The identity of demons has been in question throughout history. The Bible does not specifically explain the origins of demons, though there is a passage that I believe indirectly gives us that information. The fact is, the purpose of the Bible is not to focus on evil, but to express to mankind the nature of God, to relate to mankind what God has done on our behalf due to His great love for us and to show us the Way (Jesus Christ) to be reconciled back to Him. Demons and cosmic battles, naturally, take a second seat to that message. However, the Bible isn't exactly silent on the existence and activity of demons, either.
There are three basic schools of thought as to the identity of demons:
- Demons are fallen angels.
- Demons are an unknown race of beings that at some point were condemned by God and now follow Satan.
- Demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim, a race of giants who were part angel and part human. (Genesis 6:4)
Now, although most Christians today would choose option number 1, they might be surprised to know that there is absolutely no verse in the Bible that suggests such a thing. The Bible never says that the angels that followed Satan became the demons. In fact, it speaks of angels and demons in very different terms. Here are some basic biblical differences between angelic beings and demonic beings:
Angels | Demons |
One angel can destroy an entire city. (II Sam. 24:16 & 17, I Chron. 21:16) | There is no evidence that demons have this kind of power. |
One angel can destroy an entire army. (II Kings 19:35, II Chron. 32:21, Isa. 37:36) | There is no evidence that demons have this kind of power. |
There is no evidence that angels ever possess people. | Demons do possess people. (Mt. 8:16, 15:22, Mark, 1:32, Luke 8:27) |
Angels control animals outwardly, not through possession. (Dan. 6:22, Num. 22:21-33) | Demons possess animals in order to control them. (Mt. 8:28-32) |
Angels speak with authority and confidence on all things and in all situations. (Gen. 16:9, Zec. 6:5, Luke 1:13 & 19, Acts 7:53 & 8:26, Rev. 11:15, 14:18 & 18:1etc.) | Demons snivel and whine when confronted with opposition. (Mt. 8:28-31) |
Angels have great power over the elements. (Ex. 3:2, Jud. 13:20, Acts 7:30, 10:22, 12:8, Heb. 1:7, Dan. 3:16-28, Rev. 7:2) | There is no evidence that demons have this kind of power. |
Angels have an awesome, overwhelming appearance. (Gen. 19:1, Jud. 13:6, I Chron. 21:20, Acts 6:15, Rev. 10:1, 18:1) | There is no evidence that demons can be seen. |
Angels are beings of light. (Acts 12:7, Rev. 10:1) | Demons crave the darkness. |
Angels preside over cities. (Dan. 10:12-13, 10:20-11:1, 12:1, Rev. 2:8 & 12, 3:1, 7 & 14) | There is no evidence that demons preside over anything. |
Angels have great wisdom and extensive knowledge. (II Sam. 14:17, 14:20) | There is no evidence that demons are so well informed or so wise. |
Angels can assume physical human form at will. (Gen. 19:1, I Chron. 21:20, Mt. 28:5, Luke 1:11, 1:28, 2:9 & 13, John 1:51, 20:12, Acts 10:3, 27:23, Heb. 13:2) | Demons must possess a human in order to have a physical form. (Mt. 4:24, 8:16, 28) |
Angels have great, awesome power over physical matter and human life. (I Chron. 21:11-12, Psalm 78:49, Acts 5:19, 12:7 &23, I Cor. 10:10, Dan. 10:4-9 & 18, Rev. 7:2, 8:7-9:1, Rev. 15:1, 6 & 8, 16:2, 4, 8 & 12) | Demons have limited power over physical matter and human life. (Mt. 4:24, 8:33, 9:32, 12:22, Luke 4:35, 9:42, Acts 19:13 & 16) |
Angels can fly. (Rev. 14:6) | There is no evidence that demons can fly. |
Angels serve one master (either God or Satan). There is no evidence that an angel has ever bowed in obedience to a human or to a demon. (I Chron. 21:27, Ps. 103:20, Mt. 26:53, I Pet. 3:22, Rev. 22:6) | Demons will flee from anyone (including angels and humans) who exhibit power over them. (Mt. 10:1, Mark 1:34, 3:15, 7:29-30, 9:38, 16:9 & 17, Luke 4:35 & 41, 8:29, 10:17, etc.) |
Satan is described as an angelic being who fell from grace, not just a big, powerful demon. Even after his fall, he remains an angelic being, able to command his angels. (II Cor. 11:14, Jude 1:9, Rev. 12:7) | Demons are never described as angelic beings or as ever having existed as angelic beings. |
Hell was created specifically for Satan and his angels. (Mt. 25:41) | There is no evidence to suggest that Hell was ever intended for either demons or humans. |
Fallen angels are generally bound or imprisoned by God, not free to roam the earth on their own (with the possible exception of Satan and certain key points in history and the future). (II Pet. 2:4, Jude 1:6, Rev. 9:14, 20:1) | Demons seem to have free reign to create havoc on earth. Their only fear is that they might one day be thrown into the Abyss. (Luke 8:31) |
Angels can appear to people through dreams. (Mt. 1:20, 2:13 & 19) | There is no evidence of demons appearing in dreams. |
Option number 2, that demons are some unknown, condemned race of beings, is also without biblical support. This is nothing more than a made-up explanation to make up for a perceived lack of explanation.
Option number 3, that demons are the spirits of the dead, half-breed Nephilim, is rejected by most modern Christians, primarily on the grounds that it seems too fantastical (as if Creation, angelic wars, the parting of the Red Sea and the miracles of the New Testament aren't!). However, when we take a deeper look at Scripture and the other historical evidence, we may see that this is the only logical explanation. Here is my defense of this less traditional, though more ancient way of thinking:
When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the Lord said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children with them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain. So the Lord said, "I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air—for I am grieved that I have made them." But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
Genesis 6:1-8 (NIV)
1. Let me first unequivocally state that I hold the Bible as my primary source and the only one that is fully reliable—down to "every jot and tiddle". Naturally, my studies have been extensive and have brought me to various sources, but I always judge their validity through the lens of God's Holy Scriptures.
2. Let me explain why I have rejected the idea that the "sons of God" mentioned in Genesis 6 were merely the descendents of the godly Seth and the "daughters of men" were the children of the condemned line of Cain, as most commentators maintain.
a. The most literal and consistent translation of the text itself seems to be saying that the sons of God were angelic beings and the daughters of men were human. Basically, that's the first idea that comes to mind when the text is read. So, the back-flips the commentators go through to explain it away seem not only counterproductive, but contrary to the intended sentiment of God's Word.
b. Though the term "sons of God" (or "b'nei Elohim", the "divine beings", in the Hebrew) is used in some biblical passages to refer to men, it is used in Job to refer to angelic beings (Job 1:6, 38:7), setting a biblical validation for its use in that sense. Also, when one considers that Job is thought by many to have lived before the Flood, this may even be a contemporary usage of the term.
c. Modern biblical scholars reject the idea of angels marrying humans for two main reasons, both of which are unsatisfactory. The first is simply that they find such an event too fantastic to be believed. One commentator simply dismissed it as "ridiculous" and left it at that. Yet, isn't this the same grounds by which many reject the miracles of the Bible or even the existence of God? This is a very narrow-minded, faithless position to take, in my opinion. God is far bigger than our ideas of Him; therefore, much more is possible in this life than we may want to believe.
d. The second reason cited by commentators is a bit more grounded, yet one which I still find lacking. Luke 20:34-36 (NIV) states: Jesus replied, "The people of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God's children, since they are children of the resurrection." Some take this passage to mean that angels do not marry, have never married and do not procreate. However, to apply this passage to Genesis 6 would be taking it out of context. Jesus was speaking primarily about humans and what it would be like for us in heaven, not giving a lecture about angelic activities. The passage, obviously speaking of the angels in heaven, cannot be applied to the fallen angels, who no longer reside with God. Marrying and procreation for angels may be aberrant behavior—something not covered in the verse above. Furthermore, to state what angels do or do not do in this present age (or at the time Luke was written), cannot be taken to apply to what a different group of angels might have done at one time in a far distant past. So, while the angels now residing in God's heaven do not marry and never have, it is possible they were at one time given a choice, which some of their angelic siblings miserably failed, causing their fall from grace. The verse above is referring to the angels who reside in heaven with God, not fallen angels.
3. The Genesis 6 passage, if taken at face value, explains many of the mysteries of the Bible—such as, how did the angels fall from grace? And, where did the demons come from? The Nephilim—as half-breed offspring of angels and humans—would, at their deaths, have no place to go and would be bound to this world—condemned to wander the spiritual realm on earth until Judgment Day. The demonic characteristics of desiring to possess a human body and their fascination with sexual perversions, drugs, deceptions, and evil of every kind, also mirror how the Nephilim are described in the Bible.
4. Lastly, let us consider the ancient, extra-biblical writings concerning Genesis 6. If one reads the apocryphal books, the works of the ancient historians, such as Josephus, and the vast amount of ancient mythology that mentions such occurrences, one will begin to realize that the beliefs of the people (including pious Jews) who lived more closely to the time this event actually occurred, had no problem at all accepting that angels did indeed cause their fall from grace by engaging in forbidden relationships with humans—even to the point of bearing offspring with them. They believed this as strongly as any Sunday school child believes that a youth named David killed the giant Goliath with only a sling and a stone. It is only in fairly recent years that this belief has come under scrutiny and has been subsequently squelched by modern biblical scholars. Let us remember that ancient people were not as unintelligent as many of us modern thinkers would like to believe. Though they lacked some amount of scientific explanation for what they observed, they were perfectly capable of communicating what they witnessed—often by memorizing long narratives—a practice that, as we know, greatly sharpens the mind, unlike the hours we spend dulling our senses in front of a television set.
But, despite the vast amount of debate this issue has caused, let us remember that our opinions on this matter have absolutely no bearing on Christ's offer of salvation nor on our ability to believe in Him and accept His mercy. It would be foolish to argue about such piddly matters, and this is why I don't bring it up at parties. Still, I find it beneficial to delve deeper into the Scriptures and meditate on the mysteries of God. There is so much to learn from God's Word, if we only take the time to look!
