The Bible tells us that demons are fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God and who were defeated and cast out of heaven along with Satan (Revelation 12:7-9). Demons continue to serve the devil in his attempt to lead the world away from God and into sin. Jesus will ultimately banish Satan and his demons into the eternal fire.
Demons are fallen angels who were cast out of heaven for helping Satan rebel against God.
To understand what demons are, we must look to the ultimate evil spirit himself, Satan. Revelation tells us that Satan was once an angel in heaven, perhaps even a cherub (Revelation 12:7-9). Because Satan was a heavenly being, we know that Satan—as well as his angelic followers—were created good but, by their own free will, chose to reject God and become evil.
While we have no definitive answer as to whether Satan rebelled against God because of his own pride or some other reason, we do know that a war erupted in heaven in which the archangel Michael and his angels fought against Satan and his angels (Revelation 12:7-9). Satan and the other fallen angels were defeated and, as punishment for their rebellion, were cast out of heaven (Revelation 12:9; Luke 10:18). Satan became the “prince of demons” (Matthew 12:24) and he and the other fallen angels were hurled to the earth (Revelation 12:9) and ultimately condemned to hell (Matthew 25:41).
Demons continue to serve Satan on earth by luring mankind away from God.
Despite their expulsion from heaven, Satan’s demons continue to serve him in his plot to control the earth by luring people into sin (Revelation 12:9).
The Bible warns of Satan’s grave threat to humanity by referring to him as “the god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) who “prowls” the earth “looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). Demons are no less dangerous, as the Bible describes them as: “impure spirits” (Mark 1:27), “deceiving spirit[s]” (1 Kings 22:23), “the powers of this dark world” and “the spiritual forces of evil” (Ephesians 6:12), and as Satan’s “angels” (Revelation 12:9).
The Bible tells us that Satan and his demons can inflict harm on earth by:
Christians can resist Satan and his demons by putting on the full Armor of God.
Some Christians fear becoming possessed by demons since this was a very real concern in Biblical times. In fact, in commissioning his Apostles to spread the Good News, Jesus specifically gave the Apostles (and other disciples) “authority to drive out all demons” (Luke 9:1). While some Christian denominations believe in present-day demon possession, others believe that practicing Christians cannot be possessed because the Holy Spirit abides in them and, thus, demons cannot take hold (2 Corinthians 1:22). Whether demon possession of practicing Christians is possible or not, the Bible gives us a clear way to thwart the efforts of the devil and his demons to lure us into sin. Namely, by living a life steeped in obedience to Scripture. The Bible assures us that if we submit to God and resist evil, the devil and his demons will flee from us (James 4:7; Luke 10:17).
One way we can submit to God and fend off the wicked temptations of Satan and his demons is by putting on the “full armor of God” (Ephesians 6:11-18). This “full armor of God” consists of:
Demons know that Jesus will ultimately defeat them and Satan.
The Bible tells us that Jesus became man for the very purpose of destroying the devil’s work (1 John 3:8). We see many instances in Scripture of Jesus’ authority to cast out demons (Matthew 9:32-33; Mark 7:26-30; Luke 4:35-36).
In fact, demons themselves know that Jesus is more powerful than them and that their days are numbered. For example, when Jesus confronted the demons in Matthew 8:29, they acknowledged His ultimate authority and their eventual demise by shouting at Jesus: “What do you want with us, Son of God?... Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”
The Bible affirms that Jesus will ultimately vanquish Satan and all his demons once and for all (1 John 4:4; Revelation 20:10). These depraved forces are bound to an eternity in hell, described in the Bible as “the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41).
Sources:
Biblestudytools.com, New International Version.
Christianity.com, How Did Lucifer Fall and Become Satan?, Oct. 22, 2007, Ron Rhodes.
Dolores Smyth is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous faith and parenting publications. You can follow her on Twitter @LolaWordSmyth.
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