Demons are fallen angels. In the beginning, God created angels and their purpose was to serve and worship Him. Sometime before the creation of the world, Satan’s rebellion occurred and one-third of the angels in heaven followed after him (Ezekiel 28:12-28; Revelation 12:4). Satan and the angels who followed him are now known as demons.
They gave up their rightful place of being angels when they disobeyed God. Satan’s sin was wanting to be God. He didn't want to worship and serve God—he wanted God to worship and serve him. This is why God removed Satan and the angels who followed him from heaven. The Lord tells us in the New Testament that Satan fell like lightning down to the earth (Luke 10:18).
Satan and his demons now roam the earth and try to cause problems for believers and unbelievers alike. There have been many falsehoods presented when referring to demons, but, as believers, we know they are not true. Despite movies, television shows, and books making demons out to be helpful or even misunderstood, this is not biblical. Demons and Satan are pure evil, and we don't need to underestimate them.
If you want to enrich your knowledge of the Bible, it is good to be equipped in knowing about demons. To do this, we must understand what demons are and what they are not.
Here are five lies surrounding demons:
Growing up, I was under the impression that angels lived in heaven and demons were stuck in hell. This is not true. Demons do not currently reside in hell, but we may wonder where they actually live. Satan and his demons live on the earth as well as in the spiritual realm (Revelation 12:7-9, 12). The Bible tells us that Satan and his demons enjoy masquerading in different forms (2 Corinthians 11:14). If we think about it, it is not too far-fetched to believe that Satan and his demons are trying to deceive humankind in any way they can.
While there is a huge emphasis on the idea that “there is life out there,” and people often refer to aliens or extraterrestrial life, it's not the sort of life nonbelievers are expecting. There are beings in another realm, but they aren't aliens—they are demons.
Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist who is credited with being one of the smartest men of this age. Hawking was not a Christian and actually completely rejected any idea of God; however, even he said that humankind should not try to make contact with outside life.
Whether scientists in the modern day agree with Hawking or not, they would be wise not to make contact with extraterrestrial life. Satan and his demons are not confined to hell, but rather they are in the earth and in the atmosphere.
Photo Credit: ©Max Kukurudziak/Unsplash
Another lie told in society is that Satan is the “king” of hell. This is an idea that has been popularized in many television shows, but he will certainly never be king of anything. To try to make Satan a king is to undermine Jesus and His kingship. Only Jesus is King and we need to serve Him only (Matthew 21:5).
Satan and his demons will meet their end in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). Never will Satan become king of this world or any other world. Despite Satan’s rebellion against God, he isn't stronger than God. God gave all of the angels free will when He created them, and, with this free will, they could choose to either follow Him or not. For those who chose to follow the devil, they will never reign with Christ ever again.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/rclassenlayouts
This leads us to our next point as demons can never turn “good.” They already made their decision to follow the ways of darkness. There is no returning from this road. Just as the angels who chose to remain with God will always stay by His side, so the angels who chose to follow Satan will always stay on the side of evil. Every angel has already been given their chance to either follow God or the devil.
The idea that demons can turn good goes against the very existence of biblical teachings that our decisions have eternal consequences. To say that demons could turn back good is the same as saying good angels could turn bad and choose to follow Satan in the present day. This is not true as the ways of the angels have already been chosen by themselves. Just as God gave us free will, He also gave His angels free will.
It is sad to know that all of God’s angels didn't remain loyal to Him, yet we do know that two-thirds of His angels are still fighting by His side. This would tell us that there are far more good angels than there are bad angels. Nonetheless, though evil might seem powerful, it is not more powerful than God Himself.
Photo Credit: ©Adam Wilson/Unsplash
A huge misnomer in the world is that demons are not real. Many religions and cults teach the idea that demons don't exist. This is not true as the Bible contains numerous accounts of demons. Both in the Old Testament and New Testament, we see the existence of demons (Matthew 8:29; Deuteronomy 32:17). Due to the post-postmodern world we live in today, many people want to reject anything supernatural.
While the supernatural can be scary, it does not mean it is not real. Moreover, just because we want something to not be real doesn't mean it's not real. Demons are real, and they are evil beings. If we ignore their existence or act as though they are not real, we will be more prone to their attacks.
We can fight against the devil and his demons by putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-18). How can we do this if we don't believe there is a reason to take up our spiritual armor? If there are no spiritual attacks and spiritual warfare isn't real, then why do we need to put on the full armor of God? As we can see, rejecting the idea of Satan and his demons will not leave us in a good place.
Nobody needs to become hyper-fixated on demons; however, we must not treat them as though they do not exist. There needs to be a healthy balance. Demons are real and they want us to fall. The only way we can fight against Satan and his demons’ attacks is to fight back with the full armor of God. Once we recognize the existence of demons and their evil purposes, we are more likely to dodge their attacks and point others to the true faith of believing in Jesus.
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Gun2becontinued
A fifth lie in the modern-day surrounding demons is that demon possession doesn't happen anymore. This is a lie because demon possession is still happening across the world. Although demon possession is not seen in the same way as it is in third-world countries, it is still present in first-world countries. Many third-world countries continue to experience demon possession in the same way the Bible recalls it.
However, in first-world countries, demons are more crafty. They are hidden in plain sight, such as in Hollywood, the evil practices of the world, and the obsession with ourselves. While they might not possess people in the traditional sense in first-world countries, they are distracting us from God. Demon possession is a scary topic, but if you are a believer, you are kept safe from having this ever happen to you.
God protects us, and He will keep us safe. If you are not a believer, know that you can place faith in Jesus today. He loves you and wants you to come to know Him. No longer do you have to spend your life in fear. You can place faith in Jesus and truly experience an abundant life (John 10:10).
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/RomoloTavani