Question:
In Matthew 12:26, Jesus said Satan could not cast out Satan. Does it not say in some other place in the Bible that Satan shall work with all power and signs and lying wonders in the last days, curing sickness? A friend told me that sin led to sickness and death. If this is so, Satan could not cure sickness. Please explain.
Answer:
Satan had not been able to cast out Satan, yet it would seem as though he could command his own demons. The Bible represents Satan as the head of a company of evil angels called devils or demons. These demons are at his command. They may affect an individual and cause functional difficulties and troubles, and Satan may be able to relieve the individual to seem to cure the disease. There are two classes of disease: functional, in which the action of the organs is disturbed, and organic, in which some part or organ of the body is seriously affected, such as tuberculosis or cancer. Many times the first class is cured by the removal of the cause, the latter by miraculous power or by natural forces. It is reasonable to believe that where Satan caused the difficulties, as he does many times, he could in some instances, at least remove them to seem to cure. In 2 Thessalonians 2:8-10 where we are told that he will work “with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness.” Notice the falsehood that is implied in all of this. All true healing of sickness and all ultimate healing include both body and soul. The devil would be glad to have us turn our attention to the healing of the body, which is important. But infinitely more important is the healing of the soul from the effect of sin; because sin is the cause primarily of all trouble, for sickness would not have come had it not been for sin. But that does not mean that everyone sick is necessarily a sinner, e.g., Job, Elisha, etc. Many have inherited sickness, and some have it because of fruits of evil sowing in their past, of which they have repented, although the effects are not yet passed away.
