What happens when an unclean spirit leaves a body?

According to the bible, Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus says, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 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. 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."

First, where are these dry places Jesus talks about? Why are they dry places and not wet or fiery or snowy places?

If the unclean spirit will eventually return to the house that he left, why doesn't he just hang around instead of going walking in dry places?

Next, he goes off and finds seven other spirits more wicked than himself. Hmmmmm. Seven? I thought that was a good number. Not this time it seems. But why seven? Why not six, or eight? What happens if he can't find any unclean spirits more wicked than himself, what if he was the most wicked of them all? Is he just out of luck? Why would seven spirits want to reside in one body? Wouldn't they be better finding their own body to reside in?

Finally, how does a spirit walk in and out of a person's body? What is a spirit now that I think of it?

A spirit considered unclean by whom?
I know, you're speaking of 'demons'. Consider that nature wastes nothing. A spirit unclean will eventually be purified by whatever means called for. Where does it go upon being expelled from a human body, well, where ever it can. Usually like calls to like, and logic would dictate it would find some other temporary abode close by. Seen the movie "The Rite"? I think that they may have gotten the logic of that situation as close as possible, even though Baal is too large a being to be bothered with possessions.
While possession is something that does happen from time to time, I think that most demons are put off by how far most humans have fallen themselves. After all, they would only be trading in a hell that they know for a hell that the subject is already in.

Originally posted by Hydroman
According to the bible, Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus says, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 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. 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."

First, where are these dry places Jesus talks about? Why are they dry places and not wet or fiery or snowy places?

If the unclean spirit will eventually return to the house that he left, why doesn't he just hang around instead of going walking in dry places?

Next, he goes off and finds seven other spirits more wicked than himself. Hmmmmm. Seven? I thought that was a good number. Not this time it seems. But why seven? Why not six, or eight? What happens if he can't find any unclean spirits more wicked than himself, what if he was the most wicked of them all? Is he just out of luck? Why would seven spirits want to reside in one body? Wouldn't they be better finding their own body to reside in?

Finally, how does a spirit walk in and out of a person's body? What is a spirit now that I think of it?

edit on 30-11-2011 by Hydroman because: (no reason given)

The dry places represent thrist... Jesus called his lessons "drink indeed", these lessons were represented by his flesh and blood.

54Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day.

55For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.

56He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.
...........................

understanding his lessons will quench this thirst...

13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
............................

The unclean spirit returns to where he came from, and finds there is no place for him/her.... this enrages that spirit and drives it deeper into his/her dispair. The seven spirits that he takes with him would be the seven deadly sins i would assume... which consume this spirit.

Within his next incarnation he will take these virtues with him... which will as he said, make him worse then he was originally.

Just my inturpretation...

reply to post by Hydroman

Next, he goes off and finds seven other spirits more wicked than himself. Hmmmmm. Seven? I thought that was a good number. Not this time it seems. But why seven? Why not six, or eight?

Jesus wanted to bring out a concept of people having worth, where society had some people being worth more and others, less. On top were the rulers, the merchants, aristocracy, priests, scribes, and down on the bottom were the demoniacs. They were considered pretty worthless but not the worst, and likely there were at the time of Jesus, seven levels lower one could go from being an ordinary demoniac. A leper, that would be worse, a thief, where stealing things is more harmful than just being crazy. Even an epileptic would have been considered to be worse off than a demoniac. Somehow, a bandit is worse than an ordinary thief, probably because there is at least an implied threat of violence thrown in. Prostitutes were considered the worse and was used as an accusation against Jesus, that he associated with them. There were probably at least two levels of prostitutes, where some were classier or something. However you divide it up, you end up with seven worse things one could be than simply demon possessed.

Originally posted by Hydroman
According to the bible, Matthew 12:43-45, Jesus says, "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 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. 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."

First, where are these dry places Jesus talks about? Why are they dry places and not wet or fiery or snowy places?

If the unclean spirit will eventually return to the house that he left, why doesn't he just hang around instead of going walking in dry places?

Next, he goes off and finds seven other spirits more wicked than himself. Hmmmmm. Seven? I thought that was a good number. Not this time it seems. But why seven? Why not six, or eight? What happens if he can't find any unclean spirits more wicked than himself, what if he was the most wicked of them all? Is he just out of luck? Why would seven spirits want to reside in one body? Wouldn't they be better finding their own body to reside in?

Finally, how does a spirit walk in and out of a person's body? What is a spirit now that I think of it?

edit on 30-11-2011 by Hydroman because: (no reason given)

Spirit is consciousness.

Read the verses above the ones you quote:

“When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order.

Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with this wicked generation.”

Jesus was referring to the generation on earth when he came the first time. The spirit he found among the pharisees was wicked and not bearing fruit. The fig tree was unproductive. Man's consciousness was not willing to bear even one evil spirit. Now go to the verse above these.

39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41 The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here.

Jesus said that if they destroy this temple, he will raise it again in three days. The temple was the savior who came to save mankind. Destroy Christ and he will come again on the third day. A day is 1000 years. The third day is the raising of the temple and the restoration of mankind. The new order follows.

The dry place is a period of time when the house is set in order. After this, the spirit that was exercised from the world will return. The final battle will be the undoing of all the spirits.

Revelation 20

7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

reply to post by Hydroman


I can only offer speculation with regard to unclean spirits...

how does a spirit walk in and out of a person's body?

My guess is that unclean spirits are like spiritual parasites that use human bodies as a host.
While I wouldn't know the phsyics behind unclean spirits entering and residing inside the human body, I assume the human body is capable of holding more than one soul or spirit.

If the unclean spirit will eventually return to the house that he left, why doesn't he just hang around instead of going walking in dry places?

Perhaps these spirits might choose to leave its host just to go out for a stroll, because it knows it can always return.

Next, he goes off and finds seven other spirits more wicked than himself. Hmmmmm. Seven? I thought that was a good number. Not this time it seems. But why seven? Why not six, or eight?

Maybe "seven" just means several more. Need not be exactly seven. Can be six or eight or whatever.
Kind of like how people say "I have a million things to do". It does not mean that the person literally has 1 million things to do.