My Name is Legion -- Part 2

We learn from the Bible that “the Saints shall judge angels.” If there is to be any hope of redemption for the angels that followed Lucifer in his rebellion that hope must lie in the judgment of the Saints; but how prepared are we to effect righteous judgment? Who are these angels? Where have they been since the time of Lucifer’s rebellion? What have they been doing all this time? Are they all “demon spirits” worthy only of banishment or destruction in the lake of fire; or have some repented of their sin, wanting only to atone and to fulfill their created purpose as servants to the Saints? And now, the meeting of Jesus with the spirit whose name was Legion:

“When Jesus arrived in the country of the Gergesenes...”

Comment: Jesus and his disciples crossed the Sea of Galilee from the land of Galilee to the country of the Gergesenes -or- to the country of the Gadarenes. Matthew refers to it as the country of the Gergesenes (1086 = “one of the native inhabitants of Palestine.”) Mark and Luke refer to it as “the country of the Gadarenes” (1046 = “an inhabitant of Gadara.”) There is no conflict here; the Gergesenes were inhabitants of Gadara.
Also: The Sea of Galilee has been known at various times as the Sea of Galilee; the Lake of Gennesaret; Lake Chinnereth; and/or the Sea of Tiberias.

“...there met him two men...”

Comment: According to the account in Matthew, two men came out of the tombs to meet Jesus. Both of these men were possessed by devils but apparently only one of them played a significant part in the events which followed.

“...who had been possessed by devils [or evil spirits] for a long time.”

Comment: Before getting more deeply involved in this study, it may be helpful to show the original words used in the Bible when referring to spirit-beings and where that word is located in the passages under discussion. I suggest that you open your Bible and note the context of each word; try to understand why that particular word was chosen.
Also: I realize that much of the introduction to this study can be somewhat dry and uninteresting; all I can say is that it does get much, much better as we go along:

1139 = to be exercised by a demon -or- to be used by or possessed: Matthew 8:28 & 33; and Mark 5:15.

1140 = a demonic being: Luke 8:27 & 30 & 33.

1142 = a demon or supernatural spirit: Matthew 8:31; Mark 5:12; and Luke 8:29.

169/4151 = an unclean or impure spirit; Mark 5:2 & 8 & 13; and Luke 8:29.

“The possessed man had his dwelling among the tombs...”

Comment: It is apparent that this man lived in, or in the area of the tombs. The account recorded in Luke is a little more specific in that it tells us he “lived not in a house.” Whether this means he lived out in the open or had found shelter in a cave or mausoleum is not known.

“...exceeding fierce so that no man might pass by that way...”

Comment: No man could pass by way of the tombs because of the fierceness of the men who were possessed; however, the people who lived in the land must have on occasion used force to subdue these men, because:

“...he had often been chained and fettered, yet he always broke the chains and fetters to free himself.”

Comment: Once subdued, the movements of these men were then restricted by leg fetters and chains. Assuming that the chains and fetters were forged of iron, and well made, it must have taken great strength to break them. And yet we are told that the man always managed to break his bonds; he always managed to free himself. We are also told that no man could tame him; was it natural strength or madness that gave this man physical powers which were greater than normal? There are many examples of humans showing almost super-human strength in situations of adversity; was that the case here?

“And always, night and day, he was in the mountains and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.”

Comment: In Mark and Luke we are told that the man was driven into the wilderness by the spirits and that day and night he would cry aloud and cut himself with stones. Did the demons force the man to injure himself? Does God permit demons to cause physical harm to those whom they possess?

In the book of Job 2:3-7 God allowed Satan to “smite Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto the crown of his head”; while in the New Testament there are several examples of illness or infirmity being healed by casting out an offending spirit. For some obscure reason not fully understood at this time, it appears that God did allow, and possibly still does allow, the possession of humans by spirit beings. However, while I do not believe they have God’s permission to arbitrarily injure those whom they possess, I can understand where the one possessed, in torment and confusion, might do harm to themselves.

Why would God ever allow possession? Assuming a greater power and intellect than man, why would any spirit, any angel, ever want to take over or possess a physical body? If, as I suspect, the incidence of human possession is far less today than in the time of Jesus, why would this be so?

“When [the possessed man] saw Jesus afar off, he ran and fell down before him and worshipped him...”

Comment: Was it the man, or the spirit in possession of the man, that fell down before Jesus and worshipped him? As much as I want to believe the man retained sufficient control and awareness to beg relief from his torment, the context makes it quite clear that the supplicant in this case was the spirit, not the man. There is also the probability that this man would have been unable to recognize Jesus for whom and what he was; the spirits however would have known Jesus, and would have had little or no choice but to show him a certain level of respect and obedience.

To what extent is the spirit world aware of what goes on in the temporal world? Their knowledge and experience predates the original creation where we are told they sang for joy at the beauty and perfection of it. They experienced the rebellion of Lucifer; they even played some part in that rebellion and saw the destruction and devastation it caused. They saw the re-creation of this world and experienced the introduction of man.

I believe the angels have the ability to see, experience, and remember everything that has taken place from the moment of their creation. I am, however, uncertain as to how much understanding they had, or have, of things yet to come. I do especially wonder at what point in time the Archangel Lucifer came to understand the destiny which God has prepared for mankind. How did Lucifer accept this understanding? What part, if any, did this knowledge play in his rebellion?

“Jesus said: ‘Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.’”

Comment: According to the original scriptural texts, the words used by Jesus with reference to this spirit were “akathartos pneuma”; that is to say “akathartos” 169 = “unclean or impure” and “pneuma” 4151 = (figuratively) “spirit.” Jesus believed he had the authority to demand obedience from these possessing spirits. The words he used were in the form of a command; it was not a request. The spirits did not dispute Jesus’ authority; neither did they question their need to obey; however, although they did in fact comply with his demand that compliance was not immediate.

We need to remember that earlier in his ministry, Jesus had, “...rebuked [the spirits] and ordered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ” (Luke 4:41). In the account of the men from the tombs we find a spirit, or spirits, that remained neither silent nor immediately obeyed.

To get an even better understanding of the varying attitudes found within the spirit world you should read in Matthew 10:1 where Jesus sent out twelve of his disciples, “...giving them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out.” Then in Matthew 17 and Mark 9 we find a man whose son was possessed by a spirit; this man brought his son to the disciples but they were unable to cast out the spirit. Jesus explained to his disciples that their attempt failed due to their lack of faith. He further explained: “...this kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.”

There are several things to be learned from all this. The disciples had previously been successful in casting out many spirits and in this case must have given their command fully believing the spirit would obey. Why then did they fail? Jesus said it was due to their lack of faith; but having succeeded many times before, why would they have reason to doubt in this case? Is belief in a successful outcome not faith? If their belief was not realized does this constitute an absence of faith; or simply a lack of sufficient faith?

Is there a way for us to measure belief? Jesus said: “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, ‘Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove…’” When the disciples failed to cast out the spirit troubling the young boy, did not one of them “have faith as a grain of mustard seed”; or is it that we have an inaccurate or incomplete understanding of the message Jesus was trying to convey?

The faith of the disciples had been sufficient in previous attempts to cast out evil spirits, but it is my belief that in this case the power of this particular spirit was greater than the faith of the disciples! Jesus was telling them there are different spirits; some are more powerful, and some are more evil. If what I believe is true, then it may also be that some are patiently awaiting judgment while others believe they have gone beyond the point of redemption and have rejected all thought of repentance. Nevertheless, in this instance Jesus said: “This kind goes not out but by prayer and fasting.”

“And behold, [the spirits] cried out saying, ‘What have we to do with you, Jesus, you Son of God? Are you come to torment us before our time?’”

Comment: When Jesus ordered the spirits to come out of the man, did he expect immediate obedience? He didn’t get it! What was the response of the spirits and how was that response received by Jesus? How I wish these scriptures had been written to give us a better understanding of His emotions during this encounter. Was he upset; or offended? Did the apparent disobedience of the spirits make him angry? Can we be sure that the response of the spirits was disobedience? There is so much to wonder about in the words spoken by the spirits that once again I feel it necessary to break down the whole and examine it line by line, point by point:

(a) “And the spirit(s) cried out with a loud voice...” Did the spirit actually speak out loud? If so, what language did it use? There are scriptural examples of Jesus hearing words spoken by God or angels that others could not hear. In this case, especially when it was recorded by three different disciples, I tend to believe they were able to hear and understand this confrontation.

(b) “What have I to do with you, Jesus, you son of God…” Boy oh boy oh boy! I can almost hear the spirits speaking in the vernacular of today and saying: “Don’t bother me man, I know my rights!” They recognized Jesus as the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. They knew he had been given power and authority by God the Father. But they also knew that Jesus had come to fulfil a specific purpose in the plan of Almighty God; a plan which He is working out here upon the Earth and that it did not, at that time, include any form of dispensation towards the angels that once had sinned. It was not yet time for these angels to be judged -- and they knew it!

(c) “Are you here to torment us before our time?” The spirits know that the time is coming when they will be called to account for their past conduct. It is my hope that a majority of them will be received with understanding and with compassion; God willing, for most of them judgment will not be overly severe. However, the Scriptures make it quite clear that within the realm of angels, as it is amongst men, there are those that face a future without redemption.

The Bible, when referring to the sins of mankind is quite explicit when it tells us “the wages of sin is death.” For those to whom the sacrifice of Jesus will either be refused or rejected that punishment will amount to death for all eternity. Those who believe in a literal hell, whose fires torment the sinner forever, do not even begin to understand the basic compassion of our Creator. For those who cannot, or will not live within the bounds of righteousness, oblivion for eternity is the only merciful solution.

My understanding of the Scriptures leads me to believe that for the angels this option of oblivion may not apply. The angels are spirit, and spirit has eternal life; so that logically we are being told the angels cannot die. Whatever the future holds for “impure spirits” is yet to be determined, but for these spirits in the land of the Gadarenes what mattered most was that their time of judgment was not yet! “Are you here to torment us before our time” they said. This question, or statement, was one which Jesus did not dispute.

(d) “You son of God” ... “Son of the Most High God” ... “Son of God most high” Whether you call these angels unclean spirits, impure spirits, devils, or demons, the previous three statements show a profound respect for the Almighty and Everlasting God. Those of you whose understanding of devils and demons originates from stories such as “The Exorcist,” I would be interested to know how this show of respect and obedience might influence your opinion.

(e) “I adjure you by God, that you torment me not.” Do you realize what this scripture is telling us? The spirit is using the word “horkizo” 3726 = as an oath, or something sworn; and it calls on God as an authority to back up that oath. In other words, the spirit is using God as its authority when it tells Jesus, (or is it ordering Jesus) to, “Torment [or torture; or punish] me not!”

The fact is that Jesus was not trying to torment the spirit. In fact, it is fair to say that Jesus also knew the time for judgment of the angels was not yet. However, He was letting them know they would no longer be allowed to inhabit this man from the tombs. By extension, it is my belief that the spirits have since come to realize that while the possession of humans may have been acceptable or at least justifiable in the past; it would no longer be so.

“And Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?’ And [the spirit] answered, saying, ‘my name is Legion: for we are many.’”

Did Jesus really expect the spirit(s) to give him an actual name; or was he simply asking them to somehow identify themselves? A Roman Legion numbered between 3,000 and 6,000 men, so when the spirit answered, “My name is Legion; for we are many,” it was apparently giving Jesus an honest and somewhat factual answer. But again the questions must be asked: Why would so many spirits want to invade the body of the same human host? Why would any spirit ever want to invade the body of any human host? I do have some theories which may answer both questions, but in the meantime I hope you will make some effort to answer these questions for yourselves.

Note: Next week I hope to complete this study with the posting of “My Name is Legion -- Part 3”