By Pastor Tom Stiles
Exorcism:
A forced removal of spirits and/or devils, including demons and ghosts from a living host who is possessed or otherwise being harassed by said spirits. A good case is seen in the movie "The Exorcism of Emily Rose." That movie is based on a true story, and well put together. In the ritual itself, a priest or other qualified person will read scripture, pray, and speak to the spirit to be exorcised. Holy water, anointing oil, and religious talismans and symbols will be used. The exorcist will command the spirit out of the subject, and God willing, it will leave. Any observers will become potential targets for the spirit's wrath if they have not been blessed and/or anointed in advance.
When the spirit comes out, a physical reaction will happen. For example, the subject may scream or cry and the spirit come out with the tears or sound. Vomiting the spirit out is not uncommon as well. The spirit, now angry, must be sent away; removed from this world back to its own. A second stage of exorcism is performed, where the spirit is commanded out of our world. Failing this, it is usually possible to command it from the house or property, and bind it from harming the subject ever again.
This indirectly brings me to another form of exorcism, in which the second stage is the only one performed. It is a casting out of evil spirits from a home or property. There is no possession of a person in these cases. It most closely resembles a mild to severe haunting by evil spirits, and is actually easier to perform than a body exorcism.
As I mentioned before, you need to be possessed to have an exorcism. There are more ways to become possessed than most people realize. Here are some examples: In voodoo rituals, the participants deliberately allow themselves to become possessed; Any form of channeling allows a person to become possessed, because the spirit must enter you for it to work, and there is no guarantee that it will leave afterwords; ouija or spirit boards are a form of channeling, and participants regularly become possessed; Tarot can cause possession in certain cases (please do not jump my case for this, its actually a rare one, but it DOES happen); Practicing any witchcraft, druidic, wiccan, new age, pagan, or satanic religions can attract unwanted spiritual attention as well (I am not trying to disrespect those of you who may be a part of these faiths, and I am sorry if I have, so if you question me on this please keep it nice and polite or pm me).
Symptoms of possession:
A possessed person usually will exhibit a dramatic personality shift “overnight.” They could become hostile towards family and friends; sometimes violently so. Their taste in music and food will change as well. Keep in mind that there are little or no medical problems caused by this change save, perhaps, malnutrition after a prolonged period of time. This is why I prefer to interview the family. Religious symbols, particularly Hebrew and Christian symbols can cause anywhere from disgust to physical pain. Pain would only be exhibited from direct contact with the skin. The one possessed will develop a sudden distaste for church, sometimes to the point of becoming violent when presented with a suggestion to attend.
The music in particular causes discomfort, disgust, and even pain to the possessed. I have found that Christian music or, to a lesser degree, any uplifting music can cause physical reactions in possessed individuals. The reactions range from demanding irrationally that the music be changed, to fleeing the sound, to becoming violent. There will usually be a physical reaction to holy water, and a stronger reaction to anointing oil. I only use the oil failing to get a reaction from the water, but with other signs of possession present. The subject may react in pain, as if the substance were hot or somehow repulsive; like it had a hideous odor. The sensation may last for hours or days, depending on the severity of the possession.
Section 1: What are angels and Demons?
What are angels? Simply put, angels are divine beings. They are God's messengers and servants; in fact, the Hebrew for angel is 'messenger.' The Greek "Angelos" also means angel or messenger. What they are and their roles are quite a bit more complicated than that, though. What are demons? Demons are angels who, through sin, are no longer divine. They cannot be forgiven, as humans can, because they had an understanding of God and the universe, and sinned anyways. We have no such knowledge, therefore, we can make mistakes without fully understanding the consequences, and can be forgiven because of this.
*I will get into the difference between demons and devils later on, for now, consider demon a 'blanket term' that covers both of them.
Section 2: What do they do/ look like?
What do angels do/ look like? Angels are the protectors of the faithful and the innocent, as well as the dealers in divine retribution. They have a variety of tasks, which include maintaining order in the universe, and aiding in the worship of God. They have a variety of forms and sizes, but when they appear to us visibly, they tend to look human, with some fantastic quality or striking look, like seeming to glow or even be scary. Angels supposedly number in the millions or billions.
What do demons do/ look like? Demons corrupt, spread lies and hate, dominate, and endeavor to destroy when ever they can. This is like trying to hurt God because he hurt them (even though he was justified in doing so). Hurting us to hurt God: Humans are God's greatest creation, which he loves very dearly. Any corruption or destruction against that which God loves, is for that purpose. Demons have a variety of forms and sizes, just as angels do, but they have no physical forms (those were destroyed when they fell). When they appear they try to take on a pleasing form, usually. They sometimes show their true forms to frighten people. In that form they look like a large, vaguely human shaped shadow, with claws, and glowing eyes. (yes, I have seen them). It is believed that one-third of the angels became demons. (See Revelation)
Section 3: Historical, and specific angels and demons.
There are only two angels mentioned by name in the bible: Michael, whose name means ‘Who is like God?’(yes his name is a question); and Gabriel, whose name means ‘Hero of God.’ Michael is the general of the armies of heaven, and fights Lucifer (Satan) at every turn. He showed up on the battlefield a couple of times in the Old Testament, to aid God’s people. He appeared to a Catholic monk, and that monk later built St. Michael’s cathedral on that same location. Michael is also thought to be the angel who appeared with an entire regiment on horseback and helped win a decisive battle against the Nazis in WWII, and vanished after the battle, only leaving the allied troops he rescued.
Gabriel is more of a messenger. He is the angel who appeared to Mary to tell her about Jesus, he appeared as the star to guide the wise men to Bethlehem, and he was the one who rolled away the stone from Jesus’ tomb. He is also considered to be the angel of death, although that is a role shared by many angels. Michael and Gabriel together were the angels to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. There were others not mentioned by name, but referred to as “the angel of the lord.” Raphiel, who healed Jacob after his fight with the mysterious being or 'dark angel;' and Uriel, who is thought to be an angel of punishment, and may have brought the great flood. He probably was the one guarding Eden with his flaming sword.
There are several demons of note: Lucifer (of course), meaning ‘morning star’ was his name as an angel, when he fell, it became Satan; meaning ‘obstacle.’ This is who we refer to as the devil. He was the most beautiful of angels, and became vain and hateful; he wanted more and more, and he was cast out of heaven. He is known as the lord of lies and deceit. Michael throws him out of heaven in Revelation.
Azazel spread forbidden knowledge to corrupt humanity; he spread metallurgy, weapons, cosmetics, and jewelry. It was his influence that caused humans to become so evil, that God destroyed them with the great flood. He was imprisoned in a desert somewhere so could no longer influence humanity. He must remain there until judgment day. Belial is a demon who had a strong following in early parts of the Old Testament, and his followers were called the sons of Belial. The prophet/ judge, Samson killed many sons of Belial. Belial also means ‘worthless.’ One more of note is Beelzebub: Name means lord of flies. Also called Baal or Baalzebub. The Baal worshipers were the largest opposing religion to Judaism at the time. The prophet Elijah challenged the followers of Baal, saying that their God could work no wonders. For 2 days, prophets of Baal prayed for him to light the alter with his powers. Then Elijah soaked his alter to God with water, prayed one prayer, and fire from heaven consumed the alter, stones and all.
Where is it in the bible?
Angels...
Angels in the Bible have a habit of starting conversations with such phrases as "Do not be afraid ..." (Luke 1:13 & Luke 1:29 to name two...) Angels aren't pretty young motherly looking women or fat little cherubs. They invoke fear or awe. Demons are likewise so, but it is easier to control someone through deception than fear.
Purpose of angels? Primarily to serve in heaven (Revelation 8-9) and to act as spiritual warriors of God (Revelation 12:7-12).
As far as interaction with humans in concerned, they assist people (Genesis 24), protect people (Psalm 91:11-13), execute judgment (Matthew 13:24-50 & Revelation 14:17-16:21), and deliver messages (Isaiah 6, Matthew 1:20-24, Luke 1:26-38, 2:8-25). A small note: Satan quotes scripture. He quotes Psalm 91:12 when trying to tempt Jesus in Matthew 4:6
Demons...
One of the most fearsome abilities is the ability to possess someone.
Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-17, Luke 8:26-37, Acts: Some instances of supernatural abilities com from possession (Acts 16:16-19)
And are never to be trusted.(Timothy 4:1-10)
The difference Between Devils and Demons
Okay, it can be complicated telling the difference from meeting/ seeing one, though the difference is fairly simple:
Devil = Fallen Angel
Devil = Immortal (has nothing to do with life span, they just cannot be permanently destroyed)
Devil = Very powerful
Demon = Negative energy creature or automaton
Demon = Not immortal (still nothing to do with life span)
Demon = From very weak all the way up to powerful, never as strong as a devil
However to be more specific:
Devils comprise one-third of the original population of angels which fell from grace when they choose to follow Lucifer instead of God. Demons can be created with negative energy or with chaos energy. They are like negative energy golems, under the control of their masters, and can show up in VERY LARGE numbers. I would also describe them as 'barely sentient blobs of negative energy.' Devils usually appear alone or in small groups. To actually encounter a large number of devils is extremely rare unless you walk into hell itself. Demons even account for quite a few supposed hauntings. With devils, this is the rarest of the rare and I only know of two modern occurrences of a devilish haunting; paranormal researchers and ghost hunters coined the term 'malevolent inhuman entity' to describe these hauntings
