Do apparitions truly exist? If not, what kind of demons did Jesus exorcise people of?
“The disciples were terrified when they saw him walking on the lake,” Matthew 14:26–27 says.They cried out in terror and exclaimed, “It’s a ghost.” But Jesus told them to have courage right away. I am it. Remain fearless.
Ghosts, it seemed to the followers, did exist. Most people think that ghosts are the spirits of the dead coming back to life. Is that accurate, though? Let’s examine what Hebrews 9:27 in the Bible says: “Man is meant to die once and then face judgment afterward.” Individuals don’t come back to earth as ghosts. When they pass away, they are judged. People who claim to have seen ghosts are actually devils posing as deceased individuals.
Evil spirits exist
To find out more about demons we need to turn to the Bible which clearly teaches that evil spirits or demons exist (James 2:19). There is only one Devil, but there are many demons. They enter into people and control them (Matthew 8:28-34). They are under the power of the Devil or Satan, the chief of all evil spirits (Matthew 12:24). They often cause sickness in the people they enter such as not being able to speak or see (Matthew 12:22); insanity or madness (Luke 8:26-36); personal injuries (Mark 9:14-26); and other bodily infirmities (Luke 13:11-17). Demons know who Jesus is. They know why He has come into the world (Luke 4:41). They believe in God (James 2:19). They fear the judgment and eternal punishment (Matthew 8:29). Demons are spirit beings who think, speak, and act. Jesus not only cast demons out of people (Matthew 8:16), He also gave the ability to cast out demons to His apostles (Luke 10:17; Mark 16:17-18; Acts 5:16, 8:7, 16:16-18, 19:12). The apostles were able to give miraculous gifts to others by laying their hands on them (Acts 6:6-8, 8:14-21, 19:1-6). This included the power to cast out demons (Acts 8:5-8).
Devil in the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, Lucifer was the name of the Devil. Jesus refers to him as a “angel of light” and says, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” (See Luke 10:18). It is possible that his desire to become equal to God was the cause of his demise (Isaiah 14:13–15). This took place even prior to the world’s creation. The Devil and his minions want to resist God and take every human being with them [to hell]. Now let’s pay attention to James 4:7, which says to submit yourself to God. The devil will fly from you if you resist him. Because God is immensely greater than Satan, regardless of his level of power!
