Transcript Demonization - Institute of Christian Growth

Demon Possession and
Deliverance in Clinical Practice
Willliam P. Wilson, MD
Distinguished Professor of Counseling
Houston Graduate School of Theology (NC)
Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry Duke University
Medical Center
Demonization
 Christianity as a moral force has lost its
influence.
Heresy and apostasy are rife
People are worshiping false gods
The authority of the Bible has been compromised
Universalism has become a common belief
The supernatural is rejected
The reality of personified evil is rejected
Supernaturalism
Cosmology
 Norbert Wiener and others have stated
that there are 7 dimensions of
existence. Three of these are
supernatural
Thinking about thinking provides evidence
of the supernatural in our lives
Jesus= resurrection was a supernatural
event
Jesus could appear and disappear in a
supernatural way after his resurrection
His wounds could be seen and felt
Supernaturalism
Continued
 Jesus apperared to Paul after he had
ascended into heaven
 In his commissioning of Paul he told him
he was to turn people from the devil to God
 Paul was taken up to the third heaven and
witnessed inexspressible things
Satan and the Supernatural
Evil
 Evil exists and man has always wanted to
control it.
Most nations have tried to control it. There are
universal taboos
Modern society has thought it could control it by
joining forces with it
The Bible is clear in its statement that evil entered the
world through Satan.
But few people today believe that Satan exists. This
is true of the theological and mental health professions
Therefore, there is no spiritual warfare
Evidence
Biblical exegetes
 There are a number of prominent
theologians who have written extensively
about him.
Barnhouse
Unger
Koch
Pentecost
Davies
 All have carefully exegeted the biblical
evidence related to Satan.
Mental Health Attitudes
 Most theologians, pastors, and secular
mental health professionals do not believe
that Satan exists.
 Most Christian mental health professionals
equivocate or do not speak of Satan
because they do not want to suffer the
derision or rejection of their unregenerate
colleagues
 Some do take Satan seriously
Satan=s Strategy
 He convinces people he does not exist
 He convinces people that God does not
exist.
He tells us we we can be like God.
We are hardwired to seek a god
He then offers us false gods
 He convinces people that the Bible has no
authority
 He gets people to become so preoccupied
with Demons that his reality appears
foolish
Satan=s Strategy
 Barnhouse quotes Baudelaire and De
Rougemont as saying his cleverest
stratagem is to convince the world he does
not exist.
 The Bible speaks about him and his works
in many places.
Satan=s Strategy
Continued
 He spreads false knowledge. Myths (Kraft)
Christians cannot be demonized (false)
Many people are possessed by demons (few)
Demonization is really all psychological (J.
White)
All emotional problems are are caused by
demons (false)
Demonization is uncommon in the US (False)
Only persons with special gifting can cast out
demons (false)
Deliverance always entails a big fight (rarely)
Satan=s Stratgegy
Continued
The demonized speak in different voices (only
those who are truly possessed)
The Truth About Satan
 An evil supernatural person really exists.
Jesus said so, and the Bible is explicit in
speaking of his existence from beginning to
end
 He has supernatural followers that are
organized
Rulers-over countries
Principalities-over states and cities
Powers-over areas
Demons-foot soldiers
The Truth About Satan
Continued
 Satan is a created being
His troops are created beings
God and his son Jesus have power over them
and they can do nothing without his permission
 Satan has personality characteristics
He is a murderer
He is a liar
He is the author of temptation
He is a great imitator
The Truth about Satan
Continued
 He is the ruler of the world
He rules the lives of unregenerate people
He seeks to destroy all people because we
are created in the image of God
He is an evangelist. He wants all people to
worship him
Nosology of Demonization

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Demon Possession
Oppression
Obsession (fanaticism)
Satanic possession
Portals of Entry
 They may be invited in
 They may enter when a person in a state
of rebellion pays satanically contrived
games
 They gain entry and influence through
strongholds
Any habitual way of thinking or behaving that
is contrary to God=s law. It may be personal or
cultural
 Belonging to occult groups
 Attendance at occult ceremonies
Other Views
Attributing too much to Satan
 Hammonds:
Emotional problems
Mental problems
Speech problems
Sex problems
Addictions
Physical infirmities
Religious error
Bobgans list over 200 demons
Other Views
Recent more temperate views
 Don Basham agreed essentially with
Nevius
McNutt
Unger
Wilson
Koch
Charles Kraft
Neil Anderson
Criteria for Demonization
Possession According to Nevius
 There is an automatic presentation of a
new personality in the victim both
cognitively and behaviorally
They have names
They have attributes that harmonize with their
name
Facial expressions
Body posture and movements
Possession
Continued
The personality possesses supernatural
knowledge and intellectual power
There is a complete change of moral character
There is a hatred to God and especially to Christ
Case Report
Possession
 Thirty year old female who had falling spell
precipitated by asking her if she had made
Jesus Lord of her life
Bruised
Turned violent when help offered
Facial expression of hate
Supernatural strength
Her spells lasted up to 15 minutes
Oppression
Symptoms
 He robs a person of the joy of their
salvation
 He convinces them the essence of
Christianity is to obey the law
 He instills a supernatural fear of God
 He is the source of temptations
 He creates doubt in the mind of a believer
 They feel a sense of blackness around
them
Case Report
Oppression
 24 year old Christian worker with a
complaint of depression
Dysfunctional home, father committed suicide
when he was 9. Patient and mother cleaned up
 Medications, spiritual interventions and
cognitive behavioral therapy of no avail
 Much worse while in China
 Wrote vile descriptions of his parents, but
claimed he did not do it
Holy Spirit revealed that he was demon
oppressed
Obsession
Manifestations
 Feel they cannot be saved
 Cannot accept a trinitarian view of God
 Instill a supernatural fear of God making
him appear super wrathful
 Create chronic doubt
 Constantly bring temptation before the
person
Satanic Possession
A question
 McCanlish Phillips has proposed that
Satan himself can control a person
Judas had Satan enter him to cause him to
betray Christ
I have seen five persons who meet his criteria
They are evil looking
One discerns that they are evil
The are violently antiChrist
In many instances they are murderous
And they may be liars
They do not meet the criteria for possession
Case Report
Possible satanic possession
 A prominent layman in a mainline church
 Attended a lay revival
 Was disruptive and encouraged the people in
attendance to go home
 Threatened lay staff
 Finally threatened me
 Very hostile and evil looking
 When rebuked he finally left
Deliverance
Application
 Deliverance is to be applied to all forms of
demonization and satanic possession
All born again Chistians have the capacity to deliver
demonized persons
They have the same power that Jesus had
All they have to do is to confront the demon or discern
his presence or influence
If the demon creates a fuss or acts up you can
command him to be still
You must then authoritatively command him by name
(if you know it) to leave in the name of Jesus with no
fuss or bother
Deliverance
Application continued
If the demon hesitates or refuses to go you can
command him to go more authoritively and he will
usually go.
Some are highly resistant and you have to continue to
command them to go and remind them that they were
defeated at the Cross and Jesus= blood bought the
victory
If you suspect it will be difficult then have some prayer
backup
Once they are free, lead them to the Lord or have
them rededicate their lives if they are already a
Christian
Teach them to maintain their spiritual immunity
Personal Care
What the counselor needs to be, know and do
 You must be a mature Christian
 You must maintain your spiritual immunity
Regularly practice the means of Grace
Pray
Remain in the word
Celebrate the Eucharist
Praise and worship God regularly
If so gifted pray in tongues regularly
Do all things for the glory of God (1Cor:10:31)
Some Comments of Use
Taking Satan seriously
 I routinely have a patient who is accepting
Christ repudiate Satan and all his works
 If I suspect or discern demon possession I
have the patient say AJesus is Lord.@ This
will cause most demons to reveal
themselves
 After I finish my work up of a Christian
patient I pray that all demonic forces be
bound and taken to Jesus for disposition
Some Coments of Use
Continued
 If the person=s faith is weak I have them
rededicate their lives to Christ
 And be sure they have been discipled or
will be
Scripture References
Old and New Testaments
 Old Testament
Genesis 3:1-15 Enmity: Man vs Satan
Genesis 4:1-6, 6:1-10 Man attacked by Satan
Job 38:1-7, Ezekiel, Lucifer created
Psalm 95:5, Idols are demons
Deut. 32:17, same
Psalm 106:6,7, same
Leviticus 17-7, same
Scripture References
#2
Chronicles 11:15, same
Isaiah 13:21, 14:12, 34:14, Same
 New Testament
Matthew 4: 1-12, Satan=s opposition
Mark 5: 1-10, same
Matthew 10:1, Jesus expelled demons
Matthew 14:22,28, Satan=s opposition again
Luke 10:17,18, same
Scripture References
#3
James 2:19, Speaks of demons
Revelation 9:20, Same
Luke 4:33, 6:18, Their nature
1 Timothy 4:1, Their activities
Revelation 16:14, Same
Ephesians 6:10-20, Their opposition to a
believer
Luke 8:31, Their abode
Revelation 9:11 his name in Greek and Hebrew
Matthew 25:41, Their eternal doom
References
Three Critical
Barnhouse, D. G. The Invisible War, Grand
Rapids, MN: Zondervan 1965
Davies, T.W. Divination and Demonology,
London: James Clark and company, 1998
Montgomery, J.W. (Ed) Demon Possession,
Minneapolis MN: Bethany Fellowship, 1976
Dr. Wilson=s Addresses
Website
WWW.instchristiangrowth.org
Email [email protected]
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