Sources of Supernatural Power

[Erica Joseph Shepherd]

SOURCES OF SUPERNATURAL POWER

There are only two sources of supernatural power in the universe. The first source is made up of God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the holy angels; they represent the forces for good. The second source of supernatural power consists of Satan and his demons. They represent the forces for evil.

The term "supernatural" means something above the laws of nature. If something is truly supernatural and cannot be attributed to God and the power under His control, it must be attributed to Satan and the power under his control. There is no neutral supernatural power. There is no white magic and there are no friendly ghosts.
If a happening or phenomenon is supernatural and cannot be explained by the laws of nature, the source of power is on a short list. It is either of God or of Satan.

A. Holy Power

In order to understand Satan and his demons, it is necessary to accept the existence of God and His holy power as documented in the Holy Bible. The essence of holy power is the three-part God, known as the Trinity.

B. God, the Father

The first Person of the Trinity is God, the Father. He is the chief executive officer of the entire universe. All power, holy and evil, originates with Him. Satan's evil power is temporary and was granted by God in order to give humans a real choice between good and evil.

In the beginning, humans were created by God for the purpose of fellowship and worship. In order for this fellowship and worship to be meaningful for God, it had to be voluntary.

C. God, the Son

The second Person of the Trinity is God, the Son, Jesus Christ. He came to earth so He could die as the supreme sin sacrifice for all humans. He is the Lamb of God. Our first ancestors, Adam and Eve, fell prey to Satan's temptation and disobeyed God's command to avoid eating the forbidden fruit. In this way, they sinned. The penalty for sin was then, and always has been, death. But God had mercy and didn't wipe out the human race immediately because of our sin. Instead, He developed a plan for us to be saved which was based on sacrifice. For hundreds of years, humans sacrificed animals on the altar of God so we wouldn't have to die for our sin. But then God sent His Son as the ultimate, once and for all sin sacrifice. Jesus died on the cross for our sins so we wouldn't have to die for those sins.




D. God, Holy Spirit

The third Person of the Trinity is God, the Holy Spirit. When Jesus died and went to Heaven, He sent back His Holy Spirit to serve humans in three ways:
(1) help us understand the Bible and what it teaches about God and Jesus Christ;
(2) help us do the will of God in our lives; and
(3) help us resist the evil power of Satan and his demons.

Holy Spirit is really the Ghost of God. The Holy Spirit of God
In fact, the King James version of the Bible calls Him just that: the Holy Ghost.

E. Holy Angels

The holy angels round out the essence of holy power on earth. The part of the angels' job description of most importance to humans is that they are our guardians. Listen to God's promise concerning angels, as recorded in Psalms 91:11-12: "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone." A paraphrase of this scripture could be, "Guardian angels keep us from stubbing our toe along the pathway of life". Demons may be dedicated to our destruction but angels are commissioned for our benefit.

Demons in the Bible

There is no doubting that demon possession is mentioned frequently in the Gospels, the first four books of the New Testament. Skeptics may claim these accounts of demon possession were really ignorant and superstitious descriptions of such clinical problems as mental illness and epilepsy. However, one of the Gospels was written by a physician named Luke. In fact, the most complete account of the Virgin Birth is recorded by Luke in Chapters 1 and 2 of his Gospel. Not only is the Bible the inspired word of God, but Luke was a trained physician of his day. Therefore, what the Bible has to say about demons in the book of Luke is of extreme significance. The King James Version of the Bible was translated in 1611. Although this version is very popular and is the version you'll most likely find in a hotel room, its Elizabethan English is about as easy to read as the works of Shakespeare. If you're not used to reading the Bible, or Shakespeare, you will find easier reading by trying one of the following modern language versions of Scripture:

"The Living Bible" is a paraphrase of the Bible by Dr. Kenneth N. Taylor which is published by Tyndale House, Wheaton, IL, Copyright 1971.

"The New International Version" (NIV), is published by Zondervan Bible Publishers, Grand Rapids, MI, Copyright 1978. This is a scholarly modern language translation from Hebrew and Greek manuscripts and is equally suitable for first-time readers and advanced Bible students.

Either the "Living Bible" or the NIV are recommended for persons who are reading the Bible for the first time.

Before going on, we need to clearly understand our terms. I will use the terms Satan and demon exclusively when I talk about the forces of evil, with the exception of direct quotations from the Bible. In the King James Version of the Bible, the term "devil" is sometimes used to refer to Satan and at other times, "devil" refers to one or more of Satan's demons. I will always say Satan when I am talking about the chief of all evil. When I am talking about one of Satan's underlings, I will use the term demon.
The scripture references listed below outline what Luke has recorded about demons. However, the other Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, and John) tell about demons, also.
Matthew and Mark give several parallel (synoptic) accounts of the same incidents documented by Luke.
The New International Version is quoted in the passages below so you will be able to clearly understand what Luke is saying about demon possession.

B. How to Read a Bible, The Bible is organized into books, chapters, and verses. When the location of a specific statement is given, the citation of this scripture is given as follows: Luke 2:1-20. This example refers to the story of Christ's birth, as recorded in the book of Luke, chapter 2, verses 1 through 20.

If you have difficulty locating a specific book, use the table of contents in the front of your Bible which serves the same purpose as in any other book.
Some books of the Bible have similar names and Arabic or Roman numerals are used to help make distinctions. There is a Gospel of John and three epistles (letters) written by John. The three epistles are known in the New international Version as 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. In the King James Version, they are known as I John, II John, and III John.

C. Demons Knew Who Jesus Was

The word demon comes from the ancient root "da", meaning the knowing ones. From the beginning, the demons knew who Jesus was and they knew something about His mission here on earth.
Luke 4:33-35. "In the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon, an evil spirit. He cried out at the top of his voice, 'Ha! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?
I know who you are -- the Holy One of God!'
'Be quiet!' Jesus said sternly. 'Come out of him!' Then the demon threw the man down before them all and came out without injuring him.

D. Demons or Illness?
Physical healing was an important part of the earthly ministry of Jesus. However, Luke makes a clear distinction between physical healing and providing deliverance from demon possession, as shown in these verses.

Luke 4:40-41: "When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, 'You are the Son of God!...'"
Luke 7:21: "At that very time Jesus cured many who had diseases, sickness and evil spirits, and gave sight to many who were blind."

E. Demons and Epilepsy
Luke records a case where a child's demon possession caused what we would call epilepsy today. In Luke 9:39, the boy's father describes his son's symptoms:
"'A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth. It scarcely ever leaves him and is destroying him.'"
Jesus provides the solution in verse 42:
"Even while the boy was coming, the demon threw him to the ground in a convulsion. But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father."
F. Demons and Speech Disability
Luke also documents the case of a person who had his speech restored when he was delivered from demon possession. Luke 11:14:
"Jesus was driving out a demon that was mute. When the demon left, the man who had been dumb spoke, and the crowd was amazed."
G. Multiple Demons Possessed a Single Person
Luke records two case of persons who were possessed by multiple demons. These cases are important, also, when considering multiple personalities, reincarnation, and channeling.

Note in the first case, the number 7 in the Bible can be interpreted as numerous instead of the simple count of seven. In the second case, it's good to remember that in New Testament times, the military term legion represented 6,000 soldiers.
Luke 8:2: "...and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ..."
Luke 8:30: "Jesus asked him, 'What is your name?' 'Legion,' he replied, because many demons had gone into him."
H. Physical Disability Caused By a Demon
In Luke 13:10-13, he documents the case of a woman who had a physical disability for eighteen years because of a demon:
"...and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. When Jesus saw her he called her forward and said to her, 'Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.' Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God."

I. Luke's Writings About Demons
Demons knew who Jesus was: Luke 4:33-35; Luke 4:41.
Difference between those who were sick and those who were demon possessed: Luke 4:41-42; Luke 7:20-21.
Some had multiple demons: Luke 8:2; Luke 8:30.
Demon caused violence and epilepsy in a child: Luke 9:38-42
Demon caused speech disability: Luke 11:14
Demon caused physical disability: Luke 13:10-13

3. Satan's Limited Power

Although Satan does have some supernatural power, there is a limit to this power. The Bible tells us in 1 John 4:4 that "greater is He that is in us (the Holy Spirit) than he that is in the world (Satan)." A powerful illustration of this is found in Revelation 20:1-3 where John, the Revelator, describes what will happen at the beginning of the millennium (the thousand years of peace): "And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him . . . " This shows the relative power of God and Satan. When it comes time for Satan to be put in his place, God won't need to do it. He won't ask Jesus or the Holy Spirit to do it. He'll just deputize an angel and that's all it will take to completely neutralize Satan.
In the meantime, though, Satan and his demons have real power. Within the limits God has set, Satan and his demons can do real spiritual damage to humans who are not filled by and, therefore, protected by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Can Satan's Power Do Good Things?

Satan has absolutely no interest in doing good things. Not in the long run, that is. His primary objective is to damn your soul to Hell forever. Period! At first glance, it may seem that Satanic power is doing good when a demon-possessed psychic helps find a kidnapped child or a demon-possessed healer performs a miracle of physical healing. [How often is that child found alive and well, and does the patient eventually die of natural causes or some other illness?]
At best, Satan's long-term objective is always to bring glory to his name and cause people to become addicted to involvement with the occult. Demons and Satan have absolutely no interest in alleviating human mental or physical suffering. Any activities of demon-possessed physics or healers always have long-term evil outcomes. The persons that seem to benefit from such activity come to trust in the power of Satan instead of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit