Authored By :
Bill Kochman
Published On :
March 28, 2004
Last Updated :
January 3, 2009
NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.
Where Do Demons Go?, Bipolar Disorder And Manic Disorder,
Demonic Possession, Modern Science Versus The Scriptures,
Oppression And Possession, King Saul's Demonic Oppression,
Controlling Our Thoughts, Our Mind The Battlefield, Paul's
Thorn In The Flesh, Jacob Wrestles With An Angel, Paul's
Sufferings, Ripe Conditions For Demonic Possession, Our Evil
Violent World, Mary Magdalene, Judas' Possession, Connection
Between Sickness And Demonic Possession, Children As Victims
Of Sickness And Demonic Possession, Satan More Powerful Than
God?, Job's Afflictions, Satan Works By God's Permission,
God Creates Deaf Dumb Blind Etc., God Is In Complete Control
Recently, a certain person wrote to me and asked me the
following two questions: "If a person is under demonic
possession and the demon is cast out, where does it go? Can
it go into young children who are in the same house?" This
same person went on to explain that another person in her
family suffers from bipolar disorder. The Random House
Webster's Unabridged Dictionary offers us the following
definitions regarding this disease and associated words:
----- Begin Quotes -----
Bipolar Disorder - An affective disorder characterized by
periods of mania alternating with periods of depression,
usually interspersed with long intervals of normal mood.
Formerly manic depressive illness.
Manic Disorder - A type of affective disorder characterized
by euphoric mood, excessive activity and talkativeness,
impaired judgment, and sometimes psychotic symptoms, as
grandiose illusions.
Mania - excessive excitement or enthusiasm; craze.
----- End Quotes -----
Being as I am not a doctor or a psychologist, and thus do
not possess a background in these areas, and also because I
neither personally know the individual who has written to
me, nor the family member who is said to be affected by this
malady, obviously, I cannot offer any kind of valid medical
judgment regarding their situation. Thus, my comments will
be limited to discussing the possible spiritual nature of
their situation, which again, will be based upon the
information which this person has provided to me.
As a result of her Christian background, this person has
arrived at the conclusion that what she has been witnessing
in the other family member, is a form of demonic possession.
She also relates that any attempts to free the afflicted
person from these assumed demonic attacks, through spiritual
intervention, have failed.
Now, obviously, I realize that some people involved in the
aforementioned professions, who might be reading this, will
be quick to scoff at this woman's claims, and dismiss them
as nothing more than the ramblings of a Christian fanatic
who has a limited knowledge and understanding of "true"
science. Allow me to clarify that the point of this series
is not to offer a definitive conclusion regarding whether or
not all mental disorders are a result of demonic possession;
it is merely to provide useful information regarding demonic
possession, as it is found in the Bible, so that you the
reader can arrive at your own conclusions. Let us begin by
turning to the Gospel of Matthew. In the twelfth chapter,
Jesus had this to say:
"When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh
through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he
saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out;
and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and
garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven
other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in
and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse
than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked
generation." Matthew 12:43-45, KJV
In these verses, we have a clear example of a man who had
been possessed by a devil, or unclean spirit if you prefer,
who was apparently freed of the same, and yet who came under
demonic possession again. As I point out in other articles,
it is my understanding that there is a difference between
demonic oppression, and demonic possession. In other words,
I classify demonic oppression as being bothered by a demon
from without, while I view demonic possession as actually
being possessed by a demon from within. In the former, the
person has not become a vehicle, or receptacle for that evil
spirit, while in the latter he has.
One Biblical story which comes to mind, is that of King
Saul. While I am not exactly certain, I think that Saul's
case might be classified more as an oppression rather than
as outright possession, because the spirit did not reside
within him continually, but rather came and oppressed him
occasionally, and then left again when David played his
harp. We find the story in the First Book of the Prophet
Samuel, where we read as follows:
"But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil
spirit from the LORD troubled him. And Saul's servants said
unto him, Behold now, an evil spirit from God troubleth
thee. Let our lord now command thy servants, which are
before thee, to seek out a man, who is a cunning player on
an harp: and it shall come to pass, when the evil spirit
from God is upon thee, that he shall play with his hand, and
thou shalt be well. And Saul said unto his servants, Provide
me now a man that can play well, and bring him to me. Then
answered one of the servants, and said, Behold, I have seen
a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning in playing,
and a mighty valiant man, and a man of war, and prudent in
matters, and a comely person, and the LORD is with him.
Wherefore Saul sent messengers unto Jesse, and said, Send me
David thy son, which is with the sheep. And Jesse took an
ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid, and
sent them by David his son unto Saul. And David came to
Saul, and stood before him: and he loved him greatly; and he
became his armourbearer. And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, Let
David, I pray thee, stand before me; for he hath found
favour in my sight. And it came to pass, when the evil
spirit from God was upon Saul, that David took an harp, and
played with his hand: so Saul was refreshed, and was well,
and the evil spirit departed from him."
1 Samuel 16:14-23, KJV
This event of God's spiritual anointing departing from King
Saul must have left a heavy impression on young David. Years
later, after David himself had become king, and after he had
seriously sinned against the Lord, by plotting the death of
his general, Uriah, in order to cover his sin of having
committing adultery with Uriah's wife, Bathsheba, David too
must have feared that the Lord might remove His Spirit from
him. Thus, in his heart-felt prayer of repentance, which we
Christians today know as Psalm 51, David wrote:
"Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine
iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a
right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence;
and take not thy holy spirit from me." Psalm 51:9-11, KJV
Before leaving the story of Saul's oppression behind, I do
want to bring one important point to your attention; and
that is that the evil spirit which was afflicting Saul was
sent by the Lord. The verse clearly states "an evil spirit
from the LORD". Please remember this point, as it will be
related to other comments I will be making in this series.
Many of you reading this will undoubtedly be familiar with
what we might classify as a less dramatic form of spiritual
oppression. I am referring to such things as discouragement,
doubts, fears, temptations, etc. These are types of outward
attacks which target our primary battleground; that is, our
minds. As I point out in some of my articles which deal with
the topic of spiritual warfare, it is for this very reason
that the Apostle Paul admonishes us in the following manner:
"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that
exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing
into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"
2 Corinthians 10:5, KJV
"For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners
against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds." Hebrews 12:3, KJV
"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed
by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that
good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
Romans 12:2, KJV
"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may
instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."
1 Corinthians 2:16, KJV
So Paul advises us to bring every thought into captivity,
and to have the mind of Christ. In other words, Paul is
telling us that we must exercise control over our thoughts,
submit ourselves to God's Will, just as Jesus did, and not
allow Satan to enter therein with his lies, doubts, fears,
discouragements and temptations; because if we fail in this
area, if we grow weary and faint in our minds, and weaken in
our thoughts, that demon of darkness will no doubt do his
best to try to enter in, in full force, until we are totally
defeated. I further discuss putting on the mind of Christ in
such articles as "So You Think You Are So Humble?".
Only two chapters later, after advising us to control our
every thought, we discover that Paul suffered from outward
attacks in a much more serious manner. Paul candidly writes
the following to the Corinthian brethren:
"And lest I should be exalted above measure through the
abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn
in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I
should be exalted above measure." 2 Corinthians 12:7, KJV
Some of you may be aware of the fact that there has been a
considerable amount of debate regarding the exact meaning of
the previous verse. I offer some of my own speculations in
such articles as "Why Doesn't God Heal Me?". What exactly
was Paul's "thorn in the flesh" which God used to keep him
humble, or as Paul writes, "lest I should be exalted above
measure"? Poor eyesight perhaps which may have been a result
of his Supernatural Encounter on the road to Damascus? His
pride? While these are some of the theories which have been
put forth, which even I myself have previously considered,
as I was just re-reading the verse, I became curious and
looked up the word "buffet" in my Greek lexicon. It states
in part:
----- Begin Quote -----
kolaphizo {kol-af-id'-zo}
1) to strike with the fist, give one a blow with the fist
2) to maltreat, treat with violence and contumely
----- End Quote -----
While I already understood the meaning of the word "buffet",
it wasn't until I read the previous definitions, that the
idea occurred to me, that perhaps Paul may have literally
meant that he was receiving physical blows to his body by
some "messenger of Satan". Please don't be too quick to
dismiss such a possibility. The idea of being touched, or
struck, or sexually abused by invisible forces is nothing
new. There have been documented cases of such occurrences
which are known within the halls of psychology and other
related fields. Furthermore, all such attacks are not self-
inflicted. In fact, as you may already know, there is a very
clear Biblical precedent. I was immediately reminded of the
story of Jacob's nighttime wrestling match with a rather
unusual individual, as it is found in Genesis chapter
thirty-two, where we read:
"And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him
until the breaking of the day. And when he saw that he
prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his
thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as
he wrestled with him. And he said, Let me go, for the day
breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou
bless me. And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he
said, Jacob. And he said, Thy name shall be called no more
Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God
and with men, and hast prevailed. And Jacob asked him, and
said, Tell me, I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore
is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him
there. And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I
have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved."
Genesis 32:24-30, KJV
Here we have a clear example of a human wrestling with what
was clearly an Angelic Being. While at the beginning of the
account, he is referred to as a man, from the Hebrew "iysh",
it soon becomes apparent from the outcome of the story, that
this Visitor, was not only very visible, and very physical,
but he also was not of our world. He was sent from the Other
World, in order to convey a special blessing upon Jacob, but
not before testing him, and in fact, humbling him. Similar
to Paul, the self-righteous, law-abiding Pharisee, who in
his pride and spiritual blindness, persecuted the Christian
brethren, Jacob too was a proud, cunning deceiver who stole
both his brother's birthright and blessing. Whether or not
Jacob remained crippled for life after the Angelic Messenger
had dislocated his thigh is a matter of speculation; but if
such was the case, it undoubtedly contributed to keeping
Jacob a more humble man; just as Paul tells us that the
purpose of his "thorn in the flesh" was to keep him humble.
So if Jacob had an actual physical conflict with an Angelic
Messenger, is it also possible that Paul is telling us that
he likewise wrestled with a demonic messenger who struck him
with physical blows? An interesting possibility indeed! Of
course, we cannot dismiss a more mundane explanation either;
and that is that, according to Paul's own words, as well as
the writings of Luke, Paul and his companions were indeed
physically assaulted by flesh and blood persons, such as the
unbelieving Jews of the Diaspora, that is, the Dispersion,
during their various missionary journeys throughout the
areas of southwestern Asia and southern Europe. So whether
Paul is talking about a direct confrontation with a demon,
or is merely referring to persons who were possessed by
demons, the end result is still the same: He was physically,
and violently, attacked. As the Lord had spoken earlier to
Ananias at the beginning of Paul's ministry:
"But the Lord said unto him [to Ananias], Go thy way: for he
[Paul] is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before
the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: For I
will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name's
sake." Acts 9:15-16, KJV
Only a chapter earlier in that same second Epistle to the
brethren at Corinth, Paul tells us of his many sufferings in
his own words, as we see here:
"Are they ministers of Christ? (I speak as a fool) I am
more; in labours more abundant, in stripes above measure, in
prisons more frequent, in deaths oft. Of the Jews five times
received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with
rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a
night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings
often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils
by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils
in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the
sea, in perils among false brethren; In weariness and
painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in
fastings often, in cold and nakedness."
2 Corinthians 11:23-27, KJV
For more information regarding this topic of the Apostle
Paul's sufferings and persecutions, please refer to the
article, "A Biblical Cafeteria, Or The Whole Course?".
But let us return to the words of our Lord found in Matthew
chapter twelve. Concerning actual demonic possession, the
question which arises in my mind is this: Exactly what kind
of place would a demon, or group of demons, find hospitable?
What would attract them in the first place? I would think
that a primary requirement would be a willing victim; that
is, someone who has knowingly opened up their life to sin
and evil. As we have already seen, it would also be someone
who is weak in their mind, who does not know how to fend off
Satan's attacks; that is, the lies, temptations, doubts and
fears which he so skillfully uses against us. Sadly, there
are a lot of people living in the world today who would seem
to fall into this very category. I was just reminded of the
following verses, which perfectly describe the world in
which we live today. Paul is quoting here from the Psalms,
Proverbs, and the Prophet Isaiah. If things were this bad in
Paul's day, just think how much worse they must be today:
"As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:
There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh
after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are
together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good,
no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their
tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under
their lips: Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness:
Their feet are swift to shed blood: Destruction and misery
are in their ways: And the way of peace have they not known:
There is no fear of God before their eyes."
Romans 3:10-18, KJV
But looking again to the examples found in the Bible, Mary
Magdalene, the prostitute turned dedicated follower, most
certainly qualified as a candidate for demonic possession.
In fact, we are clearly told in two of the Gospels, that
Jesus cast seven devils out of her, as we see by the
following verses:
"Now when Jesus was risen early the first day of the week,
he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast
seven devils." Mark 16:9, KJV
"And certain women, which had been healed of evil spirits
and infirmities, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went
seven devils," Luke 8:2, KJV
So, as you can see, some people actually invite demons into
their lives through their own sinful lifestyles. So it would
seem then, that rebellion against God's Laws, such as His
moral laws, creates an avenue for demonic possession. We
find another clear-cut example of demonic possession in the
case of Judas Iscariot, the Lord's betrayer. His heart was
obviously not right with God. Judas was filled with doubts,
and obviously greed; and thus, he made himself a target of
demonic attack. The following verses certainly seem to
suggest that his was a case of outright demonic possession:
"When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and
testified, and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, that
one of you shall betray me. Then the disciples looked one on
another, doubting of whom he spake. Now there was leaning on
Jesus' bosom one of his disciples, whom Jesus loved. Simon
Peter therefore beckoned to him, that he should ask who it
should be of whom he spake. He then lying on Jesus' breast
saith unto him, Lord, who is it? Jesus answered, He it is,
to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when
he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son
of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then
said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly."
John 13:21-27, KJV
"Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you twelve, and one
of you is a devil?" John 6:70, KJV
Please notice that those verses very specifically state that
"Satan entered into him". The Greek word used there, which
is translated as "entered", is "eiserchomai", which the
Greek lexicon defines as "to go out or come in: to enter"
One of the sub-definitions also states "of Satan taking
possession of the body of a person". So again, it seems that
Judas was not just oppressed from without, he was possessed
from within. Extending this thought further, is it possible
that Satan himself, and not merely a demonic subordinate,
possessed Judas? Is it possible that Satan wanted to make
sure that the job got done right? Considering that one verse
states that "Satan entered into him", while the other says
that he "is a devil", I think it would be wise to leave this
question open. Regardless of who possessed Judas, we know
what the final outcome of that possession was.
It should be noted, however, that not all demonic possession
may be a result of personal sin and rebellion against God's
Laws. There may be other causes and reasons for it. As I've
explained in some of my articles, contrary to modern science
and medicine, which by its very nature attempts to attribute
scientific and medical causes to all human maladies, God's
Word makes it very clear that some bodily afflictions are
the direct result of demonic possession, or at the very
least, demonic oppression from without. When Jesus healed
certain people, how did He do it? Did He use some medicinal
herb, as if the problem was merely physical or mechanical in
nature? No. We are plainly told that the Lord went right to
the source of the problem; He cast out a demon, or perhaps
even a group of demons. Consider this prime example:
"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 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 9:17-27, KJV
So here we see a young man who had been both deaf and dumb
since he was a young child. It appears from the verses that
not only could the young man not speak, nor hear, but that
he also possibly suffered from periods of insanity, as well
as epileptic fits which caused him bodily harm. Contrary to
the modern medical view, Jesus recognized this man's problem
as a clear case of demonic possession; and thus, He worked a
miracle accordingly. Notice that the writer, Mark, uses the
phrase "foul spirit", and that the Lord very specifically
commands "Thou dumb and deaf spirit...come out of him". This
clearly points to a spiritual cause, for what is viewed by
modern medical professionals as a wholly mental and physical
affliction. The spiritual aspect of the problem evades them.
They haven't yet made the connection between one's mental
and physical state, and one's spiritual condition; because
they have been trained to believe that everything must have
a plausible scientific explanation. The idea that Satan, or
one or more of his demons, might gain control of a person's
mind, and thus their very body and physical actions, remains
foreign to such professionals. The exception to my statement
would probably be some naturopathic doctors, who, according
to my limited knowledge of said profession, do place greater
emphasis on a person's spiritual well-being, as an important
step in their recovery from illnesses of various kinds.
In addition to this connection between the spiritual and the
physical, what this story also demonstrates, is that some
people, even those in an "innocent" state, such as a child,
can become afflicted with a serious bodily ailment, by no
fault of their own. Because of the clear link that the Lord
made between the physical and the spiritual, this story also
supports the belief that even children can become the object
of a demonic possession. I am sure that some people will
undoubtedly find the previous remark rather unsettling, but
as you can see by the Scriptural evidence, this is not just
a fabrication I have dreamed up. I can only share with you
what is contained in God's Word. Consider also the following
example found in the Gospel of John:
"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from
his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who
did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his
parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest
in him." John 9:1-3, KJV
Here again, we see a man who was afflicted with blindness
from birth. Some non-Christians, and even some Christians,
might be tempted to argue that such things are not the work
of a loving God. "He would never afflict a baby in such a
manner", they might claim. "If some spiritual force is truly
involved, it must surely be Satan", they might propose. Yet,
if we take a moment to more deeply examine such erroneous
statements, what we realize, is that those people who make
such claims, are indirectly saying that Satan is in effect
more powerful than God. After all, if we continue in their
line of thought, we ultimately must ask ourselves, "If God
is so powerful, why didn't He stop Satan from afflicting a
poor baby in such a manner?". In short, we begin to doubt
God's Power; we question His Love; and we even accuse Him of
being cruel and unfair; which is exactly what Satan does. In
fact, this is what a lot of ungodly antichrists in the world
do today. They blaspheme our God, and accuse Him of being
some kind of ugly, cruel, uncaring monster. Is this not so?
Naturally, I by no means accept the notion that Satan is
more powerful than God. In fact, as I point out in other
articles, Satan and his demonic horde cannot perform their
evil deeds except by the Will and Permission of God. This
point is clearly brought out in the story of the Patriarch
Job, where we are told that Satan was only able to touch
Job, after God had specifically given him permission to do
so, as becomes evident by the following verses:
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan
answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the
earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said
unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there
is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man,
one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan
answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought?
Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house,
and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed
the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the
land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he
hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said
unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only
upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth
from the presence of the LORD." Job 1:6-12, KJV
"Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present
themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them
to present himself before the LORD. And the LORD said unto
Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD,
and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from
walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan,
Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like
him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that
feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast
his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to
destroy him without cause. And Satan answered the LORD, and
said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give
for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his
bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And
the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but
save his life. So went Satan forth from the presence of the
LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his
foot unto his crown." Job 2:1-7, KJV
In short, while this will be a difficult saying for some of
my readers to accept, the simple truth of the matter is that
demonic possession, and any physical or mental impairments
which may possibly result from demonic possession, cannot
occur, unless God allows it to happen for some reason. In my
view, there is simply no other way to interpret the verses
we have examined thus far. Their meaning seems abundantly
clear to me. Either God is in total control of His Creation,
including what Satan and his minions are allowed to do, or
else He is not. If such mental and physical maladies are the
result of demonic oppression, or outright possession, as all
of these verses seem to indicate, then this means that God
must be allowing these oppressions and possessions to take
place, in order to accomplish some Divine Purpose, which is
simply beyond our current human understanding. As I have
shared many times before, the Lord tells us:
"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your
ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher
than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my
thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9, KJV
This controversial view that God allows demonic possession
and oppression to occur, along with any mental or physical
afflictions which may accompany them, can be substantiated
further by the following verse found in the Old Testament.
To give you a little bit of background, the Lord had just
called Moses from within the Burning Bush, and dear Moses
was complaining that he was too slow of speech; which some
people interpret as meaning that Moses may have stuttered.
Please consider how the Lord replied to Moses at the time,
as it is rather revealing, and perhaps even shocking for
some people:
"And the LORD said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or
who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind?
have not I the LORD?" Exodus 4:11, KJV
So there it is in black and white straight from God's Word.
It is like a simple mathematical equation of one plus one
equals two. In the previous verse, the Lord clearly tells us
that He makes the dumb, the deaf, and the blind; and we can
assume by logical extension that His statement would include
any other form of human malady as well. In the Gospels, when
people were healed of such things, we have clearly seen that
Jesus identified and cast out a demon or a group of demons,
as the source of the problem. So, if one plus one equals
two, then the result of our equation must by necessity be,
that the way that God allows certain people to be afflicted
by such things, is by using Satan, or at least his demons,
to either oppress or possess their bodies. You will recall
that earlier in this series, I also pointed out to you how
it was the Lord who caused an evil spirit to overcome
stubborn King Saul. God was, is, and will always be, in
complete control of His entire Creation.
As we continue this series in part two, we will look at such
topics as Micaiah and the lying spirit, being deceived by our
own choice, lying spirits and false prophets, free will and
personal choice, learning through hard experience, God knows
His children, His sheep hear His voice, group possession and
demon transferral, Jewish elders were the children of Satan,
defining gnashing with teeth, the martyrdom of Stephen, the
day of Pentecost and the gift of the Holy Spirit, our bodies
are spiritual temples, the Fruits of the Spirit, our example
speaks volumes, mechanical failures, our temporal existence,
spiritual and mental link, extended punishment, afflictions
not due to sin, healing as a way to glorify God, God honors
faith, reasons for our afflictions, and folly of judging God.
I trust that you will join me.
⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .