DEMON POSSESSION #3

Types of Spirit Possessions?

The modern English word “exorcism” (is from Greek ἐξορκισμός, "binding by oath"ⁱ) is understood as the religious or spiritual practice of evicting demons or other spiritual entities from a person, or an area*, that is believed to be possessed. And its practice depends on the spiritual beliefs of the exorcist.
      *   “an area possessed by spirit ” appears to have no Scriptural basis.

ROMAN CATHOLICISM. Belief in demon possession today appears to be cultural. There's an “increase in demonic possessions” in such countries as the Philippines; even the Catholic Archdiocese of Manila was recruiting new priests to deal with a “three-fold” increase in that country. The chief exorcist said that they had “around 80 to 100 cases at any given time. ⁱⁱ Other Catholic authorities claim that those typically viewed as “possessed” are merely afflicted by some mental condition and exorcism is not the desired treatment. “If the victim is truly possessed by demons, determined by authorities of the [Roman Catholic] Church, then, and only then, may an exorcism occur.” ⁱⁱⁱ

Meanwhile, nearer to the U.S., Mexico's exorcists also claim an unprecedented increased demand for their services. There are dismembered bodies on the streets for children to see on their way to school. Commuters on busy roads drive past bridges with severely tortured corpses hanging from them. “Scenes from hell.” ^iv But the exorcists believe that this is due to the drug cartels and therefore for our purpose here would be considered a “natural” source of a “drug induced sickness.”

But the Catholic Church is not the only religion that practices exorcisms. In the February headline of an article from a mock organization claiming to be a Baptist made fun of the religion by claiming that during services a man having an epileptic seizure “was accidentally bludgeoned to death [by members] who were trying to beat the demons out of him” in an act of Christian love. ^v The mocking part of this escapes me when we look at the following true event.

MORGAN FREEMAN'S GRANDDAUGHTER.^vi Actor Morgan Freeman's 33-year-old granddaughter was killed in what police and witnesses have described as an "exorcism" attempt by her boyfriend in New York. She was stabbed 16 times with witnesses claiming that the “drug possessed” boyfriend was ranting about casting out devils. ^vii And similar to the Acts 19:13's failed exorcist account, he shouted “in the name of Jesus.”

OTHER RELIGIONS. Lutheran pastoral handbooks describe primary symptoms of demonic possession. Exorcisms can only be performed by someone holding the Melchizedek priesthood in the Mormon Church. The ritual of the Exorcising-Ghost day is part of Buddhist Tibetan tradition. It is believed in Hinduism's exorcism that just uttering the name of Lord Hanuman makes the evil forces and devils tremble in fear. In Islam, specific verses from the Quran glorifying Allah are recited during exorcism. In Taoism, exorcisms are performed for an individual who is possessed by an evil spirit because (1) he has disturbed a ghost or (2) someone has used black magic to conjure up a ghost to possess that person. ^viii

MOVIES AND EXORCISMS. Demonic possession and exorcism have entertained and terrified audiences with horror films for decades. I grew up with Hollywood's Universal Studio make-believe Frankenstein's monster, were-wolf man, vampires, mummies, outer space things, etc., but the popular horror genre now is demonic possession especially since The Exorcist was released in the 1970s. Although we have noted that there are various religions that believe in possession the Roman priest is the usual hero that gets the attention in the films. ^ix The very idea that some foreign entity, be it a spirit, ghost, or demon could enter a person and take over their body is a disturbing idea and makes for an haunting ghost story.

The Biblical description of actual demon possession in no way is equivalent to the various religious and Hollywood depictions.

Types of “Unclean Spirit” Possession in Bible: Specific Events of Possession in the New Testament: ^x

Synoptic gospels with Jesus doing the healing.

1. The demoniac in the synagogue at Capernaum: Unclean spirit “tore him” [convulsions] and “came out of him” & “cried with a loud voice” (Mark 1:23f; cf. Luke 4:33f). The inspired physician Luke (4:35) adds that the demon “hurt him not.”

2. The Gadarene demoniac/s: “Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains”; “And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine” (Mark 5:1-20; cf. Matthew 8:28f; Luke 8:26f).

3. The daughter of the syro-phenician woman: “She besought him that he would cast forth the demon out of her daughter.” (Mark 7:24f; cf. Matthew 15:21f). Jesus healed without seeing the daughter, so we do not see her characteristics.

4. The demoniac boy: “teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away” (Mark 9:14-29; cf. Matthew 17:14f; Luke 9:37f).

5. The dumb [mute] man: “And when the demon was cast out, the mute spake" (Matthew 9:32; cf. Luke 11:14f). Note: no seizures.

6. The blind and dumb man: “and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb [mute] both spake and saw” (Matthew 12:22f). Note: no seizures.

7. The crippled woman: “which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together” (Luke 13:11-16). Note: no seizures.

   In the book of Acts with Paul:

1. The slave girl at Philippi (Acts 16:16-18). No seizures.

2. The strong man at Ephesus (Acts 19:13-17).

Actually, the accounts suggest very little difference between natural human afflictions and that of the possessed except for those supernatural conversations with the demons and their being “cast out.” ^xi

Rather than there being just one characteristic spell type for “demon possessions”, there are different types. These include (1) seizures (Luke 9:39), (2) loss of speech (Luke 11:14, Matthew 9:31), (3) inability to straighten one's back (Luke 13:10–13), (4) inability to hear (Mark 9:25), (5) blindness (Matt 12:22), and a tendency (6) to self-injury (Matthew 17:15). The distinction between naturally occurring illness and disability arising from demons is often unclear.

What is enlightening to me is that having seizures (contrary to common beliefs) is not a determined characteristic of the demonized.

“The news about Jesus spread all over Syria, and people brought to him all those who were sick. They were suffering from different kinds of diseases and pain. Some had demons inside them, some suffered from seizures, and some were paralyzed. Jesus healed them all” (Matthew 4:24, ERV). Please note that the Bible distinguishes between demon possession and having epileptic seizures, contrary to some modern cultural beliefs.

Apparently the audience and people involved in the first century could tell the difference but what that difference was is not specifically stated except for the spirit communicating through the possessed and supernaturally knowing the future and the identity of the Christ.

In Summary, we know that those possessed by demons were somehow identified as such and were distinguished in the gospels from those with natural sickness. But the types of infirmities were common to both categories. The solution between the two, however, was different. Whereas the demons were always commanded to leave the patient's body, the naturally affected were treated differently, e.g., sometimes in a tactile way.

GaylonWest
BibleStudyLessons.net