by Leonard V Johnson
Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us a commission ──
“ …’ Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. 16)
He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not
believe will be [judged]. 17) And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast
out demons; they will speak with new [languages]; 18) they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by
no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will
recover.’” – Mark 16:15-18.
Your loving support helps us in this commission of what our Lord wants.
Our Lord Jesus said,
“’ Likewise, I say to you, THERE IS JOY in the presence of the angels of
God over one sinner who repents.’”
– Luke 15:10.
Regarding demons ── ‘serpents and scorpions’ (slang terms, epithets. It’s like
saying that a person is a “snake in the grass.” It's often used to describe
someone who has betrayed your trust or acted dishonestly) ── notice what the
seventy that our Lord Jesus had sent out to ‘heal the sick, and say to them,
‘The kingdom of God has come to you’ reported back to Him ──
“Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are
subject to us in Your name.’”
– Luke 10:17.
Yes! The demons are subject to the Name and Authority of our Lord Jesus
Christ!
Certainly, demonic encounters are worldwide.
I, personally, have had several encounters with demons.
Once in 2006 ── After spending nearly two hours in prayer to Father God and
our Lord Jesus in the truck, I went and had dinner in the truck stop
restaurant. When I was finished eating, I was paying my bill at the register.
A man came up behind me and suddenly stopped, backing away from me as if he’d
seen a ghost. A frightened look came across his face! He wouldn’t come near
me. After I paid my bill, I turned to move towards him, and he began shaking
and looked as if he was ready to fall onto the floor. I just walked away from
him without saying a word.
Once, as I was walking out of a truck stop, an exquisitely dressed black man
began calling after me, “Hey, can I get a ride?” As I turned around, I saw
that this well-groomed man was dressed in the finest dark suit I had ever
seen, with gold cufflinks, a gold chain, a gold wristwatch, and shiny black
dress shoes. A chill ran up my spine. As I kept walking, he began following me
and called out again, “Hey, can I get a ride? I just got off the bus.” I had
assumed that he meant a Greyhound Bus, although he didn’t have any bags or
luggage, and I had hardly seen anyone in the truck stop, so I knew he wasn’t
telling the truth. “No, I’m not going to give you a ride!” I said sternly as I
continued walking away from him. He began to follow more briskly, “I’m just
going down the road.” Then he stopped suddenly and yelled, “You’re not going
to give me a ride!” – which was more of a statement than a question. Friends,
this was a demon trying to trick me! I just turned and walked away from him.
Did he recognize me and know that I would soon belong to Jesus Christ? Well,
they certainly did recognize Jesus Christ when they said,
“’ What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here
to torment us before the time?’”
– Matthew 8:29.
Now mind you ── not all evil spirits try and confront us as directly as the
sorcerer Bar-Jesus (Elymas; for so his name is translated) did with the
apostles Barnabas and Paul (Acts 13:1-12).
God’s living word tells a story about Simon, who had been practicing
sorcery, and the people from the least to the greatest believed that he was a
man of God. But he was not! ── Acts 8:9-24.
Notice that Simon had been baptized ── without receiving the Holy Spirit.
“And when Simon saw that through the laying on of the apostles’ hands the
Holy Spirit was given, he offered them money.”
(vs. 18). And the Apostle Peter rebuked him sharply! This same Simon ── also
known as Simon Magus ── would go on to deceive many, founding Roman
Catholicism, usurping Simon Peter’s name, and declaring himself God on Earth
and the first Catholic pope.
This “exquisitely dressed black man” who tried to approach me, however,
reminds me of an incident that the Apostle Paul encountered ──
“Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed
with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit by
fortune-telling. 17) This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying,
‘These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaims to us the Way of
salvation.’ 18) And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed,
turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to
come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”
– Acts 16:16-18.
Notice that this slave girl even says the truth concerning these men, who are
true servants of the Most High God ── just as this “exquisitely dressed black
man” said to me as a statement, “You’re not going to give me a ride!”
Of course, that was not the only time that I believe a demon was sent to
confront me ── Our next-door neighbor, upon moving into our home, I soon
discovered he was being attacked by at least a couple of demons. There was a
time when he came to our front door and knocked. Upon opening the door, he
says, “Can I come in?” I invited him in, and we were having a good visit ──
until I began to praise our Most High God and our Lord Jesus Christ. He
suddenly became quiet, stared at me, and said, “If you mention God one more
time, I’ll kill you!” I politely said, “You need to leave now.” After that ──
when I would take a walk around our block, he would “finger gun” shoot me. I
have since spoken at length to Almighty God and our Lord Jesus, that he would
cease any interaction with me. Now he won’t even speak to me. I believe that
he was (and or is) being tormented by at least two evil spirits.
Truly, demons know who true Christians are ── as Acts 19:13-16
indicates ──
“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to
call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We
exercise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ 14) Also there were seven
sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, who did so. 15) And the evil spirit
answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ 16)
Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them,
so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”
The very first time that I suspected an evil presence was about 1976. I
experienced, for nearly two weeks, every time that I began to drift off
to sleep, I was struck on the head with something (or by someone) that wasn’t
there. It would hurt something fierce.
In our societies worldwide, it appears that demonic influence is growing.
Sadly, a great many people communicate with “angels.” Which is most likely
demons. And, I was told by my wife just last night, that she often speaks to
her favorite aunt, who died in 2010. I did not argue with her ── I just simply
said, “Whatever comforts you.”
However, God’s living word warns us against this ──
“’ When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you
shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. 10) THERE SHALL
NOT BE found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass
through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one
who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, 11) or one who conjures spells, or
a medium, or a spiritist, or ONE WHO CALLS UP THE DEAD. 12) For all who do
these things are an abomination to the LORD, and because of these
abominations the LORD your God drives them out from before you.’”
– Deuteronomy 18:10-12.
“ ’They provoked Him to jealousy with foreign gods; With
abominations they provoked Him to anger. 17) They sacrificed to demons, not
to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals
That your fathers did not fear.’”
– Deuteronomy 32:16-17.
“Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and
worship of angels, …”
– Colossians 2:18.
“And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, ‘See that you do
not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the
testimony of Jesus. Worship God! …’”
– Revelation 19:10.
Sadly, a great many television shows and movies directed at children encourage
demonism.
Certainly, while parents should truly worry about explicit sex scenes and
outright vulgar language on television, there is also a danger ── that is
blatantly out front for all to see ── witchcraft and demonism. One blockbuster
movie that comes to mind ── the 1991 Addams Family Movie – in which
Uncle Fester reunites with his family, and they entertain guests during a
Halloween party by playing the “wake the dead” game! Many modern so-called
family movies are encouraging children to talk to the dead. This is
encouraging demonism. And, with Satan the Devil becoming ever more angry in
his wrath, knowing that his time is growing shorter ── this will continue to
increase until the glorious and powerful return of our Lord Jesus Christ and
the establishment of the Kingdom of God! Because, as our Lord Jesus asks,
“ …’ Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on
the earth?’”
– Luke 18:8. And, it’s not just faith in our Lord Jesus, but faith even in a
Creator!
YOU ARE NEVER TO CALL OUT OR WORSHIP THOSE IN THE DEMONIC REALM!
Notice what the Apostles Peter and James ── under divine inspiration ── have
written ──
“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walk about like a
roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9) Resist him, steadfast in the
faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood
in the world.”
– 1 Peter 5:8-9.
“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8)
Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. …”
– James 4:7, 8.
We are to resist Satan the Devil, and his demons ── not to ever call out to
them!
Brethren, Friends, and Co-Workers in Christ ── this is what all parents are to
do ──
“’ Hear O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one! 5) You shall love the
LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your
strength. 6) And these words I command you TODAY shall be in your heart. 7)
You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them
when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and
when you rise up.’”
– Deuteronomy 6:4-7.
“Train up a child in the way he should go, And when he is old he will not
depart from it.”
– Proverbs 22:6.
Instead, sadly, children are ── as was my niece, who was only 11 years old at
the time ── encouraged to watch the movie Bob Marley – One Love! With
its
Rastafari
message. And its mention of Haile Selassie I – who, among adherents of
Rastafari, Selassie is called the returned Jesus.
We should be warning our children to stay clear of messages like that and to
stay clear of demons!
Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, says to us ── because His message is
timeless ──
“ …
‘ If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed.
32)
And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’”
– John 8:31-32.
Let us always stay in the Word of God! □
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