A bold statement indeed. Is it not arrogance to think that one is already saved before the Judgement Day?

To continue Mark 16:

17 --- And these Signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;

Notice in verse 9, it identifies Mary Magdalene, 'out of whom Jesus had cast seven demons.' --- Some believed that Jesus could do these miracles while He was living, because He had the Spirit and Power of God in Him, --- but the evidence that the Holy Spirit of God was given to men, had to be in the same Signs and miracles done among believers, that followed Jesus.

To understand how demons and evil Spirits attack and influence all of us we can look at what Satan (Iblis) said in Surah 7:
13 (God) said: "Get thee down from this: it is not for thee to be arrogant here: get out, for thou art of the meanest (of creatures)."
16 He said: "Because thou hast thrown me out of the way, lo! I will lie in wait for them on thy straight way:
17 "Then will I assault them from before them and behind them, from their right and their left: Nor wilt thou find, in most of them, gratitude (for thy mercies)."
--- (Because Satan had been cast out of the presence of God and all the angel-spirits that followed him in rebellion against God, Satan became our adversary and those that had followed him, became the demons and evil spirits on earth.)

There are actually 7 categories or ‘households,’ and they are all named in the Scriptures: --- demons, devils, witches, vipers, unclean spirits, foul spirits, and evil spirits. --- They attack humans in various ways, from bad habits, or influencing evil desires, to causing diseases and crippling people. --- Those given to alcohol and drugs are led into Satan’s realm, and they become ‘slaves.’

--- In the early training of the Apostles, Jesus sent them out to witness to the Jews (and Peter was one of them), in Matthew 10:
5 These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: “Do not go into the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans.
6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’
8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons

Mark 6:12 So they went out and preached that people should repent.
13 And they cast out many demons, and anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.

Jesus sent out another seventy of His disciples and instructed them as he did the twelve, and this is recorded in Luke 10:
17 Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
18 And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.
19 Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
20 Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”
--- (Notice the mention of ‘serpents and scorpions’ which are part of the demonic realm which I will get to later.)

--- It was very common to cast out demons and evil spirits in the time of Jesus, and this continued all through the NT --- and it continues today.

I want to give one example of an epileptic boy being delivered of a strong demon that was trying to destroy him, in Matthew 17:
14 And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to Him, kneeling down to Him and saying,
15 “Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
16 So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.”
17 Then Jesus answered and said, --- “Bring him here to Me.”
18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

Notice: --- That it was a demon that caused the affliction and not a physical or mental disorder. --- And when the demon was cast out, he was healed.
(More later)


Placid

Read Matthew 7:21-23. You are the one who posted it. It clearly says that not all who do many wonderful works in the name of Jesus are following God. If you do not follow God, you follow the devil.




Edited by TG12345 - 28 December 2012 at 8:00pm