In the Bible we read that Jesus gave his twelve disciples, called apostles, power not only to cure disease, but also to cast out evil spirits. This is what I call authority to act in the name of Jesus Christ.
And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease. . . .
Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. (Matthew 10:1,8.)And he ordained twelve, that they should be with him, and that he might send them forth to preach,
And to have power to heal sicknesses, and to cast out devils. (Mark 3:14-15.)Then he called his twelve disciples together, and gave them power and authority over all devils, and to cure diseases. (Luke 9:1.)
And this is not all. Later on, Jesus gave the same powers to “another” seventy men. So, that’s at least 140 other disciples who were given this power.
After these things the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before his face into every city and place, whither he himself would come. . . .
And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you:
And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. . . .
And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. (Luke 10:1,8-9,17.)
However, it goes even beyond these at least 152 men. Listen:
And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils . . .” (Mark 16:17.)
This would extend the privilege of casting out evil spirits to every believer in Jesus Christ!
But as we have seen, in some instances fasting and prayer are necessary to cast out evil spirits, even when power has been given to cast them out. How is that determined, one might wonder? Perhaps if at first you don’t succeed, try it with fasting and prayer.
So, Jesus either cast out evil spirits by his own word, or his disciples cast them out using the name of Jesus, but only after Jesus gave them authority to do so.
When casting out devils in the name of Jesus, we must keep in mind his warning (See Matthew 7:21-23) and also the example of the “seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and the chief of the priests.” (See Acts 19:13-16.)
As we have seen, evil spirits do have great power. However, they also can be defeated by the name of Jesus when used with proper authority, as we have also seen. Yet, the results are mixed when the name of Jesus is used outside of this given authority.
This is not something to be trifled with. Yet the situation is far more real than, I think, most people realize. Satan and his angels have not gone to sleep, especially in these last days when they know their time is short.
And, remember, to complicate the matter even further, Satan can appear even as an angel of light:
And no marvel [i.e., marvel not]; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.
Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (2 Corinthians 11:14-15.)
Cris,
As you have probably noticed, I have been reading through all your topics. I found the comment of Alternate Economy to be of some interest. I would like to expand on the “I Am,” and seek your feedback.
In the Old Testament, when Moses was conversing with the Lord prior to informing the Children of Israel that the Lord had heard their prayers and was going to lead them out of Egypt and back to their land of promise, he posed a question. He asked the Lord His name so that he could present it to the Children of Israel. The Lord responded, “Tell them that I Am that I Am.” It is my understanding that if one translates the Hebrew phrase (I Am that I Am) into the third person, it translates into Jehovah.
In a previous comment, I stated that I believe Jehovah was the Spirit embodiment of Jesus Christ. However, I did not elaborate as to why I believe that to be the case. One prong of my conviction rests with the fact that Joseph and Mary were commanded to name Mary’s first Child Jesus. The word Jesus in Hebrew translates into, “Jehovah is with us,” or some such. I have more reasons to support my position, but this one relates to the language itself.
Jews in particular have not followed the tenants of their own language. It begs the question as to how much continuity there is or was intended, if at all, between writers of the Old Testament and the New Testament. When the Savior proclaimed, “I am the light and the way, is that a play on the fact that He was the Great I Am? I don’t know for sure, but I expect so. As such, and with what I believe to be continuity between the Old and New Testaments, I am reticent to substitute words without considerable fore thought.
So, am I being overly sensitive? Were some of the transcribers of holy writ motivated by their desire to empower us, and not realize that by so doing they might be compromising some pretty fundamental concepts? Or, is the “I Am. . .” of the Old Covenant non sequitur with the New Covenant or vise versa?
I have plans to post an article on the relationship between Jesus and Jehovah, the supposed name of God in the Old Testament. I do think you’re on the right track, though. I have some other things to present that will put chills down your spine, if I am judging your correctly.
I was simply refering to how easy it would be for a man like Constantine, to take a book like the Bible and make one change to it. Then take that book and adopt it as his new found religion and spread it amongst the common folk. But it is not exactly the book he found. I use Constantine, because he is the apparent “Father” of christianity, being the man who made it legal for the first time.
I wouldn’t call Constantine the “Father” of Christianity. Jesus was that. What Constantine was, was, basically, the first Christian dictator, if he was truly a Christian in other than in name, as you intimated.
The Bible has had thousands of changes to it over the centuries. One of the most important and interesting books I’ve ever read on the Bible was, “Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why” by Bart D. Ehrman. You might want to check that out. It’s very well written and informative. You can probably obtain it at your local library or get it through inter-library loan if you don’t want to purchase one.
I have always wondered, how different would the Bible be if we took every instance where Jesus says “I am” and changed it to “we are.”
How would the message be altered?
In that same regard, how easy would it be for someone as greedy and judgmental as Constantine to make that one change, 1700 years ago…
If you did the “I am” to “we are” thing, it would empower us in ways you can’t even imagine! Nice thought.
I’m not certain what you had in mind at your mention of Constantine the unGreat. Perhaps you could elucidate. Thanks.
Dear Alternate Economy,
Appreciate your comment to Cris’ topic and left a comment as a stand alone. Hope my position does not offend you or Cris, but I vetoed the substitution of “We are,” for “I am. . . ” If I am totally missing your point, please let me know.