When Jesus cast the demons out of the men in the Gadarenes graveyard, the demons made an unusual request – to indwell the pigs which were nearby since they could no longer indwell the men (Mark 5:1-20; Matthew 8:28-34; Luke 8:26-37). Jesus allowed this, again probably to show those watching the power and destruction of the demons He had so easily defeated.
Where do demons really live? Where did, and didn’t, they want Jesus to send them?
LESSON FOR TODAY: Demons want to indwell something, if they lose their host they will immediately seek another. Often they share several hosts at one time, moving from one person to another. That’s why demonic oppression often seems to go in cycles.
If demons can’t indwell people they will indwell animals. Perhaps this is why sometimes whales, the animals with the greatest intelligence and the closest to humans in many ways, beach themselves. I’ve often wondered if what happened to these pigs doesn’t still happen sometimes today. That could be an explanation of why these great sea creatures some times beach and kill themselves. This shows that demons seek to bring death and destruction, and self-destructive tendencies come from demonic influence. Why else would pigs suddenly commit suicide?
LESSON FOR TODAY: The demons didn’t want to be sent “out of the area” (Mark 5:10). This was the territory they were assigned to and they didn’t want to leave it. It was their ‘home’ area. Demons are assigned to different geographical locations, families, groups, world movements, religious or secular groups, etc. They stay with them for generations and want to continue working in those areas. They become very good at what they do.
LESSON FOR TODAY: Neither did they want to be sent “into the abyss” (Luke 8:31). The Greek word, ‘tartarus,’ is used as a place of confinement for demons who are awaiting their expulsion into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:1-3). They didn’t want to go there because they would then be inactive and not able to cause harm to God’s kingdom.
LESSON FOR TODAY: The demons knew they would one day be tormented, but it was not time for that yet (Matthew 8:29). They fear the coming judgment. We can have courage and confidence that they fear us when we are ministering in Jesus’ power.
(If I can answer questions or offer personal counsel, or if you would like a free copy of my Spiritual Warfare Handbook, email me at Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org or download it from http://sw.christiantrainingonline.org/. My next book, Spiritual Warfare in the Bible, which is a more advanced treatment of spiritual warfare, is also available there for free.)