Mark 5:2 And when he was come 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. 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.
This passage of scripture when studied correctly reveals one of the most solemn and sacred truths pertaining to our ongoing existence on this planet, which as shown, is attributable to God and God alone. The man in question here was possessed by at least 6000 devils who had taken up residence internally, and who now controlled his thoughts and actions, so that he had no control of himself. But when he saw Jesus, it occurred to him in the dark recesses of his mind that the Person he saw was the only One who could help him, and in desperation he tried to ask for help, but his inner desire was prevented from being expressed by the sheer force of the demons that controlled him.
But the highlight of this incident is not only that the man was instantaneously delivered by the Omnipotent power of Christ, but that the devils had to ask permission of Jesus to enter into the swine, and it was only after permission was granted that they were allowed to wreak havoc on the illegal livestock that were being raised for human consumption. The fact that they had to ask first is of great comfort to us who are living in an evil world filled with billions and billions of evil angels who are bent on the destruction of the human family. Even though their existence is denied by many who think themselves intelligent, yet, were it not for the constant, Omnipotent, restraining power of God exercised continually in our behalf, the world as we know it would have long been obliterated by the deadly work of evil spirits. Let's read:
John 8:39 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. 40 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. 41 Ye do the deeds of your father". 44 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.
The current violence and bloodshed we are witnessing daily in the middle east is the direct result of demon possession, but because they are hidden from view, many people erroneously believe that the perpetrators of these crimes against humanity are acting on their own accord. And because of a disbelief in the teachings of the Bible on this very point, we are now found searching for solutions to an invisible problem, that is scheduled to deteriorate dramatically as the days go by.
But demon possession is not only manifested in deeds of violence and murder, for according to the scripture we just read, they also possess the minds of liars. The now defamed Brian Williams of NBC news, who deliberately told lies about his time spent with the army in foreign countries, and who continued to perpetrate something he knew wasn't true, is a manifestation of demon possession, for satan is not only a murderer, but also the father of lies. The fact is that all human beings, whether dressed in black masks, or in savvy suits and ties, were either possessed at some level in the past, or are currently possessed to some degree, depending on whether the spirit of God dwells within us or not. This sobering truth is stated unequivocally in the scriptures, with the hope that we will entreat the restraining power of God to be exercised in our hearts and minds each day. Let's read:
2nd Timothy 2:24 And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, 25 In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; 26 And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.
Romans 8:6 For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. 9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
A lack of knowledge of the restraining power of God causes some Christians to believe that in and of ourselves we can do what is right and pleasing in God's sight, merely by reading the Bible and trying to put into practice that which we have read. But the very worst thing that we can do is to try to do the right thing without God, for we will certainly be overthrown and conquered by our powerful foe, who possesses much more formidable will power than any fallen human being has of themselves, and thus it is of critical importance for us to depend daily on Christ to restrain us from doing evil. David once tried to do the right thing without God and he ended up slaying a man and having his wife.
We therefore end with a passage of scripture which encourages us to recognize and implore God's restraining power in our lives, and if we do we will discover that we can indeed live victoriously from day to day, through Christ who strengthens us. Let's read:
Jude 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
May The Lord add his blessing to the study and practice of His every word. God bless!