Photo by Priscilla Du Preez 🇨🇦 on Unsplash

It is important to read the word of God, the Bible, daily and to ponder what it says. It is also important to be sure you do not take it out of context, and it is helpful to discuss Scripture with someone who has studied it in depth and is older and wiser in the Word of God than you are.

I enjoy digging into the word of God, and I am blessed to have a very wise Sunday School teacher who served as a pastor many years, ministered to men in prison and in drug and alcohol rehabilitation ministries. He teaches a book of the Bible, verse by verse, and in an hour long Sunday School class, we often only get through 3-5 verses because of how deep he leads us to study, pointing out other verses in other books of the Bible that confirm the verses we are looking at. In addition, he digs into the history from which the verses come and teaches us that history.

Today, I want to look at Scripture that deals with driving out demons. There are quite a few Bible verses where Jesus drove demons out of people. However, in today’s world, there are some people who claim they can and do drive demons out of people. Is there Biblical scripture that confirms that?

There are only two places where I find anything about people, other than Jesus, driving out demons:

When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them, “Take nothing for the journey–no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them.” So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere.

Now Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was going on. And he was perplexed, because some were saying that John had been raised from the dead, others that Elijah had appeared, and still others that one of the prophets of long ago had come back to life. But Herod said, “I beheaded John. Who, then, is this I hear such things about? ” And he tried to see him. (Luke 9:1-9 NIV)

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into the harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.

“When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If a man of peace is there, your peace will rest on him; if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God is near you.’ But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, you go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town that sticks to our feet we wipe off against you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God is near.’ I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.

“Woe to you, Korazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the miracles that were performed in you had been performed in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago, sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it will be more bearable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, will you be lifted up to the skies? No, you will go down to the depth.

“He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects me rejects him who sent me.”

The seventy-two returned with joy and said, “Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name.”

He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10: 1-20)

These things happened during Jesus’ ministry on earth, before his death and resurrection.

Some churches still believe that people can have the power to cast out demons. However, looking at the two scriptures above, Jesus gave that power, first to his twelve disciples, and then to seventy-two of his followers. These are the only places in scripture where Jesus did this and both times, the ability was given to a limited number of people.

Now, look at the following scripture, especially the second paragraph that talks about prophesying, casting out demons, and performing miracles:

This is Jesus speaking: “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheeps’ clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannnot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'” (Matthew 7:15-23 NIV)

Our Sunday School teacher pointed out that Jesus did give certain commands to certain people or groups of people that also apply to us, such as, the commands he shared with the rich, young ruler in (Matthew 19:17-19 NIV):

“Why do you ask me about what is good?” Jesus replied. “There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments.” “Which ones? the man inquired. Jesus replied, “Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother, and love your neighbor as yourself.

And in (Matthew 22:35-38 NIV) when one of the Pharisees, an expert in the law, tested Jesus by asking the question: “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”

Jesus replied, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart with all you soul and with all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.”

These commands that he gave are meant for us as well, as is the Great Commission, which can be found in Matthew 28:16-20, for there is nowhere in Scripture that tells us we will be punished for doing these things. Unlike Matthew 7:15-23 (above), which clearly tells us we must not do the things this Scripture speaks about, such as driving out demons or Christ will deny us.