Do Sicknesses Come from God or Demons?

Introduction

Are all illnesses, such as cancer, epilepsy, Down’s-syndrome, crippling disability, blindness, deafness, and even allergies and common colds all from the committing of sin, demonic attack or possession?

This is what some Christians believe, and even in ancient times, we also see this was a belief of some of the Apostles during Yeshua’s ministry (John 9:2). Because of this, some assert that all illnesses, whether it be something as simple as an infection, virus, or something such as an inherited chronic condition, must be caused by something we have done or are doing, and in turn can be cast out merely by righteousness, faith, and prayer, and that if one still remains ill, then it must mean they are under demonic ownership, attack, or trapped by sin.

But is this what scripture teaches? We shall examine further.

Scriptural Examination

First, we should look to where the idea comes from that illnesses are either the result of sin or demon activity. We have several verses cited in respect:

Divine and Demonic Sickness

• “YHWH will send on you curses, confusion, and frustration in all that you undertake to do, until you are destroyed and perish quickly on account of the evil of your deeds, because you have forsaken me. YHWH will make the pestilence stick to you until he has consumed you off the land that you are entering to take possession of it’“. – Deuteronomy 28:20-21
• “So The Opposer went out from the presence of YHWH and struck Job with loathsome sores from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head“. – Job 2:7
• “…a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him. And when the demon had been cast out, the mute man spoke…”. – Matthew 9:32-33
• “Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Yeshua healed him, so that he could both talk and see.” – Matthew 12:22
• “…some women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities…” – Luke 8:2
• “…a woman there had been disabled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was hunched over and could not stand up straight“. – Luke 13:11
• “’Teacher, I brought my son to you, for he has a spirit that makes him mute. And whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid. So I asked your disciples to cast it out, and they were not able’…. [Yeshua] rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, ‘You mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again’”. – Mark 9:17-18, 25
• “Afterward Yeshua found him [the formally lame man he healed] in the temple and said to him, ‘See, you are well! Sin no more, that nothing worse may happen to you‘”. – John 5:14
• “And his disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Yeshua answered, ‘It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him‘”. – John 9:2-3

We see above, that it’s certainly possible for both God and demons to cause people physical ailments of all kinds, even ones that are long term.

We see the Apostles reason on a man born blind, that he or his parents must have done something evil for him to be born that way. And whilst Yeshua corrects them and says it was not due to sin, the reasoning of the Apostles show it was a common cultural belief that sin could result in physical consequences, whether that be due to a direct punishment from God, or, him allowing demonic forces to take ownership of them.

Yeshua himself also might possibly be referring to such a thing, when he warned the lame man he healed to not sin anymore, in case “something worse” happened to him; though whether this referred to the potentiality of future curses, demonic possessions, or if it was simply a warning against him being destroyed at the Final Judgement Day for his sins, is interpretational.

As I spoke about in my article on possession, it is certainly possible that God allows some people to be harassed, afflicted or even possessed by demons, because they are “given into Satan’s hand” due to their active lifestyle of unrepentant sin, or more often, due to their direct involvement with Satanic forces (such as witchcraft, the occult, etc).

In such circumstances, it’s clear that, yes, a demon could cause an illness, or even cripple someone for life.

Such effects also do not require a demon to permanently reside in the person they have attacked for the illness to remain upon them. We see for example, Job was afflicted by Satan, but he was not said to have been ‘possessed’ by Satan. In such a circumstance, this means that even if a demon was ‘once’ in a person and gave them an illness, that illness may linger in the person, even if the demon leaves of their own volition or is expelled by another.

Meanwhile, others had spirits continually remaining in them causing their ailments, like the woman bent over for 18 years, and only when the demon was sent out, did she get better.

In other cases, as opposed to Satan or demons being to blame, God himself has punished some people in the Bible with sicknesses directly. We saw for example, the Israelites were warned that one of the possible consequences of them breaking his Covenant with them, was to be afflicted with disease. And in the New Testament, the man born blind, Yeshua tells us, was born that way, not because of sin, but so God’s power could be demonstrated on him so we can have faith in his Son; whether this means that God ‘directly’ made him blind at birth, or, if he simply ‘allowed’ him to be blind at birth, however, is again something else open to interpretation.

So, yes, sickness, whether temporary, or long term, from infection or something more chronic, ‘can’ be caused by supernatural acts, be it from God, or, from Satan.

These scriptures taken in isolation, however, do not tell us that ‘all’ illnesses are caused by some supernatural means. In fact, we have other Bible verses which separate illness from supernatural activity, and simply attribute them to more natural means:

Natural Sickness

• “In those days Hezekiah became sick and was at the point of death. And Isaiah… said to him, “Thus says YHWH, ‘Set your house in order, for you shall die; you shall not recover.’ Then Hezekiah turned his face to the wall and prayed to YHWH, saying, ;Now, O YHWH, please remember how I have walked before you in faithfulness and with a whole heart, and have done what is good in your sight. And Hezekiah wept bitterly…  ‘Thus says YHWH, the God of David your father; I have heard your prayer; I have seen your tears. Behold, I will heal you. On the third day you shall go up to the house of YHWH, and I will add fifteen years to your life”. – 2 Kings 20:1-6
• A joyful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones“. – Proverbs 17:22
• “And he went throughout all Galilee… healing every disease and every affliction among the people…. they brought him all the sick, those afflicted with various diseases and pains, those oppressed by demons, those having seizures, and paralytics, and he healed them”. – Matthew 4:23-24
• “And don’t just drink water, instead you might take a little wine for the sake of your stomach and for your frequent illnesses“. – 1 Timothy 5:23

We see in these verses, that illness can be both caused and cured by emotional and physical sources. Proverbs tells us that the body can be affected by depression or joy, and we see Paul medically advises Timothy on his bad stomach and “regular” illnesses. The righteous King Hezekiah also came down with a deadly sickness which would have killed him if not for God’s healing.

It’s of note that Hezekiah was not said to be afflicted by a spirit, he was simply cured of his illness which is implied to have come by natural cause. Likewise, Timothy here was not told to go and “see an exorcist”, or to “stop sinning” in order to heal, but was given very practical advice to drink some wine, which shows they didn’t assume all illness was supernatural.

Another point to focus on, is in Matthew, we see a list of several ailments, which not only includes diseases, but also, lists “demon possessed” individuals as a separate item to the rest, as opposed to being intertwined with or the root cause of everything.

Hence, whilst God’s curses upon sinners, and demonic attacks both can cause illness, not all illnesses are of such nature according to the scriptures themselves.

Determining the Difference

Whilst we now know that the scriptures make it clear not all sickness is supernaturally caused, how do we know the difference between something caused by one and not the other?

Unique Features of Demonic Possession

When it comes to those inhabited by demons, typically, it’s not just illness that a person suffers with, but several other things.

We notice that when some people complained of their illnesses, or of their children’s in these accounts, they somehow ‘knew’ when it was demonic and when it wasn’t. Which means there must have been other recognisable signs for them to be able to tell Yeshua and the Apostles that they were dealing with a spirit, and not just an illness.

Just as I discussed in my article on mental illness versus possession, there are certain distinct features of possession which are ‘not’ a part of normal illnesses:

• “…two demon-possessed men came out from among the tombs to meet him. They were so unusually fierce that no one else had the courage to even pass that way. Then Look! they started shouting: ‘What do you want with us, O Son of God? Did you come here before the appointed time to torment us?’”. – Matthew 8:28-29
• “…And [the demon] shouted at him: ‘Ah! What dealings do we have with you, Yeshua… You Nazarene? Did you come here to destroy us?‘ I know exactly who you are; [You’re] the Holy One of God! …Demons also came out of many of them, shouting: ‘You’re the Son of The God!’’”. – Luke 4:33-34, 41
• “For he lived among the tombs and no one had been able to restrain him, even with chains. In fact, he’d often been bound using leg irons and chains, but he broke the chains and smashed the leg irons. Nothing was strong enough to hold him!”. – Mark 5:3-4

We see that the demons were capable of speaking “through” the individuals they possessed. And we see they have intimate knowledge of things the human individuals did not. For example, they knew the identity of Yeshua, even when the humans they took control of would not have.

If someone isn’t experiencing such things, and are just sick, then it is quite likely that they not possessed, and furthermore, are even more likely to just be ill by natural cause.

When it comes to demonic possession, we should only make such an assumption as a ‘last resort’ after other options have been exhausted, and one should ask themselves:

• If they are experiencing genuine supernatural knowledge, that other people can confirm
• If they are capable of other supernatural abilities not explainable by natural phenomena
• If there are other supernatural happenings in ones home, that other people can confirm
• If the individual has had the entity not merely speak “to them”, but also “through them” to others, and was capable of supernatural knowledge when it spoke, that others can confirm
• If they have been or are currently involved with the occult (black magic, fortune-telling, ghost hunting, contacting the dead, superstitious practices, etc) or worship of false gods
• If they are living in ‘blatant’ and ‘unrepentant’ sin
• If professional doctors and psychiatrists cannot at all explain ones condition
• If medical aid (e.g; medication, therapy, detox, or otherwise) is having no affect whatsoever
• If prayer appears to be affective at expelling what might be a demonic entity when no other therapeutic method works.

Affliction without Possession

We have seen of course, that some people may be afflicted by an illness, without being taken control of or possessed by a demon. This kind of affliction would merely result in one becoming suddenly sick for seemingly no apparent cause or logical reason, but they are not “taken over” by a spirit, mentally or physically.

In this case, how do we know when something is due to a demonic attack, or even a punishment from God? As opposed to what is natural sickness? And why would it happen?

This type of circumstance might be more difficult to ascertain. But we are not in the dark completely.

The first thing to bear in mind, as aforementioned, if God is allowing demonic forces to afflict someone directly by striking them with an illness, it may be for one of two reasons.

The first being that, a person may have entered such a state of unrepentant sin, or interaction with demons with themselves, that the demons have been given legal dominion over that person, and as such, may have the ability to directly disease a person.

We see for example this possibly being the case as described in Hebrews, concerning God’s discipline for those continually living in sin:

• “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons?; ‘My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord (YHWH), nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord (YHWH) disciplines the one he loves ,and chastises every son whom he receives‘. It is for discipline that you have to endure.”. – Hebrews 12:4-7

Direct discipline from God however, it should be noted, typically is not mysterious or hard to figure out. For he often if not always, sent his prophets or direct inspiration of holy spirit to inform those he was chastising via some form of punishment, since afterall, what would be the point of chastisement if one did not know what they were being chastised ‘for’? God is just, and sometimes strict, but he is not cruel.

However, whilst God typically informs of his direct hand in the matter of a punishment or curse for some sinful course, allowing harrasment or attack from a demon due to continual unrepentant wickedness or direct demonic involvement is another matter, and of such things we are clearly warned of in scripture many times, so such consequences should not be a mystery to us.

The second reason, might be that God is allowing a temporary or light form of demonic “harrasment”, but not full possession or ownership, as a form of testing upon a faithful individual.

We see two direct cases of this in the Bible. Once with Job, and also with Paul:

•  “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and The Opposer also came among them. YHWH said to The Opposer… ‘Have you considered my servant Job, that there is none like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man, who fears God and turns away from evil?’ Then The Opposer answered YHWH and said; ‘Does Job fear God for no reason? Have you not put a hedge around him and his house and all that he has, on every side? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his possessions have increased in the land. But stretch out your hand and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face‘. And YHWH said to The Opposer; ‘Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand‘. So The Opposer went out from the presence of YHWH”. – Job 1:6-12
• “So to keep me from becoming big-headed from the surpassing greatness of the revelations [I recieved], a thorn was given me in the flesh, an [angelic] messenger of The Opposer to harass me, to keep me from becoming big-headed. Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of the Anointed [One] may rest upon me”. – 2 Corinthians 12:6-9

We see God allows this sometimes for a higher purpose. For Job, to test his faith and prove to the angelic hosts of Heaven that humans do not merely serve God out of selfish gain. And for Paul, to prevent him from becoming egotistical from all the gifts and revelations he was being given.

Of course, whilst Paul knew his situation, Job didn’t fully know, so when it comes to our own illnesses, we in turn, might not always have the ability to know if it is something from a higher source, or just a typical sickness. However, if we are doing our utmost to live in faith, righteousness and repentance, we can be sure that we are not being “handed over to the Devil”, for God does not let his faithful go (John 10:29, 1 Corinthians 10:13, James 4:7).

All Christians are warned in scripture that Satan “wants us sifted”, and that we should not be “surprised” at our trials in this world, but such trials will in the end refine us like gold in the furnace and save us from our flaws, so long as our foundation of faith remains in God and the Lord Yeshua (Luke 22:31, 1 Peter 4:12-13, 1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

Another simple reason we may also be afflicted by an illness, is also that “the Evil One rules this world” (1 John 5:19), as such he may have influence over the world’s environment concerning disease:

• “Then he told them, ‘Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines, and pestilences in various places’…” – Luke 21:11

Treatability and Diagnosis

When it comes to an actual identification of an illness, it might not be always clear what its cause is, especially when we’re dealing with the potential of a sickness from a spiritual source.

However, many naturalistic sicknesses can most often be identified and treated, and often one might be able to know where it came from (for example, eating expired food, catching a bug from someone else who is ill near you, etc).

Many sicknesses also typically get better when treated with medicine, something which might be more unlikely if it is caused by a demonic spirit. Of course, there are some sicknesses which as we’ve aforementioned, that are chronic and have no medical cure yet.

However, we know through modern medical studies, many such things are caused by genetic mutations, family inhertience, and the like. And in some cases, chronic illnesses can indeed be cured with advanced treatments or new discoveries in medicine. In the circumstances of such, it would be clear that if cured, it’s not likely to be caused by a demon. Or, if it ‘was’ initially caused by such, then at the very least, it’s not actively affilicting the person or possessing them, seeing that the illness can be treated.

A spiritually caused sickness, however, might not be as easily treated with medical means, since it’s not just a physical battle one is facing, but beyond. Whilst medical intervention might possibly play some role in making the condition more manageable, just as king Saul was soothed by David’s harp playing when he was afflicted by an evil spirit (1 Samuel 16:14-23), if the spirit remains and continually attacks the person, then we are only treating one symptom of the problem. In such a circumstance, prayer with faith in the Lord Yeshua’s name is vital to apply.

If you have a long term chronic illness, and are not sure if it’s naturalistic or demonic. Ask whether:

• If you have a history of physical or immune system vulnerability
• If you have a certain condition which makes you vulnerable to other illnesses
• If your family has any history of health conditions
• If something such as a toxic or unclean substance is in your enviomentment (e.g; heavy metal poisoning, mouldy enviromnment, feces, dirty living, etc)
• If diet, lifestyle change, or medication helps adjust your mental experiences in anyway
• If something practical can make common sense of your illness (infection, a known virus going around, recent injury, animal or insect bites, etc)

Regardless whether or not something is a natural illness or supernatual. It is good to pray for aid, have our brothers and sisters pray for us, as well as seek out practical help from friends, family and doctors in the case of suffering any health condition (James 5:14-16).

Typically, a naturalistic explantion is usually the case, and a check up by a doctor will be invaluble in deducing a cause.

Does Poor Health Indicate Lack of Faith?

Some Christians might express that illness or a chronic condition indicates a lack of faith, for if they “truly had faith”, they could simply get well.

Some would point to the “fruitage of the spirit” and point out that it includes “joy and peace” (Galatians 5:22), whilst others might point to people’s experiences, or even refer to their own saying “I prayed, and I got well immediately, so God must be displeased with you somehow, or finds your faith lacking”.

But is this true? To repeat what I already said in my other article concerning mental health:

Firstly, we of course, as aforementioned, should pray for our and other people’s wellness. We do see in scripture, that sometimes, a lack of anything happening for someone, was indeed a result of their lack of faith:

• “…Because of your lack of faith! ‘I tell you the truth: If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘move from here to there’, and it would go… Nothing would be impossible for you!’” – Matthew 17:20
• “However, you must believe [that you’ll receive it] and not have any doubts, for those who doubt are like waves of the sea that are driven and blown about by the wind. Such a person shouldn’t expect to receive anything at all from YHWH, due to his unsureness and lack of faith…. Are there any among you who are ill?Let them call the elders and ask them to pray over them, as they rub them with oil in the name of the Lord! Then their faithful prayers will rescue the ill and the Lord will lift them and forgive any sins that they’ve committed. So, admit your errors to each other and pray that each one of you’ll be healed, because prayer has a lot of power when it’s working through righteous people.”. – James 1:6-8, 5:14-16

So indeed, we should not doubt, and pray with confidence and trust for God to aid us. And we must make sure we are repentant of our sins.

However, what if still nothing happens? Are we always lacking in faith? Does it mean God doesn’t love us? Are we bound by sin?

It can feel painful and upsetting sometimes, and it might even evoke jealously, when we might witness someone else being seemingly cured by a miracle, maybe a person who we believe is suffering even less than we are, whilst we ourselves are still left in continual pain. But a lack of a cure or answer from God, certainly isn’t always a result of lack of faith or dissaproval. And we see evidence of this in scripture. If we are praying with trust in Yah and his Son continually, then surely we are showing at the very least a “mustard seed’s worth” of faith.

It’s important to remember, that God is not being unloving, mean, picky or arbitrary when he chooses to either act or not. For we are told “God shows no partiality” (Romans 2:11). He even sent his Son to die for every single one of us, meaning Yeshua personally died for not just your neighbour, but for ‘you’ (John 3:16).

There are several reasons why some people may be healed or others not in the grand scheme of God’s plans and on the scene of what is a “spiritual war” in the realms unseen:

• “For our fight isn’t against flesh and blood, but against the governments, the authorities, the mighty ones of this worldly darkness, and against the unseen wicked powers in the heavens”. – Ephesians 6:12

We have seen that Heavenly politics and legalities have always been complicated, and there are things at play which we as humans currently do not fully grasp, but have only seen “hints of” (Job 1:6-22, Luke 22:31). There are times where healing is permitted in part or in full, and times when nothing must be done. But our suffering is not in vain. If afterall, we were all cured now of all our problems, then we would already be living in the Kingdom of the New Earth, but we know this grand event is future.

We have seen already above, that even the Apostles suffered with regular sickness, and it was not blamed on a lack of faith or righteousness.

The Supernatural ‘Origins’ of all Sickness

Though we can say that is such thing as both natural and supernatural afflictions of sickness, the ultimate reality is that, even all ‘natural’ illness, is something of supernatual origin. The Bible speaks of the fact that in Adam we have inherited his mortality and sin, which is the most lethal disease of all (1 Corinthians 15:22).

The consequences of all kinds of sin were often passed down to innocent children throughout the Bible, not as a direct punishment from God, or from demonic influence, but simply as a sad reality of the matter.

This of course opens up some very interesting questions concerning the origins of many of the individual sicknesses we may have due to family inheritence.

Whether or not chronic illnesses and mutated genes in themselves, are something that has been initially caused by demons, or is a merely result of the natural accumulative damage of sin and imperfection far back in our history concerning our mortality, is an even deeper element concerning the nature of fallen man, and the origin of diseases and family sicknesses.

For instance, it might be possible to theorise that though we ourselves haven’t been possessed, or made chronically sick directly by a demon, that perhaps at one point in the past, concerning our family histories, that one of our ancestors were indeed possessed or afflicted, so much to the point that it altered or damaged their DNA, and then that being passed down to their children.

Several modern medical studies have even found that even trauma can be passed down genetically:

“Research from 2019Trusted Source found that stress during pregnancy is one way intergenerational trauma can be passed down. Parental stress during pregnancy is associated with children who have:

• autism spectrum disorders
• schizophrenia
• attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)”

– Psych Central, What Is Genetic Trauma?

“There are a growing number of studies that support the idea that the effects of trauma can reverberate down the generations through epigenetics. For the PoWs (prisoners of war) in the Confederate camps, these epigenetic changes were a result of the extreme overcrowding, poor sanitation and malnutrition…. The sons of PoWs had an 11% higher mortality rate than the sons of non-PoW veterans….” – BBC Future, What is Epigenetics

“The conclusion from a research team at New York’s Mount Sinai hospital led by Rachel Yehuda stems from the genetic study of 32 Jewish men and women who had either been interned in a Nazi concentration camp, witnessed or experienced torture or who had had to hide during the second world war. They also analysed the genes of their children, who are known to have increased likelihood of stress disorders, and compared the results with Jewish families who were living outside of Europe during the war…

Her team’s work is the clearest example in humans of the transmission of trauma to a child via what is called “epigenetic inheritance” – the idea that environmental influences such as smoking, diet and stress can affect the genes of your children and possibly even grandchildren.”. – Study of Holocaust survivors finds trauma passed on to children’s genes, The Guardian

Is such a thing one of the roots of so many diseases and disorders passed down in families? Could it be that in some cases afflicted, cursed or possessed individuals became so ill, it damaged their genetics, resulting in the creation of a passed down condition? Who truly knows.

What if indeed, that the first persons with Chrontic Fatigue Syndrome, Asthma, Epilepsy, Bipolar, or Schizofrenia in history, was in fact, someone who was afflicted or possessed and left mentally, physically and genetically damaged? Then passing down that damage to their heirs?

On my part it is a mere theory. But it would not surprise me if such a thing was possible. Not that it is the origin of ‘all’ illnesses we may or may not inherit. But genetic mutations can be caused by environmental factors, life events, diet, radiation, chemicals, viral infections, age-related degrading, and more. What’s one more potential causation to the list, in that a spiritual entity also may have caused such genetic trauma to an individual, affecting his family lineage as a naturalistic after effect.

Whilst the ancient world view of “family inherited curses” may seem primitive to modern ears, indeed, perhaps there is something more “practical” to the matter than would first meet the eye, and such “curses” being a reality of the consequences of our ancestor’s actions, or what our ancestors merely suffered.

Whether or not the above theory has merit, all of us, however, in one way or another, whether by naturalistic cause or direct spiritual cause, have been impacted by the first sin, and the evil rulers of this world.

Conclusion

Overall, when it comes to sickness, we should not assume it’s of a demonic attack or a curse from God. Physical illness, and can have a number of causes. There can be circumstantial, medical, historical or hereditary explanations for health disorders, and as a first assumption, one should look to these things as potential explanations.

The scriptures make it clear, that coming down with a sickness or being born with a condition, is not inherently connected to anything supernatural, even if supernatural events may be capable of causing such things.

To prevent any kind of supernaturally caused illness, all that we need is faith, repentance and obedience in the Lord Yeshua, and our Heavenly Father Yah. And when it comes to cases of true demonic possession, the ‘spiritual and moral’ cause should be detirmined, and the entity dealt with via prayer and faith, in Yeshua’s name.

It is not a lack of faith to either have or seek medical aid for any kind of illness. The Lord himself recomended doctors for the sick (Luke 5:31), as did the Apostles (1 Timothy 5:23).

Whatever the cause of grief, God never rejects those faithful to Him and His Son. And in the end, whether we are cured now, or in the future, all of our suffering will be gone forever.

Well at that, I saw new skies and new lands, because the previous skies and lands had disappeared, as had the seas. I also saw the Holy City, New Jerusalem, stepping down out of the sky from God, prepared like a bride that had been adorned for her man. Then I heard a loud voice from the throne say: ‘Look! The Tent of God is with mankind! He’s going to put up His Tent among them, then they’ll be His people and He’ll be their god. He’s going to wipe all the tears from their eyes and there won’t be any more death, mourning, wailing, or pain, because all that once was will be gone!’”
Revelation 21:1-4