3. Body, soul, and Spirit This topic was mentioned also in the item #7 under the Daily devotion menu.
Only men have either Holy Spirit or devil spirit on earth. A baby is born with a devil spirit and becomes a sinner automatically simply because men inherited Adam's sin by birth (Rom 5:12-14). So everybody starts his life on earth as a sinner dictated or influenced by devil spirit always until he replaces it with Holy Ghost once he accepts Christ as his personal saviour and becomes a born again believer during his life time. Read item #13 on Exegesis menu. Jesus called it 'born again' meaning spiritual rebirth and it allows the born again person to enter into kingdom of GOD (heaven, Joh 3:16) after death (Joh 3:3). See item #10 under Theology menu.
Besides either devil spirit or Holy Ghost, each person has a soul which is an unique identification for him so that one's soul shall stay with him eternally into either heaven or hell after death, that is, one's soul shall never leave him even after death (Mat 16:26). One's soul will be sleeping in the grave after death if he is saved before death (Joh 6:39, 11:11-14, 24) until so called rapture (1Th 4:13-18). See item number 9 under the Theology menu. Only men on earth have second life in either heaven or hell after death.
The term 'rapture' applies only to those who died as born again or saved. They will be sleeping in the grave after death and Holy Ghost will leave them but their souls will get resurrected from the grave, receive spiritual body (1Cor 15:44), and receive back Holy Spirit upon HIS second coming right after 3 and half years (42 months, Rev 13:5; Dan 9:27) of tribulation period. See item number 9 under the Theology menu.
For those who died as a sinner or unsaved without salvation, they will not be sleeping in the grave like saved people but they will be 'rushed' into hell immediately to suffer there (Luk 16:23) until the 1,000-year Christ kingdom will be completed. Bible says that the sea, death, and hell cast out or gave them up in order that they would be judged according to their works or deeds apparently after the 1,000-year Christ kingdom (Rev 20:4, 13). As one can imagine majority of people on earth die as unsaved and will end up with hell after the common or first death for 1,000 or more years. Afterwards they will be sent to a place called 'lake of fire' or second death (Rev 20:14, 15). See item numbers 11 and 23 under the Theology menu for more information.
Born again (saved) people will receive so called spiritual body and receive back Holy Spirit or Ghost during rapture, that is, when they wake up from the grave (1Cor 15:35-38, 43, 44). The idea is that it is unthinkable that Holy Spirit shall be locked up in the grave while sleeping in the grave after the first or common death (Psa 16:10; Act 2:27, 31). See Psa 86:13; Mat 10:28. Unsaved people will receive spiritual body and devil spirit still present with them, and they will be sent to hell right after the first or common death on earth to suffer there for 1,000 or more years. See item number 7 under the Daily Devotion menu.
Holy Spirit was not given to men widely during OT as HE was during NT since Pentecost in Act 2:1-4. GOD gave HIM to certain people during OT but all saved people received HIM during NT (Joh 3:3).
Holy spirit was replacement of Jesus Christ and was called comforter. So all born again believers can rely on Holy Spirit to lead and to teach them as needs arise (Joh 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7). In other words, Israelites relied on prophets to know GOD'S will and to act accordingly during OT but born again believers can inquire Holy Spirit instead for the same reason during NT.
OT people sometimes heard the voice or instructions from angels but NT people do not need it because they can inquire Holy Spirit in their heart for the same purpose. This explains the reason why we do not need prophets or angels' instructions to tell us what and how to do nowadays simply because Holy Spirit in our hearts will do the same thing. Now we are talking about this Holy Spirit privilege for born again believers only obviously; unsaved people still have devil spirit with which they were born with. Maybe most born again believers do not take advantage of Holy Spirit by not inquiring HIM for different occasions but once they realize HIS assistance is available always and use HIS invaluable services, they will feel blessed certainly.
There is only one Holy Ghost as in Trinity (GOD the Father, Son Jesus, and Holy Ghost) but there are many devil spirits and one can possess more than one devil spirit (Mar 16:9; Luk 8:2). It seems the more devil spirits one possess, the worse he can be (Mar 5:9). Jesus healed many demon possessed men during HIS 3-year ministry on earth (Mat 4:24, 8:16).
Mt 8:16 When the even was come, they brought unto him many that were possessed with devils: and he cast out the spirits with his word, and healed all that were sick:
Mt 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mt 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Mt 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.
Surely there are as many people possessed with devil spirit nowadays, for example psychiatric patients in the hospital or elsewhere on earth as there were in Jesus time. Notice the plural word ‘devils' above. One can possess multiple devils or devil spirits while one can possess only one Holy Spirit since there is only one Holy Spirit or also called Holy Ghost. It is not clear how one can possess multiple devil spirits and why there is more than one devil spirit to begin with. See Mar 5:9, 16:9; Luk 8:2, 30.
They must be fallen angels who were cast out of heaven to earth along with Satan who is their master after Michael and his good angels overcame them in heaven (Rev 12:7-10). These fallen angels and Satan were tempting and vexing innocent men on earth ever since they were cast out of heaven (Rev 12:11, 12). Basically this explains who these many devil spirits are. A baby is born with a devil spirit since he inherits Adam’s sin, and he is a sinner naturally by birth (Rom 5:12, 17). So all unsaved people carry a devil spirit naturally.
If a man becomes a born again Christian during his life time, then he will receive Holy Spirit (Joh 3:3) and evil spirit shall leave from him. Obviously nobody can have both spirits together at the same time. Then after Jesus cast out these men's devil spirits as indicated in verses above and elsewhere in the NT, one can wonder what spirit is left in them since there is no third spirit beside devil spirit and Holy Spirit.
Maybe they still have inherent devil spirit which they acquired at birth. In other words Christ did not remove ALL devil spirits from men when HE healed them but rather HE just removed additional evil spirits acquired during one’s life time. A sinner would be without any evil spirit if Christ removed ALL evil spirits from him. Is it possible for a man to exist without either devil spirit(s) or Holy Ghost? In other words, is either spirit required all the time during a man’s life on earth? This is a very hard question.
Every human being is comprised of spirit, body, and soul fundamentally at minimum (1Th 5:23). And we see in the scripture where Christ cast out devil spirits from men, and there must be people with multiple evil spirits, who are sick mentally, nowadays. Spirit, either Holy or Devil, and soul make a man different from others living creatures on earth since they do not have them but just vitality or being alive.
A man’s spirit enables him to determine what is right or wrong, moral or immoral, and etc and leaves him after death whereas a man’s soul makes him intelligent and creative, and is his unique identity and it will stay with him to the second life either heaven or hell after death. Once all other creatures die on earth, their life is final and over.
The origin of devil spirits goes back to very ancient time (only GOD knows when) when there was a war in heaven between a good archangel Michael (and his angels) and presumably a bad archangel called Satan, Devil, great dragon, old serpent (and his subordinate angels). Understandably and predictably the bad angels were defeated and were cast out of heaven to earth afterwards. They were said to tempt and to torment innocent people on earth since then (Rev 12:7-11).
Satan and his devil spirits must be tempting and tormenting innocent people nowadays as they were during Bible time. It is not clear how effectively modern medicine can heal or expel them from affected people or whether people try to correct demon possessed men with prayer. Certainly Holy Ghost can expel them out on behalf of fervent and intercessory prayer. Jesus expelled them out from a affected man and woman by the power of Holy Ghost (Mar 5:8, 9, 13, 16:9).
GOD the Father controls devil spirit completely, that is, HE can give or take devil spirt(S) from a man or people. This assumption is based on the story of king Saul in the Old Testament. GOD was said to give or take away either spirit from him (1Sam 10:11, 12, 11:6, 16:14, 15, 19:20). The idea that GOD is above devil sprit (Satan) is definitely understatement and it is pathetic to even imagine differently or to doubt about it since nobody in heaven and earth can challenge our almighty Father who is the creator of heaven and earth, and no beginning and ending. Alleluia! Praise the LORD! Amen