(Mark 5:1-5) And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.

(1 Cor 10:13) There hath no temptation [Gk: test, trial: examination] taken you [including demonic possession which is never complete in man] but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer [Gk: permit] you to be tempted above that ye are able [to bear it]; but [God] will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it .

 

(Mark 5:6-10) But when he [the man] saw Jesus afar off, he [the man in ascendency] ran and worshipped him [Jesus], And [Legion] cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure [Gk: charge] thee by God, that thou torment me not [for God hath us "reserved unto judgment]. For he [Jesus] said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he [Jesus] asked him [the unclean spirit], What is thy name? And he [the unclean spirit] answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he [the unclean spirit] besought him [Jesus] much that he would not send them away out of the country.

worshipped = Gk: (meaning to kiss, like a dog licking his master’s hand); to fawn or crouch to, (lit. or fig.) prostrate oneself in homage (do reverence to, adore): - worship.

(2 Pet 2:4) For if God spared not the [fallen] angels that sinned [Gen 6:1,2], but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;

(Luke 8:31) And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep [Gk: depthless, (specifically) (infernal) "abyss": - deep, bottomless pit] [to await judgment].

 

(Mark 5:11-13) Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine [Gk: hogs] [pigs, unclean animals] feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us [Gk: dispatch: thrust us] into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave [Gk: allowed: permitted, suffered]. And the unclean spirits went out [of the man], and entered into [Mark 4:19] the swine: and the herd ran violently [Gk: spurred on or urged on] down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were choked [Gk: throttled or strangled (drowned): taken by the throat] in the sea.

Commentary: Would the devils have been able to enter into "clean animals"? How about if the herd of swine had been a flock of sheep? A "clean" animal was one that both divided the hoof and chewed the cud (Lev 11:1-47). Only "clean" animals were sacrificed unto the LORD in the tabernacle. Jesus Christ is the Lamb of God.

Wilson’s Dictionary of Bible Types: A divided hoof represents a divided walk. It indicates that the person has left the broad road, the path of sin, and is now walking on the narrow road with God, and among God’s people. This reveals the fact that he has been made clean in his walk, and if he "chews the cud" (Lev 11:3) it indicates that his talk is also clean. The animal which had both the divided hoof and chewed the cud was a picture of the believer whose walk and talk are Scriptural.

a. Commentary: Perhaps a bit more acutely, a divided hoof represents our dual walk of spirit and soul, a hoof that separates good from evil (but both still with us) as the hoof presses upon and impacts the world sometimes in a good way and sometimes in an evil way. Chewing the cud represents meditation (syn: rumination) upon the Word of God. Thereby, we who are born-again, imputed for righteousness, are made "clean." In a related note, the primary Hebrew meaning in the Bible of Jerusalem is "dual."

(Mark 4:19) And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful

(Mark 4:19) And the cares of this world [thoughts (strong holds – clusters of thoughts)], and the deceitfulness of riches [thoughts (strong holds – clusters of thoughts)], and the lusts of other things [thoughts (strong holds – clusters of thoughts)] entering in [as into the swine: Mark 5:12,13: fallen angels, demons, devils, unclean spirits], choke [Gk: throttle or strangle: take by the throat] the word [i.e., prevent (block) the logos "seed" from receiving the "water by the (rhema) word" Eph 5:26], and it becometh unfruitful [Gk: barren: without fruit].

Commentary: Symbolically, the herd of swine represent unclean (unsaved) men, and thus the fate of the swine is a type and shadow of the destiny of all unsaved men. Earthly animals have not been provided "a way to escape," but also, they are not in jeopardy of eternal hell-fire and damnation like man is.

Commentary: The illustrated action of the possessed swine appears to be mass suicide, but it is actually mass murder orchestrated by the devils. The possessed swine, suddenly running violently (a forced run) down into the sea to their death were irresistibly motivated by the fallen angels manifesting their fallen nature, the consequences of which were that the fallen angels would immediately thereafter be compelled either to find a new host with the host-options getting much slimmer and slimmer (fish, insects, worms), or to be cast into the abyss "to be reserved unto judgment," neither of those two choices being in any way favorable. Nevertheless, the fallen angels could not resist urging the swine to their death. It would seem then that the fallen angels are themselves possessed, driven by the thoughts of Satan.

 

(Mark 5:14-20) And they that fed the swine [the swine-herders] fled, and told it in the city, and in the country. And they [the unsaved citizens] went out to see what it was that was done. And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind [like the prodigal son "when he came to himself" (Luke 15:17)]: and they were afraid [i.e., the devils, fallen angels dwelling inside them were afraid, just as Legion was afraid]. And they that saw it told them how it befell to him that was possessed with the devil, and also concerning the swine. And they began to pray him [plead with Jesus] to depart out of their coasts. And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him [Jesus] that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he [the regenerat-ing man, now in this right mind] departed, and began to publish [Gk: to herald (as a public crier), especially divine truth (the gospel): - preach, proclaim] in Decapolis [a geographical grouping of ten cities] how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

Amen