THE NATURE OF DEMONS: WHY CAST OUT DEMONS?

Why cast out demons? They don't leave automatically!
It's vital to understand the importance of casting out demons. Some believers assume that demons will automatically leave on their own accord once the legal grounds are removed, but that simply isn't true. I believe there are many times when they do, simply because the demon chooses not to hang around where he has no 'hold' or 'right' to a person, but that is by no means true in every case.

Removing legal grounds isn't always enough

If demons left automatically when their legal grounds were removed, why didn't Jesus simply tell those who were possessed with demons that their sins were forgiven, as He did with others (Matthew 9:2)? Instead He rebuked demons and commanded them to come out and they often made a big scene when they came out! Wouldn't it be easier to tell them that their sins were forgiven? One time Jesus even said, "For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?" (Matthew 9:5) If you ask me, it would be a LOT easier to say "thy sins be forgiven", than to rebuke demons and have them throw the person to the ground in convulsions, foam at the mouth, scream to the top of a person's lungs, etc. There's a clear purpose in casting out demons, and Jesus' life here on earth was an example for us to learn from (John 14:12, "He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also."), and a large part of His ministry was casting out demons.

We may be cleansed from legal grounds in our lives, but unwelcome guests (evil spirits) may still need to be told to leave. Let's say that you lived in an apartment and had a roommate, but one day you chose to have the place to yourself, so you started paying the full rent for your apartment (so you have full legal rights to live there alone), but where your problem lies is that your stubborn roommate (who no longer has a legal right to live there) refuses to leave. The same principal applies in the spiritual realm when dealing with demons. This is why Jesus gave us authority over demon spirits to cast them out. If demons left on their own accord once their legal grounds are broken, there would be no need to cast them out! But Jesus made it clear that them who believe will be casting out demons (Mark 16:17).

Mark 9:29 also makes it clear that some demons, regardless if their legal grounds are removed or not, require prayer and fasting to drive out, "And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." Jesus was perfectly capable of forgiving a person's sins when He was here on earth (Luke 7:47), so for Him to tell us that some demons require prayer and fasting to drive out, tells us that demons simply don't leave the moment their legal grounds are removed.

The nature of demonsIt's vital to learn of the nature of demons, because when you realize that they are stubborn and rebellious beings that often need to be TOLD to leave, you'll understand why it's important to cast them out. Let's take a look at some of the tantrums they threw as Jesus cast them out:

In Mark 9:20, we find a story of when a demon was so upset that he had to leave, that he took control over the boy and threw him into a convulsion with foam coming out of his mouth, "And they brought him unto him: and when he saw him, straightway the spirit tore him (took control over the boy and threw him into a convulsion); and he fell on the ground, and wallowed (rolled around) foaming (foam was coming out of his mouth)."

In Luke 9:39, we find another story where a demon threw an awful tantrum as he was driven out, "And, lo, a spirit taketh him, and he suddenly crieth out; and it teareth him (threw the person into a convulsion) that he foameth again, and bruising him hardly (harshly bruising him physically) departeth from him."


Perhaps one of the most common manifestations mentioned in the Bible is found in Mark 1:26, "And when the unclean spirit had torn him, and cried with a loud voice, he came out of him." Properly interpreted, the word cried here actually refers to screaming. The demon didn't go out quietly, it went out screaming and thew the boy into a convulsion on it's way out!

If demons throw such fits as JESUS Himself cast them out, what makes us think they will peacefully leave on their own accord? What amazes me, is how people expect demons to play nice and leave automatically, but they would never expect a criminal to willfully give up his lifestyle without the authority of policemen stepping in and forcing the man to either change or be cast into prison.