Authority in the Kingdom of Heaven Can Release the Oppressed

Authority and Power Can Command Demons

In the Kingdom of Heaven, there is no oppression, for the authority and power of the Kingdom can command demons. The demon-possessed man who emerged from the tombs, he was a person completely devoid of freedom and faith. The reason the demons brought the crowd to Jesus was the mystery of the Kingdom of Heaven, believing it was the work of God. This was definitely not the work of demons, because wherever the Lord Jesus went, His power would gather there, inexplicably drawing them near. Demons are actually quite foolish; if they resisted, they would not be cast out, but they did not resist, for this itself is the work of God, a manifestation of His power.

Authority and Power Can Attract the Oppressed

The Kingdom of Heaven has a power to attract the oppressed, those who themselves lack faith but rely on the faith, power, and authority of Jesus Christ. There is something very important in the Kingdom of Heaven: authority. Authority is a privilege and manifestation of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom itself is a form of authority, so when we are in God's Kingdom, we have the power to command demons. When a person casts out a demon but then lacks faith, the demon will return to deceive them. Those who are demon-possessed and then healed by God must remember that unbelief at any moment will result in the loss of the grace of the Kingdom of Heaven.

Choosing Whether to Follow the Lord

Those without freedom or faith can be released under the authority of Jesus Christ and gain freedom. Releasing someone from bondage is not difficult; simply rebuke the demons in the name of Jesus Christ, and they will retreat, restoring freedom to that person. However, once freed, the person faces a choice: whether to follow the Lord. Jesus told the freed man: follow in your heart and go back to testify to your family. In this process, there is a lesson worth learning: those without faith need to regain freedom, and regaining freedom is a characteristic of the Kingdom of Heaven. When we regain our freedom, we must make the right choice, which is to follow the Lord.

Christians Oppressed by the Spirit of Fear

In the first part of The Final Quest, there is a vivid account of how Christians are used by the devil as tools to attack the church, describing them as being imprisoned by a spirit of fear. Because of fearing something, they become prisoners of the devil, and the spirit of fear captures a large group of Christians. We must examine ourselves for fear, as fear leads to inaction. These people become prisoners of the devil because of fear, and then they begin to engage in slander, gossip, and similar things (Rick Joyner, The Final Quest, Chapter 1).

Rick Joyner writes that after drinking something called the water of bitterness, they begin to do these things because all their thoughts and intentions are controlled by the devil, who then rides on them as weapons, as the vanguard of the devil's army. After these people are controlled by the devil, they still think they are serving God, which is a state of being oppressed for Christians. In fact, they could easily choose not to agree with the devil's intentions, but they continue to be deceived (Rick Joyner, The Final Quest, Chapter 1).

In this situation, Rick Joyner advises that you cannot command the demon to leave, nor can you release the person; what you need to do is stop touching him. If you touch him again, this demon will become even stronger, and the Christian being ridden below will become even more enraged. If you shoot arrows, you will hit the captured Christian, making him even more angry, and the demon will become even stronger. When Christians are oppressed, it is as Rick Joyner describes.

The Value of Human Life

When a person is released, another situation arises: people's reactions. When people see someone being released, they think about the loss of two thousand pigs. In the earthly concept of people, two thousand pigs are more valuable than a person. Conversely, in the Kingdom of God, the person who is released is priceless. But in the eyes of people, what they see is the pigs, not the person. The Lord Jesus sees the preciousness of human life; He does not care about the value of pigs at all. The logic is simple: those two thousand pigs represent mere value and cannot represent life, while the person oppressed by the devil is a life. Human life is priceless in God's eyes, cannot be measured by price, and is very precious and honorable. Therefore, when Noah came out of the ark and made a covenant with God, if a beast killed a person, that beast should be killed; if a person killed a person, that person should be killed:

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man. Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man. (Genesis 9:5-6)

Because humans are very honorable, humans are made in the image of God. So, this is crucial. You and I are both made in the image of God. Today, do you value people or things? If you value things (such as money) more than a person's life, this is a secular concept.

Becoming the Salvation of the Family

And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel. (Mark 5:18-20)

The man released in the tombs begged to be with Jesus. Why did Jesus not allow him? Sometimes, Jesus asks you to tell them, but you do not, relying instead on a self-righteous answer that you believe is credible, but it is not the will of the Lord Jesus. The Lord Jesus commanded the man to go home because He knew that there were many more in his family who needed the gospel. The demons came out of this person and went into the pigs, and the two thousand pigs jumped off the cliff and died. Where did the demons go? The demons went into this man's family and relatives. What I say may not be correct, but I am certain that Jesus cares for this man and also cares for his family. Because I have found in my ministry that after demons leave a person, they will definitely go to their closest relatives.

Some time ago, a sister shared with me that her father did not worship idols or those crooked things with her grandmother, nor did he get involved in the curses passed down by her grandmother. However, her two aunts were very close to her grandmother and often passed on those things, resulting in frequent fractures and injuries. She said, Thank God, because my father is too lazy to do those things with my grandmother. I thought, could it be that this sister was chosen by God, chosen before the foundation of the world to be born into this family, to become the salvation of this family? When we read the Book of Joshua, we find that there was a woman named Rahab in Jericho. Because of Rahab's fear of God, her entire family was saved, which is beyond our understanding. I think God has chosen you and me today to let you and me become the salvation of our families (Joshua 2).

The Demon-Possessed

The man who came out of the tombs had several characteristics after being possessed by demons: his strength was very great, and he could break chains. His power was even more impressive than that of a Qigong master. The strength produced by evil spirits entering a person's body is not produced by human muscles; it is spiritual strength.

I don't know if you have seen it, but when I was in elementary school, I saw the school invite a group of Qigong masters to perform. The performance was very shocking. A spoon was placed inside a glass bottle which was capped, and the bottle was placed on the table. The Qigong master was several meters away, and simply by looking at it, the iron spoon inside the glass bottle bent. This completely defies the laws of physics, but it conforms to spiritual laws because it was spiritual power.

After that, I saw the Qigong master do another thing. Which is harder, our finger or a brick? The answer is definitely the brick. However, when the Qigong master drilled with his finger, noise was produced, and a hole was drilled. There was indeed a hole in the brick the size of the Qigong master's finger, even more powerful than an electric drill. At that time, I was just a child in my teens, and I was very shocked after watching it. I did not understand what it was at the time and could not understand it at all. Today, I understand that this is spiritual power.

What do the demon-possessed often do? They often cut themselves with stones. When I was young, there were often some crazy people in the compound. One crazy person would run naked in the middle of winter in temperatures below minus twenty degrees Celsius, and he would not catch a cold. If it were us, wearing shorts in the winter in minus twenty-degree weather, our bodies would definitely not be able to handle it.

So, this thing is very wonderful, and you will gradually understand it. If this spirit lives in a person's body, it will bring some very peculiar phenomena that we cannot explain. These are all oppressions of the spirit, basically not edifying people, but making them live in a state worse than death. Today, we must open our spiritual eyes and begin to see that you and I have this kind of authority in our hands, and this authority is used to release those who are oppressed.

There is no Disease in the Kingdom of Heaven

Faith Can Connect to the Power of God

Where does the principle of no disease come from? It comes from faith connecting to the power of God. In Luke 8, there is a story about a woman who had been suffering from bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a lot in the hands of doctors and had spent all her living expenses, but she had not gotten any better, and her condition had actually worsened. She had completely run out of money, and she was both penniless and sick. The Chinese often say, It's better not to be without money than to be without anything, and it's better not to be sick than to have anything. The last thing people want to have is an illness, but she was both penniless and sick, making life very difficult. Would anyone blame the doctor in this situation? No one would blame the doctor.

The linguistic characteristics revealed inside and out by the person who wrote the Gospel of Mark illustrate one thing: you are still charged even if your illness isn't cured. A patient once said, If my illness is cured, I will die; if my illness isn't cured, I will still die. Meaning that if the illness is cured, all the money will be spent, and there will be no way to live, and it will be difficult to live to an old age. Curing the illness will exhaust all the money and still result in death. There are also some who exhaust all their money and whose illnesses are not cured.

I think Mark revealed a sense of regret when he wrote these things. The woman with the issue of blood had suffered a lot in the hands of doctors, and at this time, she heard that Jesus had come. I tell you, anyone who hears that Jesus has come, that is good news of the Kingdom of Heaven. For example, there was a sister who, upon hearing about Jesus from another sister in our church, had a hope sprout in her heart, saying, Ah! I am saved! I am saved! Before I even called her to pray for her, she had full faith that she could be healed.

Today, when we are preaching the gospel to those who are sick, do not preach words that destroy faith, but speak words that build faith, because faith can release the power of people. So, it is a very wonderful thing that this woman with the issue of blood heard the words that Jesus spoke. Jesus said, Do not tell anyone, but it was eventually spread out. As for how it was spread out, we do not know, but many people knew that there was Jesus, and Jesus would bring a very strong thirst and hope, which is the source of our healing. Later, I found that those who are healed are those who have a strong thirst and hope, and the stronger the thirst and hope, the faster they are healed.

There is a type of patient that is difficult to heal. If a person is possessed by demons to the point of confusion, we do not need their faith. However, if a person is very clear-headed and has a very serious and large illness, but they do not have any desire in their thoughts and intentions, and they feel that it is better to die, there is no way for you to heal them. When they have this kind of thought in their hearts, they immediately block the power of God from their lives. All we can do is let them listen more often and know what Jesus has done.

For instance, yesterday a sister came among us, her first time here to pray. I then shared my testimony with her. For the first twenty minutes, I did not pray for her, but shared my testimony – how our brothers and sisters were healed of this ailment and that. After sharing, I trust that the faith within her would be elevated. Then, I said, Let me lead you in prayer. Ten minutes later, she was completely healed. I find this very miraculous. Therefore, in the future, when you encounter someone in need, first build up the faith within them; let them hear more of what Jesus has done in our lives. After hearing, their hearts will be full of faith, and it will no longer be a problem.

The Healing Power of the Kingdom of Heaven Does Not Require Jesus' Approval

Sometimes, in your sharing, you might say something that makes people uncomfortable, something they feel is too boastful. This is not the problem. What is the problem? That doctors couldn't heal them, but you could? Do not misunderstand: it is not I, but Jesus. When you have this yearning and faith in your heart, like the woman with the issue of blood, if only you touch the clothes of Jesus, you will be healed. It is miraculous. She touched Jesus' clothes, and Jesus did not know, nor did He pray for her. Just by touching His clothes, power flowed from Jesus into her, and she was immediately healed. This gave me a great revelation: the healing power in the Kingdom of Heaven does not require Jesus' approval. Even though Jesus has not approved your healing, as long as you have faith within you, you can draw in God's power. Indeed, by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5) is not an empty saying. Although Jesus had not yet suffered the stripes at that time, it was already decreed in eternity.

This accomplishment is according to God's will. Even the Lord Jesus' later stripes can heal matters before He suffered them. The fact that this person was healed by touching Jesus allows us to make an assumption about healing: God does not need to approve it a second time. As long as you believe that touching Jesus can heal you, you will be healed. Jesus does not need to say, I have not approved this. In English, it is called default. Translated, it means that Jesus has already defaulted to our healing. This is too marvelous.

Preach the Gospel of Healing

Today, when going out to preach the Gospel again, we must preach the Gospel of Healing. Do you know how many people are sick? YX's sister, the doctor said that at her age in her twenties, she might have the body of someone in their fifties. All her internal organs were in terrible condition. Through prayer, she was gradually turned around step by step. Because of these healing testimonies, her idol-worshipping family members have begun to believe in the Lord. I tell you, there is no better gospel than the Gospel of Healing. There is no sickness in the Kingdom of Heaven. May the Kingdom of Heaven descend upon you and my family. Preach a Gospel of Healing, and begin to constantly emphasize that our Jesus Christ is the God who heals us, and your sickness will surely be healed.

Build a Strong Faith

Jesus has already defaulted it, so we preach according to these words. Jesus said, Who touched Me? Jesus is too marvelous. In fact, He could have not asked. The problem is that she was not completely healed. If He didn't ask, that woman would live with shame her whole life because her faith had not been strengthened. You will find that Jesus did not stop her from telling others, nor did He restrict whether she could speak of it. However, this woman with the issue of blood knew what had been done in herself and was fearful and trembling, meaning there were still many strange feelings within her that had not left. Jesus said to her, Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace, and be healed of your affliction (Mark 5:34), thus strengthening her faith again.

Some brothers and sisters may have been healed, but if you feel their faith is not strong enough, tell them not to talk about it everywhere. Why not let them talk about it? Because it is easy to corrupt a person's faith. Once a person's faith is corrupted, the illness will return. Therefore, Jesus stopped some people from speaking because that person's faith was not strong enough, and speaking recklessly would create corruption. For example, My back was healed after prayer. How could my back be healed? I see such a big hole, this joint is damaged, how can I walk? I couldn't walk before, I was in unbearable pain. If your faith is not strong enough, do not argue with others. After arguing, you will doubt and feel that this thing cannot be accomplished.

Some people said to me, Pastor Liu, after someone is healed in your midst, you should take them to the doctor to verify whether they have been completely healed? After hearing this, the first thing I thought was, When did the Bible teach us to do this? Never. If we are healed, we do not need to go to the doctor to confirm it. Do we not know it ourselves? If your bleeding stops, you go to the hospital to check if it has stopped. Isn't this strange? Then, when you check, the bleeding starts again, which would be troublesome. Therefore, we really need to have some wisdom and cleverness today. If you have no faith, you must tell that person not to let others corrupt your faith. If this person is healed, you must strengthen his faith and make him believe that the illness has truly been completely healed.

I once led someone in prayer, and his symptoms of a cold and runny nose were particularly severe. After I led him in prayer for a while, his throat, nose, and fever were all healed. Later, he told me that after experiencing this, an idea suddenly appeared in his mind as he walked to the door: How could I be healed? Then his throat started to hurt again. By the time he went down the escalator and out of the building, all the symptoms had returned. His nose started running, his throat started hurting, and his eyes started feeling hot again. What is the situation? A person without faith cannot resist the devil, even following the devil's thoughts, and is deceived back in a moment. It first deceives you, then after deceiving you, it enters again. This is the nature of an evil spirit. If a person is healed, he must know one thing: Submit to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).

The Power of the Kingdom of Heaven Overcomes Death

Different Definitions of Death

From a medical perspective, when a person dies, they die. Medicine says that when oxygen supply to a person's brain stops, their heartbeat stops for sixty seconds, and then brain death occurs. Cardiac death, brain waves stop, this person is basically dead. Medicine speaks from a physical perspective; we Christians speak from a spiritual perspective. From a spiritual perspective, this person is not dead; they are just asleep. In Jesus' eyes, he is not dead. But why does Jesus say he is asleep and not dead? Because Jesus has spiritual eyes. Jesus can put this person's soul back into this person's life, and this person will live again. That is to say, the definition of death in the Kingdom of Heaven is completely different from the physical definition on earth.

Today, do you believe in the death that Jesus speaks of? Or do you believe in the death that doctors speak of? The death that Jesus speaks of is the eternal separation of a person's soul from God; it is the soul, not the body. It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life (John 6:63). What makes us alive is our spirit dwelling in our body. When our spirit leaves, our body dies. Ask yourself, do you live according to the way of the flesh? Or do you live according to the way of the soul?

My eighty-year-old mother still faithfully prays with me every time, but she often lives according to the way of the flesh. I spent a lot of effort in changing her mind. There are places in my hometown where elderly people can get free physical checkups, so she went for a checkup. I said, Why are you checking your body? Maybe you will disagree with what I say, and I don't really care, but my point of view is clear: the way Jesus looks at this matter is different from the way normal people look at it. The hospital checks the physical body; Jesus checks the spirit of a person. If a person has problems with his physical body, but this person's spirit is thriving, this person will not have problems. My mother once took an X-ray of her spine, and the doctor felt that this person would definitely be paralyzed after seeing the film. Why was she not paralyzed later? It was because Jesus' power was supporting her there. It was not supported by those joints; it was supported by Jesus' power. Therefore, we must know that what makes us alive today is the spirit.

Live According to Spiritual Logic

Someone said, Pastor, after you prayed for my cervical spondylosis, it got better, but why is the shape of my spine still not right when I go to the hospital for a checkup? I said, You are alive today not because your spine is better, but because Jesus' power is supporting you on your spine, so you are better. We must have faith. The woman with the issue of blood had Jesus' power entering her and stopping the bleeding. Do you live according to the logic of the flesh or according to the logic of the spirit? You have to make a choice today and start thinking.

The devil often deceives us, and it's troublesome after being deceived. Today, if we are still living in the flesh, you are someone who looks at problems through the state of the flesh. If you look at problems according to spiritual principles, then the problem is solved. That twelve-year-old girl in this chapter was not dead; she was asleep because her soul came out of her body. Then Jesus put her soul back in, so this child came back to life, much more than medical science. There is no death in God's Kingdom, so we need God's Kingdom to come upon us and no longer live by the flesh. And that real death is when a person's soul falls into hell and is eternally separated from God.

Do Not Corrupt Faith

Jesus instructed them not to let anyone know about this, and also told them to give her something to eat. Was Jesus afraid to say such things? Jesus had nothing to fear. Jesus was afraid that many people's faith would be corrupted. I once knew a gambling king in Southeast Asia. Around the 1980s, he took a helicopter to gamble in Macau and other places and could earn hundreds of millions of RMB at a time. Later, the spirit of gambling left him, and then he lost every gamble. He lost three million all at once and couldn't repay the debt, so he decided to jump off the building. He was very conscious when he jumped off the balcony of his house. Later, he woke up on the balcony three hours later. When he told people, they questioned whether he jumped or not, which corrupted people's faith. Did you jump, and then you said you were sitting on the balcony? Or did you not jump, but said you jumped? Asking him these questions, he didn't know.

Three hours later, his brother, who was a pastor in Hong Kong, flew directly to Singapore to knock on their door. He woke up and opened the door for his brother. When his brother was praying the day before, God gave him a vision and revelation to quickly come and save his brother. He was desperately praying for his brother while taking the bus to the airport, then to the plane taking off and landing. Later, when he was praying, he said, God, I really want to know what happened at that time? He saw a vision: when his brother jumped down, God's hand pushed him back, pushed him back into the balcony, and then God's hand touched his head, and he fell into a coma for more than three hours. After that, the bankrupt man lived a miserable life relying on relief. However, later he began to believe in Jesus, became a pastor, and escaped poverty. The whole story is very wonderful. Today we must know that looking at problems from a human perspective and looking at problems from God's perspective are completely different views. The views on death are different, the views on diseases are different, and the views on being controlled by demons are also different.