What Is a Demon?

A demon is a fallen angel. When Satan, who was the very highest angel, rebelled against God, he took a large number of the angels with him in rebellion. When their rebellion failed, they were cast out of heaven. Those angels are now demons. (seeIsaiah 14:12-15CloseIsaiah 14:12-15 "How you are fallen from heaven,  O shining star, son of the morning!You have been thrown down to the earth,  you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself,  `I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars.I will preside on the mountain of the gods  far away in the north.* I will climb to the highest heavens  and be like the Most High.' Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead,  down to its lowest depths. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ,Ezekiel 28:12-19CloseEzekiel 28:12-19 "Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD:"You were the model of perfection,  full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden,  the garden of God.Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone*—  red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone,  blue-green beryl, onyx, green jasper,  blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald—all beautifully crafted for you  and set in the finest gold.They were given to you  on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you  as the mighty angelic guardian.*You had access to the holy mountain of God  and walked among the stones of fire. "You were blameless in all you did  from the day you were created  until the day evil was found in you. Your rich commerce led you to violence,  and you sinned.So I banished you in disgrace  from the mountain of God.I expelled you, O mighty guardian,  from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride  because of all your beauty.Your wisdom was corrupted  by your love of splendor.So I threw you to the ground  and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. You defiled your sanctuaries  with your many sins and your dishonest trade.So I brought fire out from within you,  and it consumed you.I reduced you to ashes on the ground  in the sight of all who were watching. All who knew you are appalled at your fate.  You have come to a terrible end,  and you will exist no more." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ,Luke 10:18CloseLuke 10:18 "Yes," he told them, "I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ,Revelation 12:3-9CloseRevelation 12:3-9 Then I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept away one-third of the stars in the sky, and he threw them to the earth. He stood in front of the woman as she was about to give birth, ready to devour her baby as soon as it was born. She gave birth to a son who was to rule all nations with an iron rod. And her child was snatched away from the dragon and was caught up to God and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where God had prepared a place to care for her for 1,260 days. Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ,Matthew 12:43-45CloseMatthew 12:43-45 "When an evil* spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, `I will return to the person I came from.' So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and in order. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before. That will be the experience of this evil generation." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) , :Close : OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE () Peter 2:4,Ephesians 6:12CloseEphesians 6:12 For we* are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ,Jude 1:6CloseJude 1:6 And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the great day of judgment. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). In the same way that angels can reach the very heights of spirituality, demons have the ability to reach down into great depths of hatred, bitterness, and perversion. Demons seem to be interested in tormenting people, possessing them, and leading them away from God and His truth.

Although lust, homosexuality, drunkenness, gluttony, and witchcraft are expressions of sinful flesh, these things can also be expressions of demonic activity in the lives of people. I am persuaded that many grossly perverted sexual practices, such as sadomasochism and pedophilia (sexual preference for children), have demonic roots. In a similar manner, schizophrenia (split personality) can be a mental disease, but it can also be caused by demon possession. I believe that Adolf Hitler and Karl Marx were both demonized.

Just as the angels have archangels and higher powers, the demons have what are called "principalities and powers." It is possible that a demon prince is in charge of New York, Detroit, St Louis, or any other city. Particular sins are prevalent in certain cities. One city might have rampant homosexuality, while another might be troubled by excessive lust. In another, it may be witchcraft or spiritism. Nations, as well as cities, can be gripped by demon power. This could explain the willingness of the German people to tolerate the attempt of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi SS to exterminate all of the Jews in Europe.

There is conflict in the invisible world between God's loyal messengers and demonic hosts. Somehow in God's wonderful order, He uses the prayers of His people to restrain demonic activity and to direct the action of angelic powers to control demons. The book of Daniel tells of a struggle between the archangel Michael and the demonic "Prince of Persia" (seeDaniel 10:12-20CloseDaniel 10:12-20 Then he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince* of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels,* came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.* Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come." While he was speaking to me, I looked down at the ground, unable to say a word. Then the one who looked like a man* touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing in front of me, "I am filled with anguish because of the vision I have seen, my lord, and I am very weak. How can someone like me, your servant, talk to you, my lord? My strength is gone, and I can hardly breathe." Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning. "Don't be afraid," he said, "for you are very precious to God. Peace! Be encouraged! Be strong!"  As he spoke these words to me, I suddenly felt stronger and said to him, "Please speak to me, my lord, for you have strengthened me." He replied, "Do you know why I have come? Soon I must return to fight against the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia, and after that the spirit prince of the kingdom of Greece* will come. OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ).

The Bible says, "He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world" (I John 4:4). The Christian believer, by having the Holy Spirit within him, has power over all demons. When Jesus Christ sent His apostles out on their mission, He said He was giving them authority (exousia) over all the power (dunamis) of the enemy. Jesus' authority is greater than satanic power. When the disciples returned, they told of casting out demons. The Lord said, "Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven" (Luke 10:20CloseLuke 10:20 But don't rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven." OPEN VERSE IN BIBLE (nlt) ). The Christian believer has unlimited authority over demons in the name of Jesus, but that authority is nothing compared to the glory and authority we will know in heaven.

Excerpt taken from Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing Questions, Copyright 1984 by Pat Robertson.