Demons’ Powers and Limitations
God performed eleven miracles to show Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, his officials and his people that He alone is God and there is no one like Him (Ex. 9:14). However, Satan and his demons have powers and can perform counterfeit miracles. Counterfeit miracles are evil because the source of the miracle is Satan and his demons. God turned Aaron’s staff into a snake as a sign, but so did the Egyptian magicians. God showed His superiority when Moses’ snake ate the magicians’ snakes. Then God turned water into blood and made a plague of frogs come on the land. The magicians could do the same things through Satan’s powers. Three of God’s miracles were copied and thus counterfeited. The rest of the miracles God performed, the magicians were not able to perform, which again shows that there is no one like God-no one superior.
After God delivered Israel from Egypt, they made a golden calf to thank and worship. That idol was useless in delivering Israel, it was the LORD alone that delivered them (1 Sam. 12:21). As they worshiped the idol, they were worshipping demons and giving credit and thanks to demons (1 Cor. 10:20).
Exodus 34:14 says, Do not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. The word “jealous,” means God demands exclusive service and hates the worship of other gods/idols. This includes God being jealous of the use of wooden crosses, “holy water,” smudging, etc. for protection and healing. Only God deserves to be thanked and praised and worshiped for protection and healing.
Satan and his demons pretend to be angels of light. Their goal is to prevent us from worshipping and thanking God and the Lord Jesus Christ for protection and healing. Using “holy water” to cleanse a building from demons and then no longer seeing the demons does not mean they went away. Satan and his demons want you to think that the holy water protects and cleanses in order for you to not go to God and the Lord Jesus Christ. The demons are still there but they no longer show themselves. We know they did not cast each other out because Jesus said that demons will not cast out demons, otherwise, their kingdom would be divided (Mk. 3:20–30). Because the building is not really cleansed and you are seeking false ways to cleanse it, more demons will feel welcomed to come in and join.
This is similar to when Israel was giving credit to wood and stone, gold and silver for blessing them and helping them. When trouble came upon them, they cried out to God for deliverance. God, who is Jealous, warned them that they cannot serve both Him and idols, which are actually demons. Satan is a liar and he has many tactics to deceive people. We do not need to figure out every tactic in order to avoid him. Instead, we need to know God and His ways, because they do not change. When we know God’s truth, we then can recognize the lie.
Knowing the truth from God’s Word is how we will not be deceived and not fall for counterfeit miracles. Jesus warned that in the end times, the anti-Christ will perform great signs and miracles (Matt. 24:24). The word “anti” means against. Also, 2 Thessalonians 2:9 says to beware of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders. How do we know whether a miracle is counterfeit or not? By knowing the truth. 1 John 4:2 says that every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. In the end times, the Anti-Christ will get people to worship him and not God, by performing a counterfeit miracle (evil source)where a fatal wound was healed. Also, He will cause fire to come down from Heaven. In the end, his goal is to destroy all people, because all those who refuse to worship him would be killed (Rev. 13:15).
In spite of all that Satan and his demons can replicate, I do not believe that they can perform the counterfeit miracle of casting each other out. I believe this is a limitation they have because according to Jesus, if they did, then they would be dividing themselves (working against each other). However, they can pretend to be cast out by not manifesting themselves for a time. “For a time:” This is why the problem appears to keep coming back. In the same way, demons have a limit on other miracles they can perform as well, like we have seen with Moses and the Egyptian magicians.
