On Demons And Evil Spirits
Jack Critchfield

Today, as has always been the case I suppose, there is much interest in the "unknown." People seem to be obsessed with the idea of demon and spirits that supposedly occupy the unseen realm of the earth and are able to cause men to do certain things without the person being able to have any control in the situation. There is all sorts of paraphernalia that is used to ward of the evil spirits and curry the favor of the good spirits. But is there any basis in the Bible for such?

First, the Scriptures show clearly that in New Testament times, some people were possessed by "evil spirits" or "devils" (Matt. 4:24; Luke 8:36) or demons" (ASV). Though it must always remain a rather obscure matter, we still are forced to recognize that there were people who were "possessed" by these evil spirits when Jesus was here on earth, and He freed them by casting out the demons. The "demon" in Luke 8:27 (New King James Version) is "devil" in the King James Version, and is called "unclean spirit" in the parallel reading (Mark 5:2). Even if we cannot unravel all of the mystery on this subject, enough has been revealed in the Scriptures to cast some light on it.

"Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out, saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are; the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him" (Mark 1:23-26). This evil spirit spoke, using the body of the man whom he possessed and controlled. That man was sick, obviously, but this was more than sickness as we experience it today. Although the evil spirit controlled the actions of the man, including his speech, Jesus clearly makes a distinction between the man and the evil spirit who controlled him.

Another passage that casts light on topic: "And when He had come out of the boat, immediately there met Him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no one could bind him, not even with chains, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains. And the chains had been pulled apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces; neither could anyone tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying out and cutting himself with stones. When he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshiped Him. And he cried out with a loud voice and said, "What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I implore You by God that You do not torment me." For He said to him, "Come out of the man, unclean spirit!" (Mark 5:2-8). This "unclean spirit" enabled the body of this man to have superhuman strength, as witness the breaking of chains and fetters. And, as in Mark 1, the evil spirits knew Jesus to be the Son of God - a truth even the apostles had not yet acknowledged! How did they know?

It is worthy of note that these evil spirits (or demons) could believe (James 2:19), they could and did recognize Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God (Luke 4:41; Mark 1:24). They recognized the power of God (Acts 19:15), and they also recognized that the apostles of Christ had been given God's power over them (Acts 16:16-18). Because the evil spirit exercised special (even miraculous) power over the one possessed, it took miraculous power from God to cast it out (Matt. 12:26-28). When Jesus sent out the twelve, and the seventy, He gave them power over "unclean spirits" (Matt. 10:1; Luke 10:17).

Jesus was once accused of casting out demons by the power of Satan, and He replied: "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his kingdom stand? "And if I cast out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore they shall be your judges. "But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, surely the kingdom of God has come upon you" (Matt. 12:26-28). So the super human strength and the special knowledge of the evil spirits had Satan as the source. It was the devil who enabled the evil spirits to control the people they possessed, and endow them with special power and knowledge.

It seems clear that the person possessed could not "dispossess" the demon; the person was so controlled that he was helpless to do anything other than what the evil spirit wanted. There is some indication, though, that one possessed may have been partly responsible for said possession. As Jesus explained, "When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' "And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. "Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first" (Luke 11:24-26).

God foretold the coming of the gospel age, when Christ would die for our sins and purchase His church with His own blood (Acts 20:28). The prophet wrote, "In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. "It shall be in that day," says the LORD of hosts, "that I will cut off the names of the idols from the land, and they shall no longer be remembered. I will also cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land" (Zach. 13:1-2). The miraculous power to cast out demons was demonstrated to confirm the gospel (Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:2-3). The same is true with the "gift of prophecy, by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:7-11; Heb. 2:2-3). When the saving message of Christ had been delivered and confirmed (as it was, John 20:30-31), there was no further need of the miraculous. Therefore, both the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit and the unclean spirit was brought to an end. As God foretold (Zech. 13:1-2), the unclean spirit "departed from the land" and the gift of prophecy ceased (1 Cor. 13:10) after Christ died and the gospel was confirmed.

It should be clear from the above that, if there were evil spirits in the world today, there have to be miraculous power to combat them. Such is not promised, nor in evidence. There is much that we will never know about the evil spirits, but we can be assured that they were real and did possess people. We can also be assured that they are not with us today as they were during the Jesus and His apostles.