DEALING WITH DEMONS
by Richard Burkard
The phone rang. Moments later, it rang again – two simultaneous calls this time.
In a 22-minute span one morning, my phone rang 13 times. All of them were “boiler room calls” (you offend the caller if you say what your screen often says: “Scam Likely”). In only three of the calls was I offered anything – and only one had a voice of a real person on the other end of the line.
This is what can happen to retired people like me. Calls come by the dozens each business day, most from the same few companies using various names, approaches and guises. One business called me at least 90 times over a three-day span in late July.
Are these companies governed by artificial intelligence “bots” which they refuse to control? Are they simply trying to make a daily calling quota, perhaps on orders from a Russian troll farm? Or is all of this persecution - from Satan and the demon world?
Sabbath-keeping Church of God groups mention demons at times, perhaps in discussing “spiritual warfare” against angels. But things became stunningly personal at a 2025 summer youth camp in east Texas.
Church of God Assembly, which split from Living Church of God during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, held its annual “Camp R.E.I.G.N.” southwest of Big Sandy. A couple of bloggers, both for and against COG's, posted an email appeal from Lead Elder Sheldon Monson:
We are requesting prayers and fasting for [male name we are withholding]. This past Sabbath I made an announcement just before the stream to those present at camp. I read Ephesians 6:10-13 and requested prayers for [name] stating he was in a spiritual battle and needed God’s help...
Midway through the second week of camp it became clear that there was something wrong with [name]. His dad and I pulled him out of the dorm and took him to our home where we spoke with him about what was going on when it became very clear that he had become possessed by several demons.
Mr. Monson may not have wanted the situation to become public knowledge. Many ministers through the years have made sure “announcement time” before sermons is not recorded, so they can discuss all kinds of private matters.
But the email about this young man leaked. And in more than 40 years as a baptized COG member, I'd never heard of such a thing. Other ministers have talked about confronting demons in the past – but inside a church activity?!
As I joined others in prayer about this situation, I realized “demon possession” was a topic I'd never really studied. It was not one of “my issues,” even though I've crossed paths with many people outside church who acted strangely.
This also didn't seem to be a COG issue. But it certainly was a challenge for Jesus when He walked the Earth – and He talked about it before ascending to heaven.
So what do we need to know about demons? Especially if we happen to encounter one... or perhaps several at a time?
What the Assembly did
Let's begin with some of the verses Mr. Monson cited. The apostle Paul advises a church to “be strong in the Lord... Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes” (Ephesians 6:10-11, NIV unless noted).
The Greek word for “schemes” is methodeia. I will resist the temptation to poke fun at the United Methodist Church where I grew up.
But how did CGA take a stand? The Monson email continues:
From that moment on we isolated him from the entire camp. Only the ministers and their wives and few close friends were informed of the problem.
Jesus never seemed to have that privilege. He often faced demons on the spur of the moment, Luke 9 offers one example:
“A man in the crowd called out, 'Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. A spirit seizes him and he suddenly screams; it throws him into convulsions so that he foams at the mouth” (9:38-39).
We must note here that we lack many details about the CGA demon possession case, beyond the Monson email. My efforts to contact CGA for the Living God Ministries discussion Weekly Watch were not answered.
Yet in Luke 9 (repeated in Matthew 17 and Mark 9), the demon threw the boy to the ground in front of the crowd. “But Jesus rebuked the evil spirit, healed the boy and gave him back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God” (9:42-43).
I can understand why CGA wanted privacy with its demon possession case. But Jesus handled this one publicly – and quickly. In contrast, Monson's email indicates CGA ran into difficulties:
All five ministers present prayed fervently throughout the night Thursday and on several other occasions on both Friday and Saturday rebuking these demons and commanding them to come out in the name of Jesus Christ (Mark 16:17).
That's indeed the name to invoke. In fact, Mark 16 strikes me as a promise from Jesus – the first of the “signs” which should accompany believers in the gospel (verses 15-16). So what made this so difficult?
It was clear that we were dealing with many demons as they constantly referred to themselves in the plural form and revealed themselves in different ways. One particular demon referred to himself as “Legion” on more than one occasion (Mark 5:9).
You liars?!
We should stop here and ask: If a demon says it, should you necessarily believe it?
Jesus called the devil “a liar and the father of lies” (John 8:44). Before that, God allowed a “lying spirit” to entice Israeli King Ahab into an attack (II Chronicles 18:19-22).
We commonly understand demons to be underlings of Satan. They are “angels” who fell from heaven with Lucifer long ago (II Peter 2:4/Jude 6). My longtime pastor in Georgia liked to say, “Satan has his minions” - said long before someone created yellow cartoon characters with that name.
“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light,” II Corinthians 11:14 warns. Verse 15 adds, “It is not surprising, then, if his servants [KJV “ministers”] masquerade as servants of righteousness.”
But in this case, CGA took the demons at their word. And the demons apparently remained, even after the two-week summer camp ended Monson continues:
On the trip home today one of these demons claimed to be the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Some strong demons yet remain... as we were about to leave camp they claimed that we had failed in our attempts to cast them out.
This indeed is strange – a demon claiming to be God?!
The grouping of those three patriarchs of the faith occurs 17 times in the NIV. But only rarely does God refer to Himself as “the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob” (Exodus 3:6, 16; see also 4:5, Matthew 22:31-32 and Acts 7:32). Demons never do it.
So the demon possession extended from the camp site in Texas all the way to the young male's home in Tennessee. Then came Monson's appeal in his email:
...we are asking the entire Church to pray and fast beginning tomorrow evening at sunset, Monday, July 7th. Christ said that there were some demons who only come out by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21).
Since I'm not a CGA member, I saw this too late to join in the fast. But Monson quoted the New Testament accurately – because Jesus's own disciples had difficulties, too.
“Lord, have mercy on my son,” a man told Jesus in Matthew 17:15-16. “He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water. I brought him to your disciples, but they could not heal him.”
Some modern-day ministries explain this as a case of epilepsy or something similar. The KJV calls the son “lunatick,” with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance explaining some in first-century times thought the problem would come and go with each monthly moon,
Where is your faith?
Yet verse 18 notes, “Jesus rebuked the demon” - the same Greek word used in other demon-removing accounts. “And it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.” .
“Why couldn't we drive it out?” Jesus's disciples then asked in verse 19.
“Because you have so little faith,” the Lord answered in verse 20 – not even “mustard seed” faith.
Verse 21, “this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting,” is in the NIV/ESV/NASB/RSV margin, while KJV and NKJV have it in the main text. Some Greek manuscripts have it; some do not. A different article here addresses that translational difference.
The mention of “fasting” suggests something more than an immediate removal of the demon. Biblical fasts can last one day (such as the Day of Atonement) or 40 days (Jesus in the wilderness).
Online reports indicate a CGA ministry team then gathered at the young man's home in Tennessee, with help sought from other COG's. The young man reportedly wound up in a hospital; as I write this, I do not know his physical or spiritual condition.
The Bible indicates in most cases, rebuke of demons should be enough to remove them. The rebuke should be in the name of Jesus Christ. But as He noted, faith is a key component.
Consider a group of Jews “who went around driving out evil spirits” in Acts 19. They “tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus” in verse 13 – and their words sounded good: “In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”
But why add the apostle Paul's name to it? Apparently the “seven sons of Sceva”, a “Jewish chief priest,” had seen Paul's success (verses 11-12) - yet they were attacked by one demon-possessed man who asked, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” (verses 15-16)
As much as some COG ministers like to use this account for laughs, the lesson seems to be that faith in Jesus alone is enough. He has ultimate authority over demons (Matthew 10:1, 8/Mark 3:14-15). Nothing less than that faith will work. Adding more invites trouble.
Perhaps others had that understanding when Jesus was on Earth. The apostle John found someone “driving out demons in your name,” Luke 9:49 says. “We tried to stop him, because he is not one of us.”
The Lord's answer has sparked a lot of discussion about how to interpret it. “Do not stop him... for whoever is not against us is for us” (verse 50).
For the purposes of this article, we think it means anyone with sufficient faith in Him can rebuke and remove demons – whether you think they're “close to God” or nor. It's noteworthy that CGA reportedly asked other COG's for help in dealing with its demon possession case.
The Really Scary Part
While Jesus's encounters with demons get the most attention, demons have roamed Earth since Lucifer fell from heaven. And the Old Testament stunningly reveals some “evil spirits” could be sent by God!
It happened to Israel's first appointed king. “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed King Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him” (I Samuel 16:14). Even the king's aides seemed to realize that (verse 15; see also 18:10 and 19:9).
This was a time when the Holy Spirit seemed to come and go from people. It happened not only to King Saul, but with people commissioned by God to do ancient art and architecture (Exodus 31:1-3). No wonder King David prayed, “Take not thy Holy Spirit from me” (Psalm 51:11, KJV).
A Lesson for the Church?
The study of this topic showed me I'd misread a section of two gospels for decades. Here's how Matthew words that section:
“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, 'I will return to the house I left.' When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself...” (Matthew 12:43-45; also Luke 11:24-26)
I'd mistakenly put the emphasis on the man – thinking he searches for a restful place in this world, eventually returning to his old way of life and becoming more sinful.
But this really is talking about the “evil spirit” or demon! It searches for a new place to dwell, eventually entering the “cleaned-up” man again.
COG's long have taught the “vacuum” principle – that a cup or bowl is filled with air, until something solid or liquid replaces the air. That's the lesson Jesus offers here. If an evil spirit leaves you, you need to replace it with something – preferably with the Holy Spirit, as opposed to something physical.
This should have an impact on how we bring people to belief in Jesus Christ – especially at summer youth camps.
COG's also teach that children are holy if at least one of their parents is “believing” (I Corinthians 7:14-15), which they usually define as being a church member. But they also teach that those children do not have the Holy Spirit, as long as they are not baptized (based on Acts 2:38).
In other words, the “houses” of young people are empty. They need to be filled with something – and in the CGA case, one young man apparently became filled with demons.
Shouldn't a Church goal be to convince young people to accept Jesus and receive the Holy Spirit as early as possible? As opposed to waiting for them to reach “maturity” at college-age or above?
This is something mainstream churches have recognized for centuries. I was “confirmed” into the United Methodist Church when I was in junior high school (something which clearly did not stick). Groups such as Youth for Christ talk about the “decade of destiny” for winning people, roughly between ages 15-25.
That way, a demon theoretically cannot enter the young person – for as I John 4:4 in KJV says, “Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.”
Other insights
Demons can be singular (Matthew 9:32-33) or in “legion” groups (Mark 5:9).
But there's no clear evidence that demon removal should be a multi-day process, beyond the guidance from Jesus about “prayer and fasting.” But since it's called a form of “healing” (Matthew 4:24/Mark 1:32-34), perhaps a time element can be involved.
We shouldn't really be surprised that a demon showed up at a COG location. Luke records a time where “in the synagogue there was a man possessed by a demon...” (Luke 4:33-35)
Yet there's one demon that Jesus apparently never removed from a human. The Bible does not show that He even tried.
That human is named in John 6:70-71: “'Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? Yet one of you is a devil!' (He meant Judas... later to betray him.)” That was part of God's greater plan for salvation, and Jesus apparently recognized it early on.
A Larger “Atonement”..
The Bible promises a time is coming when Satan will be cast out – first for 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1-3), then eternity (verse 10). The Day of Atonement and end of the Feast of Tabernacles are used by COG's to explain this.
But with all the focus on the “head,” what about those minions? They seem to give away their future during one encounter with Jesus. “And they begged him repeatedly not to go with them into the Abyss” (Luke 8:31).
In Bible-speak, this refers to the heart of the Earth. The NIV Study Bible notes for Revelation 9 say the word comes from the Greek for “very deep” or “bottomless”... “primeval deep.”
Revelation 11:7 and 17:8 show the end-time “beast” will come from there. Satan will be thrown there (Rev. 20:3). So it seems logical to conclude the demons will go there with Satan at the appointed time.
“I will remove from the land... the unclean spirit,” promises Zechariah 13:2 (RSV).
Summary
Sheldon Monson'x email used humble words to describe this lengthy battle with demons:
God is making it clear that no man will be able to take the credit for what He alone has the power to do. The glory goes to God – He will demonstrate His power – He will prevail. In the meantime we will pray and fast.
That's the proper attitude to have – because Jesus warns some people who claimed to cast out demons in His name will be barred from God's kingdom!
“I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” (Matthew 7:22-23).
Why? Verse 21 explains the kingdom is only for “he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.”
So knowing our tips about demon possession is good. But completely doing God's will ultimately is better. May you seek to understand and follow that will – becoming filled with God's Spirit, to keep demonic forces away.
To reply to this article, e-mail the author directly
© 2025, Richard Burkard, All Rights Reserved.