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"Territorial Spirits and Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical Perspective"
(an article from the Viewpoint column of the Christian Research
Journal, Summer 1992, page 38) by Eric Villanueva.
The Editor-in-Chief of the Christian Research Journal is
Elliot Miller.
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Larry Lea's first highly publicized spiritual warfare event at
Candlestick Park in 1990 had as one of its goals the expulsion of
"territorial spirits" from San Francisco. Going beyond the idea
that specific demons are given responsibility in the oppression of
individuals, the doctrine of "territorial spirits" maintains that
demons are also over geographical areas, as well as national,
ethnic or tribal, religious, and even generational groups.
According to this view it is necessary for Christians to identify
these spirits and expel them.
The acceptance of such a doctrine may have a profound effect on
the evangelistic tactics and strategy of a ministry. Larry Lea
invested millions of dollars in this belief. But there are many
other examples that can be cited. Brazilian evangelicals mobilized
a national movement and petitioned President Fernando Collor de
Mello to remove a day of national homage to a religious statue,
saying that their nation is under a curse because of
institutionalized idolatry to the demon behind the idol. In a
Brazilian book on spiritual warfare, Gilbert Pickering wrote of a
personal encounter with a demon that oppressed an Amazonian tribe,
and how his victory over the spirit led to successfully
evangelizing them (this is not an uncommon episode among tribal
missionaries). An unnamed (for obvious reasons) expert in Muslim
evangelism gives a detailed account in private conversations of how
he believes that Islamic rituals came from Islam's founder's occult
experience with a powerful demon. His opinion is that the demon
uses these rituals to shackle its adherents in spiritual darkness.
A Christian man (who overcame the temptation) on one occasion felt
a tremendous sexual lust toward a baby for no apparent reason. He
later discovered that his great-grandfather was a voracious child
molester who abused his own granddaughters. He renounced the sin of
his predecessors at a prayer meeting designed for the breaking of
generational curses. Frank Peretti dramatized a scene where a
slithery demon of lust accompanied a temptress who unsuccessfully
tried to bring down the morals of a dedicated pastor.
I was first exposed to the idea of territorial spirits ten
years before Larry Lea's meeting when some well-meaning Christians
called a weekly prayer meeting to "bind Satan from the San
Francisco Bay Area and bring godliness to public life through
spiritual warfare." I was impressed by their concern over the rise
of non-Christian influence over the region. They were meeting to
establish godliness in the school systems, regional politics, the
media, and to dethrone the spirit of homosexuality from its capital
city, San Francisco. I was happy to accept an invitation to
participate with them, but I was very disturbed by the time I left
the meeting. I had assumed its purpose was for intercessory prayer,
but the hour was spent instead rebuking Satan from all of the above
areas by addressing him directly and "binding" him verbally. The
thought struck me, "This group spends more time talking to Satan
than to God!" Since then, this style of spiritual warfare has
proliferated while the school systems, politics, media, and
especially the homosexual movement have gone much further away from
the goals of that prayer meeting.
Is there really a demon of homosexuality over San Francisco?
Does a demon regulate the teaching of Islam? Does a spirit of
sexual abuse victimize successive generations of a family line? Is
there a specific demon of adultery in womanizers or a spirit of
alcohol (demonic, not distilled!) in alcoholics?
The Bible calls drunkenness and sexual immorality "works of the
flesh" in Galatians 5:19-22 (NASB). Colossians 3:1-10 instructs us
to "lay aside" such deeds as part of the corrupt "old self" that
was crucified with Christ. We are never told to deal with such
behaviors by exorcising the "spirit of lust" or the "spirit of
alcohol."
Now, Jesus _did_ attribute the homicidal motive of His
opponents to their association with their "father, the devil" (John
8:44, NIV). John also said that "Cain belonged to the evil one and
murdered his brother" (1 John 3:12, NIV). Paul wrote Timothy that
those who oppose the Lord's servant are in "the trap of the devil,
who has taken them captive to do his will" (2 Tim. 2:26, NIV).
Certainly, then, demonic influence is involved in the choice to
sin, and if a person repeatedly chooses sin he or she becomes a
slave of the Devil. But this is not the same as saying that certain
behaviors are the works of certain spirits, or that those behaviors
are eliminated by rebuking such spirits. We become slaves of sin by
_choosing_ sin, and we only become free of sin when -- by God's
grace -- we _choose_ obedience to God. Thus, "the devil made me do
it" is no excuse for sin.
What about corporate demonization over regions, nations,
cities, ethnic groups, and generations of families? First, we must
acknowledge that there is some biblical evidence for _territorial_
spirits. Jesus called Satan the "prince of this world" (John 12:31)
while Paul named him "the prince of the power of the air" (Eph.
2:2) and "the god of this world" (2 Cor. 4:4). "He leads the whole
world astray" together with his angels (Rev. 12:9, NIV).
A strong argument for _regional_ demonization can be found in
the three-week delay of the angelic messenger to Daniel who was
opposed by "the Prince of Persia" (Dan. 10:12-13). This is
understood by many scholars to mean an evil spiritual prince over
the Persian nation, race, and land. Two classic references to
satanic domination over earthly kingdoms are those attributed to
Satan when Isaiah and Ezekiel are addressing the kings of Babylon
and Tyre (Isa.14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-16). An interesting case of
diabolic attachment to a geographic location is found in the
"Legion" (Mark 5:1-20) begging Jesus not to send them out of the
region. The glorified Lord called Pergamum the place where "Satan's
throne is" (Rev. 2:13, KJV). Jesus also spoke concerning the
religious life of Smyrna, identifying the synagogue there as
belonging to Satan (Rev. 2:9-10).
Interpretations of such passages may vary among sincere
Christians, but one thing is certain: belief in territorial spirits
should not be considered aberrant, as is, for example, the health
and wealth gospel. The issue should never become a point of
division among brothers and sisters in Christ.
But what about _generational_ spirits? There are five explicit
references in the Old Testament which promise that God will visit
the fathers' sins upon the children with punishment (Lev. 26:39;
Jer. 32:18), even to the fourth generation (Exod. 20:5; 34:7; Num.
14:18). As a result of the sin of his father Ham, Canaan's
descendants were cursed by Noah, and Jacob feared a curse from
Isaac over his family line (Gen. 9:25; 27:12). To support the
doctrine of generational spirits one must infer that the visitation
of punishment and the fulfillment of the curse consist in a demonic
presence visited upon succeeding generations as a result of sin.
This also is not an aberrant doctrine, but it does require an
interpretive leap. Some evidence may exist in the fact that after
Samuel's curse upon Saul "an evil spirit" (1 Sam. 18:10) tormented
Saul. But this Scripture does not make conclusive an argument for
a demon becoming attached to a cursed generation.
Where teachers of these doctrines depart from Scripture more
definitely is in the practice of trying to expel these spirits. The
Bible does show Jesus and Paul verbally rebuking demons which
_physically possessed_ individuals. Each of these individuals was
freed, and, like the Gadarene, was found to be "in his right mind"
after the expulsion.
It is important to note, however, that neither Jesus nor the
disciples ever verbally rebuked (or taught others to do so)
national, ethnic, behavioral, or generational demons. The Bay Area
demons have been thoroughly rebuked but the region is still not in
its "right mind," while materialism, immorality, and irreverence
are common behavior.
Verbally binding the enemy is also employed in attacking
invisible spirit thugs of the dark world. One pastor I'm aware of
opened every service saying, "Satan, I bind you from hindering this
gathering in Jesus' name." A brother in Christ with good intentions
is subtly led astray when Satan is the first one he speaks to in a
service of worship to God.
Such "binding" is based on scriptures that were never meant to
be applied as a formula of verbal rebuke. While Jesus did say the
strong man must be bound in Matthew 12:29, this happens by the
arrival of God's more powerful kingdom. This metaphor in no way
instructs believers to change the world through verbal rebuke.
In Matthew 16:19 and 18:18 Jesus speaks of believers having
authority to bind which affects both heaven and earth. In 18:19
church discipline (dealing with professing Christians) is the
subject of binding and loosing, not spiritual warfare (dealing with
the demonic realm). In verse 20 this is done by agreeing in prayer
to God, not talking to Satan.
The Lord did say, however, that there is a conflict of kingdoms
(Matt. 12:22-30). Paul instructs the Ephesian church about
spiritual warfare against the schemes of a dark celestial hierarchy
composed of "the devil," "rulers," "authorities," "powers of this
dark world," and "spiritual forces of evil" (Eph. 6:12, NIV).
(Perhaps territorial spirits are included in this list.)
To fight this war, Paul tells believers to "stand" against them
in God's power using His armor (Eph. 6:11-14). The weapons he lists
for battle are: honesty, righteousness, witnessing, assurance of
salvation, belief in God, and proficiency in the Scriptures. But
wait, isn't this simply obedient Christian living? Where's the
mystical mumbo jumbo -- the direct encounter with the supernatural?
It would appear that Christians who effectively live out their
faith assault satanic oppression of a society with an onslaught
that verbal rebukes cannot approach.
After describing the Christian's spiritual armor Paul then
emphasizes the importance of prayer. It is instructive to examine
the nature of that prayer. He first requests prayer "in the Spirit
on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests" (Eph.
6:18). Victory over a demonic hierarchy involves persistence in
talking to God. Then he follows by requesting prayer for "all the
saints." By praying for one another, Christians battle demons. In
the next two verses, Paul requests prayer twice for himself as a
missionary. Prayer empowers the preaching of the gospel.
Maybe this is what happened in Northampton, Massachusetts where
a monument states that there Jonathan Edwards encountered the Devil
and defeated him. In Ireland, Patrick encountered the druid
witches, and the Celts recognized God's power as superior. History
notes that following both events, multitudes turned to Jesus
Christ. These men spent considerable time with God, but I've never
seen any record of their talking to the Devil. Biblically and
historically, then, spiritual battles are won by living for God and
talking to Him in earnest intercession rather than by talking to
Satan.
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*Eric Villanueva* is a cross-cultural missionary and graduate of
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.
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End of document, CRJ0111A.TXT (original CRI file name),
"Territorial Spirits and Spiritual Warfare: A Biblical Perspective"
release A, June 30, 1994
R. Poll, CRI
(A special note of thanks to Bob and Pat Hunter for their help in
the preparation of this ASCII file for BBS circulation.)
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