Luke 8:31-35
Luke 8:31 (KJB)
And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep.
The devils probably had in their mind that Jesus was now going to sentence them
to eternal damnation and that is why they requested that they not be sent away
out of the country. It may also be that the devils prefer to inhabit places
which are desolate and uncivilized, so the tombs would have been the place where
they desired to stay and they hoped Jesus would grant it.
Luke 8:32 (KJB)
And there was there an herd of many swine feeding on the mountain: and they
besought him that he would suffer them to enter into them. And he suffered them.
There was a great number of swine, which Mark 5:13, states at about two
thousand. (Mark 5:13 KJV) And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the
unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently
down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked
in the sea. In the area where they were, were Gentiles so the owners may
have been Gentiles because pigs were an unclean animal under the law and no Jew
would own pigs. (Lev 11:7 KJV) And the swine, though he divide the hoof, and
be clovenfooted, yet he cheweth not the cud; he is unclean to you.
The devils knew that one day they were going to suffer eternal damnation for
their rebellion against God the Father and God the Son. Here they ask Jesus that
if it is not their time yet to begin to suffer to allow them to go into the herd
of swine which was nearby. This shows that even the kingdom of Satan is subject
to the Lord Jesus Christ because they are not allowed to go anywhere they
desire. Thy must ask permission to go into the swine. They apparently knew that
Jesus would not allow them to possess anyone else, so they knew it was either
the bottomless pit or the herd of swine which were unclean under the law. The
Lord Jesus had the power to commit them unto the bottomless pit until the last
day when they would be cast into the lake of fire. (Rev 9:11 KJV) And they
had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in
the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon.
Luke 8:33 (KJB)
Then went the devils out of the man, and entered into the swine: and the herd
ran violently down a steep place into the lake, and were choked.
Just as God did to Satan in the case of Job, the Lord Jesus Christ gave them
leave to go into the herd of swine. The unclean into the unclean. The Sea of
Galilee is about 700 feet (213 meters) below sea level but the hills in the area
of Decapolis rise to a height of about 1000 feet (304 meters). So when the
devils went into the herd of swine, they went crazy and started to run violently
toward the cliffs. Then they all went over the cliff, one following another,
right into the Sea of Galilee and perished. This gives a little insight as to
the last day. The unsaved who are the unclean before God will also perish with
the kingdom of Satan in Hell. These swine going down the cliff is a picture of
the final judgment. If these swine were owned by Jews, they were in violation of
God’s law and even if they were owned by Gentiles, they still did not belong in
that area because it was part of the land which God gave Israel. As for the
devils, they may have ended up in the bottomless pit anyway after the pigs died
because they lost their host.
Luke 8:34 (KJB)
When they that fed them saw what was done, they fled, and went and told it in
the city and in the country.
As soon as the swine had perished from off the cliff, the herdsmen had
immediately gone into the city to notify the owners of the herd and to tell them
about what happened to the devil possessed man who would have been their best
guard because no one would dare try to steal any of the swine while the devil
possessed man was living there. They not only lost their herds but they also
lost their best security guard.
Luke 8:35 (KJB)
Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man,
out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and
in his right mind: and they were afraid.
They saw the delivered man sitting clothed and in his right mind. They were all
still probably frightened of him knowing his history but now they are seeing him
in a different light. His deliverance was complete and would never have to worry
about being possessed again. Instead of these people seeing this as a great
miracle of deliverance, they completely focused on the loss of the pigs and not
the fact that Jesus showed great authority over the kingdom of Satan.