirit is in you. Then you can never say, “That God has done nothing for me at all“…
Do you see that the conversation’s intent was different from what it seemed at first (if you are not very careful)? And do you also see that the definition of “being a Christian” suddenly begins to shift? That “traffic light” that started at amber is now at “red.” Bright red.
So the question is very clear with X… is X 100% filled by God? And by his answers… I strongly doubt it. Because… if God is 100% in you, you don’t say what this person says (fighting with God in a dark alley). Because if God is 100% in you, the Bible says this about those demonic spirits in you:
You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. (1 John 4:4, NASB)
This verse emphasizes that God’s Spirit who lives in us is stronger than any demonic power.
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has Christ with Belial? […] Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. (2 Corinthians 6:14-16, NASB)
This verse explicitly states that there can be no fellowship between light and darkness, Christ and Belial (a name for Satan). A believer is the temple of God, and there is no place for anything demonic within it.
And with that, we came to the following…
When that demon was in me, a Catholic priest prayed for me that the devil should leave me.
Ah… look… do you see that the conversation takes a completely different turn? Because if we now look at the whole picture, with what the Bible says, then a lot more goes wrong with that last remark… note:
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith… (1 Peter 5:8-9, NASB)
How do you resist?
- Be of sober spirit and be on the alert
- Resist him, firm in your faith
To do that, you must believe that Jesus was sent to this earth by God to die for your sins. If that faith is not there… you cannot use that resistance, given to you by God. No one else can do that for you either (not even a priest). It is something between you, God, and the devil. So no one can pray for you for that demon to leave and make sure it stays away. Because if God is not 100% in you… that demon comes back IMMEDIATELY… because it jumps right into the part where God is not. Oops.
And only when you are 100% filled by God can you use the following means when the devil attempts to enter:
Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil… Take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist on the evil day. (Ephesians 6:11-13, NASB)
And there again, we see “the full armor of God.” Not 50% of His armor, but 100%. And it also clearly says that you must put on that armor; no one else can put it on for you. Your “suit.” Literally.
We also took an example with X of an important person in the Bible who was also attacked by the devil (note, that is different from having a demon in you). In Matthew 4:1-11, we see a good example of this:
(Summary) Jesus was tempted by the devil in the wilderness, but He resisted him each time by quoting Scripture: “It is written…”
So when Jesus (Jesus! The Son of God!) was attacked, what did He do? Did He ask for someone else to pray for Him to drive the devil away? No. Jesus did 100% exactly what we started with in this blog. He used as the means to attack the devil:
“the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Ephesians 6:11-18) “It is written…” (Matthew 4:1-11)
Jesus could have used anything; He is the Son of God. And what did He do? “I declare,” “I command the devil to leave”? No.
“It is written…” (Matthew 4:1-11)
And why could Jesus do that?
For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form. (Colossians 2:9, NASB)
All the fullness. 100%. Yes, the devil could try to attack Jesus, and did so, but he got no foothold because “all the fullness” was in Christ, 100%, and Christ successfully fended off that attack with the Word of God.
And with that, a new conversation with X began. Because that demon, that dark spirit, that darkness in his life:
Yeah, honestly, that darkness in my life didn’t go away after that prayer from the priest. For a moment I thought it did, but honestly, it never really left. I think I just had a good feeling about all the rituals that man did, but if I’m honest, I was carried away by an emotional “high” that didn’t exist in reality, and in reality, it didn’t help at all. I think I was fooling myself or maybe I was fooled. There is something very dark inside me. Sorry for my aggressive tone at the beginning of the conversation and for not being honest.
And with that, a new and completely different conversation began.
About 100% surrender, what we truly believe, who God truly is, who Christ truly is, and what He has done for you. And if you believe that, 100% (and not 50%), then you immediately receive the Holy Spirit in you:
In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of the promise. (Ephesians 1:13-14, NASB)
If you believe that Jesus died for your sins, then God is in you, and His Spirit is in you, and where His Spirit is, there is no place for a demon. Period, end of story, more than clear.
You have to make the choice and open that door, to close all the other doors:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him. (Revelation 3:20, NASB)
And with that, the choice was X’s (and no one else’s) as to what he would do now.
Believe, 100% in what Jesus did (through the Father) for X? Because only if X does that will the Holy Spirit enter X, and where the Holy Spirit is, there is no demon. That is the only way; do not let anyone fool you.
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6, NASB)
What to do with that priest who casts out evil spirits?
With that, the conversation with X ended, but that is not the end of this blog. What about that priest who had prayed “the evil spirit” out of him (which didn’t work)? What should we do with that?
Is there anything wrong with praying against demons, evil spirits, and the power of the devil? Yes and no, we just should not confuse things.
The Bible tells us what we can (and should) certainly do if the evil one tries to attack you. In the “Lord’s Prayer,” it says literally:
And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:13, NASB)
But the context, in that verse, is not that a demon is in you (because as a Christian, it cannot be), but that the evil one is trying to attack you. These are two different things. “A bicycle has two wheels, but not everything with two wheels is a bicycle.”
Furthermore, praying to God without believing in that God, in Jesus, and in what He has done for you and without fully surrendering to Him does not work, cannot work, and is not biblical:
And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for the one who comes to God must believe that He exists, and that He proves to be a rewarder of those who seek Him. (Hebrews 11:6, NASB)
But in the Bible, aren’t there several examples that Jesus (and His disciples, who then had the gifts to do so) cast out evil spirits?
Note, and now we are no longer talking about the evil one trying to attack you, but about demons that can be in people and can be cast out through miracles.
Pay VERY close attention, this is literally of eternal life-and-death importance for every Christian:
The gifts that Jesus used were NOT for the miracles themselves for believers, but for unbelievers, to make it clear that Christ is the Son of God.
John 20:30-31 “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.” (John 20:30-31, NASB)
So the purpose of all those miracles they performed was not the miracle itself and certainly not for believers. It was to provide proof to unbelievers, “so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.“
So do not confuse the “purpose” with the “means” that Christ used. Because you can cast out a “demon” (means), but if that person does not become a Christian (purpose)… the demon comes back IMMEDIATELY (because not 100% filled by His Spirit) and what have you won? Nothing. (or worse, we’ll come back to that later)
We see a beautiful example of that sequence and also the reason that Christ did that with the Gerasene demoniac (Mark 5:1-20) which says:
Verses 18-20: The man begged to go with Jesus. Jesus said: “Go home to your people and report to them what great things the Lord has done for you.”
In other words, that man (an unbeliever at first) believed, immediately, through that miracle (which made him a believer), that Jesus was THE Christ, and thus immediately became a Christian (which means there is no chance that demon could come back), and he also immediately became a witness for Christ. So Christ’s goal was not to cast out that evil spirit; Jesus’ goal was to make it clear, with proof, that He was the Christ, so that that person would believe and testify.
We see the same thing happening with Mary Magdalene (Luke 8:2):
“…and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,” (Luke 8:2, NASB)
She, too, after that exorcism, immediately believed in Jesus (which left no room for the return of those demons) and faithfully followed Jesus:
Soon afterward, He began going around from one city and village to another, proclaiming and preaching the kingdom of God. The twelve were with Him, and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna the wife of Chuza, Herod’s steward, and Susanna, and many others who were contributing to their support out of their private means. (Luke 8:1-3, NASB)
She was also present at His crucifixion:
Many women were there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. (Matthew 27:55-56, NASB)
and resurrection:
“Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came early to the tomb, while it was still dark, and saw the stone already taken away from the tomb.” (John 20:1, NASB)
“But Mary was standing outside the tomb weeping; and so, as she wept, she stooped and looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and one at the feet, where the body of Jesus had been lying. And they said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping?’ She said to them, ‘Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.’ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?’ Supposing Him to be the gardener, she said to Him, ‘Sir, if you have carried Him away, tell me where you have laid Him, and I will take Him away.’ Jesus said to her, ‘Mary!’ She turned and said to Him in Hebrew, ‘Rabboni!’ (which means, Teacher). Jesus said to her, ‘Stop clinging to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and My God and your God.’’ Mary Magdalene came, announcing to the disciples, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ and that He had said these things to her.” (John 20:11-18, NASB)
She, too, is a clear example of someone who, after deliverance, began to follow Jesus (with whom Jesus proved that He is the Christ, see again John 20:30-31) and also immediately became a witness for Christ. In other words, she became a “Christian” as we call it now.
- So no, there is nothing wrong with asking God, as a Christian, to protect you if the evil one tries to attack you (Matthew 6:13 in the correct context)
- Asking God, as a Christian, to cast out a demon from you… that is impossible. Because a demon cannot be in a Christian.
- Contradiction in terms: “warm snow,” “a round square,” “a Christian possessed by a demon,” “exorcising a demon from a Christian.” It cannot be.
- If someone says they can cast out a demon from an unbeliever(!), then the main goal cannot be to cast out that demon, to perform a miracle, but to make it clear to someone that you are a messenger of God. And the consequence of that must be that the person, who was an unbeliever to begin with, then also becomes a Christian.
- If that doesn’t happen… and apparently only an evil spirit is gone, but that person has not become a Christian, something is COMPLETELY wrong. Because what do you think would happen then? That’s right, into that emptiness… the demon comes back IMMEDIATELY… and worse:
“Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a person, it wanders through waterless places… Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ … Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits… and they go in and live there. (Matthew 12:43-45, NASB)
God will not free anyone from a demon, only to immediately leave room for seven other spirits. Because if God were to do that, God would be doing the devil a favor. What?! So no, God is not like that, and He does not work that way. God frees you from the demon and gives no room for seven new demons.
If God were to give someone the gift to be able to do that at all (cast out evil spirits), then that is never God’s ultimate goal. Then God will also ensure that that person becomes a Christian by believing that God did that. and with that, the door is also definitively closed to demons. If that doesn’t happen… which god are we talking about who did that? The God of the Bible… or…
If we see that happening, that miracles are done for non-Christians without people coming to conversion, or miracles are done for Christians (which is not the goal the Bible clearly tells us), then it is time for a very red traffic light. Because where do those miracles (which really happen) come from?
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 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; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23, NASB)
that is, the one whose coming is in accord with the activity of Satan, with all power and false signs and wonders, and with all the deception of wickedness… (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10, NASB)
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons. (1 Timothy 4:1, NASB)
- If someone says they can cast out demons from a Christian, that is a lie (because a demon cannot be in a Christian)
- If a Christian asks you to cast out a demon from him/her, something is wrong, and you should ask yourself if that person is even a Christian?
- If someone says they can cast out demons, but afterwards the person (who supposedly had the demon) does not become a Christian, read the last three verses again and be VERY, VERY careful about what you think you believe…
For false Christs and false prophets will arise and will provide great signs and wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the elect. (Matthew 24:24, NASB)
Miracles exist; God can absolutely do miracles, but not all those miracles we (think we) see come from God; they also come from “false Christs and false prophets”……
Be warned:
Do not quench the Spirit; do not despise prophetic utterances. But examine everything; hold firmly to that which is good, abstain from every form of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:19-22, NASB)
Doing one thing carelessly without doing the other… is eternally life-threatening. Because which spirit are we talking about? His Spirit… or the demon’s….
