The Sons of Sceva and Counterfeit New Age Authority

By Doreen Virtue
Author of From Counterfeit to Christ: A Handbook for Women Who Were Saved Out of Deception – Read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited:
https://a.co/d/5jDaJVr

Acts 19 records an episode where seven sons of a Jewish chief priest named Sceva attempted to cast out demons in the name of Jesus. Yet instead of gaining victory, they were humiliated, overpowered, and exposed because they misused the authority of Christ.

This story illustrates the danger of invoking the name of Jesus without genuine faith, true conversion, or submission to Him as Lord. In the same way, many in the New Age movement and in certain deliverance ministries today use biblical language while rejecting biblical truth — with disastrous consequences.

The Text From Acts 19

Luke records:

“Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims.’ Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?’ And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded” (Acts 19:13-16).

The sons of Sceva treated the name of Jesus as if it were a magical formula. They believed spiritual power could be accessed without repentance, without new birth, and without obedience to Christ. But demons recognize genuine authority—and they are not fooled by counterfeits.

The evil spirit acknowledged Jesus as Lord and Paul as His servant, yet the sons of Sceva were powerless impostors.

This event became known throughout Ephesus, leading to fear, reverence, and many people renouncing occult practices (Acts 19:17–19). God used the humiliation of these false exorcists to bring revival and to highlight the difference between counterfeit spirituality and the power of the Gospel.

The New Age Parallel, Invoking Without Believing

Similar to the sons of Sceva, the New Age movement uses biblical terms while rejecting biblical truth. New Agers speak about “Christ consciousness,” “love and light,” “ascension,” “angels,” or “the Spirit,” yet redefine these terms according to pagan or occult systems.

They may even encourage praying to “Jesus” — their reimagined, non-biblical Jesus — while blending His name with practices such as reiki, crystals, astrology, or channeling. They treat Jesus’ name as one power source among many rather than the only name under heaven by which we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

This is syncretism and spiritual deception. Jesus’ name cannot be invoked as a tool for self-empowerment. As in Acts 19, demons are not fooled by these attempts.

The Deliverance Ministry Connection

Certain deliverance ministries today fall into similar errors. They use Jesus’ name as though it were a formula, relying on theatrics, dramatic displays, or emotional manipulation. They treat spiritual warfare like a performance — often accompanied by shaking, screaming, or vomiting — and then pressure people for paid “deliverance sessions” or monthly “maintenance.”

Yet Scripture never teaches that Christians must chase demons out of other Christians. The Bible gives no example of a saved believer being indwelt by a demon. What we do see is that spiritual warfare is real — but it is external, not internal, for the believer.

True authority flows from salvation in Christ. We resist the devil not because of techniques, but because Christ has already triumphed over him (Colossians 2:15). The armor of God in Ephesians 6 is not a mystical ritual. It is a call to live in truth, righteousness, faith, the Gospel, Scripture, and prayer.

Where the New Age and Sons of Sceva Overlap

• Using spiritual language stripped of biblical meaning
• Believing that phrases like “in Jesus’ name” operate as power formulas
• Pursuing mystical or emotional experiences instead of submitting to Christ
• Attempting to exercise spiritual authority apart from salvation

Just as the sons of Sceva were humiliated and overpowered, so too are those who enter spiritual warfare without being in Christ.

The Only Safe Ground, True Union With Christ

The story of the sons of Sceva reminds us that spiritual authority cannot be faked, borrowed, or conjured. The New Age movement and unbiblical deliverance ministries repeat this same error whenever they invoke Jesus’ name apart from the Gospel.

The New Testament letters never instruct believers to command demons inside other Christians. Instead, God calls us to:

• Submit to God and resist the devil (James 4:7)
• Be sober-minded and alert (1 Peter 5:8)
• Not give the devil an opportunity (Ephesians 4:26–27)
• Put on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18)

Our hope, safety, and authority come only through the real Christ — the Christ revealed in Scripture, not the “Jesus” of New Age workshops.

May this biblical account lead us to deeper reverence for God, greater discernment, and a renewed love for the truth of His Word.

For more from Doreen please visit her page at Servants of Grace or at our YouTube.