Exhibit A
Mark 5:1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes.
2 And when he came out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit,
3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains.
4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. (Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI)
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, what have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most-high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not.
8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit.
9 And he asked him, what is your name? And he answered, saying, my name is Legion: for we are many.
10 And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And all the devils besought him, saying, send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea.
14 And they that fed the swine fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they went out to see what it was that was done.
We are going to examine, and study three exhibits, And, we will ask the same question after each one, so as to pave the way for a thorough understanding of what is at stake for the inhabitants of this earth, including the remnant people of God, for we also may be affected in some ways, some more some less.
The reason why it is important for us to understand what is going on is because in our day many spiritual maladies and conditions tend to be treated with conventional medicines, and, wherever this is the case, only the symptoms can be addressed, for if the root problem is spiritual, the remedy also has to include the spiritual, for it to have long term success.
The medical term for some of the man’s actions in exhibit A is (Non suicidal self-injury, or NSSI). When a person is cutting themselves continuously, or if it is the case that bodily harm and mutilation is being done to oneself, that person is in dire need of prayer and deliverance.
Antidepressant drugs may address some symptoms, but it is a mind problem, a spiritual problem that is being manifested, and as such, the interventions or mitigations must of necessity include prayer. There are some conditions of the mind that only Jesus can fix, and thus, He must be our go to Source whenever deep problems of the mind continuously plague the person in question.
We are hard pressed to believe that the unfortunate condition of these men came about by accident, or by chance. Is it possible that the prince of darkness could just pick any person arbitrarily on this planet, and take possession of them, to the point where they are under his direct control, coercing their will, mind and physical being to do his bidding. Really? Let’s read:
[The Desire of Ages pp 341] The encounter with the demoniacs of Gergesa had a lesson for the disciples. It showed the depths of degradation to which Satan is seeking to drag the whole human race, and the mission of Christ to set men free from his power.
Those wretched beings, dwelling in the place of graves, possessed by demons, in bondage to uncontrolled passions and loathsome lusts, represent what humanity would become if given up to satanic jurisdiction.
A legion back then amounted to between three and five thousand men, so when the man declared his name to be legion, we are looking at an abnormally high number of demons invested in a single person. But we have some news for you, because in our day it is quite possible that there are persons who have more than five thousand demons living inside of them.
Now, some may be quick to point out that the men were adults and therefore their decisions or choices will have to be understood in that context. Thus, if they have deliberately chosen or indulged evil over a period of time, and now it has culminated in full blown demon possession, they are responsible for the choices they made.
That’s one line of reasoning, but the next case study is not about an adult, but about a child, who most likely did not conscientiously choose to do evil, and yet, he comes under the direct dominion of an evil spirit.
This case raises a number of very grave questions, because it raises the prospect that adult parents, in some cases may be responsible for the condition of their children, as far as the voices inside their heads go. A very serious responsibility rests upon parents for what is permitted to infiltrate the child’s mind.
And there are certain instances where the parents may have meddled with Voo Doo, witchcraft, or any of the other dark arts that are on the menu, and as a result, the child who did not deliberately choose evil, might be adversely affected.
Even though modern science and medicine will not say so, a proliferation of pagan philosophies, and an indulgence in pagan practices opens the door for a number of demons to enter in and affect the mind. Persons in the medical field may not be able to trace the link, but it exists, nonetheless.
In the spirit world, whatsoever philosophies, tenets, beliefs, and practices a person subscribes to, always signals where their vulnerabilities lie, and this would translate into how much access to your mind devils will have. When persons subscribe to Netflix, they are exposed to content that streams from Netflix.
Thus, just as a subscription will give that company access to your mind, a similar thing takes place if a person subscribes to anything that streams live from the kingdom of darkness, for the prince of darkness recognizes the content as his very own, and he owns the copyright to the material.
Thus, it is important to know that demon possession takes place in increments. A person does not get up one morning out of the blue, and he or she is fully under the control of the prince of darkness. It never works that way. Wrong choices, and practices have to be indulged over a long period of time for it to culminate in the condition of the two men in exhibit A.
Thus, if you see any person suffering with full blown demon possession, it is most likely because freedom of choice was used to choose evil, and after a while, it will reach a tipping point where persons will come under the full control of evil spirits.
This applies to grown adults who have unimpaired reasoning powers, and if they have children, they too can be adversely affected. The condition of Eli’s children was a direct result of what the father did, or didn’t do. Let’s read:
Exhibit B
Mark 9:14 And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them.
15 And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him.
16 And he asked the scribes, what question ye with them?
17 And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit;
18 And wheresoever he takes him he tears him: and he foams, and gnashes with his teeth, and he pines away: and I spoke to your disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not.
19 He answered him, and said o faithless generation how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.
20 And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tore him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming.
21 And he asked his father, how long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, from a child.
22 And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do anything, have compassion on us, and help us.
23 Jesus said unto him, if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believes.
24 And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief.
25 When Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him.
26 And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him: and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead.
27 But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose.
This second exhibit terrible as it might be, pales in comparison to the third one, for the third one is not about foaming at the mouth, and gnashing of teeth. The first two exhibits manifested degradation of the persons in question, but this next one, raises alarms and deep concerns about the mere possibility, since it is a true story.
It is about a decent, well-dressed, devout Sabbath keeper, who attends church regularly, and comes to hear the word of God preached from week to week. Apparently, he enjoys good sermons, and he comes to church with his quarterly and Bible religiously, as he rubs shoulders with fellow church members from week to week.
This individual in question is a decent, law-abiding citizen, who is well respected in his community, and in his church. He partakes in the church services and as he sits quietly in the pews, no one has a clue that he is demon possessed. The very prospect is cause for great concern, for it raises the possibility that it can, or is currently being repeated. Let’s read:
Exhibit C
Mark 1: 21 And they went into Capernaum; and straightway on the sabbath day he entered into the synagogue, and taught.
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine: for he taught them as one that had authority, and not as the scribes.
23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him.
26 And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him.
27 And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, what thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him.
As we were preparing the Bible study for today, we ran across something that is very disturbing and it’s difficult to swallow, for when we speak of dominant voices inside your head, telling persons to commit gross evils, we hardly ever think that on the other end of the spectrum persons can be driven by these voices to attend church services regularly.
Students of the Scriptures would usually focus on the grosser manifestations, but almost never on the pious church going congregants, who might, for all intents and purposes, be considered to be in good, and regular standing on the church books.
A very interesting and important commentary which is written by the servant of The Lord, must now be observed very closely, for it will help us understand the real condition of some professed Christians in our day, including members of the remnant church, and what remedial actions should be taken where such a situation exists. Let’s read:
[The Desire of Ages pp 256] The same evil spirit that tempted Christ in the wilderness, and that possessed the maniac of Capernaum, controlled the unbelieving Jews. But with them he assumed an air of piety, seeking to deceive them as to their motives in rejecting the Savior.
Their condition was more hopeless than that of the demoniac, for they felt no need of Christ and were therefore, held fast under the power of Satan.
Revelation 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:
We thought we knew the meaning of the word piety but The Lord strongly impressed upon us to go look up the meaning one more time, so as to get a fuller understanding of the condition of the individual in exhibit C. Here it is:
Piety
It means a deep devotion to religion, or a strong sense of duty to family and higher obligations. A strong belief in God shown through prayer, worship, and daily actions.
Deep respect, care, and duty toward one's parents and family. A steadfast faithfulness to a serious pledge, country, or foundational obligation.
In the three exhibits presented previously the voices in the persons’ heads took control of the mind, and the use of force was manifested. The demoniacs of Gadara, the young child, and the pious man who sat in the pews were all subjected to the use of force by invisible agents, who bypassed their freedom, and forced them into doing and saying things.
So, here’s the question from last week’s study that we must now address:
Can the voices in a person’s head reach a tipping point of manifestation where the person is forced to do and say unthinkable things? And if so, who would be held responsible in the heavenly courts, because someone has to be held accountable.
If a person was born with a definite mental disability God will deal with such individuals on a case by case basis, for He alone knows the inner workings of the mind, and God alone will settle those cases as it will pertain to accountability.
However, if an individual, through their freedom of choice has deliberately subscribed to content that streams live from the kingdom of darkness, and has done so continuously in spite of the pleadings of the Holy Spirit to the contrary, that person’s choices will eventually culminate in a situation where their will comes under the direct control of the voices inside of their heads.
This is what took place with the pharaoh of old, who hardened his own heart against the Holy Spirit as he resisted calls to repent, and change course, even as those overtures came from God, Moses, and from his own advisors.
He just would not listen, and therefore, he reached a point where, those voices inside of his head took complete and direct control of his mind, and drove him into unreasonable and irrational behaviors and decision making.
The same thing happened to Judas, who previously was not under the complete control of the voices in his head, but day by day, bit by bit, as he steeled his heart against all reproofs and corrections, and used his freedom of choice in favor of evil, it reached the point where his choices culminated in handing the reins of control over to the voices inside his head.
Observe in the following passages how his freedom of choice is employed in favor of content that came from the kingdom of darkness and how he becomes irritated when reproved. Time after time the voice of conscience is awakened as Jesus tried to pull him back from the abyss, but like pharaoh, he just would not listen. Let’s read:
Matthew 26:6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
7 There came unto him a woman having an alabaster box of very precious ointment, and poured it on his head, as he sat at meat.
8 But when his disciples saw it they had indignation, saying, to what purpose is this waste?
9 For this ointment might have been sold for much, and given to the poor.
10 When Jesus understood it, he said unto them, why trouble ye the woman? for she hath wrought a good work upon me.
11 For ye have the poor always with you; but me ye have not always.
12 For in that she hath poured this ointment on my body, she did it for my burial.
John 6: 11 And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.
15 When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain himself alone.
[The Desire of Ages pp 718] Notwithstanding the Savior’s own teaching, Judas was continually advancing the idea that Christ would reign as king in Jerusalem. At the feeding of the five thousand he tried to bring this about. It was he who set on foot the project to take Christ by force, and make Him king. His hopes were high. His disappointment was bitter.
John 6: 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eats of this bread shall live forever.
61 When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them, Doth this offend you?
63 It is the spirit that quickens; the flesh profits nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
66 From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
70 Jesus answered them, have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a devil?
71 He spoke of Judas Iscariot the son of Simon: for he it was that should betray him, being one of the twelve.
At this point, Judas had not entirely given his will to satan, for he could’ve still obtained grace and mercy to correct course if he so chose. But he became very irritated by the thought that Christ’s kingdom was a spiritual kingdom, not focusing on the temporal and financial blessings of life.
In our day, there are some televangelists, preachers and Christian gurus who are continually advancing the idea of a prosperity gospel, thus leading people to focus on the temporal aspects of life, instead of the spiritual, like total surrender to God and obeying His laws.
With such persons, the health/wealth gospel means more than conversion, and thus the name of Christ is tethered to prosperity alone, while the things that pertain to the spiritual aspects of the Christian’s life are often left on the back burner.
It reminds us of the third exhibit we studied earlier where the pious, church going man, all dressed in his suit and tie, sat reverently in the temple, all the while, the voices in his head were leading Him down an entirely different road than the straight, narrow path, which leads to eternal life. Let’s read:
[D.A. pp 719] From that time he expressed doubts that confused the disciples. He would introduce texts of Scripture that had no connection with the truths Christ was presenting.
He introduced controversies and misleading sentiments. While the disciples were searching for evidence to confirm the words of the Great Teacher Judas would lead them almost imperceptibly on another track.
His suggestions were constantly exciting an ambitious desire for temporal preferment, and thus turning the disciples from the important things they should have considered. The dissension as to which of them should be greatest was generally excited by Judas.
[The Desire of Ages pp 717] The small sums that came into his hands were a continual temptation. Often when he did a little service for Christ, or devoted time to religious purposes, he paid himself out of this meager fund. In his own eyes these pretexts served to excuse his action; but in God’s sight he was a thief.
Thus, Judas was continuously making audible, those voices inside his head, as he chose to become the mouthpiece of the devil. Therefore, when we read in the following passage that satan entered into him and took entire control of his mind, it is not by any chance or coincidence.
We are looking at the culmination of him choosing to obey the voice inside his head, in spite of Christ’s gracious overtures, and when this takes place in any individual, the default setting is that the prince of darkness is eventually given control of the entire man.
It is never a coincidence, and it never takes place overnight, for it is the end result of a long running process in the mind, where a person’s freedom of choice is deliberately employed to do evil, even as the pleading voice of The Holy Spirit beckons them to turn and live. Let’s read:
John 13:27 And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, what thou doest, do quickly.
28 Now no man at the table knew for what intent he spoke this unto him.
The question for us in our day is this: Can the voices in our heads, which may beckon us to do wrong, become dominant, if we employ our freedom of choice to do their bidding, over a number of years, and if so, who will ultimately be held responsible?
As was stated previously, persons who were born with serious mental impairment, where they could not reason rationally, will be left in God’s hands for Him to decide, for He knows all of the circumstances surrounding their case.
But those who have their reasoning powers intact, and make decisions to do evil or commit crime, will have to answer in the day of judgement. If a person chooses to do drugs, and as a result, their mental abilities were impaired, and they committed crimes in that state of mind, they will be held responsible for their decisions and actions.
If you know that certain drugs on the market could trigger suicidal thoughts, or undue violence against other persons, the decision to take those drugs will rest with the individual, if they have a choice in the matter. If the person did not know, then the matter will be decided by God, who sees all and knows all.
In cases where mind altering drugs may have caused persons to do the unthinkable, while in that state of mind, when they do come to themselves and realize what they have done, they would have to label their actions as sin, and confess to God. But never must it be said that it was an innocent act.
Many years ago, after smoking some Ganja, a man drove a car at high speed though the suburbs, and almost caused several accidents, by which persons could have been killed. It was the hallucinatory drug that interfered with rational thought, and thus, even though he was not presently aware of what he was doing, he is responsible for taking the drug.
During the Covid pandemic, the use of alcohol shot up significantly, because many people became very depressed, after weeks and months of isolation. In an effort to deal with the loneliness, some resorted to drinking. However, if in that state of mind they killed someone, they would have been responsible.
Drunk drivers who kill other persons unawares are not let off the hook on claims of innocence, because they didn’t know what they were doing in that state of mind. They are charged with manslaughter, even though they were oblivious at the time.
Could they be pardoned, yes, they can, can they find grace and mercy from God, yes, they can but the act has to be identified for what it is. Never can a claim of innocence be accepted, on a premise of impaired mental ability, as a result of deliberate alcohol use.
This leads us to Revelation chapters 13 and 14, for those two chapters represent the culmination of all decision making by the human family, either for life eternal or for never land. All throughout our life’s journey we have been making choices and decisions either in favor of Christ or in favor of the great rebel.
Choices in favor of the prince of darkness are often reasoned away on rational grounds, and excuses are made for indulgences that satisfy our cravings. But whatsoever might be the determining factors or the driving voices behind our decisions, at the end of the day we will own those choices.
Persons who will be sealed in their foreheads aren’t sealed suddenly out of the blue. It has to do with a long running decision making process which would eventually culminate in them being sealed by God for eternity.
No force is ever employed by God, and the human will is never coerced or bullied into submission. Yet, day by day, week by week month by month and year by year, choices are being made. These choices will eventually become habits, and habits go on to form the character.
Thus, over a period of many years, the habits and character become cemented in the person, so that when crunch time comes around, the real you will have already been formed. In fact, those who are God’s people, who are still in Babylon, would have been using their freedom of choice all along, to live in harmony with the light they had been receiving.
Thus, when present truth now dawns upon their consciences, they would do what they have always done, and that is to walk in the advancing light of knowledge and truth, because they had formed the habit of conscientiously obeying God to the best of their knowledge and conviction.
On the other hand, the mark of the beast would be urged upon all, and it will present real difficulty for persons who have made it a habit to make excuses. Under one pretext or another, when tough decisions had to be made in former years, when the truth and duty, clearly pointed out the way, some searched for loopholes to avoid the tough decisions.
And as a result, instead of building sterling character the mind was habituated to search for the easy way out, and thus, over a period of many years the habit was formed of taking the path of least resistance.
Therefore, in Revelation chapters 13 and 14, where our patterns of decision making are set to become permanent, persons should not expect to suddenly change course overnight, because of some looming emergency, if all along they have been obeying the other voices inside their heads.
At this point the prince of darkness will be seeking to make decisions in his favor permanent, and if he succeeds, like Judas, he will enter into persons and take entire control of the man. This is why the Bible does not use the word “Force” in Revelation chapter 13.
Instead, it repeats the word “Cause” because he will use his favorite, and most successful of snare, food. At that time, God will only be feeding persons who have made it a habit to trust in Him, but those who all along, have been seeking for loopholes to avoid doing God’s will, would have only two bad choices on the menu.
Some who hate Babylon, but never surrendered to Christ would have to choose between starvation, or taking the mark in order to live for a while, however, either way the result would be the same.
When the twin towers in New York city were hit by those planes, and the buildings were set on fire, the persons who got trapped on the higher floors were faced with two bad choices, either stay put, and be burned, or jump from the buildings. Any which way, the result would be the same.
Persons who are not found in Christ when the mark of the beast is unleashed, will be facing one of two bad choices. In fact, for those who understand what is coming in the future, the mark of the beast, on a personal level is really more about food than about the Sabbath, because there are many persons who now believe in the 7th day sabbath, who would end up taking the mark. Let’s read:
Revelation 13:16 And he causes all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads.
17 And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.
During the mark of the beast, the prince of darkness will seek total and irreversible dominion of the mind and he will use the channel of food, to bring about a condition where those who are not found in Christ, will find themselves between the devil and the deep blue sea.
This is the reason why in Revelation 13, the Bible uses the word Cause and not force, but if only bad choices are on the menu, most people will choose the better devil, so that their access to food could be reinstated.
And if and when folks go that route, they will come under the total and irreversible control of the prince of darkness, which in turn will seal their destiny for eternity. In other words, at that time, many persons will do whatsoever it takes to live, for in their minds the end justifies the means, a mode of thought the prince of darkness is all too familiar with. Let’s read:
Job 1:3 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that fears God, and hates evil? and still he holds fast his integrity, although you moved me against him, to destroy him without cause.
4 And Satan answered the Lord, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.
[The Great Controversy pp 614] The restraint which has been upon the wicked is removed, and Satan has entire control of the finally impenitent. The Spirit of God, persistently resisted, has been at last withdrawn. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.
The Christian in our day will hear other voices from time to time, beckoning us to turn from the straight and narrow path. It’s our choices and decisions that make all the difference, and if we desire to serve the Lord in sincerity and truth, He would bring us to that point where we know and obey His voice alone.
We therefore end with a passage of Scripture which will encourage us to obey the voice of God, whether through His word, His ordained servants, and most of all, His Holy Spirit. Let’s read:
Deuteronomy 4:29 But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, thou shalt find him, if thou seek him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.
30 When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter days, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and shall be obedient unto his voice.
God Bless!