Religious modernists are prone to dismiss the biblical accounts of demon possession. William Barclay wrote:
This sort of a priori dismissal of the historical record is typical of unbelief. The skeptic, and even those religionists who have been influenced by the rationalistic mode of thought, repudiate anything that is not consistent with current human experience. But such an ideology simply is not an intelligent basis upon which to establish conclusions. There is validity in the credibility of historical testimony. The reality of demon activity, therefore, is not to be determined upon the basis of twentieth-century experiences; rather, it is grounded in whether or not the New Testament documents are credible.
That is why when we look at demonic accounts in the bible, we should see them as witness accounts, real experiences. If we didn't, the resurrection or any supernatural event couldn't be believed to have actually happened.
The New Testament clearly indicates that demons were under the control of divine authority. Jesus, for example, could command them to leave a person (Mat. 8:16), or even to keep quiet (Mk. 1:34). The demons that tormented the man in the country of the Gerasenes could not enter the nearby swine herd except by the Lord’s concession (Mark. 5:13-14). Since it is the case that demons could do nothing except by divine permission, the intriguing question is: why did God allow these malevolent beings to enter into people?
The truth of the matter is, the Bible does not give a specific answer to this question—as much as our curiosity wants to be fed.
We must realize that the way we examine what the Bible says is truth we should be able to compare it to reality. And if we cannot compare it to our own experiences we must be careful not to rationalize and diminish what the scripture states, especially on the context of demon possession, healing, dark magic, the resurrection and other supernatural events. It's easy to explain away these things in our minds. Especially in North America. Satan has already got a grip on the entertainment that surrounds our culture. In other countries such as ones in South America we find more stories about families having a background of dark magic and witchcraft. Hollywood often uses these stories in their films. It is obvious Satan wants to make it appear less important than it really is, nothing more than fiction and fantasy.
We need not argue whether demons were realities or not. One thing certain is that in the time of Jesus people believed in them with terrified intensity. If a man believes he is ill, he will be ill. If a man believed that he was demon-possessed, then, illusion or no, he was definitely ill in mind and body (1976, 26).
This sort of a priori dismissal of the historical record is typical of unbelief. The skeptic, and even those religionists who have been influenced by the rationalistic mode of thought, repudiate anything that is not consistent with current human experience. But such an ideology simply is not an intelligent basis upon which to establish conclusions. There is validity in the credibility of historical testimony. The reality of demon activity, therefore, is not to be determined upon the basis of twentieth-century experiences; rather, it is grounded in whether or not the New Testament documents are credible.
Rationalism as an ideology is not an intelligent basis upon which to establish conclusions.
That is why when we look at demonic accounts in the bible, we should see them as witness accounts, real experiences. If we didn't, the resurrection or any supernatural event couldn't be believed to have actually happened.
The New Testament clearly indicates that demons were under the control of divine authority. Jesus, for example, could command them to leave a person (Mat. 8:16), or even to keep quiet (Mk. 1:34). The demons that tormented the man in the country of the Gerasenes could not enter the nearby swine herd except by the Lord’s concession (Mark. 5:13-14). Since it is the case that demons could do nothing except by divine permission, the intriguing question is: why did God allow these malevolent beings to enter into people?
The truth of the matter is, the Bible does not give a specific answer to this question—as much as our curiosity wants to be fed.
We must realize that the way we examine what the Bible says is truth we should be able to compare it to reality. And if we cannot compare it to our own experiences we must be careful not to rationalize and diminish what the scripture states, especially on the context of demon possession, healing, dark magic, the resurrection and other supernatural events. It's easy to explain away these things in our minds. Especially in North America. Satan has already got a grip on the entertainment that surrounds our culture. In other countries such as ones in South America we find more stories about families having a background of dark magic and witchcraft. Hollywood often uses these stories in their films. It is obvious Satan wants to make it appear less important than it really is, nothing more than fiction and fantasy.
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