Nov 2-8-08 Demons

DEMONS

Luke 11:14 NET Now he was casting out a demon that was mute. When the

demon had gone out, the man who had been mute began to speak, and

the crowds were amazed.

DEMONS

Popular culture tends to dismiss demons as nothing but an imaginative fantasy similar

to the "daemons" of Greek mythology, supposedly supernatural beings that

mediated between the gods and humans.

DEMONS

But Scripture presents demons not as mythological creatures, but as real

beings involved in historical events.

DEMONS

Jesus, for example, frequently encountered demons during His

ministry, as in the case of the demon-possessed mute. Demons are fallen

angels who joined with Satan in rebellion against God.

DEMONS

The Bible does not explicitly discuss their origin, but the New Testament

does speak of the fall and later imprisonment of a group of angels.

DEMONS

2 Peter 2:4 NET For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them

into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the

judgment,

DEMONS

Jude 1:6 NET You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper

domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment

of the great Day.

DEMONS

Their rebellion apparently occurred before God's creation of the world. Afterward, Satan and his followers

roamed the new creation, eventually contaminating the human race with

wickedness.

DEMONS

Genesis 3:1 NET Now the serpent was more shrewd than any of the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the

woman, "Is it really true that God said, 'You must not eat from any tree of the

orchard'?"

DEMONS

2 The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit from the trees of

the orchard; 3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the

orchard God said,

DEMONS

'You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.' " 4

The serpent said to the woman, "Surely you will not die,

DEMONS

Matthew 25:41 NET "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has

been prepared for the devil and his angels!

DEMONS

Revelation 12:9 NET So that huge dragon — the ancient serpent, the one called the

devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world — was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with

him.

DEMONS

To this day they continue to oppose God's purposes and undermine the

cause of righteousness.

Demon Possession

One of Jesus' primary purposes was to overcome the power of Satan, which is

why He regularly challenged the demonic realm.

Demon Possession

Matthew 12:25 NET Now when Jesus realized what they were thinking, he said to them, "Every kingdom divided

against itself is destroyed, and no town or house divided against itself will

stand.

Demon Possession

26 So if Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom

stand? 27 And if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be

your judges.

Demon Possession

28 But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has

already overtaken you. 29 How else can someone enter a strong man's house and steal his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can thoroughly

plunder the house.

Demon Possession

John 12:31 NET Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world

will be driven out.

Demon Possession

1 John 3:8 NET The one who practices sin is of the devil, because the devil

has been sinning from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was revealed: to destroy the works of the

devil.

Demon Possession

One of His most compassionate activities was to release persons possessed by

demons.Again, our culture tends to dismiss demon

possession as a quaint, archaic way of trying to explain physical and

psychological conditions.

Demon Possession

But the Bible never suggests that all ailments are the result of demonic

activity, only that demons can afflict people with physical symptoms such

as muteness,

Demon Possession

Matthew 12:22 NET Then they brought to him a demon-possessed man who

was blind and mute. Jesus healed him so that he could speak and see.

Demon Possession

Mark 9:17 NET A member of the crowd said to him, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit

that makes him mute.

Demon Possession

Mark 9:25 NET Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of

him and never enter him again."

Demon Possession

Deafness,Mark 9:25 NET Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of

him and never enter him again."

Demon Possession

blindness,Matthew 12:22 NET Then they brought to

him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute. Jesus healed him

so that he could speak and see.

Demon Possession

and bodily deformity.Luke 13:10 NET Now he was teaching in

one of the synagogues on the Sabbath, 11 and a woman was there who had been disabled by a spirit for

eighteen years.

Demon Possession

She was bent over and could not straighten herself up completely. 12

When Jesus saw her, he called her to him and said, "Woman, you are freed

from your infirmity."

Demon Possession

13 Then he placed his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and

praised God. The Gospels actually distinguish

between sickness and demon possession

Demon Possession

Matthew 4:24 NET So a report about him spread throughout Syria. People brought

to him all who suffered with various illnesses and afflictions, those who had

seizures, paralytics, and those possessed by demons, and he healed them.

Demon Possession

Mark 1:32 NET When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were sick and demon-possessed.

Luke 6:17 NET Then he came down with them and stood on a level place.

Demon Possession

And a large number of his disciples had gathered along with a vast multitude from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and

Sidon.

Demon Possession

They came to hear him and to be healed of their diseases, 18 and those who suffered from unclean spirits were

cured.

Demon Possession

Demons can also cause mental and emotional problems.

Matthew 8:28 NET When he came to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the

tombs met him. They were extremely violent, so that no one was able to pass

by that way.

Demon Possession

Acts 19:13 NET But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, "I

sternly warn you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."

Demon Possession

14 (Now seven sons of a man named Sceva, a Jewish high priest, were

doing this.) 15 But the evil spirit replied to them, "I know about Jesus and I am

acquainted with Paul, but who are you?"

Demon Possession

16 Then the man who was possessed by the evil spirit jumped on them and beat them all into submission. He prevailed

against them so that they fled from that house naked and wounded.

Demon Possession

The demon-possessed might rant and rave,

Mark 1:23 NET Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean

spirit, and he cried out,

Demon Possession

24 "Leave us alone, Jesus the Nazarene! Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are — the Holy

One of God!"

Demon Possession

John 10:20 NET Many of them were saying, "He is possessed by a demon and has

lost his mind! Why do you listen to him?“

Demon Possession

have uncontrolled fits, Luke 9:37 NET Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a large crowd met him. 38 Then a man from the crowd cried out, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son — he is my only child!

Demon Possession

39 A spirit seizes him, and he suddenly screams; it throws him into

convulsions and causes him to foam at the mouth. It hardly ever leaves him

alone, torturing him severely.

Demon Possession

40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so." 41 Jesus answered, "You unbelieving and

perverse generation! How much longer must I be with you and endure you?

Bring your son here."

Demon Possession

42 As the boy was approaching, the demon threw him to the ground and

shook him with convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father.

Demon Possession

Mark 1:26 NET After throwing him into convulsions, the unclean spirit cried

out with a loud voice and came out of him.

Demon Possession

and behave in an antisocial manner.Luke 8:27 NET As Jesus stepped ashore, a

certain man from the town met him who was possessed by demons. For a

long time this man had worn no clothes and had not lived in a house,

but among the tombs.

Demon Possession

Luke 8:35 NET So the people went out to see what had happened, and they came to Jesus. They found the man from whom

the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, clothed and in his right mind, and

they were afraid.

Demon Possession

In casting out demons, Jesus and His disciples used methods that differed radically from the mystical rites so

often employed in that time. Through His simple command Jesus expelled

them.

Demon Possession

Mark 1:25 NET But Jesus rebuked him: "Silence! Come out of him!"

Mark 5:8 NET (For Jesus had said to him, "Come out of that man, you unclean

spirit!")

Demon Possession

Mark 9:25 NET Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, "Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of

him and never enter him again."

Demon Possession

His disciples did the same, adding only the authority of Jesus' name to their

command. Luke 10:17 NET Then the seventy-two

returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name!"

Demon Possession

Acts 16:18 NET She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly

annoyed, and turned and said to the spirit, "I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!" And it came

out of her at once.

Demon Possession

Even some who were not His followers invoked the Lord's power

Luke 9:49 NET John answered, "Master, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because

he is not a disciple along with us."

Demon Possession

Acts 19:13 NET But some itinerant Jewish exorcists tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were possessed by evil spirits, saying, "I

sternly warn you by Jesus whom Paul preaches."

Demon Possession

Despite these straightforward means, Jesus' enemies accused Him of being

in alliance with Satan's kingdom.

Demon Possession

Mark 3:22 NET The experts in the law who came down from Jerusalem said, "He is possessed by Beelzebul," and, "By

the ruler of demons he casts out demons."

Demon Possession

The same accusation was made against Jesus' forerunner, John the Baptist.

Matthew 11:18 NET For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He

has a demon!'

Demon Possession

But Jesus' works of goodness and righteousness showed that these claims

could not be true. Luke 11:17 NET But Jesus, realizing their thoughts, said to them, "Every kingdom divided against

itself is destroyed, and a divided household falls.

Demon Possession

18 So if Satan too is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? I ask you this because you claim that I

cast out demons by Beelzebul.

Demon Possession

19 Now if I cast out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your

judges.

Demon Possession

20 But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has

already overtaken you. 21 When a strong man, fully armed, guards his

own palace, his possessions are safe.

Demon Possession

22 But when a stronger man attacks and conquers him, he takes away the first man's armor on which the man relied

and divides up his plunder.

The Final Victory

Following the resurrection of Jesus and His return to heaven, demons have continued their warfare against Him

and His followers.

The Final Victory

Romans 8:38 NET For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor

heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor

powers,

The Final Victory

39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus

our Lord.

The Final Victory

Ephesians 6:12 NET For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against

the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness,

against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.

The Final Victory

Yet Satan and his allies will ultimately be overthrown by God. After Christ returns, the devil and his angels will be defeated

and thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone—a doom with which the

demons are quite familiar.

The Final Victory

Matthew 25:41 NET "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has

been prepared for the devil and his angels!

The Final Victory

Revelation 20:10 NET And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of

fire and sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be

tormented there day and night forever and ever.

The Final Victory

Matthew 8:29 NET They cried out, "Son of God, leave us alone! Have you come here to torment us before the time?"

The Final Victory

God will achieve the final victory in a conflict that has been going on since

the beginning of time.