A Manual On Exorcism - H A Maxwell Whyte

Is Exorcism for Today?
The furor created by "The Exorcist has raised many controversial questions about the almostforgotten rite of exorcism. Reactions have ranged all the ay from hysterical fear to icy s!e"ticism. #hether there is any factual basis for this "demon business is a !notty question that deserves an ans er. $ere% neatly cataloged% are forty-five of the most frequently as!ed questions about the sub&ect% ith ans ers that ma!e sense.
' (anual on Exorcism

by $. '. (')#E** #$+TE
#hita!er $ouse ,-. /ittsburgh 0treet 0"ringdale% /' 1,122 3 4o"yright 1562 by #hita!er $ouse /rinted in the 7nited 0tates of 'merica I089: .---;<--.=5-6 'll rights reserved. 9o "ortion of this boo! may be used in any form ithout the ritten "ermission of the "ublisher% ith exce"tion of brief excer"ts in maga>ine articles% revie s% etc.
Table of 4ontents
Foreword..........................................................................9 Preface............................................................................13 Part 1: Introductory Questions...................................17 1 What is a demon?.........................................................19 2 How does a person come under the influence of demons in the first place?.............................................................23 3 How can you know when you have a demon?.............27 4 How can you keep from catchin!" a demon?.............29 # What is e$orcism?........................................................33 % When demons talk& whose voice do they use? 'an any(ody hear them?........................................................3# 7 )s it safe to listen to what demons say?........................37 * )+ve heard that there are sometimes unpleasant manifestations durin! e$orcism. What are they? ,re they necessary?.......................................................................39 9 'an -ust any(ody cast out demons?............................43 Part 2: Demons and Christians...................................4 1. 'an a 'hristian (e possessed (y a demon?................47 11 )f not possessed& is there any other sense in which a 'hristian mi!ht have" a demon?..................................#1 12 Where does it say in the /i(le that a 'hristian can have a demon?.................................................................#9 13 How could a demon and the Holy 0pirit dwell in the same person at the same time?........................................%1 14 How can we (e sure that any 'hristian+s manifestation of the Holy 0pirit is !enuine& if 'hristians can have demons?............................................................%# 1# Was 1aul+s thorn in the flesh a demon?....................%9 1% How can a 'hristian resist the demonic influences that surround him?.........................................................73
Part 3: !inds of Demons..............................................77 17 ,re there demons that cause sickness?......................79 1* )s all sickness caused (y demons?..............................*3 19 )f a person is set free from a demon that has caused sickness& should he immediately !ive up all medication? .........................................................................................*7 2. ,re there demons that cause emotional distur(ances& or are such pro(lems merely psycholo!ical?...................93 21 ,re there certain kinds of demons that may contaminate us throu!h e$perimentation with the occult? .........................................................................................9# 22 ,re there demons that can come to us throu!h our ancestors?........................................................................99 23 'ould there (e such a thin! as a 2dormant demon" which mi!ht not manifest itself until a certain time in a person+s life?.................................................................1.3 24 ,re some demons stron!er than others?..................1.7 Part 4: "he #inistry of $%orcism..............................11& 2# Why must demons leave when a 'hristian !ives the command?.....................................................................111 2% 0hould ine$perienced people try e$orcism?.............11# 27 0hould any 'hristian attempt to cast demons out of others (efore he has (een (apti3ed in the Holy 0pirit?. 121 2* )s fastin! necessary for successful e$orcism?..........12# 29 4o 'hristians have authority to send demons to the pit of hell?......................................................................129 3. What did 1aul mean when he wrote& 5od... shall (ruise 0atan under your feet shortly2 67omans 1%82.9? .......................................................................................13# 31 0houldn+t e$orcism he done privately& away from the eyes of people who mi!ht not understand?...................139 32 )s it necessary to spend hours at a stretch tryin! to set a person free from demons?...........................................143 33 :ust the e$orcist force demons to name themselves (efore castin! them out?...............................................147 34 ,re demons always e$pelled throu!h the mouth?...1#1
3# Why do some people !et only a partial deliverance when demons are e$pelled?...........................................1#3 3% )f a 'hristian has (een delivered of a demon& is there any !uarantee that the demon will not return?............1#7 Part ': ()*ections to $%orcism..................................1 & 37 )sn;t it dan!erous to cast out demons?....................1%1 3* 0hould we not -ust preach the 5ospel and not concern ourselves with this e$orcism (usiness?.........................1%# 39 )sn;t it a mentally unhealthy thin! to (ecome too demon conscious"?......................................................171 4. 'an;t demons (e handled more effectively (y simply praisin! 5od and i!norin! them?.................................17# 41 4oesn;t this ministry ma!nify the devil rather than <esus 'hrist?.................................................................179 42 Why (lame the works of the flesh on demons?.........1*3 43 )f the ministry of e$orcism is valid and scriptural& where has it (een throu!hout the 'hurch a!e?.............1*7 44 Wouldn+t it (e (etter to cast the demons out of ourselves& rather than worryin! a(out the demons in others?...........................................................................191 4# )f the !reat archan!el :ichael dared not re(uke 0atan& who are we that we may do so?.....................................19# +)out the +uthor.......................................................199
?ore ord
Everyone !no s that 0cience does not recogni>e the existence of the su"ernatural. 8ut as a nuclear scientist I met the su"ernatural @esus one 0e"tember night in 15,,% and claimed $im as my *ord and 0avior. Then one sun-drenched day a fe years later% in voodoo-infested $aiti% an old hag violently attac!ed me. $er face as a horrible $allo een mas!% her teeth fangs% her fingers clutching cla s. 9obody had to tell me that she as o""ressed by demons. Through the "o er of the blood of @esus% and the authority of $is name% the $oly 0"irit enabled me to cast the demons out of her. I had never heard of anyone "racticing exorcism in this modern orld. ?urthermore% I !ne that many 4hristians totally re&ected the existence of demons. 8ut face to face ith the obviously satanic "o er ex"ressed through this violent oman% I learned to my ama>ement that a 4hristian today% ho truly believes that he has received "o er over the enemy% can cast out evil
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, :anual on =$orcism
s"irits in the name of @esus. 8ut there as a lot to learn. ?or ee!s I "u>>led over ho a human being could be so o""ressed by demons as that oman as. I ill al ays be grateful to A. *ee 4hesnut% former nuclear science lecturer for Beneral Electric and author of The 'tom 0"ea!s and Echoes the #ord of Bod% for some s"iritual enlightment. 's a scientist% I already !ne the em"tiness of the atom% hose electrons are so small that only one millionth "art of that atomic volume is occu"ied. I also !ne that the human body is com"osed of such "em"ty atoms% and that you and I are actually 555%555%555%555 "arts em"ty s"aceC It as *ee 4hesnut ho "ointed out that this em"tiness must be filled ith something: either the 0"irit of Bod or the s"irit of 0atan. 's he said% "+ou and I must decide bet een 0atan and the *ord @esus 4hrist% and hich is to occu"y and fill our lives. 0hortly thereafter% I came to of this boo! through his earlier Dver Aemons and The /o er of boo!s ere li!e a drin! of cold
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!no the author boo!s% Aominion the 8lood. These ater to a eary
>oreword traveler in the desert. 7ntil then% I had almost begun to thin! I as a frea!. #hen I mentioned satanic "o er and demons among 4hristian friends% they narro ed their eyes and eased a ay from me. 0o in some small measure I can share in the s"iritual scars suffered over the years by my good friend% (ax ell #hyte. 'll "ioneers al! a lonely% roc!y road% full of misunderstanding and glib criticism from those ho do not !no better. 0ince (ax ell #hyteEs first ex"erience in exorcism in 152-% 4hristian understanding in the field of exorcism has come a long ay. The "ast fe years have seen a number of boo!s by those ho have follo ed in (ax ell #hyteEs s"iritual footste"s: Aere! /rince% Aon 8asham% and /at 8roo!s. Increasingly% 4hristians every here are coming to understand that this freedom from evil s"irits is another of the blessings "urchased for us at 4alvary by the *ord @esus. 8ut certainly there are many questions about this ministry. 4an a born-again 4hristian be o""ressed by demon "o ers? 4an a 4hristian
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ba"ti>ed in the $oly 0"irit be similarly vexed? Is "hysical and mental sic!ness caused by demons? #here has this ministry of exorcism been throughout the ages? 4an a 4hristian cast demons out of himself? $o does a "erson come under demon influence? I believe this handboo! fills a tremendous need today by "roviding scri"tural ans ers to these and many more such questions. I "raise Bod for a 4hristian brother ho has the boldness and the isdom not only to "reach but to "ractice this des"erately needed ministry of exorcism. *a rence $ammond% /h. A. Blencoe% Illinois
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/reface
The 9e Testament ministry of exorcism has come to the fore in the "ast fe years because of the rene ed out"ouring of the $oly 0"irit u"on the 4hristian 4hurch. 8ut interest in exorcism is not limited to the 4hurch. The "o"ular boo! and movie% The Exorcist% has brought this ministry to orld- ide attention% and has caused much anxiety about the existence and "o er of demons. It is ho"ed that this boo! ill ans er some of the many questions about this fascinating sub&ect. The first case of exorcism in hich I too! "art as at the very beginning of 152-Fover t entysix years ago at the time of this riting. The "erson concerned had been "rayed for by the orthodox methods !no n to the 4hurch at that time% but nothing at all ha""ened until e changed from the "rayer of "etition to a "rayer of forceful command. This man had suffered from chronic asthma from birth% and as soon as e commanded the asthma to leave in @esusE name% the s"irit of infirmity causing the asthmatic sym"toms
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began to come out. In an hour and a half% he com"letely and "ermanently healed.
as
To say that my ife and I ere astonished is an understatement. #e had not done this by !no ledge of theology% for hat does theology teach us on this sub&ect of exorcism? #e did it ex"erimentally% illing to try any method or system that ould bring release. This first clearcut case of healing by exorcism brought us a glimmer of understanding on a sub&ect about hich e !ne "ractically nothing. This formed a basis of ex"erimentation% and during the next t enty-six years% e ere to have some intensely interesting cases and many marvelous deliverances. Bod taught us "rogressively by $is $oly 0"irit as e ere illing to tac!le each case "resented to us. I too! the sim"le "osition of !no ing nothing Fbut I as illing to learn by successes and mista!es. #e made many errors% but e sa some onderful deliverances. ?ortunately% I had not been taught that a 4hristian cannot "have a demon. In fact% I had been taught nothing for or
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1reface against demonsG I as &ust "lain ignorant.
(ore and more suffering "eo"le began to come to us over the years as ne s lea!ed out that e ere "delivering "eo"le. (ost of them seemed to be com"letely% or at least "artially% delivered. 0ome ere untouched% even though e ere illing to s"end much time in trying to dislodge the demons that ere troubling them. #e re&oiced at the successes but continued to as! the *ord about the failures. The *ord began slo ly to teach us% and our "ercentage of successes increased. #e learned many things% and are still learning. The hole ministry of exorcism seems to be an inexhaustible ell of BodEs love% to set the ca"tives free. I ould urge the reader to consider the author not as an ex"ert% but merely as a servant of Bod hom the *ord has brought into a !no ledge of this vital sub&ect. 8ecause of this ministry% thousands have been set free% and are being set free. Every 0unday at our church in 0carborough% Dntario% 4anada% some are finding healing and deliverance. This is not a theoretical theology% but a "ractical% do n-to-earth 8ible
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a""roach to the needs of "eo"leFand it
or!sC
$. '. (ax ell #hyte
/art 1
1:
Introductory Huestions
Huestion 1
1
#hat is a demon?
ic!ed s"irits.
Aemons are
The ord "demon comes from the Bree! daimon% hich means "an evil s"irit. "Aaimon% in turn% comes from a root hich means "a shado . 0atan% the su"reme commander of all demons% sends these evil s"irits u"on "eo"le and they bring shado sFdar!nessesFover the s"irit of man. 'nyone ho cannot believe in s"irits ill certainly have trouble acce"ting the biblical teaching about Bod. Right from the beginning of Benesis% e find that there are "ersonal s"irits. ?irst% the 0"irit of Bod $imself moved u"on the face of the aters IBenesis 1:=J. The same 0"irit as breathed into lifeless 'dam% and he became a living soul IBenesis =:6J. These% and many other references to the 0"irit Ior breathJ of Bod% obviously refer to a "ersonal 8eing. 'nd if the 0"irit of Bod is a "ersonal 8eing% then so are all other s"irits. It might sur"rise some to !no
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that demons
are actually fallen angels. Revelation 1=:2-5 teaches us that one third of all the angels ere ex"elled from heaven because of the original rebellion of 0atan against @esus 4hrist. These angels &oined ith 0atan in his rebellion% and ere cast out into the earth as disembodied demons. 'nd they are still hereF hether e believe in them or notC 4ertain liberal theologians have tried to ex"lain a ay the existence of demons by the "accomodation theory. These theologians have dismissed the reality of demons as recorded in the 8ible and have ex"lained that% since the common "eo"le su"erstitiously believed that sic!ness as caused by demons% @esus "accomodated $imself to their su"erstitions. 9ot anting to u"set them in their sim"licity% $e K ent along ith them% and cast out demons hich didnEt exist in realityC 'nyone ho believes the 8ible to be the #ord of Bod cannot "ossibly acce"t this theory. The more evangelical theologians have generally acce"ted 8iblical statements about 0atan Falthough some of them fail to understand that
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What is a demon? 0atan maintains his curse u"on humanity through his hordes of demons. 0atan finds this necessary because he is not omni"resent% as the 0"irit of Bod is. 8ut 0atan has no shortage of hel". The number of ic!ed% fallen s"irits s arming on earth cannot be counted. They s arm li!e flies. In fact% the name 8eel>ebub hich is often a""lied to 0atan means "the lord of flies. ?or the sa!e of sim"licity then% let us state that blessings come from Bod by $is $oly 0"irit% and cursings come from 0atan by his unholy s"irits. To fail to recogni>e demons is to fail to recogni>e the fundamental reason for the sufferings of humanity.
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Huestion =
2
$o does a "erson come under the influence of demons in the first "lace?
There are many ays. It might sur"rise you to !no that% in certain cases% "eo"le have been born ith demons. It as many years before I could be "ersuaded by events and the $oly 0"irit that a little baby could be born ith an evil s"irit in him. It seemed to be "re"osterous and revolting. 8ut so strong as the testimony of the 0cri"tures that the *ord is a &ealous Bod% "visiting the iniquity of the fathers u"on the children unto the third and fourth generation IExodus =.:,J% that I began to loo! into the matter more closely. I found many young babies ho ere extremely fractious and ere instruments of earing out their mothers. It as only hen e "rayed for them that e found they ere delivered. In the case of babies and young children% it is extremely rare for them to have any noticeable reactions during exorcism. This is "robably due to the fact that the demon has not sun! dee"ly into the
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"ersonality of the child% and therefore gives very easily.
ay
Aemons have also been !no n to enter young children. (any adults% ho have been delivered% have testified that they had an ex"erience as a young child% often of terrible fear% hich gave o""ortunity for the evil s"irit to come in. $aving entered% it ill not leave readily% even hen the "erson is "rayed for fifty years later. Auring this "eriod of time% it ill dig in more and more tenaciously% and may bring other sym"toms such as fear% "ains% arthritis and stomach disorders. To "revent such demonic attac!s in childhood% 4hristian "arents should as! BodEs "rotection for their children each night% and as! for a covering of the blood of @esus. Dbviously% if a "erson gives "lace to the devil% as in drin!ing alcohol to excess or ta!ing drugs "for !ic!s% a door may be o"ened for a ic!ed s"irit to enter. 'ny tam"ering ith the occultFany ""layful ex"erimentation ith Dui&a boards% card "laying%
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How does a person come under the influence of demons in the first place? fortune-telling% reading horosco"es% or the more obviously sinful "ractices of yoga% hy"notism% or s"iritist seances% ill almost certainly ex"ose a "erson to demon o""ression. These% in turn% ill lead to obsession% and may ultimately lead to total "ossession and death. #here such a "erson see!s deliverance% it ill "robably be necessary to search out all idols and literature dealing ith the occult and destroy them. 0ome 4hristians o"en themselves to demonic attac! by bac!sliding. If a 4hristian bac!slides% or gro s cold in his allegiance to 4hrist% 0atan ill first tem"t him to do rong. 's he obeys% he o"ens himself for a s"irit to enter and ta!e control. The s"irit ill not come in immediately% for Bod is very mercifulG but if sin is continually indulged in after "rofessed conversion% and not re"ented of% then such a "erson is ide o"en to demonic o""ression in its many forms. Dne classic case I dealt ith many years ago had to do ith a man ho confessed% and as delivered of% suicide demons% hich made a great
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noise as they came out. This man later bac!slid and became a homosexual. $e returned to the *ord% ee"ing and confessing his sinG but by this time seven other s"irits had entered in I(atthe 1=:2,J. Dnce again he as com"letely delivered. The s"irits named themselves ithout my as!ing them to do so. It as a real give-a ay of information on their "art. 'fter ards% the dear brother told me he had no "o er to sto" these s"irit voices s"ea!ing through him. 8ut this time he as "ermanently delivered. This should be a very great lesson to all 4hristians to avoid bac!sliding li!e the "lague.
Huestion ;
3
$o can you !no hen you have a demon?
'ny "erson ho is "eriodically attac!ed by a com"ulsion to act in a ay hich is contrary to his basic nature and alien to his o n "ersonality% should sus"ect demon activity. #hereas Bod visits man!ind by $is 0"irit% 0atan visits man!ind by sending his demons. The result of such a demonic visitation is sometimes almost unbelievable. The ob&ect of attac! brings forth a behavior "attern that "canEt be him. It isnEt. 'ctually% it is the "ersonality of the demon s"irit being manifested through him. 0uch a "erson ill be themselves at times% but ill sooner or later revert to the strange behavior hich seems to ma!e them an un!no n "erson. 'nother name for this "roblem is "s"lit "ersonality% or schi>o"hrenia. It came as a real revelation to me hen I sa that schi>o"hrenia could be caused by demonic interferenceC (any "eo"le ho have a s"irit of infirmity
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ill manifest ea!ness or sic!ness in their bodies. Dther "eo"le ho have a lust s"irit ill manifest lust% as in adultery% homosexuality% or similar deviations. #hatever the manifestation% it should cause us considerable horror to !no that e can actually bring "leasure to a demon s"irit by allo ing them the use of our bodies for their o n "ur"oses.
2,
Huestion 2
4
$o can you !ee" from Kcatching a demon?
's you can !ee" from catching a cold by building u" your resistance ith a "ro"er diet and vitamins% in li!e manner you can !ee" from "catching a demon by ta!ing into your system certain things that ill strengthen your resistance to them. ?irst% it is im"ortant to recogni>e that you can have "ractically no resistance at all to demons ithout @esus. The '"ostle /aul said% "I can do all things through 4hrist hich strengtheneth me I/hili""ians 2:1;J. The natural man% ithout 4hrist% is s"iritually ea! and highly susce"tible to infestation by demons. There is little he can do about fighting off demons if 4hrist is not d elling in him. 0o% if you do not !no 4hrist% I ould suggest first of all that you turn from sin to 4hrist% and acce"t $im as your *ord and 0avior. If you as! $im to come into your life% $e ill !ee" $is "romise and come in. Aid $e not "romise%
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"8ehold% I stand at the door% and !noc!: if any man hear my voice% and o"en the door% I ill come in....?
8ut that is only the first ste". Dnce you have acce"ted 4hrist and become a born-again 4hristian% then you must ma!e it a habit to give no "lace to the devil Isee E"hesians 2:=6J. +ou might as ell face the fact that any "art of your body can become a "lace for a demon. ' demon ill ta!e anything he can getC If e give in to our fleshly nature and give a hand% or an eye% or an ear% a demon s"irit ith a "articular characteristic may ta!e hold of that "articular "art and occu"y it The s"irit of lust may occu"y the eye% for instance% and you may find yourself com"elled to stare ith lust at unclean maga>ines or x-rated movies. The demon may com"el you% even against your better &udgment% to continue more and more in these "ractices. Then there is a further ord in 1 @ohn ,:1that is certainly orthy of close attention. The verse says% "$e that is begotten of Bod Lthat is% the born-again 4hristianM !ee"eth himself% and that
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How can you keep from catchin!" a demon?
ic!ed one toucheth him not. "Nee"ing ourselves means steady abstinence from the ic!edness of the orld% continual al!ing in the 0"irit% !ee"ing ourselves consciously under the blood of 4hrist. 8y follo ing the $oly 0"irit e can receive the strength to maintain continual fello shi" ith @esus. 'nd anybody ho maintains that !ind of fello shi" ith $im ill certainly not "catch a demonC
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Huestion ,
5
#hat is exorcism?
Exorcism is the "ractice of ex"elling demons by command. If you have a demon% or sus"ect that you have one% I ould strongly recommend that you submit yourself to 4hristian exorcism. ?ind a man of Bod and as! him to cast the demon out in the name of @esus 4hristFafter you have confessed that @esus is your 0avior and that you ant to be rid of that "articular evil s"irit. In general% this ministry of exorcism can best be ex"lained as a forceful% commanding "rayer given in the name of @esus against sic!ness of s"irit% mind or body. 0ince man is an inse"arable tri-unity% made u" of body% soul and s"irit% it must clearly be understood that% if he is under attac! in one area% he ill feel the reaction in all three areas. In the "ast% the 4hurch has generally confined itself to a sim"le "rayer of "etition% as!ing Bod% through $is 0on @esus% to heal% restore and deliver Fand many onderful ans ers have been
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grantedG but the fact still remains that many ere "rayed for ere not delivered.
ho
#e must reali>e that @esus did not instruct his disci"les to as! $im to to do the exorcising. $e commanded them to heal the sic! and cast out devils I(atthe 1.:6% -J. 0imilarly% the '"ostle @ames rote that the elders of the churches ere to "ray over the sic!% not for the sic! I@ames ,:12J. This little ord "over" suggests that the one ho "rays ta!es dominion over the sic!ness% in the authority of 4hrist% and commands the sic!ness to leave. The same !ind of command is to be given hen e are dealing ith demons. #hen this is done% the results that follo are often startling.
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Huestion <
6
#hen demons tal!% hose voice do they use? 4an anybody hear them?
#e must remember that demons are invisible% s"iritual beings% ho have no "hysical organs of their o n. They have no voice box% no li"s% no mouth. Dne of the extremely enlightening things that @esus said about demons is found in (atthe 1=:2;: "#hen the unclean s"irit is gone out of a man% he al!eth through dry "laces% see!ing rest% and findeth none. This seems to indicate that every demon has a dee" craving to find ex"ression through a "hysical body. #hen a demon cannot find a body to occu"y% he is ithout rest. Aemons of "rofanity and obscenity% for instance% crave human li"s and voices so they can give ex"ression to their blas"hemous thoughts. 0ome demons do not tal! at all% thoughFbut hen they do% they sim"ly use the natural vocal organs of the "erson hose voice they are controlling. 7sually the tone is different% though
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Fnot the normally recogni>ed tone of the individual involvedFbut a totally different !ind of voice. 8ut anyone can hear it. In our ministry of exorcism over a "eriod of t enty-six years% e have found that demons do not s"ea! very often. 7sually% e sim"ly as! the "erson about their need% and hen it is confessed% e start commanding the demon to leave in the name of @esus. 's it leaves% there may often be some manifestation of coughing% sighing% or sha!ingFbut sometimes there is no out ard manifestation at all. Dccasionally% though% demons ill argue ith us% saying they ill not come out% or telling us to "shut u". In such cases% here demons ant to tal!% I do as @esus did% #ho said% "$old thy "eace% and come out of him I(ar! 1:=,J.
Huestion 6
7
Is it safe to listen to hat demons say?
'lthough some "eo"le ho "ractice the ministry of exorcism often get into arguments ith the demons in "eo"le% and ma!e dramatic "ublic demonstrations of verbal conflict ith such% I see no reason for this. It is neither good nor scri"tural to attem"t a conversation ith demons. Dn one occasion% an evil s"irit actually did voluntarily tell us the correct number of demons left in a man anting to commit suicideFand these ere all successfully cast out. 8ut e must remember that 0atan is the father of lies% and usually all of his demons are liars too. If you as! a demon to identify himself% or tell ho he got into the "erson% heEll "robably ans er ith much verbal garbage that cannot be trusted any ay. ThatEs hy you shouldnEt tal! to them. 0ometimes "eo"le ill try to force a demon to tell the truth in the name of @esus. 8ut even then% demons find it almost im"ossible to tell the truth% and they ill hedge and argue rather than tell the
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truth. ?urthermore% e are ex"ressly commanded in the 8ible not to communicate ith evil s"irits. @ames 2:6 says e are to "resist the devil% not tal! ith himC "Resist the devil% and he ill flee from you. AonEt forget that 0aul lost his life by disobeying BodEs la and see!ing information from a demon-"ossessed itch. 'nd in Isaiah -:5% the "ractice of see!ing after those ith familiar s"irits that his"er and mutter is condemned. It is highly dangerous to tal! to demons% even if you are only arguing ith them. Aemons are com"letely unreasonable any ay% and youEll never in the argumentC Dur ministry is to cast out the evil s"irits as quic!ly as "ossible% giving no quarter to them% and refusing to ma!e any agreement ith them at all. #hat e demand is unconditional surrender. This is hy @esus commanded the s"irits to be silent and come out. If a s"irit can start arguing% he can delay his ex"ulsion.
3,
Huestion -
IOve heard that there are sometimes un"leasant manifestations during exorcism. #hat are they? 're they necessary?
8
I ant to guard against the !ind of teaching that ould cause anyone to ex"ect un"leasantness% and thus dra bac! from a greatly needed exorcism. If you are "lagued ith demons% let nothing hold you bac! from getting rid of that hich troubles youC If the "rocess turns out to be un"leasant or distasteful% &ust remember that hos"ital o"erations are also distastefulFbut often very necessaryC In my o n ministry% I have been able to cast out demons ith a minimum of un"leasantness. 8y binding the demon in the name of @esus% and commanding the s"irit to be quiet and come out% there is usually little out ard manifestation. 8ut there are exce"tions. In some cases% the "erson ill tremble all over for a fe seconds or longerG this is usually indicative of the demonEs un illingness to leave. In other cases% the "erson
39
may fall to the floorFsimilar to the case hich is described in (ar! 5:=.% here "the s"irit tare himG and he fell on the ground% and allo ed foaming. IThis a""arently as a case of e"ile"sy% caused by demon o""ression. @esus rebu!ed this foul s"irit% saying% "Thou dumb and deaf s"irit% I charge thee% come out of him% and enter no more into him.J In other cases% the ex"elling of the demon may be evidenced by ee"ing% crying out% or even screaming% as e find in (ar! 1:=< and (ar! 5:=<. *et no one thin! that he must cry or scream in order to receive deliverance% though. 0uch manifestations are caused by the de"arting demon% ho certainly needs no hel" in ex"ressing himselfC 8ut sometimes% in s"ite of the "ersonEs efforts to squelch un"leasantness% it ta!es "lace any ay. Dccasionally% e encounter extreme cases here the de"arting demon ill cause violent coughing% nausea% or even vomiting. #e must not dra bac! in astonishment or embarrassment from the one for hom e are "raying if such turns out to be the case. #e must "ress on in our
4&
)+ve heard that there are sometimes unpleasant manifestations durin! e$orcism. What are they? ,re they necessary? commands until the last s"irit is exorcised.
41
Huestion 5
9
4an &ust anybody cast out demons?
9o. 4asting out demons is no "arlor game for the curious. In fact% it can be quite dangerous to tangle ith demons if you are not "ro"erly qualified. K'nd hat are the qualifications? you as!. Dne% "rimarily: that you believe in @esus 4hrist as your "ersonal 0avior and trust in $is "o er. @esus said% "These signs shall follo them that believeG In my name shall they cast out devils.... I(ar! 1<:16J. 9o human being has the "o er to cast out demons ithout 4hrist. Therefore% be very sure that @esus 4hrist abides in you. If $e is in you% you are more than a conqueror through $is "o er and $is name Isee Romans -:;6J. 'ny born-again 4hristian can cast out demons. I am fully a are that the ord "exorcist has been used outside of 4hristian circles. #itch doctors often try to drive evil s"irits out of "eo"le% but this must not be confused ith 4hristian exorcism. 9o matter hat a itch doctor might
43
claim% it is still im"ossible for "0atan to cast out 0atan Isee (ar! ;:==-=6J. 0ometimes s"iritist mediums also claim "o er to ex"el demons. This is im"ossible. 0ometimes though% they can "ersuade the demon to go into tem"orary hiding% and the "erson ho has thus been "exorcised by a medium ill thin! that he has been set free. 8ut% sooner or later% the demon ill manifest himself again% usually ith orse effects than before. There is no other "o er that can drive out demons exce"t the "o er of @esus 4hrist. There is an interesting case in the 8ible concerning a grou" of @e ish exorcists ho got into real trouble ith demons I'cts 15:11-16J. There ere seven of themFall brothersFand they decided to try to cast out evil s"irits "by @esus hom /aul "reacheth. They had no "ersonal faith in @esus% but they had observed ho /aul had successfully dealt ith demons in the name of @esus% so they thought theyEd try it too. #hat ha""ened is almost amusing. #hen they tried to cast out the demon% it ans ered them%
44
'an -ust any(ody cast out demons?
"@esus I !no % and /aul I !no G but ho are ye? 'nd then the "oor demon-"ossessed man &um"ed on all seven of them and beat them u" through the demonic "o er that as in himFand they all fled out of the house na!ed and oundedC
ThatEs hat can ha""en if you start "laying at exorcism. 8ut if you !no @esus 4hrist% you have nothing to fear. Ta!e the authority that is yours% and cast the demons out in @esusE nameC
4'
/art =
=:
Aemons and 4hristians
Huestion 1.
10
4an a 4hristian be "ossessed by a demon?
The very "hrasing of this question is unfortunate. The question is usually as!ed in a derogatory manner by those ho totally re&ect the idea that a born-again 4hristian could ever be troubled by a demon. The "roblem% it seems to me% revolves around the use of the ord ""ossessedFa ord hich suggests that the demon inhabits and o ns the sufferer totally% ith no area free% and ith free ill absolutely bloc!ed. *et me say right a ay that I do not believe a born-again 4hristian can be "ossessed by a demon. The very idea of a 4hristian ho loves the *ord being o ned and controlled by a demon is totally abhorrent and unacce"table. /robably it ould save us a lot of confusion if 4hristians ould abandon the use of this confusing ord ""ossessed% and s"ea! of demon "roblems in terms of "o""ressions% "vexations% or "bindings. The matter may be made even more clear by
47
considering hether a 4hristian can be totally "ossessed% even% of the $oly 0"irit. ?rom a theoretical "oint of vie % e might be tem"ted to ans er a hasty "yes. The 8ible does say of 4hristians% "Nno ye not that your body is the tem"le of the $oly Bhost hich is in you% hich ye have of Bod% and ye are not your o n? ?or ye are bought ith a "rice... I1 4orinthians <:15% =.J. 0o hile there is a certan sense in hich e are the rightful "ro"erty of the $oly 0"irit% yet even $e can only "ossess us in "ractical terms as e consciously yield ourselves to $im. To s"ea! of any 4hristian as being totally "ossessed by the $oly 0"irit im"lies that that 4hristian is% at all times and in all "laces% totally controlled by the $oly 0"irit in all that he says and does. 8ut e !no by ex"erience that this is not soC (any other factors enter in. The ill of the "erson may cause him to do something quite contrary to the #ord of Bod hich he !no s. #e must not ma!e a 4hristian an automaton or a "u""et in the hands of Bod. 8ut su""osing e fail to obey Bod? Is the $oly 0"irit then "ossessing
4,
'an a 'hristian (e possessed (y a demon? us? $e may be in us% but e are not giving $im $is rightful "lace at that moment of disobedience. In li!e manner% a demon s"irit may trouble a 4hristian in any number of ays. 8ut e are not suggesting for a moment that this means that such a 4hristian is "demon-"ossessed.
49
Huestion 11
If not "ossessed% is there any other sense in hich a 4hristian might Khave a demon?
11
+es% certainly. 8ut first% let us consider hat e mean by the ord "have. #hat do e mean if e "have a visitor in our home I"erha"s an un elcome oneJ? #hat about "having a mouse in our home% or even a flea in our clothing? #e are not "ossessed by these visitors% but e may be embarrassed by themG e may even be irritated by them% and try to get them out of our house or clothing as conveniently as "ossible. In li!e manner% 4hristians may receive un elcome demonic visitors. Ta!e the '"ostle /eter% for instance. There as actually a time hen he started to rebu!e the 0on of Bod% no doubt ith good intentions Ihell is "aved ith theseJ% because he could not understand that @esus had to be !illed. @esus re"lied to him in exactly the same ay as he had re"lied to 0atan in the ilderness% using the very same ords: "Bet thee behind me% 0atan I(ar! -:;;J.
'1
/eter meant ellG he as sincereG but in trying to save @esus from 4alvary% he became% at that moment% an instrument of 0atan. #as /eter ""ossessed of the devil? 4ertainly not. 8ut in his ignorance he gave "lace to the devil% ho used his mind and voice. 0ome might feel that @esus as rather unloving in $is ords to /eter% but it all becomes clear hen e read that @esus said to /eter% "0atan hath desired to have you% that he may sift you as heat: but I have "rayed for thee% that thy faith fail not I*u!e ==:;1% ;=J. 0atan as trying to "have /eter% and hen /eter gave "lace to him% /eter "had 0atan. If e entertain 0atan in our thoughts or lives% e "have him. It is only as e ex"el him that e get rid of him and his terrible gri""ing "o ers. This e may al ays do in the name of @esusC @esus !ne that 0atan as sifting /eter in the same manner that he had sifted @ob many years before. The struggle became so intense that /eter% an a"ostle% o"enly denied his *ord before a young girlC $e used bad language and lied. +et he as a
'2
)f not possessed& is there any other sense in which a 'hristian mi!ht have" a demon? believer. #hy did he do this? 8ecause 0atan attac!ed him and /eter gave "lace to him in his thoughts and ords. 'fter /entecost% /eter as a changed man. $e had re"ented in bitter tears% and learned to resist the devil. $e as filled ith the $oly 0"irit. 4ould it be that 0atan is trying to sift some of us? #hy do some 4hristians feel constrained at times to curse Bod% or to destroy ithout reason% or even to murder or commit adultery? (any a "erson in a "olice court has said to the &udge% "I donEt !no hy I did it% but something made me. #ho is the "something? /aul rote to the 4orinthian church and arned them about 0atan getting an "advantage over us I= 4orinthians =:11JFand e must remember that the 4orinthian church as made u" of 0"irit-filled 4hristians ho s"o!e in tongues. 'gain in = 4orinthians 11:2% /aul rote to this church and arned them about the "ossibility of receiving "another s"irit." Dbviously% then% 0"irit'3
filled 4hristians can receive a s"irit from 0atan. Df course% this could ha""en only if they deliberately gave "lace to such a s"irit. 'gain% in = 4orinthians 11:2% /aul says%
8ut I fear% lest by any means% as the ser"ent beguiled Eve through his subtilty% so your minds should be corru"ted from the sim"licity that is in 4hrist.
4orru"tion of the mind of a 0"irit-filled 4hristian can only be accom"lished by demonic invasion. The corru"tion hich comes from 8eel>ebub% the /rince of Aecay% is im"lanted in the mind. "(ind corru"tion in a 4hristian is a very serious thing% and a 4hristian ho is under this !ind of satanic attac! is not hel"ed by being told he "cannot have a demon. $e needs counseling and the "rayer of deliverance. Even more serious than being corru"ted is to be devoured. This is vividly taught by /eter I ho ought to !no J% hen he rote% "8e sober% be vigilantG because your adversary the devil% as a roaring lion% al!eth about% see!ing hom he
'4
)f not possessed& is there any other sense in which a 'hristian mi!ht have" a demon?
may devour I1 /eter ,:-J. It is interesting that this as ritten to 4hristian "eo"le. 0atan is al!ing about see!ing to devour 0"irit-filled 4hristiansC #hat are e to say if he catches one% "eats him u" and destroys him? 're e to run to our theological fortress of "once saved% al ays saved% or are e to understand that 0atan has the 4hristian and has "eaten him alive? This is not a question of a believer having a demonG it is the other ay aroundC
/aul arns us in 1 Timothy 2:1 that it is "ossible for a s"irit to seduce a 4hristian. If a man seduces another manEs ife% and the once faithful s"ouse ceases to be faithful% she is obeying another s"irit in committing adultery I hich is also a s"iritJ. In li!e manner% it is "ossible for 0atan to come as a charming "ersonality and literally seduce a believer into s"iritual adultery ith demons. If e do not control our fleshly nature and a""etites% hich are Bod-given% and use our flesh in a "ro"er manner% then 0atan ill tem"t us to
''
give it to him. #e are the ones ho control the situation% not 0atan. $e has no "o er over one ho !ee"s himself uns"otted from the orld% the flesh% and the devil I1 @ohn ,:1-J. 0ometimes% 4hristians may contact demons that cause terrible "hysical "roblemsFsuch as e"ile"sy. 9o intelligent "erson ould even suggest that e"ile"sy as from Bod% or that Bod ever had in mind that any of $is children should suffer from such a terrible and embarrassing sic!nessG but e must not com"ound distress by suggesting that such a "erson is demon "ossessed. This ill not hel" at all. 'ccording to the 0cri"tures% these foul sic!nesses are from 0atan% and this must be recogni>ed in our fight of faith against all sic!nesses of mind and body. #hen the sufferer manifests an attac! of e"ile"sy% or some other form of extraordinary behavior% e should recogni>e that a demon is exercising control u"on a certain "art of the body% and needs to be dislodged by the "rayer of command given in @esusO name. Dne of the first "ersons to be delivered by this
'
)f not possessed& is there any other sense in which a 'hristian mi!ht have" a demon? ty"e of "rayer in our ministry in 152- as a oman ho had been ex"eriencing attac!s of nocturnal e"ile"sy. The oman concerned has been healed ever since. 0he has al ays been a very dedicated "erson from her childhood u". 0he certainly as not "ossessed by a demon% but after the commanding "rayer of faith% the demon that as vexing her left her and she as "ermanently healed. +es% a 4hristian can "have a demon% but he can also be set free if he confesses it to the ?ather and see!s his freedom in 4hrist.
'7
Huestion 1=
12
#here does it say in the 8ible that a 4hristian can have a demon?
/eo"le ho as! such questions often demand that e sho them exact statements. Dbviously% there is no quotation in the 8ible that says% "' 4hristian can have a demon. 8ut neither is there a statement in the 8ible% that says% "Thou shalt not smo!e "ot% nor ta!e *0AC In actual fact% it is very easy to sho that 4hristians not only "had demons in the 8ible% but also had them cast out. ?or instance% in *u!e 1;:11% there is the story of "a oman hich had a s"irit of infirmity eighteen years% and as bo ed together% and could in no ise lift u" herself. @esus laid $is hands on her% and she as immediately set free from that s"irit of infirmity. It is interesting that @esus described this oman as "a daughter of 'braham Iverse 1<J. $e meant by that that she as a true believer. 0he as al!ing in the faith of 'braham. There is not even a hint that she as guilty of any "articular sin. 8ut she
'9
had been afflicted by a demon for eighteen years% even though she as a believerC ' 0"irit-filled Bree! Drthodox "riest informed me that it is the recommended "ractice in his 4hurch to exorcise all ne converts% before submitting them for ba"tism. This is exactly hat @ustin (artyr% /olycar"% 4lement and Iranaeus tell us in their ritings. 'll ne converts ere automatically exorcised hether they as!ed for it or not. It as considered the thing to do. 'll s"iritual contamination and filth as to be cleaned out before converts ere immersed in ater. In actual fact% all those ho come for exorcism in our meetings are "rofessing 4hristians. (any have already been ba"ti>ed in the 0"iritG but although they can "raise Bod in tongues% there are still some bondages in their lives. In fact% I am inclined to believe that these binding s"irits are often brought to light because these "eo"le have been ba"ti>ed in the 0"irit. In other ords% the "resence of the $oly 0"irit stirs u" the other s"irits that are in hiding. They are forced into the o"en by the 0"irit of Bod.
&
Huestion 1;
13
$o could a demon and the $oly 0"irit d ell in the same "erson at the same time?
This question is based on the assum"tion that " hen @esus comes in% 0atan goes out. This is the theology of certain "holiness 4hristians ho teach a "second or! of grace I hich they call "sanctificationJ% that eradicates all traces of the sin nature in the believer. The facts of ex"erience ould contradict such an extreme doctrine% and for the same reason e are forced to conclude that 4hristians frequently do things hich are not consistent ith the life of 4hrist in them. This does not mean that every illful art on the "art of a believer is motivated by a demonG but there are many 4hristians ho come to us ho are cruelly bound% and as! for exorcism. To say that such "eo"le are not believers is ridiculous. $o many 4hristians are bound by habits? $o many demonstrate tem"er and &ealousy? It is all too easy to say that such "eo"le are not 4hristians% rather than saying that they are
4hristians troubled by evil s"irits. ' ell-!no n and res"ected minister in Toronto as heard to say that a 4hristian is li!e a many-roomed hotel. Dnly some of the rooms are surrendered% hile others are still filled ith s"irits other than the $oly 0"irit. @esus ill only come in here $e is invited. It has ta!en some "eo"le many months or even years to come to the humble understanding that all is not ell in their inner livesG only after much inner struggling have they shyly sought hel". Immediately% the "rayer of faith has brought them the deliverance they sought% although it had ta!en months for the $oly 0"irit to sho these "eo"le that there ere rooms in their lives still not filled ith Bod. 7"on conviction% they as!ed $im to come into those roomsFbut 0atan had to be ex"elled first% ith their ills desiring it. #e must be most careful of a theoretical theology% lest e miss the blessing and remain bound. The case of 'nanias and 0a""hira is interesting. ?e ould dis"ute that they ere members of the '"ostolic 4hurch in @erusalem%
2
How could a demon and the Holy 0pirit dwell in the same person at the same time? and had itnessed great miracles and healings in the beginning of the 4hristian 4hurch. +et% it is recorded in 'cts ,:; that 0atan "filled their hearts to lie to the $oly Bhost #ho had s"o!en to them and told them to sell a "arcel of land and give the "roceeds to the 4hurch. Even though they ere 0"irit-filled 4hristians% that did not "revent 0atan from filling their hearts. The negative drove out the "ositiveG the unholy drove out the holyG and they died as a result. #e have found by ex"erience that many young "eo"le ho have ex"erimented ith drugs and have been on "tri"s have still suffered torment or mental bondage after acce"ting @esus as 0avior and after the ex"erience of the ba"tism in the $oly 0"irit. They have come to us and as!ed for "rayer. 's soon as e have rebu!ed these tormenting s"irits% the s"irits have res"onded by coming out. In our churches today% there are many believers ho "arta!e of $oly 4ommunion regularly ho need deliverenceG but the 4hurch
3
has not "racticed this ministry. It is only in our generation that Bod is again bringing the ministry of exorcism to our understanding.
Huestion 12
$o can e be sure that any 4hristianOs manifestation of the $oly 0"irit is genuine% if 4hristians can have demons?
14
This question is often as!ed in "articular reference to the manifestation of tongues. 0u""ose a 4hristian "rays for the ba"tism in the $oly 0"irit and then s"ea!s in tonguesG ho are e to !no that this is a genuine or!ing of the $oly 0"irit? 4ould it not also be a demonic manifestation? In the first "lace% e need to remember the ords of @esus in reference to the $oly 0"irit:
If a son shall as! bread of any of you that is a father% ill he give him a stone? or if he as! a fish% ill he for a fish give him a ser"ent? or if he shall as! an egg% ill he offer him a scor"ion? If ye then% being evil% !no ho to give good gifts unto your children: ho much more shall your heavenly ?ather give the $oly 0"irit to them that as! $im? I*u!e 11:11-1;J
@esus is clearly saying that e need not fear getting something e didnEt as! for% or something
'
evil. If you as! for bread% youEll get bread. If you as! for an egg% youEll get an egg. If you as! for the $oly 0"irit% youEll get the $oly 0"irit. 9o one has ever as!ed the ?ather for the $oly 0"irit and received an unholy s"irit. Bod is faithful and good and $eEll give you hat you as! for. Ao you thin!% then% that a 4hristian could earnestly as! for the "o er of the 0"irit% and receive an unholy% devil-ins"ired tongue? 4ertainly notC 'lso% I cannot em"hasi>e too strongly the im"ortance of "leading the blood of @esus for "rotection. #hat right have e to claim any of the blessings of 4hrist a"art from the covering of $is blood? The "erson ho as!s for the ba"tism in the 0"irit% ought also to say% I "lead the blood of @esus. #hat other "lea have e? $o else can e "resume to as! Bod for blessings e donEt deserve? 8ut if you "lead the blood% you can be assured of "rotection from the dece"tion of demons% and a genuine ba"tism in the 0"irit. #e do find% ho ever% that some "eo"le ho receive the ba"tism in the 0"irit may still have a latent evil s"irit in hiding% aiting to be cast out.
How can we (e sure that any 'hristian+s manifestation of the Holy 0pirit is !enuine& if 'hristians can have demons? The in-coming of the $oly 0"irit may not in all cases drive out the un elcome s"irits% although demons do sometimes leave as the $oly 0"irit comes in. In cases here demons remain in hiding% ho are e to !no hen that 4hristianEs "s"iritual manifestations are genuine? Pery sim"ly.
+e shall !no them by their fruits. Ao men gather gra"es of thorns% or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruitG but a corru"t tree bringeth forth evil fruit. I(atthe 6:1<-16J
'nd% in li!e manner% the $oly 0"irit brings forth holy fruit% but an evil s"irit brings forth evil fruit If a "articular manifestation is good and 4hrist-glorifying% e may be assured that the $oly 0"irit is in control.
Huestion 1,
15
#as /aulOs thorn in the flesh a demon?
This question is a real hot "otatoC To many% the very thought that the great '"ostle /aul could have "had a demon is so revolting that it cannot be entertained. To get around this difficulty% many 8ible teachers say that /aul had defective eyesight% caused by his ill treatment hen he as stoned at *ystra Isee 'cts 12:15J. The difficulty is most easily resolved% it seems to me% by loo!ing at the "assage and acce"ting hat it very "lainly says. It is found in = 4orinthians 1=:6:
'nd lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations% there as given to me a thorn in the flesh% the messenger of 0atan to buffet me% lest I should be exalted above measure.
The grammatical construction here is very interesting. 'nyone ho understands the most sim"le "rinci"les of English construction !no s that the ords that are enclosed in commas I"the
9
messenger of 0atan to buffet meJ are used in a""osition to the ords% "thorn in the flesh. In other ords% the second ex"ression ex"lains the first. /aul ex"lains his thorn in the flesh by saying it as Kthe messenger of 0atan to buffet me. The ord "messenger is a translation of the Bree! ord angelos% hich is usually translated "angel. 0ince demons are nothing more than fallen angels% e can conclude that /aulEs thorn in the flesh as a demon ho continually buffeted Istruc!% batteredJ him. This "battering is "robably more literal than most "eo"le thin!. 't *ystra% /aul as stoned until the "eo"le thought he as dead Isee 'cts 12:15J. In = 4orinthians 11:=;-=6% he describes his "batterings as follo s:
In labours more abundant% in stri"es above measure% in "risons more frequent% in Lat the "oint ofM deaths oft. Df the @e s five times received I forty stri"es save one. Thrice as I beaten ith rods% once as I stoned% thrice I suffered shi" rec!% a night and a day I have been in the dee"G in &ourneyings often% in
7&
Was 1aul+s thorn in the flesh a demon?

"erils of aters% in "erils of robbers% in "erils by mine o n countrymen% in "erils by the heathen% in "erils by the city% in "erils in the ilderness% in "erils in the sea% in "erils among false brethrenG in eariness and "ainfulness% in atchings often% in hunger and thirst% in fastings often% in cold and na!edness.
'll these ex"eriences of adversity ere "ermitted by Bod because of the abundance of the revelations given to /aul% to !ee" him humble. The agent of this distressing catalog of oe as an angel of 0atanFa "o erful demon. $ave you ever ondered hy things sometimes seem to go rong hen you are serving the *ord to the best of your ability? The ans er is found in /salm ;2:15.
The afflictions of the righteous are many. 8ut% the *ord delivers us out of them all.
#ho sends these afflictions? 0atan afflicted @obF but only ith BodEs "ermission. 're e any different? #as /aul any exce"tion? '""arently% "ersecution is one !ind of
71
demonic o""ression that no 4hristian can avoid. 8ut e need not be de"ressed about it. There is an inner deliverance from demonic de"ression hich every 4hristian can claimFand obviously% /aul had that !ind of deliverance and as full of the &oy of the *ord.
72
Huestion 1<
16
$o can a 4hristian resist the demonic influences that surround him?
There is a very im"ortant 0cri"ture found in 1 @ohn ,:1-. $ere e read that "he that is begotten of Bod !ee"eth himself% and that ic!ed one toucheth him not. ?irst% notice that the verse "ertains to "he that is begotten of Bod. 8y s"iritual rebirth Ias taught by @esus in @ohn ;:;-, and @ohn 1:1=J a sinner becomes elevated to sonshi" in @esus. $e becomes an ado"ted son of BodFa member of the Royal ?amily of heaven. $is Elder 8rother is @esus% and all other born-again 4hristians are $is brethren. 0econd% e are told that this child of Bod "!ee"eth himself. $e accom"lishes this by !ee"ing himself clean and s"otless from the orld% thin!ing and "racticing "ure thoughts% and !ee"ing himself under the blood of @esus. Then% "roviding he fulfills "art t o% he is in a "osition to rebu!e the devil% resist him% and "ut him to flight. 9ot only can the ic!ed one not
73
touch him% but contrari ise% 0atan ill flee from his "resence% for he has the s eet savor of 4hrist I= 4orinthians =:1,J. 0"iritually s"ea!ing% he smells li!e the Rose of 0haron and the *ily of the Palley. 'll his garments smell of myrrh and aloes and cassia. 's 0atanEs "odor is com"letely offensive to the 4hristian% in li!e manner the 4hristianEs s eet "fragrance is totally offensive to 0atanG it reminds him of the total defeat he suffered hen @esus shed $is blood on the cross to cleanse us from sin. #hile the born-again 4hristian re&oices that "the ic!ed one touches him not% let me hasten on to "oint out that this "romise is conditional on his obedience. I mention this because some "eo"le try to hide behind this verse and claim that 0atan cannot touch them or o""ress them. This is sad because some 4hristians are "rofessing ItheologicallyJ a freedom hich they do not have in "ractical reality. Dur churches are full of disobedient 4hristians hom 0atan as cruelly bound. There is no "oint in acting as though this bondage does not exist. It ould be far better to
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How can a 'hristian resist the demonic influences that surround him? submit yourself to exorcism% and get rid of the demons that are binding you. Dnce you are at "eace on the inside% you ill then be able to resist the demonic attac!s that come to you from the outside. @ames also gives us an im"ortant !ey to resisting demonic influences. $e says% "0ubmit yourselves therefore to Bod. Resist the devil% and he ill flee from you I@ames 2:6J. /eter% too% ma!es it very "lain by riting:
$umble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of Bod% that he may exalt you in due time ... 8e sober% be vigilantG because your adversary the devil% as a roaring lion al!eth about see!ing hom he may devour: hom resist steadfast in the faith.... I1 /eter ,:<% -% 5J
If e first humble ourselves before Bod% and then before each other% e are in a "osition of strength and ill be able to resist the devil. #ithout this humility% e ill be quite unable to overcome 0atan. #e are arned that he desires to "devour usFso e need to be careful to resist the devil
7'
ith all our might. #hile it is true that e have no strength of our o n ith hich to fight the devil% it is also true that e can claim the strength of 4hrist. #e can say as /aul said% "I can do all things through 4hrist hich strengtheneth me I/hili""ians 2:1;J. #ith strength li!e that% the devil is a defeated foeC
/art ;
;:
Ninds of Aemons
Huestion 16
17
're there demons that cause sic!ness?
Indeed there are. #e must remember that the real forces behind the orld of "hysical matter are s"iritual. Bod s"o!e matter into existence by $is #ord. $e made the orlds out of invisible things I$ebre s 11:;J. $e created atoms and molecules. $e created all human bodies. The body is fearfully and onderfully made I/salm 115:12J% in "erfect "ro"ortions. It is only hen this Bod-created balance becomes invaded by alien forces that e get into trouble ith mental and "hysical sic!nesses. Dne "assage of the 0cri"ture that ma!es this very clear is 'cts 1.:;-: "Bod anointed @esus of 9a>areth ith the $oly Bhost and ith "o er: ho ent about doing good% and healing all that ere o""ressed of the devil...." The ord "o""ressed is quite interesting. The Bree! ord here means "to overcome or "to over"o er% and suggests that the "eo"le healed by @esus ere set free from their sic!nesses because an "over"o ering s"irit left at the command of faith.
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*oo! again. The verse says @esus healed all that ere o""ressed IovercomeJ by the devil. In other ords% 0atan as the agent ho caused their sic!nessesG but #e must remember that 0atan is the su"reme commander of all demonic forcesG as he gives the orders% his s arms of demons ill invade% attac!% and o""ress human beings. The sic! "erson% not understanding the cause of is condition% loo!s at his sym"toms and goes to a medical doctor. I "raise Bod for doctors% but I thin! it ould be hel"ful for a 4hristian to understand that the real cause of sic!ness is neither mental nor "hysicalG it is s"iritual. This is hy @esus rebu!ed the fever in /eterEs mother-inla as recorded in *u!e 2:;-% ;5. 's soon as the s"irit behind the fever heard% understood% and obeyed% the fever left and she as healed. #e reali>e that the chief ob&ection to this obvious teaching is the automatic revulsion that comes u"on a 4hristian hen he is told that a demon has invaded him and "ut a sic!ness on him. 9o one li!es to hear bad ne s. It is bad enough to be informed that e might have cancer% or some
,&
,re there demons that cause sickness? other horrible disease. 8ut to be informed that e may have an infestation of invisible% living s"irits in our body is so re"ulsive that it is mentally re&ected as im"ossible. 8ut re&ection of the idea doesnEt e&ect the demonsC I read of a missionary in 0outh 'merica ho became de"ressed to such a degree that she left the mission field ith chronic ill health. It too! the 0"irit of Bod to reveal to her the cause of the "roblem: demons. 0he decided to fast. Every half hour she ould !neel do n% rebu!e 0atan and his demons and claim victory. 0he continued doing this for one hole day. 't the end of the day% she as com"letely delivered% and returned to com"lete health.
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Huestion 118
Is all sic!ness caused by demons?
Dbviously% Bod never "lanned for $is "eo"le to be sic!C 'nd% in that sense% e can say that 0atan is res"onsible for all sic!ness. #ho ould thin! of blaming it on Bod? The same is true of in&uries brought about through accidents. If a "erson brea!s a bone% the agent behind the accident is 0atan. Bod ould never brea! a "ersonEs leg. $e has healed many legs by the o"eration of 0"irit% but $e has never bro!en one yetC 8ut hile the agent behind the accident is 0atan% e ould not suggest for a moment that an in&ured "erson EEhas a demon. It is not even right to suggest such a thingFand it ould be very rong to attem"t to cast a demon out of such a "erson. $o ever% if a limb refuses to heal after "rayer% e might have to rebu!e a s"irit hich is "reventing a healing from ta!ing "lace. *atent in the human body are natural recu"erative "o ers. Tissue is rene ed% and
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antibodies go to or! to re"ulse the incursion of germsFbut 0atan is ever trying to "revent these "rocesses. It is here that "rayer is so effective. #here a sic!ness of any !ind "ersists over a "eriod of time and does not res"ond to fervent "rayer% e might ant to consider casting out the binding s"irit. This is true in cases of arthritis% bursitis and other sic!nesses of a similar nature. 4onstriction of the heart muscles% hich e call angina of the heart% may ell be caused by the activity of a binding s"irit. #e are often as!ed to ex"lain the case of the man born blind in @ohn 5:1-6. The disci"les assumed incorrectly that he or his "arents must have sinned% but @esus told them that the ea!ness as there so that $e might reveal the healing "o er of Bod in restoring the manEs sight. #e must not hide behind this story and believe that every congenital ea!ness or deformity is according to the ill of Bod% because it is not. The consequences of our forefathersE sins are still "assed on to third and fourth generations. This blindness may have been "assed do n from a
,4
)s all sickness caused (y demons? ic!ed ancestor of a hundred years before. #e could not say that the man "had a demon because he as blind% but e could correctly say that 0atan as the original cause of the blindness. 8ut even though 0atan as the cause of this manEs condition% @esus did not cast out a demon. $e sim"ly "erformed a creative miracle% and gave the man his sight. In li!e manner% hen e are as!ed to "ray for sic! "eo"le% e do not al ays "cast out the devil. Instead% e often "ray for a miracle% and Bod mercifully res"onds ith astonishing signs and onders.
,'
Huestion 15
19
If a "erson is set free from a demon that has caused sic!ness% should he immediately give u" all medication?
The hole ministry of "raying for the sic! is very closely connected ith the ministry of exorcism. In (atthe -:1<% it is recorded that @esus "cast out the s"irits ith his ord% and healed all that ere sic!. In many cases here "eo"le suffering "hysical maladies are "rayed for% the s"irit of infirmity behind the "hysical manifestation can be instantly cast out 8ut even after the "rimary cause is removed by exorcism% certain sym"toms may remain. The "ain and soreness may still be very evident% the inflammation may still be there% the headaches and the actual germs or viruses may still be active. If such is the case% hat should the sufferer do? 0hould he give u" all medication% in evidence of his faith? 9ot necessarilyFand certainly not ithout divine guidance in the matter. (any have discovered% to their sorro % the terrible results of
,7
"lunging ahead ithout direction from Bod. In cases of diabetes% it ould be "ure "resum"tion to give u" ta!ing insulin until the "ancreas reverts to its normal insulin "roduction. Even after a healing% there is often a "eriod of restoration of the body tissues% a read&usting to health that may ta!e a little time. It is not rong during this "eriod to ta!e medication% es"ecially here viruses are still active. If the healing has been so extensive that medication is not needed% that fact ill soon become evident. 0ome have more faith than others. 0ome ith strong faith may find that an instantaneous healing has ta!en "lace ith all sym"toms removed. Dthers% ith less faith% may have a more "rogressive restoration to full health. In fact% this latter circumstance is far more "revalent than the instantaneous miracle. The ta!ing of medication is not a sin. #hen $e>e!iah as sic!% he as healedFbut a""arently ith the hel" of medication: "'nd Isaiah said% Ta!e a lum" of figs. 'nd they too! it and laid it on the boil% and he recovered I= Nings =.:6J. It is
,,
)f a person is set free from a demon that has caused sickness& should he immediately !ive up all medication? interesting that it as Isaiah ho ordered this medication% in order to dra out the "oison from the boil. (any ould as!% "#hy did Isaiah resort to medicine after he "rayed? '""arently because this as the revealed ill of Bod in that situation. Bod told Isaiah to tell the !ing that $e ould heal him. 8ut not ithout the fig "oultice. There may be cases here such a "rocedure may be ithin the ill of Bod for us today. #e have the sure #ord of Bod in (ar! 1<:1- that "they shall lay hands on the sic!% and they shall recover. 8ut this does not rule out the use of Bodgiven medication. To refuse to ta!e medication can be "resum"tion% not faith. 0ome "oint us to Ning 'sa% ho died because he ent to the "hysicians. This is really a misstatement% for Ning 'sa had been "reviously visited by the "ro"het $anani% ho rebu!ed him for trusting in his 0yrian allies% instead of trusting in Bod. Ning 'sa as so enraged that he "ut $anani in "risonFhardly a suitable attitude for
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receiving healing from the *ord I= 4hronicles 1<JC 'fter 'sa% re&ected the man of Bod% Bod re&ected 'sa. *i!e 0aul ho ent to a itch for counsel% 'sa ent to his "hysicians for hel" and died. $ad 'sa been a godly man% and received the "rayers of $anani and acce"ted his correction% he ould no doubt have recovered hether he used the services of the medical "rofession or not. It is not a sin to see! hel" from doctors. Bod has been good to give them an understanding about medicines% and there are many fine 4hristian doctors ho can hel" us. I believe the "ro"er "rocedure in cases of mental or "hysical sic!ness is clear. ?irst% e are to see! Bod. 0econd% if the sic!ness is "ersistent% e ought to also to see! the hel" of the medical "rofession. I do not recommend see!ing a doctor and not see!ing Bod in "rayer. In many cases% the "rayer of faith ith the laying on of hands does bring "ermanent and instantaneous healing and deliverance% and no further hel" or medication ill be necessary. 8ut @esus $imself said% "They that be hole need not a "hysician% but they that
9&
)f a person is set free from a demon that has caused sickness& should he immediately !ive up all medication?
are sic! I(atthe 5:1=J. This seems to be a clear statement su""orting the legitimate or! of the medical "rofession% rather than a condemnation.
(any a "erson ho has ta!en the extreme "osition of "no medication and no doctors" has had to reverse this in later years% hen the body has gro n more frail. 0ome have died because they refused all medication% and this is not faithF other ise they ould not have died. 't best% it is un ise enthusiasm bordering on "resum"tionG at orst% it is "lain fanaticism. Bod does not get the glory in cases li!e these. There are many natural curative drugs in the vegetation around us. (odern science ill often manufacture these drugs synthetically instead of "rocessing them from vegetation. Aigitalis is a case in "oint. It comes from the beautiful foxglove "lant. It greatly strengthens ea! hearts. It must be stated also that long ex"erience has sho n me that most "eo"le do not have as much faith as they thin! they have% or should have. They
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thin! they insult Bod by ta!ing medicine. If you have been "rayed for and you still carry sym"toms% then by all means see! lotions% balms% antibiotics and as"irins. It is Bod ho ill heal you any ayFif you believe.
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Huestion =.
20
're there demons that cause emotional disturbances% or are such "roblems merely "sychological?
I thin! It is im"ortant for us to understand that Bod ants to deal ith us as a hole man. It is "robably a mista!e to thin! of any "roblem as being ""sychological rather than s"iritual. It is more li!ely to be bothC #e have been conditioned by education to believe that a "sychiatrist ought to be consulted hen there is an emotional disturbance. To the educated mind% the conce"t that the "rimary cause of blessing or cursing is s"iritual ma!es no sense at all. #e have the medical "rofession to deal ith the body% "sychiatrists to "robe the mind% and ministers to deal in the area of the s"irit. 8ut some "rofessional "eo"le are no beginning to see that all of these areas are interrelated. 0"iritual "roblems can bring on "hysical "roblems% and vice versa. It is too bad that so many ministers
93
or!
mostly in the intellectual realm% com"letely neglecting the s"irit of man. The church des"erately needs men ho are "s"irit-s"ecialists% ho can minister to the s"iritual needs of the "eo"le. If the s"irit of man is o""ressed by s"irits of dar!ness% then his mind ill be dar!% his emotions ill be disturbed% and his body may even become sic!. Intellectual men may call emotional "roblems by certain "sychological names% and try to deal ith them on the level of the human mindG but the "rimary cause is often the o"eration of an evil s"irit in the area of the human s"irit% affecting both the emotions and the body. (any negative emotions come from the or!ing of evil s"irits. ?or instance% "Bod hath not given us the s"irit of fear% but of "o er and of love% and of a sound mind I= Timothy 1:<J. @ust as fear can be brought u"on a human being by a "ersonality called a "s"irit of fear% so li!e ise% attributes of "o er% love and a sound mind can be given to us by the $oly 0"irit.
94
Huestion =1
're there certain !inds of demons that may contaminate us through ex"erimentation ith the occult?
21
If a "erson "lays ith a s!un!% he ill most certainly end u" smelling li!e oneC Dccult involvement al ays contaminates the s"irit. If a "erson goes into a s"iritist seance% inevitably that "erson ill absorb a measure of evil from the evil s"irits "resent. The 8ible calls these s"irits "familiar s"irits% because they are the "et s"irits ho or! through the medium. These s"irits are designated in the 0cri"tures as being foul or unclean. 's soon as such a s"irit is contacted% and e act in a friendly ay to ard it% e ill begin to come under its malign influence. 0imilarly% if e read horosco"es% "lay ith Dui&a boards% ta!e "art in levitation or table turning% or indulge in any forms of ater or mineral divining% e begin to become contaminated. It is a s"iritual la . If a "arent is actively engaged in any regular
9'
form of occult involvement% the children of the family may suffer as ell. Recently% a 8ritish advertiser "roduced a startling billboard sho ing a "regnant oman smo!ing. The advertisement arned that the yet unborn child ould almost certainly be contaminated "hysically and mentally. In li!e manner% a "regnant oman ho contaminates her mind by see!ing after evil s"irits ill almost certainly bring some form of mental or "hysical contamination to her unborn child. 0"iritual contamination can lead to "hysical sic!nesses of many ty"es% as ell as mental torments and disgusting behavior "atternsF es"ecially those dealing ith erotic sex% homosexuality and general vulgar acts. 8efore e can be delivered from such bondage% our sins Ieven of ignoranceJ ill have to be confessed% renounced% and "ut under the blood of @esus. Then the "rayer of command can be made% and the contaminating demons exorcised. $istory sho s that hen "eo"le de"art from the 4hristian faith% the vacuum is filled u" ith other s"irits. $eathen nations are full of demons
9
,re there certain kinds of demons that may contaminate us throu!h e$perimentation with the occult? and cruelty. #hen the 8ible as outla ed in 'merican schools% an o"en door as made for occult s"irits to ta!e overFand no most 'merican high schools have at least one itchC There is so much interest in the occult today% that unless Bod sends a true 9e Testament out"ouring of the $oly 0"irit% 0atan ill ultimately trium"h and destroy many nations. $o ever% the reverse is coming to "ass% for Bod has "romised to "our out $is $oly 0"irit u"on all fleshFand that is ha""ening today.
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Huestion ==
22
're there demons that can come to us through our ancestors?
+es% there are% but that is no reason for us to !ee" them foreverC There is deliverance for all congenital ea!nesses that are caused by such demons. I am not saying% though% that all congenital ea!nesses are caused by demons. 0uch "roblems generally fall into t o categories: "hysical abnormalities caused by an unfortunate combination of genesG and emotional or s"iritual ea!nesses received by heredity. #hile e ould not suggest that "hysical malformations or malfunctions are caused directly by demons% yet it is quite evident that emotional and s"iritual ea!nesses can be demonic in origin. It is a sad fact that the sins of the "arents are often visited u"on the children u" to the third and fourth generationsFthat is% from eighty to a hundred years Isee Exodus =.:,J. The rebellion and disobediences of our forefathers are not our
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fault% but e carry the mental and s"iritual scars nevertheless. 4hildren of drug-ta!ing mothers often die at birth% or they may need to be !e"t alive by a small in&ection of some lesser drug because they have suffered drug addiction in the omb. #omen ho smo!e can give birth to yello -s!inned babies ho need a hiff of tobacco to sooth them and cause them to sto" crying. They are already addicted. These babies have to be eaned off drugs at birth. It is also obvious that venereal diseases can be transmitted through the bloodstream to yet unborn children% ith terrible effects to the eyes and other vital organs. ' child can be born ith a s"irit of tem"er% or a destroying s"irit. The demon is literally transmitted from the oman to the unborn child hile yet in the omb. (any years ago% an ex"eriment as carried out. The children of certain Bod-fearing "arents ere follo ed to see ho they ould fare in life. It as found that all of their children became clergymen% la yers% teachers and "eo"le ho
1&&
,re there demons that can come to us throu!h our ancestors? contributed something useful to society. 's another "art of the ex"eriment% ho ever% the children and grandchildren of a criminal family as tracedG these ere found to be robbers% sex "erverts% rac!eteers and unem"loyables. #hat as the difference? 0ome ould say "bad blood% and thatEs a fair ans er. The blood of man carries much that is highly mysteriousFand it seems quite a""arent that demonic s"irits can be transmitted through the blood stream to the yet unborn. 8ut this is no cause for des"air. If e have been born ith inherited demons% let us ta!e heart in the !no ledge that these can be cast out in @esusE nameC
1&1
Huestion =;
23
4ould there be such a thing as a "dormant demon hich might not manifest itself until a certain time in a "ersonOs life?
#e believe that many children born into this orld of godless or rebellious "arentsFes"ecially those ho have indulged in forbidden occult "racticesFare already infested ith demons. These demons may remain dormant% or manifest themselves in strange behavior only at certain times. I ell remember being told of a man ho as "rayed for in a church in northern Dntario% and one of the s"irits that as identified as named a "nicotine s"irit. #hen challenged% this s"irit as e&ected through the throat% and a strong smell of tobacco as noticed. The ama>ing thing as that the man had never actually indulged in tobacco smo!ingC $o could this be? I believe he had a latent demon% hich ould have com"letely over"o ered him had he given it the slightest
1&3
toehold. 8ut he resisted the tem"tation. There is a "assage in @ames hich says:
8lessed is the man that endureth tem"tation: for hen he is tried% he shall receive the cro n of life% hich the *ord hath "romised to them that love him. *et no man say hen he is tem"ted% I am tem"ted of Bod: for Bod cannot be tem"ted ith evil% neither tem"teth he any man: but every man is tem"ted% hen he is dra n a ay of his o n lust% and enticed. Then hen lust hath conceived% it bringeth forth sin: and sin% hen it is finished% bringeth forth death. I@ames 1:1=-1,J
9otice hat @ames says here. If one gives ay to tem"tation% there is a "conce"tionF hich means "the creation of a ne life. If a "erson has a latent demon% and he gives in to tem"tation% I believe this ould actually cause a ne demonic lifeactivity in the "ersonFan activity hich% li!e a fetus% ould gro % develo"% and ultimately be born% a monster in that "ersonEs life. The man ho had the "nicotine s"irit
1&4
ithin
'ould there (e such a thin! as a 2dormant demon" which mi!ht not manifest itself until a certain time in a person+s life? him had never given ay to it. 8ut if he had not resisted the tem"tation to smo!e% the nicotine habit ould have develo"ed to monster "ro"ortions. ' "erson ith a latent s"irit ithin them from birth may be brought u" in a disci"lined 4hristian home and ultimately ma!e their decision to become a "racticing 4hristian. They might not discover this demon until many years after ards. 8ut hen it is discovered% it can be cast out. It should be born in mind that even after a "erson has been delivered from a !no n% recogni>ed s"irit% it may still be "ossible for other s"irits to remain hidden until the $oly 0"irit brings them to the surface. Then a second session of exorcism ill be necessary.
1&'
Huestion =2
24
're some demons stronger than others?
The 8ible teaches that some demons have more authority than others. There seems little doubt in my mind that here several s"irits are binding a "erson% there may be a "ca"tain in charge of the o""ression. In the second big ex"erience that I had of delivering a man from suicide% my ife and I had a very strong feeling that this demon as the "ca"tain ho remained behind until all the lesser ones ere e&ected. 0ome "eo"le use the ex"ression "ruler s"irit. This ex"ression is based on a "assage found in E"hesians <:1=% here certain categories of strong demon "o ers are mentioned. The categories are as follo s: I1J "rinci"alities% I=J "o ers% I;J rulers of the dar!ness of this orld% and I2J ic!ed s"irits. There are t o ords in the Bree! language for demons that rule nations. Dne is daimon and the other is daimonion. The first ord is usually associated ith the "o erful "demons. and the
1&7
second ord is a diminutive form denoting the lesser ran!s. Those ho teach about the existence of "ruler s"irits base their teaching on this "assage in E"hesians. 'ctually% that considerably ea!ens the teaching% since the context indicates that the authority of a "ruler s"irit extends to rulers% !ings% des"otic dictators or governors. In other ords% the or! of a "ruler s"irit has to do ith the actual rule of a nation or territory. $itler or 0talin ere no doubt controlled by such "ruler s"irits. 0o hile it seems true that certain demons are stronger than others% "robably it is not ise to refer to any demon in the average "erson as a "ruler s"irit. (aybe the thought ould be more correct if another ord ere used such as "ca"tain or "sergeantC ' teaching has arisen that it is first necessary to challenge this "ca"tain s"irit% and cast him out% and then his minions ill follo mee!ly after the boss has gone. #e must remember% ho ever% that some of these "ractices and methods have been "discovered by an actual dialogue ith demons. It
1&,
,re some demons stron!er than others? seems to me that any information gained from demons is o"en to serious questionC I do not recommend that e try to com"el demons to s"ea! and name themselves. @esus commanded them% saying% "$old thy "eace% and come out..." I(ar! 1:=,J. Aemons are all liars% and ill come across ith the most nonsensical statements in order to confuse the un ary and the novices in this ministry. ' demon% hen challenged% might say% "I am the ruler s"irit% thereby boasting of a ran! that he does not haveF and this could be received ith much enthusiasm by those anting to ""rove they have "o er to cast out a real% high-ran!ing demon. 0o I do not recommend forming doctrines based on the ord of a lying s"irit. I do not% as a general rule% hold any dialogue ith these foul entities. There is no love lost bet een us. I des"ise them.
1&9
/art 2
2:
The (inistry of Exorcism
Huestion =,
25
#hy must demons leave hen a 4hristian gives the command?
Dne of the incredible things about our relationshi" to @esus 4hrist is that $e shares $is authority ith usC #e usually have no difficulty believing that @esus has authority over evil s"irits% but sometimes it is hard for us to gras" the fact that $e has no delegated that authority to us. Dne of the interesting "assages on this sub&ect is found in (atthe =-:1-% 15. @esus says to $is disci"les there%
'll "o er is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Bo ye therefore% and teach all nations% ba"ti>ing them in the name of the ?ather% and of the 0on% and of the $oly Bhost.
0omeho % that isnEt quite the ay e ould ex"ect @esus to say it. #e ould more naturally ex"ect $im to say% "'ll "o er is given unto me in heaven and in earth. I ill go therefore.... 8ut that isnEt hat $e said. Rather% $e said% "'ll "o er is given unto me... go ye therefore.... #hy
111
did $e say it this "o er% and has no
ay? 8ecause $e had received delegated it to us.
If all demon s"irits are sub&ect to @esus% then they are also sub&ect to @esusE "eo"le% because e have $is "o er. #hen @esus died on the cross% and shed $is blood% 0atan and all of his demons ere stri""ed of their "o er. #e should not be sur"rised at this. Even before 4alvary% @esus gave $is disci"les "o er over demons. 'nd it or!edC They came bac! and said to @esus% "*ord% even the devils are sub&ect unto us through thy name I*u!e 1.:16J. There is great authority in the name of @esus. #hen e cast out demons in $is name% e are doing it as $is re"resentatives% as rightful bearers of $is authority. 9o demon can ignore the command of faith given by a child of Bod. $e must obey% &ust as though @esus $imself ere s"ea!ing. 'fter the disci"les had ex"ressed to @esus ho glad they ere to discover the "o er they had over demons% @esus said% "I beheld 0atan as
112
Why must demons leave when a 'hristian !ives the command?
lightning fall from heaven. '""arently% @esus sa the casting out of demons by his disci"les as an indication that 0atan as about to be defeated at 4alvary% and ould fall as lightning to the earth.
0atan and his demons have no legal rights over a 4hristian. Aemons must be absolutely sub&ect to any 4hristian ho !no s and uses his authority.
113
Huestion =<
26
0hould inex"erienced "eo"le try exorcism?
Df course% anyone ho starts anything ne is inex"erienced% and ex"erience comes by or!ing at it. I as totally inex"erienced hen I began this ministry in 152-% and hat I have learned has been learned the hard ay. $o are e to become ex"erienced unless e try? It is correctly said that no one has ever done anything orth hile in life ithout ma!ing mista!es. @esus did not tell his disci"les to ait until they became ex"erienced% or until they understood all the "itfalls. $e told them to AD IT. They did it and it or!ed. It has been noted% ho ever% that this ministry of exorcism does attract a minority of very enthusiastic% but immature% "eo"le ho rush in ithout quite !no ing hat is going on% and generally cause confusion ithout bringing deliverance. They may stir u" the devil% but that is all.
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0ince there are more and more "eo"le actually "racticing the ministry of exorcism% and since there are some good boo!s available% I feel that ne comers should be encouraged to or! along ith more ex"erienced "eo"le. It is im"ortant that these novices humble themselves under the instruction of the more ex"erienced. I had a case recently in our "rayer room one 0unday evening% hen e al ays seem to have some "eo"le ho need deliverance. T o ne comers came in and quite bra>enly too! a case out of the hands of a more ex"erienced elder and started to tell the young% im"ressionable girl that she had a "murder demon. They then "roceeded to "cast it out% and informed her that she might have !illed someone someday if they had not had "discernmentC 7sually% all exorcism ought to begin ith "ersonal confession. The genuine gifts of the 0"irit are not substitutes for "ersonal confession and renunciation. If a suffering "erson comes for exorcism% it is he Iand not IJ ho ill tell of his need. I al ays encourage him to tell me% in the
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0hould ine$perienced people try e$orcism? sim"lest language "ossible% hat his need isF al ays remembering that confession is good for the soul. 0uch sins as homosexual activity and adultery need to be confessed% as ell as "lesser sins. They need to be forsa!en in "rayer. There is need to as! for BodEs forgiveness. If the "erson feels too embarrassed to ac!no ledge his sins% he ill not holeheartedly enter into his deliverance. 4onfession is thera"eutic. The novice may find it more exciting to rely on the gifts of the 0"irit to tell the "erson hat is rongG but great care must al ays be ta!en to be sure that e have the mind of the 0"irit and not our o n mind% hich is quite frequently in error. 'll of us have heard sincere "eo"le say% ith a "Pox Aei loo!% "The *ord told meC The real o"eration of the gifts of the 0"irit ithin a more ex"erienced "erson ill usually sho that this is not the 0"irit of Bod% but the mind of an unhumble "erson. I remember a case of a dear old elder ho announced ith great authority that the *ord had
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revealed to him that his sister-in-la ould die that very night. That as fifteen years ago. $e himself died a fe years later% but his sister-in-la is still aliveC I heard of another case recently here a man declared that Bod had revealed to him that he ould not die until @esus returned. $e has been dead for ten years and @esus has not yet come bac!. #hat ma!es "eo"le do these things? The same is done ith the inter"retation of 8ible "ro"hecies. Even scholars of the same school of "ro"hecy disagree ith one another% although all claim to have divine illumination. I su""ose a "erson ho has been taught certain doctrines in early youth finds it very hard to get rid of his mental fixations. To get bac! to our questionFI thin! that inex"erienced "eo"le should be "ermitted to enter into the ministry of exorcism% but they should also be illing to serve ith the more ex"erienced. I find that the gifts of the 0"irit do o"erate in me% but usually after I have begun to tac!le a !no n% confessed "roblem. In the interest of safety% it is a
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0hould ine$perienced people try e$orcism? good "rocedure to as! any others "resent if they have also had the same revelation in the 0"irit. 7nfortunately% some evangelists have made ca"ital out of their ministry by ""utting a demon on a "erson in order to "cast it out The sufferer concerned may have had no !no ledge hatsoever of the "revelation% but in faith gratefully believes that he has been delivered of intended suicide% murder or cancer% hen in actual fact the hole idea came out of an enthusiastic IletEs not say maliciousJ human mind. 'nother "roblem ith the inex"erienced is that they may get the demon stirred u" into fren>ied activity% but then they donEt !no ho to use their authority to cast it out. (any times I have had to come to the rescue and command the demons to sto" "acting u" and "utting on a sho . 8ut this is something that comes by ex"erience only.
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Huestion =6
0hould any 4hristian attem"t to cast demons out of others before he has been ba"ti>ed in the $oly 0"irit?
27
I am ans ering this question on the assum"tion that e are s"ea!ing of the ba"tism in the scri"tural sense of receiving the infilling of the $oly 0"irit% and manifesting it by the outflo ing of glossolalia or "other tongues from our innermost "arts. #e must remember that the "ractice of exorcism is not "eculiar to the days after /entecost. Even the seventy disci"les "racticed this% much to their astonishment. It ama>ed them to discover that they ere o"erating under 4hristEs delegated authority. +et% the $oly 0"irit had fallen on none of themC Dbviously% then% it is "ossible for any bornagain 4hristian to cast out demons. The great commission to the hole 4hurch% recorded in (ar! 1<:16% 1-% begins ith the statement that all believers should cast out demons. 0o the "ractice is
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not restricted to a fe s"ecially a""ointed exorcists% nor even to the 0"irit-filled% but rather to every active member of the 8ody of 4hrist. It is natural% ho ever% that certain "eo"le should become leaders and teachers in this and other ministries of the 4hurch. I am not suggesting% though% that the ba"tism in the 0"irit is unim"ortant I believe that @esus meant for all 9e Testament believers to have not only the ability to s"ea! in tongues% but also to exercise the other gifts of the 0"irit. The casting out of demons is equated ith the gift of miracles by @esus in (ar! 5:;-% ;5% here $is disci"les anted $im to sto" certain other disci"les from going around casting out demonsG but @esus said% "?orbid them notG for there is no man hich shall do a miracle in my name% that can lightly s"ea! evil of me. Thus% any humble Iand the humbler% the betterCJ believer may and should cast out demons% and thereby "erform a miracle. 'nd if the born-again believer can "erform such a miracle% then ho much greater ill the miracles be hen he is 0"irit-filledC
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0hould any 'hristian attempt to cast demons out of others (efore he has (een (apti3ed in the Holy 0pirit? The 4hurch has been so ea! and feeble that such "lain teaching as this may cause dismay to many "o erless church "leaders. They ould rather not face u" to the increased demonic activity of our day% retreating rather into theological formulas and dis"ensational nonsense. They reason that if miracles do not occur in their denomination% then they should not% or cannot% occur in others. 'ny born-again 4hristian ought to desire all of BodEs "o er he can get. 9ot only should a believer be filled ith the 0"irit% but he should also be active in the ministry of exorcismFnot a"art from the 8ody of 4hrist% but or!ing under the guidance and direction of elders. 9o one should ever tangle ith this ministry unless he has a s"iritual leader. 9o married oman should enter into this su"ernatural realm ho does not ac!no ledge her husband as her head% or ho does not attem"t to have her children in sub&ection. Exorcism is a "o erful ministry% and
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needs "eo"le
ho mean business.
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Huestion =28
Is fasting necessary for successful exorcism?
9o% it is not% but in certain circumstances it may be hel"ful. In (atthe 16% e have the case of a boy ho is described as being "lunatic!. #hatever the modern medical term might be% the boy frequently fell into the fire or into the la!e. $e may have been a s"astic% or sub&ect to e"ile"tic sei>ures. The disci"les tried "raying to the best of their ability% but it as obvious to all that they ere getting no here. Then @esus came along and "rebu!ed the devil and the demon de"arted from him. The disci"les ere very embarrassed and as!ed $im "rivately hy they had not succeeded. $e re"lied that their failure as because of their unbelief. They did not have the necessary faith for this exorcism. They ere fearful. (ost of us can react quite sym"athetically to this. $o many times have e had the same ex"erienceC In verse =1% @esus says that this !ind of demon
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comes out only by ""rayer and fasting. The same story is given in (ar! 5% but e find more detail there. @esus did not cast out the demon until the father of the boy cried out% "*ord% I believe% hel" thou mine unbelief% sho ing that someone had to believe before the miracle as done. This mention of fasting is one of the fe cases in the 8ible here it is believed that a ord as inserted by a co"ying mon! in "ast centuries. $e made the annotation% "robably from his o n thoughts% but later co"yists "ut it into the text. 0o a real question hangs over verse =1% in the minds of most 8ible scholars% at least. If e dismiss verse =1% then e are driven to the conclusion that the real reason that the demon could not be cast out as their unbelief. To me% this seems more reasonable than to say that lac! of fasting as the reason. If e ere to go on a fast for everyone see!ing exorcism today% e ould have no time or strength left to "ray for the multitudes of "eo"le ho are no see!ing hel". ' fe minutes before riting this% I s"ent an hour ith an alcoholic. Pisibly and definitely% the demon of alcohol came
12
)s fastin! necessary for successful e$orcism? com"letely out of him. 8ut I did not fast. I had &ust eaten a light su""er. I donEt mean to discourage fasting. If a "erson is bound and in need of deliverance% it may be a good thing for him to have a mild fast% or to miss one or t o meals before coming for "rayer. This fasting ill not "t ist BodEs arm% or earn deliverance from a "mean Bod% but it ill sho the *ord the earnestness and seriousness ith hich the su""liant comes for healing. It ill "rove that the s"irit of the man as"ires to be stronger than the flesh. It ill also ea!en the body against any resistance to the ex"ulsion of the s"irit behind the sic!ness. ?asting as very "o"ular among mon!s in the middle ages. This as a or! of su"ererogationF that is% a or! hich goes beyond that hich as required or demanded in the situation. 't the time of the Reformation% (artin *uther% together ith hundreds of mon!s% left their cloistered solitude and gave u" these "ractices% coming out into the freedom that @esus gives us. That is not to say that the "erson ho "ractices fasting is bound by legalism. 8ut e need to be careful that e are led
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of the 0"irit
hen
e fast.
The disci"les of @esus ere rebu!ed on one occasion for not fasting% and their freedom as contrasted ith the /harisees K ho fasted oft% hile the disci"les fasted not at allC Dbviously% this as a sim"le case of self-righteous criticism by the /hariseesC @esus said they had no need to fast hile they had the 8ridegroom ith them. #e might as! ourselves the question% "Ao e indeed have the 8ridegroom ith us? There is no doubt that there is room for fasting in certain circumstancesG but% in general% there seems to be no need for the exorcist to fast before "raying for the bound and tormented.
12,
Huestion =5
29
Ao 4hristians have authority to send demons to the "it of hell?
This is a very "o"ular question% and the "robable reason is that 4hristian "eo"le ho"e that the offending s"irits can be confined to some !ind of s"iritual "garbage dum"% so that they ill not trouble anybody againC There also seems to be a very definite interest in the question of here demons go hen they are cast out. IEll try to ans er both of these questions. There is nothing at all in the 8ible about sending demons bac! into "the "it. In fact% the o""osite seems to be the case. In the story of the Badarene demoniac% the demons begged to be sent in to a nearby herd of s ine% so great as their fear that @esus ould "torment them before their time I(atthe -:=--;2J. The inference here is that their ultimate torment ould be to be cast into the "it% or "lo est hell. They !ne full ell that @esus had said that hell as "re"ared for the devil and all his angels I(atthe =2:21J% but as
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long as they ere in the demoniac% they ere safe from the "it. 8ut hen @esus came along menacingly% they ere afraid and requested the next best alternativeFto go into the s ine. The "igs did not a""reciate this at all% and ran into the la!e and dro nedC I/igs canEt s im.J The demons should have had more sense% but this "roves ho stu"id they really are. The ultimate destiny of demons is found in Revelation =.:1.% here it is recorded that 0atan is to be cast into the la!e of fire and brimstone% hich is the "lace reserved for him and all his angelic hosts of demons. 7ntil this final act of @esus% demons have a certain "legal right to inhabit this "lanet The earth has al ays been 0atanEs domain Ieven before he fellJ% and he still claims it as his !ingdom Isee (atthe 2:-% 5J. That is hy demons inhabit the earth. 'nd as long as they are here% they ill al ays be loo!ing for the body of a man or beast through hich they may manifest their foul% evil natures. The insane demons that left the Badarene demoniac !ne they faced a horrible fate% even if
13&
4o 'hristians have authority to send demons to the pit of hell? they ere not sent to the "it immediately. They ould be forced to ander around% see!ing to get bac! into the body out of hich they ere e&ected% or see!ing another body. 4ases have even been !no n here s"irits% having been forced out of a body by the death of that "erson% ill cling to the building and haunt it% so that others coming in ill sense and sometimes hear or see a""aritions. ' 4hristian family moved into such a house in Dsha a% Dntario% some years ago% and the haunting s"irits al!ed u" and do n the corridors% o"ening and closing doors% etc.% until the ne house o ner called me to exorcise them. This as done in about half an hour by audibly "leading the blood of @esus in every room and closet% and then loudly commanding them to de"art in @esusE nameF hich they did. 9o more trouble as ex"erienced. #here do these demons go? #hy% they &ust ta!e off to find some other "erson to inhabitC 's long as they can live in a human being% they are ha""y% and they ill go to extreme measures to
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entice a "erson to sin. 0atan tem"ted @udas Iscariot to sell @esus for money% and then later entered into him. ?irst the tem"tationFthen the overcoming of the "ersonF ho becomes bound until set free by "rayer. The hole strange teaching of "astral "lains taught among s"iritistsFthe "seven stages here de"arted humans go after deathFis based on the fact that demons actually do stay close to this earth% "erha"s in degrees or "lains% but all "earthbound. This doctrine% believed so im"licitly by necromancers Ithose that communicate ith the deadJ% comes from demons. In the "it% demons ill never again have human bodies in hich to d ell and manifest themselves. Imagine a sex demon having no body to use in hellC That ill be hell for the demon% but hat of a human ho as driven by this demon and never re"ented? In Revelation =1:-% re&ect @esus in this life: e read of those ho
8ut the fearful% and unbelieving% and the abominable% and murderers% and horemongers% and sorcerers% and idolaters%
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4o 'hristians have authority to send demons to the pit of hell?

and all liars% shall have their "art in the la!e hich burneth ith fire and brimstone.
This "lace% or "it% as not "re"ared for humansG it as "re"ared for the devil and his angels. 8ut if any human insists on "ermitting one of these foul s"irits to govern his life% he ill go along ith the demons to the same "lace. It is orth it? The demoniac of Badara fell at the feet of @esus% #ho forgave him and set him gloriously free% to live in holy &oy and ultimately to go to heaven at death. $e could have gone to hell% but he re"ented of his sins and his hideous condition. The demons ill go to the "it% but not the demoniac. $e is no longer bound by demons. $e is a child of Bod forever.
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Huestion ;.
#hat did /aul mean hen he rote% KBod... shall bruise 0atan under your feet shortly" IRomans 1<:=.J?
30
The ord "shortly means " ith s"eed. /aul as teaching the Romans that they should ex"ect to quic!ly tread on 0atanEs head% as Aavid did in the case of Boliath% after robbing him of his s ord. @esus% the fulfillment of Aavid% too! the terrible "s ord a ay from 0atan I hich s"ea!s of his lying ordJ% and "ut another "0 ord in our mouth% hich is the #ord of Bod. In Benesis ;:1,% it is "ro"hesied that the 0eed of the oman ould bruise the ser"entEs head. It is from this ancient "ro"hecy that /aul borro ed his meta"hor. 'll 4hristians may exercise their authority in 4hrist and "ut their feet on the nec! of the defeated Ibut not yet deadJ enemy% 0atan% and render him "o erless. 9ot only did @esus Ithe 0eed of the omanJ bruise the head of 0atan% but e% the continuing seed of the Pirgin 8ride Ithe 4hurchJ are ex"ected to continue to bruise 0atanEs
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head by treading u"on it daily in @esusE name. 4hristians ought to claim the "romise made in /salm 51:1;: "Thou shalt tread u"on the lion and the adder% the young lion and the dragon shalt thou tram"le under feet. 0o fe have tried. 9o doubt the "eo"le in the church at Rome ere also fearful% but /aul "romised them that they ould indeed tram"le 0atan under their feet as a normal daily exercise of faith. Dbviously% if 0atan and his demons are safely under our feet% they cannot attac! our minds or bodies. This is the only s"iritually healthy stance for a 4hristian. *et us be careful that% in our fearfulness% e do not de"end on someone else to do the treading for us. There is no scri"tural "rovision for this. 'll an exorcist can do is to cast him out of your lifeG then% you must "ut your foot on him. If you do not% he may &um" bac!C This is hy @esus said to a young man% "0in no more lest a orst thing come unto thee I@ohn ,:12J. The full meaning of Romans 1<:=. is
13
What did 1aul mean when he wrote& 5od... shall (ruise 0atan under your feet shortly2 67omans 1%82.9? dramati>ed for us in @oshua 1.% here the five !ings ho ere determined to destroy the Bibeonites ere themselves destroyed. Bibeon had seen the destruction of 'i and @ericho by the advancing Israelites% and so they isely decided to thro in their lot ith Israel and acce"t the leadershi" and "rotection of @oshua. *ater on% as @oshua moved for ard quic!ly to defend the Bibeonites against the five !ings% Bod sent hailstones to !ill the armies of these !ings. #hen the !ings themselves sa that the battle as lost% they ran a ay and hid themselves in a cave% hich as to become their tomb. 'fter the final victory% @oshua called u"on the leaders of his armies to come and "ut their feet on the nec!s of these five !ings. Then @oshua himself cut off their heads and thre their bodies bac! into the cave and bloc!ed it u" ith heavy stones. In the s"iritual realm% Bod ants his children to face u" to any demonic attac! hich might be launched against themF hether it be in the form
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of des"air% shame% sic!ness% "overty or famine. Aemonic forces are constantly see!ing to o""ress us. #e must never run from them% but face right u" to them and "ut our feet squarely on the "roblem.
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Huestion ;1
0houldnOt exorcism he done "rivately% a ay from the eyes of "eo"le ho might not understand?
31
If e are to consider the ideal ay of dealing ith each individual% it ould obviously be best to ta!e them into a "rivate room and counsel them. This also gives an o""ortunity to allo the 0"irit of Bod to hel" us understand the "roblems of the sufferer. ?ollo ing the time of counseling and listening to them% e can agree for the "rayer of exorcism to ta!e "lace. The evil s"irits ill soon be e&ected% and hether they are noisy or quiet ma!es little difference. #hat are e to do% though% hen faced ith a situation li!e that of /hili" in 'cts -? $e as right out in the o"en air% and as he "reached 4hrist to the "eo"le% the demons started to react very noisily. #hat should he have done? 0hould he have ta!en them to a room in the 4ity $all? 0hould he have told them to !ee" quiet? 0hould he have ta!en each one aside for se"arate
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counseling and "rayer? Dbviously% this as not "ossible% and so it as necessary to have a mass deliverance service. #e are living in times hen e may encounter such a great amount of demonic activity that there maybe nothing else to do but stand by the micro"hone and "ublicly rebu!e every alien s"irit in the "lace% binding them and commanding them to come out. I have been in services here I have had to deal ith hundreds of cases all at the same time. IEve met some "eo"le ho thin! that this is a terrible thing to do in a "ublic "laceFbut hat is our alternative hen hundreds are coming for this ty"e of "rayer? In many "laces% it is not "ossible to deal ith individuals "rivately% because so many are see!ing hel". In our church in 0carborough% Dntario% e have made some effort to co"e ith this "roblem. The assistant "astor and the elders% along ith hel"ers% gather in our "rayer room after the evening service. 0ome "eo"le receive counseling% hile others confess their needs "rivately. Then e lead them to renounce their sins and agree to
14&
0houldn+t e$orcism he done privately& away from the eyes of people who mi!ht not understand? "ut them a ay forever. 'fter this% e o"enly rebu!e the demons in @esusE name% hile the or!ers gather around and "ray in grou"s ith each individual. I su"ervise and hel" in cases here difficulties may arise% or here demons are stubborn and ant to sho off. Each 0unday% "eo"le are definitely delivered and filled ith the $oly 0"irit. I !no of no other ay to avoid the "ossible confusion that might arise from a "ublic deliverance service. If there are not trained or!ers% then e are com"elled to handle the matter in hatever ay e can. I ould li!e to add that this is not an extra to the "reaching of the Bos"el. This is the very center of the Bos"el. @esus as manifested that $e might destroy the or!s of the devil and set the ca"tives free. If "eo"le remain bound in our churches% then e are not fulfilling the great commission. @esus told us very "lainly% "In my name shall ye cast out demons.
141
Huestion ;=
32
Is it necessary to s"end hours at a stretch trying to set a "erson free from demons?
In our earlier ex"eriences ith this ministry of exorcism% e ere sometimes tra""ed by clever demons into s"ending much time and much energy% trying to budge the recalcitrant s"irits. 0ome have even stayed u" all night% and after exhausting themselves% have still not brought the sufferer to com"lete deliverance. 0atan !no s ho to ear out the saintsC 0ometimes% though% there are reasons for excessively long deliverance sessions. If a sufferer is see!ing deliverance for rong motives% e often find that the demons are hard to cast out. #e must reali>e that demons claim a "legal right to occu"y a "erson ho has given "lace to him and does not ant to serve the *ord fully. It is "ossible to stir u" a demon to great activity ithin a "erson% but fail to cast him out. 'll e do is get him sha!en u"% but not out. This can go on for hours% as the demon "lays ith us and "uts on a sho so that
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e believe e are getting some here. #hen I have entered a room here this has been ha""ening% I immediately ta!e command% tell the s"irit to !ee" quiet and sto" sho ing off% and to come out immediately. $e usually does. 8efore beginning the "rayer of exorcism% it is al ays hel"ful to find out first hether the one ho is bound really ants to serve the *ord. It is also im"ortant to find out if there are any !no n sins that are unconfessed. Es"ecially should the sufferer see! forgiveness for the sin or ea!ness that allo ed the s"irit to enter in the first "lace. In the 8ible% e do not find long% dra n out deliverance sessions. If I do not begin to get "ositive results ithin a matter of some minutes% I ill sto" and enquire hether the "erson is sincere. In one case% a oman came to see me and informed my ife and me that she as a lesbian. #e as!ed her to forsa!e this and to see! the *ordEs forgiveness for this "ractice hich is so highly condemned by the #ord of Bod. To our astonishment% she said that she as not sure she
144
)s it necessary to spend hours at a stretch tryin! to set a person free from demons? could do this% since she felt the ex"erience as rather beautiful. It turned out that she anted to be set free from the stigma of her sin% but she did not ant to forsa!e it. 9o amount of "rayer ould have budged this unclean s"irit It had a right to stay there and manifest its unclean nature. #hen a "erson is ready and illing% the time of "rayer can be very exhilaratingG but here un illingness is "resent% it can drag the strength out of you% because you are fighting an im"ossible battle. #e must remember% too% that more time is required if a "erson has more than one demon. ?or% even after a "erson has been delivered of one s"irit% another may boil u" to the surface% and you may need to have a second or third sessionFor even more in some casesC
14'
Huestion ;;
33
(ust the exorcist force demons to name themselves before casting them out?
' more basic question needs to be as!ed% and that is% 4an you trust demons to tell the truth any ay? If you must call a demon by name in order to ex"el him% the demon could stall a long time by giving you one false name after another. I am a are that there are many sincere "eo"le ho feel this is the right ay to go about it% ho ever. They do not attem"t to exorcise any demon until they first get his name. This idea is based on one incident in the life of @esus: $is encounter ith the Badarene demoniac. The incident is related in three of the Bos"els% but it ill be sufficient to loo! at *u!eEs version. #e are told in *u!e -:=5 that @esus had commanded the unclean s"irit to come out of the man. Then the next verse says% "'nd @esus as!ed him% saying% #hat is thy name? 'nd he said% *egion: because many devils ere entered into him. That does say% then% that @esus as!ed the name
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of the demon% does it not? 8ut loo! again. I donEt thin! it does. +ouEll notice that henever *u!e is referring to the man% he uses the "ronoun "he or "him. ?or instance% in verse =-% " hen he Ithe manJ sa @esus% he cried out% and fell do n before him.... 8ut hen *u!e is referring to the demons% he uses the "lural "ronoun "they or "them. ?or instance% in verse ;1% "They Ithe demonsJ besought him that he ould not command them to go out into the dee". 0o hat are e to conclude then? #hy% sim"ly% that hen "@esus as!ed him% saying% #hat is thy name% he as as!ing the man% not the demon. 'nd it as the man ho said his name as *egion% for he a""arently !ne that he as full of demonsC 0ince there is no other "lace in the 8ible here e are instructed to as! anything of demons% I conclude that there is no scri"tural basis for as!ing demons to give their names. In my o n ministry% I have not found it necessary to get any !ind of information from demons. ?requently% ho ever% the 0"irit of Bod ill reveal by a ord of !no ledge the name and
14,
:ust the e$orcist force demons to name themselves (efore castin! them out? nature of the demon% and then e tac!le it and cast it out before it has any o""ortunity to "revaricate.
149
Huestion ;2
34
're demons al ays ex"elled through the mouth?
In this ministry of exorcism% there has arisen a belief that demons must al ays be disgorged through the mouth. '""arently% this conclusion is based "artly on the several cases of exorcism in the 8ible here "eo"le cried out ith loud voices% and "artly on the ex"eriences of "eo"le ho have become nauseated during exorcism and have actually vomited out strange substances. #hile many demons are exorcised ith these manifestations Iand e are not to be alarmed if this ta!es "laceJ% yet ex"erience sho s that e can by no means ex"ect that this shall al ays be so. II cannot imagine anyone actually anting to see such thingsCJ #ith the increase of this learning to "roceed ith each ith no "reconceived notions ha""en. (any demons leave manifestations at allFalthough
1'1
ministry% e are case individually% about hat ill ith no visible in such cases% e
usually get a strong in ard itness that the demon has gone. The "erson involved also receives a dee" "eace% and their torment disa""ears. I thin! it is im"ortant for us to do all e can to sto" any un"leasant demonic manifestations. 0ome are unavoidable% to be sure% but e certainly shouldnEt encourage demons to ma!e a sho of themselves. 0ome "eo"le have mista!enly as!ed the demon to manifest himself. I tell him to shut u" and come outC
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Huestion ;,
35
#hy do some "eo"le get only a "artial deliverance hen demons are ex"elled?
There are several reasons hy this may be so. ?irst% Bod ill deliver a "erson only u" to the "ceiling of their confession. If there is a "lurality of demons "resent% and only one is confessed% then it is "robable that only this demon ill be e&ected. (any times% as I have "rayed for a "erson% the $oly 0"irit has revealed another ty"e of demonG hen this demon is named and challenged% it ill often react very suddenly and come out. 0ometimes "eo"le have trouble ith "artial deliverances because they do not !no all the areas in their lives hich need deliverance. In cases such as these% it may ta!e a "eriod of days% or even ee!s% for the $oly 0"irit to reveal the areas of need. Dn the other hand% e can sometimes discover hat demons are "resent through a ord of !no ledge. 'nother reason hy some get only "artial deliverances is because their o n faith is ea!% or
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they may be quite unsure about this hole ministry any ay. They may be scared% and therefore not fully coo"erative. If e succeed in dislodging a s"irit after a strong fight% e then encourage the "erson to go home and as! Bod to reveal to them any other areas here they may be needing hel". In this ay% their o n faith dee"ens and they become more coo"erative. (any times% e get better results in a second or third session than in the first one. There may be any number of other reasons for "artial deliverances. 0ometimes% as e gro in grace% e find that latent ea!nesses begin to sho u" more and more. ' quic! tem"er% or &ealousy% hich has not troubled us very much in the "ast% may no begin to u"set our 4hristian life. This has been my o n ex"erience% but hen I as!ed for "rayer% the thing left me% never to return. 'nd that brings u" another interesting factF that many of us may yet need to as! a brother or sister to "ray for us% as e humble ourselves under the hand of Bod and submit ourselves one to
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Why do some people !et only a partial deliverance when demons are e$pelled? another. This is very difficult for some of us to do% but it may be the !ey to a more com"lete deliverance. If some ell-meaning "erson comes u" to me and says% "8rother #hyte% the *ord has revealed to me that you have a s"irit of QQQQQQQQQQ and need to be delivered% I do not brush him off as a "nut% but gladly submit myself% saying% "Pery ell% then you "ray for me that I might be delivered. If his "discernment is false Iit may be caused by over>ealousnessJ% then he ill bac! off. 8ut if it is true% e ill all have a itness that it is so. #e ill gladly submit to "rayer. In a meeting of charismatic ministers in 156;% hen e had been discussing this ministry of exorcism% a humble E"isco"alian clergyman as!ed me to "ray for him after he confessed to a hasty tem"er. I too! him aside% and e "rayed togetherG he e"t for &oy as the evil s"irit left him. It is a good thing to learn to submit ourselves one to another in the 4hurch. This !noc!s all "ride out of us.
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Huestion ;<
If a 4hristian has been delivered of a demon% is there any guarantee that the demon ill not return?
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I thin! it boils do n to a matter of selfcontrol. It is very unfortunate that so many "eo"le ho have had valid deliverances% return to their old ays because of discouragement% "ressure from relatives% or even business "roblems. The danger of bac!sliding after exorcism is very real% and if it ta!es "lace% the devil usually gains a much stronger foothold the second time. This is borne out by the "arable that @esus taught in (atthe 1=:2;-2,% here an unclean s"irit had been cast out of his "house and andered around aiting a favorable o""ortunity to return. #hen he finally did return% he brought ith him seven other s"irits more ic!ed than himself. This teaching of @esus should be sufficient to !ee" all cleaned-u" 4hristians follo ing hard after the *ord in their lives and their orshi". /eter "ut it very "lainly:
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?or if after they have esca"ed the "ollutions of the orld through the !no ledge of the *ord and 0aviour @esus 4hrist% they are again entangled therein% and overcome% the latter end is orse ith them than the beginning. I= /eter =:=.J
In verse ==% he li!ens this behavior to a dog returning to lic! u" its vomit. ' revolting analogyC In my ministry% I have encountered a number of "eo"le ho have been delivered% only to return to their o n ays and ultimately become orse than they ere before deliverance. #e need to understand that tem"tation is very real% even after exorcism. 8ut the devil is not stronger than @esus. #e do not have to give "lace to 0atan. Ex"erience has taught me that at no time in my 4hristian ex"erience am I in the "lace here Bod ould have me. There is al ays room for more of @esusG there are al ays dee"er recesses in my s"irit that need to be "urged and invaded by the "resence of @esus. 8ecause this is true% there is the ever-"resent "ossibility that demons may get control Ior !ee" controlJ of some area of my life.
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)f a 'hristian has (een delivered of a demon& is there any !uarantee that the demon will not return? 8ut it seems to me that e have a com"lete guarantee that an evil s"irit ill not return if e !ee" ourselves in the love of Bod% consciously under the blood of @esus% and uns"otted from the orld. This as @ohnEs reci"e I1 @ohn ,:1-J. 'ny born-again 4hristian can do this.
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/art ,
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Db&ections to Exorcism
Huestion ;6
37
IsnEt it dangerous to cast out demons?
/ossibly. Ariving a car on a modern high ay can be dangerous if you ignore the rulesC #e must remember that the !ind of 9e Testament 4hristianity taught by the '"ostle /aul is not "racticed in many of our churches today. /aul says of the early church members that they ere soldiers% clad in "rotective armor% ith a s ord and a shield in their hands% battling against monstrous demon "o ers called "rinci"alities% "o ers% rulers of dar!ness% and ic!ed s"irits. /aul sums u" the matter in E"hesians <:1. by saying% "?inally% my brethren% be strong in the *ord% and in the "o er of his might. $e s"ea!s to them as a church of arriors ho !ne the secret of su"ernatural strength. $e describes their ea"ons as "mighty... to the "ulling do n of strong holds I= 4orinthians 1.:2J. #hat resources for ordinary 4hristiansC 8ut ho necessaryCFfor their enemies ere "o erful demon s"irits controlling nations and organi>ations of men% evil
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s"irits ruling in the dar! "laces of the earth% and enormous numbers of evil s"irits that attem"ted to harass them daily. Is ar dangerous? Dnly if you have im"ro"er equi"mentC If our armor is not orn "ro"erly% there ill be chin!s in it% and 0atan ill shoot his fiery darts through them. If the shield of faith is not held at the right angle% it ill not avail. If the 0 ord of the 0"irit% hich is the #ord of Bod% is not !no n% then e have no offensive ea"on. #e are sitting duc!sC Bod has not only given us a "rotective armor hich is im"ervious to 0atanEs attac!s% but he has also given us the blood of $is 0on. I cannot recommend too strongly that those ho enter into this battle deliberately cover themselves by faith in the blood of @esus. 0atan cannot get through the blood-lineFbut it must be there. #hen Bod as about to release the children of Israel from Egy"tian slavery% the blood of lambs had to be s"rin!led on the lintels and side"osts of all Israelite homes before the angel of death "assed over. If no blood had been used% death ould have
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)sn;t it dan!erous to cast out demons? come to the first-born in every family Isee Exodus 1=J. Dbviously% 0atan ill launch a counterattac! hen you become a nuisance to him. 8ut it is better to go in and in% than to sit on the sidelines and lose. The best form of defense is attac!. That is hy @esus tells us% "8ehold% I give unto you "o er to tread on ser"ents and scor"ions% and over all the "o er of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you I*u!e 1.:15J. There has been a very common ob&ection to the laying on of hands in connection ith exorcism. It has been said by many that this is dangerous% and that e should in no ise "ut our hands on anyone ith an evil s"irit% lest it enter usC This may have some basis in common sense% es"ecially in cases here the sufferer is o""ressed to the "oint of insanity and violence. 8ut I do not believe there is any danger of a "!ic!-bac! from the demon% or that the ic!ed s"irit can get into us through the laying on of hands. The "o er of the $oly 0"irit in us is infinitely greater than the
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"o er of 0atan. I usually begin exorcisms by "raying for the "erson ithout the laying on of handsG if the sufferer begins to sho signs of distress% I then lay my hands on him in order to bring the force of the $oly 0"irit to bear u"on them. I often thin! of this as being similar to connecting a battery charger to the terminals of a dead battery. The "o er of the $oly 0"irit flo s into the demon-o""ressed "erson and hel"s to drive out the evil s"irit. If you are inex"erienced% and very uncertain about the hole matter of exorcism% ho ever% then I ould suggest that you !ee" your hands off. 8etter ait until youEve gained some ex"erience. To those ho battle under the blood ithout fear% there is absolutely no danger. It is 0atan and his demons ho are in danger. @esus conquered them all at 4alvary. #ith all the millions of "eo"le aiting to be delivered% let us arise and "ut our armor on and begin to ma!e ar against 0atan.
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Huestion ;38
0hould e not &ust "reach the Bos"el and not concern ourselves ith this exorcism business?
This is a favorite question ith those ho do not understand. The 8ible says that Israel limited Bod by their unbelief: "+ea% they turned bac! and tem"ted Bod% and limited the $oly Dne of Israel I/salm 6-:21J. They believed &ust as much about Bod as as convenient for them in their ay of life. #e have many of these "eo"le% both in the "ul"it and the "e s of our churches today. To them% the Bos"el of salvation is limited to @ohn ;:1<. 9o I am certainly not ob&ecting to sermons "reached on @ohn ;:1<C 4ertainly% every sinner needs to be born again% and believe on the *ord @esus 4hrist for salvation. 8ut e have been commissioned to do more than "reach @ohn ;:1<. 'ccording to the instructions in (ar! 1<% e are to ba"ti>e% cast out devils% and heal the sic!. @esus made this "oint "erfectly clear to the
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t elve and to the seventy in *u!e 5:1 and 1.:1. They ere given com"lete authority over all demons% to cast them out. This is the first sign that @esus mentioned that ould be given to "rove the authenticity of genuine 4hristianity. /hili" the evangelist ex"erienced this. In 'cts -:<% e find that he did not "reach a limited 4hrist. $e did not tell them to re"ent of their sins onlyG rather% the text sho s that% follo ing their turning to Bod% demons came out of many% crying ith a loud voice. 'lso% the sic! ere healed and all the ne converts ere ba"ti>ed in aterFand later the same day% they ere ba"ti>ed in the $oly 0"irit If a clergyman minimi>es any "art of the "lan of salvation% he undersells his congregation on the meaning of salvation. In 9e Testament Bree!% the ord "salvation means "to be made hole or "to be delivered. The salvation of the *ord means soundness for manEs s"irit% soul% and body. I recently s"o!e on a ,.%... att Toronto radio station about the miracle of lengthening legs and straightening of t isted s"ines that Bod is
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0hould we not -ust preach the 5ospel and not concern ourselves with this e$orcism (usiness? doing today. I tal!ed about s"ecific cases% and a listener as so ins"ired that he rote stating that he had one leg shorter than the other and a croo!ed s"ineG he said he as coming to church% and that he had faith that our "rayers ould cure his condition. I as on the s"otC 0hould I have !e"t my mouth shut? #as I treading on dangerous ground? #hen the man sho ed u" in church one 0unday% and later ent to the "rayer room% I !ne the "moment of truth had comeC 's!ing him to sit in a chair% I too! his t o legs in my hands and found that his right leg as five-eighths of an inch shorter than his left leg. I "rayed and as!ed @esus to heal the man. Immediately% the leg gre out before our eyes until it as equal to the right one% and his s"ine became straightC $e rote several days later% saying he had tried every test he could thin! of% and the miracle held firm. $e said that he no "lanned to return to have a s"irit of fear cast out. $e came% and the s"irit as cast out. I as glad that I had a full
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Bos"el to "resent to that manC 0hould e leave out any "art of the good ne s of salvation? 0hould e have the &oy of seeing sins forgiven% but "ut u" ith the sorro of seeing sic!nesses% both mental and "hysical% still remaining year after year? I admit that not everyone e "ray for is healed or deliveredFand there may be many reasons hyFbut that is no reason for failing to "reach a hole Bos"el. Dn a recent TP a""earance in Toronto% I as to a""ear side-by-side ith a liberal% unbelieving minister. $e thought that the first eleven cha"ters of Benesis ere "ure myth% and he didnEt believe in demons at all. I ex"lained that the 8ible s"o!e clearly about demons% and ho @esus dealt ith them by casting them out. I sho ed ho 0atan entered into @udas Iscariot% and ho the disci"les also cast out demons. $is re"ly as that demons ere the "inter"retationsEE of the men ho rote the Bos"els and the boo! of 'cts. $e anted "roof. I as!ed him ho much more "roof he needed than the fact that "eo"le ho had been bound in
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0hould we not -ust preach the 5ospel and not concern ourselves with this e$orcism (usiness? mind or body ere "ermanently set free hen e exorcised the demons in @esusE name. I as!ed him hat it as that came out of them hen they cried out or fell to the ground. $is re"ly as sur"rising. $e said% "I have no doubt that you healed themC I corrected him and "ointed out that I as only an instrument in the hands of @esus. I as!ed him ho these "eo"le could receive miraculous healings and deliverance if there are no such things as demons. $e had no ans er. This is the day hen @esus is once again giving bac! to a timorous 4hurch all the gifts and offices of the $oly 0"irit% that e might "reach a hole 4hrist as /hili" did% and ex"ect the same ex"eriences and results to follo our "reaching. Remember% exorcism is the first on the list of signs that should follo our "reaching I(ar! 1<:16J. It is not something e can s ee" under our theological rug and forget Bod is bringing it out from under the rug today.
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Huestion ;5
39
IsnEt it a mentally unhealthy thing to become too Kdemon conscious?
Those ho are engaged in the ministry of deliverance are often accused of being more ta!en u" ith demons that ith the $oly 0"irit It is stated that e are unhealthy in our attitude% for e literally go around " itch-hunting and "loo!ing for demons behind every tree or circumstance. #e admit freely that some in this ministry do blame demons for everything% instead of blaming themselvesFand some% "retending to have the gift of "discerning of s"irits% ma!e a bad guess and say% "+ou have a s"irit ofQQQQQQQQQ%" and then "roceed to "cast it outFor claim to do so% any ay. This may sound very im"ressive to some% but it is extremely offensive to others. #e need to be very careful that e !no for sure that there is a demon "resent before e start rebu!ing it and casting it out In every true move of the 0"irit of Bod% there
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are enthusiastic "eo"le ho ant to hel"% ithout having the "ro"er ex"erience behind them. 8ut it must be admitted% if e are honest% that no one ill ever learn anything unless they begin some here. 0o let us not be too hard on these enthusiasts. 't least they are trying. *et it also be stated that the 4hristians ho are involved in this ministry are not loo!ing for demons. They are loo!ing to bring healing and release to the thousands ho are o""ressed. In 152-% hen the *ord brought me into a sudden reali>ation about the reality of demons% I as not loo!ing for them. I as merely trying to bring healing to a man ho as chronically sic!. It had been suggested to me that if I changed my method of "raying% and sto""ed as!ing @esus to heal the man% and instead started to rebu!e the sic!ness in @esusE name% I ould get better results. The result as astonishing. I came face to face ith demons immediately. 8ut I as not loo!ing for them. They reacted hen challenged in the mighty name of @esus. (any% in fear of the un!no n% "refer to do nothing about demonsG
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)sn;t it a mentally unhealthy thin! to (ecome too demon conscious"? therefore they remain hidden% and ha""ily continue their evil or!. Aemons ill al ays react hen @esus is "reached in $is fullness. Dne common reaction is an effort to ma!e "eo"le believe they are not there% and to bring criticism do n on the heads of those ho are casting them out. In 8roo!lyn% 9e +or!% on one occasion% a religious demon started to manifest itself in the orshi" time by "raising Bod in a falsetto voice. The face of the "erson as contorted in distress. I recogni>ed the demon and cast it out at the end of the service. I as not loo!ing for it. 8ut the songs about @esus flushed it out of its hiding "lace% and caused it to try to simulate "raise. #hat ha""ened hen @esus ent into the synagogue at 4a"ernaum? #as he loo!ing for demons? 9o% he as merely teaching doctrine% hen suddenly an unclean s"irit cried out. @esus rebu!ed it% commanded it to be quiet% and to come out I(ar! 1:==% =;J. The evil s"irit obeyed. Df course% the "eo"le ere astonished. (aybe if @esus
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had been more refined and di"lomatic% he ould have avoided such an "un"leasant reaction in the house of BodC 9o% e donEt loo! for themG but they are there% hidden% until e attac! them and cast them outF or until the "resence of the *ord in a service stirs them u" and they manifest themselves.
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Huestion 2.
40
4anEt demons be handled more effectively by sim"ly "raising Bod and ignoring them?
In the charismatic movement today% considerable teaching is being given on the necessity to "raise Bod. This doctrine has been sadly lac!ing in the historic churches% and here it is being introduced% it is found that "a merry heart doeth good li!e a medicine I/roverbs 16:==J. #e are instructed to give than!s in everything and for everything I1 Thessalonians ,:1- and E"hesians ,:=.J% and the result of such an attitude to the adversities of life is that e shall have a &oyful s"irit. 8y "raising Bod% e can certainly "revent evil s"irits of des"ondency% &ealousy and criticism from robbing us of the victory of 4alvary. The doctrine of "raise does not re"lace the doctrine of exorcism% ho ever. The t o are distinctly se"arate% yet com"limentary. In many cases% a "erson may be bound by a s"irit of heaviness IIsaiah <1:;J% and this must be re"laced
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by the 0"irit of &oyG it is a hard thing to "raise Bod from the heart if one is bound by a s"irit of heaviness. $eaviness and de"ression are characteristics of a demon s"irit% hile &oy is a characteristic of the $oly 0"irit. $eaviness must be cast out in the name of @esus before the $oly 0"irit can be "rayed in. 'fter the $oly 0"irit comes in% it ill be easy to "raise. *et me add this arning% ho ever. /raising Bod ith a loud voice or ith raised hands can be done in the energy of the flesh% and not from the inner recesses of the heart. This exercise ill "roduce nothing exce"t eariness. It ill certainly not cast out s"irits from oneEs "erson. ?irst% e must get to the "oint of than!ing Bod in our suffering. Then e must resist any tem"tation to be sorry for ourselves and begin to "raise Bod in the un"leasant situationG then e shall encourage our s"irits and minds to believe Bod for the ultimate deliverance. 'lthough I have ministered to charismatic grou"s ho have been taught to "raise% I have still had to go to or! and cast out the binding s"irits
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'an;t demons (e handled more effectively (y simply praisin! 5od and i!norin! them? from them. /raise is no substitute for exorcism% although "raise certainly ma!es it easier to resist 0atan. The first reaction after deliverance is almost al ays a strong desire to "raise Bod. 0ometimes% the "erson may be so overcome ith emotion that their "raising is seen in ee"ingF hich is a little hard for unsaved "eo"le to understandC Dbviously% "raise is good. 0o is exorcism. #e need all the hel" e can getC
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Huestion 21
41
AoesnEt this ministry magnify the devil rather than @esus 4hrist?
Dn the contrary% the ministry of exorcism demonstrates the defeat of the devil more "lainly than any other ministry I !no C If e cast out demons in the name and authority of @esus% it is @esus ho is magnified% not the devil. #hen you "magnify anything% you ma!e it loo! bigger% or greater. $o % then% does casting out demons ma!e them loo! greater than @esus 4hrist? If e can order demons to leave in the name of @esus% and they obey% doesnEt that demonstrate the "o er of @esus% and the lac! of "o er of the devil? #here% then% do e get the idea that defeating demons and casting them out gives any glory to the devil? 0trange !ind of glory that isC Is it any glory to a man hen he is fired from his &ob? Is it any glory to demons hen they are ex"elled in the name of @esus? ?ar from it% it sho s hat miserable% ea! creatures they really areC This question is usually as!ed by 4hristians
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ho go to churches here the biblical command to "cast out devils" is not being obeyed. 0uch 4hristians have not been taught that @esus defeated the devil% sic!ness% disease% and demons at 4alvary. 'nd so they go through life believing that they are "bearing their cross hen o""ression comes. $o the devil must en&oy our a""alling ignorance of the "o er of the Bos"elC It seems to me that the very heart of the Bos"el is @esusE "o er to deliver suffering humanity from the cruel o""ression of the devil. This is to be done through the "reaching of the #ord% casting out demons% and healing the sic!. The gimmic!s% contests% and "give-a ays used by many churches today to encourage 4hristian "eo"le to " in souls is certainly not based on the 8ible. +et those ho ""lay at the Bos"el" ith such unscri"tural means of reaching the lost scoff at those of us ho ta!e the command of @esus seriously to "cast out devilsC Dne of the early demonstrations of @esusE "o er too! "lace hen he cast a demon out of a man at 4a"ernaum I(ar! 1:=;-=6J. *ater% he gave
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4oesn;t this ministry ma!nify the devil rather than <esus 'hrist? his disci"les authority over all demons% and "o er to cure all diseases I*u!e 5:1J. ?inally% he "assed on this ministry of exorcism to the hole 4hristian 4hurch% saying% "These signs shall follo them that believeG in my name shall they cast out devils... I(ar! 16:17J. 0o this ministry is not an un"leasant addition to the Bos"el. Rather% it is one of the very essential ministries of those ho "reach the Bos"el. 'nd it is heartening to see ho the hole ministry of deliverance is being rediscovered in these days of the out"ouring of the $oly 0"iritG more and more 0"irit-filled 4hristians are entering into the battle% and thousands are being set free.
1,1
Huestion 2=
42
#hy blame the or!s of the flesh on demons?
Dbviously% there is a difference bet een the tem"tations of the flesh and o""ression by demons. If your "roblem is due to the ea!nesses of the flesh% it can be dealt ith by dying to the desires of the flesh% trusting @esus% and al!ing in the "o er of the $oly 0"irit. 8ut if your "roblem refuses to be conquered% then you may sus"ect the activity of demons. There is a great difference in the ay the t o !inds of "roblems are to be handled% too. The flesh is to be crucified% but demons are to be cast out. +ou cannot crucify a demon. The 8ible teaches us to bring the or!s of the flesh into sub&ection to @esus 4hrist. #e must "rec!on that our old 'damic nature% hich is corru"t% is nailed to the cross of @esus. This is a daily Krec!oning. @esus can only live $is life in a 4hristianEs mortal body as $e is given daily "ermission. 8ut if that 4hristian gives his old
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fleshly nature bac! to 0atan after rec!oning it to be dead% then 0atan ill gladly ta!e it again Ior any "ortion of itJ. #e must not blame the devil for our bac!slidings. #e must blame ourselves.
The or!s of the flesh are clearly named for us in Balatians ,:15-=1: adultery% fornication% uncleanness% lasciviousness% idolatry% itchcraft% hatred% variance% emulations% rath% strife% seditions% heresies% envyings% murders% drun!enness% and revelings. /aul tells us that e are to give no "lace to the devil IE"hesians 2:=6J% If% after conversion% e surrender any "art of our old nature to the devil% he immediately ta!es hat he can% and "lots to "install a demon to continue the or! of evil. This is hat ha""ens hen a 4hristian bac!slides. In cases here chronic bac!sliding has ta!en "lace over a "eriod of time% it may be necessary to call for the elders of the church to "ray the "rayer of faith% and set the victim free from these demonic "o ers.
I am not saying that a 4hristian becomes o""ressed by demons the moment he bac!slides and "arta!es of fleshly activity. 8ut he is certainly ma!ing a ay for 0atan to occu"y an area of his
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Why (lame the works of the flesh on demons? life% and there is no other "rotection exce"t immediate re"entance% "leading of the blood% and restoration to full fello shi" ith @esus.
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Huestion 2;
If the ministry of exorcism is valid and scri"tural% here has it been throughout the 4hurch age?
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The ritings of some of the early 4hurch fathers% such as Iranaeus% /olycar"% @ustin (artyr and 4lement% sho that the normal ministry in the early 4hurch as to ta!e each ne convert and exorcise them at conversion% before they ere ba"ti>ed in ater. 'ncient ritings of the Roman 4atholic 4hurch teach us that there ere certain "riests ho had a ministry of exorcism% ith coughings and manifestations similar to those e see in this ministry today. Though the 4hurch fell into a"ostasy ith the "assing of the years% and lost its gri" on many of the "recious ministries and gifts of the $oly 0"irit% the light began to da n again ith the ministries of such men as (artin *uther% the #esley brothers% and other great evangelical leaders of the last century. This has given ay% in turn% to the rene ed out"ouring of the 0"irit hich began at
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the turn of this century% hich brought us bac! to s"ea!ing in tongues% "ro"hesyings% and the ministry of divine healing. 't the mid-"oint of this century% it began to be reali>ed by some% including the author of this manual% that demons ere a reality% and did indeed cause mental and "hysical sic!nessesG so e "roceeded to cast them out of any ho came for such deliverance. Df course% this as met ith strong o""osition% es"ecially by those grou"s that did not understand this ministry. The o""osition% ho ever% did not "revent the on ard move of this rediscovered dimension of the old Bos"el. Remember% there as also great o""osition to s"ea!ing in tongues at the turn of the century% but Bod still moved for ard. 9o % in these days hen the ministry of exorcism is being rediscovered by the 4hurch% Bod ill still continue to move for ard in victory. @esus 4hrist is "re"aring $is 4hurchF$is 8rideFto be ithout s"ot or rin!le% and to be "re"ared for $is return. The 8ride needs a hole lot of " or!ing over." @esus is not returning for a
1,,
)f the ministry of e$orcism is valid and scriptural& where has it (een throu!hout the 'hurch a!e? Roman 4atholic 8ride or a /rotestant 8ride. $e is returning for $is one 4hurch% com"osed of bloodashed men and omen from all denominations% filled ith the 0"irit% their lam"s full of "oil and burning brightly. The day of denominations has ended. The only " orld 4hurch ill be the true one that @esus is no building in every nation. This is the day of cleansingFand that is hy this final ministry of deliverance has been given bac! to us. *et us use it. It is "erha"s a bit frightening Iand challengingJ to reali>e ho many 4hristians need deliverance from satanic o""ression% and are no coming for it. This is the last "hase of the 4hurch age.
1,9
Huestion 22
#ouldnOt it be better to cast the demons out of ourselves% rather than orrying about the demons in others?
44
0ome of the "eo"le ho as! this question feel that "demon is a dirty ord% and that deliverance is such an embarrassing and "rivate matter that they ould far rather Kdeliver themselves" than as! for the "rayers of someone elseC Dn the other hand% there are some "eo"le ho are concerned about the hole question of exorcism from another stand"oint: they as! themselves% K$o ill it affect my attitude to ard my 4hristian friend if I begin to believe that he is o""ressed by a demon? #onEt that bloc! fello shi"? #onEt that ma!e me unnecessarily ary of him? #ouldnEt it be better for me not to entertain such thoughts% and &ust !ee" my o n bac!yard clean? *etEs address ourselves to the second question first. If a friend of yours is obviously being o""ressed by a demon% you do him no favor by
191
ignoring his "roblem and acting li!e it doesnEt existC If you truly love him as a brother in 4hrist% then you ought to s"end time ith him in "rayer and fello shi" until he comes to an understanding of his "roblem. #hen he is ready for exorcism% you ought to be the first to extend the hel"ing hand% either by exorcising the demon yourself% or by ta!ing him to a man of Bod ho "ractices this !ind of ministry. There is no reason hy a fello 4hristian should be excluded from your fello shi" &ust because he is being o""ressed by a demon. #e must remember that% although he is under attac! by 0atan% yet he is a brother ho also has the $oly 0"irit in him. 'nd if ever there is a time hen he needs fello shi"% it is hen he is being o""ressed by the devil. 0o donEt sin against your 4hristian brother by ignoring his "roblems. Reach out in love% in the name of @esus% and set the ca"tive freeC 9o % as to the first question about "delivering yourself. I agree that it is "ossible for 4hristians to deliver themselves of demonic o""ressionFand many have done so. $o ever% It can be a
192
Wouldn+t it (e (etter to cast the demons out of ourselves& rather than worryin! a(out the demons in others? disturbing ex"erience. #e !no one la yer in (ichigan ho heard teaching on exorcism and thought he ould try it on himself hile driving home. 's soon as he verbally rebu!ed the s"irits in himself and commanded them to come out in @esusE name% he immediately became nauseated. 9ot counting on that% he >i""ed into his drive ay &ust in time% tumbled out of the car% and vomited on his front la nC *ater on% hen he told us of this ex"erience% I reminded him that it might have been far easier if he had had someone else minister to himC If submitting yourself to the ministry of exorcism seems some hat embarrassing% &ust remember that this may be exactly the !ind of humility that some of us need in order to receive deliverance. /erha"s this is the reason the '"ostle @ames tells us to ""ray one for another that ye may be healed I@ames ,:1<J. 9otice% too% that he first tells us to confess our faults one to another Ian embarrassing thing to doJ. Dnce e have
193
confessed our needs and our faults to one another% it is much easier to "ray the "rayer of faith. Remember% it is the "rayer of faith% and not the "rayer of uncertainty% that brings results. 'nd it is im"ortant that e minister one to another in a cor"orate sense.
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Huestion 2,
If the great archangel (ichael dared not rebu!e 0atan% ho are e that e may do so?
45
This is a favorite question of those ho do not understand our ama>ing authority in 4hrist. In @ude 5% it is recorded that (ichael dared not bring against 0atan any railing accusation% but sim"ly said% "The *ord rebu!e thee. 0o it is reasoned by some that if this great archangel% ho is the hel"er of all 4hristians IAaniel 1=:1J% dared not bring any criticism or accusation against the fallen archangel% 0atan% ho is it that e can o"enly and "ugnaciously rebu!e the devil? In the beginning% Bod made $is su"reme creation% man% after $is o n imageFbut a little lo er than the angels I/salm -:,J. #hen @esus% made in the li!eness of sinful man% too! manEs "lace on the cross and died for the hole orld% $e defeated 0atan com"letely and totally for all time. 9ot only that% but any "erson ho "uts their trust in 4hrist automatically becomes a son of Bod% raised to a much higher level than as
19'
"ossible in Dld Testament days. In Dld Testament times% the angels ere higher than menG but after the cross% believers ere elevated higher than angels% including 0atan himself. In E"hesians 1:=.% =1% e read that Bod the ?ather raised @esus from the cross to the "osition of su"reme conqueror% and "ut $im at $is right hand on $is throne. Those ho ere defeated are referred to as ""rinci"alities% ""o ers% "mighty ones% and "every name that is named in heaven and earth. 'll the defeated enemies are no under @esusE feet. /ositionally% e are in 4hrist% and therefore e share in $is victory. 'ccording to the ords of @esus% e may also "ut our feet on these angelic and demon "o ers. @esus said to his disci"les% "8ehold% I give unto you "o er Lexousia: authorityM to tread on... all the "o er Ldunamis: abilityM of the enemy I*u!e 1.:15J. @esus as raised to sit in heavenly "laces by $is ?ather% and is authori>ed to elevate us also% as e abide in $im. #e may exercise $is "o er and authority ithout any fear of re"risals from our adversary% the devil. (ost "eo"le are una are of
19
)f the !reat archan!el :ichael dared not re(uke 0atan& who are we that we may do so? this authority vested in 4hristians% and therefore do not use it. Dthers% "erha"s% have been a are of it% but are afraid to try it lest they get a "!ic!bac!. Thus% 0atan goes ahead ith his dirty or! uno""osed. Too often e "ray but do not ta!e our authority. @esus did not tell us to "ray for $im to rebu!e the devil. $e did that on the cross. $e tells us to rebu!e the enemy in $is name% in $is stead. #e become an extension of @esus on earth as members of $is 8odyFflesh of $is flesh and bone of $is bone IE"hesians ,:;.J. @esus did not die for angels. $e died for humans. 'ngels have become our ministrants I$ebre s 1:12J% to hel" us exercise the ministry of @esus here on earth. If $e cast out demons Ifallen angelsJ% e may do the same. #e no "ossess $is "o er of attorney% and e must do as $e commanded us: "'nd as ye go% "reach ... heal the sic!% cleanse the le"ers% raise the dead% cast out devils I(atthe 1.:6% -J. The or! of every minister of the 9e Testament Bos"el is summed
197
u" in this commission. If e "reach ithout healing and casting out demons in $is name% e are sim"ly saying% to our everlasting shame% that e !no a better ay to "reach the Bos"elC
19,
'bout the 'uthor

0overeignly led by the $oly 0"irit into an understanding of demonic activity and s"iritual arfare% (ax ell #hyte embar!ed on a &ourney in ministry that as fraught ith uncertainty and an absence of familiar landmar!s. 's is so often the case ith "ioneers% he as misunderstood% ridiculed% and ostraci>ed by the 4hristian community% even in his o n city. Aes"ite great o""osition% he forged ahead in the battle against the forces of 0atan% convinced that the ministry of deliverance as scri"turally based and as being restored to the church in his day. *ater% he began to record his ex"eriences% and over the next t o-and-a-half decades% he authored 1- boo!s. $is first boo!% "The /o er of the 8lood"% is idely distributed throughout the orld% selling over ;,.%... co"ies% and has been translated into several languages.
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A Manual On Exorcism - H A Maxwell Whyte

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A Manual On Exorcism - H A Maxwell Whyte

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Is Exorcism for Today?

' (anual on Exorcism

1reface against demonsG I as &ust "lain ignorant.

a""roach to the needs of "eo"leFand it

$. '. (ax ell #hyte

"ersonality of the child% and therefore gives very easily.

$o can you !no hen you have a demon?

$o can you !ee" from Kcatching a demon?

How can you keep from catchin!" a demon?

Is it safe to listen to hat demons say?

4an &ust anybody cast out demons?

'an -ust any(ody cast out demons?

Aemons and 4hristians

4an a 4hristian be "ossessed by a demon?

#as /aulOs thorn in the flesh a demon?

Was 1aul+s thorn in the flesh a demon?

$o can a 4hristian resist the demonic influences that surround him?

're there demons that cause sic!ness?

Is all sic!ness caused by demons?

're there demons that can come to us through our ancestors?

're some demons stronger than others?

The (inistry of Exorcism

#hy must demons leave hen a 4hristian gives the command?

did $e say it this "o er% and has no

ay? 8ecause $e had received delegated it to us.

Why must demons leave when a 'hristian !ives the command?

0hould inex"erienced "eo"le try exorcism?

Is fasting necessary for successful exorcism?

Ao 4hristians have authority to send demons to the "it of hell?

4o 'hristians have authority to send demons to the pit of hell?

're demons al ays ex"elled through the mouth?

IsnEt it dangerous to cast out demons?

IsnEt it a mentally unhealthy thing to become too Kdemon conscious?

#hy blame the or!s of the flesh on demons?

'bout the 'uthor

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