____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ January 30, 1994 ____________________________________________________ Demonology by T. G. O'Neil Paul Harvey said, in Huntsville News, Feb. 23, 1974, ``It's amusing when TV's Flip Wilson grins and says, 'The devil made me do it!' It's terrifying when the child victim in the movie, 'The Exorcist' screams, `The devil made me...' In every city where `The Exorcist' has been shown, some youngsters have fled the theatre screaming, many into hospitals; some are under restraint as a result of that terrifying graphic portrayal of demon possession..The church of England researched demon possession as recently as the 1960's and after eight years of diligent study, recommended as recently as 1972 that every diocesan bishop should appoint a priest as diocesan exorcist...Similarly, Roman Catholic priests are authorized by the Church hierarchy to perform the ancient rites.'' The movie, `The Exorcist' was expected to gross $100 million, and the book by William Blatty became an all-time best seller in paper back edition. Many `Holiness' people claim to cast out demons now. For example, the late A. A. Allen published in his paper in Feb., 1956, the picture of what he called `a demon' he cast out of a woman, but what others called a frog. Who Are Demons? The New Testament tells us that demons are ``spirits'' (Mt. 8:16) and being such they do not have bodies like men have (Lk. 24:39) yet they inhabited the bodies of people. Men have had several false concepts about demons. (1) Some have thought that demons were disembodied spirits of a pre-Adam race of people upon the earth, when the Bible tells us Adam was the ``first man'' (1 Cor. 15:45). (2) Others have thought demons were the offspring of women and angels based upon a misunderstanding of Gen. 6:1-4. (3) Some have thought that demons were the spirits of wicked dead men that have come back and are indwelling living men. Josephus and Alexander Campbell both believed this. However, when one considers Lk. 16:19-31 it is clear spirits did not pass back and forth in the Hadean realm, neither did they leave the Hadean realm and come back to men on earth. This position appears to be a form of reincarnation. Others have believed demons to be fallen angels. Thayer says, page 124, that this is the position of New Testament writers, yet he gives no New Testament verse that so teaches. I fail to see anything in 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6, Mt. 25:41 or Rev. 12:7 and 9 that says demons are fallen angels. Personally, I don't know. To my mind at the present time it seems Deut. 29:29 gives us some information along this line. Nature of Demons (1) They were evil. Luke 7:21 speaks of ``evil spirits'' and Lk. 8:2 says ``healed of evil spirits.'' (2) Some were worse than others. In Matt. 12:45 it is said that one ``taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked them himself.'' (3) They were cast out by the authority of Christ. The disciples said to Christ ``the devils are subject unto us through thy name'' (Lk. 10;17). (4) They could enter and leave a person at will. ``The unclean spirit...saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out'' (Lk. 11:24). (5) They once dwelt in animals. In Mk. 5:13 they ``enter into swine.'' (6) They recognized Christ. In Mk. 5:7 one said, ``Jesus, thou Son of the most high God'' and in Mt. 8:29 one said, ``Jesus, thou Son of God.'' (7) They dwelt in desolate places, in tombs and in mountains (Mk. 5:2-5) as well as dry places (Lk. 11:24). (8) They dreaded restriction and recognized time of their freedom was limited. In Lk. 8:28 one said, ``torment me not'' and in Mt. 8:29 said ``torment us before the time.'' Active In New Testament Times From a reading of the New Testament it is evident that demons were active in New Testament times. Reading Matt. 12:22-30 one learns how they opposed the work of God. People in New Testament times were really demon possessed. Men (Mk. 5:2), women (Lk. 8:2), boys (Lk. 9:38-39) and girls (Lk. 7:25) were all demon possessed. Possession by demons caused individuals to be dumb (Mt. 9:33; Mk. 9;17), to be blind (Mt. 12:22), to be deaf (Mk. 9:25), to be savage (Mt. 8:28; Mk. 5:4; Lk. 8:29) and to have superhuman strength (Mk. 5:4; Acts 19:16). People were caused to appear to be epileptic, falling into the fire and water (Mt. 17:15; Mk. 9:22), grinding their teeth (Mk. 9:18), having convulsions (Mk. 9:20; Lk. 4:35) and foaming at the mouth (Mk. 9:20; Lk. 9:39). However, while demons caused the above, there needs to be a distinction made between demon possession and physical sickness (see Mt. 4:24; 8:16; 10:1; Mk. 1:32-34; Acts 8:7; 19:11-12). Demons Active Today? While demons were active in New Testament times, we need to know whether they are active now or not. The prophet Zechariah said ``in that day'' when there would be ``a fountain open'' ``for sin'' that God would (1) ``cut off the names of the idols out of the land'' and (2) ``I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land'' (Zech. 13:1-2). Jesus said the apostles would ``in my name cast out devils'' (Mk. 16:17). Paul said ``prophecies, they shall fail'' (1 Cor. 13:8). Of one ``with an unclean spirit'' it is said ``no man could bind him, no not with chains'' and when ``he had been often bound with fetters and chains'' ``the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces; neither could any man tame him'' (Mk. 5:1-4). Do we have men today that can not be bound? The average chain will hold any man. In Mt. 8:28 we learn of ``two possessed with devils'' who were ``exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way'' but we have no such circumstances today. Again, from Acts 19:13-16 we learn of certain ones who were caused to flee wounded and naked because one with an evil spirit leaped upon them, overcame them and prevailed against them. Do demons cause such today? If demons really possessed men today, before they could be converted, the demons would have to be cast out, thus calling for a miracle. Calvinism says man is so depraved that it takes a miracle in order for him to be converted. If miracles are needed to convert men today, then miracles have not ceased (1 Cor. 13:8-10) and Calvinism is true. Exorcism Contrasted Looking at Jesus casting out demons and what men today claim they do will reveal that they are not alike. (1) Jesus did not cast out demons in some dark, secluded room to be publicized later. When Jesus cast out demons the record says ``they were all amazed'' (Lk. 4:33-37). (2) With a word Jesus cast out demons (Mt. 17:18), yet a Catholic priest in the movie, `The Exorcist' tried 20 times within two months. Another priest attempted Exorcism 14 times in 29 days. (3) Those who were demon possessed in New Testament times had malfunctions of otherwise normal conditions; they were dumb, blind and deaf. However, Catholic exorcist Luigi Novagese said, ``A possessed man's skin turned white like paper, his teeth became transparent, his eyes bulged with balls of flame and fire issued from his mouth.'' Where do you read of such descriptions of demon possessed people in the New Testament? Novagese said that during a session of exorcism one demon took a bite of a sandwich. (4) So-called modern demons give out with `fierce curses' and `bursts of blasphemy' yet in New Testament times even the demons recognized and respected Deity (Mk. 1:24; 3:11; 5:7). (5) The purpose of exorcism in New Testament days was to confirm the word (Mk. 16:15-20). The word does not need to be confirmed today. If some word needs confirmation today, this is an admission it is not the word preached by Christ and the apostles. Modern exorcists do not preach the confirmed word of God. ___________________________________________ FREE Bible Lesson -- Write Today! ___________________________________________ "A jealous and avenging God is the Lord; The Lord is avenging and wrathful. The Lord takes vengeance on His adversaries, And He reserves wrath for His enemies. The Lord is slow to anger and great in power, And the Lord will by no means leave the guilty unpunished. In whirlwind and storm is His way, And clouds are the dust beneath His feet. The Lord is good, A stronghold in the day of trouble, And He knows those who take refuge in Him" (Nahum 1:2,3,7). ________________________________________ Tri-State CHURCH OF CHRIST 1314 Montgomery Avenue, Ashland, Kentucky 41101 Sunday: 10:00 A.M. Bible class 10:50 A.M. Worship 6:30 P.M. Worship Wednesday: 7:30 P.M. Bible study evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (606) 325-9742 e-mail: tedwards@zoomnet.net Gospel Observer web site: http://www.zoomnet.net/~tedwards/go ________________________________________