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Originally, I hadn’t intended on doing a follow-up to last week’s article, The Two Exorcisms. As I thought about it, however, it seems that some aspects of it, at least, need some fleshing out. As I mentioned in that study, spiritual warfare, and spiritual things in general, are rather complex. We may believe that we have a firm idea of some concept, or some incident, while the reality actually goes several layers deeper. It isn’t that the understanding we have is incorrect; it’s just incomplete, and the Bible does not always surrender its secrets easily. Consider, for example, how many events are recorded in more than one place, more than one book. Reading through parallel accounts, we sometimes find far more information by one author than the other, which completely shapes our understanding of what the sacred words are describing.
Consider, thereafter, how many incidents we have outlined in the Scriptures of which we only have one author’s perspective. How much more could we learn, if we had another account?
As Adventists, we have the benefit of Ellen White’s writings, which shed light on some of these things that have proven to be a great blessing when attempting to see the divine character in some of the more challenging passages. Here though, we have sort of the opposite problem to the Bible; we have so great a volume of her writings on so many subjects, through so many phases of her ministry, that we find zealous champions of various positions quoting her back and forth, each drawing the exact opposite meaning from her works as his debate partner. It requires great spiritual discernment to know when to read for particulars, when to read for principles, and when to conclude that she is reflecting the thinking of her age.
With regard to spiritual concepts, even with the aid of the Spirit of Prophecy writings, we find that many come to such discussions with different ideas, and may arrive at different conclusions to an extent, but as long as we are on the same page concerning the basic spiritual principles, as a people we can do the work for which our Father has called us. It is certainly not, nor has it ever been, my goal to convert others to my exact way of thinking, although I believe that Yahweh has at times revealed new and relevant light to me. I cannot claim by any means to have fully understood everything that Yahweh has shown me, but what I have written, whether in my books or my studies, has been expressed as clearly as I have been capable. My goal is to explain clearly what the Scriptures DO plainly teach, and then to let our Spirit-filled fellowship and our own experience with the Savior will fill in any necessary gaps. This is in Gospel order, as it is written of all who have spiritual insight: “Let the prophets speak two or three, and let the other judge. If anything be revealed to another that sitteth by, let the first hold his peace. For ye may all prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be comforted.” (1Cor 14:29-31)
Now, last week, I made an assertion that may have been surprising to some who heard me speak, or who read the transcript thereafter. In referencing the incident in Matthew 17 and Mark 9, in which Yahshua cast a demon out of a young man after His disciples had previously failed to do so, I shared something that may have seemed to go against a more traditional interpretation of what happened. I can, and will, demonstrate that my perspective is not at all contrary to what Adventism has taught generally, or what Ellen White has written specifically; but even if that were the case… even if the new light appears to supplant the old, it will never do so in principle. It may, however, change perceptions, and even practices – and we have to be open to that possibility.
Of course, any heretic, any apostate, may claim that they have “new light,” and should therefore be believed above and beyond the traditional teachings of Christ and His followers, so we must always be extraordinarily careful with any such thing as this.
In any event, the traditional understanding of the issue at hand is that the Disciples of Christ, because of their jealousy, their disunity, and their striving for the mastery, were not spiritually “pure” enough to cast a demon out of its most recent victim. The Bible certainly does describe Yahshua’s chosen few as being contaminated with these failings of character, and some such as Peter specifically as being not yet converted. (Luke 22:32) This was not, however, the only relevant factor in their inability to carry out this act of healing – in fact, despite the attention placed upon it, the disciples spiritual state was not even the most relevant factor.
Let me demonstrate what might be considered the “basic” view of what I am describing, of spiritual healing, and then we’ll go a layer beyond. We can start, in fact, with some physics.
Most of us probably know that when you put a battery into an electronic device, like a lamp, or a remote control, there are two essential points of contact, which we call the positive and the negative terminals, or more technically the anode and the cathode. There are wires that go from each of these points of contact to the rest of the internal components, and they form a loop. One wire goes “from” the battery into the electronics, and another comes “to” the battery. If either of these wires were to be broken or disconnected, absolutely nothing can happen. This arrangement is called a “circuit,” because it can be thought of as a single path, and if it is unbroken, and thus capable of conducting energy, the circuit is said to be “closed.”
Even if a battery is present within a device, unless both sides are properly connected, no power can flow.
This is an object lesson in faith. There must be a connection between the patient of some illness and a source of divine healing; and in order to be effective, it must “flow” through two points of contact. There are people who are ill, and whom Yahweh would heal, but they do not trust His promises, and do not come to Him or His people for help. And so it is as if one of these wires were broken. Yahshua expressed this idea when He came to the city of Jerusalem, saying, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” (Mat 23:37)
Conversely, there are some who came to Yahweh for healing, with the trust and faith to receive His miracles, but for various reasons, He does not lift their burden. Famously, we read this from Paul: “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And He said unto me, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength is made perfect in weakness.’ Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” (2Cor 12:7-9)
Whether closed or open, whether there is healing, or no healing, the circuit of faith serves Yahweh’s purpose, and brings forth a testimony. This is the essence of how healing works; the essence, because the reality can be more involved than this, but this is the point at which people begin to understand the power of Yahweh. In the general case, in the most common case, we must be connected by Yahweh through our trust in His promises, and He must be connected to us by a desire to see us healed.
In the vast majority of cases, Yahweh already desires that we be healed. John, expressing the sentiment of Christ, says, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” (3John 1:2) Since this is just about always the case, therefore, the deciding factor is the faith of the patient. Does the individual have faith in Yahweh to be healed? We have seen what happens when this is the case, and we have seen what happens when this is not the case, as it was written, “And He went out from thence, and came into His own country; and His disciples follow Him. And He could there do no mighty work, save that He laid His hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief. And He went round about the villages, teaching.” (Mark 6:1, 5, 6)
The way that we make contact with Yahweh is something we have been taught since we were children – we speak, we pray, we ask for help. The way He makes contact with us is sometimes direct, but this is exceedingly rare. In most cases, Yahweh communicates with us through vessels, messengers, agents, facilitators… any of these terms will do. In sending His disciples out to heal the sick and cast out devils, Yahshua was making contact with those who would believe in Him enough to receive healing. He was providing the conduits through which they could make contact with Him, close the spiritual circuit, and receive miracles.
For the most part, this worked exactly as anticipated. Those who had heard of Yahshua, and knew that these men were His disciples, believed in their ministry, and were healed. In the case of one particular young man, however, the healing was not successful. Why was it that one case? Both sides must be connected, the faith of the individual, and the desire of Yahweh, through the chosen and sent facilitators – but more than this was going on. After all, in most cases the disciples, for all their spiritual immaturity, were able to do the work of the One who sent them. In many cases, even those who were entirely spiritually compromised, such as Judas, were able to facilitate works of mercy. There was something else going on.
What I have stated is that the young man and his father did not have a genuine measure of faith, and so the devil that troubled them could not be cast out. Much has been made, as I have said, of the lack of faith on the part of the disciples, I have seldom if ever heard the lack of faith of the father discussed, and never the faith of the son. Nevertheless, the Spirit of Prophecy writings directly confirm that this is significant. In the “Enduring Witness” section of last week’s transcript, I included this quote from The Desire of Ages: “Even now the father questioned the power of Christ. Jesus answers, ‘If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth.’ There is no lack of power on the part of Christ; the healing of the son depends upon the father’s faith. With a burst of tears, realizing his own weakness, the father casts himself upon Christ’s mercy, with the cry, ‘Lord, I believe; help Thou mine unbelief.’” [The Desire of Ages, p. 428, emphasis added]
I do not often quote from, or even mention, the writings of Ellen White during our Sabbath studies. My preference is to use the Scriptures alone for the broadest possible applicability. Here, though, I am demonstrating the accuracy of her perception with regard to this incident described in the Bible. While it is not discussed as much, the key factor here was not the faith of the disciples, even though she does use this record – rightly – to illustrate the importance of unity, communication and humility. Had the disciples possessed the full faith of Yahshua, however, as Yahshua Himself obviously did, the lack of faith by the father would have prevented their success.
It would seem that both “wires” would need to be connected, and so when Yahshua established this brief relationship with the father, (and that was the point of all this, the importance of relationships) and drew forth his confession, this enabled the exorcism to proceed. The layers, however, go deeper. The two wires are not equal in their importance.
The example I gave from physics, and its symbolizing a living circuit, would apply perfectly to exorcisms and spiritual healing in general, if the source of the healing were the agent himself – that is, if the healing came forth from the facilitator. We see in popular ministries where “faith healing” is involved, that the ministers who accomplish these supposed feats are very invested in their own, personal ministries and merits. They are often wealthy, very popular and slick… in other words, not the image of Yahshua at all. As Adventists we well know this: if someone claims to be a person of faith, a disciple of Christ, we can tell from their lifestyle how true that is. As James tells us, “Yea, a man may say, ‘Thou hast faith, and I have works.’ Shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)
So yes, this example from physics would explain, quite well, why healings are so rare, because two things are working against them. First, the healers are sometimes imperfect, and then, the patients are not often faithful enough. However, the source of the healing is not the human agent; they are merely the conduits, the means, and it is Yahweh who is the Source. We see from the example of Matthew 17 that even if the apostles had been perfectly united, they would not have been able to help in this particular case, and Mrs. White’s statement establishes that for any Adventist reader. Christ Himself, the very Paragon of saving and healing faith, first needed to establish a connection with this family so that the father could see his need, repent and ask for help, and so that the young man could see the exchange. Now, I said that Yahshua “needed” to establish a connection, but there is some additional nuance here.
Of course, at the highest level of spiritual warfare, the Father and Son are capable of commanding demons do to whatsoever They wish, and that without limitation. Spiritual warfare, though, is complex. Despite Their absolute power and authority, the Father and Son nevertheless operate under restrictions set in place for the good of mankind. They have desired agents, volunteers, to carry out these acts of mercy as a testimony of Their power within humanity. Similar rules apply to the fallen ones; Satan is rarely allowed to act directly on human beings… this is why He requires a beast and a false prophet, false prophets, t either attack the saints directly with the forces of human might, or through doctrines corrupted by compromised teachings. Thus he accomplishes his purposes, even in this world over which he has almost full authority. There is a lot going on that is not yet revealed; there are layers to how this all works.
In the case of Heaven’s intentions, the conduits are used as a testimony, as an example, and during the time of the early disciples it was important that the Church be seen as the Chief Conduit, as the Bride and Partner of Christ, so that the Gospel message would be uplifted. But even then, some were healers and exorcists without being direct followers of Yahshua (e.g., the seven sons of Sceva in Acts 19 and the independent exorcist whom John saw in Mark 9:38); they were successful, because of the faith of the patients. Because the facilitator is preferred, but not strictly necessary, this explains why imperfect agents can be used, have been used in the Scriptures for certain, and why even though the circuit appears to need to be complete AND involve two “wires,” the perfect reality is that a faithful patient may be healed even without the proper faith of a facilitator who may or may not even be present. A solitary worshipper may pray for healing, and receive it. An isolated, newly-converted believer may baptize himself. We have seen these things in this Church; these petitions are accepted by Heaven.
The question may be asked in these last days, “Why isn’t the Church doing more miraculous healings?” Well, as Creation Seventh Day Adventists we have our Book of Acts, mostly unwritten, but very much in line with the New Testament account. It isn’t every day we lay hands on the sick, because those who even seek healing from the Church are increasingly rare. But then, if it is not so much the faith of the facilitators, but mostly that of the patients, someone could say, “That’s just blaming the victims. Isn’t it just an excuse to explain away the lack of miracles, and some weakness or lack in the Church?”
The truth is, there isn’t a lack of miracles. What people often do not realize is that the events recorded in the Bible are expressed in relatively few chapters, but take place over thousands of years. Remember Abraham, who received the promise that he would have a son through miraculous means despite his age… but then a year passed without anything happening. The Book of Acts, as another example, records about nine miracles, and that over a period of almost thirty years. The CSDA Church is actually doing better than that, although it is not fair to do a strict comparison in either direction, because certainly not every miracle done by Christians in the first century was recorded by Luke, and not every miraculous act performed or experienced by the Church today has been reported, and may not even be realized by those who have been blessed. How many times has Yahweh preserved us from harm, or softened the consequences of an error we may have made? We will not know these things until we are transformed and taken with Yahshua to Glory.
But what we do know is this: Creation Seventh Day Adventists do not need, nor do we want, nor do we seek, an excuse to avoid self-examination. The patients may be few, but we know our duty – to stand ready to speak and act in the name of Yahshua at any time; thus, we address the issue of few healings and miracles honestly, and with the same spirit as Yahshua, who asked, “When the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8) Among His people, the answer is yes, a perfect, refined and purified faith is developed through our shared and sanctifying experiences. Among the world in general, no, not two thousand years ago, and so most certainly not now.
But we are promised a harvest. Like Eli-Yah, we may be tempted to think that we are all alone, but there are people out there, who know in silence, or who seek to know, or who are willing to learn. The Spirit of Yahweh drives us to seek out those such as this, and when we find them, to have healing ready to offer, because yes, in the full picture, Yahshua could do this work alone, or send His angels to teach the Gospel and cast out demons, but nothing our Father does is arbitrary. There is a reason why human evangelists are called, and human healers and exorcists are chosen. There is value in the display, in the testimony, in the “wires” of the circuit, even though Yahweh can do all things. When Yahshua raised Lazarus, His sorrow was for the witnesses, and His prayer was for a testimony before them, saying, “And I knew that Thou hearest Me always, but because of the people which stand by I said it, that they may believe that Thou hast sent Me.” (John 11:42)
This is the faith we also bear, knowing that our work is a testimony in the courtroom of the universe, where the Great Controversy is playing out. Spiritual warfare is complex, perhaps the most complex issue the saints will have to tackle, because it involves the divine brilliance of our Creator and the craft and cunning, honed over millennia of corruption, on display by the Enemy of Souls. These play off of each other, far above the human intellect, so that we must rely on the promises, and the divine insights, to know what part we are to play amidst these cosmic forces. The more we see of this normally invisible world, the more we realize how tiny we all are… and the more we are amazed at just how much our Father can accomplish of eternal consequence through these little vessels of clay. It is a terrifying and inspiring realization. How can we ever be anything but humble?
This is why the Sabbath is so important, the spirit of rest in which we must reside. In order to be at all useful, we must know how to rest in the light that we receive – both what we have received in the past, and what we shall receive in the days ahead. We are to remain in the channel of truth. We are to correct the brethren directly if and when they err, especially where spiritual principles are concerned. We also have a duty to ensure that we are examining ourselves, for just as the Sabbath is once a week, but teaches a principle that we live in daily, so the New Moons are monthly events, but teach us the principle of constant and consistent thought-work and heart-work, thought-processing and heart-processing. These are things the world needs, and if it could be honest with itself, seeks after, desiring to be whole and healthy and happy; and for those who are willing, or willing to be made willing, our Father has established a People, and a place, for the healing of the nations. Yahshua is the Vine, and we are the branches. Yahshua is the Tree, and we are the leaves, of whom it is written, “In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the Tree of Life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.” (Rev 22:2) Of course, this is referring to the actual Tree of Life in New Jerusalem. There is an application of that Scripture now, however, when the nations need to be healed. Perhaps you never thought of it this way before, but you are a leaf on the Tree of Life. There is a work to be done by those of us who are being trained to be divine conduits, means by which the circuit of faith can be closed, and by which miracles flow into the world.
The harvest is ready, and the workers are few. Let us not be led by sorrow, but rather hope. We may be tempted to think as Eli-Yah did, that we are the only ones left. Let us hear our Father’s reply to us, that not every knee is bowed to Ba’al just yet. Let us be what the world needs, eager facilitators of our Father’s miracles, useful for giving a testimony to the world, who are not at all surprised when we are called-upon to accomplish the works of an all-powerful, and all-loving, Creator and Savior. What a privilege this all is… How can we ever be anything but grateful?
David.
An Enduring Witness
“In the heat of the conflict, while engaged in earnest spiritual warfare, unseen agencies are by our side, commissioned of heaven to aid us in our wrestlings, and in the crisis, strength and firmness and energy are imparted to us, and we have more than mortal power. But unless the human agent shall bring his will into harmony with the will of God, unless he shall forsake every idol, and overcome every wrong practice, he will never succeed in the warfare; but will be finally overcome. Those who would be conquerors must engage in conflict with unseen agencies; inward corruption must be overcome, and every thought must be brought into harmony with, and subjection to, Christ.” [Christian Education, p. 122]
“We have come to serious times. Events in our world call upon every follower of Christ to be totally in earnest in our relationship with God. To strengthen this relationship and satisfy our emotional and spiritual needs, we must learn the power of prayer. We must plead with the Lord, like the disciples of old, saying, ‘Lord, teach us to pray.’” [Prayer, p. 3]
“The Jewish age, notwithstanding its apostasies, opened and closed with special manifestations of the spirit of God. And it is not reasonable to suppose that the Christian age, the light of which, compared with the former dispensation, is as the light of the sun to the feeble rays of the moon, should commence in glory, and close in obscurity. And since a special work of the spirit was necessary to prepare a people for the first advent of Christ, how much more so for his second advent.
God has never manifested his power to his people simply for their gratification; but according to their necessities has he wrought for them. Then we may safely conclude that as his people are passing the perils of the last days in the final struggle with the aroused powers of darkness, when false prophets shall have power to show great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were possible, they would deceive the very elect, our gracious God will bless and strengthen His fainting people with the gifts, as well as the graces, of the Holy Spirit.” [The Spirit of Prophecy, Volume 1, p. 11]