'The Great
Controversy-
Chapter XXXI- Agency
of Evil Spirits
The connection of
the visible with the invisible world, the ministration of angels of God, and
the agency of evil spirits, are plainly revealed in the Scriptures, and
inseparably interwoven with human history.
There is a growing
tendency to disbelief in the existence of evil spirits, while the holy angels
that “minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation,” [Hebrews 1:14.] are
regarded by many as the spirits of the dead.
But the Scriptures
not only teach the existence of angels, both good and evil, but present
unquestionable proof that these are not the disembodied spirits of dead men.
Before the creation
of man, angels were in existence; for when the foundations of the earth were
laid, “the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for
joy.” [Job 38:7.]. After the fall of man, angels were sent to guard the tree of
life, and this before a human being had died.
Angels are in nature
superior to men. For the psalmist says that man was made “a little lower than
the angels.” [Psalm 8:5.] We are informed in Scripture as to the number, and
the power and glory, of the heavenly beings, of their connection with the government
of God, and also of their relation to the work of redemption. “The Lord hath
prepared his throne in the heavens; and his kingdom ruleth over all.” And, says
the prophet, “I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne.” In the
presence-chamber of the King of kings they wait—“angels that excel in
strength,” “ministers of his, that do his pleasure,” “hearkening unto the voice
of his word.” [Psalm 103:19-21; Revelation 5:11.] Ten thousand times ten
thousand and thousands of thousands, were the heavenly messengers beheld by the
prophet Daniel. The apostle Paul declared them “an innumerable company.”
[Daniel 7:10; Hebrews12:22.]
As God’s messengers
they go forth, like “the appearance of a flash of lightning,” [Ezekiel 1:14.] so
dazzling their glory, and so swift their flight. The angel that appeared at the
Saviour’s tomb, his countenance “like lightning, and his raiment white as snow,” caused the keepers for fear of him to
quake, and they “became as dead men.” [Matthew 28:3, 4.]
When Sennacherib,
the haughty Assyrian, reproached and blasphemed God, and threatened Israel with
destruction, “it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp
of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand.” There were “cut off
all the mighty men of valor, and the leaders and captains,” from the army of
Sennacherib. “So he returned with shame of face to his own land.” [2 Kings
19:35; 2 Chronicles 32:21.]
Angels are sent on
missions of mercy to the children of God. To Abraham, with promises of
blessing; to the gates of Sodom, to rescue righteous Lot from its fiery doom; to
Elijah, as he was about to perish from weariness and hunger in the desert; to
Elisha, with chariots and horses of fire surrounding the little town where he
was shut in by his foes; to Daniel, while seeking divine wisdom in the court of
a heathen king, or abandoned to become
the lions’ prey; to Peter, doomed to death in Herod’s dungeon; to the prisoners
at Philippi; to Paul and his companions in the night of tempest on the sea; to
open the mind of Cornelius to receive the gospel; to dispatch Peter, with the
message of salvation to the Gentile stranger,—thus holy angels have, in all
ages, ministered to God’s people. A guardian angel is appointed to every
follower of Christ. These heavenly watchers shield the righteous from the power
of the wicked one. This Satan himself recognized when he said, “Doth Job fear
God for naught? Hast not thou made a hedge about him, and about his house, and
about all that he hath on every side?” [Job 1:9, 10.]
The agency by which
God protects his people is presented in the words of the psalmist, “The angel
of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”
[Psalm 34:7.] Said the Saviour, speaking of those that believe in him, “Take
heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in
Heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father.” [Matthew 18:10.]
The angels appointed
to minister to the children of God have at all times access to his presence.
Thus God’s people,
exposed to the deceptive power and unsleeping malice of the prince of darkness,
and in conflict with all the forces of evil, are assured of the unceasing
guardianship of heavenly angels. Nor is such assurance given without need. If
God has granted to his children promise of grace and protection, it is because
there are mighty agencies of evil to be met,—agencies numerous, determined, and
untiring, of whose malignity and power none can safely be ignorant or
unheeding. Evil spirits, in the beginning created sinless, were equal in
nature, power, and glory with the holy beings that are now God’s messengers.
But fallen through sin, they are leagued together for the dishonor of God and
the destruction of men. United with Satan in his rebellion, and with him cast
out from Heaven, they have, through all succeeding ages, co-operated with him
in his warfare against the divine authority. We are told in Scripture of their
confederacy and government, of their various orders, of their intelligence and
subtlety, and of their malicious designs against the peace and happiness of
men. Old Testament history presents occasional mentions of their existence and
agency; but it was during the time when Christ was upon the earth that evil
spirits manifested their power in the most striking manner.
Christ had come to
enter upon the plan devised for man’s redemption, and Satan determined to
assert his right to control the world. He had succeeded in establishing
idolatry in every part of the earth except the land of Palestine. To the only
land that had not fully yielded to the tempter’s sway, Christ came to shed upon
the people the light of Heaven. Here two rival powers claimed supremacy.
Jesus was stretching
out his arms of love, inviting all who would to find pardon and peace in him.
The hosts of darkness saw that they did not possess unlimited control, and they
understood that if Christ’s mission should be successful, their rule was soon
to end. Satan raged like a chained lion, and defiantly exhibited his power over
the bodies as well as the souls of men. The fact that men have been possessed
with demons, is clearly stated in the New Testament. The persons thus afflicted
were not merely suffering with disease from natural causes. Christ had perfect
understanding of that with which he was dealing, and he recognized the direct
presence and agency of evil spirits. A striking example of their number, power,
and malignity, and also of the power and mercy of Christ, is given in the
Scripture account of the healing of the demoniacs at Gadara. Those wretched
maniacs, spurning all restraint, writhing, foaming, raging, were filling the air
with their cries, doing violence to themselves, and endangering all who should
approach them. Their bleeding and disfigured bodies and distracted minds
presented a spectacle well-pleasing to the prince of darkness. One of the
demons controlling the sufferers declared, “My name is Legion; for we are
many.” [Mark 5:9.] In the Roman army a legion consisted of from three to five
thousand men. Satan’s hosts also are marshaled in companies, and the single
company to which these demons belonged numbered no less than a legion.
At the command of
Jesus, the evil spirits departed from their victims ,leaving them calmly
sitting at the Saviour’s feet, subdued, intelligent, and gentle. But the demons
were permitted to sweep a herd of swine into the sea; and to the dwellers of
Gadara the loss of these outweighed the blessings which Christ had bestowed,
and the divine Healer was entreated to depart. This was the result which Satan
designed to secure. By casting the blame of their loss upon Jesus, he aroused
the selfish fears of the people, and prevented them from listening to his words.
Satan is constantly
accusing Christians as the cause of loss, misfortune, and suffering, instead of
allowing the reproach to fall where it belongs, upon himself and his agents.
But the purposes of
Christ were not thwarted. He allowed the evil spirits to destroy the herd of
swine as a rebuke to those Jews who were raising these unclean beasts for the
sake of gain. Had not Christ restrained the demons, they would have plunged into
the sea, not only the swine, but also their keepers and owners. The
preservation of both the keepers and the owners was due alone to his power,
mercifully exercised for their deliverance.
Furthermore, this
event was permitted to take place that the disciples might witness the cruel
power of Satan upon both man and beast. The Saviour desired his followers to
have a knowledge of the foe whom they were to meet, that they might not be
deceived and overcome by his devices. It was also his will that the people of
that region should behold his power to break the bondage of Satan and release
his captives. And though Jesus himself departed, the men so marvelously
delivered remained to declare the mercy of their Benefactor.
Other instances of a
similar nature are recorded in the Scriptures. The daughter of the
Syro-Phenician woman was grievously vexed with a devil, whom Jesus cast out by
his word. [Mark 7:26-30.] One “possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb,”
[Matthew 12:22.] a youth who had a dumb spirit, that ofttimes “cast him into
the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him,” [Mark 9:17-27.] the maniac, who,
tormented by “a spirit of an unclean devil,” [Luke 4:33-36.] disturbed the
Sabbath quiet of the synagogue at Capernaum, were all healed by the
compassionate Saviour. In nearly every instance, Christ addressed the demon as
an intelligent entity, commanding him to come out of his victim and to torment
him no more. The worshipers at Capernaum, beholding his mighty power, “were all
amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with
authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.”
[Luke 4:33-36.]
Those possessed with
devils are usually represented as being in a condition of great suffering; yet
there were exceptions to this rule. For
the sake of obtaining supernatural power,
some welcomed the Satanic influence. These of course had no conflict with the
demons. Of this class were those who possessed the spirit of divination,—Simon
Magus, Elymas the sorcerer, and the damsel who followed Paul and Silas at
Philippi.
None are in greater
danger from the influence of evil spirits than are those who, notwithstanding
the direct and ample testimony of the Scriptures, deny the existence and agency
of the devil and his angels. So long as we are ignorant of their wiles, they have
almost inconceivable advantage; many give heed to their suggestions while they
suppose themselves to be following the dictates of their own wisdom. This is
why, as we approach the close of time, when Satan is to work with greatest
power to deceive and destroy, he spreads everywhere the belief that he does not
exist. It is his policy to conceal himself and his manner of working. There is
nothing that the great deceiver fears so much as that we shall become
acquainted with his devices. The better to disguise his real character and
purposes, he has caused himself to be so represented as to excite no stronger
emotion than ridicule or contempt. He is well pleased to be painted as a
ludicrous or loathsome object, misshapen, half animal and half human. He is
pleased to hear his name used in sport and mockery by those who think
themselves intelligent and well-informed. It is because he has masked himself
with consummate skill that the question is so widely asked, “Does such a being
really exist?”
It is an evidence of his success that theories
giving the lie to the plainest testimony of the Scriptures are so generally
received in the religious world. And it is because Satan can most readily
control the minds of those who are unconscious of his influence that the Word of
God gives us so many examples of his malignant work, unveiling before us his
secret forces, and thus placing us on our guard against his assaults. The power
and malice of Satan and his host might justly alarm us, were it not that we may
find shelter and deliverance in the superior power of our Redeemer. We carefully
secure our houses with bolts and locks to protect our property and our lives
from evil men; but we seldom think of the evil angels who are constantly
seeking access to us, and against whose attacks we have, in our own strength,
no method of defense. If permitted, they can distract our minds, disorder,
torment our bodies, destroy our possessions and our lives. Their only delight
is in misery and destruction. Fearful is the condition of those who resist the
divine claims, and yield to Satan’s temptations, until God gives them up to the
control of evil spirits. But those who follow Christ are ever safe under his
watch care. Angels that excel in strength are sent from Heaven to protect them.
The wicked one cannot break through the guard which God has stationed about his
people.'
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