Christian Beliefs in Demons
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What are Demons?
In Christian belief, angels were created good but were endowed with free will just as humans were. Some of them rebelled against God, were banished from heaven, and became demons. The English word "demon" comes from the Greek daemon (δαίμων), which originally referred to any spirit but came to be associated with only evil spirits.
In Christian teaching, the leader of the rebellious angels was Satan, who has became humanity's chief adversary. He is identified with the serpent who tempts Adam and Eve in Genesis.
(See ReligionFacts article on The Devil/Satan.)
What are Demons like?
The character of demons
The Bible teaches that demons are evil and fallen. They are evil in that they oppose God who is good and love and they are fallen in that they once held a more lofty position yet were punished due to their rebellion.
- Job 4:18, "Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly." (KJV)
- Matthew 25:41, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels." (KJV)
- 2 Peter 2:4, "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." (KJV)
- Jude 1:6, "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." (KJV)
- Revelation 9:11, "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon." (KJV)
- Revelation 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." (KJV)
The Bible also teaches that demons believe in God, not in a sense that they are granted salvation because that is an impossibility according to Christian theology, but that they acknowledge God's existence.
- Matthew 8:29, "And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?" (KJV)
- Mark 1:23, "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, 24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God." (KJV)
- James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble." (KJV)
The activity of demons
In biblical teachings, demons are servants of Satan, so their purposes and agendas overlap.
- Matthew 25:41, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
- Revelation 12:7-9 (see above)
- Matthew 12:22-26, "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw. 23 And all the people were amazed, and said, Is not this the son of David? 24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils. 25 And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: 26 And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?"
Demons are naturally without physicality, yet at least some have the ability to influence a person to an extent that they can control a person's body.
- Mark 5:1-13; Luke 11:2-26
Demons can cause physical and mental anguish, yet Christian theology doesn't teach that demons are always, or even most of the time, responsible for such trials.
- Matthew 9:32-33, "As they went out, behold, they brought to him a dumb man possessed with a devil.
33 And when the devil was cast out, the dumb spake: and the multitudes marvelled, saying, It was never so seen in Israel."
- Matthew 12:22, "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a devil, blind, and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw."
- Mark 5:4-5, "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.
5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones."
- Luke 8:35, "Then they went out to see what was done; and came to Jesus, and found the man, out of whom the devils were departed, sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid."
(see also Luke 9:37-42, cf. 2 Cor. 12:7)
The Bible says that demons also...
- Tempt people toward immorality (Matthew 4:1-11)
- Disseminate false doctrine (2 Thess. 2:2; 1 Tim. 4:1; 1 John 4:1-3; cf. 2 Cor. 11:14-15)
- Oppose the life and ministry of believers (Rom. 8:38-39; Eph 6:12)
- Encourage idolatry (1 Cor. 10:20; Rev. 9:20; cf. 2 Thess 2:3, 4, 9).
- Influence human governments (Dan. 10:13-20; Eph. 6:12).
- Work in opposition to unfallen angels (Dan. 10:12-13).
What is the fate of demons?
The Bible teaches that the existence and activity of demons will continue until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In fact it suggests that demonic activity may increase up to, and during, that time.
The fate of demons has already been decided according to the Bible. Their irreversible sentence unto eternal punishment was sealed when Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead three days later, forever defeating sin, Satan, and demons. Although Satan and demons have been "sentenced" they have not yet been "locked up." That part of their punishment will come at the end of time.
The ultimate destiny of all fallen angels is the lake of fire:
- Matthew 25:41, "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."
According to Christian demonology demons will be eternally punished and never reconciled with God, as it is mentioned in the Bible. Other theories alleging the reconciliation of Satan, the fallen angels, the souls of the dead that were condemned to Hell, and God are not part of Christian demonology or literal scripture but the theory of the Unification Church. Origen, Jerome and Gregory of Nyssa mentioned this possibility before it was generally accepted that the fallen state is eternal.
More information
Sources
- Satan and Demons - Catholic Encyclopedia
- The Bible
