Where have they gone?
A paper from 2007, updated to 2023, 2025
In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 9:33-34, we have an account of Jesus healing a man who was unable to speak. The story is told like this: “As they were going away, behold, a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke. The Scripture states that this man was oppressed by a demon. Webster’s Dictionary defines the word "oppress" as follows: cause (someone) to feel distressed, anxious, or uncomfortable; he was oppressed by some secret worry. If we look at the definition of a demon, we will find something like this: 1 an evil spirit or devil, esp. one thought to possess a person or act as a tormentor in hell.
Are we to assume that all people who are mute have a demon that is oppressing them? In no way does the Scripture say anything like that. In fact, a person who would imply such would have little or no understanding of Scripture. But we do have this account of Jesus healing, or setting free, by casting out the demon that made this man mute.
In the book of Luke, chapter 4:31-37, we have an account of a man in Capernaum, a city of Galilee, who had the spirit of an unclean demon. While Jesus was teaching, this man said, “Ha! What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God.” Jesus said, “Be silent and come out of Him!” The story goes like this: the demon threw the man down in the midst of all the people Jesus was teaching, and came out of him.
It is clear that the demon living in this man knew who Jesus was, and the crowd had no understanding of who was talking to them. In fact, the Scripture states that the people were all amazed at his authority and power. So, it seems that demons live in people, and they are from the spiritual realm, and they have a clear understanding of who Jesus is. If you look down in the same chapter to verse 41, you will see that this happened many times when the demons came out of people and cried out, “You are the Son of God!”
In the 12th chapter of Matthew, verses 22-32, we have an account of Jesus healing a demon–possessed man who was blind and mute. The Scripture states very clearly that Jesus healed him. Now, the religious guys at that time were called Pharisees, and they were telling the people that Jesus was a demon, and that was how he was casting out demons. You can read for yourself Jesus’ reply to that nonsense
So far, we have seen demons oppress people, but in Matthew chapter 8:28-32, we see Jesus healing two demon–possessed men. Earlier, I defined an oppressed person. Now, let us look at the word possessed. The dictionary states this about the word possessed; be possessed) (of a demon or spirit, esp. an evil one) have complete power over (someone) and be manifested through their speech or actions: she was possessed by the Devil.
This sounds like the demon has total power over the one it possesses. Once more, we must pay attention to the fact that the demons knew Jesus. Verse 29 states the following: “And behold, they cried out, 'What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come to torment us before the time?” It also seems that they know that a time is coming for Jesus to come back and that they will be judged and enter into damnation. Once more, that is a truth that most people who call themselves Christians do not understand, and if they do, then they do not believe it to be true.
The Scriptures are full of accounts of demons and unclean spirits; in I Timothy 4:1-3, we see that some will depart from the faith. “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teaching of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.”
So I go back to the title, “Where have they all gone”? Why do we not see or hear about demons in our day? When was the last sermon you heard preached in your church on demons? When was the last time you saw someone with a demon and you or others in the name of Jesus cast out the demon? Have we gone so far that we no longer believe in demons? Have we begun to call them by new names, names that fit better into our modern times? If we, you and I, were confronted with a demon living in someone we loved, would we have the belief to cast it out? Have they just gone away, or are we so lost that it is easier to live among the demons? To have them in our Churches and our homes, and not run to Jesus, the only one who has authority over them?
As you can see, I have a problem. I do not know where they went, but I believe they're still with us. I believe they live in our governments, in our schools, in our churches, and in our homes. I believe they are destroying many, and a few of us believe they are real. What would happen if our pastors began to call things what God calls them? Would the demons fear? In James 2:19, we are given this account of what the demons fear: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder!”
Is our problem with demons the same problem we have with the Word of God? It just does not fit into our society. So, we sit and let men and women who are evil steal from us our rights and the freedoms of our children and grandchildren. We have unbelief, and so we do not pray, and we do not confront, and the reason is, we have left our first love. Do we have a worldview that is closer to demons than it is to God’s word?
Let me share a few examples: Focus on the Family Action published the following: “Last year, a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives to acknowledge that preborn babies feel pain, and to protect them from agony as much as possible during the killing process. Not even a dog or a cat would be “put down” legally in such a painful way. As drafted, the bill would provide women seeking an abortion a brochure stating that there was “substantial evidence” that her baby would experience pain during the abortion. The House actually voted in favor of the bill by a vote of 250 – 162, but a two-thirds majority was required for its approval due to the rules of debate.” And you ask, “Where have they gone?” No one but a demon from hell would put the value of a dog or cat above the value of a child. But in the church today, many “love” their dogs and cats more than the child next door. One more example from “Focus on the Family Action: “Now a shocking new development has occurred. Liberal Democrats in the Senate have introduced a bill to override the Supreme Court’s decision on partial-birth abortion and to outlaw any measure designed to restrict abortion in any way. On April 19, one day after the Supreme Court’s landmark ruling on partial-birth abortion, the usual cadre of pro-death legislators – Senators Hillary Clinton, Barbara Boxer, Diane Feinstein, Chuck Schumer, and others – introduced a bill entitled the “Freedom of Choice Act.” If passed, this bill will bar any state from limiting abortion in any form or fashion, including bans on partial-birth abortion, parental notification, or any other type of life-affirming protection.” If you and I would just believe the Scriptures, in Ephesians 6:12, we are told, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.” Our battle is not with the Senators listed above, but I do believe they are oppressed or possessed by demons, why else would they willfully desire the death of babies?
“Where have they gone?” Open your newspaper, watch TV, and listen to the marketplace. They are all around us, and they live in many of us. We learned to call them new names, and we have tried to come up with drugs to cope with them. I believe they are in our Churches, in our Families, in our Governments; they are the unseen, and they are unacknowledged, and they are doing what the Scripture said they would do. We are told that they are liars, murderers, and deceivers, and that they have one goal: to steal and destroy. So, I am asking each of you where they have gone. I know they have gone from the mouths of most of our preachers and most of the teachers.
In the last week, we have seen them in Action; they are very much alive in the actions of Hamas in killing babies and mothers, and children in Israel. And we call them bad people, yes, but only a devil from hell or a demon-controlled person would do such a thing. How lets us bring it up to 2025, and we have a black man who I believe is controlled by a demon, he broke into a home, tied up an elderly man and his wife, set the man on fire, stabbed both of them, and then tried to burn down the house. He has not been caught. Last week, we had a Mexican man cut a young lady's throat and kill her on a bus, and it was reported that he said I just killed a white woman, and you say he is sick or evil, no, he is controlled by the devil. And the person who killed Charlie Kirk is also a demon controlled. It is time to call things what Jesus does. And yes, I do have a current event of a white person who has killed someone, that is, they did not know, but all of these shootings in schools, I believe, are also demon-controlled people. You, Preacher and teacher, may not like the truth, but that does not change the Truth.
From our Back Porch,
Bob Rice
Living like Jesus tells the truth. Because He is Truth
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