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Demonology A Biblical Perspective Instructor: Larry Poston (Study Guide)
Huntersfield Christian Training Center
STUDENT NAME (print)
Table of Contents BIBLICAL TEACHING REGARDING SATAN, DEMONS AND THE OCCULT IN GENERAL ...... 1 PROBLEMATIC PASSAGES REGARDING ...... 4 DEMONS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT ...... 4 DEMONS AND DEMONIC ACTIVITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT ...... 4 OTHER PASSAGES TO CONSIDER: ...... 6 SATAN (More Specifically…) ...... 7 DEMONOLOGY AND THE OCCULT: AUTHORS AND IDEAS ...... 9 A DIRECTORY OF OCCULT PHENOMENA ...... 16 CONCERNING VAMPIRES, ZOMBIES, SORCERERS AND “SUPERHEROES” ...... 18 EXORCISM AND DELIVERANCE MINISTRY – “CASTING OUT DEMONS” ...... 22 CHRISTIANS AND THE OCCULT: CONCLUSIONS ...... 25
1 BIBLICAL TEACHING REGARDING SATAN, DEMONS AND THE OCCULT IN GENERAL Larry Poston, Nyack College
1. Genesis 1:6-8 – In the Creation account, it may be observed that five of the days were blessed by God, but one was not. Which day was NOT blessed (i.e. not pronounced “good”)—and why not?
2. Genesis 3:1 -- “The serpent” appears in the first verse; appearing as the tempter who helped to bring about the original fall of humankind. Revelation 20:2 makes the connection between him/it and the devil/Satan.
3. Genesis 6:1-8 – This passage is interpreted by some to indicate that angelic beings (see Job 1:6) who had followed Satan in his rebellion against God (see Matthew 25:41) (i.e., demons) had sexual relations with human females, producing a race of half demon/half human beings called the Nephilim (this word is translated “giants” in some versions of the Bible, but the Hebrew word for “giants” is anakim, and so usually the term is simply transliterated today). This passage is connected by some theologians with Jude 6 and 2 Peter 2:4, which together allegedly teach about a class of demons who are bound in a section of the underworld called Tartarus rather than being allowed to roam free. They are confined to Tartarus because of their special sin of having sexual intercourse with women.
4. The Mosaic Covenant contains several references to a class of phenomena which, while not necessarily being directly connected with Satan, can nevertheless be categorized as “occult (meaning “secret” or “hidden” or “behind the scenes”) phenomena”:
a. Exodus 7:11-12 – speaks of secret arts, sorcerers, and magicians and demonstrates that “supernatural occurrences” are certainly not unique to Christianity. b. Exodus 28:30 -- Urim and Thummim – a means of discerning the will of God in certain situations; involved asking “yes and no” questions and casting these objects to see how God caused them to land. This practice differs from occult divination only in its SOURCE; the source here being the One True God. c. Leviticus 19:26, 31 -- condemnation of divination and sorcery, mediums and spiritists; “you will be defiled by them.” d. Leviticus 20:6 – those who consult mediums and spiritists are “prostituting themselves,“ and they are to be “cut off” from God’s people. e. Leviticus 20:27 – Here the death penalty is commanded for spiritists/mediums f. Deuteronomy 18:10-13 -- divination, sorcery, interpretation of omens, witchcraft, casting spells, mediumship, and spiritism are all condemned in this passage; those who engage in these practices are “detestable to the Lord.”
5. 1 Samuel 28:6ff – contains the account of Saul and the witch of Endor (there are various views as to what is actually happening here)
6. 1 Chronicles 21:1 – speaks of Satan’s influence on David the King – the “man after God’s own heart” (cf. 2 Samuel 24:1).
7. Job 1:6-12 -- Satan is seen here as having access to the presence of God. Does he still have such access, or did he lose this access when he “fell like a lightning flash” (Luke 10:18).
8. Isaiah 14:12-15 – A description of Satan. Many scholars find it difficult to believe that the characteristics of the person being directly addressed (i.e. the king of Babylon – v.4) could be those of a mere human being, particularly when compared with the next passage. Thus it is believed that the address is to the spiritual being (i.e. Satan) that stands behind and empowers this person.
9. Ezekiel 28:11-19 – A more detailed description of Satan. It is believed by many scholars that while it is the king of Tyre who is being addressed directly, the characteristics in the description cannot be those of a mere human. Thus it is believed that the address is to the spiritual being (i.e. Satan) that stands behind and empowers this person.
2 10. Matthew 4:1-11 – The account of Jesus being tempted by Satan in the wilderness.Some see this as a paradigm of Satan’s temptations in general. First, he tempts us to be independent and provide for ourselves in order to satisfy our desires (i.e. turn stones into bread). Second, he tempts us to be naively dependent on God (“throw yourself off this building—God will take care of you”). And third, if we get past those two temptations, he will tempt us to believe that we’re all-powerful; we could have all the kingdoms on earth (“bow down to me and all these kingdoms will be yours”).
11. Matthew—as is the case with the other Gospels—gives several accounts of Jesus dealing with demon possession and/or demonic activity (see separate handout “Demons and Demonic Activity in the New Testament”).
12. Matthew 12:43-45 – Here Jesus teaches the importance of “follow-up” to any exorcism/deliverance session. According to His teaching, “when an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.” Eventually this demonic spirit decides to return to its original host, and “when it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first.” Thus we see that a “deliverance session” by itself is not nearly enough with respect to liberating a human being from demonic bondage.
13. Matthew 25:41 gives one of the clearest teachings in the Bible regarding the connection between “the devil” (i.e. Satan) and “his angels,” from which is derived the doctrine that Satan was the leader of an entire group of angels in his original rebellion against God, and these “fallen angels” are what we today call “demons.” This passage also indicates the eventual fate of these fallen beings: “eternal fire” (i.e. Gehenna) which was prepared specifically for them.
14. Lukan passages dealing with the occult and the satanic:
a. Luke 10:18-19 – Jesus states that He saw “Satan falling like a lightning flash” – which could mean his original expulsion from the presence of God before the creation of the world, or it could have been at some later point that we don’t have any details regarding. b. Luke 16:19-31 – which deals with the reality of Hell/Hades and gives insight regarding the question of whether Satan resides in or rules over this place) (with Jude 6, 2 Peter 2:4, Matt 25:41; Revelation 20:11-15) c. Luke 22:3 (along with John 13:27) – apparently Judas was “possessed” by Satan (Satan entered into him), leading him to betray Jesus.
15. John 8:44 – Jesus calls the Jewish people of His day “children of the devil” – using belief in Himself and obedience to His Word as the “test” for determining which “father” (i.e. God or the devil) one could claim. He gives the following characteristics of the devil: a. A murderer from the beginning b. Does not stand in/adhere to the Truth c. There is no truth in him d. When he lies, he speaks his native language and out of his own character e. He is a liar and the father of lies.
16. Acts 8:9ff – concerning Simon the Sorcerer/Magician, who even after becoming a Christian was still interested in obtaining “power” to do supernatural things (“give me this power also…”) , even to the point of offering to purchase this ability. He is told to repent of such “wickedness” – a warning to all Christians, especially those who have dabbled in the supernatural in their past.
17. Acts 19:13-20 – concerning the sons of Sceva, Jewish exorcists who believed that a “technique” involving the use of Jesus’ name would accomplish their purposes. The results were disastrous, showing that “techniques” are not the means by which demons may be controlled or cast out.
18. The Pauline epistles:
a. Romans 16:20 – concerning the “crushing” of Satan (cf. Genesis 3:15) b. 1 Corinthians 5:5 – concerning one of the “uses” of Satan: to “destroy the flesh” 3 c. 1 Corinthians 10:18-22 – Paul clearly states here that sacrifices offered to idols are actually offered to demons, implying that it is through demonic/Satanic influence that idol worship is formed, showing that demons desire—even crave—to be worshiped. d. 2 Corinthians 11:13-15 – concerning false apostles; Paul states that Satan himself masquerades as an “angel of light” e. 2 Corinthians 12:7 – concerning a “messenger (angel) of Satan” (angelos satanos) being Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” Taken literally, this would mean that Paul was “given” a demon to “buffet” him in order to keep him from becoming too proud of his supernatural experiences (a similar situation is discussed below in the section of “Problematic Passages in the O.T.). f. Galatians 5:19-20 – in which witchcraft is included in a listing of the acts of the sin nature g. Ephesians 2:1-2 – which speaks of Satan as the “prince of the kingdom/power of the air” – and is connected by some with Genesis 1 and God’s refusal to bless the second day of creation—the day on which He created the air. h. Ephesians 6:10-17 – the armor needed to withstand “the schemes of the devil” in “this present darkness.” We learn here that Satan is a “plotter” – he has schemes. i. 2 Thessalonians 2:1-12 – concerning the “man of lawlessness,” considered to be the Antichrist, and connected with Satan; by some considered to be the second member of a Satanic Trinity j. 1 Timothy 3:7 – concerning “the devil’s trap/snare”—to be especially avoided by those in leadership positions (see also 2 Tim. 2:26) k. 1 Timothy 4:1 – concerning the “teachings of demons/doctrines of demons” l. 1 Timothy 5:15 – concerning the possibility for widows to be distracted into actually “following Satan” m. 2 Timothy 2:26 – a more generic usage of the “devil’s trap/snare” idea
19. James 4:7 speaks of “resisting the devil” and promises that if you do so he will “flee from you.”
20. 1 Peter 5:8 speaks of the devil as “prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”
21. Johannine epistles
a. 1 John 2:13-14 – John writes of the need for young men in particular to “overcome the evil one” b. 1 John 2:18 – John’s view is that while a specific Antichrist is coming, many antichrist (s) had already come in his own day. c. 1 John 3:8-10 – John’s teaching is that “whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil” – in other words, those who make no effort whatsoever to deal with sinful activities should not be assumed to be Christians. “No one born of God makes a practice of sinning” – a true Christian has his/her foot on the brake, not the accelerator. He/she may not have stopped completely, but he/she is stopping… d. 1 John 3:8 – one of Jesus’ chief purposes in incarnating Himself was to “destroy the works of the devil” e. 1 John 3:11-12 – John believes that such persons as Cain actually “belong to the evil one” f. 1 John 4:1-6 – here John speaks of the necessity of “testing the spirits” – for there are “spirits from God” and “spirits not from God” also called “spirits of antichrist.” Confession of the Incarnation (“that Jesus has come in the flesh”) is necessary to be categorized as a “spirit from God.”
22. Jude 6 – speaks of “angels who did not stay within their own position of authority” – considered by some scholars to be connected with 2 Peter 2:4 which speaks of a genre of fallen angels who sinned and were “cast into Tartarus.”
23. Jude 9 – speaks of the archangel Michael disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, and how even Michael would not speak against Satan in his own authority. His response was “The Lord rebuke you.”
4 24. Revelation of John
a. 2:9-10; 3:9 – John speaks here of “synagogues of Satan,” in reference to persons “who say they are Jews but are not” and who were slandering the members of the churches in Smyrna and in Philadelphia. He also states that “the devil will put some of you in prison to test you…” revealing John’s view of how earthly events are constructed: some by God, some by Satan. b. 2:13 – here the city of Pergamum is labeled as “your city where Satan lives.” c. 2:24 – contains a reference to “the so-called deep secrets of Satan.” d. 12:1-17 – Introduces “the Dragon,” who is identified in 20:2 as Satan e. 13:1-18 – The Dragon, The Beast and the False Prophet (i.e. believed by some to indicate the existence of a Satanic Trinity, a mockery of the Divine Trinity). f. 16:13-14 – speaks of “evil” or “unclean” (i.e. demonic) spirits that issue from the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. g. 17 – speaks of a woman—named “Mystery,” “Babylon the Great,” the Mother of Prostitutes and Abominations”—who was seated on The Beast and who was “drunk with the blood of the saints” – believed to be a reference to the persecution of Christians. h. 18 – speaks of the fall of Babylon the Great, which had become a “home for demons” (v.2). i. 19:19-21 – Here is an account of the defeat of the Beast and the False Prophet by Jesus. j. 20:1-3 – Here John links four distinct names/titles: dragon, ancient serpent, devil and Satan. These are identified as the same being. In this context this being is “thrown into the Abyss,” linked by many with the section of Hades known as “Tartarus.” k. 20:7-10 – speaks of the release of Satan from the Abyss/Tartarus for a short period and his subsequent final defeat and punishment in Gehenna. l. 22:14-15 – Even in the New Heaven and New Earth, there will be a location “outside [the city]” (i.e. in Hell) in which are (among others) practicers of magical arts.
PROBLEMATIC PASSAGES REGARDING DEMONS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
• The Old Testament doesn’t say much about the demonic at all (just as it doesn’t say much about Satan), and even what it does say is quite ambiguous with respect to “evil spirits.” While definitely “evil”—and fallen—they are apparently still under the control of God in some sense, and God uses them to accomplish His purposes:
1. Judges 9:23 – “God sent an evil spirit…” 2. 1 Samuel 16:14 – “an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him…” 3. 1 Samuel 16:23 – “a spirit from God…” 4. 1 Samuel 18:10 – “an evil spirit from God…” 5. 1 Samuel 19:9 – “an evil spirit from the Lord…”
• In 2 Chronicles 18:18-22 we see “the Host of Heaven”—on God’s right and on His left… Here a “lying spirit” – one who was deceptive and deceiving—wins the approval of the Lord. Would this be one of the elect angels that agreed to lie and won approval for this strategy? Or would this be a demon that was a part of the Host of Heaven, who worked with and for God? There are, of course, problems with either one of these interpretations.
• The Old Testament gods/idols are considered to be demons:
1. Deuteronomy 32:15-17: “…they stirred Him to jealousy with strange gods…they sacrificed to demons that were no gods…to new gods that had come recently.” 2. Psalm 106:34-38: “…They served their idols…they sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons…” 3. [This same connection is also reflected in 1 Corinthians 10:19-21—see above]
DEMONS AND DEMONIC ACTIVITY IN THE NEW TESTAMENT
1. Matthew 8:28-34; Mark 5:2-20
(Matthew's account): 5 • Two men; dwelt among tombs; so violent no one could pass that way; recognized Jesus as the Son of God; shouted; knew of coming torture; begged to be sent into pigs; can possess animals as well as people; but apparently cannot control animals as they can people, since they were unable to stop the pigs' dash into the water. • Jesus spoke only a single word to them: "Go!" • Obviously demonically influenced.
(Mark's account): • a single man; could not be bound even with a chain; no one strong enough to subdue him; screamed and cut himself with stones night and day; shouted at the top of his voice; recognized Jesus as the Son of God; Legion, "for we are many;" did not want to leave the area (territoriality?); desired to go into the pigs; 2000 pigs (so it's possible there really were 1000 demons?) • Jesus said, "Come out of this man, you evil spirit!" (singular). Then asked his name (because they refused to respond to "evil spirit?") • Obviously demonically influenced.
2. Matthew 9:32-33
• a single man; mute; when the demon had been driven out, the man could speak. • Nothing more is conveyed here. Doesn't say what Jesus said; implies that demons can affect physical bodily functions. Interesting to note that the previous situation shows demon-possessed persons who scream; this one show one that is mute. • Obviously demonically influenced.
3. Matthew 12:22; Luke 11:14
• a single man; blind and mute; Jesus healed him. Luke says that the demon was mute. • Obviously demonically influenced.
4. Matthew 15:22-29; Mark 7:25-30
• a single female; daughter of a Canaanite woman. Healed from a distance; Jesus did not even have personal contact with the demon-possessed girl; said nothing directly to the demon; yet the demon left. • According to Mark, a little daughter; mother a Syro-Phoenician, a Greek. Jesus told the woman that the demon had left her daughter; she returned home and found her daughter lying on the bed, the demon gone. • Deliverance session, in which demons are confronted, not always necessary? Exorcism can occur through faith in the power/promise of God from a distance.
5. Matthew 17:14-18; Mark 9:17-27; Luke 9:37-42 (Matthew's account): • a young boy; seizures; suffering greatly; falls into fire or water; could not be healed by the disciples. • Jesus is a bit put out by the whole situation; impatient with disciples. He "rebuked" the demon, and it came out of the boy. • The disciples could not drive out the demon because they had too little faith. • Obviously demonically influenced.
(Mark's account): • robbed him of speech; throws him to the ground; he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth; becomes rigid; had been this way since childhood; often thrown the boy into fire and water to kill him. • Jesus' command: "You deaf and mute spirit [direct address], I command you [authority exercised] to come out of him [direct order to leave] and never enter him again [sealing the future, preventing re-entry].
6 (Luke's account): • spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; throws him into convulsions; foams at the mouth; scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him. • Jesus "rebuked the unclean spirit" and "healed the boy" (thus exorcism can be a form of healing).
6. Mark 1:23-26; Luke 4:33-35
• a single man; in the synagogue (implying a somewhat religious/patriotic person, who attended the synagogue regularly); cried out; plurality of demons ("us"); recognized Jesus mockingly (Luke); shook the man violently; threw the man down violently before witnesses (Luke); came out with a shriek. • Jesus spoke sternly "come out of him" and "be quiet." • Obviously demonically influenced.
7. Mark 16:9; Luke 8:2-3
• Mary Magdalene (a woman); had previously had seven demons driven out; uses word "cured" of demonization in the same way that one is cured of disease.
8. Acts 16:16-17
• slave girl (female); a spirit by which she predicted the future (transpatial/transtemporal abilities); involved in fortune-telling; followed Paul, proclaiming who he was and who his companions were, to the point of being obnoxious; kept it up for days. • apparently only a single demon. • Paul says: "In the name of Jesus Christ [invoking of Jesus' authority] I command you [use of command] to come out of her [command to do a specific thing—to leave].
9. Acts 19:11-16
• the seven sons of Sceva; a plan to imitate Paul's "deliverance ministry technique" goes awry when non-Christians are attempting to exorcise. • indications of demonic knowledge: "I know about Paul" (communication exists between demons). • demons exhibit ferocity and can injure and inflict wounds.
OTHER PASSAGES TO CONSIDER: Matthew 4:24; Matthew 8:16
• Makes clear distinctions between those who are "demon-possessed" and those who have diseases, seizures, etc. Demons can apparently cause illness and seizures, but this passage make it clear that not all such cases are demonic.
Luke 4:41
• demons come out of many people; they shouted; recognized that Jesus was the Son of God; Jesus rebuked them and would not allow them to speak (did not hold long conversations with them).
Luke 10:17-19
• The 72 who were sent out returned with joy because "even the demons submit to us in your name.” • Jesus had given them authority to "trample on snakes and scorpions, overcome all the power of the enemy, and not be harmed."
It is important that we as Christians study these Scriptural references in depth and make note of what they teach and what they do NOT teach, and then compare these observations with the teachings of contemporary demonologists. For instance, do we find in any of these scenarios even a single instance of a 7 demon causing a person to engage in a specific sinful activity, such as adultery or murder or rape or theft or lying?
SATAN (More Specifically…)
1. Satan is called by various names/titles in the Bible, including the following:
1. Accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10) 2. Beelzebub (i.e. Baal- zebub—“Lord of the flies”) (Matthew 12:24) 3. Belial (which literally means “worthlessness”—see Acts 14:15) (2 Corinthians 6:15) 4. The devil (Matthew 4:1) 5. The Dragon (Revelation 12:3) 6. The enemy (Matthew 13:39) 7. The Father of lies (John 8:44) 8. God of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) 9. Liar (John 8:44) 10. Murderer (John 8:44) 11. Power of Darkness (Colossians 1:13) 12. Prince of this World (John 12:31; 14:30) 13. Prince of Devils (Matthew 12:24) 14. Prince of the Power of the Air (Ephesians 2:2) 15. Ruler of the Darkness of this World (Ephesians 6:12) 16. Satan (literally “the adversary; the opponent; the enemy”) (throughout) 17. Serpent (Revelation 12:3) 18. Tempter (Matthew 4:3; 1 Thessalonians 3:5)
! Satan is represented as having many powers:
1. Can bind with disease (Luke 13:16) 2. A “sifter” (Luke 22:31) 3. A liar – no truth in him – speaks lies – causes others to lie (John 8:38-44; Acts 5:3) 4. Can “possess” (inhabit) humans (John 13:27) 5. Can set up situations that tempt sexually (1 Corinthians 7:5) 6. Can blind the minds of those who don’t believe (2 Corinthians 4:4) 7. Can appear as an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14) 8. Can send “messengers” (fallen angels—demons) to “buffet” (2 Corinthians 12:7) 9. Is a spirit that works in the children of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2) 10. Seen as a principality, power, a ruler of darkness (Ephesians 6:12) 11. Can send “fiery darts” against believers (Ephesians 6:12) 12. Can hinder the progress of missionary work (1 Thessalonians 2:18) 13. Can work power and signs and lying wonders (2 Thessalonians 2:9) 14. Can be “used” to accomplish the discipline of Christians (1 Corinthians 5; 1 timothy 1:20) 15. Sets snares (1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:26) 16. Has the power of death (Hebrews 2:14) 17. Seeks to devour as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8) 18. Has many “works” (1 John 3:8) 19. Can cast into prison (Revelation 2:10) (cf Revelation 1:18) 20. Has depths easy to ignore (Revelation 2:24) 21. Deceives the whole world (Revelation 12:9)
• Satan and his activities here on earth represent a specific side of another Biblical “tension.” This one we could portray in the following manner:
The commands of God, which "# The trials and temptations of Satan, his are a moral “high ground” and are demons, and our own sin nature, all of which a standard by which we are to live hinder us from living according to God’s standards
8 • Trials and temptations are apparently a necessary part of the sanctification process for all Christians. Matthew 18:7 says, “Woe to the world because of the things that cause people to sin! Such things must come …” And James 1:2 says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”
• In this capacity, Satan has a variety of “uses.” As we see from the lists above, Satan is an “accuser,” a “tempter,” a “sifter,” a “discipliner of Christians,” and the like. He brings about many of the temptations and trials that afflict Christians (and, of course, non-Christians as well). While he may well be convinced that he is operating independently and autonomously, in actuality he is being used by God to accomplish His own divine purposes.
• It is important to understand that Biblically, Satan does not “preside over Hell.” This idea represents a syncretism between ancient Greco/Roman mythology and Christian theology. But in actuality, neither he nor his demons are currently in that place (with the exception of the category of fallen angels that are being held in Tartarus until the day of judgment). Satan in habits “the air” – and has access to any part of the world that he desires. It is also important to understand that there is no sense in which Satan “takes people to Hell” or “sends people to Hell.” This is the prerogative of God alone, which we see clearly in Revelation 20:7-15. Satan is himself thrown into the Lake of Fire (v. 10), and then those “whose names are not found in the Book of Life” are thrown into that lake as well (v. 15). It is God, or the “elect” angels, who cast human beings into Hell, not Satan.
9 DEMONOLOGY AND THE OCCULT: AUTHORS AND IDEAS
• Because the concepts of Satan and his angels (demons) are clearly included in Scripture, Christians have developed various ideas about these beings throughout the history of Christianity. During the early church period, very little (relatively speaking) was said about this topic. During the Middle Ages, more was said but this was clearly a mixture of Biblical and pagan ideas, with the latter often receiving more emphasis than the former. Satan took on the characteristics of a satyr/faun (i.e. half man and half goat—complete with cloven hooves and horns). Demons were portrayed as monsters with wings, etc. (Google “images of demons in the Middle Ages” for examples).
• Then during the Enlightenment and on into modern times, the idea of “fallen angels” was discounted in favor of humanistic and psychological explanations of the demonic. “Demons” in the Bible were nothing more than primitive and ignorant ways of speaking about certain kinds of mental illness. It was not until the 1960s that we see a return to a more “literal” belief in the teachings of the Bible—though many were not satisfied with the general paucity of teaching regarding Satan and the demons. Thus it became fairly simple to re-enter, in a sense, the worldview of the Middle Ages and to adopt a view that was/is essentially more syncretistic, animistic and pagan than it is Biblical. The following are the most influential writers of the last45 years, and their ideas have been disseminated in both non-fiction and fictional works.
Kurt Koch. Between Christ and Satan (Kregel, 1962).
Koch’s book – translated from a German original – was groundbreaking in many respects. The book contains 178 “case studies” and the entire thesis of the book is built around these studies. There is very little offered by way of a theological basis for these ideas.
1. It brought to a popular level a systematic listing of occult phenomena 2. It was the first book to claim what for years standard theology had denied: that Christians can be demon-possessed. According to Koch, Christians are affected even more than non-Christians. 3. Koch was the first to suggest that early, even generational, exposure to occult phenomena led to experiences of such phenomena at an older age. 4. He was the first to use the term “deliverance” (as opposed to “exorcism”). 5. In keeping with up and coming trends, he set a new kind of standard for Christian thinking: that experiences are to be taken at face value, and that the Bible should be interpreted in light of experiences rather than the other way around.
Hal Lindsey. Satan is Alive and Well on Planet Earth (Zondervan, 1972).
1. This was the second book in a trilogy that made Lindsey famous (the others being The Late Great Planet Earth and There’s a New World Coming). This book enjoyed a wide circulation because of the success of his first book, and brought studies of demonology down to the level of the masses. 2. Lindsey became noted for his view of earth’s creation, Satan’s fall, and the purpose of humankind. Essentially, he says that when Satan rebelled and took a large number of the angels with him, the remaining angels experienced a “crisis” concerning God’s sovereignty. Was He truly all- powerful? Was He worth “sticking with?” Lindsey posits that in order to “prove Himself” to these angels, God created the earth, humans, the Garden of Eden and brought about the temptation and Fall in order to demonstrate His all-encompassing love and power by sacrificing His only begotten son for the sins of the human race. Such a demonstration would convince the remaining angels that He was indeed worth “sticking with.”
William Peter Blatty. The Exorcist (1972).
1. The story here is based upon events that allegedly took place in 1949 in Cottage City, Maryland to a 13 year old boy named Robbie Mannheim (also called “Roland Doe”). 2. Blatty—a Lebanese Roman Catholic who went to a Jesuit preparatory school—amplified most of the aspects of Robbie’s case and made them as outrageous, horrific, and blasphemous as possible – nothing silly or “cartoonish.” 3. He introduced the ideas of “cold air,” “green gore” (ectoplasm), head turning 360 degrees, levitation, and the like. 10 4. He is considered by some to have presented a more Biblical view of demon possession than many of the current demonologists, who present demonized persons as “normal” and “innocuous” most of the time, whereas the Bible always presents demonized people as doing extreme, bizarre things – thus the girl in The Exorcist is said to be actually more like the Biblical characters.
Mike Warnke. The Satan Seller (Bridge, 1972).
Warnke was the first to claim to have an “insider’s” view in that he was allegedly a “high priest of Satan,” and as such had been initiated and actually performed Satanic rituals, including ritual rape and human mutilation, etc. The account claims that witchcraft, Satanism, drugs, rock and roll music and promiscuous sex are actually inextricably intertwined into one single system. If a person participates in any one of these items, he/she will inevitably be drawn into the other items eventually. Characteristics:
1. Positing and linkage between witchcraft, drugs, rock music, Satanism, and casual sexuality 2. Allegedly presented an “insider’s view” so it must be true (in keeping with the idea that experience is the final arbiter of truth). 3. Attributes great powers – even frightening powers – to demons (i.e. they can burn down houses or businesses on demand, etc.) 4. Speaks of conspiracies, such as the Illuminati, the Trilateral Commission etc., being “fronts” for demonic strategies 5. Claims that demons outnumber people; they can be “called up” and used to carry out revenge, to make mischief, and for other forms of evil; 6. Claims that demons can bring about de-materialization and materialization (i.e. “transference”) of human beings from one location to another; 7. Claims that ritual sacrifice is performed on a regular basis by Satanic cults, including fertility rites and ritual rape.
The July/August 1992 edition of Cornerstone Magazine showed that the entire story was a complete fabrication. Warnke initially denied the accusation but later admitted that he had indeed made the entire story up.
Frank Peretti. This Present Darkness (1986); Piercing the Darkness (1989).
• Peretti was the true founder and “popularizer” of the demonology trend of the late 20th century. He did for the general Christian public what none of the other authors we have talked about was able to do. Even though these works are clearly works of fiction, they are read as “theology” by persons who are not Biblically educated enough to be able to discern truth from falsehood or exaggeration.
• Peretti brought to a grassroots and “lay” level the following: portrayals of the nature of the angelic realm; the nature of the demonic realm; political and social issues in general; the New Age Movement; public school/university curricula; a particular view of “spiritual authority;” and a particular view of the power and efficacy of prayer. His contributions included the following ideas:
1. The spiritual realm interfaces with the natural realm to a much greater extent than we are aware of or care to admit. 2. Both angels and demons exist in and are subject to hierarchical structures. 3. Angelic power is dependent upon human prayer intercession. 4. Demons (and perhaps angels?) can be killed/destroyed; prayer can heal them. 5. There are conspiracies of demonic influence in influential institutions, such as public schools, universities, etc. 6. Angels and demons can influence even mechanical/naturalistic items. 7. Faddish or trendy children’s toys can have definite connections to the New Age Movement and/or the demonic realm. 8. There are ethnic and gender variations among angels (and demons?) 9. Spiritual warfare is mainly conducted by means of prayer, not so much by direct confrontation with demons. The latter takes place only when absolutely necessary.
11 C. Fred Dickason. Demon Possession and the Christian (1987).
1. Dickason (a Professor of Bible at Moody Bible Institute) insisted upon use of the term “demonization”—as opposed to “demon possession/demon oppression.” From Greek daimonizomai – “to demonize”; participle daimonizomenos—“a demon-caused passivity,” a demon controlling a somewhat passive human. In essence it is the yielding of control over one’s person to a Satanic angel. 2. He speaks of a “scale of demonization” ranging from 1 – 10. 3. The passivity leading to this control can come directly, as through one’s own involvement in occult practices, or indirectly, as through ancestral involvement. “If the parents back to the 3rd or 4th generation were involved in the occult or had demonic abilities, then the children may be affected or even invaded as a legal judgment from God” (p. 219). 4. Dickason claimed that 95% of the cases he investigated were due to ancestral activity. 5. Demons “can effect electrical and chemical changes in the brain, bypassing the mind, operating parts of the body apart from, even against, the human will.” They can also control the mind through its cooperation, either by direct assault or by indirect conditioning” (pp. 222-223). 6. Overt results of demonization are said to be: unusual physical strength; fits of rage; different personalities; resistance to spiritual things; hatred of Christ; alteration of voice; speaking in tongues (demons have told him there are no God-given miraculous gifts today); and occult powers. 7. “When believers follow the inclination of their old natures, they remove themselves from the control of the Holy Spirit… If demons reside within, they may use the occasion for inserting their own personal influences” (p. 235).
John Wimber. Power Healing (1987).
• Wimber (the founder of the Vineyard Christian Fellowship denomination) was convinced that the Church has been powerless for centuries due to its preoccupation with the mental aspects of life as opposed to the spiritual aspects. Signs and wonders must accompany the preaching of the gospel in order to establish the church’s credibility and veracity (Matt. 10:5-8, Mark 16:17-18). Driving out demons is clearly listed as one of these signs. Wimber’s contributions include:
1. Belief in the demonic influence of ancestral involvement; 2. Belief that “the rate at which people diagnose [demon] possession is inversely proportional to their education in the behavioral sciences.” In other words, the more education a person has had in the discipline of Psychology, the less one will believe in what the Bible teaches about demons. 3. All believers have been given authority to cast out demons; the Roman Catholic designation of specific “exorcists” is wrong. 4. Blurs distinctions between demonic influence and sins of the flesh: “Christians can be affected and even controlled by evil spirits if they live in unconfessed and serious sin” (p. 116). Sinful habits can be “footholds” for demonic possession. 5. Believed in the present efficacy of Ex. 20:5 –that 3rd and 4th generation curses can affect us. 6. Believed that “most people who are demonized are not aware of it” (p. 123).
C. Peter Wagner, F. Douglas Pennoyer (eds.). Wrestling With Dark Angels (1990).
Wimber 1. “We have much to learn about the real battle” and such learning can only take place through “trial and error” – an experimental approach to spiritual warfare. 2. Praise and worship are powerful tools against the enemy, as are effective prayer, power evangelism, and “cosmic level spiritual warfare.” The latter involves “prayer walks” and/or general prayer meeting throughout entire countries or around specific geographical locations; 3. Most Christians don’t know about the war; they are insensitive to God’s kingdom; they have been only minimally converted to it.
Murphy 1. “All of those we seek to bring to Christ are potentially demonized to one degree or another, most only mildly so, but some severely so.” This renders our Western approach to evangelism ineffective. 12 2. Advocates a 45-10-45 deliverance procedure, with 45% of our time in pre-deliverance, 10% in deliverance, and 45% in post-deliverance counseling. 3. The percentage of demonized believers in churches is much higher than most of us realize.
Wagner 1. Territorial spirits – demons assigned to geo-political units. 2. Quotes a Nigerian, Friday Thomas Ajah, an occult leader – who was assigned control of 12 spirits, each of whom controlled 600 spirits, totaling 7212 spirits; controlling all of Nigeria. 3. Introduces the idea of “Princes” from Daniel 10:4-14 – of Persia and Greece; and Michael as well. These are allegedly “super-demons,” at the top of a hierarchical scale. 4. From Latin America, Rita Cabezos speaks of 6 worldwide principalities: Damian, Asmodeo, Menguelesh, Arios, Beelzebub, and Nosferasteus. Under each of these are 6 governors over each nation.
George Otis, Jr. The Last of the Giants (1991).
• Otis was most noted for the concept he called “spiritual mapping” – discovering places of special demonic activity for the purposes of limiting or ending this activity through “binding” these spirits through strategic prayer. He divides these locations into the following categories: • Himalaya Mountains—the main “headquarters” of demons on planet Earth • Spiritual capitals – which are not necessarily political capitals • Sacred sites • Strongholds • captive – dense demonic populations (where demons have “taken captive” a large number of the inhabitants) • frontier – beachheads, new works • Actual capitals (meaning political capitals, such as Washington, D.C., London, Paris, etc.) • Cities under siege
1. All of the above are legitimate targets for intercession and evangelism, but a specific order of battle is necessary. 2. Since Eden was located in proximity to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq, it is likely that the serpent never actually left this area; it is his “general headquarters.” Eden # Babylon # Baghdad # Babylon restored 3. The “Prince of Persia”—mentioned in Daniel 10 as so powerful that he could resist God’s angels for 21 days–is loose again and is the driving force behind the rise of Islam.
Ed Murphy. The Handbook for Spiritual Warfare (1992).
• Murphy takes for granted that we are heading into the final conflict (i.e. the Last Days, heading toward the Great Tribulation, the Second Coming of Christ, Armageddon, etc.), and therefore the outpouring of demonic evil will be such that the Church and the world has never known. “The present generation of Christian leaders is perhaps the first since Augustine to break into an aggressive ministry to the demonized.” Murphy’s contributions to the pool of ideas are as follow:
1. Sexual abuse and SRA (Satanic Ritual Abuse) of children “is almost a national epidemic.” “Demons flow where abuse flows”; “demons flow where Satanism, Satanic occult practices, and the NAM flourish.” 2. Human sin always has a dual source: both human and demonic. 3. Categories of demons: those that are free to roam, those that are bound in the pit or abyss, those that are bound in Tartarus, those that are bound with the earth (Rev. 9:13-21). 4. Murphy claims to be “led by the Holy Spirit to seek information from demons.” 5. Connects Multiple Personality Disorder (now called Dissociative Identity Disorder) and “alters” (i.e. “alternate personalities”) with “attached demons;” psychology never stands alone. 6. Agrees with Dickason that most do not voluntarily choose to come under demonic influence. Most become demonized through ancestral influence. 7. He claims that “I have learned how to keep demons from lying to me …” What demons voluntarily reveal may not be true, but what they are forced to reveal will usually be true. 8. Uses interesting techniques, including forcing demons to retreat to a victim’s stomach. 13
Charles Kraft. Defeating Dark Angels: Breaking Demonic Oppression in the Believer’s Life (1992, 2011).
1. Kraft further developed Dickinson’s “scale” of demonization, ranging from “1” to “10.” Pretty much everyone—including Christians—could be said to be at levels 1 or 2. Full-blown “demon possession” with the bizarre behavior spoken of in the Bible would be characteristic of persons at levels 9 and 10. In between are various kinds of problems, such as compulsions and addictions, etc. 2. Kraft also developed lists of “function names” of demons, believing that if one could get a demon’s name one would be able to exorcise that demon much more quickly and efficiently. Function names include Death, Destruction, Darkness, Rage, Hate, Unforgiveness, Rebellion, Rejection, Fear, Self-rejection, Guilt, Worry, Deceit, Confusion, Criticism, Adultery, Rape, Depression, Nervousness, Sensitivity, Doubt, Pride, Perfection, Competition, Infirmity, Cancer, Diabetes, Blasphemy. 3. There are also “compulsion demons,” which go by such names as Compulsiveness, Control, Performance, Intellectualism, Religiosity, Lust, Pornography, Homosexuality, Masturbation, Alcohol, Drugs, Nicotine, Gluttony, Anorexia, Bulimia, Caffeine. 4. There are also “cult spirits,” which are Freemasonry, Christian Science, Scientology, Jehovah’s Witness, Mormonism, Ouija Board, Horoscope, Astrology, Fortune Telling, Palmistry, Water Witching, etc.
Terry Wier. Holy Sex: God’s Purpose and Plan for Our Sexuality (1999).
1. Perhaps inevitably, Christian demonology reached the far edges of credibility with works such as this one. Author Terry Wier contends that sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) are actually “sexually transmitted demons” that are “lodged in genetic material that can be transferred through body fluids and bloodlines.” Wier further contends that “a sexually polluted body exhibits demonic corruption through the presence of disease and … individuals might unknowingly carry demonic genes inherited from sinful ancestors.” “During sexual intercourse,” the author claims, “a Christian’s spirit reaches out and joins with the spirit of one’s spouse, extending the kingdom of God. If a spirit reaches out to an unclean spirit during sexual intercourse, an attachment to a demonic spirit is possible. Rather than extending the kingdom of God, spirit and body will be defiled.” 2. Therefore, “’born again’ is a sexual term. God’s Word is like His spiritual sperm. Knowing what we do about genetics, we could even say that, like the genes carried in the head of a sperm, God’s Word carries God’s characteristics. So, for you to be ‘born again,’ God’s Word, His sperm, must be implanted in your heart by the Holy Spirit. If your heart chooses to receive His Word, a new spirit will be birthed within you…The implantation of God’s sperm forms a barrier to shield the transmission of demons through bodily fluids during illicit sexual activity.” 3. Secular analyses of this work see it as a last-ditch attempt to address the sexual promiscuity that has become epidemic even among Evangelical Christians. Because abstinence programs such as “True Love Waits,” “promise rings” and the like have been complete failures (studies indicate an 88%- 90% failure rate), works such as this one seek to frighten young Christians into remaining abstinent.
Jeffrey Victor. Satanic Panic: The Creation of a Contemporary Legend (1993).
• “Again and again we are told – by journalists, police, and fundamentalists – that there exists a secret network of criminal fanatics, worshippers of Satan, who are responsible for kidnapping, human sacrifice, sexual abuse and torture of children, drug-dealing, mutilation of animals, desecration of churches and cemeteries, pornography, heavy metal lyrics, and cannibalism. This popular tale is almost entirely without foundation, but the legend continues to gather momentum, in the teeth of evidence and good sense. Networks of ‘child advocates’, credulous or self-serving social workers, instant-expert police officers, and unscrupulous ministers of religion help to spread the panic, along with fabricated survivors’ memoirs passed off as true accounts, and irresponsible broadcast ‘investigations’. A classic witch-hunt, comparable to those of medieval Europe, is under way. Innocent victims are smeared and railroaded. Satanic Panic uncovers the truth behind the satanic cult hysteria, and exposes the roots of 14 this malignant mythology, showing in detail how unsubstantiated rumor becomes transformed into publicly-accepted ‘fact’” (Back Cover).
Debbie Nathan and Michael Snedeker. Satan’s Silence: Ritual Abuse and the Making of a Modern American Witch Hunt (1995, 2001).
• “Journalist Nathan and lawyer Snedeker, both involved in debunking ritual-abuse cases, have produced a thoughtful investigation of how and why such cases have led to “moral panic” over the past 15 years. They trace how emerging theories about sex abuse which proclaimed children’s truthfulness led to a situation in which social workers supplanted police as investigators, and how changes in family and gender relations (including victimology feminism) fueled social preoccupation with demonology. They look closely at several cases, including the notorious McMartin case in California, which led to paranoiac attitudes toward public child care and to a growing “ritual-abuse industry.” Reproducing case transcripts, the authors show how children’s testimony was led; nevertheless, civil libertarians shied away from challenging such cases: “demonization of child sexual abuse as society’s ultimate evil has rendered it so holy as to be virtually immune to reasoned analysis.” The authors believe that real sexual abuse, especially incest, is underreported, and recommend that investigators be better trained as well as granted only limited immunity from malpractice. More broadly, they see a need to educate children in such a way that they develop psychological and sexual integrity” (Publishers Weekly).
Michael Cuneo. American Exorcism (2001).
• Cuneo is a sociologist of religion at Fordham University who embarked on a research project to see if there was any truth to the claims of the demonologists discussed above. He sat in on more than 50 “deliverance sessions” and sought to be an “objective observer.” But his conclusions were not of the kind that Christians would have preferred.
1. “While true believers may be reluctant to admit it, the practice of exorcism in contemporary America has also been deeply influenced by the popular entertainment industry…Exorcism became a raging concern in the United States only when the popular entertainment industry jacked up the heat…Exorcism—contemporary American-style exorcism—was a box-office smash, practically speaking, before it was anything else. Hollywood and New York City called the shot; a highly suggestible public took care of the rest.”
2. “No less than any of the countless other therapies in the therapy-mad culture of post-sixties America, it promises liberation for the addicted, hope for the forlorn, solace for the brokenhearted. It promises a new and redeemed self, a self freed from the accumulated debris of a life badly lived or a life sadly endured.”
3. “The truth is, I don’t know about the demons. I’ve personally witnessed more than fifty exorcisms—and this isn’t even counting the occasions where I’ve seen dozens of people undergoing exorcism all at once. And I still don’t know…(There was plenty of vomiting, no question about it, but nothing more impressive than what you’d probably catch most Saturday nights out behind your local bar)…Just about everyone else on hand would claim to see something extraordinary, and they’d be disappointed—confused and disappointed—that I hadn’t seen it also.”
4. “There was nothing to be seen. People tend to be so keyed up during an exorcism, so eager to sink their fingers into something preternatural, that they easily convince themselves they’re seeing, hearing, or feeling things that simply aren’t there—not really there—to be seen, heard, or felt.”
5. “The symptoms they complained of—the addictions and compulsions, the violent mood swings, the blurred self-identities, the disturbing visions and somatic sensations—all of this seemed to me fully explainable in social, cultural, medical, and psychological terms. There seemed no compelling need, no need whatsoever, to bring demons into the equation. Bringing them in seemed superfluous, a matter of explanatory overkill.”
6. “It’s quite possible that exorcism sometimes works, but this need not have anything to do with the driving out of demons. What it has to do with, in all likelihood, is something I broached earlier in 15 the chapter on charismatic exorcism: the placebo effect…Simply receiving treatment—any kind of treatment, but especially treatment in a supportive healing environment—is the ticket at least partway home.”
7. “Exorcism is a ritualized placebo, a placebo writ large, one that engages its participants on levels to which more conventional therapeutic procedures could scarcely aspire…Exorcism is more in tune with the Zeitgeist than one might imagine. In recent years increasing numbers of Americans have started experimenting with alternative medical therapies.”
8. “It doesn’t always work, and in some cases it’s downright detrimental. Some people, as we’ve seen, are bullied or badgered into undergoing exorcism…sometimes exorcism can actually prove fatal.”
J. Gordon Melton. Encyclopedia of Occultism and Parapsychology (2000); The Vampire Book: The Encyclopedia of the Undead (2010)
• Melton, a professor at Baylor University, is considered one of the most unbiased scholars when it comes to matters of vampires, witchcraft, and the occult in general. His works are standard textbooks in these fields.
• “The third edition of this comprehensive encyclopedia of vampires and vampire lore is exhaustive, covering vampire esoterica, vampire novelists, historical figures like Vlad the Impaler, and much more, and featuring an extra decade of vampire knowledge that allows Melton to incorporate the Twilight phenomenon and acknowledge the cultural importance of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and other developments in the bloody field. Melton’s research is meticulous and readers with even a passing interest in vampires will be amazed by the staggering wealth of information presented. However, Melton’s volume is redundant in the extreme and some of what he includes (such as entries like the London of Dracula’s Time) are only tenuously related to vampires. At times, it’s difficult to tell if Melton has an extremely dry sense of humor or none at all, since his entries are so obsessively single- minded. Ultimately, readers who really want something to sink their teeth into will find this indispensible, but more casual enthusiasts will likely be overwhelmed” (Publisher’s Weekly).
No works of significance have been produced during the last 15 years or so. The ones listed above are still the main sources of information for most students of this area of study. Some of the above have been updated or released as second editions. But it appears that overall, interest in the Satanic and demonic has “died down” to the point where it is no longer considered to be a major issue – which is, most likely, exactly what Satan and his demons prefer.
16 A DIRECTORY OF OCCULT PHENOMENA
1. Direct Satanic activity – “Satan worship” or “Satanism.” Satan worship is the cult of worshiping the Devil as a being or as a principle, as expressed in human selfishness, greed, lust, and self- satisfaction. During his life, Anton LaVey of San Francisco's First Church of Satan taught full enjoyment of the self and was firmly opposed to charity, compassion, and any other unselfish trait. LaVey produced The Satanic Bible, which contains information on “Satan worship”—though the contents are not what most people would think. “Satanism” in this sense is much more akin to hedonism – a complete and utter selfishness; indulging in anything and denying oneself nothing. La Vey’s “Invocation to Satan” includes the following lines: “Grant me the indulgences of which I speak! I have taken thy name as a part of myself! I live as the beasts of the field, rejoicing in the fleshly life! I favor the just and curse the rotten! By all the Gods of the Pit, I command that these things of which I speak shall come to pass! Come forth and answer to your names by manifesting my desires!” (The Satanic Bible, 144).
La Vey also writes “The Nine Satanic Statements,” which include the following:
• Satan represents indulgence, instead of abstinence. • Satan represents vital existence, instead of spiritual pipe dreams. • Satan represents undefiled wisdom, instead of hypocritical self-deceit. • Satan represents kindness to those who deserve it, instead of love wasted on ingrates. • Satan represents vengeance instead of turning the other cheek. • Satan represents all of the so-called sins, as they all lead to physical, mental, or emotional gratification.
2. "Fortune-telling", which includes the following practices:
a) Astrology - a pseudo-science that claims to be able to foretell the future by studying the supposed influence of the moon, sun, and stars on human affairs [cf. Gen. 1:14, Gen 11:4].
b) Cartomancy - the practice of consulting cards (i.e. Tarot cards) in order to foretell future events or to uncover occult (hidden) information.
c) Palmistry - the art of telling a person's fortune (i.e. information regarding the past, present, or future) by the lines on the palm of his/her hand.
d) Rod and Pendulum - the rod is the original "magic wand" concept, which can indicate current or future events. The pendulum can be used to uncover hidden information as well.
e) Crystal-gazing - the original "crystal ball" idea, not to be confused with New Age crystals. The crystal ball reveals through images or through words occult information.
f) Psychometry (Clairvoyancy) - the ability to predict future events or to know information which cannot be known through the physical senses. Jeanne Dixon is one of the most famous of the recent clairvoyants.
3. Magic -- the art of knowing and ruling the spirit, human, animal, and plant worlds, together with the world of dead matter, through extrasensory means with the aid of mystical ceremonies. Often divided into "white" and "black" magic, but it is interesting to note that even Anton LaVey states that "there is no difference between "White" and "Black" magic, except in the smug hypocrisy, guilt-ridden righteousness, and self-deceit of the "White" magician himself" (Satanic Bible, p. 110).
17 4. Spiritism
a) Psychical phenomena. (1) Precognition, which includes knowledge concerning where missing persons are located. (2) Dreams (3) Extrasensory Perception, which involves an ability to receive "thought messages" from other persons without vocalization.
b) Physical phenomena.
(1) Telekinesis, which involves an ability to move objects that are some distance away. (2) Levitation, which involves the ability to lift oneself from the ground without mechanical means in defiance of gravity. (3) Apports, which involves the ability to make objects appear or disappear at will.
c) Metaphysical phenomena
(1) Ghosts, alleged to be the spirits of dead persons. (2) Mediums/Seances, which involve the ability to contact the spirits of the dead. (3) Astral Projection, which involves the ability to gain release of one's own spirit from the body and to project it to different space/time locations.
5. Curses - this is a somewhat recent phenomenon (actually a revival of a very old phenomenon), which involves the premise that God still today conducts His affairs in accordance with Exodus 20:5: "The sins of the fathers will be visited upon the children to the 3rd and 4th generation." The idea here is that sins -- particularly the "grosser ones" -- have effects across generations. If you are plagued by problems that seem insurmountable, the root cause may lie with an ancestor as far back as four generations ago. Direct demonic influence can also be passed down in the same way. [Keep in mind that it is held by most scholars in Christian history that Ezekiel 18:2 and Jeremiah 31:29 make it clear that “generational curses” no longer exist under the New Covenant…]
6. Witchcraft - in its contemporary “pure” form (i.e. the Cult of Wicca), this is a pagan phenomenon rather than a specifically Satanic or demonic phenomenon. Gardnerian Wicca (the current variety of “witchcraft”) does not, of course, exist in the Bible. The King James Version uses the word “witch” to translate the Hebrew kashaph (which would actually mean “sorcerer”), and uses “witchcraft” to translate qecem (which carries the idea of “divination”). These roots both have to do with the casting of lots to determine the future or the will of the gods, and as such have to do with pagan concepts of the occult. Verses which are germane to the subject are the following:
• Exodus 22:18 (sorcery; punishment) • Leviticus 19:31 (mediumship, spiritism) • Leviticus 20:6, 27 (punishment) • Deuteronomy 18:9-14 (punishment) • 1 Samuel 15:23 (sinfulness of) • 1 Samuel 28:7-25 (Saul and the medium/witch of Endor) • 1 Chronicles 10:13 (punishment) • 2 Chronicles 33:6 (sinfulness/evil of) • Isaiah 8:19 (sinfulness of) • Zechariah 10:2 (falsity of) • Malachi 3:5 (punishment) • Acts 13:8-11 (condemnation of) • Acts 16:16-18 (condemnation of) • Acts 19:19 (renunciation of) • Galatians 5:19-20 (sinfulness of)
18 Gardnerian Wicca, on the other hand, is the product of Gerald Gardner (1884-1964), a Britisher who spent much of his life in Southern Asia. He collected occult teachings, particularly those having to do with the Goddess, the divine Female principle seen in the “Mother Earth” legends. Wicca was derived mainly from his book Witchcraft Today (1954), which advocated a return to worship of the Goddess as seen in Nature. Thus Wicca is “pagan,” in the sense of paganism’s literal meaning (“of the land”) – signifying the forces of Nature as ruled over by the Goddess. Modern witchcraft has much in common with the New Age concept of “Gaia,” the idea that Earth is actually a living creature that “thinks” and “feels” and expresses herself through weather and natural disasters. Witches (which are both female and male – there is no such thing as a “warlock” except in Hollywood movies) have no basic creed or doctrinal statement, other than the Wiccan Rede: “That ye harm none, do what ye will.”
CONCERNING VAMPIRES, ZOMBIES, SORCERERS AND “SUPERHEROES”
• During the Enlightenment period (1700-1789) and its immediate aftermath, many of the superstitions that came into being during the Middle Ages were refuted and discarded. Creatures that had been taken for granted—such as fairies, leprechauns, witches, vampires, werewolves, zombies and the like—were moved from the category of “real” to the stuff of legends and mythologies. Human history, it was claimed, had reached a point where such “primitive ideas” were no longer believed by the “evolved and advanced human race of the modern world.”
• In recent decades, however, nearly all of these “myths” and “legends” have made a rather dramatic comeback, and we find actual belief in such beings to be rampant in our “post-modern” world. This phenomenon may be interpreted as the rejection of modernist, non-supernaturalist thinking by men and women made in the image of God, who even in the ruined brokenness of that image have a primal awareness that there is more to existence than what one can see, hear, touch, smell, etc.
• Most famous “popularizers” of the vampire underworld are currently Anne Rice (Interview with the Vampire, The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned), Stephen Kaplan (Vampires Are), and Stephanie Meyer (Twilight, New Moon, Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn). These authors have done for vampires what Frank Peretti did for demons. Indeed, one of the most popular non-fiction works about vampires borrowed its title from Peretti: Katherine Ramsland’s Piercing the Darkness (Boxtree, 1998).
• There are estimates of “several thousand” vampires in the United States (mainly in NYC, LA, and Chicago) and in Europe—but no one really knows how to get an accurate count. There are currently some 86,000,000 web pages that mention vampires of some kind or another.
• Vampires are much more closely connected with Gothic culture, with gay culture, and with sexuality in general than they are with the Transylvanian Dracula legends.
• There are several different types of Vampires:
1. “Classicals”
Classicals, also known as Classics, are what most people visualize when they think of a Vampire. This is the kind portrayed in Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight series, in the Anne Rice novels, in Bram Stoker’s original story of Dracula, etc. But much has been fictionalized. Vampires are not “dead persons,” for instance, neither do they have pale skin, long fangs, etc. Classicals are infected with the Vampire retrovirus from birth and have an altered DNA structure. They must feed on fresh, living blood in order to remain healthy and vigorous. The intensity and totality of the chemical and physical changes in a Classical prolong its life almost indefinitely. After 700 years, they are considered to have reached the stage of immortality, and will simply continue as long as their lives are not ended through violent or accidental means. Most have extreme sensitivity to light and heat. While most CAN go out in daylight, most prefer not to. Classicals do NOT bite the neck, but rather an arm, thigh, or breast. The only time they would bite the neck would be to intentionally kill a person. They are very unpredictable, extremely strong, and all should be presumed to be killers on occasion. Falling in love with, marrying, or even developing a deep friendship with a vampire is generally not a good idea … [see http://www.vampiricstudies.com/classical.html ] 19 2. Bloodists and Fetishists
Bloodists and Fetishists are not real vampires. They, Bloodists, are only humans who enjoy feeding from one another. They are not vampires and they do not necessarily have the psychological problems so often attributed to sexual fetishists. Bloodists do not need blood to survive. They simply have made a life style out of sharing one another’s blood for pleasure, intimacy or some other form of bonding and closeness. Bloodists do often have both blood and sex, or just the ‘blooding’ which in many cases replaces the passion of sex itself.
3. Sanguines
Sanguines are vampires and obtain their blood from donors and friends. Usually they do so by slicing with a razor, scalpel or other device included in the design of various jewelry. Blood pumps and needles are also used but biting is seldom employed by Sanguines. Most often these arrangements are consensual, but very dangerous. Such practices can lead to infections and transmitted illnesses of the blood. There are many things just as bad as AIDS which can be carried in the blood of an infected person. Illnesses that lay dormant, then strike a few months or years from now … all just as serious and many just as deadly. And all of which can be passed on by you … if you contract them without knowing it. The safest thing is to not take part in Sanguine vampirism, but if you must then be sure you and your blood partners have valid lab tests before you proceed. Go with that person so you can be sure it is their actual blood and urine samples that are given to the lab. If you are going to use a razor or needle, be sure it is sterilized with alcohol and heat before and after every usage. Use disposable needles, do not share used needles and do not use a razor that is not completely cleaned of blood each and every time. But the best way to stay safe is to keep away. Don’t even begin. 4. Nighttimers and Inheritors
Night-timer is a title given to a race of beings who are actually also Inheritors. Night-timers are affected and infected by a much weaker strain of what’s become known as the V5 virus. Inheritors tend to be more arrogant and “pushy” than Night-timers, who are quieter and, in a sense, more “shy.” Night-timers normally live much longer than humans; they average 200 – 300 years. At age 300, they look about 80 or 90. They are physically stronger than humans—some say 3 – 5 times as strong. They may be killed in most of the normal ways of killing humans, but not as easily. Inheritor vampires heal much faster than normal humans, and even faster than Night- timers. Inheritors can regenerate their own organs, which Night-timers cannot do. Inheritors are immune to AIDS and other blood-born illnesses. Night-timers are psychic. They have an extreme sensitivity to light, heat and sun. They function better after dark, and prefer not to go out during the daylight hours. Night-timers consume blood as nourishment; if they cease for any length of time, they become weak and prone to illnesses. Unlike Classicals and Inheritors, who prefer their blood “live” and pumping from a vein or artery, they eat regular food as well.
5. Genetic Vampires
Genetics are similar to Inheritors. The difference is that to be an Inheritor, one must be born into the lifestyle and inherit vampiric abilities from someone in the family. Genetics have been infected with a virus that has altered their body chemistry; they become, in a sense, mutants. The virus slows the aging process down enormously. Most Genetic males are said to be infertile, while Genetic females are believed to be able to pass on the mutated state.
6. Psychic vampires (also called “Psi vampires”)
These are also considered not to be true vampires. Rather than drinking the blood of persons, they are instead intent upon draining energy from a person. They leave persons feeling tired and drained for no apparent reason. Often one may really like this person and are unable to understand why he or she leaves one feeling so tired and out of sorts. They sap one’s energy, asking continual questions, seeking opinions and ideas from others which they soak up, re-arrange and present as their own while never really contributing anything new, different or original to whatever they are involved in. Then, once they have assimilated all the information they can leech, they move on.
20 7. Incubi and Succubi
These are, in a sense, a form of Psychic vampires, but rather than draining a person through words, they do so through sex. Incubi are male demons which appear in the night and have intercourse with lonely females who long for male companionship, and Succubi are female demons who do the same for lonely men. Intercourse with these beings leaves one completely drained of all energy, and, in worse-case scenarios, one simply dies. [see www.lesvampires.org/incubi- succubi.html ] • Interaction with a vampire in many instances involves sado-masochism – in order to “make the blood flow” (“liquid electricity”). “Men attach their nipples to battery-charger jumper cables, dangerously electrifying their orgasms. Some tie their testicles with leather cords, twisting and stretching while a stranger’s fist and forearm are plunged so deeply into the bowels that their fingers feel every contraction of their beating hearts. Other boys puncture holes in the groin and arteries, sometimes slicing the nipples, drinking and sucking the blood of their brothers while thrashing towards orgasm” (Piercing the Darkness, p. 63).
• The mingling of blood and semen represent the ultimate forces of life; it is said that to combine the two fluids is to give the ultimate high, the ultimate orgasm.
• Vampirism has in many cases highly religious overtones—vampires are considered to be “dark angels,” the “shadow side of God.” Interestingly, vampirism is not seen to be incompatible with Christianity (see pp. 107-108 of Piercing the Darkness for the testimony of how a Christian may be a vampire simultaneously).
• There are now websites for “REAL vampires,” such as http://vampirewebsite.net/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VUL2tO9drus
• And then there are websites that help with “debunking” the mythology and hype surrounding vampires, such as http://www.livescience.com/24374-vampires-real-history.html and http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2013/10/what-vampire-graves-tell-us-about-ancient- superstitions/280879/
• The idea of “zombies” has actually been around since17th century and is linked to slavery in Haiti as practiced by the French. “The zombie archetype, as it appeared in Haiti and mirrored the inhumanity that existed there from 1625 to around 1800, was a projection of the African slaves’ relentless misery and subjugation. Haitian slaves believed that dying would release them back to lan guinea, literally Guinea, or Africa in general, a kind of afterlife where they could be free. Though suicide was common among slaves, those who took their own lives wouldn’t be allowed to return to lan guinea. Instead, they’d be condemned to skulk the Hispaniola plantations for eternity, an undead slave at once denied their own bodies and yet trapped inside them—a soulless zombie” (see Mike Mariani, “The Tragic, Forgotten History of Zombies,” The Atlantic, (October 28, 2015)).
• In late 20th century America, the zombie became a symbol for many of Western civilization’s social ills. “At various times, [zombies] represented capitalism, the Vietnam War, nuclear fear, even the tension surrounding the civil-rights movement. Today zombies are almost always linked with the end of the world via the “zombie apocalypse,” a global pandemic that turns most of the human population into beasts ravenous for the flesh of their own kind” (Mariani, “Forgotten”). And this is the connection with vampires. A person becomes a zombie or a vampire through infection by a virus or disease – and this fact makes each infected person a “carrier,” able to infect others. Modern demonologists have linked these ideas to the strategy of demons: to “infect” as many persons as possible through “demonization.”
• Social scientists have linked the current pre-occupation with the “zombie apocalypse” (i.e. World War Z) to the earlier “Satanic panics” and see them as simply the latest iteration of societal reactions to cultural changes. “A Zombie is a stand-in for anything we fear: pandemic, racism, societal change, the depersonalization of humanity, pervasive threat and how this threat affects people. It’s the core of drama and a never-ending blank canvas” (see Raina Kelley, “The Social Significance of Zombies,” Newsweek (October 27, 2010)). 21
• “Sorcery,” of course, appears in several contexts, from Mickey Mouse’s The Sorcerer’s Apprentice to the appearances of Gandalf and Saruman in Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings to the current popular series about Harry Potter. Most Christians will justify Tolkien’s usage of sorcery because of his Christianity and his use of Christian allegory throughout the tale. J.K. Rowling, on the other hand, makes no Christian confession and thus the Harry Potter series has been much more controversial. Some Christians pronounce it acceptable to read as “entertainment” while others denounce the occult aspects of the sorcery involved and forbid it.
• But from the standpoint of Christian theology, what can we say about these trends and “fads?” What else does the current cultural interest in vampires, zombies, sorcerers (and I would include the interest in superheroes as well) tell us about contemporary society? What is the “shattered and ruined image of God” that appears in every human being seeing – or seeking – in these beings?
1. We see a longing to extend one’s life – to have a longer life, even infinitely long. Vampires (allegedly) live for hundreds of years. Zombies just go on and on. Thor and Loki have a lifespan of 5000 years. Steve Rogers (Captain America) and Bucky can be in hibernation for decades, and still be young when they are revived. Wolverine and his brother are practically immortal. 2. We see an interest in life beyond physical death – continuing life or eternal life. To become a vampire, one’s heart must be stopped in the course of the retrovirus invading the body, and so vampirism is essentially a life on the other side of death. A zombie continues to “live” despite the fact that his/her physical body is dead and decomposing. Superheroes can survive and shake off violence to their physical forms that ordinary humans would be absolutely unable to survive. 3. We see a fascination with and desire to experience “super-natural” phenomena. The modernism of the Enlightenment period has proven to be both unsatisfying and incomplete. As bearers of the imago Dei – even in our ruined and shattered state – we as human beings KNOW that there is something more than the world that we see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. We KNOW that there are other dimensions of existence that are not explained (or perhaps even explainable) by science, and we long to see into those dimensions. Even more “orthodox” Christians are susceptible to this trend, as we see in the current fascination with “signs and wonders,” “healings,” and other alleged manifestations of the “super-natural.” 4. We see a desire to transcend moral and ethical “norms” as vampires and zombies all perform actions that go far beyond what has traditionally been considered “acceptable” in human society. 5. We see a desire that reaches all the way back to Eden itself, when the serpent said to Eve, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God…” (Gen. 3:5). Many of the superheroes are either called gods (i.e. Thor, Loki, etc.) or are the equivalent of gods (i.e. Superman, whose name is Kal-el, the “el” being the Hebrew word for God). The vampires of the Twilight series are god-like; note the descriptions of Edward by Bella: “I stared because their faces, so different, so similar, were all devastatingly, inhumanly beautiful…;” “I waved my hand toward him and all his bewildering perfection;” “I couldn’t imagine how an angel could be more glorious;” “He laughed, and then began to hum the same, unfamiliar lullaby; the voice of an archangel, soft in my ear;” “And Edward, Edward as he hunted, terrible and glorious as a young god, unstoppable;” “Edward is the youngest, the one with the reddish brown hair. The beautiful one, the godlike one…” – compare these phrases with the description of Satan as seen in Ezekiel 28:12-17. 6. We understand that the interest in the above has been displaced to vampires and zombies because Christianity has not been credible enough to satisfy these longings—and so people are searching outside of traditional religious systems—even into the realms of the bizarre and grotesque—for answers. 7. But ALL of these concepts and ideas place human populations in positions of strategic importance to Satan and his demons. These ideas serve as distractions from the REAL danger: that of a coming judgment by the One True God.
22 EXORCISM AND DELIVERANCE MINISTRY – “CASTING OUT DEMONS”
• Turning to more practical aspects of our study, we must ask ourselves what we would do if confronted by a demonized/demon-possessed person. While this writer is convinced that demons generally operate at a “macro-level” – meaning that they are mainly involved in the creation of philosophies, theologies, cultural trends and “fads” in order to simply distract as many persons as possible from knowledge of the One True God—it is nonetheless very true that to create these items, a number of human beings must be “possessed” in order for them to do the creating. Therefore it is entirely possible that any of us could at any time encounter a person who has been selected by Satan and/or his subordinates for a “strategic possession.”
• With regard to the question concerning whether or not a Christian can be demonized, I am willing to keep an open mind. None of the cases mentioned in the Bible deal for certain with Christians or even “righteous” Jews (with the possible exception of King Saul and the demon-possessed man in the synagogue), but this would be little more than an argument from silence, reflecting only one of many things that we do not know. How did the persons involved in the nine cases of demonization recorded in the Gospels become demonized—in particular the young children? We don’t know – the text simply does not say.
• As for the argument that the Holy Spirit would never allow a demon spirit to co-inhabit a human being with Him, this is only speculation. The Spirit certainly dwells alongside our (human) sin nature, the evil of which is not qualitatively different from demonic evil.
• Most of the authors that we have discussed previously write about various “techniques” that they have developed for the purpose of “delivering” possessed persons from Satanic/demonic involvement. What were once called “exorcisms” are now generally called “deliverance sessions.” These are usually included under the umbrella term “spiritual warfare,” which includes many other means of dealing with the Satanic and the demonic. One will also read of “power encounters” and “truth encounters,” the former described in depth by Neil Anderson in his book The Bondage Breaker (1990, 2000).
• With respect to “deliverance techniques,” Dr. John Ellenberger, former missionary to Indonesia and professor of Missions at Alliance Theological Seminary, held “deliverance sessions” every Friday evening at Living Christ Church in Nyack for more than a decade. Ellenberger’s system included the following:
1. Spiritual Preparation, both for the counselee (remembering, renouncing, and reclaiming) and for the counselor (confessing sin, praying, claiming protection for family members, etc.) 2. A Testing Principle – seeking to discern what kind of—if any—demon inhabits the counselee – using 1 Jn. 4:1-3. 3. An Attention Principle – commanding any demonic spirit to manifest itself 4. A Reporting Principle (based on Mark 5:9) – asking the counselee to report all the thoughts/images coming into his/her mind. 5. An Identification Principle – demanding the demon’s name, asking under what circumstances it entered into the host, asking its function in the host, determining what grounds it has for remaining, determining the hierarchy and leadership (if more than one demon is present). 6. A Persistence Principle (based on Mark 5:8-10) -- continuously and insistently commanding the demon(s) to leave. 7. A Follow-up Principle – which involves “asking the Holy Spirit to fill the void that the demons have left.”
• Another “technique” was outlined by Dr. Gerald McGraw, a professor at Toccoa Falls College who also taught at Alliance Theological Seminary during Winterims and May terms. McGraw’s system was comprised of the following:
1. An Opening Stage – which included the following prayer by the counselee: “If there are any demons in me, I command them to use my mind and my mouth to reveal themselves and to answer the questions asked of them, but they must harm me in no way whatsoever. I further command that all demons that may be in me must leave me during this session, when they are ordered out by the prayer group leader; they must go to the Abyss permanently and promptly.” There are also 23 commands to “all absent demons,” “demons who are shared with another person,” “all parts of divided demons,” and “absent communicators.” Demons are commanded not to split, to re-name or to re-group. 2. A Testing Procedure – similar to John Ellenberger’s method 3. An Identification Stage – considered the main part of the session, the purpose of which is to find “the name of the demon(s) in manifestation, how many demons are in the person, the place in the hierarchy, the time of entry, the mode of entry, the purpose in the host, and the ground for being in the host.” 4. The Expulsion Stage – binding the demons to their respective leaders (using Matt. 16:19) and ordering those leaders “to depart to the Abyss permanently and promptly.” 5. A Punishment Stage – if demons refuse to obey, the leader of the deliverance session can command punishments on them. McGraw suggests 16 different kinds of punishment, including “demotion,” “renaming,” “calling for volunteers to lead all demons out by tempting lesser demons with leadership positions.”
• Dr. Charles Kraft, professor at Fuller Theological Seminary’s School of World Mission and author of the book Defeating Dark Angels (1992, 2011), adds to the above lists his own variations, which often involve the sprinkling of holy water and holy salt on the victim, along with several other animistic practices imported into a Christian context.
• The “deliverance” ministries of Jesus and of the apostle Paul differ quite drastically from the kinds of “techniques” see in the above examples. We do not find that either of these two engaged demon- possessed persons in extended conversation. We do not see them seeking to learn as much about the “spiritual dimension” as possible. We do not see them using any specific “technique” other than simply ordering demons to leave the host immediately. We do not find demons being “sent to the Abyss” or “into the stomach;” we see no evidence of hierarchies or leaders within any specific individual.
• Demonologists insist that both Jesus and Paul were in “special categories” (i.e. the Son of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ), and therefore did not need to seek information regarding the spiritual dimension or use specific techniques of implements to deliver demonized persons. Christians today, however, are in an entirely different position, and therefore NEED to use a modified form of the “scientific method” in order to function as deliverance ministers. Written observations, interviews with demonized persons (in other words, interviews with the demons inhabiting persons) and experimentation with various techniques and objects to see “what works” are all necessary. Articles, edited works and entire books have been produced of the alleged “discoveries” and “findings” of persons who have engaged demonized persons.
• Skeptics, on the other hand, consider such approaches to be nonsensical at best and actually dangerous and harmful at worst. The idea that one can gain ANY true or useful information from a demon is considered ludicrous, since one of the chief characteristics of Satan and his followers is their propensity for lying. Jesus taught that when Satan lies, he “speaks his native language; for he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). To believe ANYTHING allegedly revealed by a demon that has been written into these articles and books is to be foolish and naïve.
• Opponents also find it highly problematic that in some cases, demonized persons have not been delivered immediately in order to continue interviews and “research” into the “spiritual dimension” through repeated sessions. Such a procedure—essentially leaving a person in a demonized state— would seem highly inconsiderate and extremely cruel, to say the least.
• I believe that John Wimber's statement that “most people who claim they are demonized are not,” is true, and Nigel Wright’s recommendation that “it is wise to be highly reluctant to conclude that a person is demonised” is good advice. Individual demonic activity is probably not nearly so widespread as some would claim; the Bible seems rather to indicate that demonic activity is more in the realm of mass delusion through the creation of philosophies, ideologies, worldviews, religions, and the like (2 Cor. 10:3-5). Satanic and demonic strategies aim to bring about the fall of millions, even billions, of people simultaneously through the creation of religious, philosophical, and even consumerist trends and fads. At some point there must be demonic contact with individuals in order to create such wide- ranging beliefs, but these would not necessarily have to be many. 24
• What is being encountered in “deliverance sessions” then? Most likely a combination of a few truly demonized persons along with persons who have deep psychological problems and persons who are weak, immature and/or confused about spiritual matters and are consequently open to auto-suggestive techniques (i.e., leading questions which produce a fulfillment of expectations). With respect to the “Satanic panics” that on occasion engulf our society (including our Christian sub-culture), it may well be that a situation which did not really involve the demonic may become demonic as demons take advantage of the interest shown in them.
• This is not to say that psychology is to be trusted more than theology—it should not be. But at the same time, not one of the deliverance counselors we have spoken of in this class is a trained psychologist, leaving the possibility that there are some enormous interpretational differences when it comes to certain phenomena. Drawing from a “pool of ideas” which currently includes accounts of channeled beings, extra-terrestrials, angels and other spiritual entities, Christians are often caught up in trends/fads which have no basis in reality. But as is the case with most of us, if we work ourselves up in a certain way, putting ourselves in a particular frame of mind, we will often see and experience what we expect to see and experience. In the midst of a so-called “deliverance session, one’s “confession of sin”—a psychological release which results in the unburdening of oneself from years of collected sinful actions and thoughts—can easily become the “voice of the demonic” for persons who are looking for such.
• A Biblical approach to deliverance ministry would appear to be the following:
1. Studying and learning what “spiritual authority” actually consists of and what it does NOT consist of. What was the significance of the disciples’ report that “even the demons submit to us in your name” (Luke 10:17)? Do we as believers seek to exercise authority over demons ourselves, or do we seek to cast out demons in Jesus’ name—on the basis of HIS authority? 2. Studying each of the situations in which Jesus and Paul confronted demonized persons, and then imitating their actions and speech. What did they do? What did they say? How long did the procedure take? I believe we would have to conclude that their interactions with demons were brief, authoritative, simple, and effective. 3. In more difficult situations of demonization, such as with the demonized boy encountered during the Mount of Transfiguration experience (Matthew 17:14-19; Mark 9:14-29), what can we learn with respect to what Jesus taught regarding the necessity of faith and prayer (and according to some translations, fasting)? 4. Jesus sent out His apostles in teams of two persons, and it was these teams that found their deliverance ministries effective (see above reference to Luke 10:17). We conclude that deliverance ministry should be a team effort, and that only in extreme circumstances should exorcism be attempted by a single individual. One individual may do the actual commanding of a demon to “come out of him/her,” while the other prays to the ultimately authoritative Lord for His intervention.
25 CHRISTIANS AND THE OCCULT: CONCLUSIONS
• We have talked about several aspects of the Satanic and demonic. We have looked at the Bible’s teachings – both from the Old Testament and from the New Testament – regarding “the devil and his angels” (Matt. 2541): We have examined the writings and teachings of many persons who have contributed to the “pool of ideas” out of which we draw our contemporary thinking. We have looked at the various manifestations that occult activity has taken in the past and takes today. We have looked at different views of “deliverance ministry” and “power encounters.”
• So – how do we evaluate all of these items? Are they real? Reading one side can be convincing; one finds it rather exhilarating to be piercing the “secrets” of the spirit realm – seemingly being able to know names and functions and details about the unseen world. This can give a sense of power. But there are many who do not believe that many of the items we have discussed are actually “true.”
• So – let me declare myself with respect to these items: I am personally skeptical regarding any spiritual experience or phenomenon that the Bible does not speak directly of. Note that the word “skeptical” does not mean “negative.” The word “skeptic” actually comes from the Greek skeptikos – meaning “thoughtful” – and from skeptesthai – meaning “to look or consider.” So—while “skepticism” is usually defined as “the doctrine that true knowledge or knowledge in a particular area is uncertain,” a skeptic is actually “a thoughtful person who looks and considers.” And as such, this definition is in keeping with 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22: “Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil.” So – when we move into the realm of experiences that are beyond those that the Bible speaks specifically of, we must be “thoughtful,” we must “look and consider,” we must “test” and discern between “good” and “evil.” We “test” by thinking through and asking ourselves certain questions:
1. Do the experiences or phenomena we are investigating contradict what we know from the Bible? 2. Are there other explanations for these experiences or phenomena besides spiritual explanations, or besides spiritual explanations that are undeniably Christian in origin? [i.e., William James]. If so, are these alternate explanations perhaps better explanations – or are they rationalizations, excuses, etc.? 3. What is the fruit of these experiences or phenomena? Glorification of God? Healing of brokenness? Celebration? Unity? Or divisiveness? Discord? Fear? Derision?
• We begin with what we do know from the Bible, because as “God-breathed Scripture” (2 Timothy 3:16), everything it teaches is absolutely trustworthy. We confess the Bible’s inspiration and inerrancy based on the fact that Jesus based all that He did during His earthly ministry on Scripture. He quoted Scripture in times of temptation, He appealed to Scripture in a multitude of discussions and arguments with religious leaders, and He was constantly citing prophetic passages as reasons for His beliefs and His actions. As followers of Jesus, we use Scripture in the same way.
1. It is clear from Scripture that evil arises from (at least) three different sources: the sinful human nature (see Romans 7:14-25); the “world” (by which is meant the cultures and societies that are the product of sinful human beings – see 1 John 2:15-16); and “the devil,” or Satan (see Matthew 25:41, etc.). So there is not just one source upon which we can blame everything… 2. It is clear from Scripture that our individual sin natures—inherited from our original parent Adam—are sufficiently evil to cause any and all major problems in our lives. Romans 3:9-18 and Romans 7:13-25 give the best expositions of what the sin nature is comprised of and what it does in each of us. We as individuals do not need demons in order to be as horrifically evil as we can possibly be. We have evil within our own natures; it’s not always “the devil that made me do it.” 3. It is clear from Scripture that the accumulated evil of individual human beings comprises cultures and societies that are collectively known as “the world,” by which is meant the SINFUL surroundings of our cultural environment. While culture is always a mix of items prompted by BOTH the sin nature AND the ruined and shattered image of God in every human being, the Bible is clear that, on the whole, it is the sinful aspect that predominates, and therefore we are commanded to “not love the world, or anything in the world, for all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh, the desires of the eyes and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world” (1 John 2:15-16). 26 4. It is clear from Scripture that the MAIN arena of “spiritual warfare” has to do with cultural items; with the mind, with ideas, with “arguments” and “imaginations” and “opinions.” As the apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 10:4-5: “For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ…” So the MAIN things for Christians to watch out for are NOT “demon possessed persons,” but rather the modern-day philosophies, religions (both large and small), worldviews, thought-trends, fads, memes and other cultural “offerings” that distract our minds and hearts away from the knowledge and worship of the One True God. 5. But it is also clear from Scripture that demons – fallen angels – exist and are active in the world. Jesus dealt with and taught about them – and as followers of Jesus we must also admit their existence and deal with them when we encounter them. 6. It is clear from Scripture that demons can influence and indwell human beings (called “demon possession” and/or “demonization”). Again, Jesus obviously dealt with such people – and as His followers we must acknowledge demons’ abilities to do the kinds of things we see them do in the Gospel accounts. But we should be VERY careful about attributing to them abilities that are not spoken of in Scripture. 7. It seems clear from Scriptural examples that actual demonization is always accompanied by bizarre, or at least abnormal, behavior. There are no indications that demons can “hide in people quietly.” While demonized persons may not be indulging in extreme behavior during every single second of their lives, Scripture seems to indicate that abnormal behavior will become unmistakable, given enough time. 8. Extra-biblical teachings such as those regarding ancestral involvement (i.e. that most demonization comes from one’s ancestors having dabbled in the occult), “possession” of Christians (since the Bible is unclear as to whether the elect can be possessed), the use of objects and words in “magical” formulas (objects such as “holy salt” or “holy water, and the use of specific “techniques” involving verbal formulas), “spiritual mapping” (i.e. discerning the names of demons presiding over specific geographical areas) and other similar items should be viewed with suspicion and a healthy skepticism (see above), due to the deceptive nature of the demonic and the lack of biblical support.
• With regard to the flesh/world/Satan divisions, the weight of New Testament teaching appears to argue for respect to be given to the order of these three as it appears above and as the Church has historically dealt with this issue. The flesh should be given primacy as the root of individual evil, and if we are experiencing troublesome aspects in our lives, we should first be honest with ourselves and with others. Am I harboring secret and unconfessed sin in my life? Have I given myself over to compulsive and or addictive habits? If the answer is yes, my first step must be to confess this sin and to enlist the aid of the Holy Spirit and of my brothers and/or sisters in Christ to aid me in my struggle for sanctification (see James 5:16).
• If I have confessed my sin and am still experiencing difficulties, I must look next at my surroundings and environment. Who are the people influencing me? What are the contexts in which I am involved? The Bible is clear that sinful companions will drag me into sin as well: “Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company ruins good morals’” (1 Cor. 15:33).
• Only when I have honestly dealt with these first two levels and still find myself troubled by sin and evil should I suspect Satanic influence, and only then should I seek the aid of a deliverance counselor. In the development of our Christian lives and the working out of our salvation (Phil. 2:12-13), it is this order that we should follow in pursuing sanctification. One does not find demonization to be considered a direct cause of human difficulties anywhere in the Old Testament, and in very little of the New Testament other than the nine incidents recorded in the Gospels. In the Bible, one does not find issues of sinful behavior ever being dealt with as demonization.
• Personal discipleship is the key to the development of the Christian life; what Eugene Peterson (borrowing from Nietzsche) calls “a long obedience in the same direction.” The Christian—new or old—must learn to walk in accordance with the revealed Word of God, and deal with the aspects of the sin nature, the world, and the Satanic/demonic as they appear in the process of sanctification. Thus the kind of “deliverance ministry” that I would personally promote consists of the following: 27
1. The voluntary placement of oneself into a discipling situation in which mutual accountability is promoted and practiced (i.e. bearing each other's burdens (Gal. 6:2), spurring one another to love and good deeds (Heb. 10:24-25), confessing your faults one to another and praying for each other (James 5:16), etc). 2. In accordance with Romans 12:1-2, ruthless control and “renewing” of the mind’s “programming” or “intake” through renunciation of television programs and movies of all but a limited genre, all pornographic materials, etc. and selected intake of biblical or otherwise “truthful, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, or praiseworthy” items (Phil. 4:8). Far too many Christians, anxious to show their Christian “freedom” and lack of “legalism,” have become complete fools by putting themselves in situations more deadly to them than they can possibly imagine. Ironically, in trying to show their “freedom in Christ,” many have become enslaved to a new form of bondage: the compulsion to show off their “freedom.” 3. In accordance with 1 Cor. 9:27, ruthless control of the body’s activities. This can include abstention from harmful items, environments, and even association with specific kinds of people. 4. Concentration upon mastery of the Word of God through daily Bible study and the memorization of selected passages from the Bible. 5. The cultivation of a dynamic and intimate prayer life. 6. The training of the will in accordance with Hebrews 5:14. This includes the focusing of all of one's thoughts and desires in a future direction, as Paul states concerning himself in Phil. 3:12-14.
• In cases of unequivocally severe demonization such as those cases which appear in the Bible—all of which are characterized by extreme, bizarre behavior—a kind of “deliverance session”/exorcism may prove to be necessary. It seems clear from Scripture that when dealing with cases of actual demonization, the highly simple but profoundly authoritative methodology of Jesus and Paul would appear to be the wisest approach to deliverance ministry. Otherwise one may find himself/herself in the situation of the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:11-20). In such circumstances I would hold myself to the example given by Jesus in the Gospels, consisting of a simple and adamant commanding of demonic spirits to leave their host in the name (and therefore on the authority) of Jesus—not taking “no” for an answer, and not seeking information or holding prolonged “interviews” or “discussions.” I would then place priority upon a “post-deliverance” discipleship process, concentrating upon a change in individual life-habits and relational environments.
• Let me leave you with a final passage to “burn into your brain”—and don’t take just the first part, which people are so fond of quoting. James 4:7-10 says: “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” This is certainly an important thing to learn: to discipline your mind and heart to RESIST – to BATTLE AGAINST – Satanic/demonic temptation; to learn to JUST SAY ‘NO.’ But the passage continues with the following commands, ALL of which are just as important as actively “resisting.” So do ALL of these things and you will never need to be afraid of “this present darkness:”
1. Come near to God and He will come near to you. 2. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 3. Grieve, mourn, and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 4. Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up.