The Christian confession takes the unseen world seriously. God created angels as ministering spirits, and some rebelled, becoming adversaries who oppose His purposes and harm His image bearers (Hebrews 1:14; 2 Peter 2:4). Scripture does not sensationalize this realm, yet it speaks plainly about the schemes of the devil and the reality of unclean spirits, while insisting that God remains sovereign over all powers and authorities (Ephesians 6:11; Colossians 1:16–17). The question is not whether spiritual enemies exist, but how believers should think and live in a world where they operate, and how the Church, under Christ, responds with wisdom, courage, and hope.
Any discussion of demons and exorcism must be anchored in the supremacy of Jesus Christ. The Gospels portray Him as the One whom the spirits recognize and fear, the Holy One of God whose word commands and is obeyed (Mark 1:24–27). His cross and resurrection disarmed the powers and authorities and made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross (Colossians 2:15). The Church does not fight for victory; it fights from victory, standing firm in grace and resisting the devil with promises that he will flee (James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:9). We need a posture that is neither credulous nor dismissive, neither thrill-seeking nor naive, but grounded in Scripture, shaped by the gospel, and lived in the ordinary means of grace.
Words: 2738 / Time to read: 14 minutes
Historical and Cultural Background
Israel’s Scriptures locate the conflict in the larger story of God’s kingdom. From the serpent’s deception in Eden to the promise that the woman’s offspring would crush the serpent’s head, the Bible frames history as a contested field where God’s redemptive plan advances despite satanic opposition (Genesis 3:1–15). Later revelation names the tempter as Satan, the accuser who roams like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour, yet subject to divine limits and destined for judgment (Job 1:12; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 20:10). The nations surrounding Israel practiced divination, sorcery, and necromancy, and God set His people apart by forbidding every attempt to traffic with the dead or consult spirits, calling such practices detestable because they divert trust from the Lord and expose people to deception (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). When Saul sought out a medium at Endor, his act revealed spiritual collapse more than spiritual power, and it hastened his ruin rather than securing guidance (1 Samuel 28:6–19).
The Old Testament mentions evil spirits in particular episodes, but it does not present exorcism as a routine ministry in Israel. The theocratic nation was to look to the Lord, to heed His prophets, and to reject the counterfeit counsel of mediums and spiritists (Isaiah 8:19–20). The story moves forward with promise: a Messiah would come who would proclaim freedom for captives and set the oppressed free, signaling a decisive advance of God’s kingdom against the realm of darkness (Isaiah 61:1; Luke 4:18–19). In dispensational perspective, these promises bloom in the Gospels with the King present among His people, authenticating His person and message with signs that anticipated the kingdom’s power even as the nation largely rejected Him (Matthew 12:28; John 20:30–31). The Church Age that follows has a different shape than Israel’s theocracy and a different mandate than the earthly kingdom offered to Israel; yet the conflict with spiritual forces continues, now contested by a people indwelt by the Spirit and commissioned to make disciples among the nations (Ephesians 1:13; Matthew 28:18–20).
By the first century, Jewish and Greco-Roman cultures included a variety of exorcistic practices and incantations. The New Testament situates Christ’s work over against this world of formulas and charms. His authority was not technique but identity; the spirits obeyed because the Son of God spoke (Mark 1:34; Luke 4:41). The apostles continued His ministry in the power of the Spirit, not as magicians but as witnesses whose word and works bore apostolic credentials for the foundation era of the Church (Acts 5:12; 2 Corinthians 12:12). A dispensational reading helps us keep those epochs clear, honoring the uniqueness of the Messiah’s earthly ministry and the apostles’ foundational role while drawing Church Age practices from the didactic passages that order life together now (Ephesians 2:20; 1 Timothy 3:14–15).
Biblical Narrative
The Gospels give memorable scenes where Jesus confronts unclean spirits. In a synagogue at Capernaum, a man cried out under the grip of an impure spirit, and Jesus rebuked the spirit and ordered it to come out; the people marveled at a new teaching with authority as even the spirits obeyed Him (Mark 1:23–27). On the eastern shore, a tormented man lived among tombs, bound and breaking bonds, naming his affliction as Legion; when Jesus commanded the spirits to depart, they begged for permission to enter a herd of pigs, and the man was soon seated, clothed, and in his right mind, a living monument to the Lord’s mercy and power (Mark 5:1–15). A Gentile mother pleaded for her daughter, and Jesus freed the child from an unclean spirit at a distance, revealing both compassion and authority that crossed ethnic lines (Mark 7:24–30). When the disciples struggled to help a boy oppressed by a mute and violent spirit, Jesus lamented unbelief, then delivered the child and taught that this kind of conflict yields to prayer, pressing His followers toward dependence rather than bravado (Mark 9:17–29).
These accounts are not thrill stories; they are kingdom signs. Jesus declared that if He drove out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom had come upon His hearers, and He warned that neutrality in His war is impossible (Matthew 12:28–30). He commissioned the Twelve with authority over unclean spirits as part of their mission to Israel, pairing proclamation with power as a preview of the kingdom offer (Matthew 10:1, 7–8). Later, a wider circle returned rejoicing that even demons submitted in His name, and He redirected their joy toward the deeper gift that their names were written in heaven, teaching them to anchor their assurance in salvation, not in dramatic outcomes (Luke 10:17–20).
Acts shows the risen Christ continuing His work through His apostles in the power of the Holy Spirit. A slave girl at Philippi, exploited for her fortune-telling, followed Paul for days until he commanded the spirit to leave in the name of Jesus Christ, and she was set free, though her owners raged at the loss of profit (Acts 16:16–19). In Ephesus, the sons of Sceva tried to borrow the apostolic formula without apostolic faith, and the spirit answered their presumption with violence, exposing the emptiness of technique apart from union with Christ (Acts 19:13–16). The result in that city was reverence for the Lord’s name and repentance from occult practices, as many brought their magic scrolls and publicly burned them, counting the cost and finding Christ better (Acts 19:17–20).
At the same time, the New Testament reframes expectations for ordinary church life. While acknowledging the reality of the devil’s snares and the need to resist, the letters emphasize sober watchfulness, steadfast faith, prayer, and the armor of God rather than manuals of rituals (1 Peter 5:8–9; Ephesians 6:10–18). Deliverance is not a spectacle but a salvation woven into the gospel itself: God rescues us from the dominion of darkness and brings us into the kingdom of the Son He loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13–14). The baptized community learns to walk in light, confess sin, forgive, and close footholds that anger and deceit would grant to the adversary (Ephesians 4:26–27; 1 John 1:7–9).
Theological Significance
A biblical theology of demons and exorcism rests on three pillars: Christ’s supremacy, the Spirit’s indwelling, and the Church’s mission in this present age.
First, Christ’s supremacy means that demonic powers are defeated not by human cleverness but by His finished work. He bound the strong man and plunders his house, freeing captives through the gospel and breaking the fear of death that enslaves (Mark 3:27; Hebrews 2:14–15). Every attempt to handle the demonic apart from the cross reduces to superstition. The name of Jesus is not a charm; it is the banner of the crucified and risen Lord under whom sinners repent and find life (Acts 4:12).
Second, the Spirit’s indwelling secures believers in a way that rules out demonic indwelling. Those who are in Christ are sealed with the Holy Spirit, marked as God’s own possession until the day of redemption (Ephesians 1:13–14; Ephesians 4:30). Greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world, and that promise sets the tone of Christian warfare as resistance from a place of assurance rather than terror of invasion (1 John 4:4). Believers can be tempted, harassed, and accused; they can give the devil a foothold through unrepentant sin or bitterness; but they are never abandoned nor owned by the enemy (Ephesians 4:26–27; Romans 8:38–39).
Third, the Church’s mission in the present age is to make disciples by preaching Christ, teaching obedience, practicing discipline, and doing good to all, especially the household of faith (Matthew 28:19–20; Matthew 18:15–17; Galatians 6:10). A dispensational framework values the uniqueness of the Messiah’s signs and the apostles’ foundational credentials, while recognizing that the ordinary pattern for spiritual conflict now features prayer, truth, righteousness, faith, the Word of God, and persevering supplication rather than a program of ritual exorcisms (Hebrews 2:3–4; Ephesians 6:14–18). God remains free to act in extraordinary ways according to His wisdom, but His ordinary means are sufficient and reliable for the Church’s faithfulness.
This framework guards against two common errors. One error is functional naturalism that scoffs at the spiritual realm, leaving believers unarmed and inattentive to schemes that exploit lies, fear, and sinful desires (2 Corinthians 2:11; Ephesians 6:11). The other error is occult curiosity dressed in Christian clothes, where fascination with demons eclipses devotion to Christ, multiplying feverish rituals while neglecting repentance, love, and sound doctrine (2 Timothy 4:3–4; Jude 8–10). Scripture directs our gaze to Christ, teaches us to test the spirits, and calls us to hold fast to the apostolic word (1 John 4:1–3; 2 Thessalonians 2:15).
Spiritual Lessons and Application
Because the devil trades in fear and falsehood, the Christian’s first work is to keep the heart anchored in the gospel. Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee; draw near to God, and He will draw near to you (James 4:7–8). That submission looks like daily repentance, honest confession, and a life deliberately opened to the light. The Spirit’s ordinary tools are not dramatic, but they are mighty: Scripture read and believed, prayer offered in dependence, a church family walking in mutual care, and the Lord’s Table where grace trains us to say no to ungodliness and yes to hope (2 Timothy 3:16–17; Acts 2:42; Titus 2:11–13).
When real spiritual affliction is suspected, Scripture counsels sobriety. Pray earnestly, for some conflicts yield only to prayerful dependence, not to formulas or loudness (Mark 9:29). Proclaim Christ clearly, because faith comes by hearing, and the gospel itself is the power of God for salvation, breaking chains that no ritual can sever (Romans 10:17; Romans 1:16). Shepherd the afflicted with patience, bringing truth to bear on lies, forgiving where the enemy accuses, and urging practical steps that close footholds such as harboring anger, persisting in deceit, or clinging to occult artifacts that once framed life apart from God (Ephesians 4:25–32; Acts 19:18–19). If there are medical or psychological dimensions, do not pit care against faith; attend to the whole person with wisdom and compassion while continuing in prayer and Scripture, because body and soul are knit together and suffering can be layered (Psalm 103:13–14).
Avoid the peril of presumption. The sons of Sceva are a cautionary tale for any who would treat the name of Jesus as a lever rather than a Lord (Acts 19:13–16). Even the archangel Michael did not rail against the devil but said, “The Lord rebuke you,” modeling humility in the face of mysteries beyond our station (Jude 9). Authority in spiritual conflict is not self-generated; it flows from union with Christ, holiness of life, and alignment with His Word. Church leaders are called to watch over souls, to pray, to teach sound doctrine, and to restore the wandering in a spirit of gentleness, guarding the flock from wolves who devour through false teaching as surely as through occult spectacle (Hebrews 13:17; Galatians 6:1; Acts 20:28–30).
Believers should also cultivate habits that erode the enemy’s leverage. Truth fastened around the mind protects against deception, while righteousness practiced from the heart denies the accuser ammunition (Ephesians 6:14). The good news of peace makes feet ready to move toward others in mercy rather than retreat into self-absorption, and the shield of faith extinguishes doubts and fears by interposing the promises of God between the self and the storm (Ephesians 6:15–16). Assurance of salvation steadies the mind, and the Word of God, stored and spoken, cuts through lies with sharp precision as the Spirit wields it in season (Ephesians 6:17; Psalm 119:11). All of this is sustained by all-prayer, the posture of asking and receiving, waiting and watching, interceding for the saints and for the spread of the gospel (Ephesians 6:18; Colossians 4:2–4).
Guard the boundaries God has set. Reject divination, astrology, medium consultations, and every practice that seeks secret knowledge apart from the Lord, for such paths invite deception and place the soul in harm’s way (Deuteronomy 18:10–12). The living are not to consult the dead, but to inquire of their God, whose Word is sufficient and whose Spirit leads into truth (Isaiah 8:19–20; John 16:13). Replace curiosity about forbidden things with hunger for the Scriptures; replace fear with worship; replace isolation with fellowship; replace passivity with service. In all of this, keep the focus where Scripture keeps it—on Jesus Christ, who came to destroy the devil’s work and who will soon crush Satan under the feet of His people as the God of peace keeps them in grace (1 John 3:8; Romans 16:20).
Conclusion
The biblical witness refuses both sensationalism and skepticism. Demons are real, but they are not rivals to God. Jesus is Lord, and His cross has broken the back of the enemy’s rule even as the battle rumbles on until He returns in glory (Colossians 2:15; 1 Corinthians 15:24–26). In dispensational clarity, we honor the unique signs that attended the King’s presence and the apostles’ foundation, and we embrace the ordinary means by which the Church now stands firm: truth and love, prayer and Scripture, repentance and holiness, shepherding and mission (Hebrews 2:3–4; Ephesians 6:10–18). Believers are not called to chase darkness, but to walk in the light, resist the devil, and devote themselves to the work of the gospel, confident that the One who is in us is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4).
Do not let fear script your approach to the unseen realm. Let the peace of Christ rule your heart, the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, and the Spirit of Christ strengthen you with power in your inner being (Colossians 3:15–16; Ephesians 3:16). When confronted by evil, stand under the Lord’s authority, pray with faith, speak the truth in love, and keep close to your church family. The God who called you is faithful; He will keep you to the end. Your life is hidden with Christ in God, and no power of hell can sever what His blood has sealed (1 Thessalonians 5:23–24; Colossians 3:3; Romans 8:38–39).
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith… And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.” (1 Peter 5:8–10)
All Scripture quoted from:
New International Version (NIV)
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.