Chapter 11: Avoiding Doctrinal Errors in Exorcism Practices

False teachers are common.¹ We are living in a time when anyone—with or without pastoral credentials—can claim to speak for God. Using modern methods of mass communication like blogs, videos, websites, and books, there is no real impediment to false teachers spreading their destructive heresies to anyone with an Internet connection. The apostle Peter may not have known the specifics of what would come long after he warned about the danger of false teachers, but he knew it was coming two thousand years ago. He writes that just as false prophets were a problem for the ancient Israelites, “there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them” (2 Pet 2:1 NASB). Unfortunately, “[m]any will follow their indecent behavior, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words” in order to profit off of their lies (2 Pet 2:2–3 NASB). These teachers will promise “freedom while they themselves are slaves of corruption” (2 Pet 2:19 NASB).

This is not some prophecy for a future generation. People like this have taught among us for a very long time now. Although the Lord judges false teachers harshly (2 Pet 2:3–10, 12–14), they will nevertheless lead some believers away from a correct understanding of not only who God is but what He expects from His people. “Nothing is more wicked than for someone to claim to speak for God to the salvation of souls when, in reality, he speaks for Satan to the damnation of souls (cf. Deut. 13:1–18; 18:20; Jer. 23; Ezek. 13; Matt. 7:15; 23:1–36; 24:4, 5; Rom. 16:17; 2 Cor. 11:13, 14; Gal. 3:1, 2; 2 Tim. 4:3, 4).”²

The apostle Paul dealt with this same problem in the Corinthian church. False apostles had invaded the community of believers and were actively corrupting it from within (2 Cor 11:2–4, 13–15). They claimed to be from God but preached a message with satanic roots. Paul was not surprised those with ulterior motives would stoop to impersonate a true servant of God because Satan—whose agenda these false apostles actually served—is a master of deception. This confrontation between Paul and those who were dividing the church with erroneous doctrine serves as a warning to all believers that we must test every claim against Scripture. There are many false servants of Christ who lead innocent and uninformed people directly into the kingdom of darkness. Some who claim to be a preacher, minister, or teacher actually serve Satan whether they realize it or not (2 Cor 11:13–15).

As we begin to examine the ministry of exorcism, it is critical to keep in mind the many warnings about false teachers and false prophets found in the Bible. Learning how to spot problematic teaching that either contradicts or twists Scripture to say something it never said is a necessary prerequisite for understanding the ministry of exorcism in its proper context. Moreover, taking a brief look at the early history of Jewish exorcism is also instructive because it highlights serious errors that modern Christians should not repeat. Exorcism is fundamentally a confrontation between the Lord and tormenting demons, but practitioners for thousands of years have reached for esoteric techniques that have nothing to do with trusting God to resolve the underlying supernatural problems. As we will see, these approaches are incorrect because they are in direct conflict with what Scripture plainly teaches. So, to properly understand the ministry of Christian exorcism, we must first understand the seriousness of false teaching in all its related forms.

Biblical Warnings Against False Teachers

Anyone who preaches a message contradicting Scripture is mistaken. There can be honest mistakes, malicious errors, or even lies repeated so often the teacher is no longer capable of discerning Christian truth from satanic falsehoods. In writing to Timothy, Paul warns, “[T]he Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Tim 4:1 NASB). Such people are hypocrites and liars with a dead conscience (1 Tim 4:2). Those who knowingly teach false doctrine—as well as those who repeat a wrong interpretation of Scripture to the point where it seems correct—are those who have rejected the Word of God. Habitually doing so has desensitized their conscience so they can no longer discern Christian truth. False doctrine leads more people into sin and apostasy than just the teacher, and when students accept such teaching, it begins to desensitize their conscience as well (Isa 9:13–17). Wrongheaded ideas take root and spread beyond the initial teacher as these erroneous notions lead to more and more wicked behavior that seems both familiar and acceptable to those who perpetuate it (2 Tim 2:16–17). Without God’s intervention in the lives of people caught up in this cycle, false doctrine spreads, becomes normalized, and serves either to deny or minimize the real spiritual truths found in Scripture (Titus 1:15–16).

The Lord has not designed Christian principles to be subjective. They are completely objective with correct and incorrect interpretations.³ False teachers either distort Christ or distort Scripture, but they have entirely missed the objective truth found in the Bible. The resultant false teaching associated with a rejection of orthodox Christian faith can be so blatant it is obvious or so subtle it is difficult to spot. These distortions are part of the “spirit of the antichrist” that John references throughout his letters (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7). Just because someone claims their message is inspired by God does not mean it actually is. This is true of anyone, even those who identify as pastors and church leaders (2 Cor 11:13–15). People can and regularly do say anything they want to say regardless of how much truth their assertions contain.

Like the people of Berea, we must carefully examine Scripture to test every spiritual claim against the objective truths God has outlined for us in His holy Word (cf. Acts 17:11). We are responsible for proving Scripture to ourselves, and when we take that responsibility seriously, we may discover that some of the spiritual claims we once believed do not line up with what the Bible teaches. Christians cannot pick and choose spiritual philosophies that seem appealing from the wide variety that exist in this world without inevitably bumping into something that contradicts Scripture (cf. Deut 18:9; Jer 3:9). “Take care that no one deceives himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, he must become foolish, so that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in the sight of God” (1 Cor 3:18–19 NASB).

James further warns us that any wisdom which either inspires feelings of envy or selfish ambition at any cost is demonic (Jas 3:14–16). This is no surprise; earthly wisdom frequently contradicts godly wisdom. It often favors wealth over morality, pride over humility, power over gentleness, and selfishness over righteousness. After all, “friendship with the world is hostility toward God” and “whoever wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God” (Jas 4:4 NASB). “James contrasted the two types of wisdom in terms of their sources. Teachers who teach on the basis of ‘earthly’ wisdom produce disorder and every kind of evil. Teachers who possess wisdom from above produce virtues that fulfill the ‘royal law’ (2:8) and promote unity within the congregation.”⁴ Christians do well to ignore most of the advice our world offers, favoring instead godly advice because this is the only kind of wisdom that consistently leads to peace, mercy, compassion, and right-living before God (Jas 3:13, 17–18).

The truth God speaks is our Christian foundation (John 17:17). He can be trusted and will never lead us astray—there is no darkness in Him whatsoever (1 John 1:5). Every spiritual teaching not from the Bible is not from God, and everything not from God has no guarantee of truthfulness because there are no other fully accurate spiritual truths in this world apart from what God has revealed (Prov 17:24). Therefore, Scripture is our best and highest authority for all spiritual questions. It helps us to know the Lord, understand what He expects from us, and learn what He would have us know about supernatural matters that exist outside of what we can normally perceive with our senses.

All other spiritual teaching comes from this world, and since Satan is the ruler of this current world system (John 12:31; 2 Cor 4:4), alternative spiritual teaching comes from the kingdom of darkness (Isa 45:5–7; 1 Cor 10:19–20; 2 Chr 32:19; Rev 9:20; Deut 32:17). Satan’s fundamental nature is to lie and murder (John 8:44). To say we have somehow “discovered” additional spiritual truth outside of Scripture is to be deceived and ensnared by very clever demonic schemes, which eventually leads to serious problems (1 Tim 4:1–2). Furthermore, Satan strives to incapacitate Christians and keep unbelievers away from salvation⁵ (Job 1:11; 2:5; 1 Pet 5:8). When a person rejects biblical truth to take spiritual advice from non-biblical sources, the final destination is inevitably weak faith or no faith at all. The Holy Spirit has told us in advance this will happen so that we will be on guard against these satanic schemes (1 Tim 4:1; 5:15).

Although the Holy Spirit is our partner in discerning truth from lies (John 14:26; 16:7–8; Rom 8:26; Isa 11:2), believers also have a responsibility to study Scripture (Ps 119:9–16; Acts 17:11; 2 Tim 3:16–17; Deut 6:6–7; Josh 1:7–8). We soon find ourselves off the Christian path, mired in satanically inspired beliefs, and headed away from God when we underestimate our spiritual adversary. False teachers who encourage destructive beliefs rob others of blessings and even salvation when they successfully convince people—even professed Christians (Matt 24:24; Mark 13:22)—to believe their lies.

This is why Paul writes, “See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ” (Col 2:8 NASB). In Christ we have everything we need for salvation and right living. “[W]e don’t need to seek God by means of other religions, cults, or unbiblical philosophies… Christ alone holds the answers to the true meaning of life, because he is life. Christ is the unique source of knowledge and power for the Christian life. No Christian needs anything in addition to what Christ has provided to be saved. We are complete in him.”⁶

False Teaching in the Church

There are many good and wonderful churches striving to emulate Christ and do their best to live out Christian principles. Unfortunately, there are also churches, ministers, and congregants who greatly miss the mark. Not everyone who identifies as a Christian truly is a Christian (Matt 7:21–23; Luke 13:22–30) just as not everyone who claims to speak for God truly speaks for God (Deut 13:1–18; 18:20; Ezek 13; Matt 7:15; 23:1–36; Rom 16:17; 2 Tim 4:3–4). Falsehoods exist among various churches, and this has been true throughout history. Some pastors teach earthly commandments as if they were commandments from God Himself (Isa 29:13; Matt 15:8–9). Some ministers claim to be apostles of Jesus Christ when the criteria for that particular office included either traveling with Jesus during His time on earth and witnessing His resurrection firsthand or a direct revelation and appointment from Christ Himself to help build the foundation of the church (Acts 1:21–22; 9:15; Gal 1:11–12; cf. 2 Cor 11:13; Rev 2:2). Some theologians twist Scripture to say something it never said and then teach it as if it were legitimate doctrine (Gal 1:6–9). Some troublemakers attend church services with every intention of spreading wrong ideas that divide the congregation (Gal 2:4; 2 Cor 11:26). Just because a person—or a church—identifies as Christian and claims to follow Christian principles does not make it true. “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes, nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit” (Matt 7:16–18 NASB). In other words, people can say anything, but what they do and how they live bears witness to what they actually believe.

Handling the Word of God is a very serious responsibility. For those who try to live according to what pleases the Lord, every word He has ever spoken is like an unassailable foundation upon which we must strive to build our lives (Matt 7:24–25). That also means it is incredibly destructive for any person with religious authority to mishandle the Word of God. Teachers are judged much more strictly than others for perpetuating erroneous doctrine for that very reason (Jas 3:1), yet there have always been teachers who fall into the trap of misinterpreting Scripture by ignoring the broader context of particular verses. “Only if you really understand what the whole Bible says will you be able to recognize errors of interpretation when people take verses out of context and twist them to say what they want them to say.”⁷

When Jesus was in the wilderness, Satan quoted legitimate Scripture when he said, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down [to the ground from the pinnacle of the Jerusalem temple]; for it is written:  ‘He will give His angels orders concerning You’; / and / ‘On their hands they will lift You up, / So that You do not strike Your foot against a stone’” (Matt 4:6 NASB; cf. Ps 91:11–12). This was an attempt to take Scripture out of context in order to justify testing whether God the Father would intervene to spare Jesus from reckless choices. The quoted verses, in context, are about trusting God to save us from times of trouble. Deliberately jumping from a multistory building to try and force God to do something supernatural is the exact opposite of trusting Him. It would have violated God’s earlier commandment not to provoke the Lord by faithlessly demanding signs and miracles in order to trust His provision (Deut 6:16; Matt 4:7).

Verses are best read in context and understood against the backdrop of the entire Bible. Reading personal views into particular passages or cherry-picking verses to support a point frequently leads to false beliefs the Lord does not endorse. Even the most difficult passages are valuable, but to understand the range of possible meanings, one must understand the context in which they appear. It is never advisable to search out verses only to confirm personal biases. This is backwards; rather, we should form our personal beliefs about Christ, His provision in our lives, and righteousness based on a careful study of Scripture (2 Tim 3:16–17). False teachers who selectively use Scripture to forward biblically incompatible views stand guilty of mishandling the Word of God, a very serious spiritual crime. The Bible loses its wisdom when its words are twisted into new and novel ideas. This is why God criticized the religious teachers of ancient Israel when He said, “How can you say, ‘We are wise, / And the Law of the Lord is with us’? / But behold, the lying pen of the scribes / Has made it into a lie. / The wise men are put to shame, / They are dismayed and caught; / Behold, they have rejected the word of the Lord, / So what kind of wisdom do they have?” (Jer 8:8–9 NASB).

Another problem that regularly appears among certain individuals is the habitual prefacing of thoughts, ideas, and sermon points with phrases like, “The Holy Spirit said…” before launching into a supposed revelation from the Lord. This is an extremely serious claim! If the Holy Spirit truly did inspire a particular thought or point, then we are wise to listen because that person is effectively claiming to relay a message directly from God. However, when this is not the case, the person who made this assertion is in serious error. We should always be reluctant to believe claims like this since lies are very easy to tell and the consequences of this particular lie are far-reaching for believers. Such people are guilty of an act meriting capital punishment in ancient Israel under Mosaic Law! The Lord said, “But the prophet who speaks a word presumptuously in My name, a word which I have not commanded him to speak… that prophet shall die” (Deut 18:20 NASB). That should give every Christian serious pause. Modern Christians do not live under the Law—nor should we take this command as an instruction that applies to us in the church age—but the Law points out exactly how significant a crime it is to claim to speak for God without actually speaking for Him. The one who does so had better be certain of it!

When people habitually identify every sudden thought that crosses their mind as a revelation from the Holy Spirit, they are speaking from their own imagination (Ezek 13:2–3). There are “those who are saying, ‘The Lord declares,’ when the Lord has not sent them; yet they wait for the fulfillment of their word!” (Ezek 13:6 NASB). Their visions, prophecies, and messages from the Holy Spirit cannot be anything but false if the Lord never really spoke to these false prophets (Ezek 13:7). The Holy Spirit teaches believers the truth about God (John 14:26), but we neither command Him to speak nor can we claim that every thought we have is inspired. Most are not! Going down this path only leads to pride, deception, and false teaching.

Furthermore, there are many demons in this world who will eagerly jump at the chance to teach their own destructive heresies to all who will listen (1 Tim 4:1). Assigning divine inspiration to every thought—or even most thoughts—only encourages these fallen angels to whisper their lies into our ears. The Gerasene demoniac was not in his right mind (Mark 5:15; Luke 8:35) and had thousands of demons infesting him. Surely these demons spoke to him as readily as they spoke through him. If so, that would have constituted thousands of internal voices competing for his attention, none of which were the Holy Spirit. There are no biblical guarantees that a demon will never attempt to impersonate God. On the contrary, Scripture assures us that demons will most certainly try this strategy (Matt 24:24; Mark 13:22; 2 Thess 2:3–4)!

Teachers in the church must pay close attention to the way they live and what they teach for the sake of everyone who listens to their message (1 Tim 4:16). The Holy Spirit does lead Christians in their lives (Rom 8:12–16; Gal 5:16–26), and “He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come” (John 16:13 NASB). However, Christians must also take great care to discern between the prompting of the Holy Spirit and our own inner monologue. No prophecy, no prediction, and no word from God has ever come about as a matter of personal interpretation or human will (2 Pet 1:20–21).

Christians must understand the Bible well enough to know when a teacher is off the mark or they risk becoming deceived by the very same people meant to guide the church into a deeper relationship with the Lord (cf. Hos 4:1–9). There is no other way to say it: things are only going to get worse and more confusing for believers! There will be more and more teachers who practice “a form of godliness although they have denied its power” (2 Tim 3:5 NASB). Such people will look the part of a Christian and, particularly if they attended a seminary, may be highly educated about the history and traditions associated with Christianity, but they will practice and preach a form of religion that is not Christianity at all.

The Lord had harsh words for the ancient Israelites when they rejected righteous living in favor of adopting alternative practices from the unbelievers living among them. He could say the same thing to some churches today: “I hate, I reject your festivals, / Nor do I delight in your festive assemblies… / I will not accept [your offerings]… / Take away from Me the noise of your songs; / I will not even listen to the sound of your harps” (Amos 5:21–23 NASB) because what He desires from His people is justice and “righteousness like an ever-flowing stream” (Amos 5:24 NASB), not a form of Christianity that selectively ignores His requirements for righteous living. The body of Christian believers must be able to see through eloquent teaching about God that also happens to be entirely incorrect. When Paul writes, “[E]vil people and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived” (2 Tim 3:13 NASB), this includes those who claim Christ and dress in religious clothing.

How to Spot a False Teacher

There is a pressing need to understand the hallmarks of a false teacher, yet we must also be very careful about jumping directly to that label whenever we hear comments that seem peculiar to our way of thinking or, alternatively, witness a temporary lapse in good judgment on the part of another Christian. “The heart is more deceitful than all else / And is desperately sick; / Who can understand it? / I, the Lord, search the heart, / I test the mind, / To give to each person according to his ways, / According to the results of his deeds” (Jer 17:9–10 NASB). Only the Lord truly knows the state of a person’s heart. We do not, at least not without something more to go on than surface appearances. Our default attitude toward our teachers should be one of careful discernment but also Christian love. “To sum up, all of you be harmonious, sympathetic, loving, compassionate, and humble; not returning evil for evil or insult for insult, but giving a blessing instead; for you were called for the very purpose that you would inherit a blessing” (1 Pet 3:8–9 NASB).

Apollos was a gifted teacher in the early church (Acts 18:24). He knew Scripture well and taught certain points about Jesus with great accuracy and enthusiasm; however, his knowledge had certain gaps (Acts 18:25). Priscilla and Aquila were a married couple—mature in their Christian faith—who heard Apollos preach about Jesus in one of the Jewish synagogues. They knew the full truth about Jesus, so when they heard what Apollos was teaching, they instantly recognized that his sermon lacked precision. Here is the critical point: Apollos was not a false teacher, nor did Priscilla and Aquila accuse him of being one. Instead, “they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately to him” (Acts 18:26 NASB) rather than responding with harsh accusations or silent rejection. Apollos, newly equipped with a more complete understanding of the work of Jesus, “powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ” (Acts 18:28 NASB). Apollos did not know there were gaps in his teaching. He taught what he understood and was not intentionally working to mislead anyone nor withhold critical points from his sermons. It simply took the loving mentorship of fellow Christians strong in their own faith to improve the accuracy of what he taught. Like Priscilla and Aquila, we do well to assume good intentions on the part of other people because honest mistakes happen to everyone.

Unfortunately, however, there are also teachers who are not like Apollos and do merit the label “false teacher.” God may be on their lips, but He is far from their hearts (Jer 12:2). That creates the necessary space for wrong intentions to take root; “[f]or from within, out of the hearts of people, come the evil thoughts, acts of sexual immorality, thefts, murders, acts of adultery, deeds of greed, wickedness, deceit, indecent behavior, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness” (Mark 7:21–22 NASB). That is what defiles a person and creates a foundation for false teaching about Christ and spirituality. So although we cannot measure the hearts of our teachers as God can, Jesus tells us that we will know the good teachers from the bad teachers according to how they regularly behave and what they are working to achieve (Matt 7:16–18).

Scripture does not leave us defenseless when it comes to spotting false teachers. Those who instruct others by the “spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now” is in the world (1 John 4:3 NASB) will deliberately violate and encourage others to violate scriptural principles in some way—this is what it means to be a false teacher—whether through a failure of doctrine, morality, or personal actions. Christians are not to give any kind of encouragement to those who willfully teach incorrect doctrine about Christ because encouraging such people is the same as becoming a fellow participant in their evil deeds (2 John 1:10–11). The following questions provide a small sample of principles to consider when determining which teachers are working as part of the kingdom of God and which are not.

Tests of Doctrine

One hallmark of false teaching is to deny the truth of foundational Christian doctrines. Some people will go on to claim that canonical Scripture is uninspired, incorrect, or incomplete. Others will feel the need to supplement Scripture with their own original doctrines, teaching these as if they were also from God. This all constitutes false teaching because it purports to share the real truth about God or Christianity while directly contradicting what the Bible plainly teaches. These are a few questions that get to the heart of what it means to be a sound Christian teacher:

1. Does the teacher deny that Jesus was a real person⁸ (2 John 1:7)?

2. Does the teacher deny that Jesus lived among us in a fully human body (1 John 4:1–3; 2 John 1:7; John 1:14)?

3. Does the teacher deny that Jesus died to atone for our sins and then rose from the dead (1 Cor 15:3–8; John 1:29; Gal 1:4; 1 Pet 2:24)?

4. Does the teacher deny that Jesus is fully God (John 5:17-23; 10:30; 17:22; Heb 1:3)?

5. Does the teacher deny that there is only one God (Isa 45:5–7; Deut 32:39; Ps 96:5; 1 Cor 8:4–6; 1 Tim 2:5)?

6. Does the teacher reject parts of Scripture, add new commandments to it, or contradict what it teaches (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20–21; Deut 4:2; 12:32; Prov 30:6; Jer 26:2; Rev 22:18–19)?⁹

Tests of Morality

While God is entirely opposed to sin, He loves all people so much that He sent Jesus to atone for our transgressions (1 John 4:9–10; John 3:14–17). False teachers might claim that sin is a constructed concept and has no real meaning. Or they might devalue other people by placing them into a category deemed unloved by God. Another sign of false teaching is when unbelievers love the message while mature believers reject it. The Christian message can be very unpopular in the world because “everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light, so that his deeds will not be exposed” (John 3:20 NASB). Religious teachers who appeal to such people “are from the world, therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them” (1 John 4:5 NASB) whereas genuine teachers reject these popular messages in favor of apostolic truth. “By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error” (1 John 4:6 NASB). As Paul writes, “If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ” (Gal 1:10 NASB). Rejecting scriptural principles rejects the Word of God. These questions help probe where a teacher stands on issues of Christian morality:

1. Does the teacher claim to have never sinned (1 John 1:10; Rom 3:23)?

2. Does the teacher claim either that all sin or some specific sin is imagined, unimportant, or irrelevant (1 John 2:29; 3:4–10; Rom 6:23)?

3. Does the teacher claim that God hates certain people (John 3:16; Rom 5:8; Eph 2:4; 1 John 4:10; Rev 1:5)?

4. Does the teacher express animosity toward other Christians (1 John 3:10–12, 23; 4:20; Eph 5:25–27)?

5. Does the teacher claim that marriage is undesirable or monogamy is distasteful (Heb 13:4; 1 Cor 7:38; 1 Tim 4:1–5)?

6. Are ideas from the teacher well-received by unbelievers while mature Christians generally reject them (Gal 1:10; Jas 4:4; John 3:20; 1 John 3:13; 4:5–6)?

7. Does the teacher endorse spiritual lessons from other teachers who fail these tests (2 John 1:10–11)?

Tests of Action

What a teacher does is just as important as what a teacher says. If a teacher preaches love but regularly belittles other believers, that person does not truly believe the message. Or if a teacher says that we must obey God but deliberately violates biblical principles, God is not with that person. Powerful speaking and excellent writing does not make a righteous Christian. The words teachers use may sound correct, but when teachers unashamedly behave in ways contrary to Scripture, it reveals a heart very much opposed to God. Following the spiritual advice of anyone opposed to God can only lead to further rebellion against Him. These are questions to consider when evaluating the actions of a teacher:

1. Does the teacher habitually fail to obey God’s commandments (1 John 2:3–6, 29; 1 Pet 1:16; Lev 11:44)?

2. Does the teacher exempt anyone from showing compassion to Christians in need (1 John 3:16–17; Jas 2:14–17; 1 Tim 6:17–19)?

3. Does the teacher converse with demons, attempt to contact spirits, or practice divination as a source for spiritual instruction (1 Tim 4:1–2; Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut 18:10–12; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 8:19)?

4. Does the teacher have a profit motive (2 Cor 2:17; 1 Tim 6:10; Heb 13:5; Matt 6:19–21, 24; 3 John 1:7)?

5. Does the teacher have a fame motive (John 7:18; 12:43; 2 Cor 11:5–6, 12–15)?

Occult Bias in Ancient Judaism

Understanding biblical warnings against false teachers and learning how to spot them is important for the study of exorcism because its history is rife with false teaching. Too often those who claim to know God have made the serious error of mixing occultism or pagan practices with religion in a misguided attempt to drive out demons. Although a full survey of the history of exorcism is well beyond the scope of this book, it is useful to highlight certain ancient beliefs and practices to better understand where modern Christian exorcists all too frequently draw their inspiration. Some modern exorcists, perhaps inspired by verses hinting at a richer cultural context than what we can directly observe in the Gospels (Matt 12:27, 42; Mark 5:9; Luke 8:30; 9:49), may look to ancient Judaism for advice on dealing with demons. After all, Christians and Jews have a common history up to the first century. First century Jews living in ancient Palestine certainly practiced exorcism; the question a Christian must answer is whether these practices are appropriate for modern use.

To begin to answer that question, it is instructive to examine Jesus’s criticisms of the Jewish religious leaders of His day. He called them “blind guides” (Matt 23:16 NASB), “fools and blind men” (Matt 23:17 NASB), “hypocrites” (Matt 23:23 NASB), “whitewashed tombs” (Matt 23:27), “snakes” (Matt 23:33 NASB), and “offspring of vipers” (Matt 23:33 NASB). These are strong words reserved for people who are not in good standing with the Lord. Jesus went on to describe the Pharisees and teachers of religious law as those who “outwardly appear righteous to people, but inwardly… are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness” (Matt 23:28 NASB). They were “experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep [their] tradition” (Mark 7:9 NASB). Jesus lists many specific behaviors of these Jewish religious leaders that displeased Him, but there are two important aspects of His criticisms that provide insight into the quality of religious teaching at that time. The first is that these teachers were more focused on their desire for prestige and wealth than staying true to the Word of God (Matt 23:5–7, 25–28, 34–36). The second is that they entirely missed the point in some of their interpretations of the Bible (Matt 23:16–24). As a result, their motives were not to be trusted and their teaching was not always reliable. They often missed the spirit of the Law in favor of an overly literal understanding of the Law to which they added their own requirements.

The same mindset Jesus criticized also shaped the Jewish attitude concerning occultism. It was common enough for Jews to practice magic and think nothing of it so long as it was Jewish magic. Isaiah indicates there were Jewish men who practiced divination (Isa 44:25). Ezekiel indicates there were Jewish women who used magical paraphernalia (Ezek 13:18, 20). Paul encountered a Jewish sorcerer on the island of Cyprus (Acts 13:6). And first century historian Jospheus (37–c. 100) mentions a Jewish friend of the Roman governor Felix who pretended to be a magician.¹⁰ Occultism existed in this culture, and some Jews saw no conflict between Scripture and the practice of certain kinds of magic.¹¹ They would look at prohibitions found in the Law of Moses to avoid divination, sorcery, witchcraft, and other occult practices (Deut 18:9–15) but conclude that these terms were too vague to properly convey everything they should avoid¹² and that “the prohibitions here are not so much on certain practices as on certain practitioners”¹³ who were not among the Jewish nation. They may have come to the conclusion that whatever was not explicitly prohibited in Scripture was, in fact, acceptable for them to practice.

“Judges and inspectors, levites and priests, prophets and even kings were all legitimate leaders, and one could turn to them… when one needed some extra help in saving a sick child or foretelling the future of the agricultural season.”¹⁴ These holy men proved that miracles were possible by the power of God, yet the Holy Spirit did not empower everyone with an ability to work supernatural wonders. For some Jewish groups, the work of the Holy Spirit was just one source of miracles but not necessarily the only source. If the Law of Moses did not prohibit Jews from practicing every form of occultism—as some Jewish interpreters believed—then there were other, more mystical avenues to explore.¹⁵ It was only a matter of time before certain verses such as Exodus 15:26, which promises healing in exchange for covenantal obedience, would “become a spell to be recited over sick patients or inscribed on amulets to be worn by them.”¹⁶ The focus for such practitioners was not divine Providence but discovering the right techniques to produce a miracle.

Some of the Jewish leaders of the Second Temple period sympathetic to this view would have also read in the Torah (the Jewish Bible) about potions that cursed (Exod 32:20; Deut 9:21; Num 5:11–31), incense that could stop a plague (Exod 30:34–38; Num 16:46–50), and sacred objects used to consult God (Num 27:21; Exod 28:30) and concluded that these recipes, if reproduced, would create the same effects. Moreover, because these recipes were sanctioned in the Pentateuch, it would have implied that there were still other recipes, formulas, implements, and practices that could produce their own unique effects without violating the Law. Some of these could presumably be used against demons. The “pervasive belief, common among ancient Jews but in no way unique to them, that some substances have an innate power to drive demons away probably encouraged the growth of ever-expanding catalogues of the properties of different substances.”¹⁷

By the time Jesus was scolding the Pharisees and teachers of religious law in Jerusalem, some Jewish groups had developed extensive lists of angels and demons they regularly invoked in their mystical practices.¹⁸ God may have been the ruler at the top of the hierarchy, “but the actual running of the daily affairs of the kingdom was the domain of a highly complex heavenly bureaucracy, consisting of an endless variety of underlings who could be cajoled, and even coerced, into accomplishing their specific task in a way that would suit the magician’s needs—or those of his clients… [often through] adjurations in the Name of the great king himself.”¹⁹ Evidence from folk practices shows that Jewish exorcists invoked dozens of presumed angelic names during an exorcism, “a common way to conduct exorcisms in the Second Temple period and beyond.”²⁰ There were teachers who even thought that a powerful and righteous enough magician could force angels to obey the magician’s commands and overturn the will of God Himself.²¹ For those among the Jewish nation who shared this viewpoint, problems in life were less about trusting in God or repenting from sin than turning to occult practices meant to resolve personal issues through supernatural means. So when modern Christians look to first century Jewish exorcists for godly advice, they may instead find “whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matt 23:27 NASB).

Jewish Exorcism Practices During the Second Temple Period

Ancient exorcism practices are frequently unbiblical. That is, they are based on external traditions or imperfect biblical interpretations rather than any instructions found in Scripture. Practitioners from long ago may claim success using these techniques, but we are wise to remember that demons are masters of deception and will gleefully play along with ineffectual practices if it means drawing people away from God.²² It takes no effort for a demon to lie, prevaricate, or momentarily pretend to leave a victim in peace only to cause problems for that same person at a later time. Even human beings can manage to do all that! The only real power over a demon is the Lord—not rituals, incantations, gadgets, secret knowledge, or anything else we might imagine. Nevertheless, the human imagination is highly inventive, and the desire for power and recognition has been sufficient motivation for countless people to set aside or reinterpret Scripture in their quest to control demons.

The Book of Tobit contains one example of an ancient exorcism technique. This apocryphal work, written from a Jewish perspective, was probably produced during the intertestamental period between the final events of the Old Testament and the first recorded events of the New Testament. It serves as a point of interest in its description of an exorcism technique that may have been practiced during the Second Temple period. In it, an angel suggests to the protagonist that burning the heart and liver of a particular fish from the Tigris river will create smoke that can effectively drive a demon away from its victim (Tob 6:1–7, 17; cf. T. Sol. 24 [Conybeare]). The protagonist does as instructed. The smoke has the advertised exorcistic effect when used to fumigate a room, and it immediately causes a murderous demon to flee into the waiting arms of the same angel who suggested the technique. The angel then binds this demon so that it can do no further harm (Tob 8:2–3).

While interesting, there is no precedent for this technique anywhere in the canonical Old Testament. In fact, the suggested practice may derive from the more mystical branches of Jewish thought that associated miraculous properties with specific combinations of ingredients. The Babylonian Talmud (the “Oral Torah”) furthers this notion with its various recommendations to use “amulets, palm tree prickles, wood chips, ashes, pitch, cumin, dog’s hair and thread”²³ in exorcistic practices. Those who used the technique featured in the Book of Tobit might have reasoned that if incense made from fragrant spices and frankincense could please God and stop a plague (Exod 30:34–38; Num 16:46–50), foul incense made from fish guts would surely stop a demon. But why should a demon have an immediate reaction to burning fish entrails yet tolerate the stench of unwashed bodies and rotting corpses for weeks, months, or even years as demons did when tormenting the Gerasene demoniac (Luke 8:27; Mark 5:5)? Moreover, the narrative does not explain why the angel did not drive out the demon directly when holy angels already battle demons over the well-being of humanity (cf. Dan 10:13, 20). There is no reason for modern Christians to adopt this practice or anything like it.

A second exorcism technique from this period comes from the Jewish historian Josephus. He writes in his histories of a valley near Machaerus—an ancient hilltop palace located on the east side of the Dead Sea—that contains a particular root useful for driving out demons from the afflicted.²⁴ The rest of his description, however, reads more like a myth than anything grounded in truth. At a certain place in a certain valley is a certain plant with a flame-colored root. This plant glows like lightning at night, and should anyone try to pluck it, it will recede from the hands of the harvester, making it impossible to remove it from the ground. The only known method to stun the plant long enough to harvest it is to pour the urine or menstrual blood of a woman directly onto it. But according to Josephus, there is another problem. Whoever removes this plant from the ground will immediately die unless uprooting it while holding a second, previously harvested root of the same variety. Alternatively, Josephus writes, some harvesters successfully retrieve the plant using a different method. They are said to dig a trench around it, tie the plant to a dog, and have the dog run toward its handler. The dog will uproot the plant, though it will immediately die in place of the human. Only then can anyone safely handle this plant; once harvested, the prized root can be brought to a demoniac where it will drive away all tormenting demons. One can imagine the markets of ancient Palestine offering these roots and using this story as an effective means to drive up the price. If the root did not work to dispel demons as advertised—and why should it?—perhaps it was not fresh enough! Buy another!

This makes for a compelling story but nothing more. It is very similar to European myths told about the mandrake root²⁵ as well as another similar plant described by the ancient teacher Apion in a story even earlier than Josephus’s account.²⁶ If Josephus’s plant and Apion’s plant were real plants related to the genus Mandragora (as was the plant in the European myth), they would have been highly toxic members of the nightshade family. Consuming enough of the root would have resulted in psychoactive effects such as delirium and hallucination along with vomiting, diarrhea, poisoning, and possible asphyxiation. This may well be an effective exorcism technique—a dead demoniac is no longer concerned about indwelling demons! Merely touching this root might not have proved fatal, yet modern Christians are well advised to ignore Josephus’s claims that the root of the plant he describes is in any way helpful for exorcising demons. His story demonstrates the perils of taking many ancient stories at face value. Just because these stories are very old does not make them objectively true.

On a related note, mandrakes are also mentioned in the Old Testament (Gen 30:14–16; Song 7:13). These plants grow “yellow odoriferous [fruit], ripening in May and June, and supposed, according to Oriental superstition, to possess the virtue of conciliating love and promoting fruitfulness.”²⁷ Jacob’s wife Rachel, who was presumed barren (Gen 30:1), asked for this fruit under the prevailing superstition that it would help her to become pregnant. While the fruit is still considered poisonous, it is not necessarily lethal in small enough doses.²⁸ Still, ingesting the fruit is not a wise idea.

Other exorcism accounts from around the Second Temple period involve the use of prayer. An apocryphal elaboration on Genesis 12:17 found at Qumran—an archeological site near the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea—claims the plagues Pharaoh suffered for attempting to court Abram’s wife Sarai came from a demon.²⁹ The demon left Pharaoh once Abram, who God later named Abraham (Gen 17:5), laid his hands on Pharaoh and prayed. While this account is an accretion to the canonical Genesis text, Abram approaches this exorcism as a confrontation between God and the demon to which God favorably responds to Abram’s prayers and drives out the demon. This is entirely appropriate! It puts the confrontation in the correct perspective and does not undermine trust in God by relying on an incantation or mystical object.

However, in contrast to the Qumran addition to Genesis, a story in other rabbinic literature details an exorcist who negotiates with a demon so that it will cause less suffering by giving it “permission to harm people only on two nights a week.”³⁰ There should be no deals struck between an exorcist and the kingdom of darkness! By what personal authority does an exorcist negotiate with an angel, and by what power would an exorcist hold that angel accountable to an agreement? The angel Gabriel struck Zechariah mute for refusing to believe a message from God (Luke 1:18–20). Even though Zechariah was a righteous priest descended from Aaron (Luke 1:5–6), he was in no position to challenge the angel. God was the true authority figure. Zechariah did not have the personal authority to question the accuracy of Gabriel’s message nor the power to countermand his choice to render Zechariah mute. There is no reason to believe the situation would be any different with a fallen angel; rather, it would be even more lopsided because a demon can be expected to lie and cheat! This rabbinic exorcism example of negotiating with demons is not one to follow.

The popular Greek satirist and pamphleteer Lucian of Samosata (c. 125–after 180) wrote Philopseudes (or Lover of Lies) as a satirical polemic against people who believe in the supernatural. While he wrote this some years after the Romans destroyed the Jerusalem temple, it contains an early look at an exorcism performed by “that Syrian adept from Palestine,”³¹ which might have referred to a Jewish exorcist of Lucian’s era. The exorcist was said to stand over a demoniac and interrogate the indwelling demon. “The patient says not a word, but the spirit in him makes answer, in Greek or in some foreign tongue as the case may be, stating where it comes from, and how it entered into him. Then with adjurations, and if need be with threats, the Syrian constrains it to come out of the man” and then charges “a handsome fee” for supposedly casting out the demon. The process involved a “ring of gallows-iron” and an “incantation with all those names in it” that might have included the names of angels and other beings thought to have coercive power over a demon.³² This exorcism account is more complex than the others as it contains a specific formula with many different elements: a theatrical demonic interrogation, intense interest in the motivations of the afflicting demon, a special exorcism ring, a particular incantation, stern adjurations for the demon to leave—perhaps in the name of God or the holy angels beneath Him—and a hefty fee for services rendered. However, this formula is not unique; Josephus proudly contends that it was passed down through the ages starting with King Solomon.

Jesus, who was well familiar with Solomon, once rhetorically asked the Pharisees, “And if by Beelzebul I cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out?” (Matt 12:27 NASB). They might have replied, “They cast out demons by the great wisdom of King Solomon,” which would have been an inadequate answer from the Christian perspective³³ but well in line with Jewish thinking at that time. This may be one reason why Jesus said, “[B]ehold, something greater than Solomon is here” (Matt 12:42 NASB) in His response to the Pharisees about signs and miracles to prove His authority. The “Spirit of God” was the true power behind the exorcisms seen in the New Testament, not anything Solomon may have devised.

What Lucian describes in his exorcism account is strikingly similar to a much earlier account from Josephus. Josephus expounds upon the abundant wisdom of Solomon in all areas of life, apparently including exorcism, and says, “God also enabled him to learn that skill which expels demons, which is a science useful and sanative to men.”³⁴ He claims Solomon composed many incantations and rituals that had been passed down through the ages and were still used. These practices were supposedly so effective “they drive away demons, so that they never return,”³⁵ and he then describes a Jewish exorcism that relied upon these same techniques. As with Lucian’s exorcist, it involved a theatrical confrontation with a demon in front of an astounded audience, a special exorcism ring, a particular incantation, stern adjurations for the demon to leave, and—given the carefully choreographed “medicine show” aspect of this performance—probably included either a hefty fee for services rendered or the satisfaction of increased personal fame and glory. According to Josephus, “the skill and wisdom of Solomon was shown very manifestly” so that Solomon’s skill and abilities would be on display and “may not be unknown to any people under the sun.”³⁶ In other words, according to this explanation, God had very little to do with it. The exorcist cast out demons by the great wisdom of King Solomon.

Props and incantations, adjurations and personal glory do not represent a successful exorcism formula for modern Christians to emulate. Interrogating demons is another highly problematic concept we will address in greater detail later in this chapter. Exorcism is neither a science nor an acquired technical skill. Why should a demon be afraid of special props? Why should specifically chosen words or stern threats pose them any problems? There is absolutely no support for this in Scripture. Moreover, God has already determined to imprison demons in the lake of fire (Matt 25:41; Isa 24:21–22). Demons know what fate awaits them (Matt 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 8:28), and while the thought of it frightens them and might be an effective threat, what power do humans have to sentence a demon early? Or by what authority do we command God to sentence a demon before the specific time He has in mind (Matt 24:36; Mark 13:32)? This is well beyond our human purview. We also do not have the personal authority to command God’s holy angels to intervene at our behest.

Paul writes, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” (1 Cor 6:3 NASB) in his admonition against lawsuits between believers. While theologians debate the precise meaning of his words, Paul does not imply that we have a present authority to judge demons. The proof is that God has already judged demons guilty; they are merely awaiting their punishment. There are simply no threats we can level against a fallen angel that we can either personally enforce or command God to enforce on our behalf. Demons are quite happy to play along, of course, but the “idea of demons returning to people is extremely old and well documented in the NT period (Josephus Ant. 8.46–49; Philostratus Vit. Ap. 4.20; PGM IV.1254, 3024–3025),”³⁷ a further indication that questionable practices are unlikely to resolve demonic oppression.

The overall point is that it is foolish to think anything a human can say, do, create, harvest, or find has any power over an angel. Scripture time and again shows the exact opposite: angels are unilaterally more powerful than humans (cf. Heb 2:7; Ps 8:5)! The exorcism rituals, incantations, and sacred objects attributed to either King Solomon or imaginative Jewish rabbis from long ago are just another form of occultism—albeit with religious trappings—with all the earmarks of false teaching. In Jesus, we have something far greater than Solomon and far more powerful than the exorcistic practices used around the Second Temple period. Dependence on occultism undermines our dependence on God, which leads to disaster one way or another.

The Exorcism Structure Ascribed to King Solomon

There is a recurrent theme in Jewish exorcism rituals from this era that asserts specific demons are responsible for specific maladies while specific angels are responsible for routing these demons. The Essenes—contemporaries of the Pharisees and Sadducees—were particularly devoted to the study of supposed angelic names and protected this lore as an important secret.³⁸ The sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13–16) are another example of shaman-like Jewish exorcists who might have invoked the names of particular angels when attending to the needs of a demoniac. “For a wide array of problems, this sort of person would commend knowing the right angels and invoking them with the proper rituals as a way of accessing spiritual power and gaining authority over the demonic realm. He would also insist that they observe the proper taboos, follow the right calendar observances, and engage in the right kind of ascetic preparations.”³⁹

The focus on cataloging demons and angels as they pertain to exorcism is fully on display in esoteric works such as the Testament of Solomon. This is a non-biblical collection of magical advice that dates as late as the fifth century CE⁴⁰ with portions that were composed much earlier, perhaps during the first or second century BCE.⁴¹ It is likely that some of the advice contained within this handbook would have been known to Jewish exorcists of the Second Temple period. The similarities between this story and other accounts we have seen begin with a special ring, engraved with a pentagram said to be the seal of God, that gives Solomon spiritual authority to “lock up all the demons of the earth, male and female” and command them to answer his questions (T. Sol. 5–6 [Conybeare]).

In the trial run of his new spiritual authority, Solomon lends the ring to a boy who is tormented by a demon. The king then instructs the child to command the tormenting demon to appear before Solomon (T. Sol. 6–8 [Conybeare]). Although the boy does as instructed, the demon does not want to comply and tries to bribe the child to let him go; nevertheless, it eventually succumbs to the power of the ring and appears at the royal palace as commanded. Solomon then proceeds to interrogate the demon, first asking its name, then asking about its background, to which the demon informs Solomon how it operates, where it stands within the demonic hierarchy, and which holy angel has power over it (T. Sol. 9–12 [Conybeare]). Not content with interrogating just this one demon, however, Solomon then proceeds to interrogate dozens of other demons brought before him. As with the first, he learns names, identities, methods of operation, assignments, and weaknesses. Some demons are talkative; others are sullen and have no interest in responding to questions until coerced (T. Sol. 17–20, 21–25 [Conybeare]). There are times when Solomon must command a recalcitrant demon in the name of God before it will answer him (T. Sol. 52 [Conybeare]).

Nearly every demon in this story has a particular sin or a specific illness it causes. Most have a particular angel said to have power over it. And all of this information comes from the demons themselves, quite literally as a result of Solomon “paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Tim 4:1 NASB). This handbook “is essentially a Jewish shaman’s diagnostic manual. By looking at the presenting symptom, the holy man can identify the name of the demon causing the problem and then perform the appropriate spiritual intervention to alleviate the demonic attack and thus bring healing to the person,”⁴² an idea that is not unique to the Testament of Solomon. A text found at Qumran (4Q560) dated to 50 BCE associates certain kinds of demons with particular illnesses.⁴³ An amulet found near Colossae has an inscription with four angelic names meant as an invocation for protection against demons.⁴⁴ Lists of demons and angels along with the means to command and control them were “were probably as rife among the Jews of Palestine and Egypt in the first century as they were among Arabs in the thirteenth century or even in the present day [1898].”⁴⁵ These distinct ideas about the most effective ways to interact with a demon persisted well beyond the Second Temple period.

The version of King Solomon portrayed in the Testament of Solomon, along with other ancient exorcists who patterned their rituals after these same elements, used a fourfold structure in dealing with demons: “(1) an identifying formula (‘who are you?’); (2) a description of the demon; (3) the threat of binding at the hands of YHWH; and (4) the rhetorical invocation of an angel.”⁴⁶ It is incredibly likely that Sceva and his sons used a similar ritual in their failed attempt to exorcise a demonized man (Acts 19:15–16). It is also little wonder they failed in their task because this is an occult tradition with multiple, serious problems: demons lie (John 8:44), demons craft their testimony to turn people away from God (1 Tim 4:1), we do not have the power to command angels (Heb 2:7; Ps 8:5), God strongly forbids us from consulting spirits⁴⁷ (Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut 18:11–12; 2 Kgs 21:6; Isa 8:19), and Christ is our supreme and wholly sufficient source of help against demonic assault (Heb 1; Col 1:15–20; Matt 12:42).

Furthermore, it is illogical for a Christian to interpret as truthful the testimony of a supernatural being who deceives by nature and works to inspire apostasy. Exorcism rituals that rely on these ancient traditions would have us put our faith in a creature bent on our destruction rather than our almighty God who works tirelessly to cause “all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28 NASB). Early Christian theologian Origen of Alexandria (184–c. 253 CE) shared this view. He wrote what is considered a historically important defense of Christianity in his manuscript Against Celsus (Contra Celsum). Celsus, a Roman philosopher who wrote a scathing criticism of Christianity in the late second century, argued that there are named demons who are responsible for causing disease in various parts of the body.⁴⁸ Similar to the exorcism structure ascribed to Solomon, Celsus believed that if we want to enjoy good health, we must pay honor to these afflicting demons so they will refrain from actively harming us. In doing so, we will not only enjoy good health but also avoid many other problems in life. This is Origen’s initial rebuttal:

The honour of the Most High God, which cannot be divided or shared with another, is so lightly esteemed by [Celsus], that he cannot believe in the ability of God, if called upon and highly honoured, to give to those who serve Him a power by which they may be defended from the assaults directed by demons against the righteous. For he has never beheld the efficacy of those words, “in the name of Jesus,” when uttered by the truly faithful, to deliver not a few from demons and demoniacal possessions and other plagues.⁴⁹

In other words, Christ is sufficient. We do not need to consult a mob of demons, nor must we put our trust in anything they say, because God is our all-powerful protector who works on our behalf against them. To believe otherwise is to dishonor God and grossly underestimate both His power and His commitment to those who rely upon Him. Origen continues his rebuttal, writing that to call upon demons to effect an improvement in health is equivalent to trading Christianity and faith in God for magic and sorcery.⁵⁰ The one who is “curiously inquisitive about the names of demons, their powers and agency” who “inquires by what incantations he shall appease them, will be condemned by God as bad and impious, and more agreeable to the nature of demons than of men, and will be given over to be torn and otherwise tormented by demons.”⁵¹

The techniques that both Celsus and pseudepigraphic Solomon accounts advocate are not exorcism patterns modern Christians should adopt. Unfortunately, demonic consultation and unbiblical exorcism rituals dressed up in religious language are not the only errors that have influenced the church over the previous millennia. At the heart of these heresies is frequently an acute misunderstanding of who God is and what He expects from us.

Gnostic Bias in Ancient Christianity

First and second century Christianity is not without its scandals. Paul, Peter, and John all wrote against a particular corruption of orthodox Christian beliefs that scholars would eventually label Gnosticism. This term, first coined in the seventeenth century after the Greek word gnôsis, which means knowledge or insight, is a somewhat broad label for assorted beliefs with different histories. Early church fathers such as Irenaeus (c. 130–c. 202) denounced the gnostic beliefs that had filtered into various churches as heretical. His and other denunciations from early Christian leaders led some historians “to describe Gnosticism as a radically dualistic, world-denying, and body-hating tradition that emphasized salvation through esoteric revelation and mystical spirituality.”⁵² Aspects of this erroneous philosophy, along with ancient Jewish occultism, have often contaminated Christian exorcism practices.

Classical Gnosticism claims the world was created as an error on the part of a lesser divine being, and in order to experience salvation, we need direct knowledge and special insight of the transcendent God hidden behind the divinity responsible for creating our evil world.⁵³ Some proponents taught that the God of the Old Testament is evil and the true God is only present in the New Testament.⁵⁴ The various philosophical branches of this belief system share several tenets: special knowledge of divine matters is more authoritative than Scripture, all matter is inherently evil, and frequently, the God seen throughout much of the Bible is no one we want to know or depend upon. “This resulted in a chaotic situation in which the gnostics tried to judge divine revelation by human ideas rather than judging human ideas by divine revelation (1 John 2:15–17).”⁵⁵ It variously led to beliefs such as Jesus only seemed to die on the cross but did not actually die;⁵⁶ the teachings of the Old Testament should be rejected;⁵⁷ divine sparks of a virtuous nature are trapped inside our wicked bodies;⁵⁸ and Gnostic Christians are fellow saviors along with Jesus, who was only “the first to take on the sin and corruption inherent in the material realm.”⁵⁹ These are all highly unorthodox beliefs.

Early elements of the gnostic heresy may have prompted Paul’s letter to the Colossians.⁶⁰ Some scholars alternatively believe that influence from Jewish mysticism or occultism was the source of the problem at Colossae.⁶¹ But regardless of the underlying problem, Paul spends considerable time describing the nature of Christ and begins by writing, “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation” (Col 1:15 NASB) who created all things seen and unseen (Col 1:16). In other words, God is not evil because Christ is the image of God; the Old Testament should not be rejected because the God of the Old Testament is still the God of the New Testament; and matter is not evil because Christ created matter (cf. Gal 2:17). Whether Paul was intentionally condemning gnostic beliefs or not, his message is a useful rebuttal to Gnosticism in any age.

The apostle then writes that Christ truly died in His physical body in order to atone for our sins (Col 1:22). There is no special knowledge needed for salvation—we must simply believe and accept Christ’s atonement, exactly what the gospel message proclaims (Col 1:23). The Colossians were not to shift “from the hope of the gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under heaven” of which Paul fully endorsed (Col 1:23 NASB). Paul again emphasizes that special knowledge is unnecessary because Christ reconciles us to Himself, and because He is the image of God, in Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col 2:3 NASB) so that we do not have to search far and wide for it. We, like the Colossians, are to “[s]ee to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ” (Col 2:8 NASB). Christ is sufficient! Legalism is unnecessary (Col 2:16–17); ascetic practices are unnecessary (Col 2:20–23); and worshiping divine beings other than the God of the Bible has no connection to Christianity (Col 2:18–19). Despite Paul’s explanations, however, some elements of Christian Gnosticism have unfortunately lingered.

Modern Christian Exorcism Is a Complex Blend of Doctrinal Errors

The methods of Jewish exorcism seen during the Second Temple period and the problem of Gnosticism in the early church both provide important context for understanding how some modern exorcists identifying as Christian approach the problem of demonization. As in the tradition of the New Testament writers, the purpose of this present discussion is not to call out the errors of specific people or books but to broadly identify and address certain critical, theological failures in how modern Christian exorcists all too frequently conduct their practices.

Exorcism is almost unheard of in many American Protestant churches. While there are Christians who subscribe to the dubious notion that there is “a demon behind every tree,” many other Christians do not believe in demons at all, or at least not in the same way as the people in the Gospel accounts who commonly encountered this problem. For the skeptical modern Christian, demons and demonization is more of an abstract, intellectual concept with nothing to ground it in daily reality. When churches do not explain this topic and believers fail to put any emphasis on it, false teaching creeps in to fill the empty void.

Our current age is one of convenience and instant gratification, which has enabled quick access to a variety of teachings that all claim to impart the “real” truth about demons and exorcism. So when a believer independently discovers the reality of this topic and—as seems likely for it to make the leap from “theoretical” to “factual” in the mind of a skeptic—develops a sudden, pressing need to address a demon problem, that believer will undoubtedly look to the Internet for guidance.⁶² There, online booksellers, blogs with religious sounding names, and websites advertising themselves as Christian ministries all offer a solution frequently labeled deliverance ministry. This is a broad label. While the term is just another way to say exorcism, deliverance has a more distinct theological viewpoint. No two deliverance ministry authors generally share the same exact approach, but they often have certain ideas in common:

1. God is a relatively passive observer.
2. God has given His power and authority over demons to deliverance ministers who must use it.
3. God depends upon deliverance ministers to confront powerful demons who influence cities and nations.
4. We can use the name of Jesus to command obedience from a demon.
5. We can invoke holy angels for help casting out a stubborn demon.
6. A successful deliverance requires special techniques and secret information.
7. A donation is highly suggested for engaging the services of a deliverance minister.
8. The demons tormenting an individual are the best source of information for driving them out.
9. Naming and classifying demons is the first step to removing them.
10. Demons cause specific problems according to their classification.
11. Every tormenting demon has a specific legal right that we must first discover in order to remove that demon.
12. All sin at all times has a chance of resulting in demonization.
13. Human beings are extremely vulnerable to curses—particularly those found in the Old Testament.
14. Demons can only invade our body and mind, not the part of our soul where the Holy Spirit resides.
15. We are only set free from the rigors of spiritual warfare once we die and our soul rests with Jesus.

Given the problems we have seen with ancient exorcism practices and destructive philosophies in the church, at least some of these ideas should immediately register as highly suspect. How would this list look when rephrased to reflect the underlying philosophy behind each statement? Markedly different. This is what deliverance ministry actually teaches:

1. God is unreliable and cannot be trusted. (Gnosticism)
2. We are fellow saviors along with Jesus who was only the first to confront this evil world. (Gnosticism)
3. God is too weak to overcome evil without our help. (Gnosticism/Ditheism)
4. The name of Jesus is a special word of power we can invoke to command demons. (Occultism)
5. We must learn to command angels to successfully expel stubborn demons. (Occultism)
6. Secret formulas grant power and freedom. (Occultism/Gnosticism)
7. Exorcism is a paid service. (Profit Motive)
8. The testimony of demons—whether spoken or nonverbal—provides invaluable information. (Occultism)
9. An exhaustive, ongoing study of demonology is critical to commanding demons. (Occultism)
10. Treating demonization is only possible after an exhaustive study of demons. (Occultism)
11. Consulting demons is both positive and beneficial. (Occultism)
12. We must live according to the Law in order to earn and maintain our spiritual freedom. (Legalism)
13. Both divine grace and the blood of Jesus are insufficient; the Law protects believers. (Legalism)
14. Our wicked body contains a pure, divine spark. (Gnosticism)
15. The body is evil, but the soul is good. (Gnosticism)

Common deliverance ministry is a collection of religious falsehoods that leads vulnerable people deeper into spiritual bondage. This is the product of human beings who have aspired in the name of God to be the equal of God in their control over supernatural entities. While this practice comes dressed in Christian language and is frequently offered by ordained ministers, the core of it is largely a heretical syncretism (or blending) of ancient Jewish occultism, early Christian Gnosticism, and spurious legalism with an occasional profit motive.⁶³ These ideas may sound convincing on the surface, but they are “like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness” (Matt 23:27 NASB). Does the Lord not say, “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind / And makes flesh his strength, / And whose heart turns away from the Lord” while “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, / And whose trust is the Lord” (Jer 17:5, 7 NASB)? God is explicitly saying in these verses that His strength is sufficient for all of our problems. There is no need to rely on the merely human strength and frequently heretical ideas of a “professional deliverance minister” instead of the Lord! One critic of the “spiritual warfare worldview” undergirding deliverance ministry puts it like this:

The key issue is not our knowledge about the forces of evil but our knowledge of God through the gospel. The battle is between the lie of Satan that man can be like God and the truth of the gospel… The options are whether one believes in God’s sovereignty over all of these spiritual beings and realities or whether one believes God is allowing the battle to run its course on its own.⁶⁴

God does not always immediately answer our prayers (Ps 69:3; 62:1). Likewise, He does not always immediately cast out demons when we ask Him to do so (Luke 13:16; 8:27; Mark 5:3–4; cf. John 11:1–44). But this is not evidence that the Lord has ignored our prayers, nor is it evidence that He has abdicated His responsibilities in the midst of our pain. Rather, the Lord acts in His own timing in accordance with His own purposes (Hab 2:3; Eccl 3:1; 2 Pet 3:8) and always for our benefit (Isa 40:31; Lam 3:25–26). Our God is the most powerful and authoritative king we could possibly imagine. While discussing the authority of earthly kings, the biblical Solomon provides sound advice, useful for understanding our relationship with our heavenly King: “Since the word of the king is authoritative, who will say to him, ‘What are you doing?’… For there is a proper time and procedure for [everything], though a person’s trouble is heavy upon him” (Eccl 8:4, 6 NASB). Like the prophet Micah in the midst of national turmoil, we should elect to trust God; He knows our situation. “But as for me, I will be on the watch for the Lord; / I will wait for the God of my salvation. / My God will hear me. / Do not rejoice over me, enemy of mine. / Though I fall I will rise; / Though I live in darkness, the Lord is a light for me” (Mic 7:7–8 NASB).

When we seek to override God’s plans—including His timing—we are claiming to be His equal and arguing that He is approaching our situation incorrectly. This is what the Lord says in response to that: “Woe to the one who quarrels with his Maker— / A piece of pottery among the other earthenware pottery pieces! / Will the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you doing?’/ Or the” pot say that the potter is clumsy (Isa 45:9 NASB)? “It is I who made the earth, and created mankind upon it. / I stretched out the heavens with My hands, / And I ordained all their lights” (Isa 45:12 NASB). We are never in a position to rightfully call into question the goodness or competence of God! We may not immediately understand what He is working toward during a painful situation (Isa 55:8–9), but to have faith in Him means that we must trust Him, especially when we or others are scared and hurting. Calling into question the faithfulness and goodness of God was Satan’s tactic in the Garden of Eden (Gen 3:1–5). It does not have to work on us too! There is no reason to trade the power of our God for the lies of a shamanistic practice that merely invokes the name of God.

Exorcism is not any more a secret, occult tradition than it is a scientific principle to be exhaustively studied. Nevertheless, there are quite a few modern exorcists who both identify as Christian and view exorcism as a combination of these approaches. Such people have, quite literally, listened to what demons have to teach on this topic and formed a variety of erroneous doctrines based on their subversive advice. The Holy Spirit has explicitly warned us that anything a demon teaches is intended to turn people away from genuine Christian faith (1 Tim 4:1–5), so why would a Christian—particularly a member of the clergy—believe that a demon can be made to tell the truth? Whether repeated exposure to others with this same viewpoint, pride, selfish ambition, or an inadequate understanding of Scripture is responsible for their errors, these false teachers are preaching something very different than the gospel message.

Assuming positive intentions, deliverance ministers very rarely intend to lead anyone away from a healthy relationship with Christ. That, however, is exactly what they are doing. This is a similar situation to the false apostles in the Corinthian church who were leading the believers astray. As Paul writes, “But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his trickery, your minds will be led astray from sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if one comes and preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel which you have not accepted, this you tolerate very well!” (2 Cor 11:3–4 NASB). What they do in this area is not the work of God. The claims that follow are common examples of what modern exorcists who identify as Christian frequently teach. This is a showcase of false teaching. Christians who God calls into this ministry do well to avoid these theological snares.

Claim: “A successful exorcism proves its own doctrine.”

The Lord once said to Moses, “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show compassion to whom I will show compassion” (Exod 33:19 NASB; cf. Rom 9:15). “So then, it does not depend on the person who wants it nor the one who [works for it], but on God who has mercy” (Rom 9:16 NASB). The Lord does not restrict Himself to whom He will or will not show compassion. The implication of His great love means that even if a demonized person has undergone a scripturally problematic exorcism, it may still help that person to be free of demons. This is not because the practice is theologically sound or should be repeated for other people; rather, this is a testament to the tremendous mercy of our God that He would choose to help someone who is hurting, even when that person has unknowingly become involved in practices the Lord has denounced.

We do well to remember that God never begins or endorses “a new thing” (cf. Isa 43:19) that contradicts Scripture. His nature and His truth are immutable. What He has said will never change (Isa 40:8; 55:11; Matt 24:35; Prov 30:5). Exorcistic techniques and practices borrowed from the world will not be successful on their own merits because they are not of God (cf. 1 Cor 2:14). And if they are not of God, that means these worldly techniques are based on information from the kingdom of darkness—there are no neutral sources when it comes to spiritual advice (cf. 1 John 3:8–10). Satan will neither drive out himself nor any other demon (Matt 12:25–28; Mark 3:23–26). If Satan were in the habit of fighting against his own interests, his kingdom would be divided and in ruins, ineffective in its longstanding campaign against God. But we know that Satan never opposes his own schemes; therefore, only advice based on sound Christian theology is truly helpful when addressing a demon problem.

Claim: “God expects us to resolve demon problems on our own.”

The ancient Israelites made the mistake of believing all the wrong things about the nature of God. They said He did not see their troubles, He did not keep His promises, and He was too weak to rescue them. The Lord said this in response:

Why do you say, Jacob, and you assert, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord,
And the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?
Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is unsearchable.
He gives strength to the weary,
And to the one who lacks might He increases power…
[T]hose who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength. (Isa 40:27–29, 31 NASB).

These are not the promises of a disinterested god far removed from human tragedies! This is the same God who miraculously parted a sea so that ancient Israelites could escape from Egyptian warriors (Exod 14:21), the same God who destroyed a powerful Assyrian army when it besieged Jerusalem (2 Kgs 19:35–36 parr.), and the same God who sent Jesus into the world to die a painful death so that we might gain eternal life (Matt 27:50–54). These are all the actions of a mighty King who takes great interest in His people (Rom 8:31–39). There are no problems we face that are beneath His notice—“even the hairs of your head are all counted” (Matt 10:30 NASB; cf. Ps 56:8)—and that includes demonization. The Lord says, “I, only I, am the Lord, / And there is no savior besides Me” (Isa 43:11 NASB), a claim He could not make if we were meant to be our own saviors.

Jesus showed great compassion for humanity and never required much, or sometimes anything, from those He helped. While He demonstrated that God will deliver us from demonic torment, He did not teach that we must undergo a special process, possess secret knowledge, ask the right people, or pay a fee to be freed from demons. We are not saved by what we do; we are saved by what He does. There may be times when we are far away from God in our spiritual lives, and we may have sins that we need to address with Jesus, but we need nothing except the mercy of our Lord to be set free from a demonized condition. Those who say otherwise are teaching the doctrine of the very same demons that seek to enslave and destroy us.

Claim: “Every sin can result in demonization according to the spiritual laws God created.”

Sin can result in demonization when the Lord views that as an appropriate response⁶⁵ (1 Sam 16:14), but to say every sin takes us down that road is absurd. This claim would have us live under a warped Mosaic Law governing us based on secret rules we may not even know. “[D]id you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by” your own effort instead of the grace of God (Gal 3:2–3 NASB)? Everyone who attempts to be made right with God in accordance with the Law has already failed because failing to uphold just one command makes us guilty of breaking the entire Law (Gal 3:10; cf. Deut 27:26). “Now, that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, ‘the righteous one will live by faith’,” (Gal 3:11–12 NASB) and as Christians, our faith is in Jesus. “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law” (Gal 3:13 NASB). This is a foundational Christian truth.

Mosaic Law shows us what God considers holy and appropriate behavior, declares our guilt in meeting those standards, and drives us to Christ as our only means of salvation (1 Tim 1:8–11). The “law is not made for a righteous person but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners” (1 Tim 1:9 NASB). We who have “sought and found justification by faith in Jesus, and who, sanctified by the Holy Ghost, [are] living a new life”⁶⁶ through Christ have already discovered we need Christ and have found wholeness through Him. The Law is a good teacher of Christian morality, but it is not a means of spiritual freedom for those who have a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

Sin does not “open a door” that allows demonic forces to immediately invade us if they happen to be in the area. What kind of horrible god would create a spiritual law like that? Certainly not the Christian God! Believing every sin opens a door in our soul can only lead to a mindset of fear and oppression, not a mindset of grace and freedom in Christ. Fear and oppression are not fruits of the Holy Spirit; rather, “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law” (Gal 5:22–23 NASB). The Law kills because we will never be able to attain God’s standard of righteousness by our own effort, but the Holy Spirit gives life (2 Cor 3:6). It is by grace that Christ has set us free from sin and the Law. We are to stand firm, then, and not let ourselves become burdened by a yoke of slavery to either Mosaic Law or whatever variation on it we might encounter (Gal 5:1).

Claim: “We must explicitly confess our every sin to nullify any existing demonic rights.”

The idea of “demonic legal rights” is entirely unbiblical. There is absolutely nothing in Scripture that supports this notion. Furthermore, this entire claim is another way of saying that grace depends on what we do, not what God has done and continues to do. It incorrectly makes spiritual freedom contingent on the work of explicit, open confession. John writes, “If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous, so that He will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:8–9 NASB). Admitting before God that we have broken His commandments indicates genuine salvation. However, John’s letter does not imply that we must go through our entire life history with a fine-toothed comb to recall every wrong thing we have ever done, big or small, that runs counter to what God requires of us. We are not commanded to keep a checklist of sins that we must continually reference and agonize over whether we missed some tiny detail. Failing to do that does not automatically grant a demon the right to torment an individual! Whether demonic oppression does or does not happen is entirely up to the Lord.

Nevertheless, sometimes we harbor self-loathing or intense emotional pain over things that happened in the past. Going over old mistakes and discussing them with the Lord can be useful if we have never truly dealt with our sins or brought them before the Lord and asked forgiveness. Doing so can be therapeutic. However, the Lord does not require this detailed, systematic accounting of old sins in order to love us or help with a demon problem. The point of confessing our sins after we are saved is to maintain fellowship with God. Jesus said, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet; otherwise he is completely clean” (John 13:10 NASB).

God wants to forgive us—this is why He sent Jesus into the world to atone for our wrongdoings. Making detailed inventories of our many sins is neither a condition of salvation nor forgiveness. What we are to do is confess, first of all, that we totally miss the mark and need Jesus to save us. Then we must resolve not to continue in our sins to the best of our ability. From that point, we are to confess those things that weigh us down or that the Holy Spirit brings to mind in order to continue our close fellowship with Christ and other believers. When we fail to do that, we bear a crushing burden that puts distance in our relationship with Jesus through rebellious pride or crippling shame (Ps 32:3–5; Prov 28:13). That is why bringing past mistakes before the Lord that we have never discussed with Him can be a useful exercise as long as we understand it for what it is. Connecting explicit confession and forgiveness to demonization, however, is misguided.

In the days of Aaron and Moses, God commanded the high priest to confess the sins of the people (Lev 16:21). The number of Israelites in the wilderness numbered anywhere from many thousands to millions (cf. Num 1:45–46). It would have been entirely unfeasible for one man to confess the individual sins of an entire nation! It was enough for Aaron to openly agree with God that there were sins among the people that needed to be forgiven and then offer the appropriate sacrifices. For us, the blood of Christ is sufficient. He is our appropriate sacrifice! Jesus knows our struggle and already knows our sins. Continual confession is about enjoying our relationship with Jesus. “This sort of forgiveness simply washes a person from the worldly defilements of sin but does not repeat the wholesale cleansing from sin’s corruption that comes with justification.”⁶⁷ As we mature in our Christian faith, we naturally want to please God and grow closer to Him. Confession is not something we do out of fear of punishment or losing our salvation. It is admitting we were wrong in the most important relationship of our lives in order to experience the peace and joy of our Lord.

John says the blood of Jesus “cleanses us from all sin” (1 John 1:7 NASB). Paul teaches the same thing, writing that as a benefit of our salvation, God has “forgiven us all our wrongdoings” (Col 2:13 NASB) and that through Jesus, “forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and through Him everyone who believes is freed from all things, from which you could not be freed through the Law of Moses” (Acts 13:38–39 NASB). The author of Hebrews repeats this message when he writes, “[W]e have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all time” (Heb 10:10 NASB). There is an important pattern here: the forgiveness of “all sins” means all sins in the past, present, and future. This represents the total spiritual “bath” that Jesus promised to believers. Everything else is spiritual foot washing, a highly recommended practice necessary for Christian maturity but not a forced requirement for God’s help. There is nothing a Christian can do or must do to earn God’s mercy.

Claim: “Long-term demonization might indicate it is permanent for that person.”

The Jewish woman “who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent over double, and could not straighten up at all” (Luke 13:11 NASB) may have thought this. Eighteen years is a very long time to suffer from demonization. Even in her case, however, it was not permanent. The time for God to act had just not arrived. When the day finally came and Jesus saw her in the synagogue, “He called her over and said to her, ‘Woman, you are freed from your sickness’” (Luke 13:12 NASB), and just like that, her demon problem was gone. Out came the evil spirit, “and immediately she stood up straight again, and began glorifying God” (Luke 13:13 NASB). Her demonization may have seemed permanent, but it was not. In fact, God used her difficult situation as a strong witness to the power of Jesus and included her story in Scripture as something Christians have studied for thousands of years. God was doing a mighty work in her and through her. It just took some time to fit all the pieces together.

The idea that long-term demonization is a permanent problem usually comes from the story of Paul.⁶⁸ He suffered from “a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan” (2 Cor 12:7 NASB) that God chose not to remove (2 Cor 12:8–9). However, there are a few important points to keep in mind. First, Paul does not tell us what exactly this thorn is. All we can do is guess. Second, many theologians do not believe Paul’s thorn was a literal demon.⁶⁹ The problem originated from the kingdom of darkness—that much is clear based on how Paul described it—but it could have been something as simple (and personally painful) as strong opposition to his ministry. It could have also been a health issue like poor eyesight (cf. Gal 4:13–15; 6:11). Third, the Lord did not remove this thorn in order to keep Paul from becoming proud after he “was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak” (2 Cor 12:4 NASB). His was a highly unique situation. How many of us can claim to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, responsible for bringing the gospel message to a non-Jewish audience for the first time, and have caught a glimpse of what happens in heaven? Exactly none of us. While his story highlights one of the major challenges Paul faced during his ministry, it provides no support for the idea that demonization is or can be permanent.

Some might point to King Saul as evidence that demonic oppression can last indefinitely, but his story also provides no concrete evidence for this claim. Saul became tormented after committing some very serious and highly public sins as king over Israel. He lived an extremely rebellious life and never asked God for forgiveness as far as we know. There was no moment of repentance, only a grim determination to reject what the Lord clearly decreed was going to happen with or without Saul’s approval. That was presumably the basis of Saul’s continued demonic oppression.

Those living with a demonic thorn in the flesh today are in a much different situation than the one Paul experienced. And those who see themselves in King Saul’s shoes can simply admit their outstanding sins and ask God for forgiveness. There is no evidence anywhere in Scripture that demonization is ever intrinsically permanent. Demon problems might sometimes persist longer than we would like, but God is always the final arbiter over what they can and cannot do, including how long they may cause mayhem in the life of any particular person. When demonization lingers, it is not because a demon has refused to leave but because God has permitted it to stay. He always has a particular reason for doing what He does, and those reasons can be unique to the individual.⁷⁰ We should pray for wisdom (Jas 1:5), seek His forgiveness (1 John 1:9), ask for His help (Isa 41:10; Prov 3:5–6), and even take our problems to other Christians when appropriate (Gal 6:1–2). But after that, our job is simple: trust God!

Claim: “People inherit demons and curses from their ancestors.”

The idea of a generational curse is so ingrained and so often repeated in deliverance ministry circles that many people take it on face value as a biblical truth when it is not. There are deliverance ministers who testify by their own words that this claim comes from questioning demons about the topic. It should go without saying that demons are hardly the best source for accurate Christian doctrine!

As part of the covenant between God and the ancient Israelites, the Lord said “He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished, inflicting the punishment [for the wrongdoing] of fathers on the children and on the grandchildren to the third and fourth generations” (Exod 34:7 NASB). In other words, something bad will happen across the generations following a sinning forebear. What is that something? The Bible does not say. But it also does not use the words curse or demon to fill in the blank!

If we were literally cursed for the sins of former generations, we would never get out from under the burden of that curse. Everyone sins, and everyone alive continues to sin. The Bible is very clear that we are not responsible for the sins of our ancestors. This was even true for the ancient Israelites! Mosaic Law states, “Fathers shall not be put to death for their sons, nor shall sons be put to death for their fathers; everyone shall be put to death for his own sin alone” (Deut 24:16 NASB). But modern Christians are not the only ones who have misunderstood this point. Here is what God said to the ancient Israelites in response:

“What do you people mean by using this proverb about the land of Israel, saying,

  ‘The fathers eat sour grapes,
  But it is the children’s [mouths that pucker]’?

As I live,” declares the Lord God, “you certainly are not going to use this proverb in Israel anymore. Behold, all [lives] are Mine; the [life] of the father as well as the [life] of the son is Mine. The [person] who sins will die.” (Ezek 18:2–4 NASB)

The Lord gives several examples to illustrate His point before following with this summary:

The person who sins will die. A son will not suffer the punishment for the father’s guilt, nor will a father suffer the punishment for the son’s guilt; the righteousness of the righteous will be upon himself, and the wickedness of the wicked will be upon himself. (Ezek 18:20 NASB)

We are each responsible for our own sins. A sinning father does not transmit a demon to his son any more than a sinning mother transmits a curse to her daughter. So the question remains, what is the something that affects children to the third and fourth generations? A plausible guess based on Scripture would be that children raised in the home of a recalcitrant sinner have a strong chance of viewing their parents’ sins as normal, even desirable, and adopting these sins into their own lives. “The effect of a disobedient generation was to plant wickedness so deeply that it took several generations to reverse.”⁷¹ In fact, this is one of the themes of the Old Testament.

When we take a broad view of Scripture, we see a pattern emerge where the ancient Israelites slipped more and more in their obedience to God across successive generations, so much so that they ended up worshiping idols, consulting the dead, and engaging the services of pagan temple prostitutes. This would have been unthinkable for Joshua who said, “[A]s for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Josh 24:15 NASB). But for King Manasseh, many generations removed, it seemed normal to build pagan shrines and altars to false gods, practice sorcery, consult spirits, and sacrifice his own son in a blazing fire (2 Kgs 21:1–6). Raising children in an ungodly home really does affect future generations. This is not because demons and curses are at work across the family tree but because children frequently learn the bad habits of their parents. And this is one very good reason why God says that He wants parents to spend the time and effort to raise godly children (Mal 2:15).

Claim: “Enjoying certain books, movies, games, and music can result in demonization.”

Exorcists who teach this claim often believe it because a demon they interrogated told them it was true. Unsurprisingly, there is no support for it anywhere in Scripture. This is just one more way of classifying certain activities as clean or unclean in an attempt to yoke Christians with the burden of man-made legalism. “See to it that there is no one who takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception in accordance with human tradition, in accordance with the elementary principles of the world, rather than in accordance with Christ” (Col 2:8 NASB). These prohibitions may appear wise because they require pious self-denial, but they are a self-made religion with no value for growing in Christian maturity or conquering sinful desires (cf. Col 2:20–23).

Nevertheless, some media is unhealthy just as some food is unhealthy. Intentionally filling our minds with unwholesomeness does not strengthen our relationships with Christ. As Paul writes, “All things are permitted, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted, but not all things build people up” (1 Cor 10:23 NASB). We are not bound by the Law, yet what we choose to do must necessarily “be limited by a regard (1) to the effect which each action has upon ourselves, and (2) its influence on the Church at large. ‘Does this act tend to my own spiritual profit? Does it tend to build up others?’ should be the practical rules of Christian life.”⁷² When what we choose to read or watch or play or listen to leads us into sin or causes others to stumble in their own relationship with Christ, it becomes our Christian responsibility to refrain from those activities.⁷³ Yet to claim that the media choices we consume can lead directly to demonization is entirely unfounded.

Claim: “The armor of God provides literal, supernatural protection against demons.”

The prophet Isaiah once wrote about the iniquity of his people. Justice and truth were nowhere to be found, and there was no one who helped the oppressed (Isa 59:1–16). This greatly displeased the Lord. He said that He would be the one to intervene, so “He put on righteousness like a breastplate, / And a helmet of salvation on His head; / And He put on garments of vengeance for clothing / And wrapped Himself with zeal as a cloak” (Isa 59:17 NASB). God would repay wicked individuals for their evil deeds, and once the consequences had been dealt, people would respect the Lord (Isa 59:18–19). Of course, the Lord is always righteous and can save or judge whenever He sees fit, so there is nothing He might “wear” to improve these qualities about Himself. This was metaphorical language intended to convey that God was getting ready to act in a powerful way, wading into the midst of the sin and corruption that so displeased Him in order to change it. Isaiah described Him like a mighty warrior going into battle. The armor was not literal armor that God was going to wear. This was evocative imagery, which helped express the gravity of the situation and the Lord’s response to it.

Many centuries later, Paul studied under the respected Jewish rabbi Gamaliel (Acts 5:34; 22:3) and would have been very familiar with the words of Isaiah. The apostle likely drew on this passage for inspiration when he wrote about the armor of God (Eph 6:10–18). Like God “dressing Himself” for battle against sin, Paul advises Christians to “dress themselves” for battle against the kingdom of darkness with truthfulness, righteousness, trust in God, faith, confidence in our salvation, and an understanding of Scripture. Paul exhorts us to “[p]ut on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil” (Eph 6:11 NASB), which carries a meaning that we are never to take off this armor once we put it on. Its attributes should become a permanent part of our character just as the armor that Isaiah described was a permanent part of the Lord’s character. This is just one more colorful metaphor to make the elements of Christian living more memorable.

Living in faithful obedience to God in all areas of life is how Christians stand firm against the powers of darkness. That is how the armor of God protects us. It is not some literal suit of unseen, supernatural armor patterned after what ancient Roman soldiers wore. It is also not something we must visualize ourselves strapping on before we roll out of bed in the morning. God does the literal fighting against our supernatural enemies. Our role is to “stand firm” (Eph 6:11 NASB) and pray constantly at all times for believers everywhere (Eph 6:18).

Claim: “Fasting is required to drive out certain demons.”

This requirement is not found in the main text of most popular Bible translations but from a footnote attached to the relevant verses. For context, there was a demonized boy who the disciples could not cure, and when they asked Jesus why, He said to them, “This kind cannot come out by anything except prayer” (Mark 9:29 NASB). Or “prayer and fasting” according to the common footnote. Likewise, some late, original-language manuscripts include “prayer and fasting” as part of the same account in Matthew (Matt 17:21), but again, this addition is typically included as a footnote in most popular Bible translations. The reason this addition is not included as part of the main text for these verses is that the best and earliest manuscripts omit “and fasting.”⁷⁴

Fasting is good. It focuses our thoughts on God and reminds us of His provision in our lives. But fasting as a requirement for exorcism turns it into an ascetic ritual that we must follow so that we can cast out a demon by our efforts. That is not what Jesus would have taught. Moments earlier, He criticized the gathered disciples and onlookers for their lack of faith in God (Mark 9:19; Matt 17:17). And in His response to the later question concerning why the disciples could not cast out the demon, Jesus cited prayer to explain that nothing except a faithful appeal to God could have produced the desired remedy for the demonized boy.

Claim: “Worship music can weaken demonic oppression or even drive out demons.”

The servants of King Saul once made this suggestion to their supernaturally tormented leader: “May our lord now command your servants who are before you. Have them search for a man who is a skillful musician on the harp; and it shall come about whenever the evil spirit from God is upon you, that he shall play the harp with his hand, and you will become well” (1 Sam 16:16 NASB). Play music, get relief from a demon. The musician they selected was the future king David, and “whenever the evil spirit from God came to Saul, David would take the harp and play it with his hand; and Saul would feel relieved and become well, and the evil spirit would leave him” (1 Sam 16:23 NASB). Scripture does not indicate the kind of music David played, but given the many psalms he wrote during his life, it might have been ancient Israel’s version of worship music. So, does worship music weaken demonic oppression?

Many centuries later, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown in prison after Paul exorcised a demonized woman. “Now about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; and suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened” (Acts 16:25–26 NASB). They sang hymns, prison doors flew open. Does worship music damage prisons and free prisoners? This question is equivalent to asking whether worship music weakens demonic oppression. The answer to both questions is no. Worship music does none of these things on its own.

God alone provided the power behind these miracles. He very specifically chose to intervene in these ways to further the plans He had made obvious in the broader scriptural context. First, this was how the Lord chose to position David in King Saul’s royal court because God had already declared that David would become king (1 Sam 16:12–13). Second, this was how the Lord chose to free his missionaries from prison because it brought many more people to new faith in Jesus Christ (Acts 16:29–34). To equate worship music with exorcism is to confuse the details of the miracle with its divine source of power. Worship music is not some ritual to control demons. It no more casts them out than crucifixion on a Roman cross takes away the sins of the world. The God behind these miraculous events is who created those outcomes. He is the ultimate source of all divine miracles and the reason why worship music had the powerful effect it did for King Saul.

What worship music can do is refocus our thoughts on God in the midst of deep suffering. Many songs and hymns quote Scripture, so they also remind us of what God has said or promised. The pain will still be very real when singing, but worship lifts our spirits as we look to God and remember His great love for us. He may miraculously intervene in our own suffering just as He did for Saul, Paul, and Silas, but even if the Lord has other plans, worship causes us to look heavenward from the despair that can cling to us in the midst of intense pain. The Lord is both merciful and compassionate. Reminding ourselves of that is always time well spent.

Claim: “Demons must obey our every instruction when commanded in the name of Jesus.”

According to this way of thinking, the name of Jesus is functionally equivalent to both Solomon’s ring in the Testament of Solomon as well as other special rings used in ancient Jewish exorcism rituals. Jesus’s name, much like these rings, supposedly has enough authority that anyone can use it to command demons and angels to obey as instructed. Yet the sons of Sceva⁷⁵ learned the hard way that the name of Jesus is not just some method to control demons. They believed they could invoke the name of Jesus Christ as a name of great power (Acts 19:13–14), but they were proved wrong and suffered for their mistake (Acts 19:15–16). It is not enough to believe Jesus existed. It is not enough to believe Jesus is powerful. It is also not enough to chant His name. The subtle failure in this claim is that ritualistic use of the name of God is not power but occultism.

God expressly forbids misusing His name (Exod 20:7), and that prohibition encompasses the name of Jesus since Jesus is one person of the Holy Trinity. Wielding the name of Christ as a magical word of power makes an idol from it, dividing the name from the one who owns it, as if Jesus and Jesus’s name were two distinct sources of divine authority. This grossly violates God’s commandment. Christian names and vocabulary do not have intrinsic power, and dressing up idolatry and occultism with Christian language does not accomplish anything beneficial. It only serves to further the interests of the kingdom of darkness. What are names and rings to an angel? When used as an incantation, phrases like “in the name of Jesus” are just empty, powerless words rather than a personal appeal to God. It is not the phrase that has power. It is Christ who has power and chooses whether or not to honor our special requests concerning the supernatural. The specific words we use are irrelevant. Faith and trust in Christ is what makes a difference, and His direct response to our appeals for help are what can produce a miraculous result. The choice is entirely up to the Lord.

Yet the question remains, what did it mean when Peter said to a lame man, “In the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, walk!” (Acts 3:6 NASB)? And what did it mean when Paul said to the demon infesting a fortune-teller, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” (Acts 16:18 NASB)? The phrase they used (“in the name of Jesus”) was not just empty speech. These words imply deference to Christ and contain deep meaning.

The name of someone, in the sense that the Bible authors used it, was what the person stood for, the substance of their character, or their authority… When we pray in the name of Jesus or baptize in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, what we are doing is acting in their authority, in their stead, according to their command, and consistent with their desires.⁷⁶

As apostles of Jesus Christ, Peter and Paul could check all these boxes:

1. They were given special apostolic dispensation to perform miracles using God’s power with God’s approval.⁷⁷
2. They were continuing the ministry Jesus had started using the methods He had shown them.
3. They were doing as Jesus had done while remaining in complete accord with everything Scripture teaches.
4. They were actively working on spreading the gospel message.

These are important distinctions. Peter, Paul, and the other apostles were not acting in their own authority but in Christ’s authority. This particular phrase is not intrinsically wrong because, after all, the apostles used it in their ministries. However, it makes all the difference in the world what we mean when we say “in the name of Jesus.” We can be acting “in the name of Jesus” without ever even stating it. In these examples from Acts, verbally citing the divine source of the miracle was important for the evangelism efforts that were underway, particularly since contemporary exorcists and magicians recited many different names thought to have miraculous power. In this case, however, there was only one name: Jesus. That might have been surprising to the beneficiaries of these apostolic miracles. It would have caused many first century individuals to take notice of the gospel message.

But in today’s age, it may not always be important to vocalize our heavenly allegiance in the tasks God gives us. To use this phrase intending solely that it would place the supernatural authority of God at our disposal is already off to a rocky start. When the person who speaks that phrase uses it to command something contrary to Scripture, it is completely wrong, neither consistent with the righteousness of Jesus nor His desires. Such a command is not truly “in the name of Jesus” but in the name of whoever speaks it.

Claim: “Christians have the authority to bind demons and loose holy angels.”

Jesus once said to Peter, “I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matt 16:19 NASB). Jesus was explaining to Peter that He would commission him as a founding member of the Christian church. The church, as the body of Christ, would have the spiritual authority to either forbid or permit certain behaviors, and God would see things the same way as long as that decision was firmly rooted in a careful study of Scripture. “The keys are a symbol of authority. The rabbis used the words bind and loose to denote decisions about what was or was not permitted. Note that Peter will permit or prohibit only what had already been permitted or prohibited in heaven. Peter was an agent of divine revelation.”⁷⁸

Later, Jesus said to His disciples, “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven” (Matt 18:18 NASB). He said these words to show that whatever decision a righteous church makes as part of following the church discipline procedure that Jesus outlined (Matt 18:15–17) would reflect the way God looks at the situation. This legitimized the spiritual authority of the Christian church to discipline its wayward members.

Both of these teachings are about the spiritual authority and legitimacy of the Christian church. Binding and loosing are not intended in this context to convey a literal binding and loosing as might be done with a rope or a chain. The root of the Greek word used here for bind is deó, which Jesus uses to mean “I declare to be prohibited and unlawful”⁷⁹ as with the sins of a recalcitrant church member. Likewise, the root of the Greek word used here for loose is luó, which Jesus uses to mean “release (unbind) so something no longer holds together”⁸⁰ as with an indictment against a church member who repents of a sin. Nowhere in these explanations of church authority does Jesus mention holy angels, demons, or Satan. There is no textual support for the claim that binding and loosing has anything to do with either holy or fallen angels.

Elsewhere in Scripture, Jesus says, “[H]ow can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house” (Matt 12:29 NASB; cf. Mark 3:27; Luke 11:21–22). Again, context is key to understanding what Jesus meant. The Pharisees had just accused Him of casting out demons by the power of Satan. He explained that Satan will never cast out his own demons, so this was a groundless accusation. Only the power of God could accomplish what Jesus had been doing. He used the illustration of the strong man to explain that while Satan is strong, Jesus is stronger, and while Satan does have influence over many people, Jesus is fully capable of disarming Satan to rescue the captives who are under Satan’s influence. This fulfills a prophecy in Isaiah about Jesus which reads, “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, / Because the Lord anointed me / To bring good news to the humble; / He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, / To proclaim release to captives / And freedom to prisoners” (Isa 61:1 NASB; cf. Luke 4:14–21).

The parable of the strong man is about Jesus’s power over Satan. None of us are “someone stronger than [Satan]” who “attacks him and overpowers him” then “distributes his plunder” (Luke 11:22 NASB). How can we, the captives in this story, also play the role of savior in the same story? A captive needs rescue because a captive is by definition not a savior. The job of savior belongs to God alone (Isa 43:10–13; 1 Tim 4:10; Ps 25:5). Furthermore, why would Christians even need to bind demons or loose angels when we have a direct prayer line to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies Himself (Ps 46:7; 89:11; 103:19–21)? Why not save the trouble of all this supposed binding and loosing and just ask God for help directly? That is unless we think God is not in control, incapable of helping, or disinterested in our struggles? When we believe those things, we misunderstand who Christ truly is.

Claim: “Christians can send demons to the abyss.”

Different from the lake of fire where God will send all demons at the end of days (Matt 25:41), the abyss is where God holds certain demons “in eternal restraints under darkness for the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6 NASB). He sends particularly defiant demons to this maximum security spiritual prison⁸¹ (2 Pet 2:4). However, the Lord does not restrain all demons within the abyss, so we can infer that He governs this prison through certain criteria that determine which demons He will permit to roam the earth and which demons He will incarcerate until the final judgment. None of this is spelled out for us in Scripture. That means it is not our responsibility to tell God which demons should be sent to the abyss. While some exorcists erroneously believe that we have this power, it is the epitome of pride and blasphemy—a noxious combination also found in Satan—to place ourselves equal with God or believe we can tell Him how He should govern the spiritual world. Not even Jesus sent demons to the abyss during the exorcism accounts seen in the Gospels.

The demons infesting the Gerasene demoniac “begged Him earnestly not to send them out of the region” (Mark 5:10 NASB). They also begged Jesus “not to command them to go away into the abyss” (Luke 8:31 NASB). He did not do either of those things; instead, He allowed them to leave the demoniac and enter into a herd of pigs (Luke 8:32; Mark 5:12–13). Extrapolating implied exorcistic commands from this account wrongly adds to what Scripture teaches (cf. Prov 30:6; Deut 4:2). Passing these implied commands down to others only serves to perpetuate doctrinal errors supporting human tradition over the Word of God (Mark 7:8–9, 13). While we can lament the fact that demons are active throughout the entire world, the time for their final judgment is not yet at hand. It is not our place to decide when that will happen or which demons should be restrained until that day.

Claim: “Interrogating demons is a good source of information for driving them out.”

Satan, a demon as well as the ruler of demons (Matt 12:24; Luke 11:15), is a liar through and through. Jesus said about him, “He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44 NASB). Deception is a fundamental part of Satan’s character.⁸² If there is no truth in him, why would anyone think that he could be coerced to tell human beings the truth about anything? But Satan also has a kingdom of demons under his command. Do they tell the truth?

In his letter to Timothy, Paul writes, “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons” (1 Tim 4:1 NASB). Paul is saying that not only are demons deceitful, they tailor their words to cause maximum separation between the Lord and the one who heeds their harmful advice. Why would any Christian believe anything a demon says? An intelligent being who lies by nature can easily claim to tell the truth! Harmful deception is a fundamental part of demonic nature⁸³ and one reason among many others why the Lord emphatically prohibits His people from consulting spirits (Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut 18:9–13; 2 Kgs 21:2–6; Isa 8:19).

As one critic of deliverance ministry puts it, there are some Christians who tragically believe “humans are at a huge disadvantage because the spirits have been navigating the spirit world for thousands of years and only they know all the ‘rules.’ The exorcist must query the demons to find out needed information and then beat them at their own rules.”⁸⁴ This positions an exorcism as the confrontation between a demon and a minister rather than a demon and Jesus Christ. It transforms this ministry into what we know and what we can do instead of what Christ knows and what Christ can do. There is a tremendous difference between these two mindsets! When we believe everything depends on our own capabilities instead of the mercy of our Lord, we are tempted to seek hidden knowledge by disobeying scriptural prohibitions against chatting with demons. These are called unclean spirits for a very good reason;⁸⁵ not only are they intrinsically wicked, they defile anyone foolish enough to believe what they teach.

Some misguided teachers claim that John advises us how to conduct an exorcism when he writes, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1 NASB). Proponents of this incorrect exorcism doctrine use John’s letter as permission to ask a demon questions like, “Do you confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh?” (cf. 1 John 4:2). If the answer is no, the response is said to come from a demon. If the answer is yes, the response is said to come from the Holy Spirit. Ironically, John writes the cited verse within the context of describing false prophets and warning that not every teaching from a professed Christian is actually sound doctrine.

People who perpetuate the erroneous belief that we are free to converse with demons in the right context are like the false teachers Paul denounces when he writes they want “to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions” (1 Tim 1:7 NASB). Asking a demon whether it agrees that Christ came in the flesh is entirely unsupported in Scripture. Why would anyone ask that question? Scripture already tells us that demons recognize the authority of Jesus who came in the flesh (Mark 1:24, 34; Luke 4:34, 41). In fact, demons have a better theological understanding than many people do (Matt 8:29; Mark 5:7; Luke 4:41; Acts 19:15; Jas 2:19; Job 4:18)! Because this line of questioning disintegrates in the light of Scripture, it follows that John was not proposing novel exorcism techniques in his letter.

Those who interview demons in the context of an exorcism also frequently point to Jesus and claim to follow His lead. While ministering to the Gerasene demoniac, “Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ And he said, ‘Legion’; because many demons had entered him” (Luke 8:30 NASB; cf. Mark 5:9). It is not entirely clear from the immediate context whether Jesus was addressing the man or the demons. The parallel account in Mark makes it clear that a demon answered Jesus’s question, but this does not imply that Jesus addressed His question to the demon. As seen earlier in this chapter, Jewish exorcists from the Second Temple period would have had no qualms about interrogating demons, but their exorcism techniques were unbiblical. Jesus, as God in the flesh, would not have condoned anything that contradicts Scripture.

When we look at Jesus’s other exorcisms in the Gospels, there are no recorded instances where He asked for a demon’s name (e.g., Matt 8:16; 17:18; Mark 1:25; 5:8; 9:25; Luke 4:35, 41; 9:42; 13:12). In fact, He commanded some demons not to speak at all (Mark 1:25; Luke 4:35, 41)! The apostle Paul performed an exorcism that did not include asking for a demon’s name, and he also commanded the demon not to speak (Acts 16:18). Much earlier, David played music to soothe King Saul who was tormented by demons, but again, David did not ask for the demon’s name (1 Sam 16:23). Simply put, when we examine the entirety of Scripture, there are no accounts of anyone asking a demon for its name whereas there are several accounts where a demon was commanded not to speak. So although the precise interaction between Jesus and the Gerasene demoniac is unclear from the immediate context, the broader context strongly suggests that Jesus was asking the man and not the demon for his name.

Demons can be chatty. There are accounts in Scripture where a demon is the one who starts a conversation, but nowhere in Scripture does anyone take the bait and proceed to ask questions of these unclean and rebellious evil angels. Jesus was not engaged in a conversation with Legion. He did not ask the demons for their advice on how to get rid of them, nor did Jesus seek to learn more about why these demons inhabited the man. When a would-be exorcist interviews a demon, that exorcist effectively turns the victim into a spiritual medium. This is a practice strongly condemned in Scripture (Lev 19:31; 20:6, 27; Deut 18:9–13; 2 Kgs 21:2–6; Isa 8:19). Wrapping a religious veneer around something vile does not change its vile nature. There is no need to understand demonic motives because we already know them.⁸⁶ There is also no need to coerce a demon to leave its victim because Jesus can handle that. “And if a person who is blind guides another who is blind, both will fall into a pit” (Matt 15:14 NASB). Any religious teaching that diminishes Jesus Christ or tries to leverage Jesus as a means to support unscriptural practices is horribly misguided.

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1. False teachers will also continue to get worse. See Chapter 3 to learn what Scripture predicts will happen leading up to the return of Jesus.↩
2. John MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2005), 1933.↩
3. There are passages in the Bible with more than one interpretation, and to simplify a complicated subject, this is one reason why Protestantism has many different denominations. Christian principles, however, are frequently shared across believers.↩
4. E. Ray Clendenen and Jeremy Royal Howard, eds., Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: B&H Publishing Group, 2015), 1352.↩
5. See Chapter 5 to learn more about how Satan operates.↩
6. Ronald A. Beers et al., eds., Life Application Study Bible: New International Version (Wheaton, IL; Grand Rapids: Tyndale House; Zondervan, 1997), 2162.↩
7. Beers et al., Life Application Study Bible, 1649.↩
8. This is part of the historical record. It is not simply a matter of faith.↩
9. This is not the same as recognizing that cultural context is essential for responsibly interpreting difficult passages. This is also not the same as believing we can set aside certain ancient practices like the ceremonial laws passed down through the Pentateuch. The legal aspects of Mosaic Law no longer apply to those who have entered into the new covenant with God through faith in Jesus Christ.↩
10. Flavius Josephus, The Antiquities of the Jews, trans. William Whiston (Urbana, IL: Project Gutenberg, (1737) 2017), 20.7.2, https://gutenberg.org/files/2848/2848-h/2848-h.htm.↩
11. Gideon Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic: A History (Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 2008), 35, 78–79, 82.↩
12. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 15–16.↩
13. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 14.↩
14. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 59.↩
15. This mistake still happens today. See Chapter 1 for a modern example of missing the intent behind biblical prohibitions due to an inadequate interpretation of the words themselves.↩
16. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 57.↩
17. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 93.↩
18. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 75.↩
19. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 54.↩
20. Clinton E. Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism: The Jewish Roots of the Problem at Colossae,” JETS 55.1 (2012): 10.↩
21. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 53, 56–57.↩
22. See Chapter 6 to learn more about the nature of demons.↩
23. G. H. Twelftree, “Demon, Devil, Satan,” Dictionary of Jesus and the Gospels, 167.↩
24. Flavius Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, trans. William Whiston (Urbana, IL: Project Gutenberg, (1737) 2013), § 7.6.3, https://gutenberg.org/files/2850/2850-h/2850-h.htm.↩
25. T. Editors of Encyclopedia Britannica, “Mandrake” (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 November 2018), https://www.britannica.com/plant/mandrake-Mandragora-genus.↩
26. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 91.↩
27. H. D. M. Spence and Joseph S. Exell, eds., The Pulpit Commentary (BibleSoft, (1909) n.d.), https://biblehub.com/commentaries/pulpit/genesis/1.htm §Gen 30:14.↩
28. Paul Vlachos and Louis Poulos, “A Case of Mandrake Poisoning,” Clin. Toxicol. 19.5 (1982): 521–22, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.3109/15563658208992510.↩
29. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 95.↩
30. Bohak, Ancient Jewish Magic, 96.↩
31. Lucian of Samosata, The Works of Lucian of Samosata, trans. Henry W. Fowler and Francis G. Fowler, vol. 3 (Urbana, IL: Project Gutenberg, (1905) 2004), https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/6829/pg6829.html.utf8 §The Liar ¶17.↩
32. Lucian of Samosata, The Works of Lucian of Samosata, 3 §The Liar ¶18.↩
33. Jesus gives the correct theological response when He continues, “But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you” (Matt 12:28 NASB).↩
34. Josephus, Ant., § 8.2.5.↩
35. Josephus, Ant., § 8.2.5.↩
36. Josephus, Ant., § 8.2.5.↩
37. Twelftree, “Demon, Devil, Satan,” 167.↩
38. Josephus, J.W., § 2.8.7.↩
39. Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism,” 23.↩
40. F. C. Conybeare, “The Testament of Solomon,” JQR 11.1 (1898): 1, https://www.jstor.org/stable/1450398.↩
41. Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism,” 11.↩
42. Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism,” 12.↩
43. Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism,” 14–15.↩
44. Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism,” 16.↩
45. Conybeare, “The Testament of Solomon,” 14.↩
46. Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism,” 14.↩
47. The context for these verses forbids consulting the spirits of deceased human beings rather than demonic spirits, but much of what popular culture attributes to human spirits is probably demonic activity in disguise. See Chapter 7 to learn more. Ultimately, God would much rather have us consult Him than either of these alternative sources. “[S]hould a people not consult their God?” (Isa 8:19 NASB).↩
48. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 4 (San Francisco: Wikimedia Foundation, (1885) 2020), https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ante-Nicene_Fathers/Volume_IV Origen Against Celsus, §8.58.↩
49. Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4 Origen Against Celsus, §8.58.↩
50. Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4 Origen Against Celsus, §8.59.↩
51. Ante-Nicene Fathers, 4 Origen Against Celsus, §8.61.↩
52. Wendy Doniger, ed., Merriam-Webster’s Encyclopedia of World Religions (Springfield, MA: Merriam-Webster, 1999), 380.↩
53. Edward Moore, “Gnosticism,” The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (2021), https://iep.utm.edu/gnostic/ §Gnosticism.↩
54. Moore, “Gnosticism” §§Basilides, Marcion.↩
55. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 1954.↩
56. Moore, “Gnosticism” §Basilides.↩
57. Moore, “Gnosticism” §Marcion.↩
58. Moore, “Gnosticism” §Valentinus and the Valentinian School.↩
59. Moore, “Gnosticism” §Valentinus and the Valentinian School.↩
60. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 1730.↩
61. Arnold, “Sceva, Solomon, and Shamanism,” 8, 21.↩
62. Hopefully, that person also attends a Bible-based church with a pastor who is willing to help. But that takes time to organize while the Internet is always available.↩
63. There are many deliverance ministers who only have pure motives and reject payment of any kind. This is not a motivation that applies to everyone. To some, however, it does.↩
64. Bob DeWaay, “How Deliverance Ministries Lead People to Bondage: A Warning Against the Warfare Worldview” (Critical Issues Commentary, September/October 2003), https://cicministry.org/commentary/issue78.htm.↩
65. See Chapter 10 to learn more about the relationship between sin and demons.↩
66. Ellicott’s Commentary on the Whole Bible (BibleSupport.com, (1905) 2014), § 1, https://biblehub.com/commentaries/ellicott/ Tim 1:9.↩
67. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 1133.↩
68. See Chapter 8 to learn more about Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.”↩
69. Clendenen and Howard, Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary, 1264.↩
70. See Chapter 12 to learn more about possible reasons for demonization.↩
71. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 114.↩
72. Ellicott’s Commentary on the Whole Bible, § 1 Cor 10:23.↩
73. See Chapter 14 to learn more about navigating moral ambiguity.↩
74. MacArthur, The MacArthur Bible Commentary, 1227, 1157.↩
75. See Chapter 9 to learn more about these itinerant Jewish exorcists.↩
76. Greg Koukl, “In the Name of Jesus” (Stand to Reason, 4 February 2013), https://www.str.org/w/in-the-name-of-jesus.↩
77. See Chapter 8 to learn more about apostolic miracles.↩
78. Clendenen and Howard, Holman Illustrated Bible Commentary, 1031.↩
79. “Strong’s Greek: 1210. Δέω (Deó) – to Tie, Bind” (Bible Hub, n.d.), https://biblehub.com/greek/1210.htm.↩
80. “Strong’s Greek: 3089. Λύω (Luó) – to Loose, to Release, to Dissolve” (Bible Hub, n.d.), https://biblehub.com/greek/3089.htm.↩
81. See Chapter 4 to learn more about the abyss.↩
82. See Chapter 5 to learn more about Satan.↩
83. See Chapter 6 to learn more about the nature of demons.↩
84. DeWaay, “How Deliverance Ministries Lead People to Bondage.”↩
85. See Chapter 6 to learn the different names for demons found in the Bible.↩
86. See Chapter 6 to learn more about the nature of demons.↩