Christendom and Western civilization are entering their final warfare before Armageddon. In these deliberate studies of principalities and powers, we will be exposing the occult, revealing knowledge of the doctrines, words, rites, eulogies, phrases, and definitions that demon worshipers use. The only intelligent way to interpret our times is to present a biblical interpretation.
Jesus prophesied that His church shall prevail. In Matthew 16:18, He said, "Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." Today, the church must rise up to the greatest action of its entire history.
Welcome, everybody. It is beautiful to see you and to feel the eagerness you have to understand the Word of God. Really, there is nothing so exciting as God's Word. I honestly read the Word of the Lord today just as I did when I was a child; it is just that gripping and exciting. At the beginning of my ministry, the Word of God was truly exciting, and it is just as exciting, or maybe more exciting, right now. I read portions of it as if I have never read them before, and only the Lord knows how many times we've read it. The Word of God is living and powerful, and how glad we are to be part of it.
In this World Harvest School of Continuous Learning, we have been studying principalities and powers. As we have been studying these lessons, you have written down questions that you would like to hear a little more about. I am ready now to read some of those questions and address them.
1. How can you tell if a person is mentally ill or demon-possessed?
When a person is mentally ill, naturally, there is no belligerent spirit there. I have met very docile people who are mentally ill. Sometimes, their illness just means they have a very low IQ. But sometimes, when a person becomes mentally ill, the devil moves into that weakness and places a very angry spirit on the inside of them. Only those around that person can keep them free; when one cannot keep himself free, his family and friends can.
The devil is very wicked and moves into any weakness a human has. But there are those who simply have a low IQ or mental illness with no signs of the devil operating in them. That person can be healed; they don't have to stay that way all their life. God can heal that condition just like He can heal a physical condition. We must believe that God can do all things. He can heal insanity just as well as anything else.
2. Does Satan have knowledge of the future?
No, he does not. He only knows what he hears. If he hears of things that are to be, he can reiterate those things, but only God has the reservoir of knowledge to know exactly what is going to take place in the universe. If God communicates it to you, then you are a prophet, speaking of things unborn that will certainly come to pass.
In the devil's business, he can guess and he can lie, but he doesn't know because he has no beginning of knowledge within him like the Most High God has. Therefore, the devil has no knowledge of the future. He can fool you by guessing the future, or sometimes he reiterates what he hears from the prophets of God. He is just a mockingbird.
3. Can a person cast the devil out of someone who doesn't know his problem is demonic?
I doubt it. I have never known a person who was demon-possessed before they knew it. They may lie about it, but they know it. Don't tell me anyone is completely abnormal, moved by a power that's not their own, doing things they don't want to do, and doesn't know it. If they say they don't know it, talk to them a little while and stir it up, and you'll find out they know it very well.
If they do not want to be free, you cannot go against their will, because even God won't do that. You can serve whoever you want to serve. God made your will sovereign; He will not transgress against it, and you have to decide where you want to go.
4. Should you cast a spirit out of a person who doesn't want to be delivered?
No, you shouldn't, for the simple reason that the spirit will be right back a few moments or hours later. If a person wants the spirit to stay, it will stay. If you cast it out against their will, they will just invite it back.
I'll give you a remarkable case of this. In the Philippines, a man brought a child to me in the Taitai Methodist Church. The child had never spoken a word in his life and had never heard anything. I commanded the deaf and dumb spirits to come out of him. I snapped my fingers and asked, "Do you hear?" He said, "Yes." I said, "Jesus," and he repeated, "Jesus." That was the first word he'd ever said in his life! We went through 10 or 12 words. I told the man, "He is like an 8 or 10-month-old baby, though he looks 12 or 13. He can hear and enunciate words, but he has to go to school and be taught."
Two months later, I was back at that church, and the same man brought the little boy up in the healing line. I asked, "Why are you bringing that boy here? I prayed for him, and he was freed."
He replied, "I'm just a neighbor. When he went home, his parents were angry that I brought him here. The mother was so angry she wouldn't feed him. When he made sounds, she mocked him. This went on for exactly three weeks. Suddenly, in his mother's presence, his ears and tongue locked again. We have brought him back for deliverance."
I said, "No, you bring his parents here. I can get him delivered, but let me set his parents free first, and he'll be alright after that." You have to understand relationships. You cannot cast a spirit out of a child if the parents will bring it back onto them.
5. Can a person inherit a curse placed on his family in a previous generation?
Only if he is a sinner and believes in it. I have met Christians who say, "I'm cursed through my parents." I tell them, "No, you're not. That's a devil's lie. I command you never to believe or accept it again. You are free right now." We don't bear the curses of anyone; we bear the blessings of the Most High God.
On the mission fields, you do see generational curses among Satanists. They will say, "My grandfather was a Satanist, my father was a Satanist, I am a Satanist, and my son will be one too." It will happen generation after generation if they are all sinners and want it that way. You cannot inherit a curse if you are a child of God. If you are a sinner and come to know the Lord, you can break that curse. You don't have to live under it.
6. Is an owl a charm of the devil?
I've heard people say that, but I can't believe that every owl has a devil in it. I lived down south where there were many owls. They never hurt anyone; they just made funny noises late at night. They are night creatures. Some people have a strong feeling against owls—maybe it's their big eyes—but you don't have to worry about owls.
7. Does Satan have control over the weather?
I think there are times when Satan could cause a storm. I think Satan caused the storm when the disciples found their boat swamped with water. The weather seemed fine when they got in, but before they crossed the Sea of Galilee, it was terrible. So, Satan might influence the weather somewhat, but I know one thing: when Jesus spoke to the weather, it obeyed! Satan might mess it up, but Jesus can fix it. God has power over all things, including the weather.
The great harvests of the world are in places where people pray, like Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand. The places struggling with rain and famine are often places where they worship the devil or reject God. I think the weather would be better if it served Jesus.
8. Can you cast out demons over the telephone?
The Roman centurion said to Jesus, "You don't need to come to my house. Speak the word, and my servant will be healed." You do not need to be physically in a place for a person to be healed or delivered. I believe you can speak the word, and God will deliver that word. Time and space have no relative force with prayer. Prayer pervades time and space. Whether it is over the telephone or television, I believe it works.
9. Do the facial features of a demon-possessed person change when delivered?
They most certainly do. When a person is delivered from the power of the devil, his body changes. A demon-possessed person cannot walk or move normally; they are out of rhythm. The greatest expression, however, is in the eyes, mouth, and face. They change dramatically at the time of deliverance. When those tense muscles relax and the eyes become calm, clean, and pure, it is beautiful. The physical distortion is gone, and they are delivered by God's power.
10. Did God have foreknowledge that Lucifer would start a rebellion in heaven?
There are things that, if we don't leave them with God, we will have a hard time with. God does have foreknowledge, but His foreknowledge does not compel you to do a certain thing. You did not have to come here tonight, yet God knew you would be here. If you had stayed home, God would have known that too.
Why did the devil sin in heaven? The Bible says God is love. Love is not love unless it gives and receives. God had to make creatures that could respond to His love. The same capacity to love is the same capacity that can go negative and hate. God took that chance because He believes in our response of love. In eternity, will someone sin? Anyone who wants to leave heaven will have the right to do so. Otherwise, they would be a prisoner, and forced compliance is not love.
11. Why did God cast Lucifer to the earth instead of directly into hell?
Lucifer was not cast to the earth at that time; that will happen during the Great Great Tribulation. Currently, he is the "prince of the power of the air." His domain is primarily in the upper atmosphere. He can walk the earth and appear as the accuser, but his throne is in the heavens. During the Great Tribulation, he will move it to the earth, and the Bible says, "Woe to the inhabitants of the earth." He has a hard time doing that today because there is so much of Jesus here—millions of praying people resist him.
He will go to hell eventually, but his moment of full incarceration has not yet come. Why God orchestrated it this way, only He knows.
12. Is it proper to physically wrestle a demon-possessed person if a simple command doesn't work?
The simple command does work. The devil seeks physical manifestation. He will lie about his name or how many demons are present. You don't need to communicate with him or wrestle physically. You just say, "I command you to be quiet, to be still, and to get out," and he has to obey. He doesn't need to choke anyone or cause a scene to leave.
13. Should you wait until a demon manifests to cast it out?
Normally, you cannot exorcise a spirit until it manifests. But if you mention Jesus, the power of Jesus, and the blood of Jesus, it will manifest immediately. Just start talking about how great Jesus is, and you'll get a manifestation quickly.
14. If a person was in the occult before salvation, can those spirits remain?
Those spirits will linger close by. You may feel their presence. That is when you come strong with the blood of Jesus Christ, saying, "I command you to go. I cut off all relationship with you. You must stay away." The devil doesn't want to leave, but you have the authority to make him leave.
15. How can you tell if a problem is demonic or just a natural problem of sin?
We must be careful not to call all evil demon power. The lusts of the flesh are natural sins. You can tell a problem is demonic by a manifestation of the devil. If you plead the blood of Jesus Christ in the presence of a demonic entity, it will manifest. If there is no manifestation, simply pray for that person to be set free from their sins, and God will deliver them.
Thank you for your questions. Teaching is not complete until we have answered these concerns. We hope to learn more of these truths and become users of this truth to set humanity free.