Demons are explained in scripture as having access to torment and inhabit human beings, having the ability to cause oppression and possession. It is the authors' understanding through personal study of scripture that when humans sin, they reject God’s protection and open themselves up to demonic influence whether or not they are believers. This is one reason that even though we are saved by grace, we are still instructed to obey God. When we obey the temptations given to us by Satan instead of trusting and submitting to God, we give permission and open access for demonic oppression in our lives. Demonic oppression will oppose the fruit of the Spirit, cause chaos, suffering, internal torment, and will aim to ultimately pull us and those we interact with away from faith in God and the acceptance of the gift of salvation. We encourage the reader to investigate the scriptures on this subject for themselves. Regardless of what individuals come to believe regarding demons, it is evident that when Jesus came, he rebuked and casted out demons from people everywhere he went, including in the synagogues where the people were worshipping God. He commanded believers to follow his example and do the same.  

 

Scripture:

• “Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people.  And the news about Him spread throughout Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and severe pain, demon-possessed, people with epilepsy, and people who were paralyzed; and He healed them.” Matthew 4:23-24

 

• “Now when evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill.” Matthew 8:16

 

• “And when He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men confronted Him as they were coming out of the tombs. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way. And they cried out, saying, “What business do You have with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” Now there was a herd of many pigs feeding at a distance from them. And the demons begged Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” And He said to them, “Go!” And they came out and went into the pigs; and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and drowned in the waters.” Matthew 8:28-32 (see also Mark 5, Luke 8)

 

• “And as they were going out, behold, a demon-possessed man who was unable to speak was brought to Him. And after the demon was cast out, the man who was previously unable to speak talked; and the crowds were amazed, and were saying, ‘Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.’” Matthew 9:32-33

 

• “Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and unable to speak was brought to Jesus, and He healed him so that the man who was unable to speak talked and could see. And all the crowds were amazed and were saying, “This man cannot be the Son of David, can he?” But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”  And knowing their thoughts, Jesus said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and no city or house divided against itself will stand. And if Satan is casting out Satan, he has become divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand? And if by Beelzebul I cast out the demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? Therefore, they will be your judges. But if I cast out the demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. Or, how can anyone enter the strong man’s house and carry off his property, unless he first ties up the strong man? And then he will plunder his house.” Matthew 12:22-29

 

• “Jesus went away from there, and withdrew into the region of Tyre and Sidon. And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed.” But He did not answer her with even a word. And His disciples came up and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us!” But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!” Yet He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” And she said, “Yes, Lord; but please help, for even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at once.” Matthew 15:21-28 (see also Mark 7)

 

• “And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying, ‘Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.’ Then Jesus answered and said, ‘O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.’ And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?’  So Jesus said to them, ‘Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.  However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” Matthew 17:14-21 (see also Mark 9, Luke 9)

 

• “Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do You have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” After throwing him into convulsions and crying out with a loud voice, the unclean spirit came out of him. And they were all amazed, so they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” Mark 1:23-27 (See also Luke 4)

 

• “Now when evening came, after the sun had set, they began bringing to Him all who were ill and those who were demon-possessed. And the whole city had gathered at the door. And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He would not permit the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.” … “And He went into their synagogues preaching throughout Galilee, and casting out the demons.” Mark 1:32-34, 39

 

• “And He told His disciples to see that a boat would be ready for Him because of the masses, so that they would not crowd Him; for He had healed many, with the result that all those who had diseases pushed in around Him in order to touch Him. And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they would fall down before Him and shout, “You are the Son of God!” And He strongly warned them not to reveal who He was.” Mark 3:9-12

 

• “Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.” Mark 16:9 (see also Luke 8)

 

• “Now while the sun was setting, all those who had any who were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He was laying His hands on each one of them and healing them. Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” And yet He was rebuking them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that He was the Christ.” Luke 4:40-41

 

• “And then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place; and there was a large crowd of His disciples, and a great multitude of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon, who had come to hear Him and to be healed of their diseases; and those who were troubled by unclean spirits were being cured. And all the people were trying to touch Him, because power was coming from Him and healing them all.” Luke 6:17-19

 

• “At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.” Luke 7:21

 

• “Now Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent over double, and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness.” And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she stood up straight again, and began glorifying God. But the synagogue leader, indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days during which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.” But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does each of you on the Sabbath not untie his ox or donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this restraint on the Sabbath day?” Luke 13:10-16

 

• “At that very time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, ‘Go away and leave this place, because Herod wants to kill You.’ And He said to them, ‘Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I am casting out demons and performing healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must go on My journey today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside Jerusalem.’” Luke 13:31-33

 

 

Jesus Gives Authority and instruction to Cast Out Demons: 

 

Jesus Teaches About Demons:

• “Now when the unclean spirit comes out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they come in and live there; and the last condition of that person becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.” Matthew 12:43-45 (see also Luke 11)

 

Twelve Apostles Commissioned:

• “And He went up on the mountain and *summoned those whom He Himself wanted, and they came to Him. And He appointed twelve, so that they would be with Him and that He could send them out to preach, and to have authority to cast out the demons.” Mark 3:13-14

 

• “Jesus summoned His twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every sickness.  Now the names of the twelve apostles are these: The first, Simon, who is called Peter, and his brother Andrew; and James the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddaeus; Simon the Zealot, and Judas Iscariot, the one who also betrayed Him.  These twelve Jesus sent out after instructing them, saying, “Do not go on a road to Gentiles, and do not enter a city of Samaritans; but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven has come near.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those with leprosy, cast out demons. Freely you received, freely give.” Matthew 10:1-8 (see also Mark 6, Luke 9)

 

Seventy-Two Believers Sent Out:

• “Now after this the Lord appointed seventy-two others, and sent them in pairs ahead of Him to every city and place where He Himself was going to come. And He was saying to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore plead with the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. Go; behold, I am sending you out like lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no money belt, no bag, no sandals, and greet no one along the way. And whatever house you enter, first say, ‘Peace be to this house.’ And if a man of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him; but if not, it will return to you. Stay in that house, eating and drinking what they provide; for the laborer is deserving of his wages. Do not move from house to house. Whatever city you enter and they receive you, eat what is served to you; and heal those in it who are sick, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’” … “Now the seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name!’ And He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to walk on snakes and scorpions, and authority over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.’” Luke 10:1-9, 17-20

 

Believers Commissioned:

• “Later He appeared to the eleven disciples themselves as they were reclining at the table; and He reprimanded them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they had not believed those who had seen Him after He had risen from the dead. And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation. The one who has believed and has been baptized will be saved; but the one who has not believed will be condemned. These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not harm them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover. So then, when the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven and sat down at the right hand of God. And they went out and preached everywhere, while the Lord worked with them, and confirmed the word by the signs that followed.” Mark 16:14-20 
  • Important textual note: verses 9-20 are absent from some early manuscripts, a fact used by some believers to claim that Jesus did not speak these words. Whether or not these verses are original, the following passages below demonstrate that followers of Jesus did in fact rebuke and cast out demons in other people.

 

Followers of Jesus Casting Out Demons:

• “John said to Him, ‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.’ But Jesus said, ‘Do not hinder him, for there is no one who will perform a miracle in My name, and be able soon afterward to speak evil of Me.’” Mark 9:38-39 (see also Luke 9)   

 

• “On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria. Godly men buried Stephen and mourned deeply for him. But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison. Philip in Samaria Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went. Philip went down to a city in Samaria and proclaimed the Messiah there. When the crowds heard Philip and saw the signs he performed, they all paid close attention to what he said. For with shrieks, impure spirits came out of many, and many who were paralyzed or lame were healed. So there was great joy in that city.” Acts 8:1-8

 

• “It happened that as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave woman who had a spirit of divination met us, who was bringing great profit to her masters by fortune-telling. She followed Paul and us and cried out repeatedly, saying, ‘These men are bond-servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you a way of salvation.’ Now she continued doing this for many days. But Paul was greatly annoyed, and he turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!” And it came out at that very moment.” Acts 16:16-18

 

• “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to use the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had the evil spirits, saying, “I order you in the name of Jesus whom Paul preaches!” Now there were seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, doing this. But the evil spirit responded and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know of Paul, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit, pounced on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded. This became known to all who lived in Ephesus, both Jews and Greeks; and fear fell upon them all and the name of the Lord Jesus was being magnified.” Acts 19:11-17 
  • This passage demonstrates the power given through true believers, and not just by the invocation of the name of Jesus. 

 

 

Ellen G. White:

Ellen commanded believers not to engage in rebuking or call on God to cast out demons:

• “Last night instruction was given me for our people. I seemed to be in a meeting where representations were being made of the strange work of Brother L and wife. I was instructed that it was a work similar to that which was carried on in _____, in the State of Maine, and in various other places after the passing of the time in 1844. I was bidden to speak decidedly against this fanatical work.  I was shown that it was not the Spirit of the Lord that was inspiring Brother and Sister L, but the same spirit of fanaticism that is ever seeking entrance into the remnant church. Their application of Scripture of their peculiar exercises is Scripture misapplied. The work of declaring persons possessed of the devil, and then praying with them and pretending to cast out the evil spirits, is fanaticism which will bring into disrepute any church which sanctions such work.  I was shown that we must give no encouragement to these demonstrations, but must guard the people with a decided testimony against that which would bring a stain upon the name of Seventh-day Adventists, and destroy the confidence of the people in the message of truth which they must bear to the world. The Lord has done a great work for His people in placing them on vantage ground. It is the duty of the church to cherish its influence. Precious are the words, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). The words of inspiration carefully studied and prayerfully obeyed, will thoroughly furnish unto all good works.” Selected Messages, book 2, p. 46 https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/99.242#244 
  • It is possible that Ellen was correct in stating that the specific work of Brother and Sister L was not the work of God; no one alive today is an eye-witness to what their ministry looked like. However, she goes on to say per divine revelation that believers are not to pray over someone who may be demon possessed in an attempt to rebuke and by God's power cast it out. This is not supported by the commands of Jesus, nor is it in line with the example of the ministry of the disciples and follower of Jesus in scripture. She also makes it clear she is highly concerned about protecting the Seventh-day Adventist church reputation and it's influence, and places this concern over what is demonstrated and taught clearly in scripture. 

 

• “We are none of us to seek to cast out devils, lest we ourselves be cast out.” Letters and Manuscripts, Volume 15, Letter 96 (1900) https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/14065.9994001#9994011  
  • Here she gives a clear command that believers are not to engage in calling on the power of Jesus in casting out demons that are oppressing people. This command directly opposes the ministry taught by Jesus himself, as well as the ministry demonstrated by the followers of Jesus in scripture. The other notion to consider is that since demons aim to torment and pull individuals away from God, it is in Satan's very own interest that demons not be cast out.  

 

Interestingly, though she commanded others not to cast out demons, Ellen herself along with her husband James engaged in rebuking spirits:

• “That evening, as I was praying and reaching up by faith to receive the blessing of the Lord, B-----t and B-----s, began to groan and cry out, Amen! Amen! throwing their sympathy and influence in with my prayer. Bro. White was much distressed, and rising, cried, “I resist this spirit in the name of the Lord.” After this, while I was enjoying freedom in speaking, they again commenced groaning and crying out, Amen! Amen! I felt no union with them, for their amens chilled me. Bro. White feeling their influence upon him again, rose, and in the name of the Lord rebuked the wicked spirit. They were then so bound as to be unable to rise again that night. After the meeting Bro. White said, “Bro. Collier, now I can tell you about those two men; they are acting under a satanic influence, yet attributing all to the Spirit of the Lord.” Bro. C. answered, “I believe the Lord sent you. We have called their influence mesmerism; and because we could have no union with their spirit, do not generally have meetings here. They rise above us, manifest much feeling, but leave an influence darker than Egypt. I never saw them checked, or tied up, before tonight.” During family prayer that night, the Spirit of the Lord rested upon me, and I was taken off in vision. A curtain was raised, and the cases of these men, and a few others in union with them, were clearly shown me. They were practising deception upon God’s little flock, meanwhile professing to be chosen servants of the Lord. It was shown me that the Lord would tear off the pious garb they had drawn around themselves, and disclose their dark designs and iniquitous deeds; deeds that some had scarcely thought of.” Spiritual Gifts, Vol 2, pp.47-48 https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/105.128#172  

 

• “At one house in Orrington, the door was closed upon me as they saw me coming, but in the name of the Lord I opened it. They said Phebe Knapp was in vision. She was crying out in a most pitiful manner, warning against me. I knelt by her side and asked my heavenly Father to rebuke the spirit which was upon her. She immediately arose, her agony and burden ended. I then addressed those who were present in the name of the Lord. I reasoned with them, and rebuked their fanatical spirit, and showed them the inconsistency of their course. I told them they refused to speak with me, and feared if they looked upon me I should so affect them with darkness that God would be displeased with them.” Letters and Manuscripts, Vol. 2, Letter 2, 1874 https://m.egwwritings.org/en/book/14052.3301001#3301023