Is it right to pray for demons to die?

QUESTION:Is it correct to pray this prayer which our pastors in Nigeria and elsewhere in Africa urge us to pray: “All demonic beings both physical and spiritual should die”? Also, can someone be a “demon destroyer” as some of our pastors claim to be?


Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr. Grace & Truth Magazine (adapted).

Demons are fallen angels. They followed Lucifer, who is now called Satan (meaning “the adversary”), in his rebellion against God. The demons are spirit beings that have chosen to follow and serve Satan instead of continuing in the role for which God made them – “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14 NKJV). Evidently, there are rankings among these mighty beings, for in Mark 9:29 after the disciples asked the Lord why they had not been able to cast out the demon that from childhood on had possessed a certain boy, He told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer and fasting.” Also, Ephesians 6:12 tells us that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Angelic beings cannot be destroyed. God has prepared hell for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). Hell, also called “the lake of fire,” is where Satan and his demons will be tormented forever and ever (Rev. 20:10). It is a place of eternal separation from God and in this sense is “everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power” (2 Th. 1:9). It is not annihilation or a ceasing to exist. Furthermore, it is God, not man, who will inflict this punishment upon Satan and his host of demons as well as upon all who have sided with him in rebellion against God and His Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. It is foolish assumption for any person, whether preacher or otherwise, to claim to be a “demon destroyer.”

Such people have little comprehension of the power and rank of Satan and his principalities and powers. In Daniel 10 we see that demons have tremendous power and exercise evil influence on the affairs of the nations of this world. Jude tells us in verse 9 of his brief epistle that the archangel (chief angel) Michael did not dare to bring a reviling accusation against the devil, but simply said, “The Lord rebuke you.” He would probably class such self-styled “demon destroyers” among those who he says in the next verse, “speak evil of whatever they do not know.”

Nowhere in God’s Word are believers told to seek out demons to destroy them. Our Lord Jesus encountered many demon-possessed persons and cast out the demons. He did not destroy them. In the case presented to us in Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20 and Luke 8:26-39 we find the demons pleading to be allowed to enter a herd of pigs and the Lord’s permitting of this. In their malevolence [evil, hostility] they made the pigs run violently down a steep place into the sea and drown. This caused the people of the area to beg the Lord to leave their region. The Lord gave His twelve disciples “power and authority over all demons” (Lk. 9:1), and the seventy He sent out in Luke 10:17-20 came back rejoicing that even the demons were subject to them in His name. The Acts records a number of instances of the early Christians casting out unclean spirits and healing those who had been possessed by them. However, nowhere do we find God’s people seeking out demon-possessed people to deal with the demons. Invariably we find that such people were brought to them or that they encountered such persons as they went about their activities for the Lord. In fact, in Acts 16:16-18 we find that Paul put up with the demon-possessed slave girl many days before commanding the demon to come out of her.

But casting out demons is not destroying them. Rather than being physical beings, demons are spirit beings and as such they do not die. It is thus pointless to pray that “all demonic beings both physical and spiritual should die.” Instead, we are told to “submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7). Satan will attack, whether violently as a roaring lion (1 Pet. 5:8), or through temptation as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14-15). He had the audacity [arrogance] to attack the Lord Jesus in this latter way, seeking to seduce Him from His pathway of perfect obedience to the will of God.

The Lord still enables His own to cast out demons, but this can only be done in utter dependence upon Him. Boastful self-dependence is entirely out of place in combat against such powerful foes. Thank God, however, they are defeated foes. Our Lord Jesus defeated Satan and all his power at Calvary. The hosts of evil can be overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the word of the testimony of those who love Him (Rev. 12:11). It is a mistake to seek out the hosts of evil to challenge them, but when we walk with the Lord we can count upon His help against all the onslaughts of the enemy. God’s Word tells us: “I want you to be wise in what is good and simple concerning evil. And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Rom. 16:19-20). Occupation with our Lord Jesus and dependence upon Him will give us present strength, and the future is sure. First John 4:4 assures us that the One indwelling us is greater than the one in the world. Ephesians 6:10-18 presents to us the whole armor of God. We are to put on this armor so that we may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

More could be said on this subject, but let it suffice to say it is much better to follow God’s instructions and directions given us in the Holy Scriptures than to try to fight Satan’s demons in our own strength or according to the erroneous teachings of men, whoever they may be or claim to be.

Where do people go when they die?

Answered by Alan H. Crosby

Some translations of the Bible seem to say that when Christ died He went to “hell.” Better translations use the word “hades,” which is simply the region of departed spirits. But we then ask, “What about us when we die?” 

What Happens At Death 
Death occurs when the soul-spirit leaves the body: “The body without the spirit is dead” (Jas. 2:26 NIV). The body is subject to all the physical, chemical and biological changes common to ordinary matter. We say it “decays” or “burns up.” The Bible simply says, “dust you are and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19).

For centuries humans have wondered about the soul-spirit when asking about a dead person: “Where is he?” (Job 20:7). The body goes into the grave, but where does the soul-spirit go? That of the people of faith of the Old and New Testaments goes to one place while that of unbelievers goes to another, as we will shortly see.

Everybody will be resurrected but not at the same time. There are those who “will rise to live” and there are those who will “rise to be condemned” (Jn. 5:28-29). The separation of the soul-spirit from the body is an unnatural state that came about as a result of Satan’s work. God will not allow that condition to continue indefinitely.

The Consequence Of Death For The Unbeliever 
Where do the soul-spirits of unbelievers go at death? This question is answered by our Lord’s account of what happened to the rich man and to Lazarus. The rich man, apparently an unbeliever, died and went to “hades, where he was in torment” (Lk. 16:22-23). According to Vine’s Dictionary Of Old And New Testament Words, “hades” is simply “the region of departed spirits” and “hell” is the region of torment, also called geena or gehennaGehenna was also a place outside Jerusalem where there was always a fire and hence was a picture of the eternal fire of torment. The unbelievers, those in “hell,” are spiritually dead and their names are not in the Book of Life. They will receive their sentence at the great white throne – being sentenced to an eternal existence of suffering in the “lake of fire” (Rev. 20:11-15). At the end of time, “death and hades” will be thrown into the lake of fire. There is the place in hades where the soul-spirit of the unbeliever suffers before he is resurrected “to be condemned,” followed then by the lake of fire where he will suffer after the resurrection and judgment.

The Consequence Of Death For The Believer 
The crucified thief who repented of his sins (Lk. 23:40-43) died and went to “paradise,” the same place where the Lord went when He died! Paradise is a Persian word referring to a royal park, and then it was taken into the Greek to express the sum total of blessedness. In Revelation 2:7 it refers to heaven. Apparently paradise is the Bible word for the same place that the Jews called “Abraham’s side” (bosom, KJV) and which Paul speaks of as the place that believers go to when they are “away from the body and at home with the Lord” (2 Cor. 5:8)

Believers, both living and dead, will be raptured and given new bodies to live with the Lord forever (1 Th. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 15:52-54). The believer in the Lord Jesus Christ will never face judgment for any sin because all our sin and sins were paid for by Christ on the cross. Therefore the believer need not fear “God’s judgment seat” (Rom. 14:10) or the “judgment seat of Christ” (2 Cor. 5:10). What will be judged then is the “quality” of our works of service to determine our “reward” (1 Cor. 3:13-14).

Practical Application 
In preaching the gospel one should emphasize that between hell and paradise “a great chasm has been fixed that cannot be crossed” (Lk. 16:26). It should also be emphasized that there will be no “second chance” – that our decision in this present life determines where we will spend eternity and what we do will determine what we will have there.

The truth is that the unbeliever will be in an eternal existence, first in a place of torment and then in the lake of fire. The believer on the other hand will go on to his or her reward. That no believer goes to eternal punishment is due to the grace of God and the redemptive work of our Lord Jesus Christ. All people should therefore start believing now!

Should we preach the kingdom of God?

QUESTIONS:“Preaching the kingdom of God.” 

• What does this mean?

• Should believers today preach the kingdom of God?

• Does that embrace the gospel as set forth in 1 Corinthians 15:3-4?


ANSWER: The apostle of the Gentiles, although for two years prisoner at Rome, was preaching the kingdom of God (Acts 28:31). Remarkable! In Rome, the very center of man’s greatness and power, Paul had the courage to proclaim the majesty and glorious greatness of his Lord and Master. The world had viewed that same blessed One as worthless, crowned Him with a crown of thorns and crucified Him. Yet, He is risen, exalted and glorified on the Father’s throne. He will soon come again to reign on this earth where He was crucified.

The apostle in his parting address to the elders of Ephesus said, “… the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God. And indeed, now I know that you all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, will see my face no more” (Acts 20:24-25 NKJV). The burden of the ministry, which he had received, was to witness to the grace of God and proclaim the kingdom of God. These things are linked together. It could not be otherwise.

Our Savior is the Messiah, the King of Israel. Looking at the Psalms one can count 25 or more references to God’s anointed King, such as:

  • “My King” in Psalm 2:6 is God’s Son, the Son of the Father’s love,
  • “My King and my God” in Psalm 5:2,
  • “The LORD is King forever and ever” in Psalm 10:16, and
  • “Who is this King of glory? … The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah” in Psalm 24:7-10.

We leave this very profitable study to you to pursue.

The Son of God came into this scene by becoming Man. He has the dignity of the King. The theme of the Gospel of Matthew is “the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” That is the royal One, the King and the Promised Seed. Therefore we read at once: “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?” (Mt. 1:1, 2:2).

The theme of the Gospel of John is the glories of the Son of God, yet nowhere in the Gospels is the Lord Jesus so much spoken of as the King as here. Only John records that the multitudes after the feeding of the five thousand “were about to come and take Him by force to make Him king” (Jn. 6:15).

In chapter 12 our blessed Lord was honored at the table as the King. Some of His own had made Him a supper and each one was delighting to take their place which grace had given them. One was serving and another enjoying fellowship. Mary brought the ointment of spikenard, very costly, and lavished it all upon His feet. She recognized Him alone to be worthy of all. “While the king is at his table, my spikenard sends forth its fragrance” (Song 1:12). Oh, that all the Lord’s own would understand this better and be so willing to pour the adoration of worshiping hearts at His holy feet! He surely is worthy. The savor of His great Name would fill all the house and be carried everywhere (Jn. 12:3; 2 Cor. 2:14).

Again in John 12 we read: “A great multitude … cried out: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! The King of Israel!” (vv.12-13; see Psalm 118:25-26). The Holy Spirit applied Zechariah 9:9 to this scene: “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.” He received this recognition as “the King of Israel” from the multitude, but He is soon seen weeping because they had not known the time of their visitation (Lk. 19:37-44). After the rapture the godly remnant will pass through exercises of heart and be willing to receive Him as their King. But now only His sheep know His voice and follow Him (Jn. 10:4).

At the close of John’s gospel, the Lord is the object of scorn. Pilate speaks seven times of Him as King:

  1. “Are You the King of the Jews?” (Jn. 18:33).
  2. “Are You a king then?” The Lord’s faithful answer was, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (v.37).
  3. “Do you therefore want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” (v.39).
  4. Pilate’s soldiers crowned Him with a crown of thorns and said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” (19:3). Pilate brought Him forth so arrayed thus giving this act his public approval (v.5).
  5. “Behold your King!” (v.14).
  6. “Shall I crucify your King?” (v.15).
  7. Pilate gave the last in writing: “JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS” (v.19). “What I have written, I have written” (v.22) was his final, unalterable verdict. Although an unrighteous judge and not realizing what he was saying, Pilate bore witness to the truth.

Although Jew and Gentile have disowned the Lord as King, “Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.” All His own gladly recognize His glory as King. Yet someone will reply, “We are a heavenly people and He will be the King for an earthly people.” Very well! But let me illustrate the point.

A bride, soon to be queen, the king’s wife, delights much in the fact that her lover is the coming king. He has not as yet ascended the throne. The day of coronation is still future. She will love to speak of his being honored as the king. She loves that day. To her he will be the loving husband, yet she is happy to tell of his dignity and majesty. She is much grieved at his being rejected and could never associate for a moment with those who scorn the coming king. So it is with the Christian today.

We are a heavenly people and are waiting here in this scene for our heavenly Bridegroom, who will soon come to take us to Himself (Jn. 14:3; 1 Th. 4:16-17). We also love His appearing (2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Jn. 3:2), when He will come in His glory. We, the redeemed, will be with Him. As King of Kings and Lord of Lords (1 Tim. 6:15), He will take His rightful place and reign. Then it will be proclaimed, “The kingdom of the world of our Lord and His Christ is come, and He shall reign to the ages of ages” (Rev. 11:15 JND), and the 24 elders are seen on their faces worshiping God at that glorious sight. We do so now in anticipation of that day.

The King is rejected now but He has been enthroned by the Father and crowned with glory and honor. The kingdom as present is a spiritual one. It is the sphere where the will of God is recognized and obeyed. Only those “born again” can see and enter the kingdom of God today (Jn. 3:3,5,7). We are to seek that kingdom and His righteousness; He has promised to take care of the other things. Our Father knows what we need (Mt. 6:32-33).

We are to be the proclaimers of the gospel of the grace of God to the lost sinners of the world, also instructing them in the kingdom of God. We should love to tell of the royal majesty of our blessed Lord. The place as King is due to Him in this scene of His rejection. It is sad that we hear so little of that coming, glorious day of His appearing. Some preachers even deny that there will be such a display of Christ’s glory in this scene.

The verses mentioned in our question, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4, are the fundamentals of the gospel: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (NKJV). But that is not all. In the same chapter the kingdom is spoken of in verses 23-26. Later, we read of the mystery of His coming for His own (vv.51-57).

The term “gospel” means “the glad tidings,” and it includes all! All is important in its place. Christ’s birth is “good tidings of great joy” (Lk. 2:10). His death and completion of the redemptive work is a source of glad tidings for sin-troubled souls – here they learn that the sin question has been divinely settled. The resurrection of the Lord is good news, for here we learn that we are justified. Not a single charge can be brought against one who puts his trust in the risen Savior. He is coming again for us – believers. That is good news rich with comfort for we will then be forever with the Lord. What joy to Him and to us! He is going to come with His own to reign – what glad tidings for the godly remnant and joy to us to see Him receive His rightful place and reign, and we with Him!

Answered by G. A. Wiese in the September,1939 Grace & Truth Magazine (adapted).

Did Paul sin by not obeying the Holy Spirit?

QUESTION:In Acts 21, Agabus was led of the Holy Spirit to warn Paul about the danger in Jerusalem, but Paul went anyway. Did Paul sin by not obeying the voice of the Holy Spirit?


Answered by Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.

ANSWER: It is important to examine God’s Word carefully to see what He is saying on its sacred pages and what He is not saying. Looking back a few chapters we find in Acts 16:6 that Paul and the brothers with him “were forbidden by the Holy Spirit to preach the Word in Asia” (NKJV). Verse 7 adds: “They tried to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit did not permit them.” These verses show plainly and simply that on this trip Paul and his companions followed the directions of the Holy Spirit and did not go where He forbade or did not permit them to go to preach the Word. Are we to think that they later were less subject to His leading?

In Acts 20 and 21 we find Paul toward the end of his next trip heading to Jerusalem. He and the brothers with him were carrying the love gift sent by the assemblies in Macedonia and Achaia for needy saints in Jerusalem. In various Scriptures we read of his love for his fellow Jewish countrymen and his great desire to see them saved. In fact, in Romans 9:3-4 he goes so far as to say, “I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.” How he desired their salvation!

Again and again on this journey the Holy Spirit warned Paul what lay before him in Jerusalem. “Now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me, but none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself,” he told the Ephesian elders at Miletus (Acts 20:22-24). The Holy Spirit was not forbidding him to go, but was warning him of the consequences his going would entail. Paul went on, not deterred by that which lay before him.

At Caesarea in the house of Philip the evangelist, Paul received his final warning (Acts 21:1-14). The prophet Agabus came down from Jerusalem and “took Paul’s belt, bound his own hands and feet, and said, ‘Thus says the Holy Spirit, “So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man who owns this belt, and deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles.”’” Notice, this was no prohibition. But, it was a very vivid demonstration of what would happen to Paul if he persisted in going on to Jerusalem.

Both the brothers traveling with him and those at Caesarea “pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. But Paul was not to be dissuaded. Realizing what he was being warned about, he answered, “What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart? For I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.” The brothers then accepted his decision, saying, “The will of the Lord be done.” Notice again: There is no mention of any prohibition or of any disobedience on the part of Paul. Nor do we find any negative comments or reproaches addressed to Paul, nor is anything said in subsequent chapters that would indicate that Paul had sinned. He had made his decision and he was willing to suffer the consequences.

Plans Paul had made and shared with the Roman saints in Romans 15:22-33 to visit them and then go on to Spain after his visit in Jerusalem did not materialize as he had planned. He had asked for their prayers in view of the dangers before him and that his service in Jerusalem might be acceptable to the saints. Coming to Rome as a prisoner on appeal to the emperor may have seemed like a far cry from coming “in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ,” as he had wished. To what extent the saints at Rome got to enjoy this we do not know. But God’s saints down through the ages have benefited greatly for several of the choicest epistles in the New Testament stem from Paul’s imprisonment in Rome. For these we thank God.

Long before these events the Lord had told Paul, “Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me … Depart, for I will send you far from here to the Gentiles” (Acts 22:17-21). The Lord of the harvest knows where and why He assigns to every one of His servants his own particular place and work. It is always best to submit to His will when we know it. But who are we to call this honored apostle’s pressing on to Jerusalem in love for his people when warned of the consequences that would ensue from this, sin?

There are many things we do not understand, but we can agree fully with Paul who wrote that “we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28).

What is appearance of evil?

QUESTIONS:

What is the concept of “appearance of evil” as found in 1 Thessalonians 5:22? My family, friends, coworkers and fellow believers who are younger, versus the ones who are older, all seem to have a different idea of what appears evil. So how can I really know which things are okay and which ones are wrong based on this vague standard of “appearance”? By some people’s view they would not even be found in some of the situations where the Lord was, such as the wedding where all the wine was being served in John 2. Please help me.


ANSWER:

By Eugene P. Vedder, Jr.

It is interesting to compare how different translations of the Bible render this verse. I have checked 18 different English translations that I have in my library and find that only the two oldest of these (Douay/Rheims and King James Version) employ the word “appearance.” One other translation, the New American Standard Bible, gives this word in a footnote as an alternate rendering.

Seven translations render the verse “Abstain from every form of evil.” One uses the verb “avoid” while another the words “keep away from” every form of evil. Two translations say to “keep away from every kind of evil” and two others say to “avoid every kind of evil,” while still another says to “abstain from every sort of evil.” One translation simply says, “Don’t have anything to do with evil.” 

Rather than using the word “evil,” two translations use the word “wickedness,” one saying to “abstain from every form of” it and the other to “hold aloof from every form of” it. Thus it is plain that what is meant by the verse is not whether something appears evil which, as the questioner indicates, people often do not agree on. What God’s Word is directing us to do is to have nothing to do with that which is evil or wicked.

It is obvious that if we look to people to define what is right and wrong we will have many conflicting answers. The Christian must look to God’s Word to settle such questions, not to the world. God’s standard is not vague. He has absolute standards and He has communicated His standards to us in His Word. There has only been one Person who lived according to God’s standards perfectly, and that was our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone could say, “He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (Jn. 8:29 NKJV).

The Lord Jesus is the only true Model to show us what is right and wrong. He is and ever was holy. His life on earth glorified God in its every detail. We know that we will never attain perfection while we are here on earth, but He is the standard God has given us to emulate. The apostle Paul confessed that he had not attained and was not perfected, but said he was pressing “toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 3:12-14).

Let’s consider another remark or two on the question at which we are looking. God’s Word shows us the folly of a young person rejecting the wisdom older people have gained by experience and instead going to his young contemporaries for counsel. The experience of Solomon’s son Rehoboam when his father died and he was to ascend the throne is an outstanding illustration of this (1 Ki. 12; 2 Chr. 10). But in the final analysis, God’s Word must answer our questions of what is good and what is evil, not people, whether old or young.

People’s opinions change; so do laws and decisions of courts. God’s standards are increasingly being rejected. What God terms wickedness, man now is defining as personal liberty and as human rights. Same sex marriage is a case in point. Those who stand for what the Bible plainly says are even accused of hate crimes! Ultimately we will have to give account of ourselves to God for the choices we make in life. May we earnestly try to please Him, praying for guidance when we are unsure what He wants us to do.