I experienced an out of body vision in 1998 and spent 23 minutes in hell. I share this life changing experience in my book, 23 Minutes In Hell. During my vision, I had an encounter with demons that I will never forget. God showed me things about them that I had never fully grasped prior to my experience. In my vision, I had no strength to fight them off, and I had no authority over them. I felt completely powerless, completely at their mercy.
It’s important to understand that God kept from me the knowledge that I was a Christian during my vision. Until He came and rescued me from hell, I truly thought I was going to be in that horrifying place for all eternity. It was only after my experience that I understood He wanted me to feel the full emotional weight of an unsaved person in hell. I experienced what it would truly be like for someone who made the choice to reject Jesus Christ in their lifetime. I experienced the indescribable fear and the utter hopelessness.
In the book, I describe the appearance of the demons, their strength, the evil they possess and their deep hatred for mankind. Something else I briefly write about is what Jesus revealed to me about them as He and I began ascending up the tunnel out of hell.
From my new perspective, alongside Jesus, the demons looked like nothing more than ants. Jesus made me aware that I could cast them out in His name. We don’t hear much about churches casting out devils today—at least in the Western Church. However, much of Jesus’ ministry was casting out demons. There are many recounts of this happening all throughout the four Gospels.
When Jesus spoke of them, He referred to them as unclean or evil spirits. The Bible actually mentions both good and evil spirits. These include familiar spirits, the Father of spirits, the human spirit, the Holy Spirit, angels as ministering spirits, wicked spirits, deceiving spirits, spirits of demons, the spirit of jealousy, the spirit of fear, a lying spirit, seducing spirits, spirits of divination, a haughty spirit, the spirit of deep sleep (dullness), the spirit of heaviness, the spirit of prostitution, the spirit of impurity, the spirit of error and the antichrist spirit.
From the Bible, we also know that demons torment and harm people, and that Christians have authority over them. While many people overlook this significant awareness, Jesus Himself gave all who believe in Him authority over the demonic realm. He spoke it to the 12 apostles, the 70 disciples who were sent out to preach, and later to all who believe. Some people make the argument that we must pray and ask the Lord to rebuke or stop the devil from harming us, but that is not what Scripture states.
Understand these key points:
— Jesus gave us authority over demons.
— We’re not to give place to the demonic realm in our lives.
— We have authority over the devil when he comes into our lives, our families and our sphere of influence.
— We are told to resist the devil, and that includes casting down thoughts that are contrary to the Word of God.
— We are not to fear the devil if we are submitted to God.
Spend time in the Bible understanding your full authority as a believer. The knowledge of your position in Christ, and your power to fight off any kind of attack of the enemy is a critical piece of your faith. Find out more in this episode of 23 Minutes in Hell on the Charisma Podcast Network. {eoa}
Read articles like this one and other Spirit-led content in our new platform, CHARISMA PLUS.
