Ephesians

Direct Assault

This demonic direct assault is what the Bible refers to as “demon possession,” the outright control of a human personality by the power of a wicked spirit. It also extends to such activities as soothsaying, occultism, spiritualism, and related black magic arts such as astrology, fortune-telling, voodoo, and so forth. While there are many charlatans and frauds who practice in these areas, deceiving people for dishonest gain, I believe there are also genuine practitioners of black magic—and such people are in league with demonic spirits.

The Bible consistently warns against dabbling in these matters. Under the Old Testament law, the people of Israel were strictly forbidden to have anything to do with spiritists and those who make contact with the dead (see Deuteronomy 18:10-12). This prohibition was because any investigation into this realm immediately lays one open to powers beyond people’s understanding. This is dangerous ground. It opens the way, oftentimes, to outright demon possession.

Some people confuse demon possession with mental illness. The Bible, however, makes a distinction between mental illness and demon possession. The writers of the Scriptures were certainly aware of this distinction. One of them, Luke, was a physician himself and was acquainted with the distinction between diseases, mental illnesses, and demon possession (see Luke 4:40-41). In Matthew 4:24 a careful distinction is made between those who were afflicted by diseases, those who were demon possessed, and those who were mentally ill.

It is important to note that biblical cases of demon possession do not conform to the clinical pattern of mental disease. There are diseases of the body and there are diseases of the mind. Diseases of the mind, like those of the body, present standard clinical patterns which can be recognized. But when you examine the biblical accounts of demon possession you find that they do not fit the standard patterns of mental diseases.

Throughout the Christian centuries, there have been outbreaks of demon possession described by missionaries in many lands. Wherever Christian teaching spreads, the direct assault of evil powers is held in check. Even secular teaching based on the Bible and Christian values has an ability to keep these manifestations under control.

But when education becomes purely secular and denies the reality of God and the validity of the Bible, then even though men and women reject superstition and profess a degree of sophistication about such matters, they invite direct satanic attack. As our world grows more godless and secularized, we are finding a rise of demonic manifestation sweeping over our culture. Today, witchcraft and the occult are widely considered alternative religions, right alongside Christianity and Judaism.

We are in desperate need of revival, of a revived and revitalized church that will stand against the demonic onslaught against our society. When the gospel goes out into a society with prayer and power, demons are held in check.