Jesus was led of the Holy Spirit especially throughout his public ministry and his being tempted by the devil was no exception to this. Sometimes God either puts us through tests in which the devil seeks to exploit our difficult circumstances or we sometimes are in difficult circumstances which the devil can exploit but we need to seek strength in God and not just our own strength in these trials if we are Christians. In this case Jesus was in a difficult situation because he had fasted for considerable time (40 days according to Matthew's gospel). After Jesus' period of fasting the devil immediately started to tempt him. The first temptation appealed to the lust of the flesh to fulfil Jesus' physical needs (to eat food in this case). When the Bible uses the expression if thou art the Son of God the literal meaning in the original language isn't brought out which is since you are the son of GodJesus defended himself against Satan by rightly quoting scripture and saying that man including Jesus' human nature didn't just live by physical food but also by God's word the Holy Bible as his and our spiritual food. Then the devil tried another temptation against Jesus. This time he appealed to the lust of the eyes. The devil tempted Jesus with giving Jesus the glory of the kingdoms of the world and the devil rightly said this glory was his to give to whoever he wanted because the devil got this right when he got Adam and Eve our first parents to disobey God and got the right to rule the earth from Adam to whom God had given it at first. Jesus also knew that He would rightfully get the kingdom rule on this earth and its glory after his second coming when he sets up God's Millennial or Messianic rule on earth through the nation of Israel and the true Church as well as converted Gentiles. Jesus again answered the devil with a suitable part of God's word which said that men including Jesus after His human nature were to worship God the Father and not anyone else although other scriptures make clear that God encourages created humans to worship Jesus as the divine Son of God and God the Son as well as the Father. The devil then attempted to tempt Jesus one more time this time with the pride of life. All three of these temptations were attempted against Eve in the Garden of Eden but unfortunately she failed the test and brought the sinful nature on human beings as well as due to Adam then sinning deliberately and also taking the forbidden fruit. Satan tempted Jesus to make a display of himself by casting him down from the top of the temple in Jerusalem and show everyone that way that he was a Messianic figure by having the angels deliver him from harm. Satan this time quoted scripture from Psalm 91 but he misquoted it leaving out the key phrase in all thy ways after the angels charge over thee, to keep thee which is significant because Jesus wouldn't be continuing in all the ways of God the Father if he listened to the devil more than God the Father. Jesus then again used a suitable scripture saying we shouldn't tempt God or frivously force him to protect us. The example of our Lord Jesus Christ to use God's word the Holy Bible to successfully resist the devil is one of the techniques Christians can also use now to resist the devil and as part of our spiritual warfare against the devil or other demons (fallen angels or evil spirits). As the devil does for Christians now he left Jesus for a while but I'm sure came back later to tempt or oppose him although we should take encouragement to do better to resist the devil in a more comparable way to what Jesus did. The scripture reference from Luke 4 of the temptation by the devil Satan of Jesus at the beginning of Jesus' public ministry is as follows:
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those forty days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread. And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thou behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: For it is written, He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: And in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season (short time). Gospel of Luke 4:1-13
In Mark 7 it is mentioned that Jesus went on one of his farthest trips to the area around Tyre and Sidon. There he met a Syrophoenician woman who stopped Jesus and begged Him that he heal her young daugher had a sickness by an unclean spirit. This is certainly one indication that sometimes although not all the time sicknesses can be caused by unclean spirits or demons. Jesus at first refused her and said that he wanted to minister unto Jewish people more but when the woman called Jesus Lord and urged Jesus to heal her daughter Jesus cast out the demon out of the woman's daughter and healed her. Jesus in this way rewarded the faith in Him of the Syrophoenician woman and God can still heal people at least that pray to God through Him for healing for themselves or others today. The scripture reference from Mark 7 of Jesus rewarding the faith of the Syrophenician woman by healing her daughter that was diseased of an unclean spirit by casting out the unclean spirit is as follows:
At the beginning of Jesus' public ministry he confronted a man with an unclean spirit (demon). That he encountered this man in a synagogue shows that not everyone that gathers in a place where the true God is worshipped and His word is preached is a true believer in the one true God. That the demon called Jesus the Holy One of God shows that the evil spirits know who Jesus is as this is probably an indication that they knew he was the true Messiah or even Son of God. Jesus didn't want their testimony because at other times they wouldn't tell the truth and their testimony was not reliable so he commanded the unclean spirit to be quiet. The demon also knew that Jesus had the power to destroy them in hell and acknowledged his divinity that way as well. Jesus then commaned the evil spirit to come out of the man and immediately it came out and this showed Jesus' authority. The evil spirit tore the man and caused him to shriek which is what I heard happens with some modern genuine exorcisms as well. The people in the synagogue or around Jesus immediately recognized Jesus' authority and this caused people to spread his fame around Galilee. The scripture reference from Mark 1 of Jesus casting out the unclean spirit (demon) out of the man at the beginning of his public ministry is as follows:
And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? are thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him. And they were all amazed, insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying, What thing is this? what new doctrine is this? for with authority commandeth he even the unclean spirits, and they do obey him. Mark 1:23-27
One account of the Lord Jesus casting out a demon was one that would take a boy and tear him and vex him. It is also sometimes carried him through fire and water. I heard of accounts from a man named David Parredes of many people in United States especially in national parks that suddenly go missing for no apparent reasons and some are found in good condition a long way from where they were last seen sometimes in locations that are very hard to get to on foot. He has also suggested some of these could be demonic abductions to which I would tend to agree. The account of this boy in the Gospel of Mark and the Gospel of Luke say the demon (spirit) took the boy which means it abducted or carried off the boy. This is similiar to abductions on earth including in national parks but could also relate to demonic abductions by aliens in UFOs. The demons could appear as humans, animals, aliens or some combination of these and have probably appeared in the past as elves or trolls in the forest. It is clear that the demon dragged this boy for some distance in the Gospel of Matthew saying it brought him through fire and water. Although this spirit tore and vexed the boy and made him cry out these things might not always happen when demons abduct someone either on earth or to space or another dimension and so sometimes the abductions could be more secret or that people around there were unaware of them. These abductions that happen now if a born again Christian encounters this happening to the person I believe the demons or evil spirit could be rebuked in Jesus' name if it is God's will and the link between the person being abducted and the demon could be broken. I have heard of an instance of someone in United States that was a Christian that demons as aliens tried to abduct but who rebuked the spirit in Jesus' name and who was immediately freed from the action of the demon (alien). The scripture reference from Gospel of Matthew 17 and Gospel of Mark 9 (and LUke 9) about demons able to abduct people and bring them some distance through different trials and the relation to current missing person events and that Jesus is able to bind these spirits is as follows:
And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water. And I brought him to thy disciples, and 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 suffer you? bring him hiter to me. And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour. Then came the disciplels to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out? And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting. Gospel of Matthew 17:14-21
And when he came to his disciples, he saw a great multitude about them, and the scribes questioning with them. And straightway all the people, when they beheld him, were greatly amazed, and running to him saluted him. And he asked the scribes, What question ye with them? And one of the multitude answered and said, Master, I have brought unto thee my son, which hath a dumb spirit; And wheresoever he taketh him, he teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away: and I spake to thy disciples that they should cast him out; and they could not. He answered him, and said, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me. And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tare him; and he fell on the ground, and wallowed foaming. And he asked his father, How long is it ago since this came unto him? And he said, Of a child. And ofttimes it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him: but if thou canst do any thing, have compassion on us, and help us. Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. when Jesus saw that the people came running together, he rebuked the foul spirit, saying unto him, Thou dumb and deaf spirit, I charge thee, come out of him, and enter no more into him. And the spirit cried, and rent him sore, and came out of him; and he was as one dead; insomuch that many said, He is dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, and lifted him up; and he arose. And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out? And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting. Gospel of Mark 9:14-29
During Jesus' public ministry he went to the east side of the Sea of Galilee with his disciples to a place called Gadara. Outside this town close to the Sea of Galilee a man met him that was possessed of many demons. These demons caused the man to wear no clothes and be associated with death by living among the tombs. The demons in this man recognized Jesus as the Son of God and addressed him as such and acknowledged his authority over them by requesting that Jesus not torment or judge them before the time at the end of time when Jesus will judge the demons just before eternity. Jesus commanded that the demons come out of this man. These demons gave this man supernatural strenght making him able to brake chains people had put on him to confine him. The demons also had control of his body and were able to catch him and drive him into the wilderness or take him into the wilderness. This taking or driving him into the wilderness is similiar to the demon mentioned above in Matthew 17 and Luke 9 and Mark 9 which was able to take another person where the demons wanted to in that case through fire and water to kill him. These cases are both similiar to the modern cases mentioned by David Parredes of people abducted by unexplained sources in national parks in the United States and could be evidence from the Bible that some of those modern abductions of people without a trace or for no apparent reason could be by current demonic activity. This case in Gadara was probably also a case of territorial spirits or demons that focused on that certain area due probably to past occult or other activity that would invite demons to an area. It is possible that some of the supernatural modern abductions in American national parks are also in areas which have territorial spirits although I don't know for sure. When Jesus cast out the demons in the demoniac at Gadara Jesus permitted them to enter a herd of swine which they did and then caused the pigs to violently run off a cliff into the water where they drowned after causing a spectacle and destruction which demons and Satan would be pleased to do. However God through His Son Jesus Christ still accomplished His purpose in this case in not only casting out the demons from this man but to lead him to faith in the Lord Jesus as his personal Lord and Saviour and to send him to be a witness of the Lord Jesus Christ to the people of Gadara which this man was faithful to do. The scripture reference from Luke chapter 8 of the account of this demonically possessed man that among other things was taken to places against his will similiar to some cases now of unexplained abductions but in this case that the Lord Jesus delivered and sent to be a witness to Himself is as follows:
And they arrived at the country of the Gadarenes, which is over against Galilee. And when he went forth to land, there met him out of the city a certain man, which had devils long time, and ware not clothes, neither abode in any house, but in the tombs. When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to out into the deep. And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them. Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked. When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in the city and in the country. Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid. They also which saw it told them by what means he that was possessed of the devils was healed. Then the whole multitude of the country of the Gadarenes round about besought him to depart from them; for they were taken with great fear: and he went up into the ship, and returned back again. Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying, Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him. Gospel of Luke 8:26-39
And from thence he arose, and went into the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and entered into an house, and would have no man know it: but he could not be hid. For a certain woman, whose young daughter had an unclean spirit, heard of him, and came and fell at his feet: The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil (demon) out of her daughter. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed. Gospel of Mark 7:24-30
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