Spiritual warfare involves both everyday stuff – battling with the world and with our flesh – and otherworldly stuff. In this lesson we’ll take a deep dive into the otherworldly side of spiritual warfare. Let’s talk about Satan and demons.
We know from scripture that the devil and demons are real, but compared to many other topics in the Bible we have little information about them. You’ll find much more in scripture about the nature of God, salvation, and Jesus’ life and ministry than you will about the demonic. Here’s what that tells us: our thoughts should be occupied with God and his goodness a thousand times more often than about the devil and his minions.
With that in mind, let’s explore ten things the Bible does tell us about Satan and demons.
Demons are fallen angels.
Demons weren’t created as demons, because God created everything good. Peter gives us the origin story about demons:
2 Peter 2:4 (NLT) For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.
Some angels sinned, and God cast them into hell. That’s about all we know about how they got started on their destructive path, and it leads to our second thing:
Some demons are already bound; others are influencing the world.
2 Peter helps us to establish the first point. So does Jude 1:6. But clearly there are other demons who are not yet bound. They’re the ones wreaking havoc on the earth:
Ephesians 6:12 (NLT) For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.
When we put these passages together, we’re left with one clear option: some demons are already in hell, others are free to influence the world. Jesus interacted with demons (Matthew 17). You and I might encounter them as well. But here’s the good news:
Demons have very limited power.
Demons don’t have divine qualities. They’re not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. They can’t be more than one place at one time. They can’t read your mind. They can’t force you to do anything.
But demons can study and observe. They’re constantly looking for ways to get a believer off track. They know what presses your buttons. They know the trappings and sins you struggle with that you may have been able to hide from everyone around you. And they use that information to tempt you, to accuse you, to lie to you and tell you that God couldn’t love someone like you.
This isn’t to say that demons aren’t powerful or shouldn’t be respected. They just have no power when compared to the Spirit of God (1 John 4:4). And that leads to this truth:
Every Christian can fight demons.
You don’t need a pastor or a priest to do spiritual warfare. Any person who has trusted Jesus for salvation has the authority – in Jesus’ name – to deal with demons. Jesus’ early followers learned this after they came back from their first mission trip into the world:
Luke 10:17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!”
Notice that this was a larger group of Christ-followers, not just the original 12 disciples. That’s probably why they were so surprised at the demonic response to their commands. These were regular Christians, just like you and me. The authority comes from the name of Jesus, not from the person speaking.
Demons cannot possess a Christian.
This last point about demons addresses a common question among believers: Can Christians be possessed? Here’s the simple answer: No. When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit takes residence in our heart (2 Corinthians 1:22). There isn’t an empty house any longer where a demon can reside.
That’s not to say that demons can’t create strongholds in the life of a believer. They can and do. If you’re not diligent about eliminating footholds that the enemy is trying to establish in your life, they will lead to strongholds like greed, bitterness, pride, and addiction.
So that’s what we know about demons. But what does the Bible say about the devil? We’ve got five things:
Satan is just a fallen angel.
In a word, Satan is a demon. That’s it. He might have a higher rank than his minions, but he’s still just a fallen angel. The strongest clue comes from the Old Testament:
Ezekiel 28:13-17 (NLT) You were in Eden, the garden of God…. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. “You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings.
Read the context and you’ll see that Ezekiel is talking about an earthly king before he switches to this description of an angelic guardian who was in Eden. This passage (along with Isaiah 14:12-14) doesn’t give us a ton of definitive information, but most Bible scholars agree that it’s talking about Satan.
As a fallen angel, Satan is a created being, immeasurably less powerful than God. Christianity doesn’t have a Yin and a Yang, two equal but opposite forces. God is Creator, and Satan is a lowly creation. It’s not a fair fight.
Satan is furiously opposed to God’s work.
The name “Satan” is a Hebrew word that means “adversary.” Satan rules the fallen world system in rebellion against God. Satan does whatever he can to influence our “flesh” and pull us away from God’s influence. Jesus said Satan’s goal is to steal and kill and destroy, which is in direct opposition to what God wants for us (John 10:10).
Satan is on the hunt for vulnerable Christians.
The devil knows that he can’t influence everyone, so he goes after the young and the weak. That’s the picture Peter is painting here:
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT) Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
Satan isn’t looking for everyone to devour. He’s looking for a special someone. Like a hungry lion, he’s stalking the most vulnerable Christians. And here’s how he gets them:
Satan’s greatest tool is deceit.
The devil is a deceiver, and he uses lies to catch his prey. Remember: spiritual warfare is waged mostly in the mind. Since the beginning (Genesis 3), Satan has been twisting God’s truth to try to lure people away. Jesus warned us about this:
John 8:44 [Satan] has always hated the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.
But the final fact about Satan offers us good news.
Satan will one day face God’s final judgment.
The book of Revelation tells us what will happen to the devil and his demons at the end of human history:
Revelation 20:10 Then the devil, who had deceived them, was thrown into the fiery lake of burning sulfur, joining the beast and the false prophet. There they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.
The only power the devil has is the power God allows him to have, for a limited time, until Jesus comes again. When Jesus returns, he’s going to put an end to the devil’s authority and power – and he’ll be cast to hell where he’ll be tormented forever and ever.
