What is the meaning of Acts 19:11-12?

[Amaryllismayfly]

Acts 19:11God did extraordinary miracles through Paul, 12so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and their illnesses were cured and the evil spirits left them.



My question is this....Previously when I have read this verse I took this as two separate healings that happened to people, healing and deliverance.

But my friend thinks that sentence should be read as one. As in their illness were healed and the evil spirits left them.


When I am sick is it because of an evil spirit? Why don't I get better when I rebuke the evil spirit? Am I reading too much into it?

 

[E.C.]

Illness and disease are both effects of the Fall of Man and are caused by evil and sin since due to the Fall, man's nature was... how you say... tarnished.

Yet I don't think that necessarily means that having the flu equates to sinning; however, having OCD would be living in sin.


Christ worked wonders and miracles. The fact that St. Paul can also do this is evidence of God being within us all (Holy Spirit) and since St. Paul was a great example of a man listening to and acting upon what the Holy Spirit said, God worked wonders and miracles through Paul as seen in these verses.

Having an illness and having a demon can be two different things. Being sick with leprosy and being the man with "legion" in him are two separate things. I see no reason as to why one, when a person healed, would still have an illness and/or demon after the fact.

I think you could be reading into this too much because we have immune systems to manage and if we do not do that correctly, than we fall ill.

 

[Amaryllismayfly]

thank you for your thoughts~

 

[Pistos Ergon]

Illnesses are not evil spirits, although the evil spirits are ill, in the spiritual sense of the word.