One wonders if we are not inclined to shrug off the thought of demons and spirits today, ignoring in the process the tremendous volume of references to these evil beings to be found in both the Old and New Testaments.
The very thought of unseen agents of Satan involves a bizarre concept to which we are unwilling to subscribe. Such things have no place in this age of science and reason; or do they?
The Apostle Paul, writing to the church in Ephesus, speaks of the warfare of the Christian and describes the situation in these words: “We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil” (Eph. 6:12b, Phillips).
If we are confronted with an “unseen power,” if that power “controls” this world in which we live and if he sends out “spiritual agents,” are we not being utterly foolish to ignore their reality and the means whereby they may be defeated?
A few have written on the general subject of “demonology,” but as a rule, if the author admits the reality of his subject he is regarded as being peculiar. The Library of Congress lists a total of some 50 titles in which authors have dealt in some measure with the subject. But the fact remains that of all subjects frequently mentioned in the Bible, demonology is one of the most infrequently mentioned in sermon or article.
Some have dismissed the matter of evil spirits as, at the most, a phenomenon of our Lord’s time. Some feel that the biblical description of these beings is a primitive diagnosis of mental and psychiatric cases, such as are common today. Still others apparently feel that the entire subject is too nebulous for serious consideration. And finally there are some who consider the entire matter as a ridiculous evidence of childish credulity.
A few days ago the writer received a letter from a minister in a distant state asking whether in our opinion there might be such a phenomenon here in America today, citing in his letter two cases of blasphemous rejection of Christ in deathbed scenes.
Whether there are any people in this country who are possessed of devils in the biblical sense we are unprepared to say, but we think that such is highly probable. That demon possession is a reality in the 20th Century we are prepared to affirm for we have seen a number of such cases in China.
Unquestionably one will find in any land people affected with every type of mental disorder, from the disturbed patient with paranoid tendencies to the wild maniac who has to be restrained for the protection of himself and those around him, often his own loved ones.
But in China we saw many people who presented a syndrome which was characteristic and which was recognized as a definite entity by the people of that country.
Some of the characteristics of these unfortunate people were: they were always inveterate idolaters, offering incense and prayers to spirits; they always had two names, one of which they attributed to the spirit within them. This spirit always demanded worship. And, they could have the spirit exorcised through prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. We saw many such cases and knew several earnest Christian women who were used in a special way to exorcise these demons.
It was not without significance that if any of these people reverted to demon worship, usually in the form of incense burning, the evil spirit always returned upon them.
Fantastic? Childish credulity? No more so than the fact that we saw thousands of people with malaria and saw the chills and fever regress under quinine, the anti-malarial drug at that time. In other words, demon possession was as demonstrable an entity as was malaria.
However, our basic concern today is not in the phenomenon of demon possession but in the fact that we live in a world which at the present time is dominated by Satan, and that he has his evil spirits, myriads of them, out to do his will and to wreak havoc in the world. To deny the existence of Satan and the reality of evil spirits is to be more foolish than a soldier reconnoitering enemy territory without admitting that there is an enemy out to do him harm.
Is it by chance that the Gospel message is snatched from the hearts and minds of many who hear it preached? Are the combinations of evil events in the world simply the work of macabre chance?
The Apostle Paul speaks of Satan as the “prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2).
The Apostle John says, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one” (1 John 5:19, RSV). A more literal translation is the “whole world nests in the wicked one.”
That there are two forces in this world, the forces of evil and good, of unrighteousness and righteousness, should be self-evident. That God is the source and arbiter of that which is Good we all agree. Why then do we so often ignore that sinister one, Satan, that malignant personality who is out to debase and destroy, and who the Apostle Peter says “as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour”?
And, as God has his angels, his agents for good—so clearly affirmed in the Scriptures but only too lightly regarded—so we should know that Satan has his demonic adversaries. Those “spiritual agents [are] from the very headquarters of evil” and they are a reality with which we have to contend.
The very idea of demons in our day, out to work our undoing, can be dismissed only at fantastic cost. But that they should give us a feeling either of fear or frustration is unthinkable for the Christian. We know that He who is for us is greater than all the forces of Hell arrayed against us. We know that ours is the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. We know that the armor which he provides is sufficient and effective against all the “fiery darts of the wicked.” We know that Satan and his minions cannot stand against the Word of God, for it is the Sword of the Spirit and by it the Devil is put to flight.
We are dealing with a mysterious subject. Electricity is mysterious, but we do not question its existence or its power. So too the entire subject of Satan and his evil hosts is shrouded in deep mystery.
We should not go beyond what the Bible teaches about evil spirits, nor should we reject that which is so clearly taught in the Scriptures.
TV, space flight, atomic fission, Telstar seemed fantastic a few years ago—but we believe them now.
A study of what the Bible teaches about our adversary and his evil spirits can draw us closer to the One who has overcome him and his works.
