In the Mesa Tribune of December 2, 2000, in the Spiritual Life section, there was an article on the revival of the rite of exorcism in the United States. Many evangelical groups base their separate existence on their dedication to the notion that exorcism is needed. A friend of mine in Prescott attributed his quitting of smoking and drinking to a "prayer of deliverance," where his fellow-worshippers surrounded him and prayed that the Holy Spirit drive out the entity that caused him to engage in those activities.

The picture that accompanied the article especially got my attention. It was a picture of the Pope, John Paul II. It said that the Pope "performed an impromptu exorcism in September at St. Peter’s Square" on a 19-year-old Italian woman "after she began cursing him in a voice not her own. The Pope reportedly prayed for her for half an hour, commanding the demon to leave her, but, according to church officials, failed to fully cure the young woman, who, they said, had been possessed since she was 12."

One evangelical group has 40 "exorcism teams" across the country. "Our goal is that no one should ever be more than a day’s drive from a city where you can find an exorcist." The Catholic diocese of Chicago has hired an exorcist for the first time in its 160 year history, and the New York diocese has four with James LeBar as the chief. "Between 1989 and 1995, the archdiocese of New York examined more than 300 potential exorcism cases, …exorcisms were performed in 10 percent of the cases."

Michael Cuneo, author of the book "American Exorcism: Expelling Demons in the Land of Plenty" informs us that in the 50’s and 60’s "exorcism was all but dead and gone in the United States. ….People weren’t running to get demons expelled." Why the sudden interest or need? Cuneo gives two reasons, but gives us insight into another.

First, in 1973, "The Exorcist" came out. "The movie, recently re-released, spurred an onslaught of movies dealing with demon possession and Satanism." These movies were not produced by theologians or ideologues who had something serious to say about possession. They were entertainment hacks out to make a buck by scaring us to death.

Second, he says: "Typically, people who seek exorcism are severely distraught and have exhausted conventional means of relieving an inner turmoil that has plagued them for years … and generally exhibit violent or other abnormal behavior." Sometimes we seek an answer where there is none.

A third reason is suggested by Cuneo’s observation that "exorcisms are not a private affair between priest and patient. You have loved ones and a support group there and people praying for you, and you’re at the center of attention. The exorcism can involve you wailing and moaning, perhaps thrashing on the floor, perhaps shredding hair, shredding clothing, regurgitating, perhaps flailing out." What an opportunity for the possessed to show off. This is exactly the kind of stage the mentally unstable our emotionally distraught construct to get attention. Now in the name of religion it is being built for them and their bizarre behavior is "enabled."

Fourth, it is an opportunity for those present to perform and vent as well. It is one of those things where emotions are rubbed raw and expressed without reservation. Folks, this is not spiritual. This is as carnal as it gets. In fact, sometimes cruelty and physical injury occur with the excuse that the demon must find his host altogether too unpleasant a place. I know of one case where an individual was beaten nearly to death so the devil would come out. Since the woman was possessed, it was not she that felt the pain, but the "entity." The article goes on to tell of Charity Martin, 17, of New York who was suffocated by her mother during a seven hour exorcism. I wonder if the New York diocese counted that as one of their wins.

Fifth, as with all doctrinal errors, the rise of demon possession and exorcisms derives from an ignorance of what the Bible says about it.

Demons really do exist, and during Bible times, they actually "possessed" people; that is, they took over and caused people to do weird and dangerous things. Some cast themselves into the fire (Matt. 17:15), some thrashed about, some even thrashed their neighbors (Matt. 8:28; Acts 19:16). It is interesting that the demons confronted by Jesus and the apostles knew who they spoke to(Matt. 8:28-31; Luke 4:33-35; Acts 16:16-18), so demon possession could not be attributed to mental illness. And they were often cast out by the power of God.

There were also fakes. "But certain also of the strolling Jews, exorcists, took upon them to name over them that had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, a chief priest, who did this. And the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are ye? And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and mastered both of them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded" (Acts 19:13-16).

Someone might logically assume that the same type of things occur today? But do they? What does the Bible say?

A passage that addresses the question directly is found in the Old Testament book of Zechariah. Zechariah is a prophet of the Restoration Period, a short time after Babylonian captivity. It was Zechariah’s burden to spell out the doom of Israel in the destruction of Jerusalem finally by the Romans. In the midst of the terrible images he presents, he tells us of a Savior.

We begin to set the stage for the prophecy of our interest in 12:10. "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplication; and they shall look unto me whom they have pierced; and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born." John tells us that the fulfillment of this prophecy is in the crucifixion of Jesus when the soldiers who pierced him look upon his dead body. "Howbeit one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and straightway there came out blood and water. And he that hath seen hath borne witness, and his witness is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye also may believe. For these things came to pass, that the scripture might be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced" (John 19:34-37).

Zechariah opens chapter 13 telling of other events that will occur in "that day," as he puts it himself. "In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness" (Zech 13:1). There has been only one fountain opened for the forgiveness of sin. That is the fountain of Jesus blood. When Jesus died on the cross, that was the only effective means for cleansing of sin.

Something else happened on that day, according to Zechariah. "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith Jehovah of hosts, that I will cut off the names of the idols out of the land, and they shall no more be remembered; and also I will cause the prophets and the unclean spirit to pass out of the land" (13:2). No more "unclean spirits" or demons. When? "In that day." What day is that? When Jesus opens the fountain of his blood for sin, and on the day that they look on him whom they have pierced.

Verse 7 tells us that in that day the shepherd would be smitten and the sheep would scatter. Jesus tells the apostles in Matt. 26:31 that was a prophetic reference to their desertion of him at his arrest. This time when the unclean spirit was to pass out of the land was the period of time when Jesus was crucified.

Sometimes the word "day" refers to a specific day on the calendar. Sometimes, it refers to a distinct period of time that is characterized by certain conditions or anchored to certain events. We know that demon possession continued after the crucifixion, as did the gift of prophecy. But there was a period of time that is anchored in the crucifixion. That is that 70 or so years from the birth of Jesus to the destruction of Jerusalem. After that, according to Zechariah, no more prophesying and no more demon possession.

If there is no more demon possession, there are no more exorcists. What was the Pope thinking about? What was he doing to that woman? Was his failure a demonstration of some sort?

Think about it.