Photo by Elia Pellegrini on UnsplashJJ writes: "I have a friend and practicing Catholic who has found healing from a medical medium. Even though the Church condemns mediumship, she believes that because she was healed, that it must be of God because Satan cannot heal. I haven't had any luck researching this on my own, but can Satan provide healing as part of his deception?"
Absolutely! Satan can and does appear to heal, but he cannot heal a person of any affliction that he did not cause in the first place. His so-called "healings" are due to either a person who is healed through the power of suggestion (much like the placebo effect) or through an illusion of some kind.
As Father Mike Driscoll writes in his book, Demons, Deliverance, and Discernment, Satan "has abilities not known to human. beings, and these abilities may fool people into thinking they [demons] perform miracles. Demons can also trick our senses, making us think we are seeing and hearing things that aren't really there."
There are also several physiological reasons why people believe themselves to have been healed such as an incorrect diagnosis, a fluctuation in the disease's cycle, etc. Satan is more than happy to cooperate with these circumstances to fool someone. The bottom line is that the devil has more than enough power to convince someone that they've been healed, even when they have not.
But don't take my word for it. Let's see what Scripture says - or doesn't say - on this subject.
First of all, nowhere in Scripture do we find evidence that Satan has the power or authority to heal. Therefore, because he is not capable of doing anything good, he cannot heal anyone, but, as I said, only appear to do so.
Next, let's look at Job 2:7 where we read "Satan went out from the presence of the Lord and inflicted loathsome sores on Job from the sole of his foot to the crown of his head." This tells us that sickness or injury can definitely originate from Satan if God allows it. Therefore, it follows that Satan would certainly be able to make a person feel better or even appear to be healed if he simply stopped inflicting the sickness on a person.
However, keep in mind that because he's incapable of doing anything good, he's not withdrawing the affliction because he wants to help the person. He's doing it because he wants to trick them into turning away from God and convincing them to rely on other powers such as those found in the occult and New Age "energy" for their needs. Remember, Jesus told us that Satan is a "murderer" and a "liar and the father of lies" (John 8:44). Satan always wants death and destruction, never healing and life.
As I mentioned, Satan is also a master of illusion. "For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2Corinthians 11:14).
There are ample warnings about this aspect of Satan in Scripture. "For false christs and false prophets will rise and show great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect” (Matt. 24:24), and “The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders” (2 Thess. 2:9).
The anti-Christ will mimic all the great miracles of Christ, such as walking on water, raising the dead, healing the sick, but these will all be lies.
Your friend is certainly right that Satan cannot heal, but that doesn't mean every alleged "healing" is from God. This is why we are so wisely taught to "test the spirits" (1John 4: 1-6).
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