Introduction
In this blog article, we share our insights on a challenging topic related to the unseen world. In the Gospel of Mark chapter 5, the Lord Jesus demonstrates that He is the God of life, possessing power and authority over both the unseen and the seen world, and He can impart faith and strength. Specifically, in Mark 5:1-13, we find the healing of a man possessed by demons. Reflecting on the person whom the Lord Jesus encountered here can bring both fear and wonder to us, as it reveals an unseen world with which the man engaged. By healing this man, the Lord Jesus shows His authority over the unseen world, demonstrating power over the evil spirits that had taken control of him. Many people, including Christians, wonder if such illnesses still occur today and how the healing described in Mark 5:1-13 is relevant to Christians now. After the resurrection of the Lord Jesus and His ascension to the Father, He sent the Holy Spirit into the world, and those who believe in the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the world can receive the Holy Spirit baptism. After the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the earth, the Holy Spirit encompasses the earth, and these kinds of demon activity are not permitted in humans while the Holy Spirit is upon the earth. However, humans themselves, with their dark minds, seek the dark, and we encounter many dark control counterfeits that are prevalent among those who reject the Trinity of God who created us and sell themselves to the dark control: humanism, idol worshiping, substance abuse, such as drugs and alcohol, and strange lifestyle behaviors, and other evils.
Comments on Mark 5:1-13
Mark 5:1 And they came to the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gerasenes.
Two similar events occurred in the region of Gadarenes (see Comments Matthew 8:28-34), but the healings described in Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 5:1-20 are distinct, as they took place in different locations. The healing case described in Mark 5:1-20 is the same as Luke 8:26-40 but different from Matthew 8:28-34. Gerasenes here in Mark refers to a village name. If you read these passages by yourself, you can tell the difference. Reading the story in Matthew and comparing it verse by verse with Mark and Luke, you can notice the differences: they do not happen at the same time, and they occur in different spots.
2 And He, having come out of the boat, straightaway met Him out of the tombs, a man with an unclean spirit,
3 who had the dwelling in the tombs; and no one could any more bind him, not even with a chain;
4 because that he had been often bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him, and the shackles broken in pieces, and no one had strength to tame him.
Here, pay attention to the words “and no one had strength to tame him.” Now, the Bible clearly tells us that humans try to tame the power of the dark side, but how can humans, with their limited manpower, fight the dark? If humans come and ask for help from the Lord, that is the right way to do; not humans who fight, but the Lord who has conquered the unseen world has already won the fight. Humans should come to the One who has already put the dark side under His feet. The Bible already clearly tells us where the shelter is that can cover against the dark side, not just the body but the soul as well. Come under the shadow of the Lord and worship the mighty Lord; you already have the King of all above you; come to your King.
5 And always, all night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones.
This portion of the Bible tells humans that the action of the dark side is only to make humans harm themselves and others, and the dark can never be able to do good to anyone; now we see clearly that the dark only wants to torture humans, cut themselves with stones, but the Lord never harms anyone’s body. Throughout the Bible, the Lord always heals the sickness of the body and never hurts anyone’s body, but the dark does that. The clear picture of the dark action is here, but humans ignore the torture that the dark does to the human body.
6 And having seen Jesus from afar, he ran, and worshipped Him;
7 and crying out with a loud voice, he says, What to me and to Thee, Jesus, Son of God the Most High? I adjure Thee by God, do not torment me.
8 For He said to him, Unclean spirit, come out of the man!
Here, the person is under dark control; the demon himself is talking; pay attention to the verses. The person himself does not know the Lord. The dark themselves know who is above them, and that is why they are coming to worship the Lord. Also, here, it has shown clearly that the Lord Jesus is not only the Lord of humans but also the Lord of the unseen world, and here is the place to confirm this: they come and worship the Lord.
9 And He asked him, What is your name? And he says to Him, My name is Legion; for we are many.
10 And he begged Him much that He would not send them away out of the country.
11 Now, near the mountain, there was a great herd of swine feeding.
12 And they begged Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them.
13 And He gave them leave. And having gone out, the unclean spirits entered into the swine, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea, about two thousand; and they were drowned in the sea.
Notice that here, the Lord Jesus asks for the name, and you should think about why the Lord asked for the name. The Lord is the God of all, and He has seen the unseen world as well; humans would not notice that more than one spirit has occurred here, but the Lord did. The main thing to notice here is the name and that the evil answered “we,” not one that is happening here, more than one. Why has the Lord sent them to the pigs? Here, the answer is that some animals are easy for the dark side to enter and use them to gain control.
Man-Made Dark Control
Many of us wonder if we can still encounter these cases in our times. There is still evil in the world, but it is not the evil that has the power to enter humans. The evil that possesses and enters the body is no longer allowed to do so; it is over. Nowadays, there is no evil possession anymore, but only human make-believe and imagination. The possessed, as described in Mark, ceased with the Holy Spirit coming down on earth, but people today still suffer from their make-believe actions. When the body weakens, people often revert to the old way of belief in the dark and call the dark to come down to them; when the faith is weak, it drags the body to be weak as well. Remember, the Bible clearly tells us that the Holy Spirit covers the whole earth. The dark doesn’t come out, but humans disobey and keep calling the dark to come out for them. When they come out, they harm humans, and these days, there is a dark influence because of humans seeking, but not evil possession anymore, as described in these verses. When people do not come out to seek the Lord, they seek human wisdom, but how can that human wisdom help them? They fabricate make-believe stories, this one and that one, and try to solve their problems without the help of the Lord, which will not work. When they can’t help, they declare that the person has a disability and needs human help; however, that sickness happens many times from the dark of their heart. The areas where dark actions are prevalent nowadays are where people reject the Holy God and continue to worship the dark. This is why we often hear about things that are essentially humans’ make-believe, which ultimately harm their own bodies rather than the power of the dark. The power of the dark ended with the Lord Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross when the Holy Spirit came and covered the earth; now, only the dark side of the human mind still harms.
There, in the dark world, the dark may have power, but in the human world, it is only in the Lord’s will. The Lord has a will for all living humans. Suppose the dark wants to have power over humans. In that case, they have to possess the humans, but since the Lord has been crucified, that power no longer exists: the Lord Jesus won the victory over the dark; the dark cannot possess the humans; the Holy Spirit is a shield covering the whole earth, and only the make-believe mind of humans is the one that can harm themselves.
There are many sources of make-believe stories and actions in the world; however, the main source of the dark control in humans due to make-believe is related to idols and the worship of idols. The Lord warns humans throughout the Bible to stay away from idol worshiping and practices, as these are the things of the dark not of the light. The life of all living souls is found only in the true existing light, who is the Lord Jesus Christ. He came into the world to be the light of the world, as illustrated in many passages of the Bible. Below, we comment on a few verses from John 1:4-5, John 1:9, and John 8:12.
John 1:4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.
This verse tells us that through the beloved Son of God, life has been given to all humans and that life becomes the light of men for surviving; as long as they keep the faith and abide by the love of the beloved Son of God, their own life will be based on the light of the beloved Son of God.
“In Him was life.” Because the beloved Son of God lives forever, His life will be light for all humans. Because when the beloved Son of God gave His life on the cross, that life that He gave becomes light for humans. The light here refers to the true knowledge about God.
5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not seized it.
When the beloved Son has given up His life for the humans, the light from His life becomes the ray of light shining through the darkness, and the dark itself cannot stand against it and cannot accept that light because the dark cannot accept the light in their area, the dark wants to remain dark.
The dark here is the power of the evil one that controls it, which can blind the mind and the eyes of those who seek and walk with the dark. The dark cannot fight against the light; that is why the verse has told the darkness has not seized it.
The light is the true knowledge about God, and that knowledge will shine out, and the dark cannot seize it.
John 1:9 The existing true Light, which enlightens every man, was coming into the universe.
The verse has told all readers clearly that the beloved Son of God Himself exists from the beginning before the earth was created; with the mercy of the Father, the true Light has come, not to be just the light of the earth, but to be the true way for all humans to go to worship the Father in heaven; come to that Light for being saved.
John 8:12 “… I am the light of the world; the one following Me will not walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.”
“I am the light of the world.” The beloved Son of God has told this to all, not only the people in that time but to everyone who is reading this verse. There is only one way that your soul can be saved and not go into darkness, and that is by coming to the beloved Son of God and staying in His bosom because it is only with Him that the light will be. In every other place, the rest of the people will be in darkness, but if you are staying with the beloved Son of God, you are in the light.
“The one following Me will not walk in the darkness.” The path that the beloved Son of God has created for all humans is the path following His teaching; if you walk according to what the Holy Bible is teaching you, you will not walk in the dark.
“But will have the light of life.” The light from the beloved Son of God will lead your life; when that light leads your life, you yourself will absorb that light into your soul and be in the light for safety; that is why you need the light of life. The light from the Lord will give life to your soul.
Not following the true light of the world, which is the Lord Jesus Christ, can lead people to engage in various dark control behaviors. For example, we are witnessing the tattoo industry spreading across the globe. Since ancient times, tattooing and body modification have been associated with dark influences and control (see Leviticus 19:28), and this connection persists today. Those considering getting a tattoo should ask themselves a fundamental question: What is my true motivation for getting a tattoo? In this context, we will share our Biblical perspective on tattooing, drawing a connection to Mark 5, particularly verse 5, which helps us to illustrate how tattooing can be viewed as a dark expression of human control.
The Lord created the human body in His image; why do humans find ways to harm it? The man in Mark 5:1-13 inflicted harm upon himself while under the influence of dark forces. This illustrates that darkness only comes to destroy and harm. No one should alter or harm their given body in any way; instead, we should come and appreciate the Creator, and not destroy His work on our human bodies. When a human is born, go and touch the body of a baby, smooth and gentle; that is the Lord’s passion in humans. The purpose of the dark is to destroy God’s creation, and they will always try to harm humans. When you tattoo yourself, you are not following God’s will for your body. If you disrespect the work of the Lord, you disrespect the One who created humans. The One who created humans did not put tattoos on them, but humans use their own minds to do it. Oh, but I did put a Bible verse on the skin, they say, but the verse does not need to be on the skin, but on the heart. Many who call themselves believers do not respect the One who created them; those are blind, not the eyes, but the heart that is blind. They are not blind with the eyes, but the heart is blind, and they blaspheme the work of the Father Himself. Those who tattoo their bodies have no respect for the Father Himself, and that is blasphemy against the Father. Humans have been doing this for so long; even the Holy Spirit has spoken to their hearts, prompting them to doubt that action, but they choose to ignore that voice and then commit the great sin of blasphemy against the Father.
Another significant source of human make-believe activity related to dark control is linked to drug and alcohol use. Individuals struggling with substance abuse often face poverty, homelessness, and mental health issues. Sadly, we frequently hear or witness distressing stories related to the excessive use of drugs and alcohol. It is difficult to imagine what life is like for those living on the streets and enduring such harsh conditions, as well as the suffering they experience. Many drugs and strong alcohols used today can be seen as modern-day evils.
Conclusions
The Trinity of God created man in His own image, and the Lord created humans for His pleasure, so they would come to worship Him. When individuals reject God and His laws, they open themselves to being controlled by dark forces. This darkness can lead to idolatry and destructive behaviors that harm both themselves and society, manifesting as violence, immoral lifestyles, sexual immorality, and various other evils, as noted in scriptures like Numbers 25:9, Romans 1, and 1 Corinthians 10:8. Nonetheless, the Bible reassures us that God the Father loves all His children. He sent His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, into the world to bring salvation and call everyone into His kingdom (Matthew 22:9).
In this passage from Mark 5, the Bible discusses demon possession rather than behavioral conditions resulting from brain illnesses. Throughout His ministry on earth, the Lord Jesus encountered many cases of demon possession. As believers, we must recognize that the devil comes only to steal, kill, and destroy, while our Lord Jesus comes so that we may have life and have it abundantly, as stated in John 10:10. The Lord Jesus is God within the Trinity of God. While on earth, He demonstrated His power and authority over the seen and the unseen world. No spirits or demons have power over the Holy Spirit or the Spirit of the Lord Jesus Christ. As Christians, we can be assured that only the Holy Spirit and the Spirit of the Lord Jesus dwell within us.
Moreover, the Bible teaches that after His ascension, the Lord Jesus sent the Holy Spirit into the world, as we learn from John 14:15-31 and other passages. The Holy Spirit encompasses and protects the earth; therefore, we do not experience the same types of manifestations described in the Gospels today. However, the Lord created us with free will, and some people choose to seek out dark spirits and engage in practices associated with darkness. And unfortunately, many individuals pursue spirits of darkness and worship darkness, engage in various activities of a sinister nature, and exhibit behaviors that reflect a life lived in darkness.
As Christians, we are called to bear witness to the power and authority of the Holy Trinity over darkness. We are to testify to the world about the true light, who is the Lord Jesus Christ, who came not to destroy and steal, but to save and give eternal life to all who call upon His name (John 10:10).
Meditation Tasks
- We invite all readers of this blog to check out our article titled “Make Peace with God the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.”