Jesus Casts Out Evil Spirits and the World Chases Him Out

Luke 8:26-39

Click for a description of the mark of the beast.

• Evil spirits abound in a Christless world.
• There is torment and locking down of evil spirits.
• Jesus is able to cast out demons.
• Those who feed the herds with slop are afraid of Jesus authority over demons.
• The multitudes want Jesus out of their cities.
• A change of behavior from evil spirits to Holy Spirit is a testimony in itself.

Evil spirits abound in a Christless world. “Then they sailed to the country of the Gadarenes, which is opposite Galilee.” Luke 8:26 Jesus and his disciples went to Gadarenes, a city which was a majority of Gentile non-Jews. It was one of the few places that Jesus went that was mostly composed of Gentiles. That was definitely opposite of Galilee, a very Jewish community. Today, it would be like going into a city where the majority lives by the mark of the beast, which is every city around the nation and world. With all of the crime, violence, and other craziness plaguing the cities, it’s obvious that evil-spirits abound. Their home is among the tombs, meaning they are dead inside to the Spirit of Christ. Their mind and heart are filled with evil continually and they are not hiding their behaviors. Their evil-spirits act out in broad daylight and in front of every security camera that are everywhere nowadays. They are bare-naked for everyone to see. “And when He stepped out on the land, there met Him a certain man from the city who had demons for a long time. And he wore no clothes, nor did he live in a house but in the tombs.” Luke 8:27

There is torment and locking down of evil spirits. The society who lives by the mark of the beast continually torment the ones who are not integrated into their social network. With their uncanny knowledge and heightened intuition, they torment the goodness within the minds and hearts of those they reject. They kick them when they are down by being relentless against the tombs of internal emptiness and spiritual death. The evil spirits have nothing to do with mainstream society nor do they have anything to do with Jesus, but they beg not to be tortured, “When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!” Luke 8:28 It’s obvious we live in a society that keeps people locked in their homes if they are not part of the social network of the mark of the beast. Even the followers of Jesus Christ have no social freedom, but those who have evil-spirits are even more restricted from and harassed for entering society. They are bound in chains and shackles and driven far from mainstream society. For example, some criminals are prohibited from living anywhere near a school, housing in decent neighborhoods are not available, and they are tormented when trying to integrate into society. They are chased into the outskirts of cities. “For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness.” Luke 8:29

Jesus is able to cast out demons. Jesus Christ has the authority to confront demons and to cast out those evil spirits. Not only is the mind and heart of individual people filled with demons, but cities around the nation and world are filled with legions of demons. “Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him.” Luke 8:30 Evil spirits know they can plead their case to Jesus, and He will have as much mercy as He possibly can on them. The legions of demons did not want to go completely into the abyss, and they brought that to Jesus, “And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.” Luke 8:31 Jesus granted their request to spare them from the abyss and to send them into a herd of swine, “Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them.” Luke 8:32 Demons are a very destructive force to anyone or anything they possess. They can take multitudes in a city and totally destroy them emotionally, mentally, physically, and with every type of self-destructive, criminal, and anti-social behavior. What demons do to swine they do to people, “Then the demons went out of the man and entered the swine, and the herd ran violently down the steep place into the lake and drowned.” Luke 8:33

Those who feed the herds with slop are afraid of Jesus authority over demons. The ones feeding the herd of swine ran into the city and the whole country to tell everyone what had happened, “When those who fed them saw what had happened, they fled and told it in the city and in the country.” Luke 8:34 This is like those who live for the social network of the mark of the beast who spread the word that there is no one left to feed their slop to. That slop is to fill the mind and heart of those they reject with pain, suffering, torment, agitation, anger, violence, and anti-social behavior. It is slop that blasphemes God, ridicules the need for Jesus Christ, and pollutes the presence of the Holy Spirit. That is the same tactic used today to make war with the Spirit of Christ, to prevent the remission of sins, and to stop the body from becoming the home of the Holy Spirit. They want us to be the seat of government for the mark of the beast. Outrage and fear are felt by them when they see someone clothed in their right mind after being demon-possessed and driven by evil spirits, “Then they went out to see what had happened, and came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.” Luke 8:35 Jesus Christ can do that, by the forgiveness of sin He changes evil spirits into the Holy Spirit.

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.”
Romans 12:1-2

The multitudes want Jesus out of their cities. Eyewitnesses confirmed that Jesus Christ delivered the one who had been demon-possessed, “They also who had seen it told them by what means he who had been demon-possessed was delivered.” Luke 8:36 Those who govern by the mark of the beast do not want Jesus anywhere near their social network, nowhere near those who are feeding the swine, and nowhere near those who are filled with evil spirits. They oppose the forgiveness of sins and the process that turns the person into the home of the Holy Spirit. They are going to get exactly what they are asking for, Jesus Christ is going to leave, “Then the whole multitude of the surrounding region of the Gadarenes asked Him to depart from them, for they were seized with great fear. And He got into the boat and returned.” Luke 8:37 When Jesus leaves, when the Holy Spirit is taken out of this world, it will be a habitation for every type of evil and foul spirit,

“Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons,
a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! 
For all the nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication,
the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, 
and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury.”
Revelation 18:1-3

A change of behavior from evil spirits to Holy Spirit is a testimony in itself. Once we receive the forgiveness of sin and we are cleansed of evil spirits, our one desire is to follow Jesus Christ wherever He goes, and to be obedient to what He wants for us, “Now the man from whom the demons had departed begged Him that he might be with Him. But Jesus sent him away, saying…” Luke 8:38 A very powerful and effective witness is to be seen in the Spirit of Christ by those who knew us as a person once plagued by evil spirits, Jesus said, ““…return to your own house, and tell what great things God has done for you.” And he went his way and proclaimed throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.” Luke 8:39 The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to glorify the name of Jesus and to proclaim everywhere we go the great things Jesus has done.

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“….to you who do not hold to her teaching and have not learned Satan’s so-called deep secrets,“
‘I will not impose any other burden on you, except to hold on to what you have until I come.’”
“I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Revelation 2:24-25, 3:11