In 1973 a movie called “The Exorcist” came out in theatres. It became a cult classic, as they say. The movie features a twelve-year-old girl who is possessed by a demon. As Hollywood tends to do, they included some eccentric scenes, like the girl’s head spinning 360 degrees and her projectile vomiting something like pea-soup. The movie terrified people back then and it continues to do so today. Some people shy away from movies like this as they say Satanic things are not to be glorified or made light of. Others, like Bible skeptics, dismiss the idea of demonic activity altogether and say it’s as silly as any old ghost story.
What exactly is demonic possession and demonic oppression? Can anyone perform an exorcism? How should a Christian respond if he thinks he’s encountered a possessed person or is faced with demonic activity? This essay aims to better understand these things and to examine what authority followers of Christ have with regards to Satan and his minion.
Power over Satan?
Some Bible verses regarding Satan and his influence tend to be taken out of context. For example, 1 John 4:4 says, “greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” Some run with this verse and claim, “As a Christian, Satan is no match for me!” Comments like this magnify the need to understand a verse in its context. 1 John 4:1-4 says, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.” This isn’t a matter of, “I’m more powerful than Satan!”, but rather, this passage addresses how to discern between truthful and untruthful teachings about Jesus. The Spirit-led teachings of the believer will invalidate the Satan-led false teachings of the world. Greater is the influence of the Holy Spirit in keeping Christians from corrupt doctrine, than Satan’s efforts to mislead the church.
Other verses taken out of context are Mark 16:17-18, which read, “These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” Some wrongly understand this to mean that all believers will cast out demons as well as experience all the other miracles listed there. However, that’s not what’s being said.
As Mark’s gospel wraps up, we read a condensed compilation of several events; Jesus commissioning the disciples, Jesus’ ascension into heaven, and the ministry of the apostles into the reaches of the world. In summary, Mark 16:15-20 says, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation…These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons…and they went out and preached everywhere…and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.” What Mark is saying is that those who are sent “into all the world,” will experience the miracles mentioned. These are the few that the Lord appointed to be apostles; the eleven at Jesus’ ascension, then later Matthias, and even later Paul. This passage ends by stating the reason the apostles will experience these miracles, so that their message was, “confirmed…by the signs that followed.” Few were ever blessed to experience such miracles, Paul being one; Paul cast out demons (Acts 16:18), healed people (Acts 14:10), was immune to a poisonous snake (Acts 28:5).
Lastly, regarding Mark 16:17, we need to examine the word “accompany,” where it says, “These signs will accompany those…” Accompany means to go along with someone as he goes, indicating there’s traveling involved. As the apostles traveled and preached Christ’s death and resurrection to the nations, these signs accompanied their ministry. So, when Jesus tells the eleven, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation,” He says these signs will accompany you as you go. It would be silly to think that all believers in all times would experience these miracles. Christians need to slow down before assuming all believers will cast out demons.
Possession vs. Oppression
When the Bible speaks of demon possession, it’s not to be understood in the way that Hollywood depicts it. Demons aren’t long-fanged ghouls that lurk in the dark, nor do they pounce on unsuspecting victims and control them like a puppet. Possession means “to accompany” and demonic accompaniment happens by direct or indirect invitation. Direct invitation can come through many Satanic activities. This is why the Bible commands against the practice of things like spell-casting, séances, witchcraft, astrology, necromancy, tarot-cards, palm-reading, and games like Ouija boards, etc. People have been pulled into these sorts of things by innocent curiosity, only to have gotten in way over their head. These types of “black magic” appear fun, interesting, and prosperous, but that’s Satan’s subtle trap.
Indirect invitations can come through things like drug and alcohol abuse where one experiences the sin of dissipation (Ephesians 5:18). Dissipation happens when a man surrenders control over himself by getting buzzed, high, or drunk, thus opening a doorway for Satan. Other indirect invitations come by way of rebellion, deep sinful lifestyles, unconfessed sin, unresolved anger, or spiritual compromise. In short, demonic possession happens when the individual has naively or willingly surrendered control of himself and Satan takes advantage of it. Once this “invitation” has occurred, the possessed individual is in real trouble; unable to control their body and will.
The Bible provides examples of demon possession. One story in Mark 5 tells of a man with a legion of demons in him. This man had lost control over his body and faculties. He was self-mutilating and had violent supernatural strength that couldn’t be bound by chains. Another example in Mark’s gospel shows a young man who had been possessed since he was a boy (Mark 9). The demon had made the young man deaf and mute and often tried to kill the boy by having the boy stumble into a fire or into a body of water. The boy’s father had to constantly rescue him. The young man was also tormented through seizures.
Demon possession has historically been accompanied by certain signs, although these signs by themselves may not indicate demonic possession. Signs include an individual hearing voices in his head, speaking different voices from his mouth, supernatural strength, self-destructive behavior, convulsive seizures, loss of consciousness, and a fierce aversion to Jesus.
Demonic oppression is different from possession, and refers to affliction or harassment that one experiences from demons. These can manifest as emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual torment. When someone is experiencing oppression, they still have control over their physical bodies and their will. Biblical examples of oppression include the story of Job, where he suffered much emotional torment at the loss of his household and children, as well as bodily torment as he was covered in boils. Job still had control over his mind and body and he chose to continue to worship the Lord despite the Satanic oppression. When I say that Job had control over his body it doesn’t mean that Job wasn’t covered in boils against his will, because he was. Job having control over his body simply means that Job wasn’t self-mutilating or doing other harmful things that tend to accompany those who are possessed.
Another Biblical example of oppression is mentioned by Peter who tells how Jesus had a ministry of “healing all who were oppressed by the devil,” Acts 10:38. That word “oppressed” means to harass or use one’s power against another. These people weren’t possessed by demons but were still suffering under the influence of demonic power, i.e. oppression. The word oppressed is used twice in the New Testament; the other time in James 2:6 where it speaks of rich people oppressing the poor, “is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?” Here again, the oppressed person is being harassed but still has his own will and bodily function under his control.
Christians cannot be possessed, but they can be oppressed by demons. Paul himself was oppressed by Satan, as recorded in 2 Corinthians 12:7, “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself!” That word torment means to mistreat or harm with violence and disdain. Here, Satanic oppression was permitted by God for a purpose; to keep Paul humble after having received magnificent and glorious revelations from God.
King David was oppressed by Satan when Satan infiltrated David’s heart and mind and compelled him to reject the commands of the Lord and take a census of the Israelites, 1 Chronicles 21:1. It’s likely that the census entailed counting Israel’s fighting men as a way to give David a false-sense of security instead of trusting God for protection. In any case, Satan had put intrusive thoughts into David’s mind, causing him to doubt the Lord and seek his own way.
Signs of oppression can consist of the following, although any one of these aren’t necessarily demonic oppression; frequent nightmares, negative intrusive thoughts, continuing struggles despite spiritual disciplines, and weighty spiritual depression or torment.
Deliverance from Oppression
It’s the power of Jesus Christ which brings deliverance. Deliverance happens through prayer, fasting, and the Word of God. When a believer confesses and repents and yields to the Spirit of God, oppression can be broken. James 4:7-10 says, “Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Be miserable and mourn and weep; let your laughter be turned into mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”
When believers are being oppressed, we can come back under Christ’s authority, from which we’ve strayed. We can be spiritually refreshed when we choose to humble ourselves, walk by the Spirit and stop giving Satan footholds in our lives. Believers choose to be filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) by daily yielding to Him. Christians can choose to stay in the Word, meditating on it day and night (Joshua 1:8). Christians can choose to resist temptation instead of entertaining it (2 Timothy 2:22). Christians can engage in thanksgiving and worship, doing this alone and in fellowship with others (Colossians 3:16). These things keep a man of God on the right track!
The Bible goes further and gives us a spiritual armor in our fight against our true enemy, Satan. Ephesians 6:12-13 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.” What is the full armor of God? That’s given in verses 14-17, as listed below.
The Belt of Truth – Truth, like a belt, holds us together, keeping our hands free for better purposes. The Breastplate of Righteousness – Righteousness is the condition of our true self, clothed in righteousness by Christ and seen here as guarding our torso; the vital organs. The Shoes of the Gospel – The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, is what quickens our feet to run and take the message of hope to all places. The Shield of Faith – Faith is one’s trust in the Lord and His promises. This is our shield which protects us from the constant arrows of the devil. The Helmet of Salvation – Salvation is the hope and security that keeps a believer’s mind hopeful and focused on why Christians are here and where Christians are going! The Sword of the Spirit – The Word of God, operating in us and through us, and is a weapon that cannot be taken. We can wield God’s Word no matter our circumstances.
Exorcism
Referring again to the story in Mark 9, where a father had a son who was demon possessed and the disciples of Jesus were unsuccessful in casting out the demon. Later, Jesus would come and cast out the demon by the command of His voice. When the disciples asked Jesus why they were not able to cast out the demon, especially since they’d been successful in casting out demons previously, Jesus told them that they lacked faith, and that this kind of demon, “does not go out except by prayer and fasting,” Matthew 17:21. In other words, exorcism isn’t a simple formula that any believer can swiftly accomplish. In this instance, fasting would have been required, and fasting means that it would take an indefinite length of time since fasting itself isn’t governed by any exact duration.
Years ago, on two separate occasions, I sat down with pastors who had successfully performed exorcisms. As I listened to their stories, each encounter was a multi-day event that required fasting and prayer. So, when we read about Jesus simply commanding demons to leave, Christians can wrongly assume that this immediate power is theirs to wield too. Demons don’t yield to Christians in the same way they do to God. While exorcism isn’t a simple formula, the Bible does give us wisdom to be applied when attempting to cast out a demon. The following is a basic summary of steps that ought to be considered.
I’ve already mentioned how possession occurs; permission is given to the enemy directly or indirectly. This idea of permission establishes a sense of “legal ground;” the entitlement whereby the demon has a right to be where it is. We see this sort of thing in Ephesians 4:26-27, “BE ANGRY, AND yet DO NOT SIN; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not give the devil an opportunity.” That word “opportunity”, or foothold in other translations, is the Greek word “Topos” meaning any portion or space marked off or an inhabited place. It denotes ownership and the right to be there. This is the “legal ground” by which the enemy can justifiably possess and accompany the host. Since the demon has some right to possess the host, then it’s necessary that some degree of legal or courtroom style work, needs to take place in order to regain the “legal ground” which the enemy is occupying. The steps to retaking this legal ground are fourfold.
First, before the exorcist confronts the demon possessed person, the exorcist should have already entered into a time of prayer and fasting; committing himself to do all that he can to advocate for the host. Once he’s prayed up and ready, the exorcist can move ahead.
The next step is the confrontation with the demon possessed person. Here, the exorcist must claim the authority that he has in Jesus Christ. This is Christ’s authority given to the Christian by God, as seen in Ephesians 2:4-6, “But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved ), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” Here, Paul refers to the current authority that believers have, as God has, “seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” This isn’t speaking to a future authority, but a present reality. Christians are already positioned with an authority that is greater than the authority of demons. Therefore, in faith, the exorcist can claim an authority over the demonic world, trusting that the authority of God’s kingdom is with him.
After embracing this reality, the exorcist speaks two things to the demon 1) claims authority in Christ 2) commands the demon to be silent and still so that the exorcist can speak uninterruptedly with the host. This is where faith is so important. Remember, the disciples failed to cast out a demon in the name of Jesus, and Jesus rebuked them for a lack of faith. The exorcist must trust that he has this authority by which he’s demanding the demon be silent and still. This command might need to be repeated as the demon might test the faith and resolve of the exorcist. Remember, authority alone isn’t all that is required to cast out a demon.
Third, and once the demon is still and silent, now the exorcist can speak with the host. Here, patience is required as this step may be very timely. The exorcist asks the host to clearly and methodically name aloud (confess) and repent and renounce all doorways, footholds, and practices that gave permission for the demon to have legal ground in their life. The host may have to go way back into their life to address things from their youth. Each individual incident needs to be carefully walked through so that specific details can be renounced. In other words, this isn’t casually saying, “I used to do drugs and read Tarot cards.” Just saying this isn’t sufficient. The exorcist should insist that they name the drugs, where they got them, where they were when they used them, how often they used them, etc. Just like a courtroom attorney would demand, the evidence is to be fully laid out and exposed so that it can be sufficiently renounced and not glossed over.
The exorcist should encourage the host to pray, “Lord, bring to my mind any areas that I need to own and confess.” If at some point the demon interrupts these confessions, then the exorcist is to re-command the demons silence and stillness. As the host recounts individual sins, the exorcist should have the host pray something like, “In the name of Jesus, I confess my involvement in this sin, and I ask Jesus to cancel the permission that my sin has given the enemy.” Once the host has renounced all that he/she can think to renounce, this removes any “legal right” that the demon has to the host.
In the fourth and final step the exorcist can command the demon to leave. When commanding the demon to leave, it should be understood that it’s by Christ’s authority that the demon leaves. Additionally, the exorcist doesn’t decide where the demon goes, but instead charges the demon to leave and go wherever Christ would send it. I say this because what we see in the Scriptures show us that demons are on a leash and must adhere to the boundaries that they’ve been given. Since Christians don’t know those boundaries, it would be wise for the exorcist to command something like, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, now that you have lost your right to be here, by the authority which Christ has given me, I command you to leave and go to where ever Christ would send you.” After the demon is cast out of the host, that individual should re-claim those occupied areas to be newly governed by Christ and the Holy Spirit.
Trivializing Demons
Anyone would be foolish to belittle of the power of Satan. Yet there’s always people who don’t understand the power of the enemy and assume there’s some easy formula by which they can control demons. A great example of this is seen in Acts 19 in the city of Ephesus. Paul had been ministering in Ephesus and had successfully driven out demons. Others saw what God had done through Paul and assume they too can have authority over demons, simply by speaking certain words.
Acts 19:11-17, “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also, some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all, both Jews and Greeks, who lived in Ephesus; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.”
Here’s the account of seven Jewish brothers, “sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest,” who were vagabonds: travelers who moved from place to place, surviving on skills or labor as they went. At least in Ephesus, they claimed to be, “exorcists,” and likely they’d earned income over the years by way of pretending to tell fortunes, cast spells, and conjure spirits. I say, “pretending” since the details given about their exorcism in Ephesus proved to be a worthless attempt at the real thing. Not much is known about their father, Sceva, as he’s only mentioned in the Bible here. Sceva appears to be a significant religious figure in the Jewish community, but the fact that his sons are traveling spell-casters shows a degree of religious degeneration in the son’s thinking; none of them engaged in honorable religious service. Their heart’s saw religion as a means of selfish gain.
Ephesus was a city steeped in practicing magic and therefore the citizens had sadly invited much demonic presence into their lives. Once these brothers learn that Paul had cast out demons through the name of Jesus, these fools reduce Jesus to no more than a magic word to wield at will. And with Ephesus ripe with demonic possession, the seven brothers had dollar signs in their eyes. Soon they attempt to cast out a demon, and address the demon by saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Their own words reveal that they have no relationship with Jesus themselves. Nor does their silly command indicate that they have any authority given to them from Jesus. The demons aren’t intimidated by this nonsense and see right through their phony show of authority. The demon retorts, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” In other words, the demon says, “I can’t resist the authority of Jesus, and I know Jesus has given His authority to Paul, but where do you get off thinking you have authority over me?” With that, the demon showed the seven men who had authority over the other. Using the man whom the demon had possessed, the demon attacked and demolished the seven brothers; stripping them naked and leaving them bruised and bleeding. The bottom line is that exorcism is a very serious matter and those who are ignorant can quickly discover they’re dealing with realities well beyond their ability to handle.
One might ask, “What about the people in Matthew 7:21-23 who were not followers of Christ, the ones to whom Jesus said, ‘Depart from Me, I never knew you.’ These individuals said they cast out demons in the name of Jesus, yet they were non-believers. So, how were they able to exorcise demons?” First off, they might not have been successful in performing those exorcisms; they simply claimed they did so. On the other hand, they might have been able to do all the things they claimed to have done. Jesus sometimes allow non-believers to do things in His name, like casting out demons, with the hopes that seeing the power, authority, and mercy of the Lord would turn hearts to trust in Jesus. Sadly, not all who have evidence of Christ’s deity will submit to Christ as Lord; Judas Iscariot being one.
We see other examples of this in Mark 9:38-39, “John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.” But Jesus said, “Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.” Here, John says the disciples told the exorcist to discontinue his activity because the individual was not one of the disciples of Christ. Meaning, that although this man was successful in casting out demons in Jesus’ name, he wasn’t recognized by the disciples as a delegate of Jesus since he wasn’t an attached follower of Jesus. The disciples probably thought this man was doing Jesus a dishonor by cast out demons in Jesus’ name when he was not willing to follow Jesus personally. In any case, Jesus corrects the thinking of John and the disciples and says, “Do not hinder him.” Jesus seems to say that this man must be operating with divine authority, otherwise the exorcism wouldn’t work. And since the demons are fleeing, then it’s evident that God is choosing to operate through that individual. Jesus shares why this is allowed to happen, “there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.” In short Jesus may be saying, “God has something going on here in that man’s life, so don’t interfere. Whoever sees God working through him will not be able to call Me a blasphemer, or deny that I’m the Messiah.”
Speaking to the Devil
I remember being a student at Liberty University and I sat under a renown Bible scholar and professor, Dr. Elmer Towns. When he spoke on spiritual warfare, one of the takeaways I recall was, if we think we are encountering a demon, we ought to talk to God and not to the demon. Since then others have reiterated similar advice, while some have pointed out strategies on how Christians can indeed speak to the devil. I’m not sure I have a dogmatic stance on this subject, but here’s some advice that is worth considering.
Don’t bargain with the devil. He’s evil to the core and so much more intelligent than we are. He’s the master in subtle deception and in devising traps for people. I recall that when Jesus was in the wilderness with Satan, Jesus wouldn’t bargain with Satan either. That’s not because Jesus was worried about being outsmarted, but because Jesus had the wisdom to know that you don’t bargain with liars.
Don’t speak from a position of your own authority if you attempt to rebuke Satan. As a Christian, I have no innate authority over Satan. The only authority a Christian wields is the authority of Christ working through us. Therefore, don’t use phrases like, “I rebuke you, Satan!” Instead, a more appropriate phrase would be, “Jesus Christ rebukes you, Satan!” An example of this is found in Jude 1:9, where Michael the archangel is contending with Satan. Even the great Michael didn’t presume to speak of his own authority, but instead rebuked Satan by saying, “The Lord rebuke you!” Elsewhere in the Bible we see the testimony of the disciples reiterating the same thing. After 70 of them are dispersed with Jesus’ authority over demons, they returned and reported to Jesus, “even the demons are subject to us in Your name,” Luke 10:17. Again, it’s not within ourselves to rebuke Satan, it’s the power of Jesus operating through us.
Lastly, right after the Scriptures give us the passage on the armor of God, Ephesians 6:18 commands us to, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” So, when it comes to spiritual warfare, pray to God, speaking to Him instead of Satan.