and now, they cried out and said, “What is there between you and us, Jesus, Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
In this passage, the evil spirits possessing the demon-possessed men recognize Jesus as the Son of God. They are aware of his divine power and understand that their torment is unavoidable. The phrase “before the time” shows that the evil spirits knew that a time would come when they would have to be condemned and tormented, but they assumed that time had not yet arrived. Their fear and their recognition of Jesus highlight his supreme authority over evil powers. The evil spirits understand that Jesus can affect their destiny, and these words also testify that Jesus came to defeat evil and establish the kingdom of God.