Part II (of this complete study):
The life in the holy place of the resurrection person
The purification of the holy place in order to come to “the end of all flesh”
(Part 1)
Seven “Christian” demons or “holy” devils
“When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he saith, I will return unto my house whence I came out. And when he cometh, he findeth it swept and garnished. Then goeth he, and taketh to him seven other spirits more wicked than himself; and they enter in, and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first” (Luke 11:24-26).
Through faith in the Word of God and in the shed blood of Calvary a man (re)turns to the Lord Jesus with all his heart, and by the Word of God, in the power of the Holy Spirit, the demon dwelling in him, which he had mostly obeyed, is cast out. Alleluia! So this man’s inner being was completely cleansed in the blood of Jesus, and, in due time it was garnished with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This man became a Christian.
But this exorcised demon of worldly lust, of worldly desires (1 John 2:16), that used to dwell in him, returns because it longs to live in its former “house” again. But this person, in whom this demon used to dwell, now has been cleansed spiritually; he now is a Christian obedient to the Word, and even baptized with God’s Spirit! And, one would expect that such a worldly spirit like this demon, which is very rebellious and hostile towards God, would find no more entry into the life of this Christian. But, if it would succeed, it could defile this life again with its presence, so that the Spirit of God would eventually have to leave this person. But then this demon would have to act very, very cunningly! For this person does not want to behave in an unchristian way. And, because this demon knows it, it will tolerate that Christian behavior. But, it goes away to get seven other demons to help it to stalk and repossess the “house” (namely the heart) it used to live in. These seven other demons are more cunning that the first one. The first one is very rebellious towards God, but the others act in a sneakier way. All seven of them wear a white, “Christian” robe. And this robe gives them a “Christian” look, whereby they are accepted easier by Christians. In this way the old demon returns to this Christian, hidden amongst these seven “Christian” demons.
Unfortunately (too) many Christians think that, after the (inward) renewal by the Word and the Holy Ghost, nothing can happen to them anymore. God Himself delivered them from the “old man” after all, they think. Let us study more closely the work of these seven “Christian” demons, one by one. God’s Word revealed them in Luke 12.
The first demon: the “Eye of men”
The first demon is called “Eye of men”, and it is all too eager to point out fellow brothers and sisters, neighbors, or people we work with at the office or at the factory, and it whispers in our ear: “Now that you have repented you must behave like a Christian, for it is written that as a Christian you must labor worthy of that repentance. So, especially see to it, that the people you see daily, do not see you play around. Wrong words and/or deeds, you tend to do in weakness. Therefore cover these carefully, and show yourself as a tough follower of Christ. If you are alone or in strange surroundings or abroad, where no knows you, then it does not matter.”
Brother and sister, do you hear these whisperings in your ear too? Then rebuke this demon “Eye of men”. Bind it in the Name of Jesus, and cast it out in that same Name, in outer darkness where it belongs! Have nothing to do with “Eye of men”. You only have to heed the (all seeing) eye of God! You have not repented unto people, but unto God. It is not your attitude towards people which is decisive, but it is your attitude towards God. We should please our Lord Jesus Christ in everything.
This demon distracts us from our wonderful Savior, and draws our attention to the people. If we let ourselves be deceived by it, then our Christian life will be a game of hide-and-seek between you and your acquaintances, between you and your brothers and sisters. Therefore God’s Spirit will have to leave you, because you cannot hear His divine voice, which wants you to focus your whole being on your Redeemer and Savior, anymore. And this Christian demon of hypocrisy will take possession of your heart and will dwell in it in the place of the Holy Spirit. This “Christian” demon in us will see to it that we wear a “Christian” mask when we are near acquaintances, but especially in the presence of the leader, and in the (congregational) meetings. You will behave just like the Pharisees and the lawyers. And because you have become so keen on what people think of you, it goes without saying that you will seek the honor, and thus the appreciation, of people, for in their eyes you want to be a good, blessed Christian. And this praise of people will see to it, that deep in our heart, the old pride we have come to detest so when we repented, will rear its head again. It was because of pride in the Pharisees that they took the prominent seats in the synagogue and loved the greetings in the markets.
Again, brother and sister, do not let yourselves be deceived by “Eye of men”, for one day, on the day of judgment, every person will know what you thought in the depths of your own heart; or what you spoke, even if it was in your inner room.
LUKE 12 verse 1-3, “In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trod one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven (symbol of sin that spreads) of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; neither hid, that shall not be known. Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.”
Let us see to it that we be delivered from “Eye of men”, before we are called to justice; otherwise it shall be our accuser before God and let Him know that you have always obeyed and served it!
- CLICK HERE if you want to continue this ‘verse by verse’ study of LUKE Chapter 12.
By E. van den Worm
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- P.S.:
Translated from Dutch into English
See our Dutch site https://eindtijdbodeBijbelstudies.wordpress.com with far more studies you can translate by Google etc.
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If you want, see also the ‘verse by verse’ study of:
- LUKE Chapter 1
- LUKE Chapter 2
- LUKE Chapter 3
- LUKE Chapter 4
- LUKE Chapter 5
- LUKE Chapter 6
- LUKE Chapter 7
- LUKE Chapter 8
- LUKE Chapter 9
- LUKE Chapter 10
- LUKE Chapter 11
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