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Author
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Topic: I would like and explanation of two Bible verses
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Thunderz7
Advanced Member
Member # 31
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posted
In Lk. 9:49-50, the man at the least knew the authority in the Name of Jesus;
he may well have known who he was in Christ Jesus.
The 7 sons of Sceva didn't know who they were in Christ Jesus, and didn't know the authority in HIS name.
man in Lk. - "in the Name of Jesus come out";
7 sons - "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out."
Nothing is going to happen in the name of "Paul", and "I" can't command demons.
Using Paul's name shows they knew nothing of Jesus or the authority of HIS Name themselves.
Using "I" is putting self into it.
Jude 9 - Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Michael didn't say "I"!
T7
Posts: 1113 | From: Northeast Alabama | Registered: Jun 2002
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Aaron
unregistered
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quote:
Originally posted by truthwillsetufree:
"I'm healed in the name of Jesus" and claim other things in his name... be correct in that if they believe, it will be?
It is He who brings things to be, not our thoughts, desire, or unction. The problem with those who believe such doctrines of "name it and claim it" is that they have decided for themselves what the Lord wants. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing. Any motive but this for ourselves (doing what we see the Lord doing) removes us from the will of God.
Aaron
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epouraniois
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posted
Israel is soon to be laid aside in
unbelief (Acts 28) where a new revelation is there given to believers and a new dispensation began. Paul would lose this ability to heal, for he told the Philippian church that Epaphroditus was seriously ill and near to death, and he had to leave it to the Lord's mercy to heal him,Trophimus he left ill at Miletum, and for Timothy's `frequent illnesses' he recommends a little wine for his stomach's sake. These were valued and faithful servants who greatly aided the apostle, and surely he would have healed them if he had still had the power to do so. Miraculous healing was one of the Pentecostal sign-gifts of the Holy Spirit which confirmed the earthly kingdom testimony just as it had done with the earthly kingdom ministry of the Lord Jesus.
Demon possession was one of Satan's attempts to ruin the kingdom purpose of God, hence the Lord's constant exorcising them and delivering people from their power.
This same line of attack continued through the Acts together with other methods as we have seen.
Paul not only healed the sick, but, like the Lord, he exorcised these evil spirits. Luke gives an account of this in verses 13-16.
Some Jews, evidently watching how Paul exorcised evil spirits by using the name of Christ, tried to do the same. There were seven sons of a Jewish chief priest, named Sceva, who attempted to drive out an evil spirit in this way,but the evil spirit challenged them and finally caused the man who was possessed to jump on them and overpower them. They managed to escape, but they ran away naked and bleeding.
When this became known among the Jews and Greeks, they were greatly sobered by what they heard (verse 17).
Ephesus, in antiquity, had the reputation of being a centre of magical practice, but the gospel prospered among them with the result that many came to Paul and confessed what they had done and they brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly. They had a value of fifty thousand drachmas, which was a considerable sum of money.
In this way, the powers of darkness were defeated. Luke's comment here was `In this way the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power' (verse 20). This comes back to the signs of the times, when they heard, the believed - Non believers during the kingdom offer to fulfill the promises of their fathers set the stage for Israel's National Blindness. Satan was doing his work.
"And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul" (Act 19:11).
Let's see if those verses might find their home somewhere in this study on Biblical Demoniacs, How Satan works {spurious} Righteousness
{perhaps posted before, or not}
‘And it came to pass, as we went to prayer, a certain damsel possessed with a spirit of divination met us, which brought her masters much gain by soothsaying: the same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this she did many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour’ (Acts 16:16-18).
The A.V., in the margin, draws attention to the fact that ‘spirit of divination’ may be rendered ‘spirit of Python’. As this encounter with the powers of darkness at Philippi occurs at a most critical period in the history of the preaching of the gospel, we must seek to get as full an understanding as possible of what this expression involves.
Speaking of the agency of evil spirits, the Rev. Walter Scott writes:
‘Of all the devices which he has ever employed for these purposes, one of the most successful has been to invest, as far as he was able, error with the form, and to array it in the beauties of truth; to imitate all the methods which God has adopted to demonstrate the divinity of the true religion; and thus to transform himself into an angel of light. If God has raised up true, Satan has raised up lying prophets. If God has commissioned His servants to work real miracles, Satan has employed his to exhibit counterfeit ones. If to the Jews were committed the oracles of God, to the heathen were committed the pretended oracles of Delphos and Dodona, and many others. If the intrinsic excellence and the purifying tendency of the doctrines of the gospel, and the beauties of holiness adorning the character of those who have been commissioned to publish them, are amongst the means which God has employed to recommend His truth, the servants of Satan have been transformed as the ministers of righteousness, and have pretended deep concern for the happiness of those to whom they have delivered their message. And it has been thought, and is maintained at the present day by some, that his giving answers by the oracles to which our attention is now to be directed, has been amongst the principal means by which he has carried on his intercourse with our fallen sinful world’ (Existence of Evil Spirits).
There is a growing tendency to ‘explain away’ the references to demon possession which we find in the Scriptures. It is suggested that our Lord merely accommodated Himself to the superstitions of the age, and that, if He had lived today, He would have called the disease by its true name of ‘epilepsy’. The symptoms recorded in Matthew 17:15, Mark 9:17,18 and Luke 9:39 are certainly very like those of epilepsy, but the Lord’s words clearly attribute these very symptoms to actual demon possession. The demoniacs of the Gospels do not express themselves as they would if they were insane or hypochondriacal (Matt. 8:29; Mark 1:24); they answer questions put to them in a rational way. We also learn that these demoniacs knew that Jesus was the Son of God (Matt. 8:29), and the Christ (Luke 4:41).
The damsel that followed the apostle at Philippi was ‘possessed with a spirit of Python’. Python, in Greek mythology, was the name given to the Serpent that was born of the mud left by the flood. The Serpent was killed by the god Apollo, to whom it was supposed that the Serpent’s powers of prophecy and oracular utterance were transferred. Apollo’s oracle was at Delphi, where a priestess called Pythia gave cryptic replies to questioners’ enquiries.
The following are some of the cases of Satanic opposition encountered at various stages of the apostolic witness:
(1) At the entry of the gospel into Samaria, we find Satanic opposition represented by Simon the Sorcerer. This man ‘believed’ but had very questionable ideas concerning the bestowal of the Holy Spirit (Acts 8:9-24).
(2) At the entry of the gospel into Galatia, under the separate ministry of Paul and Barnabas, we find again
Satanic opposition represented by Elymas the Sorcerer, who was smitten with blindness, ‘not seeing the sun
for a season’ (Acts 13:6-11).
(3) At the entry of the gospel into Europe, we find Satanic opposition represented by the damsel possessed with the spirit of Python. This spirit was cast out (Acts 16:16-18).
(4) When Athens was visited, the city of the world’s wisdom, the name of the Lord was confused with those of the demons that played a prominent part in Greek idolatry, for the philosophers said: ‘He seemeth to be a setter forth of strange gods (Greek, demons)’ (Acts 17:18).
(5) At the separation of the church from the synagogue, we read that, ‘certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus’. These men were overpowered and wounded (Acts 19:13-16).
There is no reason to doubt that ‘Python’ was simply another name for ‘that old Serpent, the Devil’, and the apostle was not going beyond his experience when he spoke the comforting words of Romans 16:20: ‘The God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly’.
We observe here - for our learning and warning - that this demon-possessed woman spoke words of truth. No fault can be found with her statement: ‘These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation’ (Acts 16:17).
This was certainly true, and the God Who sent them is given His true place and title. ‘The Most High ...’ is a title used elsewhere in the Acts by Stephen (Acts 7:48). They were also truly described as ‘servants’ on their own confession, for Paul uses the same word (doulos) again and again to define his own position as ‘a servant of Jesus Christ’ (Rom. 1:1). There are but five words used in the original for the phrase:
‘Which show unto us the way of salvation’, and it would be difficult for the wisest Christian to express in five words a truer and fuller synopsis of apostolic witness. The word ‘show’ here is kataggello, used in Acts 13:5,38 and 15:36 and elsewhere for Paul’s ‘preaching’. Also, the use of the word ‘Way’ as a symbol of the gospel is masterly; the same word is used elsewhere in Acts 9:2; 13:10; 18:26; 19:9,23; 22:4 and 24:14. Here, then, we have a perfect presentation of truth.
The apostle and his companions are ‘servants’, the One they serve is ‘The Most High God’, and their great work is ‘to shew unto us the way of salvation’. Yet we read that the apostle was grieved and commanded the spirit, in the name of Jesus Christ, to come out of the woman - ‘And he came out the same hour’. Satan has no conscience and no honour. He will persecute, imprison, and kill, or, on the other hand, he will quote Scripture and utter the most irreproachable commendation of the gospel and its messengers, but he has but one end - to deceive, to corrupt, to keep the Son of God, if possible, from His rightful throne.
From the Darby Bible
Lev 20:27 And if there be a man or a woman in whom is a spirit of Python or of divination, they shall certainly be put to death: they shall stone them with stones; their blood is upon them.
Deu 18:11 or a charmer, or one that inquireth of a spirit of Python, or a soothsayer, or one that consulteth the dead.
1Sa 28:7 Then said Saul to his servants, Seek me a woman that has a spirit of Python, that I may go to her and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman who has a spirit of Python at En-dor.
1Sa 28:8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other garments, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night; and he said, I pray thee, divine to me by the spirit of Python, and bring me him up whom I shall name to thee.
1Ch 10:13 And Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he committed against Jehovah, because of the word of Jehovah which he kept not, and also for having inquired of the spirit of Python, asking counsel of it;
Act 16:16 And it came to pass as we were going to prayer that a certain female slave, having a spirit of Python, met us, who brought much profit to her masters by prophesying.
In Acts 16:16 we read that the damsel possessed by the spirit of Python ‘brought her masters much gain by sooth- saying’. The word ergasia, ‘gain’ occurs four times in the Acts, and in each case we find it to be the motive behind the persecution of the apostle (Acts 16:16,19; 19:24, 25). The flame of persecution, which was fanned by the Evil One, was directed to one end - to destroy the testimony of the gospel. The kind of instrument used to this end was immaterial so long as the end itself was achieved, and so we find him using both Jews and Gentiles. At one time it was Saul of Tarsus, a Hebrew and a Pharisee, whose moral uprightness was such that he could write of that period of his life: ‘touching the righteousness of the law blameless’. Saul would have scorned to have followed the rabble, or to have been moved by the desire for gain; nevertheless he persecuted the Church. The Jews, either by their religious leaders, or because of their own fanatical adherence to the tradition of their fathers, persecuted the Church. But we find that the Gentiles also persecuted the Church, moved by the fact that the Christian faith, by supplanting their idolatries, robbed them of their gains, and at length, Rome, the protector of the apostle during the Acts, became the great persecutor of the Church under the awful rule of Nero and his successors.
During the period covered by the first fifteen chapters of the Acts we read of persecution arising from the following causes:
(1) The leaders of Israel were grieved because the apostles preached, through Jesus, the resurrection of the dead (Acts 4).
(2) The leaders of Israel were cut to the heart by Stephen’s speech. They stoned him, and another persecution was begun (Acts 7 and 8:1).
(3) Saul of Tarsus, being troubled in his conscience (he was kicking against the goad at his conversion, 9:5) organised a great persecution of the Church (Acts 8 and 9).
(4) The Jews, being incensed at Saul’s conversion and subsequent witness, took counsel to kill him (Acts 9:23,29).
(5) Herod stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the Church. James was killed. Peter was imprisoned. He saw that it pleased the Jews (Acts 12).
(6) The Jews at Antioch, filled with envy at the evangelizing of the Gentiles, stirred up opposition - and expelled the apostles (Acts 13).
(7) The Jews from Antioch and Iconium (apparently from envy and hatred) followed Paul to Lystra and stoned him, leaving him for dead (Acts 14).
At Acts 16 we meet with the first Gentile persecution and another factor enters into the situation: ‘They saw that the hope of their gain was gone’. In a world composed as it is of religious zeal and sordid greed, it is practically impossible to witness for the truth without touching the interests and arousing the antagonism of one or other of these representative opponents. When one reads a funeral eulogy which declares that the man who has died ‘had not an enemy in the world’ one is inclined to think: He did nothing, therefore, in the cause of truth. Returning to Acts 16, we find that Paul and Silas are caught and taken before the rulers, the charge against them being:
‘These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans’ (Acts 16:20,21).
‘And God wrought special miracles by the hands of Paul’ (Acts 19:11).
Why should God have wrought ‘special’ miracles by the hands of Paul, just at this point? The word translated ‘special’ is not easy to explain, because it changes its meaning and application at different times. The word tugchano means ‘to hit a mark, as with an arrow’ (Homer II. xii. 394), and then, by an easy transition, ‘to hit upon’, ‘to light upon’, with the element of chance attached, as in Acts 17:17, ‘to meet by chance’ (paratugchano). Ho tuchon means ‘an everyday man’, or, with the negative, ‘no ordinary man’; and the word is used by Josephus in describing Herod’s temple as ‘no common work’.
Come back now to the record of Acts 19, notice the two kinds of miracles that are particularized.
‘So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them’ (Acts 19:12).
These miracles are said to be ‘special’ - miracles with ‘no chance work about them’, intended to ‘hit the mark’. Paul was in a city full of ‘magic’ (see 19:19). In his opening ministry at Philippi he had been the subject of Satanic attack through the instrumentality of the damsel possessed by the spirit of Python, and here again in Ephesus we have the same sort of contrast. The complete failure of the Jewish exorcists to cast out the evil spirit by calling over him the name of ‘Jesus’, is exactly parallel with Paul’s refusal to allow Satan to bear witness to the fact that he was showing to the people ‘the way of salvation’.
As a result both of the positive witness of the ‘special’ miracles, and utter failure of the Jewish exorcists, we read that ‘fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus was magnified’. Moreover, there was a public confession and a burning of the books relating to ‘curious arts’, And they reckoned up the prices of them, and found it fifty thousand pieces of silver.
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truthwillsetufree
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Member # 5708
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This brings me to my next point....them can people who use Jesus' name to say things like "I'm healed in the name of Jesus" and claim other things in his name... be correct in that if they believe, it will be? It seems to me that a lot of people are not using Jesus' name in high esteem and just tossing it around to suit a situation. That's why those verses confuse me....
Posts: 5 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: May 2006
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Aaron
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quote:
Originally posted by truthwillsetufree:
I am confused because it seems that in Luke, it is acceptable for this man to use Jesus' name to drive out demons and in Acts it is not... what is the difference? If anyone can explain this I would appreciate it.
God bless!
Hi trust,
It is quite clear that the sons of Sceva were not driving anything out but that they themselves were driven out of their clothes. ![[Smile]](smile.gif) The operative question is not "what is the difference between these situations?" but rather "What is the difference between these men?" For a man to have authority over demons he must first recognize Who *is* the Authority.
Bless you,
Aaron
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truthwillsetufree
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Member # 5708
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Maybe someone can help me... I found two verses that seem to contradict each other, but I know that cannot be right so I am asking for some help. The first verse is:
Luke 9:49-50 - "Master", said John, "we saw a man driving out demons in your name and we tried to stop him, because he is not one of us". "Do not stop him," Jesus said, "for whoever is not against you is for you."
The next verse is in Acts 19:13-17
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the Name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know Paul, but who are you?" Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding. When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
I am confused because it seems that in Luke, it is acceptable for this man to use Jesus' name to drive out demons and in Acts it is not... what is the difference? If anyone can explain this I would appreciate it.
God bless!
Posts: 5 | From: Wisconsin | Registered: May 2006
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