Great Questions about Demon Possession
Published December 22, 2010 | 
I got a couple of great follow-up questions from some folks after the sermon about Jesus delivering the demonized man in Matthew 8:28-34. Here’s my best attempt at giving an answer.
The first question was asked by more than one person. It basically went like this: “Where did the demons go after the pigs died? Did they die too, or just disappear, or did they go to their eternal torment after that?” In addition to that, there are a couple of related questions about the events themselves.
The easiest way to answer is the first question is, “I don’t know where the demons went, because the Bible doesn’t tell us.” Unfortunately, I don’t really have a better answer than that. It doesn’t make sense why the demons would ask to go into the swine, and then promptly destroy their new “home.” I do not believe they went to their eternal torment, because their request mentions that it was “before the time” (8:29) to enter into that torment. Where did they go? We don’t know, but we can safely conclude that they went off to the next place to wreak their cruel, destructive, devilish havoc on their next victims.
Someone else asked about the dynamic of a demon inhabiting an animal. I can only conclude that this is possible, because the text says that they “went into the swine” (8:32). There have been a number of suggestions 
about why the demons wanted to go into the swine in the first place. Some say that the demons were just evil and destructive, and wanted to possess the pigs for the express purpose of destroying them. Some have added to that the theory that Jesus wanted the swine killed too, because they were unclean animals, and therefore it was against Old Testament regulations to be raising them. Their death was an instant judgment, consistent with Old Testament civil law. While I am sure the deliverance of the two men was a higher priority than keeping the animals alive, I don’t think it is fair to conclude Jesus would desire random and wanton destruction of property. The account is about the power of Jesus to deliver from demons, not the authority of Jesus to punish men for compromising behavior. We are missing the point if we get hung up on that detail. In fact, the townspeople DID seem to get hung up on that detail, and it was to their shame that they did so.
A final question I got was related to the statement I made in my sermon, that in the New Testament there was never any confusion or doubt about identifying who was, and who was not, demon possessed. I commented that a demon possessed person exhibited certain kinds of uncontrolled behavior, either physcially or morally, that made them easy to identify. They asked about the man who was “sitting quietly by in the synagogue, listening to all that was going on, and seeminly no one knew he was there” (the man in Mark 1:23-26 and Luke 4:33-37). After reading the accounts in both gospels, there is actually no indication that he had been sitting there for weeks or months, quietly participating undetected. Mark says his appearance was sudden (“Just then,” a word that indicates some kind of immediacy). We don’t know how sudden it was, but it does not appear his presence was not the norm. In both accounts, however, the man bursts out screaming at Jesus in the synagogue — not exactly normal, every day, conduct at the local worship center. It seems his boisterous actions, and the subsequent violent convulsions when the demon comes out, serve more to illustrate my assertion that demon possessions were readily and easily identifiable. Granted, it is possible that they guy had been quietly sitting by for a weeks. But we are not told that specifically. Mark’s language seems to indicate that his presence was as a sudden, and new arrival.
The question is a good one though, and the silence of the text may serve as a good challenge for me to think though that principle. I was first pointed to that principle through observations made by Alex Konya, in his book, “Demons: A Biblically Based Perspective.” I highly recommend the book as having a balanced, and very biblical approach to understanding a very difficult subject.
With all that said, please recognize how difficult it is to sort through some of these issues. A lot of it is shrouded in mystery because it relates to things that take place in the spiritual realm, which we have very little knowledge of. There are a lot of things said and written about demons that is nothing more than conjecture or “best guesses” on people’s part. When you hear people speaking very confidently about knowing when, how, and where demons are operating, I suggest that you be very cautious and discerning about listening to them. There is definitely more we don’t know, than what we do know.
Thanks for your questions! See you next time.
Posted in Discernment, Doctrine/Theology, Sermons | 
Demons, Discernment, Doctrine/Theology, Sermons | 
Leave a commentAnswering Your Questions about Miraculous Healings
Published December 1, 2010 | I got a great “Sermon Question” sheet in the box on the back table after the message about miraculous healings. Because we are not having our regular monthly “Question and Answer” night in December, I thought I would get the answer to you all this way.
First question: “You said that Jesus’ healings were ‘instantaneous.’ What about the blind man who needed a second dose of spit and mud?”
The question is a reference to the blind man in Mark 8:22-26. This is a great question, and one I considered addressing during the sermon (but didn’t to avoid going too long). In the context of Mark 8, Jesus has just warned the disciples about the “leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod” (8:15). Then he questions the disciples about their lack of faith in doubting that Jesus could feed them all with the single loaf they had in their boat (8:14, 16-21). Essentially, He was pointing out that they were slow to understand in an effort to lovingly admonish them to try to grasp the significance of His power and miracles.
Then they get to Bethsaida and this blind man is brought to them. Jesus applies spit to His eyes (8:23; no mention of the mud here though, that is another account), and asks if he can see. He can only see blurry figures, which he describes as “I see men…like trees, walking around” (8:24). Jesus lays His hands on his eyes again, and the man immediately see everything clearly.
I believe the two-step healing here, in its context (which is a unique situation), was intended to be a living illustration for the disciples of how they needed to keep allowing Jesus’ “teaching” to be applied to their “spiritual eyes” so that the clarity of their thinking and faith would become increasingly clear. Figuring out the reason for the two-step healing is certainly the most important question to solve in order to understand that passage. Even so, we should be careful to note that the whole process of healing, even with two spit process, was no longer than a minute. I would still consider that instantaneous compared to what many modern “healers” claim.
Second question: “You said ‘all sickness is a result of sin.’ What about the man born blind who got healed, and Jesus said his blindness was not a result his own sin, or the sin of his parents, but for glorifying God?”
Whoever asked this question must think a lot like me, because I thought about mentioning this ‘exception’ in my sermon too. The passage he mentions is in John, chapter 9. Here is how I would answer this question.
When I said ‘all sickness is a result of sin’ I was careful to clarify that not every particular sickness was a direct result of a specific sin. It is still true, however, that all sickness is an indirect result of sin’s presence in the world. In other words, if the human race hadn’t plunged itself into sin, there would be so sorrow, sickness or death. When Jesus said, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so the works of God might be displayed in Him” (John 9:3), He was actually correcting the misconception about sin and sickness that I clarified above. His words are saying the exact same thing that my clarification did–that not every particular sickness was a direct result of a specific sin. But His statement does not mean that sorrow, sickness and death is NOT caused in a general way by the reality of sin in the world.
Third question: “I hear lots of stories from Asia and Africa about God’s healings. Do you see any special provision for God to allow or cause healings in those countries?”
Unfortunately, there is no way that we can truly confirm or deny what is happening, how it is happening, or why. I have never denied that God can heal anyone, anywhere, at any time. He does so, and when He does, He alone deserves all the praise. I am convinced the Bible teaches that the spiritual gift of healing was in operation in the early church primarily to confirm the message of the gospel through the first Apostles. Obviously not everyone agrees with my understanding of that gift, its purpose, or its operations.
Sadly, many who claim to have a gift of healing today are engaged in either a “showboating” kind of ministry, or are profiting financially from their so-called gift. We only have to watch them on religious television to see it, although many of their antics, deceptions, and greedy practices have been often documented. I receive a handful of letters every year at the church from unknown, obscure people in impoverished parts of the world. In these letters there are great claims of miraculous healings and demon exorcisms. They are always accompanied by a plea for a financial gift. Needless to say, the pleas seem insincere and the stories usually appear fanciful. The fact that stories are perpetuated, passed on (and likely often exaggerated) does not necessarily make them real.
No one could possibly have the resources or time to investigate every possible report of healings around the world. There are people out there who have tried, and by far the most common conclusion is that modern claims to miraculous healings of the character and nature of those in the New Testament are unfounded. Just for curiosity, I googled “what about miraculous healings in asia,” and clicked on the first article. A youth claims to have been healed of paralysis. But reading the article, it appears to have been no more significant than a bad arm taking a turn for the better. The article says:
Mi, a young man of 17, was the first to step forward to seek God’s healing touch for his paralyzed left side…On Friday, June 5, Mi went to a follow-up doctor’s appointment that had been set to discuss expensive surgery necessary for his paralyzed left arm. When the doctor examined his arm, however, he was amazed to find soft, pliable tissue instead of the rigid, spastic tissue he had examined previously. Mi immediately gave testimony to God’s healing touch following a time of prayer the week before. Mi continues to rely on prayer for full healing as he begins to follow physical therapy exercises he can do at home to strengthen his arm.
We don’t really know what the “rigid, spastic tissue” was before. A tight muscle? A severe cramp? A torn muscle? Unless it was a congenital defect, it may not be accurate to describe it as “paralyzed.” But notice, he was not totally healed. He is waiting, by his own report, for “full healing” and is following through with a physical therapy program to strengthen it further. This is very different from a man crippled since birth suddenly leaping, and dancing, and praising God. And yet, the headline reads “Miraculous Healing!” I believe almost all of the stories we hear are of a similar character. True healings, of the character and nature of the ones we see at the hands of Christ and the Apostles, would be the exception and not the common experience.
Those are really good questions. I appreciate them all, so keep them coming. The question and answer time is one of my favorite times of the month.
Psalm 107, continued – Give Thanks for God’s Lovingkindness
Published August 10, 2010 | 
In our last post we began to outline the wonderful ways God illustrates His redemption of sinners in Psalm 107. This is a great psalm, designed to inspire thanks and praise to God “for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men” (v. 8, 15, 21, 31). Remember that we stated the purpose and goal of the psalmist like this:
We must thoroughly consider the everlasting lovingkindness of the Lord, and give thanks.
In order to help us do just that, through illustration and instruction, the psalmist gives FIVE REASONS the redeemed must give thanks for God’s lovingkindness.
Give thanks because…
1. Your lost and starving soul has been led to a fruitful home (v. 4-9)
2. Your rebellious and imprisoned soul has been rescued from the chains of death (v. 10-16)
Now, in 107:17-22, we have another illustration of men in their sin—this time it has to do with the disease of sin.
Give thanks because…
3. Your diseased and dying soul has been healed of its afflictions (v. 17-22)
Sin is often pictured as a disease, it is a sickness that we must be healed of.
Psalm 107:17-18 – Fools, because of their rebellious way, And because of their iniquities, were afflicted. 18 Their soul abhorred all kinds of food, And they drew near to the gates of death.
Now, the passage paints a very literal picture here, of someone who is being afflicted physically as a direct result of their sin—not as a direct consequence (although that is possible). He says that it was because of rebellion of the heart and their own iniquities that the Lord had brought His chastening upon them. It is “because of their rebellious way, and because of their iniquities,” that they were afflicted.
Certainly, we need to be clear that the Bible does NOT teach that every physical ailment is a direct result of some sin. But the Bible does teach that this MAY be the case. And here is one place where that concept is taught. But I think the psalmist in this context, is really pointing us more to the metaphor of the sickness of sin—the literal, physical experience of sickness, being the ground of the illustration of the spiritual reality of sin.
We see this metaphor of sin as sickness in Jesus’ words.
Mark 2:17 – And hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not those who are healthy who need a physician, but those who are sick; I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”
It is only those who are sick who need a physician. Likewise, only those who understand that they have the “illness of sinfulness” will seek to be healed by the Great Physician. This section of the psalm is clearly a call to sinners to recognize their spiritual sickness and cry out to the Lord for spiritual healing from sin.
Psalm 107:19-20 – Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He saved them out of their distresses. 20 He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.
God will save! He will rescue! He will HEAL the humble sinner, who cries out to Him. Here, it says He delivers them from their destructions (or literally, “the pits”), which seems to be a reference to the grave. Of course, we know that the wages of sin is death—this is not a strange concept to the biblically trained ear.
Have you come to recognize how unhealthy, how diseased, how leprous and infected, your soul truly is apart from God’s healing hand? It is the only way to be cured from the sickness of sin. Recognize your need, and then cry out to Him for healing. You must acknowledge the trouble that you are in and experience the distress of being unable to heal yourself. Then in your helplessness cry out to Him, and He will send His word, and heal you.
And, if you HAVE been redeemed from the distress and the disease of sin, then the psalmist says this to you:
Psalm 107:21-22 – Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! 22 Let them also offer sacrifices of thanksgiving, And tell of His works with joyful singing.
In the first two refrains, reference is made to what God has done (satisfying the hungry/thirsty soul [v. 9, 10], and breaking the bronze/iron prison [v. 16]). But in this refrain (and the next), a statement is made about what those who have been healed and rescued ought to do in response. We are reminded in this case (v. 22), of the purpose of the song as a whole—it is a reminder give praise to God. The thanksgiving of an ancient Israelite would come through the prescribed thank offerings, and the praise would come through telling His works through joyful singing (v. 22).
Is this your heartfelt response to enjoying and being reminded of God’s redemptive work on your behalf? It should be! Because if you are saved, then “Your diseased and dying soul has been healed of its afflictions” (v. 17-22).
Now there is a fourth illustration, a final metaphor for the problem of sin, from which we need to be redeemed. This is the fourth reason that considering the everlasting lovingkindness of the Lord should produce thankfulness in our hearts.
Give thanks because…
4. Your fearful and storm-tossed soul has been delivered to a safe harbor (v. 23-32)
The picture in this next section of the psalm is of a life that is tossed around on the waves of the sea and out of control. In this case, there is nothing mentioned regarding the storm being a direct result of sin. It seems to only be a picture of the difficulty of life, and the uncontrollable trials of life, in this sin-cursed world.
Psalm 107:23-27 – Those who go down to the sea in ships, Who do business on great waters; 24 They have seen the works of the LORD, And His wonders in the deep. 25 For He spoke and raised up a stormy wind, Which lifted up the waves of the sea. 26 They rose up to the heavens, they went down to the depths; Their soul melted away in their misery. 27 They reeled and staggered like a drunken man, And were at their wits’ end.
This is life for everyone to one extent or another. Just like sailors might get stuck at sea in the midst of a storm bigger than they can handle, we are often tossed and in peril from the trials of life. Like sailors who quickly recognize that there are forces at work beyond their control, we know that there is a power above and beyond us that lifts up those waves—they are the works of the Lord!
There are times when our souls melt in misery as life assails us. There are times when we reel and stagger like a drunken man—we are tossed by our circumstances, and stumble in directions we do not want to go; we feel out of control. The translation here is interesting. It says men are, “at their wits’ end.” Who hasn’t felt like that in the midst of trials? Life is beyond our control. And it is the gift of a merciful God to remind us, so that we will learn to depend upon Him.
When we do recognize our need to depend upon Him thoroughly and completely, for both help and salvation, His redeeming grace always provides for our blessing and protection THROUGH the storms of life.
Are you feeling overwhelmed? Do you have storms bashing, and waves crashing, that you don’t know whether you will be able to survive? Don’t forget that God is in control, and as a redeemed child, cry out to Him.
Psalm 107:28-30 – Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, And He brought them out of their distresses. 29 He caused the storm to be still, So that the waves of the sea were hushed. 30 Then they were glad because they were quiet, So He guided them to their desired haven.
Again, the picture is of a powerful God, who is abounding in lovingkindness, and who desires to deliver His children from trouble and trial. Have you experienced the grace of God, in delivering you from, or through, the storm? Then give thanks!
Psalm 107:31-32 – Let them give thanks to the LORD for His lovingkindness, And for His wonders to the sons of men! 32 Let them extol Him also in the congregation of the people, And praise Him at the seat of the elders.
As you see and remember His lovingkindness, you should be giving thanks, extolling Him, and praising Him. And we are told that we should be doing this, “in the midst of the congregation.”
This is the lovingkindness of God. He has promised to lead us and feed us, to rescue us from sin’s prison, to heal us of affliction, and deliver us from peril.
Now the last section of the psalm is of a different flavor.
Verses 33-42 describe the workings of God, who mercifully accomplishes a fitting response in appropriate circumstances. It describes God as one who both blesses the land and curses the land, according to what the lives of the people dictate is just. But in all of it, He has a purpose which is loving, and redemptive. And it is in these loving and redemptive purposes of God that we should find the motivation for praise and thanksgiving!
Psalm 107:33-34 – He changes rivers into a wilderness And springs of water into a thirsty ground; 34 A fruitful land into a salt waste, Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it.
We first see that God can take a fertile, fruitful and well-watered land, and turn it into a dry and useless piece of property. And it says that He may do this “because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it” (v. 34). However, we then read this:
Psalm 107:35-38 – He changes a wilderness into a pool of water And a dry land into springs of water; 36 And there He makes the hungry to dwell, So that they may establish an inhabited city, 37 And sow fields and plant vineyards, And gather a fruitful harvest. 38 Also He blesses them and they multiply greatly, And He does not let their cattle decrease.
God also can bless the land, and cause it to be fertile and fruitful again. Is God fickle? Is He just randomly bringing blessing and famine according to His own divine whim? Is He toying with the fate of men, treating us like dolls in His divine storybook?
Absolutely not! And it is in the purposes of God through the ups and downs of life that we find the fifth and final reason in this psalm for giving thanks regarding the Lord’s lovingkindness.
How is the everlasting lovingkindness of the Lord revealed in His giving, and taking away, the fruitfulness of the land? He tells us that making the land barren, and bringing the misery of famine when it is in His power to make the land fruitful, is often part of His plan humble the hearts of men, and bring them to the place where they will depend upon Him fully.
Psalm 107:39-42 – When they are diminished and bowed down Through oppression, misery and sorrow, 40 He pours contempt upon princes And makes them wander in a pathless waste. 41 But He sets the needy securely on high away from affliction, And makes his families like a flock. 42 The upright see it and are glad; But all unrighteousness shuts its mouth.
Give thanks because…
5. In all these things, it is the Lord’s lovingkindness that exposes our helplessness so that He can lift us up (v. 33-43)
It is only because the Lord has made us to see that we were lost, starving and thirsty, that we could cry out and be led to that fruitful home—and this was His design.
It is only because we came to see that we were in the deadly chains of the prison-house of sin, that we understood we needed to be rescued.
It is only because God allowed us to experience the pain of knowing and experiencing our diseased and dying soul, that we cried out to him for healing and deliverance.
It is only because we have experienced the storms of life, that we have learned to depend upon Him to be delivered safely to the harbor.
And that is the divine design of His lovingkindness; that the most powerful of men—even the nobles, the princes of the land—would see their desperate need of Him and humbly turn to Him in complete dependence.
Our tendency is to kick against the trials of life, it is to shun guilt, and to think highly of ourselves. But by God’s grace, we are enabled to see our spiritually starving souls, imprisoned for our lawlessness and diseased because of our rebellion. This is the only way to truly know the grace, mercy, compassion, deliverance and forgiveness of the Lord. It is a gift of God’s everlasting lovingkindness that we feel guilt, that we see our depravity, that we suffer the consequences of our sin, and that He has opened our blind eyes to see our need to depend upon Him alone for every spiritual need.
The psalmist closes with an admonishment to give careful thought to these very principles.
Psalm 107:43 – Who is wise? Let him give heed to these things, And consider the lovingkindnesses of the LORD.
If we properly consider the lovingkindness of the Lord, then we will fulfill the purpose and mission of this psalm. We will be motivated to give thanks for it.
Psalm 107:1-2 – Oh give thanks to the LORD, for He is good, For His lovingkindness is everlasting. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, Whom He has redeemed from the hand of the adversary.
Indeed! Let the redeemed of the LORD say so! He is GOOD! His lovingkindness is everlasting!