How do people become demon possessed?
 

How do people become demon possessed?

Do they have to be involved in the occult? Do they have a choice? Can it happen just because people sin and are in bondage to the god of this world? Can it happen to followers of Jesus?

Luke 22:3 Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve.
4 And he went his way, and communed with the chief priests and captains, how he might betray him unto them.
5 And they were glad, and covenanted to give him money.
6 And he promised, and sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude.

REBELLION.

1 Sam 15:23

23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king.
KJV


Rom 1:28
8 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;
KJV

That makes for a lot of STUBBORN IDOLATERS also.

OP ... if I take your verbose exegesis ... and choice of verses at face value ...

Are you suggesting all reprobates are demon possessed ... and that all demon possessed are rebrobates?

if a reprobate is one who has been rejected and beyond help... and they are the DEMON POSSESSED among the living .... then there would have been no reason to cast out demons ... it would be for naught. Jesus would've have wasted his time doing so also.

I don't think we can necessarily equate the two all the time ....

How do Christ's words play into this discussion?

"The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, that He might destroy the works of the devil." (1 John 3:8)

most of those whom Jesus delivered from demons were religious Jews, forbidden ever to practice witchcraft or idolatry.

They were "normal" people, neither criminal, insane, nor spooky (Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:39).

It is a problem w/ the heart ... and yes rebellion plays a part .... but how does this explain young children ... sometimes as young as toddlers under possession?

Of course dabbling in the occult is a reason for some being possessed.

Clearly ... as Jesus said ...practicing sin ... or being unclean of heart allows Satan ownership of an unclean vessel.

If sin is rebellion towards God then rebellion will lead to an unclean heart.

I don't think it's a coincidence ... that Mark 7 begins with Jesus teaching on what it means to be unclean and moves to him casting out an unclean spirit in a young child.

Mark 7

Clean and Unclean

1The Pharisees and some of the teachers of the law who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus and 2saw some of his disciples eating food with hands that were "unclean," that is, unwashed. 3(The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders. 4When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles.[a])

5So the Pharisees and teachers of the law asked Jesus, "Why don't your disciples live according to the tradition of the elders instead of eating their food with 'unclean' hands?"

6He replied, "Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written:
" 'These people honor me with their lips,
but their hearts are far from me.

7They worship me in vain;
their teachings are but rules taught by men.'[b] 8You have let go of the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men."

9And he said to them: "You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe[c] your own traditions! 10For Moses said, 'Honor your father and your mother,'[d] and, 'Anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death.'[e] 11But you say that if a man says to his father or mother: 'Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me is Corban' (that is, a gift devoted to God), 12then you no longer let him do anything for his father or mother. 13Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that."


14Again Jesus called the crowd to him and said, "Listen to me, everyone, and understand this. 15Nothing outside a man can make him 'unclean' by going into him. Rather, it is what comes out of a man that makes him 'unclean.' "[f]


17After he had left the crowd and entered the house, his disciples asked him about this parable. 18"Are you so dull?" he asked. "Don't you see that nothing that enters a man from the outside can make him 'unclean'? 19For it doesn't go into his heart but into his stomach, and then out of his body." (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods "clean.")


20He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

The Faith of a Syrophoenician Woman

24Jesus left that place and went to the vicinity of Tyre.[g] He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it; yet he could not keep his presence secret.

25In fact, as soon as she heard about him, a woman whose little daughter was possessed by an evil [unclean, in the Greek] [h] spirit came and fell at his feet. 26The woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter.

27"First let the children eat all they want," he told her, "for it is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs."

28"Yes, Lord," she replied, "but even the dogs under the table eat the children's crumbs."

29Then he told her, "For such a reply, you may go; the demon has left your daughter."

30She went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon gone.

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Makes you wonder if it was Mom's uncleaniness/sin in her heart that resulted in her young child being possessed??? Something to dwell on....

And what about these verses?

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Romans 6:16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Ac 26:18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God,

Heb 2:14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

1 Corinthians 15:55-57 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Can these verses be applied to sinners being servants to Satan? And if someone is a servant to the ruler of the darkness of this world does that mean they automatically can be possessed by a devil at the devil's whim?

As a sinner, I may have been oppressed by the devil but I was never possessed by a demon. How does the devil pick and chose who to possess? Does there have to be a willingness on part of the one who is possessed?

I believe that anyone not filled with the Holy Ghost can become demon possessed. I think they possesss whom they do just because they want to, and sometimes they are directed by satan to a certain person.


ARPH :doggyrun

What makes a person a candidate for demon possession?

We know animals can be possessed .... yet they do not have free will ?

Jesus does give a scenario for why a demon possesses or repossesses someone:

3When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

44Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.


45Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

I tend to agree w/ this position. Jesus spoke that they seek dry places ... a dry place does not have the rivers of living water ... His Spirit. It will dwell in an empty abode.

Another possession SINCE CHILDHOOD:

6 When they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes arguing with them. 15 Immediately on seeing him, the whole crowd was utterly amazed. They ran up to him and greeted him. 16 He asked them, "What are you arguing about with them?" 17 Someone from the crowd answered him, "Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. 18 Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so." 19 He said to them in reply, "O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me." 20 They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. 21 Then he questioned his father, "How long has this been happening to him?" He replied, "Since childhood. 22 It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us." 23 Jesus said to him, " 'If you can!' Everything is possible to one who has faith." 24 Then the boy's father cried out, "I do believe, help my unbelief!" 25 Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, "Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!" 26 Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, "He is dead!" 27 But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. 28 When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, "Why could we not drive it out?" 29 7 He said to them, "This kind can only come out through prayers


Why does Jesus ask him this type of question ?... he knew how long this young man had been possessed ... he didn't even need to know this to cast it out ... I think it's there for us to examine.

"The unclean spirit/demon" (Mt 12:43-45; Lk 11: 24-26)


Int. This phrase is found 11 times. Once in Zechariah and 10 times in the N. T.

1. (Zec 13:2) "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the LORD of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered: and also I will cause the prophets and the (unclean spirit) to pass out of the land."

2. (Mat 12:43) "When the (unclean spirit) is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none."

3. (Mark 1:23) "And there was in their synagogue a man with an (unclean spirit); and he cried out,"

4. (Mark 1:26) "And when the (unclean spirit) had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him."

5. (Mark 3:30) "Because they said, He hath an (unclean spirit)."

6. (Mark 5:2) "And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an (unclean spirit),"

7. (Mark 5:8) "For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou (unclean spirit)."

8. (Mark 7:25) "For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an (unclean spirit), heard of him, and came and fell at his feet:"

9. (Luke 8:29) "(For he had commanded the (unclean spirit) to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.)"

10. (Luke 9:42) "And as he was yet a coming, the devil threw him down, and tare him. And Jesus rebuked the (unclean spirit), and healed the child, and delivered him again to his father."

11. (Luke 11:24) "When the (unclean spirit) is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out."

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Int. The phrase "Unclean spirits" is found 10 times in Scripture.

1. (Mat 10:1) "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against (unclean spirits), to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease."

2. (Mark 1:27) "And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the (unclean spirits), and they do obey him."

3. (Mark 3:11) "And (unclean spirits), when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God."

4. (Mark 5:13) "And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the (unclean spirits) went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea."

5. (Mark 6:7) "And he called unto him the twelve, and began to send them forth by two and two; and gave them power over (unclean spirits);"

6. (Luke 4:36) "And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the (unclean spirits), and they come out."

7. (Luke 6:18) "And they that were vexed with (unclean spirits): and they were healed."

8. (Acts 5:16) "There came also a multitude out of the cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick folks, and them which were vexed with (unclean spirits): and they were healed every one."

9. (Acts 8:7) "For (unclean spirits), crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed."

10. (Rev 16:13) "And I saw three (unclean spirits) like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet."

in vs. 23 when the man says "I do believe, help my unbelief'', does that mean he thought that the disciples could not cast out demon but only Jesus Himself could. Is that something that is happening in the modern church(not only pertaining to casting out demons), that we believe in Jesus but have unbelief that we can actually be a conduit for His power?...just something that came to me just now....

Clearly Jesus reprimands this father and his disciples for being faithless .... after the father brings his request to Jesus and states they were unable to do so ... Jesus addresses all of them saying:

19 He said to them in reply, "O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.

Of course this father had to be pretty desperate by the time he came to Jesus ... after seeing that his disciples had been ineffective.

He couldn't even muster enough faith ... he first says after this reprimand "if you can .... have compassion ...."

Jesus says "Everything is possible if you have faith"

The desperate father cries out .... "I believe, help my unbelief"

Interesting type of faith displayed here ..... Now does Jesus act on this man's belief ... or his unbelief??? Good question A.

Perhaps the concept of having just enough faith ... even if it is the size of a mustard seed applies here

The biggest problem may not have just been faith also... but lack of prayer also.

Jesus tells his disciples as much.