When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. Matthew 8:16
Demon possessions were very real in the
time of Jesus. Jesus removed demons who
were inflicting people with bizarre, erratic and frightening behavior. The people shouted and screamed in torment,
strange voices coming from their mouths and causing them to inflict physical
pain on themselves. Jesus addressed
these demons directly who answered back.
There is no indication in the Bible
that demon-possession has gone away.
Jesus did not conquer demon possession once and for all. It's not possible demon possession only
occurred during Jesus' time, but maybe it occurred more numerously in an
attempt to cripple his kingdom's growth.
The people were familiar with the diagnosis of demon possession so it
had definitely been around before Jesus.
Today science has linked a number of
titles to similar psychiatric evaluations.
Are all of them problems with the mind?
Are some of them demon possessions?
It's possible.
We have to be careful labeling
everything demon possession or saying none of them are demon possession. Demon possessions don't appear very
frequently, but that's not to say they don't occur at all today. Some people's mental states may open them up
to spiritual attacks, so it could be a both/and.
It always helps to pray for God to heal
people both physically (the mind) and spiritually (the soul) and let doctors
make a proper diagnosis at the same time.