When God, the true Spirit of the universe is ejected from the house of man's soul, other spirits from Satan will come to occupy the empty house. Paul says, as some depart from the faith they will give attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
Pay due diligence to this verse: can we not see that the seducing spirits and doctrines of demons (RV margin) are not ethereal, but are actual words, yes only words? What are doctrines but words? And is not the spirit behind them nothing but a lie? originating from the father of lies, what is an evil spirit but anything that is contrary to the truth? The seducing spirit is in the lie, the spirit is nothing of itself if you get my gist! Just as the idol is nothing 1 Cor. 8:4. What is said in 1.Tim. 4.1 is in fact the very same spirit and teaching that Satan uttered in the garden when he said to Eve; hath God said? There are believers who attribute acts of wickedness to literal demon possession, they never credit the spirit of the spoken word; the suggestions therefrom that the perpetrators of such acts have listened to, as being the cause of evil doing. I remember as a young man, when in bad company (as I was a lot of the time!), being egged on to do things that I wouldn't otherwise have done. As the apostle said; Be not deceived: Evil company doth corrupt good manners 1 Cor. 15.33 RV.
When a man is not a true believer, he is open to all suggestions, he is but an empty house, Matt. 12.44*, without the restraint of God's Holy Spirit, who knows to what depths he will plunge? The name escapes me, I think it to be either Evelyn Waugh or his son, but the quote goes something like this,
"If anyone could see into my mind at any time they would see nothing but a cesspit of moral depravity, the worst imaginations that a man can think!"
As the laws, not just here in the UK, but practically everywhere, have become increasingly anti-Christian, objective truth exists no more. We have now entered a post-truth age, where one doesn't care that truth exists, or what it is, especially if it doesn't agree with one's preferences. But the important fact is, is that Truth does exist, for the Incarnate Deity said I am the way, the truth, and the life (John 14.6). Unbelievers foolishly think that denying the truth as it is in Christ, will somehow make it go away. Truth determines the validity of one's belief, believing a lie, doesn't make it true, and conversely, failing to believe the truth doesn't make it a lie. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true because Jesus Christ is true, not just because Christians believe in Him. His resurrection proved the veracity of His claims and underpins the objective basis of our faith as declared by Rom. 1.4 & 1 Pet. 1.3.
The true believer, then puts his entire hope in Christ, for religion apart from Christ is merely a satanic counterfeit of the truth. All false religions at their heart teach that man can be reconciled to God by many and various methods, such as meditating, good-deeds, philanthropy and such like. Remember, it is possible to be worshipping a false Christ Matt. 24.24, but thanks be to God for election, for He said these false Christs will not deceive the very elect. The Apostolic admonition is to make your calling and election sure 2 Pet. 2.10. The Truth will not go away! the Truth is coming back! yes He is Coming back, in judgment as King. But, now is the day of salvation 2. cor 6.2. We come to God the Father through the cross of Christ by confessing that we are sinners and repenting of our sins, and believing that He has died for us on His blood soaked cross. My sheep hear my voice, they will not listen to another spirit, they will only believe that it is the Lord Jesus who is the way, the truth, and the life, granted, we stumble, fall and make many mistakes (Jam. 3.2, 1 John 1.8), but, of His sheep, He said no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand John 10.29.
It would appear when Paul said in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, that it is possible to lose one's salvation, but it is clear he is talking about false professors such as Demas, who hath forsaken me, having loved this present world. 2 Tim. 4.10. When we survey the religious scene in our present day, you don't have to do too much searching to see the spirit of Demas is alive and well today within apostate Christianity.
Needless to say, the study of angels and demons, the unseen spirit world is no easy work, demon possession was rife in the Gospel/Apostolic age as the Bible clearly reveals. However, many errantly think that demons existed in the OT dispensation. The word translated as "demons" does not refer to anything what moderns think of as demons, it is but a pejorative term to refer to the idols of Baal worship that are no gods at all, they were he-goats (Lev. 17.7) that they sacrificed unto demons which were no God. Deut. 32.17 RV.
*Reading the context of this verse, it would seem as its parallel account in Luke 11.24-26 clearly avers, that the unclean spirit must be a fallen angel (demon) that entered in and out of men at will, for words can't speak! (a contradiction in terms!) but they do speak, however in the verses under consideration, the Saviour must be teaching the fact of demons entering in and out of men and women that God had allowed them to do so, at that time. But, we must remember that when the miraculous gifts ceased, likewise the need for them to be utilized would have also ceased.
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