Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

Authored By  :
Published On :
Last Updated :

NOTE: This article or series has not been updated recently. As such, it may possibly contain some outdated information, and/or ideas and beliefs which I no longer embrace, or which have changed to some degree.



As I concluded in part one, God is in absolute control of
His Creation; both His physical Creation, as well as His
spiritual Creation, including Satan and all of his demons.
Through Scriptural analysis, we have seen how these negative
spiritual forces are behind some of the mental and physical
ailments which afflict people, including babies and young
children, and that all of these things apparently occur with
God's Permission. God can send a good spirit to perform some
deed, just as He can also send an evil spirit to perform an
action, and it is not for us to question God's Ways. In the
story of King Saul, we saw how the Lord sent an evil spirit
to afflict the king, as a result of his sins of stubbornness
and rebellion against Him. Another Old Testament story which
I have shared a number of times before, such as in "Rightly
Dividing The Word Of Truth", "Have You Been Slain In The
Spirit?" and "Great Cloud Of Witnesses: God's Holy Ghosts?",
involves King Ahab, the Prophet Micaiah, and the false
prophets of Baal.

We find the account in 1 Kings chapter twenty-two. The gist
of this amazing story is that Jehoshaphat, who was the king
of the southern kingdom of Judah, which was ruled from the
city of Jerusalem, went to see Ahab, who was the king of the
northern kingdom of Israel, which was ruled from Samaria.
This is the same King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who persecuted
the Lord's prophet Elijah. The Lord was very upset with Ahab
and Jezebel because of their many evil doings, all of which
are recorded in 1 Kings chapters sixteen through twenty-two.

To continue, King Ahab revealed his plan to attack Ben-hadad
who was the king of Syria. Being a righteous king in some
regards, Jehoshaphat asked Ahab if he had first sought the
Lord's Will regarding the matter. Being as evil as he was,
Ahab wasn't the least bit concerned with how the Lord might
view his plans. However, to appease Jehoshaphat so that he
would join him in battle at Ramoth-gilead, Ahab called for
his prophets. Unknown to Ahab, however, was that the Lord
was going to put His own plan into action. He was going to
allow Ahab to purposely be deceived by his own prophets, in
order that he might fall in battle. In the following verses,
God's true prophet, Micaiah, reveals the deception to the
two kings:

"And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I
saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of
heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
And the LORD said, Who shall persuade Ahab, that he may go
up and fall at Ramoth-gilead? And one said on this manner,
and another said on that manner. And there came forth a
spirit, and stood before the LORD, and said, I will persuade
him. And the LORD said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I
will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of
all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and
prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold,
the LORD hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these
thy prophets, and the LORD hath spoken evil concerning
thee." 1 Kings 22:19-23, KJV

Because Micaiah faithfully obeyed the Lord in spite of the
threat to his own life, he was cast into prison by the evil
king of Israel. Ahab and Jehoshaphat then went against the
king of Syria. During the course of the battle, one of King
Beh-hadad's archers shot an arrow up into the air by chance.
This arrow found its mark. King Ahab was mortally wounded
and died that same day. As had been prophesied, the king's
blood was licked up by the dogs when it was washed out of
his chariot. Later, his evil queen, Jezebel, was also eaten
by dogs.

Just as we examined examples in the New Testament where God
permitted demons to shut the ears and mouths of the deaf and
the dumb, here we see the Lord doing the exact opposite. He
purposely sent a lying spirit to possess King Ahab's false
prophets. That spirit used the prophets' bodies and tongues
as a medium to communicate a false message to the king, in
order that Ahab might be deceived. Why did the Lord allow
this to happen? Aside from the fact that Ahab was an evil
king who merited punishment, for the same reason that the
Apostle Paul tells us that God will send strong delusion in
the Last Days; and that is because people no longer love the
truth, and actually want to be deceived, as we see here:

"And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send
them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:"
2 Thessalonians 2:10-11, KJV

In fact, the Prophet Isaiah also very directly tells us that
God will both choose the type of delusion, and send it, when
His children stubbornly refuse to take heed to His Voice, as
we see here:

"I also will choose their delusions, and will bring their
fears upon them; because when I called, none did answer;
when I spake, they did not hear: but they did evil before
mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not."
Isaiah 66:4, KJV

In his first Epistle, the Apostle John also advises us to
try, or to test, the spirits, because many false prophets
are gone out into the world, who deny that Jesus Christ is
the Son of God and Savior of the world:

"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits
whether they are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world." 1 John 4:1, KJV

Please notice how John makes a direct link between lying
spirits and false prophets, thus confirming once again that
these false emissaries of light are possessed by demonic
forces which have taken control of their tongues. Surely
this has come to pass in our own day, where there are many
self-proclaimed prophets who spout off New Age dogma, and
other damnable lies and heresies which are contrary to the
true Word of God. The Apostle Peter saw this day coming, and
thus he was inspired to write:

"But there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily
shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that
bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of
whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."
2 Peter 2:1-2, KJV

In fact, as I have mentioned many times before, in one of
His Endtime sermons, Jesus also warns us that the deceptive
tactics of these false prophets will be so great, that they
will even attempt to deceive God's very Elect, if it were
possible. Consider the following verse found in the Gospel
of Matthew:

"For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets,
and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it
were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."
Matthew 24:24, KJV

At this point, some of my non-Christian readers might be
becoming a little confused, and even questioning some of the
information I have presented here. One question might be:
"You Christians constantly claim that your God is a God of
truth; yet you are painting a picture of Him here as one who
has no qualms with resorting to lies and deceit in order to
accomplish His Purposes. Isn't this rather contradictory?
Isn't it even possible that some of those people who claim
to be His children might be deceived by such trickery?".

In response to such questions, allow me to state this: As I
said early, it is really not our place to question God. To
do so is utter foolishness in my mind. To question Him in a
negative, critical manner, is basically to place ourselves
on the same level as God. That was Satan's mistake, and look
where he has ended up. Furthermore, as I also pointed out a
moment ago, some of the things that God does are to some
degree affected by our personal choices. I wrote an entire
article on this topic a number of years ago entitled "Free
Will And Personal Choice". If we, due to our pride, and our
stubbornness, refuse to bow ourselves to God's Will, and
reject the truth of His Word, then He will simply allow us
to wallow in our mire, until we have learned our lesson. He
will even send the delusion that we desire.

Allow me to ask you a simple question: Don't we as parents
sometimes do the very same thing with our own children? If
they are stubborn and foolish enough to rebel against our
authority, don't we sometimes let them have their way, even
though we realise that they have made a bad choice? Like God
our Heavenly Father, we simply know that as much as it may
hurt us to watch them suffer, sometimes it is the only way
that our children will ever learn their lesson.

Now, concerning deceiving His own children, in agreement
with the Scriptures, I believe that God knows those who are
His. He knows who He has called into His Kingdom. I don't
believe that any of His truly saved, chosen, predestinated
children will be lost. Yes, God may temporarily allow us to
fall, and to even backslide for a time, so that we might
learn some valuable lessons which we might not be able to
learn any other way, but I believe that in the end, He will
pick us up again. I also believe that, just as Jesus said,
God's true children will hear His Voice. They know the True
Shepherd, and they recognize the truth of His Word when they
find it. I base these beliefs upon verses such as the
following:

"Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having
this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let
every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from
iniquity." 2 Timothy 2:19, KJV

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow
me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never
perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."
John 10:27-28, KJV

"All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out."
John 6:37, KJV

"...for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee." Hebrews 13:5b, KJV

So again, regardless of how much spiritual deception is
allowed to enter into the world, in the end, I believe that
God's true children will come to Him, like moths attracted
to a light! They won't be deceived for long!

Before leaving behind the story of Micaiah and King Ahab,
there is one other interesting point I wish to make. In a
sense, what we see occurring with the false prophets of
Baal, might be viewed as a form of "group possession". We
are not just talking about one individual being possessed,
but an entire group of prophets. I honestly can't say that I
fully understand the mechanics of the Spirit World, so I am
not exactly sure how this one spirit was able to possess all
of these false prophets simultaneously, and take control of
their tongues. I will even go as far as to suggest that
perhaps it didn't exactly happen that way at all.

This brings us to an interesting topic which I first began
to discuss the other day on our private Christian mailing
list. In response to the woman who had originally written to
me regarding the situation with her afflicted family member,
I had made the comment to her that, yes, I did feel that her
children might be in danger, if the other family member was
truly possessed by a demon, or maybe even a group of demons.
This prompted one of our list members to write in and ask me
about what she referred to as "demon transferral". Not being
associated with organized religion, or knowledgeable of the
jargon they like to use, I wasn't familiar with the term,
although it is easy enough to understand.

It was in fact this sister's question which motivated me to
undertake a deeper study of this topic of demon possession,
which has thus resulted in this current series. As is often
the case when beginning a new article, I didn't possess the
answer to this sister's question. Sometimes my writing is an
exercise in faith. I just expect God to give me the answers
that I need, as I begin to delve into His Word. It is in the
process of teaching others what the Scriptures have to say
regarding a topic, that I often learn myself. So as you can
see, I am being blessed with new knowledge, even as I am
being a blessing to others by sharing what I have learned.

Having said that, I am wondering now if the account of the
Prophet Micaiah and evil King Ahab might be the answer we
seek. This woman was wondering if there was a Scriptural
confirmation for the doctrine of "demon transferral". Well,
perhaps this may be it. I would speculate that maybe, just
maybe, this lying spirit which was sent by the Lord, simply
jumped from one false prophet to the next, took control of
their tongue, and spoke the lies which the king wanted to
hear. Can I conclusively prove this? No; but I would not
dismiss it altogether.

In my mind, it really comes down to a basic question: Can
spirits occupy more than one place, or more than one body,
at the same time? Wouldn't this seem to make them a little
too close to being just like God, who many of us have been
taught to believe is omnipresent? If the answer to the first
question is "no", then this would seem to add more weight to
the possibility that this lying spirit was transferred from
one false prophet to the next. The only other possibility
that I can see, would be that this lying spirit may not have
been alone. Perhaps God sent a number of other lying spirits
along with the one mentioned in the story.

Whatever the case may be, I suspect that this may not be the
only incident where what I have termed as "group possession"
may have occurred. In particular, I am reminded of an account
found in the Book of Acts. Before I discuss it however, allow
me to briefly mention another topic, as it directly relates
to the story found in the Book of Acts. As some of you will
already know, Jesus had some very harsh things to say to His
self-righteous enemies; that is, the religious leaders of
His day who ruled the temple. It was in large part because
of some of the Lord's poignant words, that the Jewish Elders
sought to kill Him. In particular, I am reminded of the
following:

"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
compass sea and land to make one proselyte, and when he is
made, ye make him twofold more the child of hell than
yourselves." Matthew 23:15, KJV

"I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do
that which ye have seen with your father. They answered and
said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them,
If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of
Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told
you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not
Abraham. Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to
him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even
God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would
love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither
came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand
my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of
your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will
do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in
the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar,
and the father of it." John 8:38-44, KJV

Clearly then, Jesus knew that some of the Scribes and the
Pharisees were the very children of hell; they were the
spiritual offspring of Satan. I say some of them, because
the Scriptures do inform us that a few of the members of the
Sanhedrin accepted Jesus, and were in fact secret Disciples,
such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea. For the most
part, however, they were devil-possessed blind leaders of
the blind. Having said that, perhaps we can gain a better
understanding of what really happened in Acts chapter seven,
when Stephen boldly challenged the false religious system
which these children of hell promoted, and forced upon the
people. At the height of Stephen's preaching, when the
anointing of the Spirit must have been heaviest upon him,
consider what happened:

"When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart,
and they gnashed on him with their teeth...Then they cried
out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon
him with one accord, And cast him out of the city, and
stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a
young man's feet, whose name was Saul."
Acts 7:54, 57-58, KJV

Here we have this supposedly respectable body of educated
religious leaders, upon whom had been entrusted the grave
responsibility of being the keepers of the very Oracles of
God, as well as teaching them to the people, acting like a
pack of wild, demon-possessed animals. And I have no doubt
that at that moment, they were in fact totally overtaken by
the demons which possessed them! Stephen's witness was so
powerful, that these religious leaders went totally insane!
They totally lost it and became participants in a murderous
frenzy! They screamed, they covered their ears, and they ran
upon him together like a pack of wolves and began biting
him! Yes folks, that is exactly what "gnashed on" means. It
doesn't just mean that they ground their teeth as you may
have heard; it means that they bit upon Stephen; and God
knows what else they did to him before they finally stoned
him outside of the city. Consider what the Greek lexicon
tells us concerning the verb "gnash":

brucho {broo'-kho}

1) to grind, gnash with the teeth
2) to bite, to chew

So, personally, I am convinced that this is another clear
case of "group possession" by demonic forces. But, as we
have already seen, God controls both good and evil spirits.
We have examined two examples of demonic "group possession".
While the idea may at first seem strange to you, because you
have never been taught to view it in this manner, there is
one very well known example of positive "group possession"
which I would like to bring to your attention as well. You
will find it in Acts chapter two, where the promise of the
Holy Spirit was finally delivered on the Day of Pentecost,
as we read here:

"And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all
with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a
sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled
all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared
unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon
each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost,
and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave
them utterance." Acts 2:1-4, KJV

I discuss this same event in more detail in other articles.
The main point I wish to make is that there is such a thing
as positive "group possession". All of the Apostles and
Disciples were simultaneously filled with, or possessed by,
the Holy Ghost. When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and
Savior, do we not technically become His property? Did He
not pay the price for our Salvation with His own Blood shed
on the Cross? So, in reality, the Lord possesses us, He owns
us. Furthermore, when we are filled with the Holy Spirit,
are we not possessed by it, just like the Disciples of the
First Century? Do we not in actuality become receptacles for
it? The Apostle Paul confirms this very fact when he writes:

"What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy
Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not
your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify
God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's."
1 Corinthians 6:19-20, KJV

"But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the
excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."
2 Corinthians 4:7, KJV

So God's Holy Spirit is in us, it possesses us; just as a
person who rebels against God, can become possessed by an
evil spirit. There is really no difference in the process,
but the fruits of that possession are surely different! As
the Apostle Paul also wrote:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law."
Galatians 5:22-23, KJV

And as Jesus plainly taught us:

"Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."
Matthew 7:20, KJV

So all that a person has to do is to look at our life, in
order to determine what spirit we are really filled with.
Are you a living example of Christianity who is filled with
God's Holy Spirit, or are you a rebellious, demon-possessed
child of the world? The choice is yours. I hope that you
will choose Jesus if you haven't already done so.

With all of the various verses and stories I have shared
with you now, we are gaining a more rounded understanding of
how God operates, as well as understanding the causes behind
some forms of sickness and demonic possession. Please note
that I do say "some". At this current time, I do not believe
that all forms of bodily afflictions are necessarily a result
of demonic attack. I believe that some things are simply due
to mechanical failures of the body; such as being the result
of an accident, or old age, or other mundane causes. In my
opinion, this would include such maladies as tooth decay,
broken bones, clogged arteries, failing eyesight, etc. We
are all flesh and blood creatures; and as we all know, as it
has been ordained by God, time and age have an increasingly
negative effect on our bodies. It is the way of the flesh.
As it is written:

"...for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
Genesis 3:19, KJV

"For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust."
Psalm 103:14, KJV

"Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what
is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a
little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:14, KJV

As far as where to divide those afflictions which are the
result of purely physical causes, from those which may be of
a more spiritual origin, it is difficult to say. As a matter
of personal speculation, based upon what we do find in the
Bible, I would propose that the closer we get to problems
which are mental and emotional in nature, and perhaps more
directly related to the nervous system, the more likelihood
there is that they may possibly be attributed to spiritual
causes; that is, to demonic oppression or possession. As I
noted earlier, our minds represent the primary battleground.
I'll touch more on this topic momentarily.

While demonic possession can be the result of sin and evil
in our lives, some people are also overpowered by demons due
to no fault of their own. Such was clearly the case with the
example I mentioned to you earlier in part one, taken from
the Gospel of John. Allow me to share those verses with you
again in order to refresh your memory:

"And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from
his birth. And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who
did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his
parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest
in him." John 9:1-3, KJV

We are told that this man was blind from birth; thus making
it totally impossible that his affliction may have been the
result of personal sin. You will notice that the Disciples
even went so far as to ask Jesus who had sinned, the man or
his parents. This question may have been motivated by the
fact that in the Old Testament, we are told that the Lord
sometimes punishes a family for their sins up through the
third or the fourth generation. Also, in the New Testament,
at the time of Jesus' trial before Pilate, Matthew records
the Jewish mob as having shouted "His blood be on us, and
our children". Consider these verses:

"Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them:
for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the
iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and
fourth generation of them that hate me;" Exodus 20:5, KJV

"Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us,
and on our children." Matthew 27:25, KJV

However, in this particular case, Jesus made it clear that
the man's parents were not at fault either. The Lord adds
that the man was afflicted in order that the power of God
might be revealed. Being as Jesus is no longer walking the
Earth as a man, and thus there is no further any need for
Him to prove His Ministry as there was back then; and also
because we must consider the fact that we are now required
to believe simply by faith, without the need for any signs,
it is difficult to say how much this principle should still
be applied to modern sickness. As troubling as that thought
may be for some people, if we are honest with ourselves, we
do need to consider it. As the Scriptures also tell us:

"Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me,
thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and
yet have believed." John 20:29, KJV

"(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"
2 Corinthians 5:7, KJV

"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he
that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a
rewarder of them that diligently seek him."
Hebrews 11:6, KJV

So again, the question is this: Does God purposely still
allow some people to get sick today in order that He might
reveal His Power? Personally, I honestly don't know. There
are so many things wrong in this current world, and so much
sin and evil everywhere, I tend to lean more towards the
idea that modern sickness is due to other reasons; not that
God would not be glorified, if He truly did choose to reveal
His healing Hand in a person's life.

In my personal life, I have known a few parents who have
seriously afflicted children. One thought which has occurred
to me, is that God may possibly be trying to use that child
to teach the parents important lessons regarding love, mercy
and patience, and I might add, humility. Through such heart-
wrenching situations, perhaps He is testing us to see if we
will still love that child, even if they are not as whole as
we would like for them to be. Perhaps He is also testing us
to see if we will begin to doubt, complain and question His
Wisdom and His Love for us, or remain wholly devoted to Him,
and love Him in spite of it all. If there is one thing that
the Bible teaches us, it is that it is simply not our place
to question God in a negative way; that is, in a critical
fashion. It is, however, our responsibility to accept His
Will for our lives, in whatever form it may come, in humble
submission. I discuss this topic more at length in the
series "So You Think You Are So Humble?". I am reminded of
the following verses:

"Moreover the LORD answered Job, and said, Shall he that
contendeth with the Almighty instruct him? he that reproveth
God, let him answer it. Then Job answered the LORD, and
said, Behold, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will
lay mine hand upon my mouth. Once have I spoken; but I will
not answer: yea, twice; but I will proceed no further. Then
answered the LORD unto Job out of the whirlwind, and said,
Gird up thy loins now like a man: I will demand of thee, and
declare thou unto me. Wilt thou also disannul my judgment?
wilt thou condemn me, that thou mayest be righteous?"
Job 40:1-8, KJV

"Nay but, O man, who art thou that repliest against God?
Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it, Why hast
thou made me thus?" Romans 9:20, KJV

"Be not rash with thy mouth, and let not thine heart be
hasty to utter any thing before God: for God is in heaven,
and thou upon earth: therefore let thy words be few."
Ecclesiastes 5:2, KJV

As we continue this series in part three, we will turn our
attention to such issues as the corrupted gene pool theory,
Adam and Eve and the sentence of death, our inherited sinful
nature, the effects of sin and a shortened human life span,
defining the "waters" in Genesis, the pre-diluvian Earth,
the water above the firmament theory, the Genesis Flood, God's
ability to see the future, future fiery judgments, UV rays
and aging, sin as the primary source of human suffering, the
"creation gods" of modern science, our Resurrection hope,
schizophrenia and multiple personality disorder, connection
between demonic possession and mental disorders, the story
of "Legion", and more on "demon transferral". I trust that
you will join me.

⇒ Go To The Next Part . . .

Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.