Every bible reader must have come across the word legion in the bible.

The only appearance of legion in the bible was when Jesus dealt with the Gerasene/Gadareme demoniac in Luke 8:26-39 and Mark 5:1-20.

But what is the meaning of legion and what are the manifestations of the spirit of legion?

In their book “Blood on the Doorposts, William and Sharon Schnoebelen highlighted some of the ways in which this spirit manifests.

 Actually, Legion is just another “punk” of a demon. Compared to the power of the blood of Jesus, he is less than a fly speck. However, because he is not well known or understood, he can cause some problems. 

It has been our experience that Legion is usually present as a strongman when the person suffered a sexual abuse or defilement as a child. 

This means that virtually all SRA survivors have a “Legion problem.” This is where things can get confusing. It is Legion’s nature to be many different “genres” of demons rolled into one. 

In other words, although Legion has some distinctive traits, he can manifest as any other strongman in the Bible! This means he can put out a multitude of different “faces” to obscure and cloud the prayer session.

 Legion can produce some very paradoxical behavior in the person he inhabits. These two facts can often create a purely demonic problem which is a precise “look — alike” for MPD. 

People who are afflicted with Legion tend to be either: 

• Extremely compulsive in their behavior, very neat, tidy, totally into cleanliness, concerned with logic and precision in every aspect of life, and are perfectionistic. They often suffer from Anorexia or Bulimia, tend to write in an uncharacteristic blocky, precise almost machine-like hand and are excessively fearful of germs, infections… OR

 • They are obsessed with decay and like to be around the smell of garbage or decayed flesh (i.e. cemeteries). They often feel compelled to perform bathroom duties outside in nature and may even wallow in or consume animal or human waste. They may manifest both of these extremes at different times, or only one. Similarly, Legion can cause people to be: 

• Flagrant in their nudity, exhibitionism and pre-occupation with sex, homosexuality, sex perversions and adultery. Often, if they are attractive enough, adults with Legion end up full-time in the pornography industry, … OR

 • Modest and prudish in the extreme. They are reclusive, rigid and very controlled, fearful to shower in front of members of their own sex (as in physical education or health clubs), unable to enjoy sex even with their spouse and often will not even undress in front of their partner. Legion also manifests often in these ways: 

• Serious insomnia. 

• Superhuman strength. 

• Self-destructive behaviors (as with a deaf and dumb spirit), mutilation of self, suicide. 

• Hearing many different voices in their head. 

These are extreme cases, and if the person is a Christian, obviously Legion’s power to draw them into many of these “less acceptable” behaviors is curtailed by the presence of the Holy Spirit. 

In such cases, usually the more perfectionistic and prudish side of Legion is allowed to manifest by the person, since such behavior is tolerated — even appreciated — within Christian circles.

The person will fight, with the Holy Spirit’s powerful help, their compulsions toward either sexual sin or scatological behavior.

 Because of the chameleon-like nature of Legion, it is wiser to assume that Legion is present if the person alleges to have been sexually or ritually abused. 

It is important to be gentle in discussing the demonic with any person who comes for prayer, but it is especially true when bringing up Legion, because his “reputation” as a “major league” imp precedes him, and we need to reassure the person that Jesus is more than able to deal with Legion. 

Thus, depending on the history of the person and their reported symptoms, it is possible that an SRA survivor who brings MPD symptoms to the prayer session may well have both Legion and numerous other strongmen infesting them.

Note: These are some of the ways in which legion spirit manifests, but it should not be taken as a final authority to decide who has has a legion spirit and who does not. The help of the Holy Spirit should be sought for discernment of spirits, and His power should be sought for the libration of victims of demonic manifestations and oppressions.