The valley in between the two mountains.
When Jesus appeared in Israel he came into a society established in evil. The occupying Roman army, the Pharisees and other religious leaders were all well skilled in wickedness, although they emphatically denied such an accusation.
Demonic activity was also openly operating. Examples are given in the Bible of men, women, boys and girls at various levels of demonisation. Mark 1:21-28, Mark 7:24-30, Mark 9:16-29, Mark 16:9
Biblically, 'demonisation' simply means 'to have a demon'. Somehow, a demon (or ten!) has managed to penetrate the defences of a human and gain indwelling occupancy. From inside it is much better able to carry out its foul deeds. Jesus seemed to have had many confrontations with such beings. Read the four appropriate books of the New Testament for yourself and see.
The wonderful thing about Jesus was that he didn't leave people in the desperate condition he found them in. There is no record that he left in any person any demon he discovered. He had one directive for each and every one - Get out! Mark 9:25-26
And to the amazement of everyone watching, they obeyed! It is true that they whined and moaned, disputed and demonstrated, but all of them disappeared - no exceptions!
How did he do it?
By the Holy Spirit, and therein lies a key. Jesus drove out demons by the Holy Spirit. Matthew 12:22-32, Luke 11:20
Another key: Jesus gave his disciples authority to drive out demons. Luke 10:19
Not power - authority. There is a big difference. If a traffic officer steps out onto the road and holds up his hand, everyone stops. Even the 30 ton truck stops. Does that happen because the officer has the power to stop it? Of course not! If the driver of that 30 ton truck kept driving, only flattened human remains would result.
What that traffic officer does have, though, is authority. A cap and badge make that clear. The power is in the law of the land. The law of the land enforces his hand of authority.
So it was with Jesus. He stated that he said or did nothing without his Father's permission, and when he confronted demons, he drove them out using his authority and the power of the Holy Spirit.
(Part 3 coming soon)
This paper seeks to accurately represent the teachings of Holy Scriptures. You are free to copy or alter all or any part of this paper PROVIDED that the Holy Scriptures are not misrepresented as a result.
