Video from The Bible Answer Man
Hank Hanegraaff, the host of the 𝘉𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦 𝘈𝘯𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘔𝘢𝘯 broadcast and the 𝘏𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘜𝘯𝘱𝘭𝘶𝘨𝘨𝘦𝘥 podcast, unpacks St. Matthew’s documentation of the reality of an invisible world of demons and spiritual warfare. Matthew’s account features two demoniacs who had systematically given themselves over to the power of the evil one. As such, they were inhabited by myriad demons. They had lost complete control over their passions and had become, as it were, pawns in a devil’s game. In this passage, we immediately realize the danger of underestimating an invisible war with malevolent beings, the vastness of whose collective intellect exceeds that of any mere human being. What is also plain is that human beings, unaided from above, are hardly a match for fallen angels whose devious methods have been sharpened by malice. From the primordial garden to this present generation, Satan and his hellish hoards have honed the craft of temptation. St. Paisius, a pivotal figure in Orthodox Church history, warns us to guard ourselves because “every hour we walk in the midst of passions and nets. Everywhere are set out traps—pay heed lest you be attracted by the enemy into his will through passions and traps.” St. Paul exhorts us to put on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6: 10–18).
It is notable here to point out that in verse 29 a Demon is the first entity to recognize Jesus as the "Son o God" in scripture.
The Demons Cried Out, Cyril of Alexandrea:
"The divine nature of the only begotten Son was already scorching the demons in unspeakable flames. Christ was shutting up the fiercest demons in blocked roads. He was undoing the devils tyranny. "You have come before the time," they cried out. For they knew from scriptures that Christ was going to come and would judge them. Treating the incarnation as if it had happened at the wrong time, they plead that he had come in an untimely way. This misrepresentation is not surprising. In their deceptiveness, they did not hesitate to say even this. Yet although they know that vengeance is to fall upon them, they still say haughtily, "What have you to do with us?" They know that the final judge in fact has a score to settle with them, inasmuch as they had broken his commandments." Fragment 101, from The Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture New Testament 1a, Matthew 8:29, page 171
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