There exists a dramatic shift for how deliverance takes place before the Cross and how deliverance transpires after the Cross.
First there is no mention of the specific term “demon” or “demons” after the Gospels in our traditional scriptures. Those words are not used.
Now I must remind the reader that demons are a specific form of evil spirits or unclean spirits, but not all evil spirits or unclean spirits are demons. As to why they are no longer mentioned, Scripture does not elaborate; we can only speculate. But Consider the following:
Peter preaches on the day of Pentecost about the resurrection in Acts 2.41 where about 3,000 people were added to the Kingdom, and yet there is no mention of even one demon showing up for the party. And again, in Acts 4.4 where they preach again about the resurrection, another 5,000 new believers are added to the Kingdom, and yet once again, not one mention of a demon showing up for the party.
Part of the ministry of Jesus was to demonstrate that He was the Messiah through deliverance.
The message of the Kingdom of God has shifted from needing to prove Jesus was the Son of David to the Jew, and the Most High God to the Gentile to proclaiming Jesus fulfilled his mission in inaugurating the Kingdom of God through the resurrection.
There is no doubt that this was the essential message of Paul.
- 1 Corinthians 1:23 NASB20 – 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness,
Even in modern sports one does not prove they won the championship by reenacting the winning goal every time you come across a fan of your opponent; you prove you won the championship by pointing to the trophy! The trophy is Christ Crucified and Risen from the Dead.
- Colossians 2:9-15 NASB20 – 9 For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, 10 and in Him you have been made complete, and He is the head over every ruler and authority; 11 and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision performed without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ, 12 having been buried with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. 13 And when you were dead in your wrongdoings and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our wrongdoings, 14 having canceled the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15 When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display [of them,] having triumphed over them through Him.
Our position no longer rests in us proving what we can do through Christ through salvation, healing, and deliverance, but in pointing back to what Christ has already accomplished on our behalf. Do we still have authority in those areas? A wholehearted yes. But the Kingdom has shifted from demonstration to proclamation: Christ fulfilled his mission and has now inaugurated the Kingdom.
