In 1 Samuel 16:14-15 we see that Saul was troubled by an “evil spirit” that was sent by God. Does this mean that God caused an evil “spirit being” to possess Saul and trouble him? That would mean that God was practicing “spiritism” (sorcery) which He forbids. No, what makes more sense is that Saul was troubled by an evil disposition or state of mind that caused him to be disturbed, agitated, and irritated.
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David's harp playing soothed Saul's mind and spirit.
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Saul became jealous of David and throws his
javelin at him. - 1 Samuel 18:6 |
Would such a mythical being even be afraid of a mere mortal? No, what makes better sense is that Saul became fearful of David and evil motives (twisted thoughts, mental disposition, spirit of jealousy) came upon Saul causing him to want to kill David. Read 1 Samuel 19 for a similar example.
In Luke 6:18 we read, “And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed.” There is no mention of removing so-called supernatural "unclean beings" from them. The preaching of the gospel (the giving of truth) cured them. |
Luke 7:21 states “And in that same hour he [Jesus] cured many of their infirmities and plagues, and of evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he gave sight.”
Those inclined to “spiritism” would say this shows that Jesus cured people of wicked spirit beings that lived within them (“evil spirits”). However, from our understanding of “spirit” we know that Jesus cured them of unclean (impure) states of mind, dispositions, evil, twisted thinking. He opened their blinded eyes (closed minds) to God's spiritual light. Acts 19:11-20 is used by many “spiritualists” (believers in demonism) to prove that “evil spirits” (demons, devils) refer to wicked living supernatural beings |
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Curious Arts (Acts 19:19), magical arts; jugglery [trickery] practiced by the Ephesian conjurers. Ephesus was noted for its wizard and the Ephesian spells; i.e., charms or scraps of parchment written over with certain formula, which were worn as a safeguard against all manner of evils. The more important and powerful of these charms were written out in books which circulated among the exorcists, and were sold at a great price. kingjamesbibleonline.org |
Verse 19 states, “Many of them which also used curious arts brought their books together, and burned them before all men…” The phrase “curious arts” could have accurately been rendered “magic practices” (a reference to sorcery and witchcraft) which obviously refers back to the “exorcists” mentioned in verse 13. Because they burned their books, they must have realized that their magic practice was exposed as a hoax and a fraud and was used to manipulate people. |
Matthew 10:1 states, “And when he [Jesus] had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power [authority] against unclean [#169] spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Some believers in demonism (spiritism) try to say this verse proves that Jesus gave His disciples the magical power to “exorcise” evil “spirit beings.” This is a natural conclusion if someone is oriented toward a belief in spiritism (demonism), as many are today. A correct understanding of the meaning of “spirit”, however, indicates that what Jesus did was to give His disciples the authority to heal people with unclean dispositions (those with impure motives, attitudes or twisted mind sets), by teaching them truth: the gospel of Christ’s reign and the New Covenant life He gives.
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Verse 24 indicates that the man apparently feared that Jesus was in some manner going to expose or judge him for his wickedness. After Jesus rebuked him, the man was torn. He was obviously mentally "torn" and was probably wrenching and cringing, contorting (acting strangely). However, the man was unable to resist Jesus who freed him from the burden of his bad spirit (disposition), i.e. Jesus healed him: made him whole. This story describes a miraculous healing (change of disposition or state of mind), not an account of Jesus’ struggle with some kind of supernatural being.
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A second record of this account can be found in Matthew 17:14-18 which uses different terminology. In verse 15 the son is “lunatic” which comes from the word “lunar” meaning “moon” and is translated from the Greek word “seleniazomai” (#4583 in Strong’s) and is defined as “to be moon-struck, i.e. crazy.” He was considered “moon-struck” because he was having some kind of seizure which caused him to lose bodily control (he fell and thrashed about); he was acting crazy or insane. Now the word “lunatic” doesn’t literally refer to the moon. Rather it is an idiomatic
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expression used to describe a person who exhibits crazy or insane behavior. The boy was obviously suffering from some sort of nervous or mental disorder (most likely epilepsy). Verse 18 uses the word “devil” again to refer to the boy’s mental disorder. Similar to the word “lunatic,” the word “devil” is an idiomatic expression and
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Idiomatic expressions are a type of informal English that have a meaning different from the meaning of the words in the expression. Here's an example of an idiomatic expression. Hold your tongue. Idiomatic Expressions - English Grammar Revolution |
What was Jesus’ mission?
Jesus came in the flesh, in the physical world, to flesh-and-blood mankind to heal them (i.e. to change sinful man). People were sick and Jesus was the cure. To suggest that Jesus was some kind of "mystic or ghost buster" relegates the glory of the gospel to the level of pagan mysticism and superstition. |