Understanding Demons, evil spirits and unclean spirits of the Bible

GOD AND DEMONS: Truth that may surprise you.

Jdg 9:23 ISV “Then God sent an evil spirit to divide Abimelech and the “lords” of Shechem”

1Sa 16:23 ISV “Whenever an evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the lyre and play it. Relief would come to Saul and he would be better, because the evil spirit would leave him.”

Isa 45:7 KJV “I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.”

Demons and unclean spirits are ancient people’s way of describing mental sicknesses, nervous system disorders like epilepsy, unexplainable viral, bacterial infections, etc. Demons can also refer to foreign idols. Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of healing our infirmities by simply casting out demons. Today, we understand microorganisms better and human physiology unlike 2,000 years ago when the New Testament was written.

The idea of the existence of demons and unclean spirits evolved with time. There is no mention of the devil in all of the Old Testament. In the same Old Testament, evil spirits proceed from God Himself and from none other because apart from the fact that God is almighty, there is no one else beside God. Not even the popular personal devil most people are scared of today. Even satan (adversary) is a messenger of God and can not act without God’s permission as we see in the book of Job. Can you imagine someone that fought God in heaven now having cordial relationship and even discussion with God?

Even, at a point, God sent a lying spirit, from one of His messengers in heaven to deceive people on earth. I bet this is not the God of the Bible that you were taught.

1Ki 22:21-23 ISV

21 “But then a spirit approached, stood in front of the LORD, and said, ‘I will entice him.’

“And the LORD asked him, ‘How?’ “‘I will go,’ he announced, ‘and I will be a deceiving spirit in the mouth of all of his prophets!’ “So the LORD said, ‘You’re just the one to deceive him. You will be successful. Go and do it.’ 23 “Now therefore, listen! The LORD has placed a lying spirit in the mouth of all of these prophets of yours, because the LORD has determined to bring disaster upon you.”

But after the Jews were exiled by the Babylonians, they picked up cultures and the understanding of good and evil (demonology) from the civilisations they were under while in exile. These includes Babylon, Persian, Greek and Romans. All of these people believed in the existence of many gods, some good gods while others, responsible for evil. The Jews also did not have a scientific/philosophic explanation of the cause of diseases, mental ailments, and soul/what happens when we die. So they adopted the philosophy of the heathen which includes the platonic doctrine of translation of soul and immortality of soul.

This is why the language of the New Testament changed drastically. All of a sudden, in the Gospels, we read alot about the evil spirits, unclean spirits, demons and the devil. This is just the language of the day and can not necessarily prove the existence of these entities. What was more important for the writers is to show that the demon possessed people or what we know today as the mad or mentally sick persons went back to their right mind after Jesus healed them. In those days, when mad people spoke gibberish, it’s reported that it was the evil spirits in them that spoke. So to heal mad people today, the psychiatrist subjects them to therapies, change of lifestyle and pills. But 2,000 years ago, you simply seek for a way to cast off the demons from them.

With this understanding, the modern Christian should take their mentally challenged members to adequate psychiatric hospitals while also praying to God for their healing.

Any act of modern exorcism in the church or attempt to drive out a supposed demon is superstition and inhuman or torture to the patients. Worst still, a real mad person can never be healed by these exorcists. There is no biblical reason why people should seek to “fall under annointing” or to be delivered today. At best this act of falling or getting delivered is either staged or hypnotism which is evil. Witch hunting of any form is also superstition today and inhuman. Now we know better. You don’t have to be afraid of any bad spirit because they do not exist. There is no spirit of poverty, no spirit of late marriage, near success. There is nothing like ancestral spirit or generational bondage. You don’t need to be delivered from what do not exist. If you are sick, go to hospital and also pray.

Deu 32:39 ISV “Look now! I AM,   and there is no other god besides me.   I myself cause death   and I sustain life;   I wound severely   and I also heal;   from my power no one can deliver.”