Month: February 2013

This is the third part of a blog series on the demonic of the Gadarenes, the best-known instance of exorcism in Scripture. The evening before on the Sea of Galilee a storm had nearly sunk the boat of Jesus and the disciples. Jesus “rebuked” the wind and “said” to the waves, “Quiet. Be still!” and instantly the elements calmed. The verb “rebuked” is the same word from which we get “adjured,” a verb used when Christ spoke to demons. Jesus wasn’t addressing mother-nature. He wasn’t confronting indiscriminate elements. He was commanding the demons that fomented the wind and threatening waves. Christ’s actions were a kind of exorcism.

Once ashore, two naked, violent men with demons approached and asked for His help. The previous blogs discussed several important facts about this confrontation, but here I address a controversy among deliverance ministries. There are those who do believe in the importance of deliverance but insist that demons shouldn’t be allowed to speak or “act up,” as they say. In other words, deliverance to these folks is a one-way monologue that makes subjective assumptions about what demons are there, how they got there, and whether they have actually left. Those who follow this ministry know that we always insist, whenever possible, on objective verification of a demon’s presence and its expulsion.

Notice how Christ dealt with Legion. First Jesus said to the evil spirit, “Come out of this man!” Then Jesus asked the name of the demon. Doesn’t Jesus have this process backwards? And why should He ask the name? He is God and knows everything. Obviously Christ was demonstrating how to do deliverance. When casting out demons, we need to know the name of the demon, and we need to verbally question the demon as part of the procedure. That can only be done by an interrogatory process, not by silent assumptions. The exorcism of the demoniac of the Gadarenes is our teaching model to understand how to do deliverance.

Matt 8:28-29 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” NIV

Yesterday’s blog introduced the classic account of Christ’s confrontation with the demons known as Legion. Matthew’s version is shorter than that of Luke and Mark and doesn’t include Christ asking the name of the demon. There is some disagreement among Bible scholars about how literal to take this reference in terms of actual numbers. A division of the Roman army would have included anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000, plus a possible 3,000 additional horse men. Did this demoniac have that many demons? A contrary view suggests that the term “Legion” should not be taken literally but was instead representative of a large number, such as we would say “myriad.” Whatever the exact amount of demons, it was an extraordinarily severe case of possession.

Mark and Luke take special note of the fact that this man was naked, a cutting self-mutilator (Mark 5:5 he would cry out and cut himself with stones), and had supernatural strength (Mark 5:4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet.) I’ve often been asked if anyone can be delivered whether or not they want to receive freedom. The answer is, “No.” It is clear from this instance that the man seeking help wanted it. He ran to Jesus, he fell at the feet of the Savior, and shouted at the “top of his voice.” He was vocal, determined, and reverent.  He was desperate to be free, and that was the key to his exorcism. He was delivered because he wanted it badly.

My experience in exorcism has taught me that those who most intensely desire their freedom most certainly receive their freedom. Demons back down when they realize that the host they inhabit no longer cooperates in any way with the evil agenda of Satan. Those who want the torment of the devil to end need to send a clear message to the Evil One: you are no longer welcome and will not be accommodated. To everyone tormented of Satan, I say, hasten to Jesus, prostrate your heart before him, and SHOUT as loudly as you can the confession of Legion — “Jesus, you are Son of the Most High God!”

Matt 8:28-29 When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. “What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” NIV

Of all the instances of exorcism in Scripture, this one is best-known. It’s the account of Christ delivering the man with demons self-described as Legion. Mark 5:1-19 and Luke 8:26-39 also describe this encounter, though Matthew indicates there were actually two men Jesus confronted. Our attention will be on the man who was the main focus of this dramatic encounter with evil. The area where the deliverance occurred was alternately known as the region of the Gadarenes and the Gergesenes, two cities that were part of a ten-city complex called Decapolis. There are several interesting aspects to this amazing deliverance.

First, the man came out of, or lived among tombs. Don’t think in terms of a contemporary graveyard or cemetery. These tombs were actually caves cut into the hillside, located some distance from the city. Unlike modern times where cemeteries are places of homage with manicured surroundings, graveyards in Christ’s time were not locations of veneration. Families did not come to lay wreaths or plant posies. Graveyard sites were remote and foreboding, the haunt of robbers, thieves, and criminals who resorted to such secluded places to hide. Why Christ was there we aren’t told. He clearly knew of these tombs and the tormented souls who dwelt there and likely approached them on purpose.

Second, the demons first ask why Jesus has come there. Has the Son of God come to torment them before their appointed time of final judgment in the Lake of Fire (Revelation 19:20)? These evil spirits know of their eventual doom. They understand that it is Christ who will have the final say regarding evil for all eternity. It is Jesus who rides the white horse, and bears the name KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Skeptics, atheists, and unbelievers of all sorts may not accord Jesus of Nazareth his proper place as the Son of God, but demons clearly understand the Lordship of our Savior. To evil spirits, Christ is no mere teacher, leader, or holy man. He is God and has all power over demonic forces.

Tomorrow, more on the demoniac of the Gadarenes.

I write this blog Thursday evening. By morning the police may or may not have caught the L.A. cop killer who has already taken three lives. With a hit list and a host of grievances, suspect Chris Dorner, a former cop himself, has threatened to kill until his demands are met, and the police department tells the truth about what he believes was a wrongful dismissal from the force. My focus is the rambling manifesto that Dorner sent to CNN. “This is my last resort,” he wrote. “The LAPD has suppressed the truth, and it has now led to deadly consequences.”

But that’s not all we learn from his defensive document. As a child his parents sent him to a private Christian school. But along the way, he turned bitter against Christianity. In his published rant he expresses anger about being called the”N” word on the playground and subsequently punching the offender. Dorner says this about the teacher who disciplined him: He, “stated as good Christians we are to turn the other cheek as Jesus did. Problem is, I’m not a f***ing Christian and that old book, made of fiction and limited non-fiction, called the Bible, never once stated Jesus was called a n****r.” He further defends his killing spree by saying, “I lived a good life and though not a religious man I always stuck to my own personal code of ethics, ethos and always stuck to my shoreline and true North.”

There is much more to this story we’ll be learning, but a couple of things are clear. Dorner is obsessed with a narcissistic belief in his own rightness, no matter what anyone else thinks, and that gives him to right to kill. Such moral arrogance can only be described as Luciferian. While we certainly lament the racism he suffered, it’s clear that Dorner was not motivated by a Martin Luther King ethical view of life. It’s as if he’s been plotting revenge since childhood, waiting for a reason to strike back. His anger at God and the Bible is most troubling. Peel back everything and my hunch is that a generational curse of murder was activated on the playground that day. His contention that a “personal code of ethics” is enough to guide his life reminds us that internal moral codes aren’t sufficient to restrain evil behavior. Man needs a transcendent God who sets the rules governing human conduct, such as the Decalogue. And the commandment “thou shalt not kill”  is one edict this L. A. cop killer should have heeded, from the very Bible he mocked.

If you’re over 40, prepare for culture shock. A recent survey reveals what singles currently look for in a date. If you thought that the important qualities sought would be personality and morality think again. Teeth, good grammar, hair, and clothes top the list. Lowest on the list of top ten requirements is what electronic equipment they carry. Spirituality and moral decency aren’t even mentioned in the poll results.

The study of 5,500 unattached adults was commissioned by the web site match.com. Other interesting results of the poll include:

Here is the shocker, at least to those of us raised in more conventional times. Forty-six percent say they WOULD NOT date a virgin. The poll doesn’t tell us why; perhaps they want a more “experienced” date or that dating is trolling for sex and they might as well eliminate the no-shows. But putting teeth at the top and moral rectitude nowhere tells us a lot about our times. Okay, I get it. The teeth tell you something about the individual’s personal habits, whether they smoke or if they have good nutrition. Granted, that is important. It seems to me that where a potential mate will spend eternity should be at least as important as flossing. And the possibility of contracting a venereal disease through promiscuity should matter as much as whether they have an iPhone or Android.

As it turns out, the potential demise of America won’t be because of gutting the Pentagon budget or the worthlessness of our currency. According to a new book, What to Expect When No One’s Expecting: America’s Coming Demographic Disaster, our collapse as a country could come from an unanticipated specter: no babies.  After all the talk of world overpopulation, the truth is that the number of people on earth will reach a static point by the end of the century.  In America, having children is on the way out and the fertility rate based on the number of children a woman bears over her lifetime is rapidly declining.  It is now 1.9, under the replacement rate of 2.1. As the older population dies off, they aren’t being proportionately replaced.  The potential economic consequences loom far more seriously than even our astronomical, national debt.  The effect will be felt in our military with fewer available young to serve and overburdened social services because there aren’t enough taxable workers to provide health care for the elderly.

The book cites several reasons for this population decline, such as birth control and couples marrying later in life.   But I see three more significant factors pushing us to the edge of a baby boom-less Armageddon.  First gay marriage.  That’s an easy one to see coming.  The biology speaks for itself.  Homosexual couples can’t create offspring without the aid of semen and wombs, which aren’t always readily available.  Second, abortion.  Since the Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision 35 million babies have been murdered. That statistic alone would tip the balance in favor of a more reasonable population replacement rate.   Finally, the demise of religion, especially devout faith.  Jews and Christians have larger families because they are more inclined to welcome children based on the ethic of Psalm 127:3: “Children are a heritage from the LORD, The fruit of the womb is a reward.”  Religious faith welcomes children and provides a nurturing community, and the youth of conservative Jewish and Christian families are less likely to abort babies.

One more thought.  Our hedonistic, selfish culture has ignored the edict “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:22) in favor of the personal pursuits of comfort and pleasure.  Too many young, cohabiting couples today see children as a nuisance restricting mobility, financial enhancement, and sexual freedom.  The joy of parenting, despite its sometime sorrows, is one the greatest gifts of God to the human family.  If we as a country can recover that blessing, and stop using abortion as a form of birth control, we can once again be on the road to world ascendancy instead of international demise.