Topical Bible: Diseases: Often Through Satan

◄ Diseases: Often Through Satan ►

Jump to: Torrey's • Library • Subtopics • Terms

Topical Encyclopedia

In the biblical narrative, diseases and afflictions are sometimes depicted as being directly or indirectly caused by Satan or demonic forces. This perspective is rooted in the understanding of a spiritual battle between good and evil, where Satan seeks to harm and destroy God's creation, including human beings.

Old Testament Context

The Old Testament provides instances where diseases are seen as a result of spiritual rebellion or divine judgment, but it also hints at the influence of evil forces. In the Book of Job, Satan is explicitly permitted by God to afflict Job with severe physical suffering. Job 2:7 states, "So Satan went out from the presence of the LORD and struck Job with terrible boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head." This passage illustrates Satan's role in directly causing physical affliction, albeit under God's sovereign allowance.

New Testament Insights

The New Testament further develops the theme of Satanic influence over diseases. Jesus' ministry frequently involved healing those oppressed by demonic forces, indicating a link between demonic activity and physical ailments. In Matthew 12:22 , a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute is brought to Jesus, and after Jesus heals him, the man speaks and sees. This account suggests that the man's physical conditions were directly related to demonic possession.

In Luke 13:11-16 , Jesus encounters a woman who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. Jesus heals her and refers to her condition as being bound by Satan: "Then should not this daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, be released from her bondage on the Sabbath day?" (Luke 13:16). This passage explicitly attributes her physical ailment to Satanic bondage.

Apostolic Teachings

The apostles also recognized the connection between Satanic influence and physical suffering. In Acts 10:38 , Peter describes Jesus' ministry: "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, and how He went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, because God was with Him." This verse underscores the belief that many of the diseases Jesus healed were the result of demonic oppression.

Paul's writings further affirm the spiritual dimension of physical afflictions. In 2 Corinthians 12:7 , Paul speaks of a "thorn in the flesh" given to him, which he describes as "a messenger of Satan to torment me." While the exact nature of this affliction is not specified, it is clear that Paul attributes it to Satanic influence, serving as a reminder of the spiritual warfare believers face.

Theological Implications

The biblical portrayal of diseases as often being through Satan highlights the broader spiritual conflict between God's kingdom and the forces of darkness. It emphasizes the need for spiritual discernment and reliance on God's power for healing and deliverance. While not all diseases are attributed to Satanic activity, the Bible presents a worldview where spiritual forces can and do impact physical health.

This understanding calls believers to engage in prayer, seek divine intervention, and exercise faith in Jesus' authority over all spiritual and physical realms. As seen in the Gospels, Jesus' healing ministry serves as a testament to His power over Satan and His compassion for those suffering from diseases, whether caused by natural or supernatural means.

Torrey's Topical Textbook

1 Samuel 16:14-16
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Job 2:7
So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot to his crown.
Torrey's Topical Textbook

Library

The Impending Conflict
... and important of moral reforms, is often combined with the ... Through spiritualism,
Satan appears as a benefactor of the race, healing the diseases of the ...
/.../white/the great controversy/chapter 36 the impending conflict.htm

The Impending Conflict.
... and important of moral reforms, is often combined with the ... Through Spiritualism,
Satan appears as a benefactor of the race, healing the diseases of the ...
/.../the great controversy between christ and satan /36 the impending conflict.htm

It is Also of Importance to Observe, that the Four Laws of Prayer ...
... the faith of the saints was often mingled with ... cures they use, bring new diseases
upon themselves ... praying, they may, nevertheless, break through, being firmly ...
/.../calvin/of prayer--a perpetual exercise of faith/chapter 16 it is also.htm

Imprisonment and Death of John
... While He healed their diseases, He taught the people. ... Oh, how often has the life
of the innocent been sacrificed through the intemperance of those who ...
/.../white/the desire of ages/chapter 22 imprisonment and death.htm

1 Timothy i. 18, 19
... For when diseases, and attacks, [1154] and sorrows, and calamities, and the ... "For
as often," he saith ... which that we may all obtain, God grant through the grace ...
/.../homily v 1 timothy i.htm

At Capernaum
... teaching." John 8:32; 7:17, RV Through faith in ... Often He passed the entire night
in prayer and meditation ... as a wonder worker or a healer of physical diseases. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 26 at capernaum.htm

On Faith
... may raise storms by sea or by land; they may shoot meteors through the air ... And it
is no valid objection to this, that these diseases are so often cured by ...
/.../wesley/sermons on several occasions/sermon 122 on faith.htm

Note on Demons.
... combat this belief, but healed the diseases by miraculous ... We often, too, meet with
cases where there ... of Christianity has been infusing itself through the world ...
/.../johnson/the new testament commentary vol iii john/note on demons.htm

The Relation Between Sin and Physical Evil. --Jewish Idea of ...
... either to the general connexion, through which all ... We mean the psychical diseases,
the sufferings of ... that the later Jewish history often apparently reversed ...
/.../section 100 the relation between.htm

A Child Again
... with the children Sunday after Sunday, he often thought of many of the hard places
through which he ... thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." Oh, the ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/byrum/how john became a man/chapter x a child again.htm