Demons (from the Greek daimonioi = superhuman beings) are angels who have fallen away from God under the leadership of Satan (= Lucifer, the devil). At various points in the biblical history of salvation, they wreak havoc as opponents of God and tempters of man. Since demons are spiritual beings removed from the realm visible to man, the only reliable source of information we have is the background revealed by God in the Bible. In God’s Word, the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, demons appear a total of 73 times. In the majority of places, 46 times, the Greek word δαίμων (daímōn) is used. So the Bible clearly affirms the existence of demons. In none of his teachings did Jesus Christ correct anyone who believed in the reality of demons. This term is used to describe spirits or (usually) invisible, immaterial spiritual beings who can communicate. They can spread lies and false doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1.2) by influencing or even controlling people. They belong to a class of individuals who are distinctly different from both God and man. As can be seen from the biblical descriptions, they are personal beings with different characters and varying degrees of evil. Although they are spiritual beings, they are not omnipresent, but are confined to certain places or regions. As creatures they are limited and not infinite and omnipresent like God (cf. Ryrie, see bibliography). The Bible speaks of unclean spirits (Greek pneuma akatharta) in 20 other places and of evil spirits in 7 other places.
Demons are direct subordinates, assistants and messengers of their leader, Satan. This is why not only Satan but also his assistants are called devils (Martin Luther in particular used this term repeatedly):
1. Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons.”
The evil spirits are well organised and have a hierarchical ranking. Their place of residence is the spiritual world:
Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”
Colossians 2:15 “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.”
Romans 8:38+39 „For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Satan is described as the prince or chief of demons (note: the word “Beelzebub” used in Luther’s translation is a popular term for the devil):
Matthew 12:24 “But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, ‘It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this man casts out demons’.”
Paul also refers to the devil as the “angel of light”:
2. Corinthians 11:14 “And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.”
Source: Netzwerk-Esoterik-Ausstieg
