“HAVE YOU NOTICED THE TREND IN HOLLYWOOD TO PRODUCE FILMS AND TV PROGRAMS CENTERED ON THE SUPERNATURAL WORLD OF DARKNESS? IT SEEMS THAT EVERY OTHER MOVIE BRINGS US INTO THE World Of DEMONS AND EVIL.”

 I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about demons and their powers in our world today…

…The world of the Occult has been with us since the early days of man’s rebellion to God, when mankind unhooked its spiritual “lifeline” from intimate fellowship and care of God by the sin of rejecting God’s will. All humanity through Adam and Eve then became independent as God warned us, yet permitted us to do. This independence was not that at all of course, because we immediately began seeking our inbred spiritual needs elsewhere. According to the Bible, a whole world of spiritual beings, higher than us in intelligence, power, and existence, were ready to accommodate us by drawing us to worship their leader, a powerful created fallen angel called Satan. Since that time, man has been duped to follow and be enslaved to this supernatural being. Satan and the host of fallen angels who followed him in his rebellion to God, are better known today as “Demons.” So after our 2^nd musical pause, I’ll tell you all about it, as we examine one specific case of demon possession found in the Bible, from which we can deduce many truths about the dark world of evil these demons bring us today…

… There is no doubt about it, much of the evil and dark things that happen around us are directly caused by the interfering power and plan of Satan and his demon hoards of malevolent spirits that inhabit our world. Now I know many today do not believe there are such living beings as demons, or fallen angels, or even a real personality called Satan. This is of course his plan for mankind to not believe in him, so he and they can work undetected in our lives and living. Why even “statistics” tell us this sad truth.

A 1996 survey revealed that only about 1 in 3 adults regard Satan as a real “living being.” Belief is only as bit higher among religious people and even evangelical Christians. For instance, here are the  -- 

STATISTICS OF THOSE Who believe that Satan and demonism are real living beings:

• Average of American Adults - 35%

• 65 years and older - 38%

• Evangelical Christians  - 49%

• Roman Catholics - 26%

• Mainline Protestants - 27%

To me, this is a shocking report! Especially, since those who claim to be “born again,” evangelical Christians, a good majority do not believe what their churches teach about the reality of Satan and demons in our world today. Perhaps, this is why the mass media of Hollywood and publishing have begun a trend toward promoting books and films that show Satan, demons and evil as merely fictional entertainment?

The trend of blending the spiritual world of darkness and the occult with mass media is not new though. Why the book and movie, “the Exorcist,” in the early 1970s was a benchmark in horror fiction, followed in the late 1970s and 1980s by such movie series as “Halloween,” “Friday the 13^th”, and “A Nightmare on Elm Street .” Then came the satanic lyrics in many “heavy metal” and “death rock” songs. Moreover, there came the vampire novels by popular writer, Anne Rice which have been extremely popular in the late 1980’s up to this date..

A key difference between the older trends and the newest trend of the 21^st century is to specifically market “Demonism” and “Occultic” entertainment and practices, directly at young people. One of the foremost ways in which this occurs is via television and home videos.

Look at the vast numbers of TV programs that have appeared in the last decade such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”,” Sabrina the Teen Age Witch,” “Charmed,” “Ghost Hunters,” and others. Then there are the Hollywood blockbuster films such as “Harry Potter,” “Lord of the Rings,”  “the Sixth Sense,”  “Resident Evil,” “The Ring” and others too numerous to mention – all of it from the theater to the home TV screen, they promote demonism and evil as fantasy and entertainment.

However, I assure you it is not according to the Bible. In fact, under the Law of Israel, God strongly forbid them from getting anywhere near, or  dabbling in or seeking to be entertained by it. Satan is a real living being, as are the hoards of demons who follow him. They seek to control and dominate every human being God created, with the intense purpose of harming and virtually destroying our lives here and in eternity. Those who play into their hands will pay a steep price of pain, suffering and anguish of soul and spirit that will cause the fires of Hell to take them in as eternal residents in the future as well.

Now today I want to visit the Bible and see an account of real demonism and its powers that virtually enslave and destroy human beings and their lives. We go to God’s Word, as I read to you this true life account of Jesus as he confronted the spiritual world of darkness.

Mat 8:28-34 (NIV)  “When he [Jesus] arrived at the other side [ Sea of Galilee ] in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29 "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?" 30 Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs." 32 He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water. 33 Those tending the pigs ran off, went into the town and reported all this, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 Then the whole town went out to meet Jesus. And when they saw him, they pleaded with him to leave their region.”

On the east side of the Sea of Galilee was the country of the Gadarenes. When Jesus arrived, He met two unusually violent cases of demon possession. These demoniacs lived in cave-like tombs and were so fierce they made travel in that area unsafe. The name “Gadarenes” comes from the town of Gadara , the capital of the region about eight miles southeast of the southern tip of the Sea of Galilee . Apparently, two men had been dabbling with the spiritual world of darkness, seeking to gain some supernatural powers or advantage in their lives. The world of demons was only to happy to provide it for them; but alas, they didn’t realize the price that came with it -- total possession. However, this is often not by just one demon but hoards of them who came to reside in their bodies and take absolute total control of their lives.

The influence of the demons on these men was obvious for they became wicked, wild, and violent men, forced out of the city and now living in a graveyard in the area.

Matthew says there were two demon-possessed men, while Mark and Luke refer to only one. Apparently, Mark and Luke mention only the man who did the talking or the one who was the most severe with a legion of demons living inside of him! We read of this in Mark’s gospel,

Mark 5:9 (NIV)  Then Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "My name is Legion," he replied, "for we are many."

Mark’s account is more graphic than the others, telling us what the demons had done to the men they possessed. These men were bloody, out of control, and apparently supernaturally strong and extremely frightening (Mark 5:4–5).

Mark 5:4-5 (NIV)  For he [demon possessed man] had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

They were so violent, the demons would allow no one to pass by the area they occupied. Demon-possessed people are often controlled by one or more demons. Moreover, these evil spirits use the human body to distort and destroy a person’s relationship with God. Clearly, the Bible tells us that demons had entered these men’s bodies and were fully controlling them, trying to destroy or in the least, distort God’s image.

But when Jesus arrived by boat and came ashore in the Gadarenes, these evil spirits drove the men out to met him, only to find it was not a mere man they would encounter, but their Creator God come in the flesh. Now note what the “demon’s” say through the voice box of these possessed and tortured men,

Mat 8:29 (NIV)  "What do you want with us, Son of God?" they shouted. "Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?"

 Again, these demons, a legion of them too, immediately recognized that Jesus was the eternal Son of God, the Creator of all things and they confessed their submission to Him. In addition, they confessed for us to know that they were under judgment to come and their sentence would be one of eternal torment. Although these men who opened their mind and hearts to allow the demons to come in and possess them, they didn’t bargain for the torture and suffering that came when they entered. Accordingly, they were now unable to rid themselves of these powerful demons. Only God could command them to leave, as we see Jesus did,

Mat 8:30-32 (NIV)  Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31 The demons begged Jesus, "If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs." 32 He said to them, "Go!" So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water.

The Bible teaches us that demons must obey Jesus’ Word, and His one word “Go!” expelled them from the men. Amazingly, no other force on earth could do that. No exorcists exists, in human form, that can rid demons once they possess a man, woman or child other than Jesus Christ Himself!

The story does not have a happy ending, except for these two men who were now cleansed of their sin and the demons that possessed them were gone. You see, following this dramatic exorcism, the townspeople heard all about it and their response was to ask Jesus to leave them alone and their region. Why? Well, it appears there were other demon possessions that were less malevolent, but still controlling the hearts of the people, who quietly asked Jesus to leave them alone. How sad. Here came the one and only One, who could free them from their sins and the world of darkness they dabbled in, but they did not want that at all. Yet, Jesus is the great healer not only of physical ailments, but also of spiritual darkness that can befall us from the living reality world of demons that inhabit the world about us.

Now what do we know from the Bible about demons and demon possession? Let me quickly catalog this for you.

1.     Demons are real spirit beings that exist and are all around us in this world, seeking to take possession of any living body from animals to especially human beings.

2.     Demons promise those who seek them, supernatural powers either to know the future, or to gain advantage over others either in persuasive speech, or wisdom.

3. Demons will take possession of anyone who “opens a window” to the world of darkness through the occult, and its promotion as entertainment. 
   
   Things like “Dungeons & Dragons”, “Vampire,” “Werewolf” and “Harry Potter” series games, including occult and or violence oriented card games like “Magic the Gathering,” “Battle Tek” even “Star Wars,” violent and occult simulation games on computer or at a video arcade; and close on the horizon are the coming virtual reality games. These are “windows” into the world of spiritual darkness, which will innocently entrap children into seeking to know more about the powers of the supernatural world around them. The danger of the Ouija board is that it provides—like all oracle-consulting tools—a focus point for the spiritual dark side to enter a person’s life. A method called “Progressive Entrapment” is used by evil spirit entities spoken to, in order to consume the will of the person who is contacting them. Now couple this with Hollywood ’s films and TV programs, one can see the powerful last day’s influence Satan and His demons are making to take down the human race to join him in their judgment of Hell to come.
   

4. Demon will cause great harm physically and mentally to their victims.  
   
   We see the Gadarene demoniacs cut themselves to bleed, caused them to live in filth and the darkness of tombs, and caused them to attack and harm others with violence. I believe much of the extreme violence sexually and physically we see being perpetrated upon others is a direct result of demon possession. From the perversion of homosexuality, to sex crimes and torture, to the literal destruction of human life in the womb by abortion, and the growing murder of small children – this is all demon instigated evil designed to destroy mankind. Those possessed, soon often suffer mental illness, physical disease, deformities, a murderous heart, seeking perversions of many different kinds, etc. Demons are destructive and their goal is to destroy you if they can.
   

5. Demons ALSO CAN take possession of areas of human habitation.  
   
   It can be a house, a district of a town, even an entire city. Sodom and Gomorrah were demons possessed towns for their wicked perversion of homosexuality publicly ruled there. Cities like San Francisco , Minneapolis , Miami , New York and some other American cities are becoming harbingers of the power of demons to control public life.
   

6. Demons work towards CAUSING THE DEATH of the one possessed.  
   
   Also while in possession they can be silent or they can speak through the one they control by using their voice box. In most cases, demons try to remain silent so no one will detect them as they buffet and abuse the one possessed with the goal of eventually causing their death by suicide, or physical illness and abuse to ensure Hell for their future. Have you noticed the unbelievable increase of sexually transmitted terminal diseases such as AIDS and others? I believe it is demon orchestrated, as those who are in rebellion to God, open their minds, hearts and bodies to their demon enflamed sexual desires..

Now what does the Bible tells us about these demons? Listen,

Eph 6:12 (NIV)  For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Notice the demons are highly organized and have a hierarchy of command. They follow a careful plan and work unceasingly to destroy humankind, by taking possession of each individual where as possible. But, thanks be to God, once a person becomes a Christian they can never be possessed by demon forces. Now this doesn’t mean we cannot be “oppressed,” that is as a Christian dabbles in things forbidden, he or she can be unusually driven to disobedience and dishonor of Jesus Christ. We see this in churches when saints become filled with unrest, anger, become very negative and disruptive; still others begin to neglect worship, prayer, and service to God. All these things are orchestrated by demons to destroy God’s Church and scatter His people.

It’s so sad, how many today cooperate with Satan and his demon forces who work to destroy God’s work and people. But again I say, thanks be to God he will not win! The Bible says,

1 John 4:4 (NIV)  You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

Mat 16:18 (NIV) “…  I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.

 There is no doubt that today, as in biblical times, many who claim to have occult powers are charlatans, preying on the naive for money; but there also is strong reason to believe that occult practices remain linked with the real demonic world! Certainly, the strong admonition in the Bible against any involvement with the occult, gives believers today every reason to stay away from all such practices even for entertainment.

Lev 19:26 (NLT)  "Do not practice fortune-telling or witchcraft…”

Lev 20:6 (NIV)  “”’I will set my face against the person who turns to mediums and spiritists to prostitute himself by following them, and I will cut him off from his people.”

Friends, I warn you stay away from all forms of demonic orchestrated evil and innocent looking supernatural games and entertainment. These are traps to gain access to your body and soul. If you are suffering from demon possession or oppression, remember only Jesus Christ, God the Son can free you. Confess your sin and disobedience that caused it, confess Jesus Christ as your God and only Savior from your sins, and cry out to Him and like the Gadarene demoniacs, He will save you and banish all the fallen spirits from your presence now and for eternity.

Yes Jesus Christ saves, satisfies and keeps us if we stay close to Him. We do that, by not forsaking the assembly of ourselves in worship and service within a local family of God’s children. The one thing many Christians don’t realize is the great protection from Satan’s powers lies in our being a faithful member of a local body of believers and faithfully worshipping and serving God there. Yet, the moment we neglect this, we open ourselves to demon obsession.

Well my time is gone, but remember  -- demons are real as Satan is a real living, but nonetheless a malevolent Being of great power and might. He is also the great deceiver, a murderer, a liar and instigator of all evil in this world and the universe. Thanks be to God his days are numbered and those fallen angels who follow him, all will be judged and cast into the Lake of Fire to be tormented and suffer for ever and ever. May you not be dragged in there with Satan and these demons angels, for the only escape is through Jesus Christ. Take Him now as your Savior and Lord and be freed from the entire penalty for your sin. This is my prayer for you for Jesus sake, Amen.

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·         Radio talk #4605

·         Broadcast date: November 13, 2005

·         Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator

·         Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast

·         Address: P.O. Box 60033 Grand Junction, CO 81506

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The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 25 years, and serves as General Director.

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