======================================================================== MULTIPLE DEMONIC EXPERIENCES IN MULTIPLE LANDS by H.A. Maxwell Whyte ======================================================================== A firsthand account of encounters with demonic activity across multiple countries, beginning with a dramatic confrontation in a West African village. The author recounts cases of spiritual warfare, healing, and deliverance from evil spirits. Chapters: 31 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. 01. Chaos in a Locked Room 2. 02. Delivered from Demon Possession 3. 03. A Survey of the Situation: India 4. 04. Prayer Was Not Enough: China 5. 05. Strange Antics: Colombia 6. 06. Night Noises: Mexico 7. 07. An Experience in India 8. 08. The Power of the Name 9. 09. Strange Power: Ecuador 10. 10. An Experience in Korea 11. 11. A SA�ance in Bolivia 12. 12. Isamva 13. 13. Strange Actions and Long Weeks of Prayer 14. 14. Saved and Delivered 15. 15. Relapse? 16. 16. Under the Curse 17. 17. Was it Demon Power? (Japan) 18. 18. Enemy in the Classroom 19. 19. Demonology 20. 20. Blessed But Demon Possessed 21. 21. An Experience with Demons 22. 22. Basutoland, Central Africa 23. 23. A Witch Doctor Possessed 24. 24. It Took Four Men to Hold Him 25. 25. Experiences in Guatemala 26. 26. A Low Animal-Like Moan 27. 27. Experiences in Haiti 28. 28. Christ the Victor 29. 29. Spiritism in Brazil 30. 30. Modern Demon Possession 31. 31. Experiences in Palestine ======================================================================== CHAPTER 1: 01. CHAOS IN A LOCKED ROOM ======================================================================== CHAPTER ONE CHAOS IN A LOCKED ROOM A 16-mile hike had brought me here to this West African village to heal and to preach. A wildeyed young woman was brought, pulled along between two male relatives. “What’s her trouble?” “Evil spirits,” they explained. “Our medicine men cannot help her. Please give her some medicine.” “Nothing in my medical box to help her,” I said. “But I know who can.” So I had the pastor take her aside and explain to her about the Lord Jesus. It was growing dusk when the woman was brought again. Poor soul, there she stood in her filthy, scanty bit of torn cloth about her waist, and her unkempt dirt-matted hair, a human battering ram for foul spirits! Her quivering body and the glassy stare betrayed the tortuous possession that held her. She was no better. Is there nothing we could do for her? What a challenge to faith! Again we preached Jesus to her. But, this time, we also prayed over her in that name. And the demons came out of her. Immediately, her wild countenance gave place to a look of calm and peace. Later that evening, you could have counted hundreds of these pagan Hausas, squatted around the dim glow of a storm lantern, listening to the Gospel. After he had preached, the native evangelist dismissed the crowd with prayer. Soon they dispersed and the evangelist went off to his hut, leaving me alone. Alone with my little lamp, feebly trying to penetrate the thick darkness. Once inside, I firmly tied the cornstalk door with ropes, very securely, making sure that no one could untie it from the outside, nor any goats, wild beasts or robbers could get an entrance, except they forced it open. Scared? Well, yes, I admit it. But, maybe so would you be - a little - in the midst of a compound of pagans in the African bush sixteen miles from home. I made a bedside table of the gramophone and folding chair, and had my bedtime devotions under the mosquito net. Then I allowed myself the luxury of reading a book in bed. When the book had dropped onto my chest for the sixth time, I esteemed it better sense to obey my sleep instinct and snuff out the light. Suddenly I awoke. What was it that jerked me so rudely awake? Yes - sounded like heavy footsteps in the hut? Thud! Thud! Thump! Thud! Nearer and nearer to my bed! My heart pounded wildly. I was really scared. Probably I betrayed this as I yelled out in Hausa, “Who is there?” No answer came. The thudding footsteps suddenly ceased. But the darkness - the darkness - was terrific. Darkness that could be felt! Timidly, I pushed out my hand from under the mosquito net and felt on the ground for my flashlight. Ah, there it was! I switched it on and circled the light around the room. What a mess! It looked as if nothing smaller than an elephant had entered the room! The lamp, chair and gramophone were sprawled in various corners (that is, if a round hut has corners!) Yet the amazing and terrifying thing was that the door was as fast closed as I had tied it. No bodily form of man or beast had entered that hut. What then? Indisputably, evil spirits! The darkness was still very intense, and my heart was still giving a fairly good imitation of native drumming. So I did the only thing I knew to do at such a time. I drew myself up on my knees on the cot, and prayed. Prayed - claiming the protection of the name, the name that had sent the wild-eyed woman away calm. Before I had finished praying, the oppression of the intense darkness had lifted. An evil power had fled that room. Again the Lord Jesus gave His beloved sleep. I awoke again when the chinks of light from the rising sun were seeping through the cornstalks of the door. Did I have a bad nightmare during the night? Certainly not, for as I gazed around that room it revealed nothing less of the disorder that the flashlight had shown earlier. Yet the door was still tied firmly - emphasizing again that no bodily form had entered during the night. None of my belongings had suffered greatly, save that the lamp was a bit dented, and a couple of gramophone records were cracked. Sudan Interior Mission Rev. Elijah Bingham Nigeria, West Africa ======================================================================== CHAPTER 2: 02. DELIVERED FROM DEMON POSSESSION ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWO DELIVERED FROM DEMON POSSESSION We had heard of demon possession and thought we understood the fact that we are wrestling against “principalities and powers.” But the evening of August 11, we had definite proof of satanic power that holds so many in bondage. It was an experience we shall never forget! We had been sent word by Christians on Guimaras, across the bay, that a young girl by the name of Rosita Garcia, 16 years old, had been attacked for six nights by demons. Several attempts had been made to cast them out, but to no avail. The attacks all followed the same pattern. The demons came to her at about 10 P.M, staying from three to six hours. The believers wanted to bring her to us for observation and to see if we could help her. Our first reaction was one of fear, but we did consent to have her brought over. We gathered all our school notes on demonology, looked up every Scripture concerning it, but still felt woefully inadequate. Praise God, He is not! The girl arrived with two Christian girls about 5 P.M, Sunday afternoon. She was dealt with concerning acceptance of Christ, but she was mortally afraid. The demons had told her they would kill her if she did accept Him. That night in the Gospel hour, however, she made a public profession of Christ. She seemed quite sincere, but very fearful. We had picked a group, Miss Kemery, Bill and me, Mr. Galila (our assistant director) and his wife, a Christian nurse and several men students to help us. We were twelve in all. We gathered in our sala after the evening service as we had felt after much prayer that the best approach was to have another praise and prayer service. The songs were all concerning assurance, the blood, and Christ. Then, praying very quietly, we began reading Scripture about fleeing from the Devil and cleaving to the Lord. At about 9:45, while Mr. Galila was reading a portion of the Word, Rosita’s eyes began to get glassy and in a few minutes we realized that “she was no longer with us,” and that she couldn’t hear a word we were saying. At the stroke of 10, she slumped over and the demons took possession. She began to struggle and to fight them off, saying pitifully and in terror, in the dialect, “No, noo-o - I will not go with you - you are bad.” We realized she was going to hurt her body, so we quickly spread a large mattress on the floor. While we sang, at the words “Christ,” “God,” “blood,” the demons seemed to become infuriated. There were three of them, according to her conversation and what she told us later. She continued to resist them. You could feel the very evil presence in the room. It is impossible to describe the torment the girl was going through. Up to this time we had been sitting praying, but then we threw ourselves to our knees pleading with the Lord to give Rosita deliverance. Finally, Mrs. Galila felt an urge to kneel beside Rosita, commanding the main demon, by name, to leave her. Oh, yes, do not be surprised! They DO have names; they do not always conceal them. This one said he was “Verono.” She continued to command him boldly, in the name of the Lord Jesus, to leave the girl and not to return. We all redoubled our prayer efforts. The struggle became worse at this time, and we realized from what she was saying in the dialect that she was being beaten about the head by the demons. Mrs. Galila persisted, and then we began to fear for the girl’s life. I didn’t like the way she looked and had the nurse go to her. She was cold and her pulse was almost gone. We rubbed her limbs and wrapped her in blankets. At about this time, we could tell the demons left her and she fell into a deep, normal sleep. Her pulse returned slowly to normal. We let her sleep about ten minutes and then awakened her and had a hot drink ready. She was able to recount in detail what had taken place. While the demons were with her, she was completely unconscious of our presence and had not been able to hear our voices. At any rate, the demons told her they would not return; that this was God’s house. But, oh, the battle they put up! This was the hardest attack but the shortest, lasting only forty-five minutes. We felt the victory was a complete one, that God had taken her for His child and that the demons would not return. We were all exhausted and it was a week before any of us who were there felt rested. If anyone at home would have told us of such a happening we no doubt would have smiled. But we know the power of Satan now! We have not only felt it but have seen it with our own eyes. There is a sequel to this story. We put Rosita and her companions to bed in one of our bedrooms and they passed a peaceful night, leaving the next morning for the other island. Praise God, the victory was complete! They have sent word back to us that the demons have not returned and that Rosita is quietly rejoicing in her salvation. The Message MRS. WILLIAM HOPPER ======================================================================== CHAPTER 3: 03. A SURVEY OF THE SITUATION: INDIA ======================================================================== CHAPTER THREE A SURVEY OF THE SITUATION: INDIA Here is a symposium on demonology. We are speaking from Madras, India. The symposiasts are H. Enoch, professor of Zoology at the University of Madras; N. Daniel, of the Laymen’s Evangelical Fellowship; and Paul Gupta, president of the Hindustani Bible Institute. The purpose of our getting together is to collect our views on the topic of demonology. We think the New Testament clearly teaches that there are evil spirits which are emissaries of Satan. We also understand that these demons have power to afflict mankind with various diseases, as well as with mental derangement. However, some people say that our Lord and His disciples, when they referred to demons, spoke only in accommodation to the general belief of the Jews. Yet, on going through the various incidents in the New Testament, it is clear that there are actual spiritual beings that recognize the Lord as the Son of God and acknowledge the power of His Name. We wish to know whether these things are still true today, and are asking persons who have had personal experiences dealing with demons in India. I will therefore, put some leading questions to my colleagues to bring out various aspects of demonology. Mr. Daniel, who is the oldest and most experienced, will speak first, followed by Mr. Gupta. Q. Have you ever seen a person possessed with demons? A. Yes, hundreds of them. In countries where there are idol worship and spirit worship, it is not difficult to find people who are possessed with demons. China and India are among the worst places for this. Q. How do you recognize a demon-possessed person? A. In India more women are possessed than men. Those who bring them tell us that they are demon-possessed people. In our meetings of revival types, those with demons come out as in the times of Jesus. Either they shout, cry or weep aloud, or fall down. Sometimes they are violently shaken and move their heads back and forth. These and other signs tell us that they are demon possessed. Q. What do you do about it? A. We rebuke the demons in the name of Christ. I have a number of assistants who attend to this work of casting out demons. When the assistants are not available, I attend to them. Q. Do the demons come out promptly? A. In most cases they come out promptly. But the one who uses the name of Christ must be strong in faith, clean in heart, with a pure conscience. One ought to be very careful about his own personal faith and character. Some do not come out promptly. There are different types. If there are many demons, they won’t come out quickly. Sometimes they are legion. They give much trouble. I remember casting out forty devils from one girl. When we don’t have sufficient time and the relatives hide facts, the demons do not come out. But there are very few cases where this happens. Q. Do the demons tear the person or hurt him in any way? A. Some fall down and go through violent contortions. They kick, strike their heads against the floor, or sometimes attack the person who is driving them out. But one must be cautious. Some will run away and fall into a pit or water. Then we send people to follow them to prevent danger to life. Q. Does this ever happen to Christians? A. To nominal Christians. Many nominal Christians attend Hindu festivals and go to Hindu temples and the devils possess them. Some eat food given to idols. Some get it while they are under a tree worshiped by Hindus. Some attend the heathen sacrifice and they get it there. Some get it near the burial ground. Sometimes it takes the form of terrible fits, sometimes the form of a sickness. These evil spirits have power over those who are only nominal Christians, that is, Christians in name only. Q. Do these persons who are delivered become Christians afterwards? A. Yes. Some become Christians. Hindus and nominal Christians often change their lives. We won two men to Christ who were doing black magic, using it to kill people. Q. Please tell of several other experiences you have had with demon-possessed persons. A. Once a pastor asked me in Madras to pray over his daughter, who had suddenly developed fits. I asked if she was afflicted by fits from her childhood. But he said no, that it started only recently. Then I asked him if the child ever went into Hindu temples. He protested, saying his daughter would never do such a thing. I questioned her. She said that every day she went to her school through a Hindu temple. The father was surprised. I anointed her and rebuked in Jesus’ name the evil spirit, and she had no more fits. Many people suffering from fits have been healed in this way. One Christian officer told me about his little boy, who suddenly lost his power of speech and was showing strange signs of fits. I asked if there was a temple nearby or any tree where Hindus worshiped spirits. It turned out that the boy had been playing under such a tree, and I rebuked that evil spirit in the name of our Lord Jesus. Soon he was well. Some people who occupy houses, where evil spirits have worshiped for many years, are afflicted by those evil spirits. Sickness, heart trouble, stomach pain, fever and all sorts of things will come upon them. Then somebody must rebuke those evil spirits. Sometimes there are idols. Behind these idols are evil spirits. Sometimes a portion of the wall is marked out for pictures to be worshiped. Those pictures must be scraped off, the wall must be whitewashed and a man of God must pray. When God takes us to such homes they are permanently relieved of all those troubles. One teacher, well educated, went into a Hindu temple and in fun took the holy ashes of the temple and used them to clean his teeth. He became insane. He was brought to me and we prayed over him. He recovered, but he did not come to the Lord. So the whole trouble started again. One woman, out of mere enthusiasm and loyalty to the Christian religion, broke an idol. Immediately an evil spirit possessed her. She was brought to me. The evil spirit said, “She broke my idol. That is why I possessed her.” I drove away the devil. But her home is not established in the faith. Evidently there is hidden sin in some hearts. I have heard that the devil sometimes returns. Once, nearly eighteen years ago, an Anglo-Indian girl was brought to me. She was possessed with a demon and was yelling and shouting. She was brought and placed before me. But she was very violent. I asked her to be silent, and told the evil spirit to leave. The woman said, “Give me a good blow on my face, I will go away.” But I said, “The name of my Lord is enough.” She did not eat or drink for three days, and there was no limit to her violence. I anointed her and rebuked this spirit. She shouted and fell down as though dead, and when she awoke, she was well. Q. Is it dangerous to send out spirits from a person when there are children in the room? A. The principle is this: Demons do not want to leave the world where they can enjoy more sin by living in people who love sin. If there are weak Christians or innocent children, they fall upon them. It is not good to cast out demons in one’s own house, because there may be children there whose faith is not strong to resist the Devil. It is not good to have a devil-possessed person in the house. When that person dies, the devil gets into another person in the house who is not strong in faith. We who are in Christ are passed from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light, the kingdom of Jesus Christ. If we are strong in faith and obey His Word and believe in the cross, we are quite safe. But the demons are very vengeful. They want to afflict the man who casts them out. If possible they want to possess him, if they find any weakness in him. I had to cast out darkness from our own evangelists, who tried to cast out very powerful demons, nine of them in one person. I traveled three hundred miles to pray over that person. That person is all right now. Q. Why is this? A. It is because we are only safe under the blood of Christ. That is why the Bible says we have to teach our children the Word of God - sitting, standing, walking and lying down. Children who fear God and obey His Word are much safer. Where the knowledge of Christ is, and the Gospel is preached, the demons do not come. In places where there is deep faith in the Word of God and the cross of Jesus, celebrating the Lord’s Table service frequently, the demons cannot come near at all. Q. Do evil spirits always leave when commanded by any Christian? A. No. All Christians cannot do this. In a way it is a gift, or the fruit of the Spirit, or the power of faith. Those who are in the will of God are always a great power. But when a group of Christians with normal faith fast and pray, the demons will go. Q. Have you ever known a person who was possessed by more than one demon? A. Yes, in many, many cases. One devil brings in another. When we cast out one devil, the other devil will be quiet to make us think all have gone. But if you don’t drive out that devil, the first one will return. When there are many devils, different techniques must be used. Q. Tell us another of your experiences. A. Once a strong Hindu was brought to us. Those who brought her said she was suffering from heart trouble, and that no doctor could help her. We brought her into our revival meeting. When she sat there, while I was preaching, she began to shake and move her head backward and forward. Immediately we knew she was devil possessed. Later on, we cast out that devil in the name of Jesus and her heart trouble stopped. Q. How did you cast him out? A. I took her out of the meeting and placed my hand on her head and asked the devil to leave. Immediately she fell down. Q. Did the demon come out promptly? A. No. This demon did not come out promptly, not for some time, but I did not grow tired, so it was a very great struggle. It took three days for the demon to finally leave. Every day it left when I commanded but it returned; finally on the third day that demon left for good. Q. Did the demon scare the person or hurt her in any way? A. In this case the girl was not hurt at all; but there are cases where people fall down violently and run into water; some beat their heads against the wall or against the floor, or tear their hair and sometimes even attack me, and attack others. But in all cases, in the name of Jesus Christ we are able to control them. Q. Was this person a Christian. A. No! But once there was a Christian teacher who came to our revival meeting, the Holy Spirit descended and all the crowd fell down confessing their sins. But this woman got up to strike at others with her fists. When she was brought to me, immediately the demon within her began to plead, “Padre, will you drive me away? I have been here nine years. Please don’t send me away.” Then the crowd gathered and young boys were mocking her actions and words. So I had her brought into the missionary bungalow and began to question her. The demon pleaded that it did not want to go. But before I left Madras, God had told me I would have to deal with a difficult case of demons. He gave me Matthew 10:1, so someone read that verse and in the name of Jesus Christ I commanded the devils to come out. As they came out, the woman fell down helpless. She was given some water to drink. Then she recovered, and began to tell a sad story how during the last nine years she had fallen often into water and into fire, and how she had come to the meeting to get some help from men of God. Q. When you used the word Christian, did you mean that she was a believer? A. I don’t think she was a believer, but she was the wife of a Christian teacher and had served as a Christian working in a Christian institution and for an American missionary. Q. But after this experience did she become a Christian? A. I do not know what happened afterwards. Q. Have you ever known of a Christian who seemed to be possessed with a demon? I mean, a person who is a believer? A. No, a believer is never possessed with a demon. There are cases of Christians possessed with “strange spirits,” but that is a different subject. Q. Please tell us of other experiences of persons possessed by devils. A. Once in a certain place the communists were attacking us and saying that there is no God. A woman possessed with a demon for twelve years was brought before me. The communists were wondering what would happen. When I placed my hand on her head, and asked the demons to leave, she shouted violently and said, “I will not go. I have been here twelve years. I will not go.” I said, “You must go. My Lord Jesus orders you. It is not I. You have no business to be in this woman.” Then the demon went away; the woman fell down like dead. The communists saw and they were very quiet. They knew that there was some great Power, unseen by them. They did not trouble us again. Q. Do you know of any cases where people who were unclean tried to cast out and were in turn possessed by the evil one? A. Many cases. They suffer terribly when they try to do such things. They must be very careful when they deal with demons because demons seem to know human hearts, just as the Holy Spirit does. We must not deal with them carelessly, but with much prayer. In one case my own evangelist, who was a woman, and who had cast out many demons before, tried to cast out nine demons from a man. Immediately there was a terrible reaction; she became very ill and was suffering. I heard about it and traveled three hundred miles to her home. She was a very faithful woman, doing mighty things in the name of the Lord. I anointed her and drove out the darkness in her. Immediately she recovered and is now quite all right and a mighty witness to the Lord. Q. Do you believe that the evil spirit got into her because she was not right with the Lord? A. No, she was right with the Lord, but she had not the strength to deal with nine demons at one time. Demons are very revengeful. They will always try to attack a person who wants to drive them out. They do not want to leave. When we send them out they become terribly afraid, because they know their future that they will have to go to a place where they will have to burn. Sometimes when we place our hands on demon-possessed persons they shout, “I am burning, I am burning, I am in Hell.” So true are the words of the Bible. So everyone must be careful about his or her spiritual strength in dealing with demons. If there is only one demon, it is easy to cast out. But in many cases there are legions and they do not leave easily. Once I had to cast out forty demons in one girl, and it took a long time. But a college lecturer had tried to do the same thing before I arrived, and she got the reaction and was suffering. So I had to pray over her too, and she was released; and then I prayed over this girl and she was released. She is a bright, happy girl now, converted. Q. When you cast these demons out, are they likely to return? A. Yes. They will return if the person who is delivered is not converted and is not careful. They must confess their sin, and get right with God. Otherwise, the demons still have power over them; and so we do not cast out demons, generally, until the people who come to us stay for three days to listen to the Gospel. After they listen to the Gospel, and know something about conversion, then we cast them out. But sometimes the devils cause them to go to sleep in the meetings, or make them so they cannot hear. In such cases, we anoint them before the meeting so they may be able to listen. Q. Tell us more about people possessed with more than one devil. A. One devil will bring another, and so they strengthen themselves. But if we cast out only one devil when there are many, that devil will return. We must recognize that there are more devils and cast them all out. Until you finish your work, you must not send the person away. Q. Do the devils ever tell anything about themselves and their situation? How they got that way, and what their future holds? A. They are generally very stubborn and refuse to speak; but we that are in the Lord may command them to open their mouths. I often ask them who is the Lord of Heaven. They tell me it is the Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledge that there is a Heaven and a Hell, and tell many things about these places. We have complete control over these demons by the wonderful name of Jesus Christ. Q. Mr. Daniel, what is the attitude of these demons to the Scriptures? A. They believe the Scriptures, and when we read the Scriptures in their presence they tremble, and when we read Luke 10:18-19 they are terribly afraid. Q. Do they recognize Jesus Christ as Lord of all? A. They always recognize that. They won’t tell any lies about Him. They’re terribly afraid when you even mention the name of Christ, and they would like to close their ears from hearing His name. Q. Now please tell us one other experience that you have had with a demon-possessed person. A. I was casting out devils in a place where there was a girl whose father was practicing witchcraft. She had three devils, but I did not know this at first. I cast out one devil, but it returned into her again afterwards. Her sister was there also, possessed with only one devil. So I cast out that devil from the sister. But as that devil was going away from the younger sister, she gave me three names of the devils that possessed her older sister. So I got the clue and cast out all three. But even then it was difficult because the parents of these girls had some charms in their house, some books with incantations written in them in their vaults. These were being read by the younger sister, so I sent her husband to bring those things and burn them, and after they were burned the devils went out. In some cases, I have forgotten to ask people about these charms. You struggle hard but the devil doesn’t go. If you forget the charms, then your case is hopeless and you will fail. But if you search them and remove the charms, immediately the evil spirits leave. In another especially hard case, we suffered a whole day when a woman came to a Christian teacher, one of our workers, and told her that she was being afflicted by these evil spirits. In fact, some wicked men tried to get her into their possession but they could not, and so they wanted to kill her. They contacted a man who knew her and got a promise that he would kill her with witchcraft. While they were practicing their witchcraft against her, she came to a Christian who prayed over her and she was instantly relieved; yet the evil spirit didn’t leave right then. I happened to go there with many other preachers, and while we were praying over her she fell down, completely choked, and many times, was about to die; but we kept on commanding in the name of Christ that the evil spirit should go. She became unconscious, and while she was in that state she kept saying, “Two men are practicing witchcraft against me, seated on water. They are talking to each other. They must kill me today.” “But,” we said to the woman, “you cannot be hurt because you are in the power of the Holy Spirit, and you are under the blood of Jesus Christ.” Then, we learned later, the evil spirit went to those two men and said, “We cannot go to that place. We are afraid. What is this? There seems to be a greater Power there than ourselves. We have never met a case like this. What shall we do?” Then these two men practiced their magic until the evening; we were praying continuously, and finally they said, “We cannot do it. We cannot kill this woman. There is a greater Power than ourselves.” And the woman was relieved and is today a very good Christian. Her husband also became a Christian and they are faithful to the Lord. Q. Mr. Daniel, have you any experience of demon possession among animals? A. Yes, demons fall upon animals too, and the animals begin to act very strangely and sometimes a milk cow will fail to give milk. Sometimes animals become very ill as a result and may die. Q. Thank you! Mr. Gupta, will you tell us some of your experiences? A. I have known the devils to speak in different languages. When I was conducting evangelistic meetings at a certain place I saw an illiterate woman possessed with a devil. The pastor’s wife invited me to come and cast out the devil. I found her sitting very quietly and not willing to talk. I then spoke to her in my native language and asked, “Who are you?”, and she replied in beautiful English, through the devil, saying, “Don’t you know? My name is Camelia, and I am a school teacher.” I was surprised to hear such a woman, an illiterate, speak to me in English. I also asked her many other questions, and then I asked the evil spirit to leave her in the name of the Lord. The devil answered, “Where shall I go?” and so I said, “Your place is in Hell. Go there.” Immediately the woman became very restless and fell down, but after a few minutes she got up and was free from the possession of the devil, and could no longer speak in English. Q. Would you advise missionaries and others who go to preach in the wild places of India to be versed in demonology? A. They must know fully about demonology. I have evangelists with me and each one is able to cast out devils. An evangelist in India can do very little in religion without this power. First of all, before we preach we have to bind the powers of darkness. In the parable of the sower, the Master Sower Jesus Christ said, Bind the powers of darkness or the evil one will come and take away the Word of God. Unless you bind the powers of darkness through prayer and through the strengthening of the blood of Jesus, you cannot preach the Gospel with as good results. In India I have seen many conversions take place when demons were cast out. Hindus are very much afflicted by these demons. I know a woman who was dying after being bedridden nine years. She spent 25,000 rupees, and when she was dying she was brought to us to hear our preaching. We asked if she believed in Jesus Christ who could loose her. She said that she did. We prayed over her for two days until at last she got up and walked. Nine years in bed, 25,000 rupees’ expense and nothing happened, until Christ came in. It was demon possession and she was about to die. She and her husband were very rich people. They were both baptized and lived for the glory of God. Behind every idol there is a devil. So everywhere we go, we meet these devils. And India is in the grip of this power of darkness. All the world is black, but India, being an idolatrous country, is more under the grip of the powers of darkness. These powers of darkness deprive men of their understanding of the truth of Jesus Christ; but if you go believing in the blood of Jesus, and if you pray in the name of Jesus, you will be able to bind the powers of darkness and the Gospel will be very effective. Q. Now, I will ask Mr. Daniel one more question. You say that an understanding of demonology is very necessary for preachers, especially in countries like India. But if that is so, what must a person do to have the power to cast out demons? A. Fasting and prayer are a great help. These two ways are hard, but they can bring us closer to the Lord Jesus Christ so that we become deeply conscious that we have a power; and we go with that power and exalt Jesus Christ. Fasting and prayer are very essential to bind the powers of darkness, and to cast out devils. Q. Do you know of cases where demon possession produced physical illness? A. Very often. That is why the men who practice witchcraft can make people sick, and even die. But it is very difficult to know whether the sickness is devil possession. N. Daniel, H. Enoch, P. Gupta Madras, India ======================================================================== CHAPTER 4: 04. PRAYER WAS NOT ENOUGH: CHINA ======================================================================== CHAPTER FOUR PRAYER WAS NOT ENOUGH: CHINA In China we had numerous cases of demon possession. The Chinese, even the non-Christians, seem to identify it very quickly and have no trouble detecting the difference between demon possession and mental breakdown; though in some cases the manifestations might be similar. Our first case of demon possession was brought to us when a young soldier knocked at our door, while we were serving the Lord in the province of Honan. His question was, “Is your Christ allpowerful?” I said without hesitation, “Of course He is!” He then said to me, “My wife is in the courtyard, and she is demon possessed. Twice the demon has ordered her to kill herself, once by hanging and once by jumping into the moat. Both times she obeyed him, but I was able to rescue her. However, I do not know what to do now as I must go back to my battalion. I had heard that Christ was able to heal those who are demon possessed, and so I have brought her to you.” My wife was standing behind me listening to the conversation and encouraged my own heart and faith with this Scripture, “He is the same yesterday, today, and forever!” I asked the Bible woman to take the demon-possessed woman back to the women’s compound and dismissed the soldier. We had prayer and went to the compound to pray that the woman would be delivered. I confess that I prayed in doubt, wondering if I would need some special gift of healing. As we prayed, the demon-possessed woman would take words from our prayers and make ridiculous poems out of them; this, of course in the Chinese language. She would scream and yell and make fun of what we were doing. Apparently, our prayers were of no avail. For three days we struggled and prayed, and still the woman got no better. On the third day, the soldier came to get his wife. I asked for more time, and also asked about idols. He acknowledged that they had some in their home. I ordered him to go home and destroy them. The next day as we approached the woman, she was in great mourning and weeping, saying that her home had been destroyed. Of course, this was the voice of the demon, using the vocal chords of the woman and acknowledging that the soldier had taken the idols and thrown them away, so that I actually knew it before he came back to report to me. In our reading of the Scriptures, we were going through Ephesians 1 and 2, and God suddenly revealed that we were not only identified with Christ in death and in His resurrection, but that we were “seated with Christ in heavenly places far above principalities and powers”; that we had ascended with Him. Taking this new position, our Christian postmaster, my wife and I sang in the presence of the woman, “There’s power in the blood,” and then after singing, we commanded the demon to come out of her in the name of Jesus. She was instantly delivered! Glory to His name! From this and later cases, we learned some very precious lessons. I suppose the most important one was that we are identified with Christ and seated in the place of authority... that the Bride of Christ can enter into the arena of Satan and what medical science cannot do Jesus Christ can! One’s position must be taken, of course, and claimed, and I believe that Ephesians 6 comes in here. We must have on the whole armor of God - helmet, breastplate, girdle, sword and shoes. We learned further that it is not enough to pray or to sing, though I believe that Satan hates both prayer and song. We must resist the Devil and command that he depart. The moment one is delivered, then we must immediately start packing into his heart the Word of God. In your commanding, do not take a “no.” This certainly has nothing to do with the gift of healing. It is not a gift, but a position. We further learned that the demons have no fear of the sons of Adam, and that faith is not necessary on the part of the possessed. The demons will answer your questions, and from them you can get their names just as Jesus did in the New Testament. We also learned from them that it is their purpose to destroy the ones they possess, not just to indwell them. Demons confessed to having destroyed others previously, whom they had possessed. Demons certainly fear the name of Jesus. I believe that when that name is reverently breathed or spoken, demons tremble. Their tactics seem to be the using of pride, fear, lies and passivity. In the Orient, in particular, they use fear. In the cases we handled, if there was any question about whether it was demon possession or a mental case, we would use 1 John 4:2-3. We never once had a demon-possessed person acknowledge that “Jesus Christ had come in the flesh.” My own thinking is that it was the Incarnation that dealt the deathblow on the work of Satan and no demon is willing to acknowledge it. God becoming Man, taking upon Him the form of a man so that He could die for my sin, destroyed the works of the Devil. Orient Crusades Dick Hillis ======================================================================== CHAPTER 5: 05. STRANGE ANTICS: COLOMBIA ======================================================================== CHAPTER FIVE STRANGE ANTICS: COLOMBIA It must have been May and June of 1941, or 1942, when _____ and I were stationed at Pamplona, Norte deSantander, Colombia. One day a Colombian woman, a stranger to us, came to the house in great agitation to ask if we would give refuge to a 15-year-old girl who had wandered into the town and was stirring up a great deal of trouble. Someone had hired her to do servant work, but dishes and utensils were always flying around where she was, as though hurled by an unseen hand, and heavy furniture moved too. They had sent for a priest, but the holy water he tried to sprinkle on - had flown back in his own face. The medallion of the Virgin he wanted to put around her neck had immediately become twisted and bent, and - only laughed at all his efforts, saying that demons were doing it all. We had already heard of this girl, on an extended trip which took us through mission stations of other societies, and what reliable missionaries had told us coincided remarkably with what the woman was telling us now. With some qualms we decided we would take _____ into our house, believing that God could deliver her through prayer, which would be anunanswerable testimony to the power of the Gospel in a small city, which had hitherto resisted practically all our efforts to win souls. _____ came that afternoon. She was a squat, homely little girl of the Indian type, with a face which had a dark, scowling look much of the time, although she did brighten up and become talkative at times. While getting acquainted we permitted her to stay around our servant in the kitchen, but decided we would stay indoors more in order to observe her as much as possible. About supper time, the servant called laughingly to report that dishes and pans were flying around the kitchen and that _____ wasn’t doing it! We went to the scene immediately and all was quiet! The girl was quiet and attentive during evening devotions, and we had her sleep on a cot in a long, narrow room with a wide board floor, which we used as our storeroom. It wasn’t wired and she used a candle for light. It had one window and opened to the patio, as did the parlor where we were working. About the time we judged she should have fallen asleep a thunderous sound was heard in her room, like a number of horses galloping. I walked to her door, opened it - all was quiet and dark; but I seemed to feel some strange presence in the very air there. _____ was awake and told me the demons were there. She said they often pulled out her pillow from under her head and molested her in various ways to waken her after she had fallen asleep. I stayed until she slept again and do not recall that anything further happened that night. Once I watched as she sat on a backless bench reading. Some unseen force suddenly tilted it and she fell sprawling on the floor. Another time she sat folding tracts in our company. While her two hands were occupied in folding one, a whole roll of them went flying across the room. While she helped weed our garden at the back of the house, she cried out that someone was throwing stones at her. None hit me and we couldn’t see any little boys around. Another evening while we were kneeling in prayer in the same closed room with tight ceiling, suddenly handfuls of dank-smelling dirt fell under the chair where she was kneeling, and we knew she had no large pocket in which to carry all of that. At various times, dishes and pots continued to fly about in the kitchen, but never when we were present. Neither did any of the flying objects ever hit me, though the servant was struck as well as _____. All this time we were dealing with _____ about the Gospel message, the real and awful character of these demons which were troubling her, and about her need of the Saviour. To a certain extent she seemed to understand, but it was also plain that she enjoyed the antics of the demons and also the attention from people because of their strange manifestations. This got her into serious trouble once while with us. I had taken her with me to the kitchen, where we poured a large quantity of whole wheat on the table and began to pick it over in preparation for toasting for cereal. As she stood there working, she began to giggle and stamp and slap herself. “The demons are here tickling me, pulling my hair and bothering me,” was her explanation. I sternly urged her to rebuke them in Jesus’ name, rather than play with them, saying it was dangerous to do so, but she kept on as before. Then I said that if that night the demons scared her in the darkness of her room, I would not sit with her, as I had made a habit of doing whenever they came around, but that she would have to face them alone. (A curious thing we observed at that time was that if we stayed with her until about midnight the demons didn’t return any more that night). She looked at me unbelievingly, but I purposed to keep my threat. We had prayer together as usual, then each went to her room. When lights were out and all was quiet I stood at my window, opening upon the patio, and listened. Sure enough, one moment one could hear praying out _____ loud (after a fashion), the next she was scolding the demons and bidding them depart. This went on for some time, then an awful crash-bang! She screamed and we wondered what could have happened. I couldn’t go to her, but _____ went to see. After a while, she came back to say she had found the folding chairs and some suitcases, stored at the opposite end of the long room, on top of and around _____’s bed with the girl still lying in it. _____ put things back in place, then returned to her own room. But hardly was she back in bed when we heard another big crash. _____ went again, then called to me that I must come to see this. Curious, I went, and found some eight folding chairs crisscrossed in orderly fashion on top of the girl in bed. She couldn’t have had time to place them there herself, nor would it have been possible to do so lying underneath them. On that occasion we distinctly felt something “electric” and hostile in the air, and _____ had a very strange look in her eyes. When we spoke of the power of sin and of the Devil, she asked in a mocking sort of way, “What is sin?” We definitely prayed for her then, but she did not want to pray for herself, and we felt that she did not want to be delivered from these powers which were giving her such interesting experiences. The last noteworthy event happened two nights before she left us. Missionaries who knew her arrived after _____ was in bed, while I was sitting beside her reading the Word and praying before she fell asleep. Hearing them come into the house, I left the room hurriedly in order to greet them. After not more than five minutes I went back to find the room in darkness, furniture overturned, and a coat of dirt with the smell of a closed cellar covering her bed and the floor. This I found after relighting the candle. Again she said the demons had been there. At this point, the visiting missionary wife came in to greet _____ and we stood by the bed talking to her. After a few minutes we both turned to leave and suddenly found ourselves doused with another shower of that bad-smelling dirt! I know it was real dirt, for I found it in my hair and down my neck afterwards. Later that night a large stone fell with a thud in the room, and in such a place that one couldn’t explain from what angle it could have been thrown to enter by the only door or opening which the room had, and we know there were no prowlers in the house. _____ was determined to go with our guests when they left two days later, and we regretfully saw her go without being delivered from the demons. There was a conference of native churches in Cucuta, Notre deSantander, Colombia, in July, 1942, or 1943, at which missionaries of other societies besides TEAM were present, together with believers of their own groups. Among these were a few from El Cocuy, Boyaca. I was in the chapel one afternoon session when a message came that I was needed in the house where meals were cooked and served to those who attended the conference. Going over, I found great consternation among the Colombians in the house. A rather young, rosy-cheeked mountain woman from near El Cocuy was in a terrible frenzy, struggling to get out of the grip of her husband and another man, who had all they could do to hold her where she stood between them. This particular woman had sat near me during the morning session and gave every evidence of being perfectly normal; although very shy in the unaccustomed surroundings. What had come over her in a few short hours? I was told that after the noon meal her husband was asked to butcher a sheep out in the back yard to provide meat for the next meal, and as this woman watched the procedure she had gone suddenly berserk. Her continuous cry was, “Oh, the blood! The blood! We have been brought here to be killed just as this poor sheep has been killed! We are going to be killed by these people!” She kept ranting about the blood spilled and nobody could convince her that the native Christians were not going to die in the same way. When she saw me draw near, her screams became louder and my words were not heard. Presently her own missionary, Mrs. Andrew Larson, whom she knew well, came and tried to calm her. But again we noticed that at the sight of missionaries she seemed to grow worse and continually accused us as would-be murderers, all the time struggling to free herself from those who held her. Her husband was in agony and said he couldn’t imagine what had come over her, that she had never before had such an attack. Different ones began to pray in little groups about the house, but her screams continued. Someone brought in a man who tried to give her a shot to quiet her nerves, but he found it impossible to administer it as she lay kicking on the floor, and he finally gave up. Curious crowds gathered, filling the house, the windows and doors, and the whole neighborhood was talking about what was happening among the evangelicals. Word was sent to those in the chapel, and the services were suspended while they all went to prayer. The woman’s craze went on unabated for hours and she never seemed to spend her strength. All the time prayer was going on too. Somehow, supper was served to the others and we began to gather for the evening service. During the opening exercises, word was sent to us that the woman had ceased screaming and struggling and had fallen into a quiet sleep. When she awoke she told her husband that she felt she had been under an influence and power outside of herself, but apparently she was not aware of all that she had done and said. When they left for home the next morning she was perfectly sane, and has remained so all the years which have followed. It was felt that this was a direct satanic attack to try to bring the evangelical cause into disrepute at a time when God’s blessing was very manifest in the large group of Christians assembled. It was prayer, and only prayer that got the victory and the child was completely delivered from the evil spirit which had attempted to use her as an instrument to thwart Gospel blessings. TEAM Miss Cora Soderquist Ocano, Colombia, South America ======================================================================== CHAPTER 6: 06. NIGHT NOISES: MEXICO ======================================================================== CHAPTER SIX NIGHT NOISES: MEXICO We live in an Indian village, peopled by descendants of the ancient Mayan peoples of Yucatan. One of these native boys, a young man of about 17 years, whose father is a faithful believer in the Lord Jesus, and who himself has claimed to be a believer, became either possessed or obsessed by demons. The boy, Fernando, assured everyone that he was sure it was a chastening from the Lord, which, if true, would indicate that he was a believer. For a little while after this chastening, he was used mightily of the Lord to arouse congregations into a realization of the nearness of the coming of the Lord, and for the salvation of souls that are still faithful after several years of proving. But now he is living without any interest in the Lord. Fernando’s “attacks” came usually about dusk and lasted well on toward midnight. He would see all sorts of black, ugly animals coming toward him, and then he would completely lose his own personality for those hours. When it was over, he would almost unfailingly sing, “He can break every fetter, he can set you free,” in a loud voice for the whole town to hear. And his own personality then would come back. These “attacks” started by Fernando’s having severe pains in his abdomen. We could see no physical reason for these pains, yet they continued for several days and became more severe, usually getting worse in the late afternoon and night. One afternoon I was visiting when he told me that he had seen various kinds of animals along the joist of the roof. I suspected demons then. The next afternoon, about sundown, I was with him again, and there were about seven other men in the room visiting. Suddenly he had a faraway look in his eyes and spoke as to a person in the far corner of the room saying, “Why have you come to disturb my heart?” Then turning to us, who were seated around his bed, he said, “Who are you? I am stronger than all of you!” We had to act quickly to grab him and it finally took eight strong men to hold him on the bed, and even then we had to change “shifts” in order to rest. After more than four hours he finally quieted down, still fresh and strong; and seventeen young men were just about worn out! Quite often when Fernando was possessed, he would sing songs that the Catholic priests chant. The family had no idea where he could have heard those songs, for they had been believers since he was a small boy. He had never sung them before, nor has he sung them since. Also, he could speak fluently in the native Chontal language, which in real life he speaks only brokenly, since the government demands that the children learn to speak Spanish. At times, with his head in a position that made it impossible to see who was entering the room, he would name his visitors as they came in. He is a boy unaccustomed to clocks, but he often gave the time to the exact minute by our watches that were set with the radio, but were in a place where he could not see them - and he cannot read a watch when he is in his natural state. Once a hypocrite from a nearby town came to visit him and started reading Scripture in an ostentatious way. Fernando made fun of him and asked where he had been the night before and what about Rosa. We found out later that the man had been in jail the night before because of his relations with a certain Rosa who was not his wife. When not possessed, Fernando asked for three specific persons to come and pray with and for him at these times of attack, saying that those prayers were the only thing that helped him. But these petitions were not made during the attacks. While possessed (if we may call it that), he threatened these three people that he would bother them at exactly 3 o’clock in the morning. Since my wife and I were two of the three, we experienced the 3-o’clock-in-the-morning sessions for many successive nights. At that exact moment we would both find ourselves sitting up in bed, quite apparently scared and with no reason we could name. Then we would hear weird sounds. Outside the window at the head of our bed, the owl would hoot and a snake would hiss right into our window. (Both these are animals the natives associate with demon possession). The house would crack. We could easily sense the presence of demons and I almost feel that we saw them. One time it sounded like a pipe fell on the concrete walk out in back, which would probably mean thieves. I went to see about it, but both dogs were asleep right where we had heard the noise! The name of Jesus always proved effective in expelling these unwanted presences, and in a few minutes we would be free and rejoicing in His power, and our fellowship with the Almighty. The third prayer was also molested with loud noises and such like at an hour he guessed was 3 in the morning, since he had no clock. He also found relief and peace in the name of Jesus. Fernando once named a group of several kings - each of a certain section of territory. We supposed these were the names of the demons that had authority over that section. A number of years ago, when we first came to this Mayan-descent Indian village, we were trying to study the language and thought it would help if we got an older person to tell us the native folklore. We wanted to study sentence structure, and also get acquainted with their beliefs. Nothing of importance happened while this old man told us all sorts of stories about his people. But when he started telling us the stories about U-Yum-Kap, we realized at once that this little dwarf is a demon. The name means “Owner of the Earth,” and they fear him as a bad god. He apparently did not like to be “told on,” so tried to scare us into leaving. The stories were something about brooms flying through the air and talking; about a little man with a huge sombrero whose feet are turned backward so no one knows where he goes; if a girl picks up a flower from the ground then she has given herself to U-Yum-Kap, and he will get her and take her out to some horrible place till she loses her mind; about this same demon throwing manure into the food as a woman is cooking, and that is the sign he is going to get her, and then she loses her mind. While these things were fresh in our minds, one day my wife was sick and in bed on the only innerspring mattress in this section. She felt the corner of the bed go down noticeably, as if someone had sat on it - but there was no one there. At night one time my wife heard someone walking across the room. She turned on the flashlight to see which child was up, but there was nothing visible where the footsteps came from! Once there was a strange noise late in the night and I got up to see about it. After I was gone, my wife, wide awake, felt the bed beside her bounce as if someone were turning over in it, but no one was there. Some four or five years ago, the small Bible Institute the Lord has given us the joy of maintaining was bothered with demons for a month or more, as I remember it. The girls’ dorm is a big bedroom across the wide front room from our bedroom. Many times the girls would knock on our door and beg my wife to pray with them for they could not sleep because of evil presences and noises, which prevented them from praying to the Lord in faith. They always said that when she walked into the room the oppression was relieved. After prayer, quite often the demons would go away only long enough for us all to fall asleep again, and then wake up the girls simultaneously. Only in calling upon the Lord Jesus, who came to undo the works of the Devil, was there relief. But His name never failed! At this same time over in the boys’ dorm, which is a cane-walled, thatch-roofed house, the boys reported seeing a person in a long white robe walk across the ceiling (the underside of the thatched roof). They heard people walking up there at times without seeing anyone. They often could not sleep through a whole night because of the awful sense of the presence of a demon. Many a night they spent in prayer. But the Lord was always victorious, and this all served to make serious a group of otherwise too playful youths. One young man, who is now a consecrated teacher in the Bible Institute, had to go very early in the morning to buy meat for the school. Cows are slaughtered around midnight, and by 3 or 4 A.M. the meat is ready for sale; and if one is not there, he will likely go without his dinner. So the boys take turns, a week at a time. It was Hector’s turn to get meat, and this was why he was out at that hour of the night. He left without any sense of fear. As he went by the store of a very wicked man, he felt that “someone” had started walking beside him, but no one was visible. On the way back that “someone” walked with noisy steps on the brick wall while Hector himself walked in the sand without making any noise. The presence left him as he got close to the dorm. Over in a nearby village, several of the believers have reported seeing a beautiful young girl, dressed in white, who is there for a while and then just disappears. Since it is a small section, they are all very well acquainted with each other and none of them has ever seen any such person as this girl in white. She usually gets into the visions of those who are the deeper Christians. They sense fear and find themselves praying - then she is gone. James E. Russell Frontera, Tabasco, Mexico ======================================================================== CHAPTER 7: 07. AN EXPERIENCE IN INDIA ======================================================================== CHAPTER SEVEN AN EXPERIENCE IN INDIA A young girl, her sari thrown off from her head, insisted that she would dance for us. Her conduct showed demon possession. A Christian worker cast the demon out in the name which is above every name. She fell to the ground (Mark 9:20) and lay there about a minute. Then she sat up and pulled the sari over her face very modestly. We helped get her on her feet. I said, “Why were you lying on the ground?” “I do not know, Memsahib,” she replied. “Has anybody pulled your hair?” She had been violent and was held by a Christian man. He could only hold her by her hair. It had been almost pulled out by the roots by her violent jerking. “No, Memsahib, nobody pulled my hair.” “Will you dance for me?” I asked, testing her. “No, Memsahib,” she replied. “I do not know how to dance.” She was sweet, modest and quiet. Her face was entirely changed. Another young girl was brought here with her foot badly crushed, many small bones broken. I asked how it happened. Without hesitation her father said, “She is demon-possessed and the demons made her fall so as to crush her foot.” We cast out the demons and prayed for her foot to be healed. A week later she came again, this time walking on that foot which had seemed to be hopelessly injured. I have, at different times and with different persons, tried to find out HOW the demons got into the person. Invariably it occurred when some actual sin was committed. I have known persons who were healed by the Lord, and who afterward worshiped idols and lost the healing. Even though such idol worship was not voluntary but compelled by someone who opposed Christianity, still the result was the same. And only after repentance and confession was healing restored. Out here, where things are more violently evident than in America, we say that the demons are “active” or “inactive.” The more violent the manifestations the more certain we are of victory through Him who loved us, and gave Himself for us that He might destroy the works of the Devil. The Pilgrims Mission Mary C. Norton India ======================================================================== CHAPTER 8: 08. THE POWER OF THE NAME ======================================================================== CHAPTER EIGHT THE POWER OF THE NAME There had been no baptisms for a number of years at the station to which I was first assigned. An Indian came quietly to us one day and whispered that he knew many who would become Christians if we gave them a place to live on the compound and rice to eat. We were disturbed, and set a special time for prayer for people to come without any outside inducements. The challenge came on Sunday morning just after our church service. A large group brought a heathen woman who was demon possessed. For nine years they had taken her from one temple to another but to no avail; and “Now, what can your God do?” I opened my New Testament. “It says here, that in the days of His flesh He cast out many demons...” The woman began to shake; her eyes fluttered. Apparently she was going into convulsions. I couldn’t even say the name Jesus for I was frozen with horror at the evil enemy’s nearness, but I could sing “Yisu, Yisu.” As if by magic the spell was gone. “This is amazing,” the heathen said. I asked the woman, “Do you really want to be free?” “Oh, anything to be free from this terrible torment!” As soon as I spoke of Christ on the cross, shedding His blood, stripping off from Himself all the principalities and powers, making a show of them, openly triumphing over them, the people cried, “Demons have seized her again.” She was too strong for me to hold, though she was a much smaller woman. Then David, a Bible teacher, cried out, “In the name of Jesus Christ, I command you to leave this woman and not enter her again.” Immediately she was in her right mind and praised Jesus for releasing her. Then she said, “Let my new name be Jisu Adi, Slave of Jesus. Please give me the Book of God.” “But you cannot read,” I answered. “Still, it is His Word,” she said. So I gave it to her. Not only was she completely healed and baptized, but a year later the gift of a son was given, which confirmed to the people that Jesus is the Lord of life. That year, around thirty men were baptized - all holding hands as they stood in the river together, waiting their turn. Most of these men suffered severe persecutions. The heathen priest’s only son was poisoned but survived. After many years they were able to build their own church building on the rock site my husband had chosen in the village of Moduchar, where there had not been a single baptized believer previously. Mrs. Hulda Lehr Lubbers ~ end of chapter 8 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 9: 09. STRANGE POWER: ECUADOR ======================================================================== CHAPTER NINE STRANGE POWER: ECUADOR Meet Pablo Lopez, Quichua Indian and genuine witch doctor, with powers which make him dreaded and respected by practically all Indians within a wide radius of the Arajuno area (the mission station nearest to Auca territory). The word power is not used lightly here for the man traffics in things demoniac, things which in the civilized world are scarcely acknowledged because of their rarity. Born of a father who worshiped Satan and who once, while in a narcotic trance, was heard to say in Quichua, “We are Satan, of those who crucified Jesus of Nazareth,” Pablo has followed in his father’s footsteps. Partaking of certain narcotic roots, on occasion he goes into a trancelike state under which he has done strange things. Not the least of such feats was his assertion - in response to a question as to the fate of the five martyrs by neighboring Indians - that all five men were dead bodies lying on the beach of the Curaray River - and this some days before any rescue party was able to verify the truth of the tragedy. Time and space do not permit a more accurate description of what appears to be true demon possession, but the Scriptures give us the answer of cure in prayer and fasting. The real tragedy is that many are held back because of this one man. Dr. and Mrs. John Woods Quito, Ecuador, South America ======================================================================== CHAPTER 10: 10. AN EXPERIENCE IN KOREA ======================================================================== CHAPTER TEN AN EXPERIENCE IN KOREA While living in the northern part of Korea near the Manchurian border during Japanese occupation days, I seemed to have been especially aware of the presence and power of evil spirits, and of the sad plight of persons who were possessed by them. Korean non-Christians believe that spirits infest the air, the wood, the water, the rocks, and the mountains, and that they take up their abode in people as well as in animals. They attempt to cure spirit possession by beatings, by burnings, by the use of medicines, and by exorcising, calling in sorcerers and necromancers. Sometimes the spirits will leave a person and enter into animals - the family ox, cow, dog, or pigs, causing sickness and death. At one country village church, where my Korean Bible woman and I were holding a Bible conference for five days, we were requested to visit the home of a relative of one of the deacons in that church. She said the daughter-in-law of that family had been ill, and would we go to that house to pray for her salvation and for her healing. In the afternoon we found the young woman lying on the mud floor in the inner room of the little two-room house. The mother-in-law did not seem particularly pleased to have us come in. After a song and prayer, the young woman arose from the floor where she had been lying, and began to speak. But it was the voice of her departed mother, speaking through the lips of the daughter. “Daughter,” the voice said, “I have come to visit with you today. Take out three lengths of linen cloth from your clothes box, and dance for me.” (That is common practice - to hold a length of cloth in the hands while doing Korean dances). At this stage we became aware of the fact that we were in the home of a village sorceress. The church deacon had not divulged this. That family has been in the sorcery business for long years. After dancing around the room until exhausted, the young woman sank to the floor, while clouds of dust from under the straw mats filled the air. Meanwhile we continued to sing hymns about the blood of Jesus, to read Scripture of His power over demons, and to pray for her deliverance. Then the young woman rose from the floor again. “Daughter,” the voice said, “I cannot visit with you any more today. You have Christians in the house. I will come back some other time.” We pleaded with the young woman to accept salvation for her soul and her body, but it seemed the evil spirit had a strong hold on her. Winter evening was coming on, with early evening service in the church. We suggested that she come to church with us. To our surprise she accepted, and we walked to the church where a few Christians had already assembled. We sang hymns and prayed in faith believing. Very soon the woman began edging herself, sitting on the floor, toward the door, and I thought she was going to take off for home. Instead she threw out her hands on the door sill, and with a big sigh of relief said, “Now he is gone!” She wiped the perspiration from her face, and asked for her baby, left at home crying. With no time to eat supper, we sent for the whole family. The husband and the mother-in-law came, and along with others in the village they took a stand for Christ. In the morning, as we were getting ready to leave for the next appointment, the two women came with some red peppers as a thank offering for their new blessings. We later heard that church had been greatly revived and strengthened in faith and in numbers. Another experience was at a village in a different section of our area. Here also, at a five-day Bible conference in the small church there, we encountered demon possession in the form of a dumb spirit inhabiting a small child seven years of age. She was the granddaughter of one of the better-class families of the church, and had been in that state for many months. Since being possessed she had lost her power of speech, and she would not eat her rice unless fed by her mother. She would tear off her clothes and run naked around the village in that winter cold, bringing shame and disgrace on the family. The grandfather and the mother were Christians. The father was not a believer and had recently gone off to some other place, as he became so distressed at the sight of his demon-possessed child. These Bible study conferences always included early morning prayer meetings at 5 A.M.; two hours of Bible study during the morning; visitation during the afternoon; and evangelistic meetings every evening. During these hours the Christians unitedly prayed for this child. Every evening after that service, my Bible woman and I went to the child’s house and prayed for her deliverance. The Lord was gracious in hearing our petitions, and during our last day in the village the girl began to talk again, and to feed herself without help. The family was so grateful for the Lord’s mercy to them, and hurriedly sent word for the father to come back home and become a Jesus-believer. Presbyterian Mission Olga C. Johnson Andong, Korea ~ ======================================================================== CHAPTER 11: 11. A SA�ANCE IN BOLIVIA ======================================================================== CHAPTER ELEVEN A SÉANCE IN BOLIVIA As a pioneer missionary in districts where the people had no medical attention, I did what I could under the circumstances. The Lord wonderfully blessed this ministry, although I am not a doctor. One day I was called to see a young man in a home where I had often prescribed for various sicknesses. He had suffered serious attacks, but as I questioned and prayed over the matter, the Lord gave me no light and I refused to prescribe for him. A few weeks later he worsened, and believing he was going to die the family called the priest. However, the sick man said, “I will have nothing to do with the priest, but you may call Don Roberto.” (He had previously attended a few of our Gospel meetings). I gladly went, explained the Gospel to him and prayed, and since I had been invited I returned every day. I heard from other sources that his married sister had said, “It is a strange thing, but every time Don Roberto visits, my brother is quieter.” Up to that time, I had never seen him in one of the attacks. One sultry afternoon I found him lying in bed making a wild guttural sound. I said to myself, “Is it possible that this fellow is demon possessed?” He soon quieted down, and I said nothing of my suspicions for I was not certain of the diagnosis. Shortly after that he was taken to Cochabamba. After some months had passed, I heard that he had returned to Totora. At the same time a liberally minded businessman in town asked what I thought of communicating with the dead. I told him frankly that it was of the Devil. Then he told me that an Italian had arrived in town and was holding séances every night. When I asked him who the medium was, he named the same young man I had been visiting. When I said it was an evil spirit and not the spirit of the dead, he said, “It couldn’t be, because they called up the spirit of a greatly respected bishop.” They said he talked about God and prayed. I said, “There is one certain thing. He did not pray in the name of the Lord Jesus.” He said, “How do you know?” I answered, “Because a demon never would pray in the name of the Lord Jesus, and only through His name do we have access to the Father.” He said, “I have a friend who took down the prayer,” and the next day he brought me a copy of it. It read something like this: “Almighty God, have mercy on these poor people who know nothing of charity, are completely selfish. They know nothing of charity.” I said, “You see, he didn’t pray in the name of the Lord Jesus.” Some time passed, and then a delegation came and invited me to attend one of their séances. I said, “The spirit never will work in my presence.” “Oh, yes!” they said. “He (the spirit) gave us permission last night to invite you.” I promised to go on the condition that I would have the freedom to say anything I cared to say and ask any questions. They arranged to have the séance begin at 7:30, and I was to come at 8:00. I spent time that afternoon in prayer, and knocked at the door promptly at 8:00. The medium was in a trance and said, “The minister is at the door.” It is interesting to note that they never call us a minister here. Then I was ushered into the roomful of people, and after the customary polite greeting, the Italian who was in charge said that I was wrong in my thought about their meetings, and in order to convince me he offered to tell my past. “No,” I said, “I didn’t come for that.” There was a vacant chair in the room. They invited me to sit in it and without anyone touching it I would be suspended to the ceiling. I said, “No, I didn’t come for any such demonstration either.” They were ready then to proceed with the séance. I believed that by appealing to the blood of Christ they would not be able to proceed. The lights were put out and as we took hold of hands, the Italian invoked Almighty God to send the spirit of the man whose name he called. I, for my part, was trying to recall the verse, “The blood of Jesus Christ God’s Son cleanses from all sin.” My mind was blank, and it was with great difficulty that I could at last repeat this verse inaudibly. To my surprise, the medium made the same strange noise deep in his throat, and then began to address us in a different tone of voice and as a different person from the one whose body he was using. Later, I came to the conclusion that while demons may influence us they cannot read our thoughts, and for that reason repeating the verse in my mind had no effect. The demon then said, “Good evening! We are very glad to have the minister with us. He has done many kindnesses to this body (speaking of course of the body of the young man he was using) and we are grateful for it.” As we stood facing each other, a great fear came over me. I trembled as never before, and the thought came to me, “You have heard of demons; you are now in the presence of one; since he hates the Lord he hates you,” and I feared that he would do me bodily harm. Then I remembered, “True, the demon is in him, but greater is He who is in you than he who is in him.” Fear left me. I became calm and my strength returned. Again he said, “We are very thankful for all you have done for this body (making a distinction between the spirit that was speaking and the body he was using), but we have this against you - you don’t believe in the Virgin.” He continued, “God has sent me.” I asked him, “Do you believe that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh?” I demanded a direct answer from him, and to my surprise, finally he lied and said that he did believe. That disturbed me because we read, “Try the spirits whether they are of God... Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God.” As I thought it over later, I realized that he had not made a confession but a statement to mislead me, after I had held him to a direct answer to the question. Then I asked if he believed that salvation was by faith and faith alone. “Yes,” he said, “we believe that salvation is by faith and works” - another doctrine of demons. Nothing I could say would move him from this declaration. Finally I asked, “Do you believe that without the shedding of blood there is no remission of sin?” He would not answer me, but said, “I must be going.” He left the young man so helpless that two men had to sustain him until his own spirit took possession of his faculties. When they called another spirit, they did not include me in the circle of clasped hands. A spirit that was an entirely different personality responded and with a different tone of voice. They called a third spirit. He was distinct, from his mannerism and his tone of voice. With great emphasis he almost shouted, “There is an enemy here. I will have nothing to do with this.” They saw that it was impossible to go on with their séance. I opened my Bible and read from Deuteronomy 18, how God abhors and prohibits anything dealing with the spirit world, which is indeed dealing with demons. After giving a clear spiritual warning and a testimony to the Lord, I was of course persona non grata. I had not only put an end to the séance but had given them God’s Word. I finished my testimony, bade them good night and left. The next morning I was told that after my departure they called another spirit. He came but was beyond their control. As they put it, they had a “tempest.” The spirit screeched, swung chairs over his head and terrorized the audience. The women crouched in the corner while the brave men fled to the patio. When they finally were able to dispel the spirit, he had so exhausted the energy of the man that he was confined to bed for days. When I told the family that their brother was demon possessed and that we would cast him out in the name of the Lord, they would not permit me to see him. They denied my statement and said, “This is a fit from God.” They hoped that after they had perfected the séances they would take him to Buenos Aires and recuperate their fortunes, using him in spiritist séances. They were never able to carry out their plans, for strange as it may seem the spirits had no intention of helping them financially, and when they tried to collect money for their séances the spirit would not appear. All we could do was to pray for the young man, and God delivered him as we prayed in faith that He would rebuke the evil spirit through Christ who conquered him on Calvary. It was interesting to note that the spirits got possession of him little by little as he began with table tipping. Bolivian Indian Mission Verne D. Roberts Bolivia, South America ======================================================================== CHAPTER 12: 12. ISAMVA ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWELVE ISAMVA NOTE: Isamva. The word means evil spirit, in the tribal tongue Kisukuma. The Nsukuma knows that demon possession is by no means uncommon in the tribe, and he readily differentiates between demon possession and mental illness. One late afternoon a man came “from over the hill.” He begged us to go to his house and drive away an evil spirit that had taken possession of his wife and was driving her into terrible acts of violence. It was with grave misgivings that we consented, as we had never before been faced with such a challenge, but we set out with one of our African converts. On reaching the house, we were immediately convinced that there was something unhuman or superhuman dominating the woman. She rushed at us in a paroxysm of rage, with vile epithets and curses. Her husband, a strong man, held her with the greatest difficulty. I felt an uncanny fear coming over me, and began to pray for our protection. My wife also prayed, and gradually we were led to implore God for the woman’s deliverance. This continued into the night hours, amid frantic efforts of the woman either to get at us or to kill herself. The two African men held her constantly, but despite their efforts she flung herself violently to the floor again and again, and beat her head against its hard surface. For five hours a satanic battle raged, with the woman alternately cursing and threatening us and pleading with us to drive away the spirit (isamva) which was going to kill her if she didn’t go with it. We remained in the hut until 10 o’clock that night, crying to God for the woman’s deliverance. Our clothing was wet with perspiration and we were utterly fatigued. The woman had sunk into a quiet stupor and we felt that we could not remain longer. I asked our African Christian to stay on, and as we rose to go a power impelled me to command the evil spirit, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, to come out of the woman and not to return. The next morning, our African Christian came home and reported that the woman had passed from her stupor into a quiet sleep, and he left her still sleeping. The Lord Christ honored our feeble faith and completely delivered the woman, who shortly thereafter accepted Him as her Saviour and has lived a victorious Christian life ever since. For a number of years she has been our senior Bible woman, and has been used on several occasions to deliver others from demon possession. Today the woman of this story, Maza Nkamba, conducts the daily morning devotions in the women’s wards of our general and maternity hospitals. Africa Inland Mission Wm. J. Maynard Tanganyika Territory, East Africa ~ end of chapter 12 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 13: 13. STRANGE ACTIONS AND LONG WEEKS OF PRAYER ======================================================================== CHAPTER THIRTEEN STRANGE ACTIONS AND LONG WEEKS OF PRAYER In the city of Saratsi, North China, we were having special meetings for women. Coming out of church, we met a woman none of us had ever seen before, who was acting strangely. It did not take long before we knew that she was possessed with evil spirits. We took her into the inquiry room, and sent someone to find out where she had come from and to whom she belonged. Some boys had seen her strange actions as she stood outside our gate, and pushed her in. After some searching we found her husband and son, and from them we got the story. They came from a village far on the other side of the mountain range, where we had never been able to go with the Gospel because of the bandits in the mountains. Her husband told us that she had been possessed for two years. They had tied her with ropes and chains, and had burnt her with hot irons. (There is nothing the evil spirits like more than when the person they possess is tortured). No one in the home had been able to work properly, as she took up all their time. At last the family talked it over, and decided to take her to the city of Saratsi, where there was a big Devil’s Temple. There people could go and dedicate their lives to the Devil, and become fortune-teller mediums. But when her family brought her to the city she ran away from them, and it was then that she came to our gate. Now the battle began. Together with co-workers I had prayed for many possessed Chinese, but never had we been in such a battle as this. There were never less than two praying, and most of the time we were four and five. We would pray hour after hour. When you pray for one who is possessed, you cannot for one minute take your thoughts away from the blood and the cross or you will lose power; and never have anyone with you who is afraid. You must take your stand that the enemy has been conquered through the work of Christ. We would pray, and then for a change continue on our knees and sing of the blood and the cross. After hours of battle, the woman would become rational, but she would not name the name of Jesus, and so we knew that she had not been freed. This kept on for three weeks. One morning early someone came and said that she was very violent, and told us to hurry. I called our co-worker, Miss Frelander, and our Chinese pastor. It was about 7 in the morning when we started to pray, and we were never off our knees before 2 in the afternoon. None of us had eaten anything before we started to pray; so it was that the Lord made us fast and pray. That was one of the last battles, but not the last. Chinese New Year came, and we were having meetings in the church in the evening. The woman attended and was quiet the whole time. After the meeting I had gone home and was preparing for bed, when someone called, “Come at once; she is very violent.” Miss Frelander and two of our Chinese Bible women went with me. We had not prayed long before the evil spirits spoke through her and said, “I am well now; you can go to bed.” I said, “In the name of Jesus, we will not leave this woman before you have left her.” We prayed for some time, when the evil spirits said, “We did not know that you were so determined as all this; we have waited for this evening to make her go out and take her own life.” This was spoken in Chinese through the woman. Again we said that we would not leave her before they left her. We prayed on for about half an hour, when the evil spirits left her and she began to pray and, together with us, praise the name of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ. She was wonderfully saved, and learned to read her Bible and sing hymns. She stayed with us for some time, then went back to her village and became a living testimony for her Lord and Saviour. Every year when we had special meetings, she would ride a little donkey over the mountains and would always bring someone with her who had been saved. As long as we were able to hear anything about her she continued her faith and testimony. Swedish Alliance Mission Mrs. Filip Malmvall Jonkoping, Sweden ======================================================================== CHAPTER 14: 14. SAVED AND DELIVERED ======================================================================== CHAPTER FOURTEEN SAVED AND DELIVERED A young woman, whose husband had recently confessed his faith in Christ, fell frequently under the power of an evil spirit. For years, in fact, she had known violent fits of anger and sudden irresistible impulses to throw herself into a fire, or to run some distance and cast herself into a well. She was commonly referred to by her relatives and neighbors as a woman subject to demon possession. It was generally feared that she would one day lose her life when under the power of the evil spirit. In fact, on one occasion she narrowly escaped death when neighbors rescued her from a deep well into which she had thrown herself. Two years after her husband’s conversion and contact with our missionaries, this young woman began to understand the Christian message. Her husband’s transformed life, and evident joy in witnessing for Christ, made a profound impression upon her. She became convinced that He, who had worked such a change in her husband, could deliver her from the bondage of demon possession. Her heart responded to the message and she became a true believer. The immediate result of this was complete deliverance from evil spirits and a joy and peace she had never dreamed of. Today, back in the village where she was known as a woman subject to demon possession, she is an active worker with her husband in the service of the Lord. Like the man out of whom Christ cast the demon, the woman is now expressing her gratitude in spontaneous testimony to the power of God to deliver. Poona and Indian Village Mission Major R. P. D. Snow Poona, India ======================================================================== CHAPTER 15: 15. RELAPSE? ======================================================================== CHAPTER FIFTEEN RELAPSE? Among the many believers in Wallamo land, there was a young man who periodically had come under demon possession before he took his stand as a Christian. After his acceptance of the Lord, however, I saw a very long period of time when he seemed to be normal. Then suddenly he again seemed to come under the spell of demonism. When he was once again in his right mind and questioned by believers, he admitted lapses of faith and going back to the old life. As I heard the story, he himself believed that he was possessed again because of living loosely and wavering faith. Walter Ohman Addis Ababa, Ethiopia ~ end of chapter 15 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 16: 16. UNDER THE CURSE ======================================================================== CHAPTER SIXTEEN UNDER THE CURSE She was not under the curse when I first knew her. I lovingly called her “my mother in Israel.” Me Thone was widowed early, with three children to love, nurture and influence in the things of God. One might think that hers was a rugged life, but she always had a word of encouragement to the downhearted, coupled with a twinkle of the eye, and a smile. Daily she sat in the market with all the Laotian women in that small Far Eastern country, though she had pitifully little to sell. There might be some herbs, perhaps a bundle of bark, or some wild bananas. I remember the “tithe” bunch that always found its way to the home of the missionary. It was when Me Thone would ask, “Are you going to be very busy this afternoon?” I knew she had met a new friend in the market, from a village we had not yet visited, and together we would plan a visit. Over the rice fields we trudged to find the new friend. Wet feet never bothered my little lady. Her feet never walked with shoes or sandals. She was careful, though, to lift the ankle-long, sheath-like skirt, for the gold embroidered hem was a precious possession. The sun beat down unmercifully, the lazy water buffalo lifted his head in momentary challenge, but Me Thone sauntered on, chattering gaily until we reached the edge of the village where we were headed. Her culture influenced her thinking, and now she quickly slipped in step behind me, whispering, “See that large house over there across the clearing? Go to that house first. It is the home of the village chief.” I obeyed. Reaching the foot of the slender ladder, stretched from ground to veranda, I called, “May I come up?” There was a heartening response from the lady of the house, seated behind her basket of beetle nut and lime, so I turned for Me Thone to join me. But she was not there. I caught only a glimpse of her, hurrying up under the steep, slanting thatched roof of the third house beyond, on her errand of gathering villagers to come and see the pictures of Jesus Christ and to hear His message that her missionary friend brought to their village. So intent was Me Thone on witnessing, that when the time came to enroll for Short Term Bible School she was one of the first. She begged to attend. She knew she could not read, and neither could she write, but her mind was a tablet. She remembered everything. Didn’t she have to do her market accounts without the aid of pencil and paper? One week of the school session had finished. Classes were dismissed early that weekend, so that the students could get caught up with home work and be all set, ready for worship service on Sunday morning. All the students gathered early for that service. It was quite an honor to go back to school, and Bible school at that. The students sat quietly on benches or floor mats, reading their Bibles, waiting for the service to begin. Everyone, that is, but Me Thone. We were a bit surprised and rather perturbed. She was usually the first one to church. The service started. A hymn was sung. Then, the noise! A distinct clump, clump, clump coming from the hallway and now right up to the door. Me Thone came bolting into the room, her huge bamboo umbrella shattering the great hush of the room. Her eyes glared with an intense diabolical expression. She was demon possessed. After weeks of prayer, fasting and tender care, Me Thone came slowly back to her right mind and told the story. She harbored two great secret sins in her heart that afternoon of the Short Term Bible School recess, as she wended her way to the Buddhist temple in her village. For that old priest in the temple needed someone to tell him how wrong he had been in disbelieving her faith in the living God. Had she not attended five days of Bible School session already? Pride ruled her heart. Its influence was hideous, and so ironical after days of studying God’s Holy Word and witnessing His presence in the midst of those discussion groups. Me Thone walked defiantly through the temple yard. In her hand she carried meaningful Gospel tracts. The old priest, seated deep in the shadows of the inner court, saw her come. Their feud over religion stirred tempers deeply. No woman in this land, whose entire culture moved at the influence of the temple gods, would dare enter its courts with such haughtiness, boldness and pride and speak thus with its priest. In recounting the story, Me Thone would pause and reflect, “Had I only prayed first, I would never have done such a foolish and evil thing. I truly stepped on the Devil’s territory.” The yellow-robed priest received the first tract she flauntingly thrust at him. He tore it into a thousand bits and told her to be gone. The second tract received much the same treatment. Again and again this was repeated until the enraged priest cursed her actions and called on the evil spirits of a distant village to inhabit this infidel. Me Thone staggered from the temple. She never really knew how she reached home. A neighbor found and helped her. She knew the terror, the influence and hold of evil spirit worship in her land of Laos. Me Thone had been delivered from much fear when she first believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. In this land existed the belief of the phi (evil spirit) of the house, of the village. One spirit honored each marriage ceremony, supposedly bringing happiness to this marriage and surely evil if not given proper recognition. For years she had known of the garden houses, built temple style, and dedicated as the habitation of the family spirit. Humbler homes might dedicate a post of their own house, or a rafter, or an enclosed small statue. A stone might serve as the dwelling place for another family spirit. The very air breathed might be honored as the home of the protecting family spirit. Me Thone had been delivered from the terror of that ting altar found in every Laotian home. The pungent odor of incense filling the house, the burning candle flame, the fresh flowers on the altar were not for her Christian home. As a young girl, her parents had tied the spirit-strings around her wrist, or circled the house with them when sickness visited the family, to appease the evil spirits. In the market, Me Thone had looked longingly at the phi phap family in their loneliness, and tried to comfort them. They had done no wrong. It was their village sorcerer who had indicated that this family had displeased the village spirit, and he had named them the phi phaps, which brought utter isolation, not only from their own village, but from every neighboring village who knew their fate. “Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve,” guided Me Thone’s thoughts often. Her neighbors complained of the burden of the curses that had been pronounced against them by some enemy, perhaps a witch doctor. She saw them feverishly weave bamboo fetishes and attach paper money to its branches, an offering to the spirit they had disquieted. It might appease or even distract the spirit and thus evade sure disaster. During those many days of living under the curse of the old temple priest, Me Thone knew the torment of spirits beating her body until the pain was unbearable. She would cry out with anguish of thirst, “I’m burning! Give me some water!” Given a cup of water, she took one gulp and immediately spat it out. If she could but hit the missionary’s face; a shrill, cold laugh of Hell, it seemed, came from the depth of her being. “They are choking me!” Me Thone screamed. “Help me, help me!” The praying friends pleaded the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The missionary quietly coaxed, “Me Thone, repeat this after me,” and prayed, “O God, cover me with the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ!” Eagerly, Me Thone tried to repeat word for word after the missionary, and momentarily she would return to her right mind and know her friends were there praying. She cried from the depths of despair, “O my God, have mercy on me and cover me with the blood...” She could say no more. Her spirit turned hard and cold, and with a scream ended, “No, no, I will not... I cannot!” Prayer was made that God would spare that body and not let her go into eternity under this awful curse. Weeks later, her spirit gradually became more tender. The presence of praying friends seemed more tolerable, and now she called for prayer. She tried to pray, but many times her tongue seemed to be tied. Only her spirit longed for the Word of God, for praying friends and restored fellowship. It was at one such visit in her humble home that she confessed to the hidden jealousy and bitterness she had secreted away against the national pastor and members of the congregation. He had not seemed to appreciate her witness at the market, she thought, nor her faithful attendance at church services and prayer meeting. The pastor, to her thinking, had even resented her village visitation work with the missionary. Her spirit was truly not of Christ. With such sin in the heart, she had walked right into the enemy’s territory that afternoon of Bible School week. The blood of the Lord Jesus Christ, she reasoned afterward, would have washed her sin of pride, jealousy and bitterness and cleansed her, covering her completely, had she only prayed before going on that awful errand. Me Thone has gone to be with the Lord. It was a fearful thing, the day darkness gathered around her soul and she could not throw off the attack of the curse, and the evil spirits took possession. But the ministry of the Word and prayer brought back light and lifted the darkness until the Lord took her home. Mrs. Naomi Whipple ~ end of chapter 16 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 17: 17. WAS IT DEMON POWER? (JAPAN) ======================================================================== CHAPTER SEVENTEEN WAS IT DEMON POWER? (JAPAN) On Resurrection Sunday morning of 1957, our church group at Toyahashi-shi, Japan, met as was the custom for their early sunrise service along the river bank near the house. After a time of worship and praise to our risen Saviour, we returned to the house to have a time of prayer before breakfast. That morning ten women were planning to follow the Lord in baptism in the river, which, of course, was still quite cold at that time of the year. During the prayer session, one of the ten who planned to be baptized started to moan and groan. Her voice kept getting louder and louder, until she was actually screaming. I confess that at the time I did not know what to do or think. She threw her songbook and Bible in my direction. I do not know if she intended to hit me, but they glanced off my shoulder. The young Japanese worker surmised before I did that it was demon power and motioned for me to go with him to where she was, by this time half lying on the floor. We put our hands on her head and held her down, because she was tossing about and swinging her arms and screaming. At the time I did not understand what she was crying out, but later learned that she was saying, “I can’t do it! I can’t believe it!” By this time stories that I had heard from Dick Hillis, a former missionary to China, came to my mind. He told of his experiences in casting out demons among the Chinese, and at the time I must confess that they were hard to believe. By this time, I realized that this must be a demon and proceeded to pray and act in the way the Bible commanded. About thirty of our Christians, who had gathered, had also realized that this was not from God and were crying and pleading before God to release her from this awful power. The young worker and I, with our hands on her head, cried out in the name of Jesus, as the apostles of old, demanding the demon to leave. Again James 4:7 was the promise which the Lord gave, so I demanded, in the authority which God had invested in me by my position in Christ, for the demon to release her. After a short while, she calmed down and I was able to talk to her. I remembered that Dick Hillis had said that he did not believe a demon could possess Christians, but could come upon them and control them, that is, oppress them. In order for relief, the Christian must demand the demon to leave. I told this young woman to confess the sins that she had been harboring in her heart, and then command the demon in the name of Jesus to leave. She then prayed, confessing hatred of her father, stealing, and other sins. I read 1 John 4:1-3 to the group and showed them how we are told to test a person to see if he is demon-possessed or not. I asked the young woman if she believed that Jesus had come in the flesh. She said she did, after which we had a time of praise to God for causing the demon to release her. I had her publicly confess the sins which she had confessed to the Lord, as a warning to the group lest any of them should fall into the same condition. God used this confession to bring revival to the group and there were many confessions of sin. This woman was baptized that morning, and became a real testimony to the name of Jesus. Through her testimony her 70-year-old mother turned from worship of ancestors to the true and living God. My heart is refreshed and blessed every time I see her. Abram Miller Nagano Ken, Japan ~ end of chapter 17 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 18: 18. ENEMY IN THE CLASSROOM ======================================================================== CHAPTER EIGHTEEN ENEMY IN THE CLASSROOM The existence of evil spirits is a dread reality, even though some Christians are not sufficiently aware of this fact. Any true Christian who seeks to expose them will not only be certain of their existence, but will also be very conscious of their activity. To this I can give abundant testimony, as the result of experiences through the years as the teacher of classes in personal soul-winning. The experiences when teaching Spiritism have been varied. At times, I have experienced dizziness to the extent that, humanly speaking, I thought it would be necessary to close that particular class period. At other times, I have felt very faint and about to lose consciousness at any moment. However, I have always triumphed through prayer and have been able to complete the class session. One experience is very informative. While teaching one day, my voice kept getting weaker and weaker and it seemed that I should clear my throat in order to continue. To my amazement, every time I tried to clear my throat there was nothing to clear. I continued to teach, praying while doing so, and my voice would get stronger and become normal. Almost immediately afterward it would begin to weaken again and it would seem necessary again to clear my throat. Prayer once more would bring it back to normal. This continued throughout the remainder of the class period. At the close of the class, I walked into the adjoining hall and talked normally without any trouble. Students have told me that they have experienced opposition when studying the subject. The Scriptures tell us clearly of the reality and activity of demons. Therefore, one should not be surprised when opposed by them. James F. Harrison [Editor’s note: Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, founder and president of Dallas Theological Seminary, spoke often to his classes, when they were studying Demonology, of strange experiences he had had when planning to preach on this subject. In one instance the church burned down the night before the announced date of his sermon]. ~ end of chapter 18 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ ======================================================================== CHAPTER 19: 19. DEMONOLOGY ======================================================================== CHAPTER NINETEEN DEMONOLOGY This is a story of an Indian girl at a Bible School, who was possessed with demons. She was from an Indian tribe in New York. She had become a Christian in 1947, and had been a student at the school for two years. She believes that she became filled with demons at the age of nine when her father, a witch doctor, prayed to the Devil to possess her. If so, she had been filled with demons for many years, but had been normal until recently, when she had attacks and was put into an institution and believed to be insane. But the doctors pronounced her cured in a few weeks and released her. The first signs of her illness while at the Bible School took place when she began to have sick spells during the night, after taking classes in The Doctrine of Christ. She was taken to the hospital several times and her hair would stand on end all over her head. After this had happened a few times, the officials of the school and faculty had a meeting and looked up her record. Then they met with the students and sang and prayed. After this meeting the demons possessed her, taking possession of her entire body. I was told by the Lord to try the spirits to see whether they were of God. I did, and a voice (not the girl’s, but from deep down in her throat) answered three times, “No,” that they would not come out of the girl. The girl testified after all was over that she could hear the demons arguing inside of her which one would come out first. The only way she could receive food or water was when I commanded the demons to come out of her. After reading Luke 10:17, we became assured that the demons were under our command. All of this took thirty hours of prayer. The only people who could stay in the room at this time were the ones who were right with God. As for others who were not right with God, the demons would mock and laugh at them. The demons would not come out of the girl until they had been forced to name themselves. The first one was Fear. When the demons were active, her hair stood straight out from her head just like a huge fan around it, and she did an Indian dance several feet above the bed, coming down once or twice to touch it, and rising up again. Then she would fall limp on the floor, as we all kept praying. We could hear the demons crying over our heads and they would go by in a swish of air. The only thing we could do to keep control was to read the Word. Psalm 91 and Luke 10:17-19 were the Scriptures that helped us the most. When I commanded the demons to come out of the girl, I commanded them to go to the pit so that they would not enter someone else. They knew the pit was horrible and they struggled to keep from going and would say, “Do I have to go?” I commanded them in the name of Jesus that they must go, and then they screamed and agonized. God sent a woman to us who discerned that there were many demons in the girl. The demons told many lies. Some of them spoke in the Indian language, and had to be commanded to interpret themselves, and they would lie all the while. Those in the room could not speak to the demons in Jesus’ name. We were just powerless without Christ and could do nothing, and the demons knew it, and they also know the authority of Jesus. We turned to Philippians 2, and the demons knew of Jesus and His authority and they bowed to Him. In all, there were seventy-nine demons in the girl, and the last one was named Legion. He refused to come out, and would not give his name. The screaming was so loud that it hurt the ear drums of those present, and we could hardly believe it. All consciousness of time was lost. Sometimes we would sing for what we thought was a little while, but it would be about three hours. Even days passed unnoticed. The demon of Weakness would not speak above a whisper, and when it spoke everyone in the room became very weak. When we realized what was happening, all we could do was to sing the songs of the blood, and praise the Lord. When we did this, the demons would cry, “I must go! I must go!” It is interesting that while the girl was in the classroom of The Doctrine of Christ, she understood nothing, yet she would get 100 on every examination. She said afterward that during the class hour a veil would seem to come before her eyes so that she could not see the teacher or the blackboard; and she became very mean. She was asked, after all was over, what she was thinking while all this was going on, because she was somewhat conscious. She said she was thinking of the promises of God. Many were quoted during the course of our dealing with the demons, and much Scripture was read, but she quoted the ones she had been thinking and not one was the same as those quoted in the room. She said she could hear them say inside of her that they had to go because her body belonged to Jesus. She kept praying all the time, she said. When the last demon, Legion, came out, her strength came back and she got up and took a drink of water and wept before God. Missionary to the North American Indians Keith Bailey ~ end of chapter 19 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 20: 20. BLESSED BUT DEMON POSSESSED ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY BLESSED BUT DEMON POSSESSED The sun beat down on a small group of thatch-roofed mud houses that nestled in the middle of the rice paddies and vegetable gardens, which formed the landscape’s giant patchwork quilt. This was a farming community near the Southern Presbyterian Station of Kiangyin, Kiangsu, China. Only a few trees helped to shelter the farm folk from the summer heat. “The Ying’s have another son. They are blessed of the gods,” so spoke a farmer’s wife as she talked to a neighbor. “Yes,” the neighbor responded, “the ancestors will have three sons to feed them. But it is too bad that Mrs. Ying has a demon. If the gods favor them so, why have they not heard the prayers of the priests and made her well?” To the ignorant Chinese farmers demon possession is no phenomenon. They recognize it for what it is. There are, however, no institutions to which to send those that are afflicted, and for those who know not Christ there is no hope except the prayers of the Buddhist priests. These the Yings had paid much to obtain, but of course, to no avail. So in spite of their great fortune in having three sons, the Yings were exceedingly unhappy. Then one day good news came to the distraught family. There were Christians at the chapel in Sah-Kah-Lee who could cast out demons in the name of Jesus. This was all they knew, but since all else had failed, Mr. Ying sent for the elders of this church. They were only simple farmers, but they knew the power of prayer, and took the promises of God’s Word at face value. When the little band of Christians reached the hut, Mrs. Ying was lying in a trance on the bed in the ting bedroom, perfectly stiff, as in death. “Come in here. She is in here,” urged Mr. Ying. “No,” the leader of the Christians answered. “First you must clean out everything you use in worship of the gods and spirits.” This was indeed a hard thing to ask of one who all his life had trusted in such things, but his desperation was so great that he consented. Soon the family gods, kitchen gods, the ancestral shrine, and even the bits of paper on the front door that had been blessed by the priests were taken down. All this accomplished, the Christians held a praise and prayer service in the living room. Then at last they were ready to face the demon in the bedroom. Long before this, all the neighbors had gathered so there was not even standing room in the ting house, and the woven-reed partitions were almost knocked down by the pushing throng. In simple faith, the elders entered the bedroom, and in the name of Jesus commanded the demon to come out of the prostrate woman. Immediately Mrs. Ying sat up and exclaimed, “There he is in the corner!” And then, “There he goes out the window!” There was a man standing on a bench peering in at the small high aperture that served as a window. He fell off the seat and died the next day, whether from the demon or fright, God only knows. We do know, however, that Mrs. Ying had no more trouble, the whole family became Christians, and the three sons became evangelists instead of ancestor worshipers. An interesting sequel to the story took place a short time after the demon was cast out. There was a tree in front of the Ying house that had been used as a shrine. “This tree must be cut down,” the Christians told the Yings. “But we are afraid of the demons,” Mr. Ying protested. Even the elders were fearful, knowing well Satan’s power, and so another meeting of the Christians was called. Again after praise and prayer they cut the tree down, but the stories they told of the strange atmospheric demonstrations that took place around that tree, such as a whirlwind, were blood-curdling. Nothing, however, could touch those who were new creatures in Christ and were covered by His blood. Jean Bryars Loewen Hillsboro, Kansas ~ end of chapter 20 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 21: 21. AN EXPERIENCE WITH DEMONS ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE AN EXPERIENCE WITH DEMONS On Tuesday morning of each week, a co-worker and I held a Bible class for the in-patients at the government dispensary in Dosso, Niger Colony. There were usually ten or fifteen in attendance. A low stool was brought for the teachers. The patients sat cross-legged in a semicircle in front of us. Every person able to be out of bed was compelled to attend. I was doing the teaching at that time. Approaching the thatch-roofed huts of the patients that day, we were greeted with “Here come the Jesus preachers.” One of the more receptive ones hurried off to call the others to class. Believing them all to be assembled, I sat down on the stool and prepared to begin the lesson. But there was a restlessness which I had never seen before. Several glanced apprehensively over their shoulders toward one particular hut. Following their gaze, my eyes beheld a sight which rendered me nearly paralyzed for a moment. From out of the hut came a man (yes, I am sure he was human) in whom the Devil must have had free course. His eyes were large and wild with fear. His long hair stood straight out all over his head; his hands were held up in the position a wildcat would take when preparing to claw something, his nails were as long as claws, and he was completely naked. Catching sight of me with those fiery eyes, it took him only a matter of seconds to cover the fifty feet separating us. He headed straight for me, giving roars like a fierce animal. By the time he had reached the edge of our circle of petrified natives, I had gained control of myself and could feel a sense of peace within. “Sit down here!” I commanded in a voice which did not seem to be a part of me. He sat, without a sign of a protest, right squarely in front of me. I taught, not the lesson I had prepared, but of the Lord Jesus Christ raising the dead, healing the sick, and casting out demons. There seemed to be no one else present except the two of us. The others sat motionless, spellbound. The words which were spoken reached through his tortured mind, quieting him. His eyes lost their wildness. He listened as a child would to a beautiful story. He was completely subdued. The name of Jesus had had its effect. The devils do still tremble when they hear it. Evangelical Baptist Missions Mrs. Annam M. Nenemaker Dosso, Niger, French West Africa ~ end of chapter 21 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 22: 22. BASUTOLAND, CENTRAL AFRICA ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO BASUTOLAND, CENTRAL AFRICA Before sailing for Africa, I had some classes with a missionary who had worked in Central Africa. He told me that anyone going to Africa should have a knowledge of demon power. He had seen it in operation many times. He taught me about demon possession, obsession, and demon influence. I was asked to visit a cousin of a friend, and I found a very peculiar person. She told me that she had never heard from her relatives. Then in the course of the conversation she began to say, “Why don’t they leave me alone?” I wanted to know who was to leave her alone. She said her relatives. I said, “You just told me that you never hear from your relatives.” She then answered that they tormented her day and night. This to me sounded like demons. I prayed in the name of Jesus and commanded them to leave her. When I had finished praying she wanted to know what I had done to her. She said that her head had been on fire for a number of years, and when I prayed the fire went out. It took some time to free her of the demons, but at last she was free after much prayer. She is saved now and is serving the Lord. When I arrived in Basutoland, I was prepared for what I found. The people are ancestor worshipers and believe in demons. They see them as little green men. I could sense the power all around me. I was at a station with a converted witch doctor as a minister of the native church. One day this minister’s daughter became very ill at a station where another converted witch doctor was the minister. I took the mother and father to see the daughter who was very ill. After being there for awhile she began to rave. The chief’s men came down to see her, as is the custom of the Basutos. They said she was demon possessed, and could not be helped. That night we had prayer for her and were convinced that it was demon power. I called the people together for prayer in her room. As the people were singing songs about the blood, I knelt by her mat on the floor and took her hands in mine. I then made her look at me. The demon wanted to turn her eyes away, but I refused to let him do it. I then demanded that the demon come out of her. He told me point-blank he would not go. She had no strength of her own; she was very sick, and had been for a long time, but when I was struggling with her she was very strong. Each time I got the demon to look at me, and he refused to go, I could feel her getting weaker. At last the demon said he would go. He left her, and until the day of her death she was in her right mind. The two ministers left the room after awhile. They were afraid of the demon power there. I had a friend who was demon possessed. When one of these spells would come on he would always want to kill himself. When he admitted that God was entitled to ask for all of his life, he was delivered. He has been free ever since, and has been a mighty power in the work of the Lord. I know that many more ministers, missionaries and Christian workers would have success in their work if they would recognize the fact of the demon power that is at work against us, and that there is all power in the name of Jesus to cast them out. Marion Carter Africa ~ end of chapter 22 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 23: 23. A WITCH DOCTOR POSSESSED ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE A WITCH DOCTOR POSSESSED As I rode on horseback along a country path, I was overtaken by a witch doctor. Curious, as always, I made inquiries as to the contents of the leather bag hung over his shoulder on a miniature axe (the emblem of his profession). He drew from his bag a bundle of papers on which were green and orange markings, an imitation of Arabic writing by an illiterate. He volunteered to read to me from the book, and before I could stop him, for I had seen enough, he began nonsense reading in an ordinary voice. Then suddenly his voice changed. He was possessed, and I heard a demon through his lips telling me that I had a sick little girl in my house. (My daughter had been sick for several days, and as he was a total stranger, it was unlikely that he would have heard of it). I silenced him as quickly as I could, reading to him from my Book. A Christian man living on the mission compound had an unconverted wife who dabbled in demonism. During a heavy rainstorm, my wife and I were attracted to their house by what sounded like a wild animal barking. We arrived to find this woman going through the most frightful contortions and barking like a dog. After earnest prayer she quieted, and seemed to slip back into her normal self. Addressing me, she said: “Mai Gida, what brought you here in the rain?” It seems to be a favorite time for these possessed people to go off, during a rain, and they wander through the pouring rain howling wildly. I have never known a Christian to be possessed, and have no reason from personal observation or Scripture to believe that it is possible. African Challenge W. E. Wright West Nigeria, Africa ~ end of chapter 23 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 24: 24. IT TOOK FOUR MEN TO HOLD HIM ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR IT TOOK FOUR MEN TO HOLD HIM This is a story of demon possession in one who claimed to be a Christian. He was a 16-year-old boy from a pagan home, a home of witch doctors. In his sixth year at school, he had an attack of epilepsy, at which time he became possessed. After about three days he was brought to me, and we immediately saw he was possessed. He called himself God, and continually quoted Scripture, telling everybody to worship him. After two days he became violent, but at first we were able to pray with him, all night at times. He would rave and scream when we prayed. When we asked him to pray for himself, asking the Lord to help him in the name of Jesus, he would start, “Lord, help me in” - then hesitate, and with a sneer, insert his own name. When we asked him if he believed Jesus came in the flesh (1 John 4:3) he would always answer with an awful sneer, “Babu” (No). His eyes seemed to be as wide as saucers and the spirit that looked out of them was exceedingly vile and evil. One night we asked if he wanted to be rid of these demons and he said, “Let me think about it.” After a little while he answered, “No, I do not want to be rid of the demons, for they give me power.” He was frail, but it often took four men to hold him. Some demons told their names and they all centered around the Godhead, that is, glory, power, and great. When he was asked to tell us his sins, he always started with envy, and continued to tell the others such as adultery and thievery. Pastor Kure said such demons were powerful. When he read the Bible, the boy would try to grab it out of his hand, and attempt to tear off his robe. With the rest of us he was not so vicious. The awful, mocking, vile look from his eyes was revolting. Injections would not put him to sleep. At times he raved day and night, but was quieter when with another. After seven days his father took him home tied hand and foot. He was tied for three months - they were good to him, which is not always the case. They often do away with such cases. He finally got better and went back to school. The students reported light attacks from time to time, but he finished grammar school and wanted to enter Bible School. But with such a testimony he could not be accepted. Shortly afterward he died in an attack. He went into a coma from which he never recovered. Why did we fail? Did we not fast and pray as Jesus said? Two of us did fast and pray at first. Was it because he did not want to be delivered? If, when he went into the coma, Christians had been there with him, could they have cast out the demons? So many questions arise in connection with this case. Verna Pullen Jos, Nigeria, West Africa ~ end of chapter 24 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 25: 25. EXPERIENCES IN GUATEMALA ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE EXPERIENCES IN GUATEMALA We had discussed demon activity frequently with our national pastors here on the field, but were not entirely free of skepticism on the matter of these manifestations till we ourselves experienced the evidence. We find from these pastors, and other spiritual leaders in this corner of the Lord’s vineyard, that there seem to be certain fairly well-established patterns for demon activity all over this area of Guatemala, and in other sections of the country too. In fact, all that we have heard falls into a pattern, just as there is a pattern for people coming to God. The characteristics of demon possession that seem significant and constant in all that we have heard seem to be these, 1. It involves Christians in a backslidden condition. 2. The backsliding seems to involve a deliberate rebellion in some one thing. 3. The demon activity seems to involve night noises and the throwing of things. 4. The getting right with the Lord of the person brings immediate relief in the situation. The story that I include illustrates these points, but not better than they could be illustrated from any number of similar experiences we have heard national pastors tell. Bilil is an Indian village of about twenty-five families on the northwestern frontier of Guatemala. The only Christians there are one woman, her three sons, and their families. Though they had been believers several years, their testimony had never amounted to much because of things that they were not willing to give up from their former way of life. The thing with which the elders of the church in the area have struggled most with them was the matter of consulting witch doctors and diviners in times of sickness or other hardships. We passed through the village on a trip in 1955 with a national Indian evangelist and a fine Indian Christian couple. One of the three brothers asked us to hold the evening service in his home and to spend the night there, which we were happy to do. The whole house was about 12x8 feet. When the evening service was over, we put the accordion case and the trumpet case on a small table against the wall on one side, and the brother put his Bible, hymn book and some chorus sheets into a little box used for measuring corn, and placed the box on top of our instrument cases. Then we sat around the fire to chat a while before going to bed. The brother was very much concerned since he had lost two of his three children through sickness recently, and the village witch doctor had declared that he was out to get the third one too. The brother told us that at night spirits came and walked around on the silverware (what little they had), and dumped the corn husks out of the bag in which they were kept to serve as wrapping paper later on. Frankly, we decided that this sounded more like the work of rats than spirits, and more or less dismissed the whole matter from serious consideration. Since the room was so small, the believers fixed some boards on the roof frames for my wife and me to set our sleeping bags on, and the family of three, and the three who were traveling with us, slept downstairs any place they could find room to spread their grass mats. About 11:00 we were awakened by the brother saying, “There it is!” Before we could get our flashlights on, something hurled the little box of books across the room. When we got the lights on, we could not see anything that could have caused the trouble, and everyone was still in bed. It was definitely not the work of rats. After prayer, we went back to sleep, and the next day had special prayer with him and talked to him about the need of being right with the Lord, if he was to be freed from these things. We requested several people to pray especially for this matter, and he had no more trouble of this kind that we heard of till early in 1958. Then he was again having the same sort of trouble, and we found out that he was again going to the witch doctors and diviners. When they bring us these problems, asking prayer for deliverance, we tell them that the problem is really theirs, and that we will not be able to pray with them for the clearing up of the situations till they set aside their dealings with Satan’s agents. When they do this, the trouble ends. David Ekstrom Guatemala, Central America ~ end of chapter 25 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 26: 26. A LOW ANIMAL-LIKE MOAN ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX A LOW ANIMAL-LIKE MOAN For nine years I taught in the Evangelical Seminary of Rio deJaneiro and Pedra Bible Institute, one institution, of Brazil’s oldest established evangelical denomination. During that time I had charge of the practical work assignments, and in the last two of the nine years our students numbered over eighty. In their practical work they were serving seventy-five localities all over Brazil’s Federal District. While doing itinerant Bible conference work, I ran into a typical example of demon possession so common among the colored people of Brazil. As so often happens, when starting upon a series of Bible conferences one must begin by getting God’s people attuned to His will. Thus, after three nights in a Federal District church, I was seeing quite a number of unbelieving souls in the meetings. From the first night, a young colored woman had attended, accompanied by her mother. There was an intensity in her look and an evident reaction to what she was hearing without, however, any open manifestation. When this did come it was quite clear as to its origin - a demon. And on the fourth night, when I felt I should make a definite appeal for personal acceptance of Christ, no sooner had the congregation started singing the hymn of appeal than a devilish wave of opposition came over the gathering, and the young woman began in a low, almost animal-like moan, which developed into a high-pitched whistling. There was no doubt as to why such a phenomenon as this should take place, and at such a critical moment. Of all the things Satan hates most, the desertion from his kingdom of souls held captive by him at will, their coming to the Lord Jesus Christ must be the limit. Well, my appeal that night had no effect. The whole atmosphere was destroyed. Our unbelieving visitors, as well as most of the believers, were too disturbed to be able to concentrate on the appeal being made. The Brazilian pastor, a man of spiritual perception, with the help of four church officials, carried the young woman out bodily. She was now in a complete swoon, although still moaning and whistling. For almost two hours, both in prayer and with the Word of God, those believing people worked over this sad case, finally reaching the point of expelling the usurping demon in the all-sufficient name of the Lord Jesus Christ. And the next night came the victory, when a goodly number of souls publicly confessed Christ, including this ex-slave of the demon. As I write this, one year later, I have in my possession a letter from the pastor that the young woman, now secure in her eternal salvation, has been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Uniao Evangelica Sul Americana Oliver M. Thomson Campinas, E. deSao Paulo, Brazil, South America ~ end of chapter 26 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 27: 27. EXPERIENCES IN HAITI ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN EXPERIENCES IN HAITI Demon activity abounds here in Haiti. I think there is much more of it than even we missionaries recognize. Here are a few specific examples from our experiences, During our first term, my husband was called to visit a sick woman and to pray for her. According to custom, the little hut was crowded with relatives and neighbors, and the sick woman lay on a mat on the floor. He read a passage of Scripture before praying, and at every mention of the name of Jesus, she would have such a violent muscular reaction that three strong men were needed to hold her down. He could not speak to her about her spiritual condition, as she was in a semiconscious state, but he prayed for her and promised to return later. (In a few days he was called back and was able to lead her to the Lord). Before leaving, he promised to send medicine for malaria also. She seemed to be sleeping, and apparently the demon left her at that time. About a year ago, a little girl of eight or ten was visiting one of our house girls. She became ill and they put her on their bed. She talked very strangely, and mentioned that a thousand demons were “riding” her. Her body jerked convulsively from time to time. The girls took turns reading Scripture to her, and again at the mention of Jesus, it became most difficult to restrain her. After prayer she became calm, and a short time later she was out in the yard helping to wash the clothes. I wish I could document this. The victim could only say he didn’t remember what happened, but witnesses told a strange story. I was called upon to put dressing on his “feet” a month after the accident (?) occurred. He had just been released from the hospital, and I was told he had cut his feet. Arriving at the home, I found he had no feet. Both had been cut off well above the ankle. This was the story. He had been ill, and was advised to visit a witch doctor back in the hills. During the consultation, he was possessed by a demon who forced him to pick up a machete and hack off both his own feet. Bystanders were unable to restrain him. Fortunately, relatives were able to bring him the thirty miles to the hospital in time to save him from bleeding to death. But at twenty years of age, he was reduced to the fate of a street beggar because of his handicap. There is no real tangible evidence, but we believe satanic forces are constantly at work to hinder missionary work. Accidents - illness - interruptions that would destroy the vital quiet time with the Lord; nervous breakdown - the cold resistance that can be sensed during the preaching of the Word. Are these not the works of Satan’s armies, bent on destroying all that is of Christ? In a land where demons are worshiped and invited to possess their followers, can we expect to be free from their subtle attacks? Mrs. Glenn A. See Gros Morne, Haiti ~ end of chapter 27 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 28: 28. CHRIST THE VICTOR ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT CHRIST THE VICTOR “Come quickly! My son is about to die!” In a land such as this, where sickness and death among children are so widespread, one becomes rather accustomed to hearing this desperate plea of a parent who has tried every medicine that he or the witch doctor knows, and then turns in desperation to the missionary for help. One also becomes accustomed to following the Indian to a filthy little thatched-roof shelter and finding a diseased child at death’s door, the family, standing or sitting around, having started the prelude to their monotonously weird death wail. THE HOUSE OF MAXIMO A few days ago, I was summoned in this very manner to the house of Maximo, an unbeliever, who lives here in Caco. There was the child, Ostacio, a schoolboy of about nine years of age, and there was the family starting their mourning. All this I had witnessed many times before. However, as I drew closer to observe the boy, something immediately struck me as being quite different from the usual sight of a dying child. Instead of lying listlessly in his mother’s arms with eyes closed and heavy, irregular breathing, he was thrashing from side to side. His eyes were enlarged and staring into space and it took two adults to hold him down. My first thought was that he was in a state of delirium from some disease, but his father said that there had been no other symptoms other than a mild siege of vomiting three days before. I then learned that he had become listless and had lost consciousness of his environment in the morning, and that three hours previous he had started screaming, clawing, spitting and biting. He no longer recognized his parents and could not speak a word. The next step was to examine him. His pulse was normal in spite of his convulsive sieges, he had no fever, and there seemed to be nothing physiologically wrong with him. As I watched the poor little fellow, who was ordinarily a quiet youngster, I could not help but think of the boy spoken in Luke 9. Then I recalled that about three weeks earlier I was visiting this same family, and as we sat in the shade of a tree by the clearing in front of the little house, a gust of wind formed a whirlwind and lifted dust and leaves into a circular pattern in the center of the small clearing. The father clutched his baby in his arms and excitedly ordered the little boy who was now sick to take a stick and drive the wind to the river. I couldn’t help but laugh at the incident, but the father in very serious tones said, “Don’t you know that a devil is in the wind when it comes like that and that if you don’t drive him away he will enter your youngest child and make him violently sick?” I explained that he should not be so foolish as to believe that the Devil inhabits the wind, but rather that he dwells in the hearts of those who know not God, and that his purpose in this world was not to make people sick, but to defeat God’s purposes and cause men to sin against God. CHRIST’S POWER MANIFESTED Another indication that the boy’s condition was spiritual was that the family has been known to patronize the witch doctors. Even as I entered the house I smelled something burning, and on looking around I discovered a clay pot with smoldering feathers, a sure sign of the witch doctor’s visit. The only thing I knew was to pray, so I told the parents and requested that they stop the mourning. I bowed my head and prayed that God would heal the boy of his sickness, and then commanded in the name of the Son of God that the spirit leave the boy. After praying I went to the clinic to get a sedative. In the space of five minutes I returned on the bicycle with some Phenobarbital. A miracle had happened. The boy was fast asleep in his mother’s arms. Before I was out of sight the child had relaxed and fallen asleep. The next morning he awoke and spoke to his parents, completely conscious of his surroundings. Now he is back to school and completely normal again. South American Indian Mission Robert Anderson Caco, Peru, South America ~ end of chapter 28 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 29: 29. SPIRITISM IN BRAZIL ======================================================================== CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE SPIRITISM IN BRAZIL These past months in Brazil we have gone through some interesting experiences, which I trust will be a help to others. We have what we call a “Macumba” Lover Spiritism here that is running away with this country. These spiritists will cast plagues on anyone for money. Their sessions are held in homes. Their plagues are thrown on Christians, as well as the ungodly. Just two weeks ago, a woman who practices this kind of thing went across the street to another woman I had led to the Lord about eight months ago, and accused her of saying bad things about her to her neighbor. The Christian did what she could to prove it was a false report by taking this neighbor with her to testify to the falsity of it. But the Macumba lady was furious and shook her fist and said, “You’ll suffer for this, you just see.” And it happened! Her 8-year-old boy began crying night and day with rheumatic pains in his legs. They swelled so badly the mother rushed him off to the doctor. The doctor prescribed medicine but the legs got worse. Then the father had a terrible fall and hurt his leg. When I saw the mother at the drugstore she looked just terrible. I went up to give her a customary Brazilian hug and she backed up and said, “Oh, Dona Cora, don’t touch me! I’m burning up with fever!” I asked if she would appreciate prayer in her home, as all this sickness wasn’t normal. She invited me to come when I could, so I went the next morning. “I feel wicked in telling you about my neighbor,” she said, “but we have had no rest since she threw that plague on us.” We read the Word, prayed, and then broke the powers of this plague in the name of Jesus, pleading His precious blood. The mother told me two days later that her fever left right away, and the little boy had no rheumatic pains from that hour on. Praise His Holy name! I always teach them 1 John 1:7 and how to submit themselves to God, and then they can resist the Devil and he will flee from them (James 4:7). Mrs. Carl Taylor Brazil, South America ~ end of chapter 29 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ ======================================================================== CHAPTER 30: 30. MODERN DEMON POSSESSION ======================================================================== 3CHAPTER THIRTY MODERN DEMON POSSESSION Some months ago, the writer was asked by an Alliance pastor to come to his help. At once, accompanied by his wife, he set out for the home in question. On arrival, he found a small gathering of Christian friends who had been called for a like purpose. The cause of the meeting was the condition of a woman who had appealed for deliverance. Though not fully recognized at first, it was soon realized that she was under the power of demons. The story of her possession was simple. A few years previously, following the death of her mother, she had sought the services of a spiritist medium, believing that she could come into touch with the departed loved one. The person in question was a sincere Christian, but very poorly instructed in the Word of God. She had no conception that in thus tampering with necromancy she was breaking God’s direct commands, and also opening herself to the danger of spirit attack in some form. The medium quickly recognized that her visitor was specially open to psychic impressions. Before long she asked her to unite with her in certain trance experiences, and later sought her cooperation in spiritistic séances, inducing her to surrender herself to the will of the spirits. Some time afterward, the woman found herself in serious trouble through the control exercised over her. But her efforts to obtain relief were thwarted, both by the opposition of the medium and the active working of the demon powers to which she had yielded. In this condition several years passed before she sought the aid of the pastor above-mentioned and made a full confession of her actions. There was still no realization of the sin; merely the desire to be free from the control exercised over her life. Though the individual was in a coma, the scriptural test was at once put to the indwelling demon. “Thou evil spirit, has Jesus Christ come in the flesh?” (1 John 4:3). Instantly there came a response in the form of a bitter “No.” The spirit being thus identified, another question was presented, “Spirit, what is your name?” Refusal to tell followed, but under the power of continued prayer, the name was eventually given. However, there quickly came the consciousness that the demon was not alone, but one of a company. All that night, from about 8 o’clock until 7 the following morning, the battle continued. In that time eighteen separate demons left the body of their victim, each one identifying himself before he left by uttering his name. Most of the names given were those of spiritual states, such as “Fear,” “Death,” and so on. But these were varied by others, as “Chief,” “Mug,” “Legion,” one calling himself the “Chief Servant of Lucifer.” When morning came the patient seemed revived and normal, and it was thought by some that the work was done. Four days later, however, a hurried call came again, and a visit revealed the woman in the same condition. That night four more spirits revealed themselves and departed. For perhaps three weeks a measure of relief continued, and then the trouble recurred. The question arose as to whether other spirits had gained entrance, but this did not seem to be the case; rather there were those which had not discovered themselves. At intervals, covering a period of two months, fresh manifestations occurred, and these were dealt with as they appeared. In all seven entire nights were spent. The sufferer was throughout this time unable to take hold of the Lord for herself. Intense fear possessed her mind. At times, during the season when definite effort was being exerted by prayer and authority for the casting out of the evil spirits, she would come briefly out of the coma in which her senses were bound. In reply to exhortations to utter the name of Jesus, or to give praise to God, she would attempt to do so, but immediately the spirits would seize her, and use her hands in a fierce endeavor to strangle herself. Two brethren were constantly on the alert to hold her hands. At other times she would try to bite those about her, as a dog might do. The trouble was seen toward the end of the long struggle to be attended by a sexual mania. One demon, calling himself by the name of “Internal Masculinity Cacoethes,” seemed to be the source of this uncleanness. He remained alone, after perhaps thirty other demons had been expelled. Having gained a hold in the sensual part of the being, it seemed almost impossible to dislodge him. But God’s Word gives unquestionable authority to His faithful people. “Ye are of God, little children,” says the beloved disciple after his instructions regarding the presence and deceitfulness of the agents of the evil one, “and have overcome them, because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” The end came at last. One demon, as mentioned above, had held the fort definitely, giving whenever asked the name mentioned above. On the last night the powers of evil seemed to fill the room. The patient, awaking from her coma, cried out in fear that spirits were coming at her first from one side and then from the other. These unseen beings were rebuked in the name of Jesus and seemed to withdraw. The quoting of passages from the Bible were resented by the indwelling demon with cries of “No! No!” Finally a pastor said to the demon, “You are beaten,” which he acknowledged, but refused to go. The spirit then said, “I will go out tomorrow.” The reply was, “No, you will go out now.” He spoke again, “I’m going out,” and then, through the lips of the patient, “I’m outside now.” At once the question was asked, “Why do you lie to us?” bringing the reply, “Because I am going to kill her before I go.” Shortly after, in a sad voice, the spirit said, “I must find a new home,” and suddenly came out through the mouth, the woman nearly strangling. But, immediately she began to praise God with complete freedom, and has so continued. Attempts were made by the spirits to regain possession, but steadfast resistance has given full relief. Reprinted from Modern Demon Possession, published by Christian Publications, Inc. J. A. MacMillan ~ end of chapter 30 ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== CHAPTER 31: 31. EXPERIENCES IN PALESTINE ======================================================================== CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE EXPERIENCES IN PALESTINE “And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked in the sea” (Mark 5:1-13). “And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out” (Luke 4:33-36). ~ end of book ~ http://www.baptistbiblebelievers.com/ *** ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/multiple-demonic-experiences-in-multiple-lands/ ========================================================================