This is the final post about the Gadarene incident. My purpose here is to summarize some key points that I would recommend all believers internalize. Why? Because there is a resurgence of paganism throughout the world along with a suppression of the Word of God – just as prophesied thousands of years ago.

The first century world Jesus ministered in was almost completely pagan. Even the Jewish leaders of the day had nullified the Word of God with traditions and collaborated with the pagan Romans, so they were no help. The remnant of believers were there in the Essenes and even the Samaritans (with incomplete knowledge), and a few among the Jews. But, as today, there were not many when Messiah came on the scene.

As paganism returns, so shall demonic activity. There are some scholars, few in number, that believe, based on their research, that the old pagan gods are returning – maybe in a different form with different names, but they are coming for us. I agree with these scholars. Why wouldn’t paganism backed by demonic entities return as the God of heaven is ejected out of our culture.

Here is an example of the return of paganism and the ancient gods: Recently, there was a collaboration between a major information technology company and Greece. Here is a statement from the web site:

Ancient Olympia is home to institutions and ideals that have shaped the world as we know it. Now, Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds—a new collaboration between the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports and Microsoft—is harnessing AI to digitally preserve and restore this rich site for future generations by bringing its structures and cultural impact to life like never before.

Visitors from around the world flock to Ancient Olympia to get a glimpse of its “ruins,” the material remains of its glorious past. But this archaeological site in Greece stands for much more than ancient history. The legacies that emerged from this cultural crossroads—from the ancient Olympic Games to art and architecture to civic ideals—remain as vivid and vital as ever.

Ancient Olympia: Common Grounds

So, apparently Zeus, whom Jesus indirectly referred to as Satan, is back in the splendor of his virtual temple, thanks to modern information technology and Artificial Intelligence. You can “walk” right in to the temple from anywhere in the world and behold the false god on his throne. Wow. Quite possibly the “image of the beast” technology from the Book of Revelation. A lot can be said about biblical prophecy and the technology that makes this virtual tour of Ancient Olympia possible – another post for another day.

Suffice to say here that there are real spiritual entities behind the pagan idols and gods and they do not have your best interests as their goal. Demonic power, deception and possession are real. As the suppression of the truth (God’s Word) gets stronger, the demonic activity will return and grow more powerful and overt. This virtual temple is proof of that. Seems old Zeus gets the credit for western civilization too.

Without understanding the Word of God and most particularly the gospels, there is no defense against deceptions. If you are a believer committed to Christ and His Word, then take heed. Things are about to get very interesting and you need to be spiritually prep’ed.

Lessons From the Gadarene Incident

So how does this tie in to the Gadarene incident? I have covered in a fair amount of detail what happened on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee between Jesus and the so-called Gadarene demoniac through an analysis of the accounts in the synoptic gospels (the Gospel of John does not record the account). If you have not read the first three parts, I’d recommend you go do that if you are so inclined.

There are a few things we can learn about the mission of Jesus as well as a lot of information about how the demonic realm operates in this account. I believe this information is important and still applies today. Remember: details in the scriptures are important. These are things the Lord wants us to know so we can recognize what is happening spiritually in the lives of people around us.

Disclaimer: I am not advocating anybody pursue engagement with demonic entities. There are likely people called and prepared for that kind of ministry. Engagement with the spiritual realm must be done in accordance with biblical procedure. These things are a matter of discussion between you and your pastor, in prayerful submission to the Lord. Remember, humans do not have deliverance ministries. Only the Lord does. The moment you forget that is the moment you fall under deception and become a tool for the enemy. Called to this kind of role or not, we can all pray against the advancement of demonic deception and that the Lord would deliver us from evil.

That said, here are just observations from the text in the biblical account:

1. Demons know who Jesus is. They also clearly understand his authority over them.
2. They know their ultimate fate in judgement, and that it is inevitable.
3. A demon possessed person may show any or all of the following symptoms:
   • Not in their right mind as demonstrated by screaming and running about, possibly among tombs.
   • Extreme violence and superhuman strength; the ability to break restraints.
   • Self abuse such as “cutting” or other physical self harm.
   • Seizures.
   • Self exposure; nakedness.
   • An affinity for death and the dead.
4. Demons want to engage in conversation. Why? Their primary weapon is deception. The longer the conversation, the more opportunity to draw a person into their deceptions and use undiscerning people to spread their lies. Ever wonder about New Age channeling? This is what happens when unsaved, unprotected people start dabbling in the occult. The message from the demonic coming through this practice is always the same: suppression of the truth of God’s Word and replacement of the truth with powerful deceptions that appeal to our pride.
5. The demons start to mock Jesus about tormenting them and about “business dealings”. Apparently the demons assumed they had free reign to continue what they were doing and the Lord had no business to interfere at this time. They immediately try to deceive Messiah to affect the outcome of the situation. How did Jesus respond?
   • He ignored their mocking.
   • He took control of the situation by commanding the entity to identify itself.
   • He commanded them to go out of the man and into the pigs (in this case). I do not believe the demons had any idea the pigs would then rush into the water and drown.
6. Once the demons came out of the man, he was in his right mind, put some clothes on, and sitting at the feet of Jesus. Just a normal guy who had come to know and stay as close as possible to His Savior. This was not a multi-year, ongoing 10 step program of biblical counseling. The effects were immediate
7. Follow-up is important. Deliverance without really coming to know Messiah only causes worse problems for a person. An empty house set in order will soon become filled with many more demons. Perhaps that’s what happened to this man prior to the encounter with Messiah.
8. Jesus commissioned the man to go and tell everyone the great things God had done for him. There was no more concern for this man to become demon possessed again. He had clearly placed his trust in the Lord and became an evangelist in a rough part of Roman territory. The Lord’s protection was clearly over him.
9. If a person is demon possessed they don’t know the Lord. Demonic possession results when people invite it through pagan, occultic practices. If you know someone involved in occultism of some sort then they have likely opened dark, spiritual doors they cannot close.
10. When people become demon possessed or harassed, there is only one person who can fix it: Jesus Christ. When a person is delivered, the follow up must be immediate. Sharing the gospel with that person must be done to ensure they come to faith in Christ.

This is a lot of information from just one account. Again, details are important – God has them in the scriptures for a reason. In the case of demonic manifestation through possession or other physical phenomena, we need to be equipped with a clear biblical understanding of how to discern and how to engage.

Because the culture has cast out the Lord and His Word, we cannot expect His blessing and protection as we have perhaps taken for granted for so long. Pushing the Lord out of the culture is the same as rolling out the red carpet for the pagan entities to once again return. A lot of people, enemies of God, are cheering them on. They’re back. They are getting their temples rebuilt and their thrones reestablished, even if its in the virtual, AI powered, computer accessible way which is probably much more effective than thousands of years ago…all predicted in the Book of Revelation.

All I can say to believers is be ready, be discerning, get deep into God’s Word, pray continually for all the saints, be biblical in your understanding of the culture, be close to the Lord, pursue His Kingdom and His righteousness as your first priority and stay connected to a bible preaching, bible teaching, bible believing church who is on-mission with regard to advancing the gospel and teaching people all Jesus commanded. You will be used of God.

I shall now address the parable of the soils because this parable is the key to understanding the Kingdom of God. There is also more to understand from this parable about how the fallen realm operates to derail the church from its mission.