Where have they gone?

 Where have they gone?

 

In the Gospel of Matthew 9:33-34, we have an account of Jesus healing a man 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 makes this statement about the word oppress: cause (someone) to feel distressed, anxious, or uncomfortable: he was oppressed by some secret worry.  If we look at the definition for demon, you will find something like this:  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?  The Scripture does not say anything like that.  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!”  And the story goes like this: the demon threw the man down amid 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.  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 demon-possessed people, but in Matthew  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;

 being 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 some 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.”  When do the later times begin, where untruth is preached?  Are we living in such times?

 

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?  Many may be oppressed; I believe the Scriptures make clear that we are in a war, and we need to get dressed in the armor that is listed in Ephesians 6:13-18.  

 

As you can see, I have a problem, I do not know where they went, but I believe their still with us.  I believe they live in our governments, in our schools, in our churches, and in our homes.  I believe many professors in our university are being controlled by demons.  The hardest battle to win is when you do not believe you have an enemy.  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 an example:  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 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.  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 people.  And I know that a follower of Christ cannot be possessed, but they will encounter spiritual forces of evil.  Just ask Kim Davis, who f

 

“Where have they gone?” Open your newspaper, watch TV, 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, deceivers, that they have one goal: to steal and destroy.  So, I am asking each of you where they have gone, for this, I know they have gone from the mouths of most of our preachers and most of the teachers.  I also know they are not to be feared but confronted, with the authority of Jesus Christ.

 

I ask my very dear friend Larry, who was our pastor for a very short time in we moved from that area, for his thoughts.  These are some of them; I love the stories of Jesus healing and casting out demons from many in the NT. What I love most is that in many cases, it was not only to show His authority over them but also to restore a person who was suffering greatly. He loves hurting people so much. How did the demons possess these people? Sin? Hatred of God?  I’m not sure. Maybe each situation was different. I personally have only seen this happen once in my life. It was wild, to say the least. This person came to one of our services in Mexico. He came forward during the invitation and began vomiting and falling to the floor. He was evil-looking. Then all of a sudden, he was filled with joy and looked totally different. I can’t explain it except that Jesus restored this man to sanity and saved him. 

 

In closing this paper on where they have gone, in no way am I suggesting we start looking under the pews for demons.  When you read about people who kill young children and people they do not know, are they not controlled by the devil?

 

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice