In a culture where evil spirits are regularly welcomed in and where witchcraft is the norm, what sort of physical manifestations are we likely to see?

Can witchcraft curses have physical effects on other non-Christian tribesmen? I am hearing credible stories of people dropping dead or developing ailments sometimes from curses (psychosomatic perhaps?).

I was cursed myself but laughed it off and told them that it could only return to the person. What is the recommended prescription for being put under a curse?

Would evil spirits manifest differently in Africa, or Indo or New Guienea perhaps? And would it vary even moreso in a Western secular culture where atheism is the strategy of the Devil?

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Pergamum


"If a commission by an earthly king is considered a honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?"
-- David Livingstone

That's a good question Perg. I don't know that we'd ever find a surefire answer from Scripture. It is interesting that "demonic" activity takes different forms even in the NT where there are demoniacs foaming at the mouth that Christ heals as well as Pharisaical "sons of the devil" that He condemns.

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Rich
Okinawa, Japan

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Perg,

I think that the first chapters of Job could sufficiently answer your question, wherein Satan brings fire from heaven to destroy a house, a great wind to destroy another house, and lacerates Job with painful boils. The text seems to intimate that he easily could have slain Job with nary a thought, had God not prevented him and regulated his evil.

In the Gospels, do demons not throw people down? Drive them mad to the point of living in cemeteries? I forget the exact reference, but did Christ not say that the woman with the issue of blood had been "bound by Satan", or something to that effect?

I don't see any logical or Biblical reason why an evil spirit couldn't afflict or slay someone if that person was not one of God's elect; and, Scripturally, the elect can be afflicted by evil spirits prior to conversion (the examples just cited) and, if Job counts, physically afflicted after. But that's a more debatable point.

I think that too often, especially in Reformed circles, the closing and cessation of special revelation is practically, if not formally, seen to mean the cessation of everything supernatural, or out of the ordinary. But the one does not imply the other, IMO.

How many dark spirits are there on the level of the loyal one who slew Sennacherib's army? I imagine when we get to heaven and look back upon our life, we will realize that we lived our life, in a very real sense, as Daniel lived in the lion's den, constantly surrounded by entities of immense power that could tear us to shreds and drive us mad according to their own capacities. And yet God shuts their mouths and prevents them from doing harm, just as He did to the lions of old.

Anyhow, that's not a "blanket acceptation" of everything, either. I'm sure there can be social belief, psychosomatic worry, etc. But I imagine the "real thing" goes on as well, especially in countries wherein the gospel has never had a major influence.

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Joshua Wiseman
Riverview PCA
Charleston, WV

"Keep me as the apple of the eye, hide me under the shadow of thy wings."
- Psalm 17:8

Joshua:

You said, "But I imagine the "real thing" goes on as well, especially in countries wherein the gospel has never had a major influence."

Is it possible than that dramatic manifestations do sometimes occur in remote or unreached area and are not mere illusion?

Also, should we expect that the West should have a rise in these manifestations as it becomes "Post-Christian"?

And are such spirits able to be seen? How would one respond to reports of "the dead ones' walking through one's area of ministry (i.e. spirits reported by locals travelling through tribal lands)... Can spirits really roam the jungle and be sensed by locals?

Pergamum;

I don't know why not, can you not sense The Holy Spirit close to you? So why wouldn't you be able to sense evil when it is near you as well?

And doesn't scripture tell us that the devil was going to and fro throughout the whole earth to seeking who he could devour?

And that the demons dwelled inside people even to where they asked to be sent to the pigs, so if they have no place to *dwell* why wouldn't they roam around until they found another place to dwell?

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Bobbi Clark
Covenant Member
Pinewood Pres. (PCA) Middleburg

When I kept Silent, My bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. Psalm 32:3

I am not sure what you mean by sensing the the Holy Spirit close to you?

How am I to know I am sensing the Holy Spirit or any Spirit or whether it is just "an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato...?"

__________________
--chRis
Psalm 115:1

Christopher Reeder
Husband to Kara, Father to Abigail (7), Caleb (6), Grace (4 1/2), Zoë (2 1/2), Elijah (1) and Baby Girl due 8/6/08

Member: Pilgrim Presbyterian Church (OPC), Raleigh, NC

Perg,

I don't see why dramatic illustrations wouldn't be possible. That's one of the points I was trying to make by mentioning the fire from heaven and the great wind that Satan caused.

Personally, I don't see why demons couldn't manifest bodily. But that's simply a personal opinion, and one that, I'm sure, is a very tiny minority on this board. For myself, I find it pretty clear that demons and unclean spirits are merely fallen, rebellious angels. In Scripture, angels often "assume" some type of "body" that can physically interact with this world. That seems to be a pretty common ability of angels; and fallen angels are, nonetheless, still angels. Athanasius said that demons often took physical forms to attack St. Anthony, FWIW.

As to the West: Who knows? I wouldn't even know how to judge the decline of a nation, the more I think about it. I certainly have a low opinion of this country, but over the past few months I've really been questioning how much of a "golden age" Christianity ever had in America. For myself, I'm not totally sure that abortion and the rise in the occult isn't that much different than black slavery, Unitarianism, spiritualism, and, most of all, the wholesale slaughter of many Native American tribes and the broken oaths encapsulated in treaties.

I incline to think that things are getting much worse, or, at the very least, evil is just much more open and accepted, privately and publicly. And in that respect, when Christ is explicitly rejected and mocked, and occult practices are embraced and sought after across the nation, then yes, I suppose one could expect an increase in open demonic activity. Who knows, though? I wouldn't be surprised if materialistic science and demonic belief became fused one day, a la C.S. Lewis and the "macrobes." It wouldn't surprise me at all if scientists announced ten years from now that they have received numerical messages from "quantum string observers" or some technobabbling term that decried belief in the Christian God as an impediment to genetic development.

That being said, I do think that one can "sense" evil spirits at times. Martin Luther clearly did. And even a conservative Presbyterian par excellence, namely, Frank Smith, mentions in one of his sermons how in seminary one night he felt an incredibly evil presence in his room that he still remembers to this day.

Anyhow, just my opinion, take care!

Perg, i think you have articulated the thought clearly. As one coming from a culture and background where manifestation of demonic spirits is not a question of reality or not but is the norm of culture and is controlled by these spirits in such a sphere. I think here in the western world and particularly amoungst social circles where Gods grace has been manifest over centuries the populace in these cultures tend to be sceptical of existence and manifestations of evil. However the Bible never hides the fact that evil exists and as such manifests itself. If it didnt then there would never have been a need for the arrival of Jesus Christ in History. Particularly i find that in the Western saved churches there is little regard of the saving work of Christ because they have never experienced outright manifestation of evil at play, while we saved Africans and coming from a society controlled and run by evil forces outright rejoice immensly at the name of Jesus Christ. How true that Mary was seen at the feet of The Lord while the temple dwellers did not even wash the Lords feet.

We praise God that we have been liberated by Christ through His precoius blood, otherwise we ourselves were victim of these short of activities. Our family suffered alot but now praise God that we dont need to fear now anything except our Lord. WE have committed all things to God now. And we praise God, for He said,"It is finished".

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<Raj>
Church Planting/Community devolepment
U.P. and U.A. States, North India

No other Name except Jesus (Acts 4:12)
http://groaningcreation.blog.com

So, if your church supported a missionary that minsiitered somewhere remote and they begin reporting strange things what would be your first reaction?

To disbelieve him or believe him? What if he experienced some strange things; how realible is that experience?

These strange things include:

-premonitory dreams,
-Sudden fits of crying done by locals when in the presence of evangelists,
-reports of locals being demon possessed,
-reports of locals (several at once) claiming to see spirits.
-largr groups of people asking for help from evil spirits,
-refusal to plant or build houses on certain places of land,
-relocating whole villages to escape the local spirits,
-refusing to drink out of a clean water stream and drinking instead out of dirty swamp due to the stream being a sacred place.
-curses that seem to lead to people dying. One evangelist claims that he lost his sight temporarily and another one had his leg swell up after being cursed.



The existence of these things rests largely on experience, a very faulty piece of equipment.

Can places be inhabited by spirits (a person is spacially located and can be inhabited it seems, why not a house, or stretch of jungle, etc).


And if these dramatic things are indeed true then why do they not seem to happen in the West?

And do I really need to "claim" anything in the name of Christ if I am already His.

Do I even need any extra or special prayers besides the normal means of grace. What is one to do in such cases that extend beyond one's normal spiritual exercises of prayer and bible reading?

Perg,

At this point I would ask the advice of elders and fellow missionaries. I certainly don't want to even accidentally pretend to have any knowledge about what exactly you should do. Not that you are asking.

With that caveat, I would think that a church would not send a man and fund a man if they didn't trust the man. So if a man has been sent into an unevangelized area to proclaim the everlasting Godspell, and believes he is encountering demonic opposition, then I think that man, and some people from his sending church, should fast and pray. The man should fast, pray, and preach the Gospel. The church should fast, pray, and ask the Lord to open hearts to the Gospel and open doors for the man.

I very much believe in the stark reality of evil spirits, and in that respect might be out of step with the Reformed culture at large, but on the other hand, I have roughly the same answer as the Reformed churches, that is, the gospel.

If I were you, I would think about and reflect on how the church has spread thus far. Someone quoted Athanasius on here one time, perhaps it was On The Incarnation, (I can't remember), about how magic decreased as Christianity flourished throughout the Roman world. So even if Westerners doubt you, Athanasius certainly wouldn't, seeing as Christianity hasn't spread throughout your part of the world. Read about Boniface chopping down Donar's oak to show the pagans the powerlessness of Donar-Donner-Thor-Tor, or Patrick lighting the fire in opposition to the Druids at Tara.

You have been commissioned to preach the Gospel. The reality of the spirits who oppose you should only serve to strengthen and bolster your belief and awareness of the reality and power of God. Now you can see in living color what Paul meant when he said that unbelievers were under captivity to the devil, the prince of the power of the air, who works in the children of disobedience.

Perhaps the Lord will show you His own reality and power in fresh ways, who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that you can ask or imagine. The Uncreated Lord of Light is infinitely more powerful than finite, created, twisted, fallen spirits, and it is His gospel you announce, to liberate the captives and free those in captivity.

Who knows, ten years from now, magic might be subdued in the area, a la Athanasius' comment, and the conquests of Patrick and Boniface for the Lord. Maybe two generations from now the grandchildren of those converted under your ministry might be so richly blessed with the favor of God and all that His favor entails that they have the luxury to wonder and theorize about whether the very spirits that tormented their ancestors even exist now, since God has so richly blessed them.

Who knows? Be strong and of a good courage, and preach and share the Gospel. And it is the Gospel that will bring light, sanity and freedom to these people. Joe Morecraft actually mentions the conversion of a host of demonized Africans (I believe they were Zulu, but I'm not sure) in his sermon "Demons: Where Are They Today" that can be found on sermonaudio.

Anyhow, I would somewhat doubt your claim that demonization is unknown in the West. I could list numerous arguments to the contrary, but they are just as ipse dixit as the ones mentioned by you.

Take care brother!

What about locals claiming that certain spirits control certain places? For instance, no bathing in this stream, no clearing this part of the forest. Is it possible or discernible that certain areas are the realms of certain spirits? And what should be done?

A peer was wanting an airstrip cleared. The locals refused, due to a spirit owning the land. The locals said, "We know the spirit cannot hurt you (referring to the Christian workers), but it will get revenge on us instead because we are still under its power.."

Perg,

I do not doubt what you are saying. I have never experienced this personally, yet, I affirm the possibility, if not the probability of such. In America, most of us are bogged down with our own selves so much that it takes perhaps very little for a demon to get us off track. We are overwhelmed with our own lusts and desires and selfishness that we need not much compulsion to divert us from Christ. I grant the probability of spirits dominating the land and areas of certain places. Yet, if I were to meet some believer who desired to occupy such an area for the sake of Christ, I would encourage him to do so in prayer and humiliation. Knowing that all demons are completely under the absolute sovereignty of God at all times, and that they are controlled by God as a puppet on a string, I do not fear any of them at any second within that perspective. Prayerfully submitted, I would venture to promote the gospel wherever I was compelled to proclaim it!

Blessings!

__________________
Charles Plauger
Member/Grace Reformed Church
Oakland, MD

Yes, I always believe that sacred oaks ought to get the axe. Chop it down, build a fire and hold a prayer meeting around the light of said fire. If a sacred land, designate it as the outhouse....

This week we heard a Filippino professor saying, "there was a Western missionary who went to the hills by his car, on the way to specific mountainous region his car engine stopped working. He came out to see what was wrong, while he was trying to guess the problem, some locals got around him, they said, "the spirits are angry with you."

So, the professor said, "it depends on the wordview we live in". The Western thought, that it was a scientific problem, but the locals took it in their own way.

We built our house nearby a land where local used to burn their deads. We had no problem there but locals did not dare to come to see us on certian times. They asked repeatedly don't you fear there? But God has helped us maintaining our testimony. Nothing happend to us, now after 3 years, some locals also have joined the region with us by making their new houses.

To those people we preach, Not that Jesus can justify us or He died for us (all these are essential part of our faith) but that He is powerful than other spirits. And if you believe in Him you will get delievrance and freedom from all fear. And slowly then bring them to the point that Jesus gives us new life.

This is not just a missions problem. My husband and I were in Thailand. Due to a curse (which I did not know about at the time), I became very ill: involuntary weight loss and weakness of my legs which prevented my walking unassisted. My survival was in question. Then a Thai believer identified the problem as a curse. He prayed for me and I was totally healed within 30 seconds, after having been ill for 2 months.

Our church at home was aware of my illness so when we returned, they asked what happened. We told them. Suddenly all sorts of supernatural phenomena started coming out of the woodwork. In a small church (seated 200 and seldom full) five people or groups came to tell us their experience, always with, "No way I'd discuss this with the pastor; he'd think I was crazy."

Thus a conspiracy of silence surrounds those who are afflicted with evil spirits--they suffer in silence because of the defective worldviews of their pastors, worldviews that do not include, in any practical sense, the "middle storey" of demons, witchcraft, curses, and deliverance from the same.

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Mary Vanderkooi
Kale Heywott Church (KHC)
Soddo, Ethiopia

There are too many reports from all over the world to think otherwise than that there are demons working today. Rushdoony once told me a personal story from his days as a missionary on an Indian reservation that spooked me silly. When I was in Papua New Guinea the older missionaries that I was with were absolutely certain of it.

But having said that (and I know nothing about you) you need to be under the direct authority of an older, experienced person whom you can turn to for practical advice in the matter before making up your mind, or doing anything, or giving any advice to locals. After 6 months in PNG and 9 years in Africa I can assure you those locals know exactly how to push your buttons. Not that they are doing it in this case, mind you, but I trust that you have someone thoroughly familiar with the locals that you can consult with.

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Tim Vaughan, 48 years old, member PCA church but currently attending EV Free church. San Luis Obispo County, California.

The exorcism of evil spirits is only described in the synoptic gospels, not in John. There are 9 events involving 10 demonized persons. Of these two were crazy (the Gadarenes), 4 had uncertain/unrecorded initial manifestations and 4 were physically ill. Of the physically ill, one was crippled, one mute, 1 blind and mute, and one had seizures. People in the west usually picture demonized persons as acting loud and crazy, but that is clearly not the scriptural pattern in most cases. This opinion arose from the spectacular Gadarene story as well as the usually noisy events surrounding exorcisms. I counted the demonized man in the synagogue at Nazareth as having an uncertain/unrecorded initial manifestation. Although he was loud when confronted with Jesus, he would not have been allowed into the synagogue if the demon had manifested that way earlier.

I was born and educated in the states, grew up in a Reformed environment but very naturalistic as regards the spirit world. Demons were for another age and other places; they were not close to home. Starting in '84, I experienced a shift in worldview with a series of encounters with spirit phenomena, encounters which made the scriptural teaching on the matter come alive. For those who are interested in a description of the kind of phenomena and the alternative worldview of which we speak, The Unseen Face of Islam by Bill Musk is a must-read.

Speaking as a physician, a very powerful argument for any diagnosis is a successful therapeutic trial if (and only if) the treatment offered in the therapeutic trial is specific for one condition rather than a general shotgun good-for-all-kinds-of-illness treatment. I can vouch for the fact that treating certain medical and emotional conditions as demonization, with spiritual counseling, confession, and deliverance actually works and that where other treatments fail miserably. I'm aware of one godly old lady who, quite unwillingly, became involved in the deliverance of pastors who were **** addicts. These men had gone through agony trying to kick the habit. She put stringent conditions on them before she would deal with them, would only deal with those she was convinced were genuine believers, and was in many cases successful.

There are two general approaches to exorcism. One is the Neil Anderson approach of truth encounter. This appeals to those of Reformed persuasion as it is quieter and less messy than the direct power encounter. The other is the power encounter--C. Peter Wagner and Charles Kraft and some of the third-wave people have written on this.

I've recently entered a new phase of ministry in a highly animistic area, supporting an infant congregation of mbb's who are trying to integrate their recent teachings on Christianity, the classical m teaching of their previous places of worship, and the heavily animistic, syncretistic folk religion that was part of their previous religious allegiance. Having seen the powerful impact of demonstrations of Jesus' power over evil spirits, I'm wondering if it might be within God's will, if confronted at clinic with someone demonized, to attempt exorcism. It scares me to try and it scares me to shrug my shoulders and say, "Can't help you". Has anyone else any helpful wisdom?

I would believe you. In fact, I would attempt to call the church to a special day of prayer and fasting for you, praying not only that the forces of evil would be destroyed, but that you would have great wisdom in helping these people break from their faith in demons and put their faith in Christ.

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Patrick
OPC
MDiv, RTS Jackson.

"He does well, that discourses of Christ; but he does infinitely better, that by experimental knowledge, feeds and lives on Christ." Thomas Brooks.