Christendom and Western civilization are entering their final warfare before Armageddon. In these deliberate studies of principalities and powers, we are exposing the occult and revealing the knowledge, doctrines, words, rites, and definitions that demon worshippers use. The only intelligent way to interpret our times is through a biblical perspective. 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 to the greatest action of its entire history.
This lesson focuses on the relationship between demons and disease. It is important to begin by stating that the Bible does not say all disease is related to demon power. This should relieve much of our tension. There are sicknesses that result from accidents or natural causes. However, you should know that the devil does move in on human weakness. If there is a weakness in a person, the devil instantly starts to torment that area. But if that person is surrounded with spiritual strength, the devil has no power to move in.
Our starting point in scripture is John 10:10: "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly." The thief is the devil. He wants to steal truth, virtue, and every good thing God gives. He wants to kill, to obliterate, and to destroy the strongholds in your life. In contrast, Jesus is the giver of abundant life in every aspect of our total being—spiritual, familial, and professional.
Are some diseases caused by evil spirits? This question is highly debated, but the only true answer comes from the Word of God.
The oldest book in the Bible is the Book of Job. In Job 2:7, it says, "So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown." The Word of God plainly states that the devil did it. God permitted it to prove a point to the devil—that Job did not serve God merely for material blessings, but out of genuine love. Ultimately, God delivered Job and blessed him with more than he had before. This account clearly establishes that it is possible for Satan to bring certain physical afflictions upon a human being.
In the New Testament, Matthew 4:24 says, "And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them."
Being tormented is not a modern psychological disease. Millions of Americans today are tormented emotionally, and our institutions are overflowing with them. This is not new; it occurred in the days of Jesus.
The church today is often frightened by people who appear to have lost their minds, fearing that they won't understand prayer. But let me tell you something: the spirit inside of them understands very well. You can speak to it, and it will understand exactly what you mean when you command it to get out.
In Matthew 17:15, a father brought his son to Jesus, saying, "Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water." The disciples could not cure the boy. Jesus rebuked the devil, and the spirit departed out of him immediately. Luke 9:39 adds more detail, describing how a spirit would suddenly seize the boy, tear him until he foamed at the mouth, and bruise his body. This shows a direct relationship between demon power and physical manifestations that modern medicine might label as seizures or severe epilepsy. When Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, He healed the child of all his infirmities and delivered him back to his father.
In Matthew 10:1, Jesus called His twelve disciples and "gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease." In verse 8, He commanded them: "Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."
Every disciple has the authority to cast out devils, though some may operate in greater power than others. Notice the instruction: freely you have received, freely give. Whatever you receive from God—salvation, love, joy, or power—you must give it away. If you keep it in a box, you will lose it. You maintain God's power by using it and giving it to others.
Luke 8 and Mark 5 tell the story of the demoniac of Gadara. This man had been possessed by devils for a long time. He wore no clothes, lived in the tombs, and could not be bound, even with chains. Night and day, he was tormented, crying out and cutting himself with stones.
When Jesus approached, it was the spirits, not the man, that cried out, begging Jesus not to torment them or send them into the deep. They asked to be cast into a herd of swine. Jesus permitted them, and the swine violently ran down a steep place into the lake. When the townspeople came out, they found the man sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind.
You do not have to be fully possessed to be hurt by Satan. In Acts 10:38, it says that Jesus "went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil." Oppression can manifest as fear, physical sickness, or other afflictions.
In Luke 13:16, Jesus healed a woman who had a physical infirmity for eighteen years, declaring, "Ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" Jesus explicitly stated that Satan was the cause of her binding.
The Bible records many instances where Jesus addressed specific conditions as demonic:
There are diseases that are physical, and there are diseases that are demonic. But do you want to know the truth? It makes no difference.
There are no hard cases for Jesus. We often look at a sickness and think it is too big, but it is only big in our eyes. It is not big to Jesus. Whether an affliction is physical or demonic, He is the mighty healer of all things. When you pray for a person, you simply say, "Lord, You are the healer of everything. Do it, Lord," and trust in His mighty power to set the captive free.