In the Gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16, the renowned "Gates of Hell" incident is recorded. It is here that Jesus literally picks a fight with the voracious "Bulls of Bashan" at ground-zero-the hotspot for demonic invasions from the unseen realm into our own.
In this story, Peter emerges with a high commendation from Jesus for comprehending divine truth revealed from the Father. This serves as a stark contrast between the blindness of mortal beings and the revealed celestial wisdom of God.
20 Then he strictly charged the disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.
Jesus Foretells His Death and Resurrection
21 From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised. 22 And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” 23 But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
Is this passage an instance of Jesus telling Peter that he is literally "the Satan"? Perhaps it is Jesus saying the Peter is operating as a man-thinking, not God-thinking obstacle standing in the way of the Lord's will and purpose? Could it be that Peter is actually being influenced by demonic beings, where his words and the thoughts behind them are not Peter's own, but he is an unwitting conduit and pawn?
We ought to clearly see how this "Satan" incident happens on the immediate heels of the same man having a divine revelation from God and Jesus promoting that fact! Still, only a few verses later, we witness Jesus addressing the same man, using a charged phrase, "Get behind me, Satan!", which begs the question - what precisely is going on?
Demonic influence of people?
Over the years, I have noted a trend. When asked whether demons can possess Christians, the immediate knee-jerk response is often an emphatic, "No!" While I tend to agree with this sentiment, I find the response becomes murkier when the question transitions to, "Can demons influence Christians?" The answer is often met with a similar knee-jerk reaction.
Let us, however, be crystal clear—being a Christian does not equate to possessing "anti-demon" shields, akin to the Star Trek Enterprise, against demonic forces. This line of thinking runs counter to the overarching God-ordained operation, where human loyalty is perpetually proven and tested.
The nature of faith is, after all, not about an invulnerable shield against the adversaries, but about unwavering allegiance and resilience to Christ in the face of them and their attacks and harassment.
Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.
NOTE: Please note that Jesus calls Peter "Simon". This exchange of Jesus to Peter (Simon) happens after the so-called "name-change" event of Caesarea Philippi (i.e., the "Gates of Hell" event). Why does Jesus call Peter by the name, Simon? Could it be that Jesus is making a statement of Simon-the-man versus Peter-the-God-listener?
There are many supernatural instances in both the Old Testament and New Testament where spirits directly and seem to easily influence their subordinate human counterparts.
In one such instance found in 1 Kings 22:19-23, a "lying spirit" is sent by God to deceive Ahab's prophets. The spirit puts words in their mouths, leading Ahab to his death. Admittedly, Ahab's prophets are not righteous men, nor are they prophets of God.
However, this example clearly demonstrates spirits' capability to access and strongly influence human beings without the humans being aware of it. Still—what we need to demonstrate is that this happens to Christians—post ascension from the Mount of Olives.
Demonic influence on Christians?
In Acts 5:1-11, Ananias and Sapphira are struck down for lying to the Holy Spirit about the proceeds of a land sale. Peter tells Ananias in verse 3, "Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back part of the proceeds of the land?" This points to their actions as influenced by Satan.
Remember—regardless of what we might think of Ananias and Sapphira as Christians, they are believers nonetheless. These are post-Pentecost, Jewish converts to Christ. One can and must assume that they have believed, professed, had hands laid on them, and they've been baptized in both the Spirit and in water. Yet, somehow—Satan himself has filled this believing man's heart with the desire to lie to the Holy Spirit! That is quite a statement.
Are there other instances?
Paul to the Corinthians
14 Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. ... 19 What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? 20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
Paul is explicitly conveying to Christian believers that he is addressing how they have the potential to collaborate with demons. This collaboration will undoubtedly pose a problem. The Spirit of Christ within them will not long permit their fluctuating loyalty. In verse 21, Paul states, "You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons."
In God's economy, it appears to be a pass-fail situation preceded by a period of warning. A person who possesses knowledge but chooses to interact with demons will not be tolerated by God for long. Moreover, it seems one thing to behave in ignorance, but a completely different scenario to do so willfully and intentionally, as indicated in Hebrews 10.
The book of James
The text of the book of James is unmistakably addressed to believers. In the book of James, chapter 3, verses 14 to 16, the topic of bitter envy and selfish ambition in the heart is broached. It is stated that these do not emanate from heaven, but are in fact earthly, unspiritual, and demonic in origin.
The key detail here is that these traits can be found in believers, and even in disciples. It then becomes evident that Christians can operate under various degrees of demonic influence, oppression, and just plain harassment. The real question is: Do we realize this fact, and if so, what action can we take?
Going back to Matthew 16, we might ask: Was Peter actually under the demonic influence of Satan himself, as suggested? Coming down on the side of supernatural safety, I would propose the answer as, yes. When Jesus rebuked what Peter said, he was referring to the source of Peter's statement, and not implying that Peter was, in point of fact, Satan himself or any other demon. Yet, the words and actions were through Peter, hence Jesus responded to the human conduit.
Even David is under siege
1 Then Satan stood against Israel and incited David to number Israel. 2 So David said to Joab and the commanders of the army, “Go, number Israel, from Beersheba to Dan, and bring me a report, that I may know their number.”
Meanwhile, back in the Old Testament, we find Satan once more—inciting David, which is likely not his first unseen encounter with a demonic being. Remember, David is the culprit behind the killing of Uriah and the seduction of his wife. David, it is clear, for all of his many virtues, was far from a paragon of perfection. Nevertheless, without doubt, David was a man after God's own heart. Somehow, God can see beyond our weaknesses to the core of our hearts. David was loyal!
Therefore, having David as a prototype for the coming Christ is indeed a high-stakes claim. Furthermore, pointing out David's weaknesses, particularly those stemming from demonic influences, helps to reinforce the argument of people with a root heart of loyalty. Thereby, it becomes evident that demons and unseen forces can indeed influence the thoughts, words, and actions of believers, even those who are clearly anchored to loyalty to Christ.
This brings us to an important and perplexing question: Why? What is the purpose of the Cross? Isn't the Cross about freeing us from such negative influences and protecting us as His own? It certainly stimulates thought and calls for deep contemplation of the matter. Demonic attack and harassment then becomes a matter of proving and trail, assessment and evaluation, where God will ultimately provide relief.
Proving grounds
This world and this era, from Genesis to the present and onward till the return of Jesus, serves as a proving ground of faithful loyalty to King and Kingdom. The central question is whether we will remain loyal to Christ or turn back to pledge our allegiance to the dark forces arrayed against Him, where doing so has dire consequences?
For the Old Testament believers, faith was demonstrated through anticipation of a promised Redeemer. Their lives were marked by adherence to the divine rules laid out by God, reinforcing their unique identity as His chosen people.
For the disciples in the New Testament, the Redeemer has been unveiled and has successfully secured the prerogative to be both the King and Savior of all humanity who choose to pledge their loyalty and faith to Him. To them, He applies God's work on the Cross through Christ.
In addition, He endows them with the indwelling Spirit. This empowers us to become and stay loyal in thought, word, and action. The rules, referred to as the law of the Spirit, continue to apply just as they did before. However, now the believer is empowered by God from within.
Without Him, living out loyalty to the King is impossible. But with Him, all things are possible. Our loyalty is now possible because He makes it so. This sentiment is a testament to the profound impact of faith in Him and His divine power. We can lay no claim to it, which makes it unearned favor by the work of God applied to us and in us.
An evil spirit from the LORD!?
Finally, in 1 Samuel 16:14-23 we find an "evil spirit from the LORD" torments King Saul and David is brought in to soothe him with harp playing. However, it should be noted that the “evil spirit” is expressly said to be from God, which would make its nature and function substantially different from later concepts of demons.
14 Now the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and a harmful spirit from the Lord tormented him. 15 And Saul's servants said to him, “Behold now, a harmful spirit from God is tormenting you. 16 Let our lord now command your servants who are before you to seek out a man who is skillful in playing the lyre, and when the harmful spirit from God is upon you, he will play it, and you will be well.” 17 So Saul said to his servants, “Provide for me a man who can play well and bring him to me.” 18 One of the young men answered, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a man of valor, a warrior, prudent in speech, and a man of good presence, and the Lord is with him.” 19 Therefore Saul sent messengers to Jesse and said, “Send me David your son, who is with the sheep.” 20 And Jesse took a donkey laden with bread and a skin of wine and a young goat and sent them by David his servant to Saul. 21 And David came to Saul and entered his service. And Saul loved him greatly, and he became his armor-bearer. 22 And Saul sent to Jesse, saying, “Let David remain in my service, for he has found favor in my sight.” 23 And whenever the harmful spirit from God was upon Saul, David took the lyre and played it with his hand. So Saul was refreshed and was well, and the harmful spirit departed from him."
This may seem an odd place to end—back in the OT and pointing at a man who is obviously rejected by God as king of Israel, being served by a young man whom God has chosen. The simple reason for the shift back is to further highlight the vulnerability of people to the entities residing in the unseen realms around us. Whether those entities are demonic or spirits literally sent by God to directly carry out His purpose and will, the matter ought to be glaringly clear.
We depend on Him. We are being tried by Him. Without God and the work of Jesus operating in and for us, we are faint and frail mud and clay beings who cannot stand on our own against the fallen rebellious forces of ancient times still operating in this very day and hour.
Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.
So begins the thesis of James to his audience. Here, James is pointing at the largest purpose of God in humanity and all of its history—in which you and I play a part and role. Not only is our faith (loyalty) being tested, but we (in turn) are instruments through which others are tested. So too, are fallen angelic beings—who were tested and failed and are now used by God in the very same way.
Even in his servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error.
Given all of this, it becomes clear to see that even Christians can be beset by harassing and oppressing spiritual beings. Although the purpose of this is to test us, there are three possible outcomes - one, to draw out the deficiencies and impurities to be confessed and removed, or two, to prove the very work of God within us. This work should be stable, steadfast, good, pure, and reliable.
A third reason could be prevention, as seen in the case of Paul. He was put upon by a tormenting spirit that God refused to remove in order to keep him humble before Him. The existence of such spiritual trials, therefore, serves multiple purposes in the spiritual growth and character development of an individual.