WUAS continues to receive questions and requests for help regarding demonic torment and possession because there is increasing fear and awareness of this phenomenon. My recommendations for achieving freedom from demonic torment are presented in this short video series.
During the past two months, we have studied King Saul’s descent into demonic torment. Ultimately, he committed the unpardonable sin and the Lord refused to speak to him again. (1 Samuel 28:6) Two years ago, I spoke with a woman who was worried she had committed the unpardonable sin. She believed she had rejected the Holy Spirit and thought she was forever lost. She could not sleep; she was paralyzed with fear. She wanted to know if she could be saved. Can a demon possess a person who has not committed the unpardonable sin?
Deliverance from Demon Possession is Possible!
A person can slide into demonic territory and be tormented by demons without committing the unpardonable sin. A story found in Mark 5:1–20 and also Matthew 8:28–34 illustrates this point. A demon-possessed man (or two men, depending on the gospel account) lived among the tombs on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. If anyone tried to subdue him, the demons would use supernatural strength and break the chains. “Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.” (Mark 5:5) When Jesus arrived, the man bowed before Him and a demon spoke through his mouth shouting, “ ‘What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? [Notice, the demon knew who Jesus was even though Israel did not.] Swear to God that You won’t torture me!’ For Jesus had said to him, ‘Come out of this man, you evil spirit!’ ” (Mark 5:7–8, insertion mine)
Jesus sent the demons into a nearby herd of pigs which immediately rushed down a steep bank into the lake and drowned. The townspeople who saw or heard about the event were amazed and frightened and pleaded with Jesus to leave town. The key element in this story is after Jesus cast the demons out, “The man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with Him [Jesus]. Jesus did not let him, but said, ‘Go home to your family and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you.’ So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis [a large area on the eastern border of the Roman Empire] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.” (Mark 5:18–20, insertions mine)
From outward appearances, this man had committed the unpardonable sin. A demon possessed and controlled him. Yet, even in his darkest and most painful hour, the Holy Spirit was still present. After Jesus set him free, the Holy Spirit did a great work within him. He had a firsthand testimony that attested to Jesus’ divinity. This story should encourage individuals who worry they have traveled too far down the path of sin to ever find a way out!
Corporate Blasphemy
Certain groups of people have become so hardened by sin (Mark 5) redemption is impossible. For example, when the Holy Spirit sees a nation or city reach a point where degeneracy is overpowering, He tells the Father and God’s wrath breaks out. Often, God’s judgments are mixed with mercy because He wants to save those who will repent. God’s management of the curse of sin explains the rise and fall of many nations. Even Nineveh, which repented for a time, had to be destroyed because it reverted to its sinful ways.
We must not forget the Lord destroyed the world in Noah’s day because the antediluvians were unwilling to repent. The Lord offered a plan for safety, but only eight persons took advantage of His mercy. The Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah. And, if you properly understand Daniel 9 and Matthew 23, the Lord destroyed His own people and Jerusalem in A.D. 70 for rebellion. When God destroys a group for degenerate behavior, He does not necessarily condemn everyone within the group even though the righteous perish with the wicked. When Jesus judges the victims of God’s wrath, each person is judged on his own merits, according to his life’s record. Therefore, God provides mercy for individuals in a condemned group even when there is no mercy for the group. Incidentally, we are about to experience this scenario. The Lord will soon kill approximately two billion people (one fourth of Earth’s population – Revelation 6:7,8) because the world has reached a point of no return. However, in God’s mercy, He will save righteous individuals killed by the coming judgments!
It takes much rebellion and defiance to commit the unpardonable sin. The Holy Spirit loves us immensely, as does the Father and Jesus. The Bible does not say much about the unpardonable sin, but Jesus gave us a clear definition for both this age and the age to come! Jesus said, “And so I tell you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven. Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.” (Matthew 12:31–32, italics mine)
BOLO = “Be On the Look Out” for Demonic Activity!
Demonic activity will continue to increase until Jesus returns. The devil is furious with God because he has failed to usurp God’s throne and Satan knows as surely as Jesus died on the cross, he and his demons will receive God’s justice. “But woe to the Earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” (Revelation 12:12) Satan will utilize any foothold to gain control of a person’s life. Be sober and vigilant, because the devil lurks behind every temptation. Some Christians believe they are not susceptible to demonic torment because the Holy Spirit has placed a “security fence” around them. Do not be fooled; demons are actively working to break the fence. They specialize in areas where we are most vulnerable. The devil will do everything possible to ruin a Christian because it “kills two birds with one stone!” First, there may be one less person receiving eternal life. Second, when a Christian falls, his example negatively impacts others. The devil knows one Christian’s failure has the potential to make others within his circle of influence also fall. Non-Christians are sometimes jubilant when a “so-called” Christian fails, especially if he is a religious leader. Of course, the family and friends of fallen Christians are sorrowful when they see a brother or sister fall. Sin always creates turmoil in the church; social consequences follow because of differences on Christian discipline. (See wake-up.org/?p=3878 and wake-up.org/?p=3910.) We must always be on guard! BOLO!
Have I Committed the Unpardonable Sin?
We often receive this question, “Have I committed the unpardonable sin?” This is often followed by a second question, “Will Jesus save me since I am so unworthy of being saved?” Satan uses these questions to discourage people. We have seen in this study Jesus does rescue people who seem to have no chance of being saved.
If you are concerned you may have committed the unpardonable sin, you have not! Those who have committed the unpardonable sin, do not have spiritual interest because they are spiritually dead. Therefore, if you are worried about the unpardonable sin, it is the Holy Spirit working within you. He has not given up on you! Jesus calls us to repentance when we are most likely to respond and the Holy Spirit relays the call! Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, Jesus encourages us to understand and accept the wonderful gifts of sanctification and justification.
If you are a captive of your sinful nature or demonic torment, if you are burdened with guilt and self-loathing, stop and ask Jesus to send the Holy Spirit so you can be transformed and set free. Do it today! The name of Jesus has power! Each day, ask Jesus to heal you of your rebellion and give you victory over sin. Then believe He has heard your prayer. Surrender your life to Jesus and follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Tell the Lord you want to learn and exalt His teachings; you want to live and love as He did. The Holy Spirit can make a born-again saint out of a sinner in no time! Of course, if a person repeatedly insists on living and dying in his sin, the Holy Spirit has to accept his exercise of free will. Only when the Holy Spirit has done everything possible short of violating the power of choice, will He cease working for that person’s redemption.
The Great Tribulation will soon begin. There will be 144,000 servants of God speaking for Jesus and performing miracles. There will also be at least 144,000 false prophets speaking for Lucifer and performing miracles. The Holy Spirit will work through God’s servants with great power to convince people they need to comply with four testing messages sent from God’s throne. Complying with these four messages will be difficult because of persecution. Be encouraged, the Holy Spirit will give us strength and courage as needed if we obey the gospel of Jesus! This is how the sheep will be separated from the goats!
Would You Have Thought Jesus Committed Blasphemy?
If you were alive when Jesus began His ministry, what would you have thought of Him? Imagine you are living in A.D. 27. First, Jesus is homely and unremarkable in appearance. (Isaiah 53:2) He is 30 years old and still a pauper! He is a common laborer… a carpenter. He is from a village known for rebellion (Nazareth) and we know His mother and brothers. (John 2:12) He claims to have come from Heaven, but He was born in Bethlehem. By worldly standards, He is uneducated (John 7:15) and so are His young disciples. (Acts 4:13) Although He speaks with sincerity and works miracles, His words are difficult to understand and the significance of His parables makes no sense. You have to ask yourself how He can claim to be the Son of God when His claim violates the Scriptures which states there is only one God. If He actually is the “Son of God,” He is a second God which is impossible. Everyone in Israel knows when Messiah comes, He will overthrow the Romans and establish God’s kingdom. Jesus makes no effort to do this. Finally, the high priest with all the priests, scribes, and experts reject His claims saying He is blasphemous. What would you say?
This little description of the environment that confronted Jesus hopefully shows you how easy it must have been to reject Him. What we see with our eyes is rarely the whole story. We need Holy Spirit discernment or we will make horrible decisions that have eternal consequences! Paul wrote, “The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and cannot understand them, because they are spiritually [Holy Spirit] discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14, insertion mine)
Very few people received Jesus as the Messiah when He was on Earth because most people did not have Holy Spirit discernment. Most people do not have Holy Spirit discernment today. When the 144,000 begin their ministry, they will look like ordinary people. They will be speaking the testimony of Jesus the same way Jesus spoke the testimony of the Father. “For I did not speak of My own accord, but the Father who sent Me commanded Me what to say and how to say it.” (John 12:49) The whole world will be confronted with God’s truth; the wicked will persecute and torture and kill the 144,000 just like Israel’s leaders crucified Jesus.
Of course, all who are led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14) will eventually recognize Jesus is speaking through the 144,000. They will rejoice and embrace God’s messages and overcome the world through faith! When Jesus sees saints passing testing truths, He will put His seal of ownership in their foreheads and rescue them from bondage of the sinful nature. This freedom will be far more extraordinary than being delivered from Egyptian or Babylonian slavery. What do you think?
