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ExPounder
Can Christians Have Demons?
The Western church and its doctrines tell us that Christians cannot have demons and blames the flesh for far too much. Sin can be influenced by the world, the flesh, and the devil. This argument is not new and is always argued in the church. In this packet, we will break down the arguments made by the Westernized materialistic church. Moreover, yes, I said ‘materialistic’ because that is what the church has become unknowingly. Let us be honest here. Churches will claim that spiritual warfare exists or, as Ephesians 6:12 puts it, that “we do not wrestle against flesh and bone, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Ephesians 6:10-13 “10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.”
A big part of this argument is understanding who we are physically and spiritually. That is talking about our body, soul, and spirit. This is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you are that temple." We are a temple where God's spirit dwells. Where else did God's spirit dwell in the temple? What part? When we take the time to look at the temple's structure, we can understand who we are. What was the one place where evil could not reside and stay without being destroyed? The area where God's spirit stayed was the smallest of the temple and was called the Holy of Holies or, in some versions, the "Most Holy Place." This was the most restricted area in the temple where nothing evil could be when God dwelled. They did the sacrifices and "sanctification outside the Holy of holies." Outside of that, we then have the Courtyard. So, the part which God occupied was the Holy of Holies. According to scripture, this is where the Holy Spirit would also be.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 “16 Do you do not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.”
When we speak on the Temple, a few arguments also come into play, saying that since there is no more temple in Jerusalem, as told in Matthew 24:1-3, the person should not be divided into three parts but only as of the Holy of Holies. However, I would then ask, why keep the temple section called the Holy of Holies if there are no more temples? Why completely deconstruct what the Temple was in the Old Testament because of the claim that “There is no temple in Jerusalem anymore?” It makes no sense, logically. The only way to look at the Temple would be the Old Testament temple, which is made of the Outer Court, Sacrificial Room, and the Holy of Holies. A short verse can destroy that argument at once, which we find in John 2:19, where Jesus states, “I will raise this temple again in three days.”
Matthew 24:1-3 “Jesus left the temple and was going away when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. But he answered them, "You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another, that will not be thrown down." As he sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately, saying, "Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign of your coming and the close of the age?"
John 2:18-19 “18 On account of this, the Jews demanded, “What sign can You show us to prove Your authority to do these things?” 19Jesus answered, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up again.”
The first argument against demon possession is that “Christians cannot have demons because they are born-again.” When we look at scripture, it tells us how we should not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. However, interesting enough, it does not say we cannot. Part of this argument also comes from the point that the Western Church believes in the dichotomous view of the human. The dichotomous view is the man being divided into two parts: The body and the soul/spirit. The other view is called the trichotomous view of man. This is the view in which we are divided into three parts: The body, Soul, and spirit. With that, I should state that Satan cannot touch your spirit. Your spirit is what belongs to Jesus Christ when you become a Christian. The part that does get attacked and, in some cases, gets tormented is the Soul. Moreover, someone claiming that the individual was never a Christian is a sellout or has no idea what they are talking about when it comes to spiritual warfare. The American Christian Church has a myopic view regarding spiritual warfare. This idea that Christians cannot have demons is a Western and North American. If you go anywhere in the world, for example, Africa, Europe, or Haiti, they understand the trichotomous view of man and not the dichotomous view of man. They also know and understand spiritual warfare, which more than half of the American Church refuses to understand or even acknowledge that it happens.
2 Corinthians 6:14 “Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?”
Spiritual warfare happens in many ways, and it is a continuous fight for perfection. We know that in this life, we will fight a spiritual battle every day, and we want to strive to leave sin and repent daily on our walk with Christ. However, even in these walks, we run into problems letting the Devil have certain strongholds in our lives with or without knowing it. Spiritual warfare is not just being “tempted,” but also its curses which can be generational curses passed on or a curse started before you became a Christian. Nevertheless, we also need to understand that curses and doorways can still be opened through our actions when we take part in witchcraft and demonic practices. Curses are not a new concept in the church, but instead, the discussion of curses and spiritual doors opening is a discussion that Christians do not want to get involved in because they know that they would have to look at many aspects of life and change it. Many Pastors ignore this discussion because it would affect the flow of money into the church regarding events and holidays. How much does the church save on average on sales taxes? Property taxes? Payroll taxes? This all has to do with the 501c3, I know, but many of the topics of discussion are silenced, which can cause spiritual damage to the congregation. For example, let us look at Halloween. Halloween is a night celebrated by the congregation. The church wants nothing to do with biblical spiritual warfare. The church wants nothing to do with what is spiritual. The ignorance of the church is causing more demonic practices to sweep into the churches under the doors as they close for service. When I look at the 501c3 and holidays being accepted into the church, when I see Pokémon and magic the gathering being allowed in Christian homes, I see spiritual warfare in the heavenly realms. This new Westernized idea of a dichotomous view of the man only gives way to a weaker Christian and gives us the excuse to practice Occult activity. Many have said, “I can celebrate this because the blood covers me.” Alternatively, “We are saved by grace and therefore…” or “Can’t God take what was evil and turn it into good?” These excuses come from not teaching a trichotomous view of man and the real spiritual battles that do take place in everyday life.
Numbers 14:18
Exodos 20:5
Exodus 34:7
When it comes to curses, there are a couple of ways to view them. One way is getting a curse that is unintentional by something you said or done. The other way is doing something intentional like choosing to go to a witch doctor to get in communication with a recent loved one who passed away. The next is an external curse. An unintentional curse works by doing something you didn't know was evil until the holy spirit revealed it or you discovered it as evil. For example, you bring something into your house that you bought from a thrift store and hang it over the bed. It happens without thinking about it, like a dream catcher.
Another example is speaking out and telling someone, "Idiot!" or "You suck at playing!" It seems harmless and innocent, but its spiritual side is evil and demonic. For intentional, you know what you are doing and what the word of God says about it, and you choose to do it otherwise for any reason or excuse you told yourself. Like a witch doctor purposely putting needles into a voodoo doll to hurt or cause torment. The external curse works in this way, the action of which takes place as a ritual to bring evil, misfortune, and even harm to a family without knowing it was towards you. We need to look at this because Satan looks for a reason and cause to come at us. This cause could be the fact of the matter that your great-grandfather was a practicing freemason and made blood oaths. It could be way back in your ancestral line. A village they were from was pillaged and raped. By activating that sin practiced, he now has a stronghold on you when Satan finds you acting on that sin that was performed in the past, whereas if you have just sinned, you can repent and turn away before the devil pins it on you.
In conclusion, I do not believe a demon can inhabit the spirit where God lives after accepting Christ. Demons work in the soul and the mind of the individual. Ever hear, "I feel tormented in mind by demons?" These are the effects of either "daimonizomai" or a spiritual attack from the outside. Examples of where demonic activity in the bible would be the lunatic boy, the man with the spirit legion, the woman with the spirit of infirmity, and the man who was blind and mute. The most confusing part of this argument is the word "Possession." Is the Christian Demon-Possessed? There is no Greek word for possession for talking about demonic activity but only property, but this word does come from the Greek word "daimonizomai." (δαιμονίζομαι). In this case, the word means to be exercised by an unclean spirit, have one, be under the power or influence, or be vexed with a devil or "Demon-Possessed." In the KJV, we see it tell us, "Those which were possessed with devils." δαιμονισθεὶς 2 Occ, δαιμονίζεται 1 Occ, δαιμονιζομένῳ 1 Occ, δαιμονιζομένων 1 Occ, δαιμονιζόμενοι 1 Occ, δαιμονιζόμενον 2 Occ, δαιμονιζόμενος 1 Occ, δαιμονιζομένου 1 Occ, δαιμονιζομένους 3 Occ.
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