The End of Demon Possession
In the last article (Here), we looked at the closing chapters of Zechariah which described the New Testament age. The prophet foresaw the piercing of the side of Jesus and the outpouring of the Spirit on Pentecost (Zech. 12:10). He also saw the smiting of the Shepherd in Gethsemane and the scattering of His sheep (Zech. 13:7; Matt. 26:31).
He looked at the day when a fountain would be opened in Jerusalem and its healing water would cleanse the world of sin and uncleanness (Zech. 13:1). You know who that Fountain is.
Then, in Zechariah 13:2, the prophet revealed a truth that so many have not seen. He prophesied that when the Messianic age came there would be the end of demon possession. “It shall be in that day…I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to depart from the land” (12:7). It is tragic that so many have failed to see this prophecy. Many believe that people today are demon possessed, and Hollywood has popularized the concept of the exorcism of demons. Look again at this verse. God foretold the day when there would be an end to demon possession.
Demon possession is rarely found in the Old Testament. Perhaps they might have been included in the diviners and those with familiar spirits mentioned there, but this is far different from those demons which possessed people in the New Testament and caused blindness, deafness, inability to speak, a child casting himself into the fire and superhuman strength to Legion. Demons could even be found in a heard of swine (Luke 8:30-32).
Those demons in Luke eight recognized that Jesus was the Son of God and that His work included casting them into the abyss of the bottomless pit (Matt. 8:28; Luke 8:31). They knew it was eventually going to happen, but questioned Jesus if that time had fully come. Obviously, it had not, so they were sent into the swine.
Demon possession is rarely found in either the Old Testament or after the ascension of Jesus. Study Matthew 12 to see Jesus’ discussion of what was happening as He cast out demons. He was doing this to bind the strong man (Satan) before the Lord entered the house Satan possessed. Jesus entered that house and came out of Hades possessing the keys. Satan was ruined for he no longer could trouble men by the fear they had of death (Heb. 2:14-15). Study these passages carefully. Jesus had to visibly show, by casting out demons, that He and His apostles had power over Satan.
We misunderstand demons because we have been more influenced by false teaching (and movies) than by the Bible. Study the Bible more deeply. It is truly a light to us.