In the previous post, I discussed five common questions about demons and demonic activity: Does demon “possession” as seen in the Bible still happen? Is there a difference between being “possessed” or being “oppressed” by demons? What causes people to be “demonized”? Can a Jesus follower be demonized? Can children be demonized? I’ll continue to address questions about demons and demonic activity in this post by examining five more questions I have been asked recently..
How do we cast out demons?
The Bible does not serve as a manual giving instruction on how to cast out demons. Jesus typically just rebukes a demon (see Luke 4:41) and speaks a word to cast them out (see Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:25, 9:5). Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39 are the only accounts that have an extended conversation in which Jesus gets the name of the demon; this encounter seems unique in that there are many demons (which is what the name given reveals), and I don’t believe it is meant to serve as a paradigm for how to cast out demons. Similarly, many of the stories of the disciples casting out demons simply say that they cast them out in Jesus’s name (Mark 6:13; Luke 10:17-20); Jesus does not give them detailed instructions when he gives them authority over demons (see Matthew 10:1, 8; Mark 3:15; 6:7; Luke 9:1). The lack of specificity causes people to propose different schemes on how to do so, but I do not believe any of these methods should be viewed as the only true or biblical way. It is worth noting that a common misconception is that these encounters need to be long, loud, and filled with various rituals. Those ideas may come more from movies than Scripture, as Jesus commands the demons to be silent and speaks them out. Another element that we should remember is that while demons are smart, they can’t read our thoughts, so not only do we pray but we should also speak directly and tell the demon to leave (and not come back) . . . not in our power, but in Jesus’s name. Above all, we need to look to the power of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 12:28/Luke 11:20), remember the importance of prayer (Mark 9:29 – which also might highlight fasting too) and have faith in the power of Jesus to stop the work of demons (Matthew 17:20-21).
If the enemy can’t read our thoughts but can hear our words, are there times we should not pray out loud and rather keep things private between me and God?
This is an interesting question that emerges from what we know about demons and how the devil and his forces work – but one I had never thought about before! As I pondered it, I came to the conclusion that there is nothing wrong with this sort of strategy, but it is not one we are commanded or called to do and may not be necessary. The majority of our prayer requests we have probably do not come as surprises to people around us or likely Satan and demons, so I am not sure if they often gain new “information” through our requests. Moreover, we are never told to keep our prayers silent as a way to evade Satan’s forces, and I think there are times in which articulating our prayers verbally actually helps us focus more and/or makes us more committed to things (just as writing something down helps you remember, so saying something makes you “own” in a certain way). The angel that speaks to Daniel in Daniel 10:12-14 says he sought to respond to a prayer of Daniel (it does not say if this was a silent or verbal prayer, but in line with common practice in ancient times, I suspect verbal) and was stopped by the “prince of Persia” (10:13) that is likely a demonic being (see 10:13), so it seems that Satan’s force seek to counter our prayers when he hears what we are praying about. But at the same time, we see that the archangel Michael came to this angel’s aid, and it doesn’t seem to be because Daniel shifted to praying silently; it is likely because the one that we worship is greater than the forces of evil – Satan can hear our verbal prayers but the more powerful one does as well and push back any attempts by Satan to thwart our prayers! Perhaps the old rule of thumb that if what you are doing isn’t working, then you should shift strategies is appropriate here; if you feel like you need to do something differently, maybe the shift from verbal to silent (perhaps the enemy thinks you gave up?) could be in order, but I don’t think it is necessary.
If whatever we bind on earth is bound in heaven, does that mean that a particular demon/spirit is physically bound and no longer able to fight? If so, can we repeatedly bind spirits in an effort to reduce the demonic army?
Some think that the reference to “binding” and “loosing” in Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 has application to spiritual warfare and the “binding” of demons, but I believe these verses are best understood as referring to the authority to teach and/or to announce the forgiveness (or lack thereof) for sins both due to its literary context and historical background in conversations about the Jewish law. While the same word for “binding” appears in Jesus’s remarks in Matthew 12:29 about “binding” the strong man (who represents Satan), the context of Matthew 16 and 18 does not seem to point to discussion of warfare and that passages does not include the other term “loosing” (with “binding” and “loosing” a common pair of words with a particular meaning). Moreover, Jesus’s words about the “binding” of Satan in Matthew 12 points to him, not believers, as the one who binds Satan and shows that in Jesus’s arrival and ministry, Satan has already been bound (Revelation 20:2 may also point to this reality of Satan being presently bound through Jesus’s work). Therefore, I am not sure if the language of us “binding” demons is found in Scripture. The question still remains, though, of whether through casting demons out and praying against them, we are able to put them out of commission in this battle. We read in Luke 8:31 that the demons begged Jesus not to send them to the abyss and they were instead sent into the pigs. Does this, along with references to evil spirits now in chains (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6) indicate that demons could be cast out and sent away permanently (and thus “bound”)? Perhaps. However, these demons also say in the account in Matthew that they do not want to be tormented until “the time” (Matthew 8:29), which may indicate that they think being sent to the abyss means the kingdom has come in its fullness (as the devil knows his time is short – see Revelation 12:12). In addition, the reference to evil spirits “in chains” could either refer to specific spirits back before the time of Noah and/or not preclude them from being able to act since Satan is “bound” (Matthew 12:29) but still active (1 Peter 5:8). We know that casting out a demon does not prevent it from coming back – or for more and stronger demons to come (see Matthew 12:43-45). Thus, it seems wise to command the demons to leave and not come back; perhaps as we continue to do so, demons will find fewer places (and people) to work in destructive ways.
Can demons make me physically ill?
We see examples of people being physically ill because of demons – ranging from a boy with seizures (Matthew 17) to a blind and mute man (Matthew 12), to a deaf and mute man (Matthew 9). A woman who had a physical ailment is said to have been in bondage to Satan (Luke 13), and Paul may have been attacked in a way that led to his physical suffering (2 Corinthians 12). The Book of Job also points to Satan being able to cause illness and ailments. Thus, it seems that demons can cause illness, which would likely include physical – but potentially also mental illnesses. However, the Bible does not say all illnesses are caused by demons, as it talks about Jesus healing those afflicted with demons and also those who are sick without reference to demonic activity. Therefore, we should not rule out demonic activity related to illness, but also should not jump to explain that every ailment was caused by a demon. It would seem that as things persist and go beyond natural explanations, we might be wise to consider how demons might be at work – and to pray for God to bring healing and protection from any evil beings that might be seeking to cause us harm in this way.
Can we pray for demons to turn them from the power of darkness to the power of light in an effort to strengthen God’s angel armies and deplete the demonic forces?
Nothing that I have found in Scripture indicates that demons could “repent” and turn from darkness, and a similar view appears in the Westminster Confession of Faith (a great confession in the Reformed tradition) in 3.4 so it does not appear that I am alone in this! Therefore, it seems that their fate is set, so rather than praying that fallen angels should repent, we should pray for people to repent – which brings great joy to the angels in heaven (as seen in Luke 15:7, 10) and serves to thwart the work of Satan and his angels, thus “pushing back the darkness.”
Stay Tuned for More……
While I’ve addressed a number of common questions about demons and spiritual warfare in the past two posts, I’ve received a few more questions so the next post will also answer various questions related to demons and spiritual warfare. If you have one that you have not seen answered yet, please send them to Theology@WeAreFaith.org.
Questions about the Bible or theology? Email them to Pastor Brian at Theology@WeAreFaith.org. You can also request to receive weekly emails with our blog posts by filling out the information on the right side.
