a. people get their theology on satan and demons from books and movies
- the exorcist, the devils advocate, the golden child, etc...
- frank peretti usually being the most prevelant source for christians...
b. why? because there aren't too many texts in the bible
- don't be afraid to limit your knowledge;
"i don't know" is valid, true, and correct for most questions.
- understand the reactions you are supposed to have scripturally
1. satan and demons were created
a. all things were created by god.
john 1:3 "all things came into being by him, and apart from him nothing came into
being that has come into being"
- this is an important distinctive between christianity and dualistic religions
- this is the start of a growing trend of limitations on the power and ability of
demons and the devil
b. demons are fallen angels
2 pet 2:4
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell
and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
jud 1:6
and angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode,
He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,
2. the fall/rebellion of satan and demons
a. prefall state/fall
ezekial 28:12-18
refers to the king of tyre; however some statements clearly go beyond...
so are these statements hyperbole or a condemnation from tyre to the devil?
the statements in this passage seem to go beyond even the normal hyperbole
and (in my mind) seem to more likely refer to satan than to the king of tyre.
also - the idea of tying the 'headship' of a nation to a demon isn't that odd
considering daniel and the 'prince of persia' (possibly some precedent there...)
if about the devil :
- was once in favor
- was created without sin
- was thrown down by god
isaiah 14:11-15
refers to the king of babylon; some say it refers to satan...
i'm not entirely convinced this is really about satan, but i wouldn't say that it
definitely isn't either...
c. originator of sin
1. there is no sin in god
james 1:13
let no one say when he is tempted, "i am being tempted by god"; for god cannot
be tempted by evil, and he himself does not tempt anyone.
1 John 1:5
god is light, and in him there is no darkness at all
2. the devil is referred to as the father of sinners
1 John 3:8
Everyone who commits sin is a child of the Devil; for the Devil has been sinning
from the beginning.
John 8:44
you are of you rather the devil, and you want to do the desires of you father.
he was a murderer from the beginning...
Rev 12:3 Then another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having
seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads {were} seven diadems.
Rev 12:4 And his tail *swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to
the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that
when she gave birth he might devour her child.
maybe. revelation is about as confusing as it gets, and if we take this section to be
historical then there will be a lot of time shifting in the passage...
3. eden and the fall of man
genesis 3:1-3:5
1. satan attacks truth with lies; he is called the 'father of lies' by jesus in john 8:44...
2. the goal of satan (here) is to create separate man from god (it reads a bit like a shakesperean
romantic tragedy...)
4. the weird era
a. nephalim
6:4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this), when the sons
of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of mankind, who gave birth to
their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.
nobody really knows anything about this...but it is one of the weirder passages in scripture.
another passage that some people take as related is 1 cor 11:10...
b. job
job 1:6-1:12
job 2:1-2:6
(possibly a literary device; i personally take it literaly)
1. the adversity satan sets to job would all have a natural (rather than supernatural) appearance
2. note that satan asks for permission before acting...
3. satan accuses job before god
this also occurs in zech 3:1...
jude 1:9
but michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of moses,
did not dare pronouce against him a railing judgement, but said, "the lord rebuke you"
"the lord rebuke you" is the same phrase used in zech 3:1
this story is taken from "the assumption of moses" (jude also quotes the book of enoch if v14,15)
d. daniel
daniel 10:12 Then he said to me, “Don’t be afraid, Daniel, for from the very first day
you applied your mind to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your words
were heard. I have come in response to your words.
10:13 However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one days.
But Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was left there with
the kings of Persia.
10:14 Now I have come to enable you to understand what will happen to your people in the
latter days, for the vision pertains to future days.”
this is where frank peretti gets his theology...
a hint at struggles between angels and demons
this is a supernatural cause with a supernatural manifestation; no physical indication of
the battle...
e. demons and idols
psalms 106:37 They sacrificed their sons and daughters to demons.
106:38 They shed innocent blood— the blood of their sons and daughters,
whom they sacrificed to the idols of Canaan. The land was polluted by bloodshed.58
leviticus 17:7 So they must no longer offer their sacrifices to the goat-demons, acting
like prostitutes by going after them.
deut 32:16 They made him jealous with other gods, they enraged him with abhorrent idols.
32:17 They sacrificed to demons, not God, to gods they had not known;
the ot clearly associates idolatry with demon worship...
5. the temptation of christ and judas
a. christ
luke 4:1-13
1. satan tempts christ in relevant areas :
food (christ hadn't eaten in 40 days)
next time you use a physical excuse for your sin remember this...
2. both satan and christ quote scripture
note how easy it is to misinterpret scripture. fear misconception and eisigesis.
acts 16:16 Now as we were going to the place of prayer, a slave girl met us who had a spirit
that enabled her to foretell the future by supernatural means. She brought her owners
a great profit by fortune-telling.
16:17 She followed behind Paul and us and kept crying out, “These men are servants of the
Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.”
16:18 She continued to do this for many days. But Paul became greatly annoyed, and turned
and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her!”
And it came out of her at once.
16:19 But when her owners saw their hope of profit was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and
dragged them into the marketplace before the authorities.
some have visible, supernatural manifestations...(things that can't normally happen but that
we can see)
some have visible, natural manifestations...(things that do normally happen)
note : most protestants believe that the christian can't be demon possesed as :
a. christians in the nt cast demons out
b. many take matt 12:43-45 as saying that if a person is indwelt by the holy spirit
that a demon may not also reside within them.
catholics disagree and believe that christians may be possesed; mother theresa
believed she was and underwent an exorcism...
6. the end of time
a. hell
rev 20:10 And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur,
where the beast and the false prophet are too, and they will be tormented there day and
night forever and ever.
matt 25:41 "depart from me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared
for the devil and his angels"
the end is inevitable; god will completely win, and satan and the demons will
lose completely.
summary
1. satan and the demons are created beings being fallen angels
2. satan and the demons will be cast into hell by god
3. satan and the demons are allowed a measure of freedom currently
this isn't too clear...we see satan asking permission and demons asking permission
from christ (legion in matt 8), but we also have the angel fighting with the prince
of persia...
1. be sober and alert
1 peter 5:8,9
be of sober spirit, be on the alert. your adversary, the devil,
prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
but resist him, firm in your faith...
rather than bearing in mind the reality of the devil and demons, we
allow ourselves to imagine a life devoid of spiritual trouble and enemies.
2. resist the devil
eph 6:21
put on the full armour of god, that you may be able to stand firm
against the schemes of the devil. for our struggle is not against
flesh and blood, but against rulers, against the powers, against
the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of
wickedness in the heavenly places.
james 4:7
resist the devil and he will flee from you
1. resist through obedience
a. consider job; the devil wanted him to curse god (disobey), and he resisted the devil
through his faithfulness.
b. instructions from eph 6:
v14 fasten the belt of truth around your waist
v14 put on the breastplate of righteousness
v15 put on the shoes of peace
v16 take up the sheild of faith
v16 take up the helmet of salvation
v16 take the sword of the spirit, which is the word of god
much of this is an illustration showing that we are prepared to resist the devil
through our position in christ; it is also worth noting that several of these
qualities are things that we can maintain/pursue (scripture, peace, righteousness, etc)
mark 9:28 Then, after he went into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why
couldn’t we cast it out?”
9:29 He told them, “This kind can come out only by prayer.”