Other Spiritual Beings Who Do NOT Serve God

Review We have looked at spiritual beings who serve God  Angels, cherubim, seraphim, etc We looked at the choice made by any created being who chooses not to do good (evil) We looked at Satan as the first and foremost spiritual being who chose evil Now we will look at other spiritual beings who have also chosen evil

Fallen angels When discussing Satan, we pointed out there is no scripture that calls him a fallen angel  He is fallen (but Ezekiel may indicate he is a fallen cherub)  Though he can appear as an angel of light – a part of his method of deception (2 Cor 11:14) But there are angels who have chosen evil  2 Pet 2:4; Jude 6 Angels who sin are bound to await no judgment  Not Satan or any of the other beings we will discuss  They have no hope, no forgiveness, no Savior They made their choice with full knowledge of God

Satan's angels Only mentioned once in this way  Rev 12:9 The word angelos means messenger Satan's angels are his messengers  Can't be the fallen messengers of God (who are kept chained awaiting judgment)  But any being who carries Satan's message (by word or deed) can rightly be called his angel

Demons Terminology in Old Testament  Hebrew, sed, only twice – translated as demon Dt 32:17 - a being worshipped as god, but not a god Ps 106:37 – a being worshipped with human sacrifice  Hebrew, sa'iyr, - hairy, shaggy, goat – 2x translated demon (more often (50x) just used of goats) and 2x used to describe Esau as “hairy” May explain some depictions of demons as hairy May have simply been a derogatory term like dog or pig Lev 17:7 – Israel commanded not to worship them 2 Chr 11:15 – connected to worship of idols (including golden calves)

Demons Terminology in New Testament  Greek, daimon, and several variations of the same root- word (78x in NT) The English is only a transliteration of the Greek  Mt 8:16 – spiritual beings that could possess humans and could be cast out  Mt 8:28-32 – recognize the identity, power, and ultimate victory of Jesus Could possess pigs, though it resulted in their self- destruction  1 Cor 10:19-21 – the ones worshipped in all idolatry  Mt 12:24-29 – ruled by Satan Their being cast out was a sign of the kingdom of God

Unclean spirits Not a different set of beings, just another way to describe demons  The word “spirit” is neutral, refers to good spiritual beings, man's spirit, man's breath, the wind, the Holy Spirit, and to unclean spirits So “unclean” is there to identify the spiritual beings who do not serve God  Often found in parallel passages of demon-possession

Demons / unclean spirits What did we learn?  In OT times, demons only associated with idolatry Worshipping anything other than God is worship of demons Same true in NT and modern times  Demon-possession arrives at about the same time as Christ coming Jesus points out the reason was that the power to cast out demons was a certain sign of the Messianic kingdom  The Christ had to show He had power over Satan and his minions  If it was a prophetic sign, where was it prophesied?

Isaiah 49 In the middle of a series of Messianic prophecies often called “the Servant Songs” (Isa 42-53) Isa 49:24-25  Seems to be what Jesus was referring to in Mt 12:29  One of many signs that the Messiah had come

Putting things together We found out in our last lesson that Satan had no power to affect man directly without God's permission (Job 1 & 2)  It stands to reason that Satan and his demons were permitted for a time around the coming of Christ, to possess people directly The time was limited (Mt 8:29)  Not told what the limit was, but it was not going to continue indefinitely Is there any indication how long there would be demon-possession?

Related items Zech 13:1-3  “In that day” - Zech 12:10 (after they “look on Me whom they pierced”) So after Christ's death on the cross, and a fountain opened for forgiveness of sins (after Acts 2)  Time of unclean spirits limited to the same time as prophets 1 Cor 13:8-10 – prophecy and all spiritual gifts were temporary until “that which is perfect has come”  Heb 2:1-4 – the gifts confirmed the word  James 1:25 – Christ's law is perfect

Demon-possession Would end when prophecy ended  After Christ had come and forgiveness available Prophecy (and all other gifts) would end when that which is perfect had come That which is perfect is the law of Christ  Which was given by prophecy and confirmed by the gifts Once the word was delivered, the gifts died out and demon-possession ceased Modern “demon-possession” is either a fraud or a psychiatric disorder

Conclusion Demons are spiritual beings who fell with Satan  Not angels, but some other spiritual being  They serve as Satan's angels (messengers)  As his servants they have no powers not available to Satan They can lie, deceive, tempt, but not force They work upon your own desires If you resist, they will flee (James 4:7)