Unseen Forces

"Do not put us to the test, but deliver us from the evil one." Mt 6:13 NJB

We cannot ignore the significance of unseen forces in bringing humanity home to God. The worldview of most people has a ‘spirit realm’ and God would not be God if he were impotent in that area. Also, we cannot dismiss it since God chose to come in the flesh in a time and place where people believed in unseen influences. In fact the inter-connection between the unseen and the seen is integral to the gospel events. Not only that, but the inter-connection is essential to the Church’s mission of salvation today.

Messianic Peace

Experiencing messianic peace is fundamental to our mission of liberation from the forces of evil. It is as much an entity[1] as is a psychic attack or a curse, i.e., it either does what it is sent to do or it bounces back:

‘Whatever house you enter, let your first words be, “Peace to this house!” And if a man of peace lives there, your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you.’

Unlike a psychic attack or a curse, we cannot manufacture this sense of peace. It is a gift from God:

‘Peace, I bequeath to you, my own peace I give you, a peace which the world cannot give, this is my gift to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.’ (Jn 14:27)[2]

This gift of messianic peace is more than an experience; it is a foretaste of the world to come where the harmonious relations between God and creation, enjoyed before the fall, will be fully restored.[3]

The Occult exists

The Catholic Encyclopaedia of 1907 shows us just how much the occult was an aspect of the world view of Our Lord’s time:

The ‘Jews were prone to magic is evidenced by the strict laws against it and the warnings of the Prophets (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 18:10; Isaiah 3:18, 20; 57:3; Micah 5:11; cf. 2 Kings 21:6). Nevertheless, Jewish magic flourished, especially just before the birth of Christ, as appears from the Book of Enoch, the Testament of the Twelve Patriarchs, and the Testament of Solomon.’[4]

Today the occult is an aspect of the worldview of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, for it states:

‘All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to “unveil” the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpetation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers.’[5]

‘All forms of magic and sorcery, by which one attempts to tame occult powers … are gravely contrary to the virtue of religion. These practices are even more to be condemned when accompanied by the intention of harming someone or when they have recourse to the intervention of demons [6]

On the other hand:

God can reveal the future to his prophets or to other saints. Still, a sound Christian attitude consists in putting oneself confidently into the hands of providence.’[7]

The Plunderer

The Kingdoms of light and darkness are more than complementary ideas; they are realities. On the one hand many people suffer from the effects of occult powers: on the other hand gospel evangelism use a three-pronged approach to set people free. This approach involves proclamation, exorcism and healing. As Peter’s address to Cornelius’s household puts it:

God sent his word to the people of Israel and it was to them that the good news of heaven was brought by Jesus Christ – He is the Lord of all … God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.’[8]

Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry described himself as a plunderer:

‘No one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his property unless he has first tied up the strong man. Only then can he plunder his house.’ [9] Jesus aggressively freed people from demonic powers.

Such a self-portrayal fits in with the model of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. The original shepherd of Israel was David who would attack a lion or a bear for interfering with his flock of sheep.[10] What triggered the mission of the Twelve was Jesus’ gut-wrenching concern for his people because they were “harassed” i.e., torn by the teeth and claws of predators, and “dejected” i.e., presenting the throat for the ‘coup de grace’, “like sheep without a shepherd.” [11] He was very much in the model of the aggressive shepherd rather than that of the “hired man (who) has no concern for the sheep” [12] when the wolf attacks.

Jesus’ example challenges us to act aggressively against occult evil. And we are all in a shepherding role when we are bringing people home to God.

Restoring the middle layer

The Nicene Creed refers to God making “all that is, seen and unseen”. In western society we may accept that God the creator exists, but think that such a fact is not very important. We can call God the top layer of reality. (See Figure 5)

Western Society definitely gives a lot of importance on the bottom layer of reality, namely, physical things, humanity and our social constructions.

Educated Westerners find it difficult to come to terms with the spiritual layer, which is made up of angels and demons, psychic powers and the evil one. To continue the saving work of Christ, we have to take these realities seriously, like we take an economic crisis or a threatened pandemic seriously even though we may not see or understand them.

Paul G. Hiebert’s illustration (above) calls the spiritual layer the “middle tier”.[13]

In the model, God is above the conflict between good and evil. God is bigger that everything. Conflict exists between those who are loyal and those who are rebellious in the middle and lower levels.

Most people would have some sort of “middle tier” or spiritual level in their worldview. In western society the secular worldview is itself influenced by the popularity of occult ideas and practices.

In New Zealand we are being flooded with the occult through the underlying Masonic “Wisdom of the Ancients”, the resurgence of Maori animism, the self-worship of the New Age Movement and the popularizing of Harry Potter-style wizardry.

Invincible power

Given the existence of a spiritual level, lets look at Jesus sending out the Seventy-two, as recorded in Luke 10:1-22, in terms of the occult.

‘After this the Lord appointed Seventy-two others and sent them out’ (verse 1). Jesus had already sent the Twelve on mission. So these would be considered laymen in today’s church. You do not have to be a member of the clergy to do what these people did. They would be doing things “associated with believers”[14].

‘I am sending you out like lambs among wolves’ (verse 3). Exponents of the occult can operate like wolves, even cursing each other to death. It is good that we do not have to act like them; rather, like lambs we rely in Christ our shepherd. This confrontation calls for a simple faith. The official Church knows this from experience; that is why Bishops look to appoint priests of simple strong faith as official exorcists, rather than men who are learned and clever.

‘Let your first words be “peace be to this house!” and if a man of peace lives there your peace will go and rest on him; if not, it will come back to you’ (Verse 5 - 6). At the occult level, a blessing acts in much the same way as a curse. It is projected on a person or situation and either rests there or comes back to the sender. St Paul reminds us “Bless your persecutors; never curse them, bless them.”[15]

‘Cure those in it who are sick, and say, “The kingdom of God is very near to you.” (Verse 9) Healing is connected to evangelism: Sickness is seen as either the result of original sin or of direct demonic influence; there will be no more sickness or death when the Messianic peace is fully established. Evangelism is also connected to exorcism. The primary means of exorcising is evangelism, as Pope Benedict XI reminds us:

Because the world is ruled by the powers of evil, this preaching is at the same time a struggle with those powers. “In following Jesus, his herald has to exorcise the world, to establish a new form of life in the Holy Spirit that brings release to those who are possessed.”[16]

‘Even the devils submit to us when we use your name’ (verse 17). These exorcisms, being made in Jesus’ name, show the close association on the spiritual level between the First Commandment “I am the Lord your God … you shall have no other God’s before me” (Exodus 20:1-2) and the Second Commandment “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain” (Exodus 20: 7) The first commandment forbids us seeking occult power and proper use of the Lord’s name, implied in the second commandment, rescues us from occult power.

‘Look I have given you power to tread down serpents and scorpions and the whole strength of the enemy; nothing shall ever hurt you.’ (Verse 19)

Not only is the reference to danger from physical serpents and scorpions but to the occult powers of Satan. This is invincible power and Jesus expects us to use it, not bury it. [17]

‘Filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said, “I bless you Father, Lord of heaven and earth … for revealing these things to mere children”’ (verse 21). Here is the first direct reference to the Holy Spirit in this passage of Scripture. Also it shows all three levels of the biblical worldview, the top level being the Blessed Trinity, the middle level as ‘heaven’ and the bottom level as ‘earth’. But most importantly overcoming occult powers requires the simplicity of a child rather the complex considerations of the learned.

‘Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father: and no one knows who the Son is except the Father and who the Father is except the son and those whom the Son chooses to reveal him’ (verse 22). The movement to overcome evil is driven by the dynamic relationship between the Father and the Son in the Blessed Trinity. You can read more about this in John’s Gospel.[18] This relationship between the Father and the Son exists at the top level which is above the conflict between good and evil in Hiebert’s model. It is by the Holy Spirit that we can connect directly to that top level.

Conclusions:

• The occult exists

• People suffer from it

• Jesus aggressively set people free

• His invincible name is available to us

• We are to project messianic peace

• We need to overcome unseen forces to bring humanity home to God.

Attached below the footnotes are:

A PowerPoint presentation entitled "Deliverance" relating to contemporary society

A Deliverance Prayer in the form of a litany. We find that litanies are very "user friendly."

[1] New Jerusalem Bible (NJB) Footnote to Matthew 10:13d says, ‘The oriental greeting is a wish of peace. In Verse 13 this wish is treated in concrete fashion as an entity which, if it fails to secure its effect, nevertheless remains in being and returns to its original owner.’

[2] NJB Footnote to Jn 14:27 says, ‘The customary Jewish greeting and farewell, see Lk 10:5 and par.; it means soundness of body and came to be used of the perfect happiness and the deliverance which the Messiah will bring. 2 Th 3:16.’

[3] NJBFootnote to Hosea 2:20s goes: ‘…Peace will spread to all peoples, (…) under the guidance of the royal Messiah (…). Death itself will disappear, Is 25:7-9, and joy will replace suffering and tears …

[4] Catholic Encyclopaedia http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11197b.htm

[5] Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 2116

[6] CCC 2117

[7] CCC 2115

[8] Acts 10:36,38

[9] Mark 3:27 and par

[10] See 1 Samuel 17:34-37

[11] Matthew 9:36

[12] John 10:13

[13] See Some Issues in a Systematic Theology That Takes Seriously the Demonic

Dr. Hwa Yung http://www.lausanne.org/Brix?pageID=13866

[14] Mark 16:17

[15] Romans 12:14

[16] ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ ISBN 978-0-385-52341-7, page 173

[17] See Matthew 25:24-27

[18] See John 14:10-12 and following verses for the connection between the Father and the Son that overflows to the disciples as works of power.