John A. MacMillan, minister in the strongly continuationist
or anti-cessationist Christian and Missionary Alliance, affirmed that believers
have the same authority to cast out demons that the Lord Jesus has, and “all .
. . demon powers . . . must yield to us.”[1] Nevertheless, he found that “there are
frequent cases . . . of demon possession . . . [where it] has been found
impossible to [cast out the demon], the spirit apparently paying no attention
to the prayers or commands” of the charismatic or Christian and Missionary Alliance
minister or other wonder-worker.[2] While the Lord Jesus always immediately cast
out demons, when Alliance ministers sought to do so “the work of freeing the
sufferer . . . [from] the possessing spirit . . . may be protracted”[3]
even when it does not entirely fail.[4] For example, MacMillan in “his book Encounter with Darkness . . . describes
in great detail an extensive ministry of deliverance over several weeks in 1947
. . . at one point continuing for seven consecutive nights. . . . On another
occasion in 1951, a series of exorcism sessions on behalf of a Nyack student
[MacMillan taught at the Alliance Bible college in Nyack, New York] lasted at
least three months and involved more than 170 demons.”[5] In this latter episode, a “woman who was
[MacMillan affirms] converted when nineteen years of age” but did not begin to
“seriously follow the Lord . . . for a number of years; in fact, not until she had begun to attend a
Bible school” began to be “seriously trouble[d] . . . [by] spirits . . .
[a]fter . . . she . . . was baptized.”[6] Exorcism “sessions lasted late into the
night,” accompanied with “cries and wailing,” as “MacMillan . . . gave students
on-the-job training in the ministry of deliverance . . . [and] taught students
how to pray and plead the blood according to Revelation 12:11.”[7] One exorcism session was “a struggle which
lasted unbroken for eighteen hours . . . often artificial respiration had to be
used . . . nurses feared for her life.”[8] The “deliverance actually took about three
months to accomplish . . . for the demons would stubbornly refuse to cooperate
and would hide over and over again . . . it was a long and torturous process .
. . groups of demons were expelled, the number totalling 171.”[9] MacMillan considered this a great spiritual
victory, and he “learned more from this case than [from] any other . . . in the
past,”[10]
thus making this event a key episode in the development of his spiritual
warfare doctrine. Indeed, “as a result
of the exorcism on the Nyack campus in 1951, MacMillan initiated a course in
the next school year on demonology and spiritual warfare—possibly the first of
its kind in Christian higher education,”[11]
although “[n]ot all students viewed this [1951 exorcism, this] . . . drawn-out
deliverance . . . as a positive experience . . . [considering it, rather, as] a
ruse of Satan.”[12] For example, Albert Runge, an Alliance pastor
who was student at Nyack at the time, wrote about this exorcism process that
MacMillan found more helpful than any other, and which he made key to his
system of demonology and throne-power:
[M]any exorcisms are far
more detrimental than beneficial. . . . Many power confrontations between
Christians and demons are actually engineered by the demons themselves. As a student in Bible college I was informed
that a fellow student was demon possessed, and that there was an exorcism going
on. Being of a curious nature, I went to
see what was happening. . . . Climbing the stairs . . . I could hear an eerie
scream echoing down the hall[.] . . . When I got there the exorcist [John
MacMillan] was praising God for the deliverance of the victim. Just after he said Amen, a second demon made
himself known. After some time of
struggling, arguing and pleading the blood, that demon screamed his way out of
the room. Everyone was relieved until
another demon made himself known. This
process seemed to go on endlessly for days, weeks and months with the same
results. There is serious question in my
mind that the victim was every completely delivered.
What went wrong? I have
spent many years reflecting over that particular exorcism and researching God’s
word, and I have become convinced that many exorcisms are power play setups by
the demons themselves. . . . They choose an exorcist . . . [t]hey choose the
timing as well as the audience. The
whole process is under their control from the beginning to the end.
One of the things that happened during the exorcism convinced me
this is true. When I arrive at the scene
of the exorcism, I began to pray out loud for the deliverance or the woman. . .
. Suddenly the demons cried out from the victim, “Stop him from praying, stop
him from praying.” The exorcist shouted
to the students, “Stop him from praying.”
The students around me told me to be quiet. . . . I am convinced the
demons were controlling the exorcist, a good man who lacked understanding of
the confrontation. . . . Another incident during that exorcism indicated that
the demons were pulling the strings. A
theological professor brought his agnostic daughter into the room so that she
could see for herself that there was a supernatural realm. As a trained psychiatrist, she was convinced
that we were all suffering some kind of mass delusion. While she was in the room the demons did not
manifest themselves in any way no matter what the exorcist did to arouse them. However, as soon as she left, they acted
up. I believe demons rarely manifest
themselves in our culture unless they have a devious reason to do it.
What did the demons accomplish through this demonstration? . .
. They left . . . future missionaries and pastors . . . with a feeling of
futility and helplessness before the power of the kingdom of darkness . . .
[and made them] question their . . . spiritual authority.[13] .
. . Whatever demons say during an exorcism is completely unreliable. Therefore, holding a dialogue with them is
not only unproductive, it is dangerous.
The demons will attempt to intimidate, manipulate, disorientate and
confuse the spectators of an exorcism to accomplish their own ends. All experience within the supernatural realm
must be evaluated in light of the Scripture to avoid becoming excessively superstitious.
. . . There are no magical formulas, incantations, or rituals by which demons
can be controlled or exorcised. Thinking
back on my experience at Bible college, it became apparent to me that the person
doing the exorcism had developed a systematic ritual to expel demons, and it
had proven ineffective. First, when the
demon manifested itself through the glassy eyes of its victim, the exorcist
asked the question, “Did Jesus Christ come in the flesh?” When the spirit answered “No!” the exorcist
declared it a demon. The exorcist later
admitted to me privately that he was greatly confused, because at subsequent
exorcism attempts, when the students were not present, the demons were saying
that Jesus Christ did come in the flesh.
What was happening? Once the
demons had lost their audience of curious and confused theological students
they had no need to carry on their charade.
Secondly, if the demon said, “no, Jesus Christ did not come in
the flesh,” the exorcist would then proceed to ask the name of the demon. Interestingly, this procedure comes from an
ancient pagan belief:
The Sumerians and the Semites
of Babylon laid great stress on the belief in the magical power of names. If a demon was to be expelled properly it was
necessary for the exorcist priest to know its name and use it properly in a
spell . . .[14]
To make matters more
confusing to the exorcist, the demons could call themselves Jesus and the Holy
Spirit and then laugh. . . . Asking the name of a demon serves only to open up dangerous
and unnecessary dialogues with them. I
have witnessed demons calling themselves by vicious names such as Hate, Fear,
Murder, etc., that sent terror into the hearts of the spectators.
Thirdly, once the name of the demon was given, the exorcist would
then command the demon in the name of Jesus Christ to leave the victim. A struggle ensued that seesawed back and
forth. Finally there would be a scream. Then what appeared to be a moment of true
victory was followed by the manifestation of another demon in the victim. It should have been obvious to us all that as
long as one demon possessed the victim they all had access to her. The approach of casting out one demon at a
time is futile. . . . [T]he demons rarely manifest themselves unless it is to
their advantage. They prefer to work
secretly behind the scenes.[15]
Despite the concerns of Runge and others like him,
MacMillan was certain that he was truly exercising the supernatural gifts of
the first century, that he was not deceived by Satan, and that deriving
demonology from what the demons themselves taught and did in exorcism sessions
was not “giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy
4:1). However, when MacMillan engaged in
exorcisms, it “never seemed to be ‘quick and easy,’ for the demons would
stubbornly refuse to cooperate and would hide over and over again. There were times in which he questioned why
it took so long at times to see deliverance.”[16] For that matter, “[n]ot all of MacMillan’s
endeavors in exorcism were successful,” but at times, exorcism simply failed
entirely.[17] While MacMillan’s exorcisms were radically
different, and far, far more protracted affairs, even when he was not simply a
failure, than those of the Lord Jesus and the Apostles, and nothing in the
Bible supports his practices, he nevertheless was convinced that they were
evidence of the miraculous power of God through the believer’s exercise of
throne power, not a deceit of Satan.
MacMillan should have actually studied 1 John 4 before trying to use it
in spiritual warfare—or if he did not think of doing that, he should have done
so after he found that the devils would, at times, tell him during exorcism
sessions that Christ did indeed come in the flesh. Unfortunately, the demons, through Irvingites,
Mrs. Penn-Lewis, and John A. MacMillan, brought the modern charismatic and Word
of Faith or Prosperity Gospel doctrine of exorcism into the world, a doctrine
that has greatly advanced the work of the powers of darkness, leading to the
delusion and damnation of millions, based on a misinterpretation of 1 John
4:1-3:
“In the procedure
for casting out demons [in Word-Faith theology] Satan is bound . . . the demon
is addressed, commanded to name himself, and cast out. Since demons can do such
things as planting seeds of disease and stopping the flow of financial wealth,
the casting out of demons is necessary to insure continued health and
prosperity” (pg. 336, “A Theological Evaluation of the Prosperity Gospel,” Ken
L. Sarles. Bibliotheca Sacra 143:572
(Oct 86) 329-352). Note also “John A. MacMillan’s Teaching Regarding the Authority of the Believer and its Impact on the Evangelical, Pentecostal, and Charismatic Movements,” Paul L. King. The Pneuma Review Journal of Ministry Resources and Theology for Pentecostal and Charismatic Ministries & Leaders,
TDR
[1] Pg. 99, The Authority
of the Believer, MacMillan.
[2] Pg. 148, The
Authority of the Believer, MacMillan.
[3] Pg. 170, The
Authority of the Believer, MacMillan.
[4] Pg. 148, The
Authority of the Believer, MacMillan.
[5] Pg. 148, A Believer
with Authority, King, referencing Encounter
with Darkness, pgs. 17-22. See
Chapters 1 & 7, “Demon Possession” & “Modern Demon Possession,” on pgs.
89ff. & 145-146 of the combined edition of The Authority of the Believer, The Authority of the Intercessor, and
Encounter with Darkness.
[6] This episode is detailed on see Chapter 7, “Modern Demon
Possession,” on pgs. 145-146 of the combined edition of The Authority of the Believer, The Authority of the Intercessor, and
Encounter with Darkness. Pgs. 182-183, A Believer with Authority, King, gives background.
[7] Pgs. 184-185, A
Believer with Authority, King.
Revelation 12:11 has nothing to do with pleading Christ’s blood during
exorcism sessions, any more than it does with pleading one’s testimony during
exorcism sessions. It is another passage
dangerously misused and misinterpreted by MacMillan. Compare the misuse of Revelation 12:11
earlier by Hannah W. Smith in a way that suits the Word of Faith idea of
positive confession (Letter to a Friend, May 31, 1874 & Letter to
Priscilla, January 14, 1882, reproduced in entries for July 15 & November 7
of The Christian’s Secret of a Holy Life,
Hannah W. Smith, ed. Dieter), and the similar abuse of the verse in Chapter 10
of War on the Saints, Jessie
Penn-Lewis. Mrs. Penn-Lewis even notes
“the strange fact which has perplexed so many, that abnormal experiences
manifestly contrary to the character of God, have taken place when the person
was earnestly repeating words about the ‘Blood’” (“Believe Not Every Spirit,”
pg. 71, Overcomer 1912). Pleading the blood for post-conversion
Spirit-baptism and the ability to speak in tongues, and for power over Satan,
became a standard doctrine of Pentecostalism (cf. pgs. 3-6, Confidence:
A Pentecostal Paper for Great Britain, 5 (August 15, 1908) and the
Word of Faith movement.
[8] Pgs. 106-108, What
Demons Can Do To Saints, Merril F. Unger.
[9] Pgs. 183-188, A
Believer with Authority, King.
[10] Pg. 108, What Demons
Can Do To Saints, Unger.
[11] Pg. 192, A Believer
with Authority, King.
[12] Pg. 281, A Believer
with Authority, King; see also “Exorcism:
A Satanic Ploy?” Albert Runge. His
Dominion, 14:4 (Summer 1987) 13-18.
[13] Runge does not recognize that not only did the demons
accomplish many immediate ends that advanced the kingdom of darkness, but that
through this episode they influenced MacMillan and countless multitudes that
have been influenced by him to adopt false doctrines in demonology. The main success of the demons in this
episode was their effectiveness in spreading “doctrines of devils” to MacMillan
and those who learned from him.
[14] R. K. Harrison, “Demon, Demonic, Demonology,” in The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the
Bible, ed. Merrill C. Tenney, 5 vols. (Grand Rapids, Mich.: The Zondervan Corp., 1976), 2:93.
[15] “Exorcism: A Satanic
Ploy?” Albert Runge. His Dominion,
14:4 (Summer 1987) 13-18. While Runge
makes many fine points, he still maintains significant errors. For example, he is in error in continuing to
believe and practice the continuationism of the CMA. Furthermore, his affirmation that “we do not
build our doctrinal understanding of demons from experience alone,” but from
Scripture also (pg. 14), is very dangerously insufficient—true demonology comes
from Scripture alone, without any authoritative consideration of experience
whatsoever. What is more, while
critiquing MacMillan’s procedure of exorcism as unscriptural, Runge himself
advocates a different procedure which is itself still unscriptural.
[17] Pgs. 195-196, A
Believer with Authority, King.
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