The doctrine of demonism

1. Demon possession was the basis for capital punishment in Israel, Leviticus 20:27. So serious was demon possession that capital punishment was prescribed by God for this practice.

2. The methods of demon possession. There are five methods and these are the methods which are also used by believers in getting into contact with demons.

a) Idolatry, 1 Corinthians 10:19-21. Wherever idolatry is practiced today there are demons behind the idols.

b) Drug addiction. Users of drugs are all liable to demon possession in the case of unbelievers, or demon influence in the case of those who are born again — Galatians 5:20 farmakeia.

c) The phallic cult is a basis for contact with demons, Isaiah 2:6; Luke 8:2.

d) Mental attitude sins carried to the extreme. Many cases of neurosis and psychosis are cases of demon influence, Mark 5, where the demon-possessed individuals had all of the characteristics of psychosis.

e) Religious sensitivity training, Isaiah 8:19. This is designed to turn the body and soul over to some higher type of power, i.e. demons.

3. Demons are the gods of nations, Psalm 96:5. Often the rulers of nations are demon possessed.

4. The firstborn judgement included the judgement of demons, Exodus 12:12; Isaiah 19:3.

5. Therefore the Jews, to be protected from this type of religious infiltration, were prohibited from making sacrifices to demons, Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17.

6. Child sacrifice was inspired by demons, Psalm 106:37-39; Psalm 109:7 Satan can blind by religion; in verse 9 he can shorten life (when God permits it); verse 8, he can remove people from authority (when God permits it); verse 4, God occasionally permits demons to kill someone in a painful way; verse 10, demons can persecute children; verse 11, demons can remove wealth; verse 12, demons can turn people against people; verse 13, demons can cut off human posterity up to the second generation (when God permits). Demons are related to many diseases. There is physiologically-induced illness, there is psychosomatics or the soul inducement to illness, and there is demon induced illness. In Job 2:6-8 Satan produced illness in Job. Satan uses demons to produce disease, Acts 10:38; Luke 13:16; Matthew 12:22. Certain diseases are specified as being demon induced: deafness, dumbness, paralysis are caused by demon possession in certain passages. This doesn’t mean that everyone who is deaf and dumb is demon possessed. Matthew 9:32,33; 12:22; Mark 5:5; 9:17,18. When demons are the cause of a disease, whether it is a mental or a physical disease, the disease is healed instantly when the demons are cast out. Many people attribute such healings to “divine healers” (there are none) or they attribute them to someone else who is merely in league with the devil. This is why Satan often pulls demons out of people for a miraculous healing, Matthew 10:1; Mark 1:32,34; 6:13; Acts 8:7; 19:12. In other scriptures where demon possession does not involve illness we then have the natural causes of healing or God can intervene and heal.

7. The Canaanitish nations were destroyed for demon activity, Deuteronomy 18:9-12. One of the signs of a nation going into the fifth cycle of discipline is the revival of demonism in that nation.

8. The practice of necromancy is a sign of negative volition toward doctrine. It can result in the sin unto death as in the case of 1 Chronicles 10:13,14.

9. Demonism can eventuate in the fifth cycle of discipline, Isaiah 29:4; 47:1-15.

10. Evil is associated with the rule of demonism, as in the case of Mannaseh, 2 Kings 21:2-16; Jeremiah 27:6-10.

11. Nebuchadnezzar came to Jerusalem on the basis of divination, Ezekiel 21:21.