What is a Demon?

Answer: A demon is a fallen angel!

What is an Angel?

Answer: Angels are spirit beings who were created by God.

Gen 2:1 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

God created both the physical world and the spirit world - what is seen and what is unseen.

In Genesis one the account of creation is told one day at a time. Somewhere among the days of Gods' creating the angels were brought into being.

Gen 1:31 God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Angels were created by God and included in His statement that all was "very good."

Who was Lucifer?

Answer: An anointed Cherubim who was on the holy mountain of God.

Ezekiel 28:14 You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire.

What is a Cherubim?

Answer: The highest in rank among the angels of God.

How many differing types or rankings of angels are there?

Answer: We do not know the exact structure which God established for the angels. What we do know is:

Cherubim are the highest rank whose duty is to minister in the presence of God. On occasion we find Cherubim on missions of special importance for God. Such as the Cherub with the flaming sword who blocked the way to the Tree of Life when Adam and Eve were expelled from the garden (Gen. 3:24).

Seraphim are also among the highest in rank. There name means "burning ones." They are seen in Isaiah 6 proclaiming God's holiness.

Only three angels are mentioned by name; Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer.

Michael is pictured as a military leader and he is designated as an Archangel. This designation denotes a ranking among the angels.

Gabriel holds the position of God's messenger. He brought special messages to God's people: Zechariah, Luke 1:19ff; Mary, Luke 1:26; Daniel, Daniel 8 & 9.

Lucifer seems to have been created with special beauty and honor. Scripture seems to indicate he had a special responsibility in the area of music with respect to the worship of God.

Ezek. 28:13 "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, (timbrels and pipes) was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared.

Many are spoken of only as Angels! No special designation but only seen in service to God and His people.

Why did Lucifer fall?

Answer: Pride!

Ezek 28:15-17 "You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created Until unrighteousness was found in you. {16} "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire. {17} "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.

Isa 14:12-15 (NKJV) "How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! {13} For you have said in your heart: 'I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; {14} I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.' {15} Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.

Lucifer's desire was to take God's place and become god. He desires for man to worship and serve him.

All who are not of Christ belong to Satan. All are in service to him if they are not in service to Christ.

Luke 16:13 "No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth."

Mark 9:40 "For he who is not against us is for us.

There are those who actively seek to serve and worship Satan!

One image the worship of Satan is the goat. We see this in the Old Testament.

Lev 17:7 "They shall no longer sacrifice their sacrifices to the goat demons with which they play the harlot. This shall be a permanent statute to them throughout their generations."'

2 Chr 11:15 He set up priests of his own for the high places, for the satyrs and for the calves which he had made.

Isa 13:21 But desert creatures will lie down there, And their houses will be full of owls; Ostriches also will live there, and shaggy goats will frolic there.

Isa 34:14 The desert creatures will meet with the wolves, The hairy goat also will cry to its kind; Yes, the night monster will settle there And will find herself a resting place.

The symbol of Satanic Worship is the Pentagram - a five pointed star turned up side down with the head of a goat in the star.

Things familiar to Satanic Worship: Church of Satan (San Francisco, CA); Temple of Set; Satanic Bible.

Was Lucifer the only angel to rebel against God?

Answer: No!

Luke 10:17-18 (NKJV) Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, "Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name." {18} And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.

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.

Most theologians believe this verse is a reference to the fall of the angels with Satan. If this is correct then 1/3 of the angels rebelled with him.

What do we call the angels who rebelled with Satan (Lucifer)?

Answer: We call them demons.

What is the power of Satan and demons?

Answer:

Power to tempt - Temptation of Jesus (Matt. 4) The same is true with us!

Power to test - God used Satan to test Job. (Job 1 & 2) - Luke 22:31-32

At times to inflict sickness - speechlessness (Matt. 9:33), deafness (Mark 9:25, blindness (Matt. 12:22), convulsions (Mark 1:26), foaming at the mouth (Luke 9:39, etc.

Power to deceive - John 8:44 "You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

All religions - except Christianity - are from Satan!

Power to Possess - A spirit being - demon - enters into a person and takes control of the person so that the individual's personality and actions are influenced by the demonic spirit.

Instances of possession: 1 Sam 16:14-23; 1 Sam 18:10-11; 1 Sam 19:9-10; Mat 8:28-34; Mat 9:32-33; Mat 12:22; Mat 15:22-29; Mat 17:14-18; Mark 1:23-26; Mark 5:2-20; Mark 7:25-30; Mark 9:17-27; Mark 16:9; Luke 4:33-35; Luke 8:2-3; Luke 9:37-42; Luke 11:14; etc.

Demons can also possess animals! Matt. 8:28-32

Rev. Richard Latterner - Indian Reservation

Can a demon possess anyone it wishes?

Answer: Demon can possess only those who voluntary become their victim.

What constitutes volunteering to be host for a demon?

Answer: Seeking what is evil and spurning what it of God!

1 Sam 28:6-18 King Saul turned to witchcraft for answers when the Lord rejected him.

Saul had first rejected the will of the Lord and thus he was rejected by God.

Does a Christian have to worry about being possessed by a demon?

Answer: No! A Christian cannot be possessed by a demon.

1 John 4:2-4 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God; {3} and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the Antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world. {4} You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.

1 Cor 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

Where the Spirit of God is not present - a person is open for an evil spirit (demon) to possess.

Mat 12:43-45 "Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. {44} "Then it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came'; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. {45} "Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation."

What can be done for a demon possessed person?

Answer: An Exorcism can be performed.

Jesus gave His disciples authority over unclean spirits (demons) - Mark 3:14-15 & 6:7.

The Name of Jesus was used as the means to cast out demons - Acts 16:16-18

Discussion . . .