One of the things that has intrigued me over the years has been various accounts of suspected evil spirit presence in particular buildings. Some people have reported seeing phenomena or detecting the presence of evil in a place and some people practice deliverance ministry with regards to houses and buildings, exorcising spirits just as you would from a person. Personally I can think of places that have seemed to have a heavy and unpleasant or oppressive atmosphere, just as I’ve been in places that feel peaceful. Perhaps you can identify with that. And many preachers I know, including myself can think of places where we have experienced a great freedom to preach whereas in other places and at other times it has felt like hard work, as though there is a heavy, oppressive and resistant presence.
What are we to make of such things? Those who particularly practice geographical deliverance are likely to draw upon the idea of territorial spirits. This is the idea that specific demons have control over particular areas. It was this idea that encouraged a culture of Christian worship marches back in the 1980s and the 1990s. Strongholds were to be captured and by marching in praise, with banners, noise and prayers or declarations against spiritual forces, those powers could be driven out.
However, the Biblical basis for the idea is a little thin. Scripture talks about God carving out Israel as his treasured portion whilst allotting boundaries to the nations and also portrays the council of God. Paul talks about demons being behind idols and then there is the curious incident in Daniel 10:12-14 where a messenger from God to Daniel says:
“12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”
Now, what those passages do show us is that we cannot disconnect what is happening in places and time, in terms of ordinary human life from what is going on spiritually. Think of how Job will have only had the human perspective of suffering but will have been unaware of what was going on in the heavenly court. However, I don’t think that this requires us to think in terms of territorial spirits engaged in power battles with angels. There are other explanations available, including that the messenger describes what is going on in terms of human affairs in Persia which meant that it was not possible to get to Daniel or get his attention. Imagine for example that God has a message for a Ukrainian exile in Russia. Might not the political affairs of Russia and Putin be so on their mind that they need those issues resolved before the person can hear God speak.
Similarly with the case of demons in the house or church building. The evidence is thin, which is to say, almost absent. Scripture simply does not talk in terms of demonic presences in buildings needing to be driven out. The idea seems to owe more to traditional folk religions. There are of course, the visions of good spirits in the Bible, for example, Isaiah sees Seraphim when in the Temple but of course in that case, he is being given a vision where Heaven itself draws close. The Seraphim are around the throne of God.
So, what are we to make of the experiences I mentioned above? Well, it would be tempting to dismiss them as skittishness, superstition and the mind playing tricks. Certainly that’s how secular society would like to play things. However, I think that there are enough credible observations for us to take them seriously. The question is “what are we dealing with if not the idea that there are spirits inhabiting a building?”
I think that there is room for plenty of caution here. We can rightly say that there are many things that the Bible doesn’t talk about and that science doesn’t engage with either. We do not know everything that there is to know about our world and how it works. In a more neutral example, what do we do when the elderly church member tells us that they have been for a walk with their recently deceased wife when they really mean it, not just that they are talking metaphorically. We can of course dismiss it as the grief talking, or we can acknowledge the reality of their experience, being clear that Biblically they were not actually walking with their wife in the here and now, she is with the Lord.
What we should do is acknowledge straight that we do not know what is going on because we don’t have specific revelation on these matters. However, providing we are not putting too much weight on it, recognise that it is speculative and don’t give overmuch time to it, I don’t think this means we are not allowed to have ideas or opinions. For example, my hypothesis is that when that person says they went for a walk with their loved one, that they had a real experience with two possibilities or perhaps a combination of the two.
The first possibility is that we may sometimes see signs of how the overlap of the ages works. Remember that when someone dies, they are with Christ in eternity. How does time work for them? Are they conscious in heaven, do they sleep or is their experience in effect instantaneous so that they immediately begin to enjoy the fruits of the new creation? Might there be times for us when we feel close to people who are now in eternity. Do we get a future glimpse?
The second possibility, the one which has direct connection to our conversation about evil spirits and the one that I think more likely of the two is simply this. People, events and spirits will leave their imprint over time. We talk in terms of PTSD about how the body keeps score. I wonder if there is a sense in which a place keeps the score. This may be at its most overt when there are tangible memories connected to a place, sensory reminders such as smells, pictures, sounds, even the shadows. Of course this seems to go beyond that if people who have no association with those past events pick up on the atmosphere, though they will of course pick up on the emotions of other people there.
How does this affect how we approach things. Well, first of all, I think it is a good and positive thing to banish evil, whatever form it takes, to declare in faith that whether it’s a spirit, a memory, an atmosphere, a temptation that it is unwelcome in this place or person. I think we should expect Secondly, I believe that it is important to teach into situations. We cannot get ahead of ourselves in discipline, pastoral care, healing or deliverance. These things best follow on from discipleship.
So, for example, I would talk with a person who was anxious about spiritual presence in their home or another place. I would be clear with them that yes evil spirits are real. I would reassure them that a believer cannot be possessed/inhabited and that the one who is in us is greater than he who is in the World. I’d spend time getting to talk through with them to get a clearer picture of their life situation and potential root causes. I would also reassure that it is highly unlikely that we are dealing with spirits living in the house, or the garden shed. We can also go back to the way that you don’t have to go looking for evil spirits, they tend to be overt and obvious. So, I might at times say “I don’t think there are any evil spirits here. I think others would be aware and sense them if they were here.” This can itself be spiritually and emotionally liberating, indeed a form of deliverance. This of course comes hand in hand with assurance that we take what they are saying and their experience seriously. We believe them.
Then whilst, as I said, there is a benefit in my opinion, in banishing evil with words, we will want to look at practical steps too. This includes going through a place and identifying tangible reminders and doing something about them. This might include re-decorating, reordering, and replacing pictures and objects. I’d also want to work through with them, their memories. Where do they need repentance and forgiveness for what happened there, where do they need healing? That we are thinking about healing should remind us that there needs to be the positive of restoration. We don’t just leave a vacuum to be filled. We fill the space with good and godly things, meditating on his word, creating positive memories, filling a house with joy, worship and laughter, opening it up for hospitality etc.
I hope that these suggestions prove helpful if you are thinking about how to engage with this type of situation.
Faithroots 