Holy Scripture distinguishes between possession and demonic
influence, just as both are differentiated from mental and neurologic illness
(Matt. 4:24, 9:32; Mark 1:34; Luke 7:21, 8:2). Because of the especially
complicated nature of humanity, an exact explanation of the essence of
possession is difficult. It is clear, however, that it is distinct from simple
demonic influence, by which a spirit of darkness tries to incline the will of a
person to sin. In that condition a person maintains sovereignty over his acts,
and one who encounters temptation can expel it by prayer. Possession is also
distinct from that demonic influence by which the devil takes control of one's
reason and will.
Evidently, by possession an evil spirit gains
power over the nerves that provide motor-control of an organism, as if
inserting itself between the body and soul, so that a person loses control over
his movements and actions. However, it follows that with possession an evil
spirit does not have full control over the spiritual faculties of the
possessed: those faculties only appear to be unable to reveal themselves. The
soul remains able to think and feel on its own, but it is completely powerless
to control bodily functions.
Imagine that the soul is like a pianist and the
body is like a piano. One may, then, compare the evil spirit to a malicious
gorilla that has climbed between the pianist and his instrument and crazily
pounds the keys. Not having control over their own bodies, the possessed appear
to be the victims of the evil spirit who enthralled them, and, therefore, the
possessed appear not to be responsible for their acts. They are the slaves of
the evil spirit.
Possession may take different external forms.
Sometimes the possessed storm about and pulverize everything nearby, bringing
terror to those around them. In this form they occasionally display inhuman
strength, as, for example, the possessed Gadarene, who broke whatever chains
were used to try to fetter him (Mark 5:4). And they cause physical harm to
themselves, like the youth who threw himself into fire or water at the new moon
(Matt. 17:15). But occasionally possession displays itself in a quieter form,
when people lose for a time their natural abilities. So, for example, the
Gospels tell of the possessed mute who began to speak normally again as soon as
the Lord freed him of a demon. Or there is the example of the deformed woman
who was able to straighten herself after the Lord freed her from a devil. This
unfortunate person lived with a bent-over posture for eighteen years (Luke
13:11).
In some instances the possessed display
clairvoyance and the ability to prophesy. So, for example, there is the well-known
instance in the book of Acts of the young woman fortuneteller, a servant who
earned a good income for her masters by telling the future to people. When the
Apostle Paul expelled the demon from her, she lost this ability (Luke
16:16-19). Although possession began to disappear with the spreading of the
Christian faith, nevertheless it exists even today.
What leads to possession, and who gives the right
to an evil spirit to gain control of a person and to torture him? According to
the opinion of Prof. Kurt Koch, a German pastor who spent forty years of his
life on the problem of possession and wrote a series of serious studies on that
theme, in all the instances known to him the reason for possession was a
fascination with the occult: either the person himself was involved with the
occult at some time in his life, or he turned to servants of the occult for
help of some kind, or someone in his family had earlier been involved with the
occult. By the occult we mean such activities as the calling of spirits,
spiritualism, fortune-telling and going to fortune-tellers, yoga, extrasensory
perception, psychic healing, white and black magic, and, in general, activities
in which a person turns toward the servants of fallen spirits (even though not
consciously). In this way people involved with the occult put in danger not
only themselves but also their children and grandchildren.
In our time, a time of turning away from
Christianity and of increasing fascination with the occult, a greater and
greater quantity of people begin to fall under the power of evil spirits. It is
true that psychiatrists are embarassed to recognize the existence of evil
spirits, and, as a rule, they put cases of possession into one or another of
the categories of natural psychological illness. But the believing Christian
must understand that no kind of medicine and psychotherapy are able to expel
evil spirits. Here the power of God is essential.
Distinctive symptoms of possession that
distinguish it from natural psychological disorders are described here below
(Kurt E. Koch, Demonology Past and Present, Kregel Publications, Grand
Rapids, Michigan, 1973, pp. 31-52.):
- Turning away from
everything holy and related to God: Holy Communion, the Cross, the
Bible, holy water, icons, prosphoras, incense, prayer, and so forth.
Moreover, the possessed feels the presence of a holy object even when it
is hidden from view; it irritates him, makes him sick, and even brings him
to a state of violent behavior.
- Change of voice:
This symptom is not observed in cases of normal psychological disorders.
Because speech is controlled by the brain, over which the demons do not
have complete control, but only over the vocal chords, the sound of the
words that come out of the mouth of the possessed is unnatural.
- Clairvoyance:
Demons do not know the future, just as the angels don't know it: it is
known only to the Lord God. However, demons know the past and see much
more of the present than normal people. Being spirits, they are able to
nearly instantly communicate to the clairvoyant that which is happening
far away, even in another part of the world, so that to others present it
might seem as if the clairvoyant person knows the future. When the
clairvoyant predicts the future, the predictions are always only guesses.
The demons, having a vast experience of life and knowing much more about
people, sometimes are able to successfully predict what will happen. Of
course they are often mistaken. Besides that, sometimes their predictions
are fulfilled not because they were ordained to happen but because the
person himself, inspired by something regarding his future, begins
unconsciously to strive toward it and in this way facilitates the
realization of the prediction.
- Instant healing:
A psychiatrist might need many years to heal a patient suffering from a
mental disorder. Liberation from a demon happens in a moment, after which
all the signs of possession disappear and the person becomes normal.
- Instant
transmigration: There is a danger that an evil spirit inhabiting
someone is able to transmigrate instantly into either the person who is
trying to expel him or into members of the family of the possessed. This
symptom is distinct from the danger of contagion to which doctors and
psychiatrists are exposed. It is known that people who are continually
involved with the mentally ill can themselves begin to display different
psychological abnormalities. In this situation the patient himself does
not benefit from any reduction of that which "infects" his
doctor. But in instances of demonic transmigration, the person who had
been possessed is completely liberated from possession at the same time
that another person just as suddenly falls under the action of this
spirit.
The Lord Jesus Christ gave to His disciples
powerful means for the expulsion of demons; however, not everyone should
undertake this task. From the New Testament there is revealed one striking fact
in relation to evil spirits, namely that they absolutely are not able to
withstand the name of Christ:
the Lord Jesus Christ has a complete and irresistible power over them. During
the earthly life of the Lord, His Apostles noted that a certain person had
expelled demons by the name of Christ. Confused, they told Jesus about this and
asked His permission to forbid that man to use His name. But the Lord answered
them: "Forbid him not; for he that is not against us is for us" (Luke
9:50). Evidently, this unknown man truly believed in Christ, although he held
himself aloof.
However, it is dangerous for an ordinary person to
enter into battle with the unclean spirits, even having the weapon of the name
of Christ. The book of Acts tells of the tremendous impression produced on
everyone by the accomplishment of miracles by the Apostles and, in part, by the
expulsion of demons. And so, the sons of a Jewish priest named Sceva,
themselves not Christian but performing exocisms for the sake of profit, wanted
to try a new method, the one that the Apostles used: they started to call on the
name of Christ to drive out the demon from some possessed person. Suddenly the
possessed said to them: "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?"
And here he threw himself at the exorcists, and having overpowered them, he
brought such force to bear on them that they ran from the house naked and
unmercifully beaten (Acts 19:14-17).
Thus, one can see that it is necessary to call on
the name of Christ with great faith and reverence - for the sake of someone's
salvation and not for some practical goal or from vanity. In such a situation
it is especially important to oneself to be defended by the strength of Christ
that comes from a Christian way of life. In general, the matter of the
expulsion of demons is best of all left to people empowered for this by the
Church — priests, bishops, and spiritual elders. Any personal enthusiam and
daring in this matter are extraordinarily dangerous. The devil is a very
dangerous and crafty enemy. A person presumptuously entering into open battle
with him can pay very dearly for his thoughtlessness.
Demonic influence is distinguished from possession in that in the case of
demonic influence the devil seizes the very reason and will of
a person. In the case of possession the devil enslaves a person's body, but his
reason and will remain relatively free, although weakened. Of course the devil
is not able to enslave our reason and will coercively. He achieves this
subjugation gradually, to the degree that the person himself falls under the
devil's influence through his own aversion to God or through a sinful life.
An example of this diabolic, demonic influence can
be seen in the traitor Judas. The words of the Gospel, "Then entered
Satan into Judas" (Luke 22:3), speak not about the possession of the
disciple-traitor but about the enslavement of his will. Initially, Judas
subscribed to the kind and unselfish motives of the Apostles. But in a short
time he cooled toward Christ and became disenchanted with the usefulness of his
mission. So that his efforts would not completely go to waste, he began to
secretly reward himself from the general cashbox, to which kind people had
contributed for the needs of the Apostles and for aid for the poor. He himself
did not notice how the devil gradually darkened his consciousness and began to
direct his will. Finally, at the Last Supper the devil completely conquered the
unfortunate disciple and pulled him first to vile betrayal and then to suicide.
We see another example of demonic influence in the
Jewish leaders and scribes who were antagonistic toward Christ. They disputed
and rejected all that He said, and they censured and ridiculed all that was
greatest and most noble that He did. These proud men did not see how the devil
controlled their consciousness and will in order to hinder the salvation of
mankind. And this is the reason the Lord said to them: "Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do" (John
8:44). Over the period of the history of the Church, there have been many
similar antagonists to God, especially in the days of the Revolution in
much-suffering Russia.
People under demonic influence are not simply
people ignorant in a religious sense or ordinary sinners; these are people "In
whom the god of this world hath blinded their minds" (2 Cor. 4:4) and
whom he uses in the fight against God. The possessed are the pitiable victims
of the evil one; those under demonic influence are his active servants.
Addendum
Return to the first page
