Demons: Agents of Satan

June 13, 2020

Introduction. There has been an ageless interest in demons and demonic activities. Cults, Heavy Metal rock music, Satanic rituals, etc. all attest to this interest. Also, countless people in the world believe in demon possession and other direct powers of demons in the lives of men today. However, the Bible reveals information we need to understand this subject and to respond properly.

What Are Demons?
1. They are spirits (Matthew 8:16; Luke 10:17, 20).
2. Their moral nature:
  1. Evil or unclean (Matthew 12:43-45; Acts 19:15).
  2. Agents of Satan (Matthew 25:41; 2 Peter 2:4).
  3. Faithless (James 2:19).
  4. Know the power and position of Christ (Mark 1:23-24, 34).
3. Their work or activity.
  1. They oppose God and oppress man (Acts 10:38; Mark 1:25-27).
  2. They derange their victims mentally, physically, morally, and spiritually (Luke 8:27).
  3. They oppose sound doctrine (1 Timothy 4:1).
What About Demon Possession?
1. Its deﬁnition: “A condition in which a distinct and evil personality, foreign to the person possessed, has taken control of an individual” (Hendriksen, Matthew, p. 437). The scriptures attest to a bodily possession or takeover (Mark 9:17-18, 20-22, 25-29).
2. Clearly, Jesus admitted to its occurrence in His day (Matthew 12:43-45).
3. Modern explanations of biblical accounts of possession fail to respect the Bible.
  1. “Superstition attributed illness to demons.” The Bible distinguishes between diseases caused by demons and diseases not so caused (Matthew 12:22; Luke 4:40-41; 9:1; Acts 19:12).
  2. “Simply another name for multiple personalities,” i.e., Jekyll and Hyde.
    1. Demons are spirit beings able to depart man and enter swine (Mark 5:12-13).
    2. They are always evil.
    3. Not driven out by psychological treatments (applied over long or short periods), but by the word and power of Christ — instantly (Matthew 8:16).
Demonic Activity Today
1. Demon’s possession has now ended.
  1. This was prophesied in Zechariah 13:1-2. When sin was cleansed by the blood of Jesus, unclean spirits pass away.
  2. Satan was bound (Matthew 12:28-29; 1 John 3:8; James 4:7). When Satan was bound, sin’s reign came to an end and the terror of overt bodily possession ended.
  3. Christ’s power is superior:
    1. His power was demonstrated (Luke 11:14, 20-22).
    2. His power was sustained (Matthew 28:18).
2. Demons are nonetheless the active enemies of Christians (Ephesians 6:10-13).
  1. Satan can now only triumph through the agency of temptation, sin, and error.
  2. Through the inﬂuence of sin and darkness, he seeks to possess the hearts and lives of men with evil and error. Satan is likened unto a dog on a leash. He can no longer “get me” but I am still in danger if I get too close (James 1:3-5).
  3. In this spiritual warfare, Satan and his angels try to separate Christians from Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Romans 8:38-39).
  4. In New Testament times, only miraculous power could remove bodily demon possession. Now that the miraculous power is gone, would God allow a spiritual situation wherein one could not be saved? Those who try to cast out demons today are like the seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:13-17)!

Conclusion. Matthew 8:29 and 25:41 both state that demons will be punished. We should not think that we need to be unconcerned with demons today. Although they do not bodily possess men, they are active in seducing men to sin against God and His truth so that they will be lost!

Kyle Campbell