PANIC PODCAST

Series – Ask the Pastor

What about demons?

What the Bible Says About Demons?

 Introduction.  The Bible takes the reality of demons seriously.  From Genesis to Revelation, Scripture reveals an invisible spiritual conflict that affects every human being.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.  (Ephesians 6:12 | TNIV)

Paul also warned believers in 2 Corinthians 2:11 not to be “outwitted by Satan” because “we are not ignorant of his designs.”

We should never become obsessed with demons or demonology, but we all need a proper understanding of them.  Jesus confronted demons openly, commissioned His disciples to cast them out, and warned that the last days would see increased demonic activity.  This study will follow the Biblical data to examine the nature and activity of demons, the phenomenon of demon possession, and the believer’s defense against demonic power.  Every point rests of Scripture, not speculation or sensationalism.  I hope that by the end, we will emerge better equipped to “stand firm,” as Paul wrote, in the victory already won by Christ at Calvary.

The nature and activity of demons.

Demons are not omnipresent.

Only God is omnipresent – present everywhere at once in His infinite Being.

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? [8] If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. [9] If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, [10] even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.  (Psalm 139:7 – 10 | TNIV)

Demons aren’t omnipresent, although they give the appearance they are because of their sheer number and the fact that they are not limited by space or time.  Scripture never portrays a single demon as being in all places simultaneously, yet the collective activity of demonic forces creates a pervasive influence across the earth.

In the Old Testament, demonic entities operated behind the idolatry of every nation.  Deuteronomy 32:17 tells us that the Israelites “sacrificed to demons that were not gods.”  Paul wrote something similar in 1 Corinthians 10:20 –

No, but the sacrifices of pagans are offered to demons, not to God, and I do not want you to be participants with demons.  (1 Corinthians 10:20 | TNIV)

Wherever pagan worship took place – whether in Egypt, Canaan, Greece, or Rome – demonic spirits were actively at work.  Jesus encountered demonized people in Galilee, Judea, the Decapolis, and even among the Gentiles.  The frequency and geographic spread of these encounters suggest that demonic forces were not confined to one locale.

A single demoniac in Mark 5:9 was possessed by a “legion” of demons – about 6,000!  With multiplied thousands of such spirits operating under Satan’s command, their presence can be felt simultaneously in countless locations.  We are told that Satan himself “prowls around like a roaring lion” in 1 Peter 5:8, and his servants are doing the same thing.

So, demons aren’t omnipresent, they are effectively ubiquitous in their operations, requiring Christians everywhere to remain vigilant.

They promote a system of doctrine.

Demons are not only active; they are teachers.  They systematically propagate false doctrines to lead people away from the truth of God’s Word.  The apostle Paul explicitly names this danger in 1 Timothy 4:1 –

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.  (1 Timothy 4:1 | TNIV)

These “things taught be demons” form a coherent counterfeit system designed to mimic and pervert Biblical truth.

There are many examples in the Bible.  In the Garden of Eden, the serpent – identified as Satan in Revelation 12:9 – promoted the doctrine that God was withholding something good and that humans could become like God by their disobedience, Genesis 3:1 – 5.  In the lonesome wilderness, Satan came and twisted Scripture in order to tempt Jesus (Matthew 4:1 – 11).  Through false prophets and teachers, demons continue this work today.

For such persons are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. [14] And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. [15] It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.  (2 Corinthians 11:13 – 15 | TNIV)

The “doctrines of demons” Paul, John, and the apostles fought against included things like forbidding marriage, demanding abstinence from foods God created to be received with thanksgiving, and any teaching that denied the deity, humanity, or atoning work of Christ.

Idolatry itself is demonic doctrine.  1 Corinthians 10:19 – 21 equates idol feasts with fellowship with demons.  Every false religion, every cult, and every new age spirituality that denies the Gospel is part of this satanic curriculum.  The goal is always the same:  To keep souls from the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

They are agents of destruction, particularly of the bodies and souls of people.

Demons delight in ruin.  Their destructive work targets both the physical body and the eternal soul.  The Gospels record numerous cases where demons caused physical torment.  The man living among the tombs in Mark 5 was driven to self-mutilation, crying out and cutting himself with stones.  A father brought his son to Jesus, describing how a demon “seizes him, and he suddenly cries out; it convulses him so that he foams and shatters him, and will hardly leave him” (Mark 8:39).  Other demons causes muteness, deafness, blindness, and crippling (Matthew 9:32, 33; 12:22; Luke 13:11 – 16).  Jesus never once attributed these conditions (the ones noted) to natural causes when demons were involved; He cast the demons out and the symptoms vanished.

Beyond the body, demons seek the destruction of the soul.  2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us that “the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ.”  Satan and his demons actively prevent repentance and faith.  They actually snatch away the seed of the Word sown in a person’s heart (Matthew 13:19).  Ultimately, their work leads people toward eternal judgment.  Revelation 20:10, 14, 15 describe the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels, yet those who follow demonic doctrine will share their fate.

Even believers can suffer physical affliction if permitted by God for His good purposes (Job 1, 2; 2 Corinthians 12:7), but the intent of demons remains destructive.  Jesus summarized their mission in John 10:10 –

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.  (John 10:10 | TNIV)

 They are promoters of delusion.

 Demons specialize in deception.

The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, [10] and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. [11] For this reason God sends them a powerful delusion so that they will believe the lie.  (2 Thessalonians 2:9 – 11 | TNIV)

In Revelation 16:13, 14, we are told of “unclean spirits, like frog” that are “demonic spirits performing signs” to gather the kings of the earth for battle against God.

False miracles, counterfeit spiritual experiences, and deceptive doctrines all serve to delude.  The serpent’s question in Genesis 3 – “Did God actually say?” – was the first act of demonic gaslighting.  Today, the same spirit works through mediums, psychics, channeled messages, and “signs and wonders” movements that bypass the sufficiency of Scripture.

Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 | TNIV)

 The phenomenon of demon possession.

 Believers can’t be possessed by demons because they belong to God, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

The New Testament draws a clear line:  A true believer cannot be possessed by a demon.  Possession implies ownership and control of the inner sanctuary of a person’s being.  That sanctuary belongs exclusively to the Holy Spirit.  1 Corinthians 6:19 and 20 asks, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?  You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.”  The Greek word for “temple,” “naos,” refers to the inner sanctum where the very presence of God dwells.  No demon can ever share that space with the Holy Spirit!

2 Corinthians 6:14 – 16 reinforces the impossibility:  “What partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness?  For we are the temple of the living God.”  Light and darkness can’t coexist in the same space.  When we are born again, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us.  Demons may oppress, harass, or tempt a believer from the outside, but cannot indwell and control a believer from the inside.  The blood of Christ has purchased the believer – Satan has no legal claim.

A believer may be delivered to Satan for a time, 1 Corinthians 5:5.

Although possession is impossible, discipline involving satanic activity is sometimes permitted.  In the case of the incestuous man in the Corinthian church, Paul gave the specific instructions:

[H]and this man over to Satan for the destruction of the sinful nature so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.  (1 Corinthians 5:5 | TNIV)

The same language is found in 1 Timothy 1:20 regarding Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom Paul “handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

This is not possession; it’s the removal of the protective umbrella of church fellowship and the deliberate exposure of the offender to the consequences of living in the devil’s domain.  The goal is restorative:  The destruction of the flesh (sinful behavior) so the spirit may be saved.  God sovereignly uses even demonic forces to chasten His children when necessary.  The believer remains owned by God; the experience is temporary and redemptive, never permanent or destructive of salvation.

The defense against demon power.

It’s never wise for Christians to dabble in or flirt with the occult on a superficial or entertainment level, Deuteronomy 18:10, 11.

God’s people are forbidden from any involvement with the occult.  Deuteronomy 18:10, 11 lists the practices God hates:  child sacrifice, divination, fortune telling, sorcery, trafficking with spirits, and seeking the dead (séances).  These activities, even when packaged as harmless entertainment – Ouijha boards, tarot cards, astrology apps, horror movies that glorify the demonic, and the like – can actually open the door to demonic influence.

The reason is simple:  These practices invite demons to speak and act.  1 Corinthians 10:20 warns that behind every idol is a demon.  What begins as curiosity becomes captivity.

Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.  (Ephesians 5:11 | TNIV)

The safest course is total abstinence.  Parents should guard their children’s entertainment.  Believers should never attend séances, consult horoscopes, or engage in yoga that incorporates Hindu mantras.  The line is clear:  If it belongs to the occult, it doesn’t belong in the Christian’s life.

Note what Paul said in Ephesians 4:26, 27.

Paul gives a practical, daily defense in Ephesians 4:26, 27 –

“In your anger do not sin” : Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, [27] and do not give the devil a foothold.  (Ephesians 4:26, 27 | TNIV)

 “Foothold” or “Opportunity” means “give place to.”  Unresolved anger, bitterness, or unforgiveness creates a landing strip for demonic activity.  Satan cannot possess a believer, but he can exploit emotional strongholds.

The command is two-fold:  (1) Be angry when anger in justified – righteous indignation against sin is not sinful; (2) Deal with it before sunset.  Prolonged anger can become a grievance that demons will exploit.  Many Christians who struggle with depression, anxiety, or compulsive sin discover that the root was an unforgiving spirit or harbored resentment.  The solution is immediate confession, forgiveness, and reconciliation.  When a believer obeys this command, the devil has no opportunity to cause trouble.

The Christian should always rely on the presence of the Holy Sprit, 1 John 4:4.

 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.  (1 John 4:4 | TNIV)

Your ultimate defense against evil is not your technique but your relationship with Christ.  The indwelling Holy Spirit is infinitely greater than every demonic force combined.  The same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you! (Romans 8:11).

The truth undergirds the full armor of God in Ephesians 6:10 – 18 – truth, righteousness, the Gospel of peace, faith, salvation, the Word of God, and prayer.  None of these pieces operate apart from the Spirit’s power.  Daily dependence – through prayer, Scripture, obedience, and fellowship – keeps the believer victorious.  When the devil attacks, the believer’s response should be same as that of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 4 – “It is written…”  The sword of the Spirit is the spoken Word of God in the mouth of the Spirit-filled and Spirit-led Christian.

Conclusion.  Demons are real, active, and dangerous.  But they are defeated foes.

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.  (Colossians 2:15 | TNIV)

The Cross was their Waterloo.  You and I don’t fight for victory.  By understanding the nature and activity of demons, recognizing the impossibility of possession of a believer, and employing Biblical defenses – avoiding the occult, refusing to give place to the devil through sin, and resting in the greater power of the indwelling Holy Spirit – every Christian can walk in freedom and power.