When He had come to the other side, to the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met Him as they came out of the tombs. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. Suddenly they shouted, “What do You have to do with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” –Matthew 8:28-29
Many of us tend to assume demons have much more power and knowledge than they really do; therefore, we tend to fear them. I am not saying they don’t possess great knowledge or power, they do, and we should respect that. They are not to be scoffed at as though just because you are a child of God they have no influence, to do so is ignorance and will come with a price. My goal here is to put things in proper perspective to give courage to the believer who fears.
In verse 29, we get a clear picture of the limited power and knowledge of demons. Upon seeing Jesus, they ask, “What do You have to do with us, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
First, let’s look at their knowledge. Obviously they had no idea that Jesus was coming; had they known, they might have gone elsewhere. They had no idea why He came there; if they had, they would not have asked. Then, they knew that they were already judged and found guilty, “Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
They also knew it wasn’t time yet. I believe when they were cast out of heaven, they had already been judged but the sentence was not yet carried out. Clearly they knew they were already defeated.
If we read on, we see that they asked Jesus if they could enter into the herd of pigs (vs31). If they had knowledge of the future, they would have known that the pigs would run off the cliff. Clearly, we see that their knowledge of future events is limited to what God shows them.
As for their “power,” they had to ask permission to go into the pigs.
I find it interesting that demons always addressed Jesus for who He was, “What do You have to do with us, Son of God?
As a believer, we should have an understanding of demons and respect their power and knowledge (which God gave them when He created them), but we should also remember that they are still under submission to God. They have no power over you unless you give it to them.
I pray that this has encouraged you and that you will look for yourself at the many passages that show that God is still in control of everything.
One more thing I would like to share, “When Satan reminds you about your past, remind him about his future.”
God bless~
