What are demons/evil spirits and how did they come into existence ?

[Denadii]

In the mid 1800s it was thought to be lost with no record of its contents. It had not been seen in the western church since the 2nd or 3rd century.

As to authenticating a good source, does that mean Paul quoting the Zeus worshipping Ancient Greek poets makes them a good source also?

Ok....Why would the bible, in this case Paul, quote idol worshipers to teach us anything? Something stinks in this reasoning

 

[lee11]

Angels and demons are two different beings. There are many kinds of angelic beings and ranks, like a military. However, angelic beings have a spiritual body and can assume the look of a man, if God allows.

Demons have no body whatsoever. They search for a body to possess.

Hi

Yes angels and demons are both spirits residing in the spiritual realm.

Angels that were spirits in heaven had a celestial body

but when they were cast out of heaven they weren't cast out arrayed in their glorious celestial bodies they once served God with.

they were cast out of heaven as just spiritual beings

but due to there rank and roles in heaven.

they are now identified as demons, powers principalities rulers of darkness and spiritual wickedness.

when a person sins it begins to legally open a doorway where that area or areas of that persons life may become a legal door way for a demonic spirits or groups of demonic spirits to manifest them selves through that persons habitual sins.

however it is easy for Jesus to kick the enemy or enemies out of someones life after they have repented or dealt with what ever the holy Spirit has identified as the problem or issues.

but the difficulty for a person is maintaining there deliverance because of the temptation to fall back into the same sins, habits, and patterns etc.

That is why they need support counselling and basically someone to literally hold there hand to help them over come this difficult period until they are able to resist and slowly make progress and recover.

it i not an easy process and takes a lot of compassion, unconditional love, non judgment and patience etc to help people through.

But this is all part of the responsibility that the other members in the body of Christ provide to each other under the guidance and direction of there oversight.

Peace.

 

[GUANO]

So, this mental illness spoke to Jesus as a third party?

I doubt it.

The mental illness recognized Jesus as the Son of God, so Christ told it to be silent, lest it expose Him for being the Christ?

I doubt that.

This mental illness asked to be sent to a heard of pigs? Really?

I am no expert on mental illness but I do know that demons are actual beings and not figments of the minds of mentally unbalanced people.

You don't know how powerful the mind is. Many people heard about Jesus and who he was and the deranged man was no different. The scri

I think this is basically a good answer, but those spirits of the kings and warlords that came before in fact do exist, and they are as real as our own psyches are real. Whether or not we personify them in order to better understand their reality, they have a reality that existed before we were born and will exist long after we die. These spirits have intent, they are very capable of possessing us, dominating our thoughts, and taking over our wills.
Just because they exist in the world of the psyche, their reality can be known through the consequences that they have on the world. They are as real in the world as mathematics in the world is real. If math was not real, then no rocket would have been able to reach the moon, no skyscraper would have ever been erected, bridges would crumble.
My criticism of your post is not that it is not correct, but that it has a reductive quality to it. Psychology is nowhere near giving us a full picture of what the nature of consciousness is, and for as long as we cannot adequately define the true nature of consciousness, we are a long ways from reducing the world of spirit to the confines of the human mind. And even in terms of the mind, there is nothing in the universe yet discovered that is half as complex as the human mind is.
It is not mere superstition to creatively give form to those entities that lie outside of what is known to us. The world of today is created through artistic vision, and the artistic mind prepares us to grapple with the problems of tomorrow as they are emerging on the horizon. What lies outside of our ability to rationally explain is no less real because it is unknown, and a very important part of life is learning how to grapple with the unknown, to live on the edge of chaos and order. This is the world of creativity and possibility. Imagination is a necessary tool in order to make sense of that which we do not know. We enter that world with eyes wide open, alert, armed and with words of truth, for to be unable to discern the truth from the lie in such an environment will have dire consequences.

What we do not know has independent existence, and what we do not know is very capable of killing us too. Grappling with the world of the unknown requires the creativity of imagination, and therefore ought not to be reduced to believing in mere superstition.

I agree with this with the exception of "spirits having intent". Spirits do not have intent, they are intent.

 

[GUANO]

So, this mental illness spoke to Jesus as a third party?

I doubt it.

Mental illnesses cannot speak. People under the influence of them can.
Perhaps you've never spoken to people with MPD while they are under the influence of an alter.

The mental illness recognized Jesus as the Son of God, so Christ told it to be silent, lest it expose Him for being the Christ?

I doubt that.

The demons didn't recognize anything because they are not conscious beings. The man, like many in his time, could easily have heard the stories of this 'Jesus of Nazareth' and already knew who He was because people were already saying it and if they weren't, many knew it within the depths of their spirit.

This mental illness asked to be sent to a heard of pigs? Really?

The "mental illness" didn't ask anything because it cannot speak. When a person assumes the personality of their alter, they can say anything. These are very powerful spirits. Christ, being the Son of God, could certainly do anything he wished with them, including send them into a herd of pigs.

I am no expert on mental illness but I do know that demons are actual beings and not figments of the minds of mentally unbalanced people.

As you've demonstrated, faith and doubt are very powerful things. Faith in a lie is a delusion. Delusion is not a figment of the mind, it's a false reality that a person chooses to live in. Faith is the most powerful thing in human existence. Demons are actual beings, I never once claimed they are not. I claim that they are not conscious, reasoning entities that work for some other deity like the Devil. There is no conscious deity but the spirit of consciousness itself, YHWH.

 

[Hieronymus]

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[GUANO]

One of many examples in the Bible where Jesus is recorded as driving demons out of people.

Jesus Restores Two Demon-Possessed Men

Mt.8:28 "When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes,c two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way. 29“What do you want with us, Son of God?” they shouted. “Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?”

30Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was feeding. 31The demons begged Jesus, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.”

32He said to them, “Go!” So they came out and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and died in the water."


Quasar92

The thing is that people of that time didn't even define demons in the way that people do today. The People during the time of Christ were far more intelligent than those of the dark ages. Have you actually read any of the literature about demonology or cosmology from the time of Christ or prior? If you're not actually taking the time to put things into historical context then it's pretty easy to just see the word "demon" and think... "Oh! Like that movie 'Poltergeist!'... If you don't like Egyptian, Babylonian, or Greek philosophies just read what the Rabbis taught on the matter, they taught extensively and none of them believed in things like disembodied souls, the afterlife, or Hollywood style demons.

^This is what the word spirit means, this is what it has ALWAYS meant. How does it all of a sudden mean something completely different when you read it in the Bible?

Demons in the classic sense are exactly what we today call a daemon in computer science...

In multitasking computer operating systems, a daemon (/ˈdiːmən/ or /ˈdeɪmən/)[1] is a computer program that runs as a background process, rather than being under the direct control of an interactive user.

 

[yeshuasavedme]

I take it from your answer that you believe that there being well over six hundred thousand layers of ice on Greenland and Antarctica..... that work much like rings in a tree........ is some sort of deception?
No.

Do you believe that the earth could not possibly be over six hundred thousand years old?

There has not been a complete 6,000 years since the beginning of creation. In the millennial week of this present creation, we are in the 6th millennial day. Sabbath Millennial Day is next.
The ice in Anartica and Greenland did not take such time as you think, to form, and just over 4,500 years ago, the entire globe was covered with the waters of the flood of Noah to 15 els above the highest mountain on earth -even those in the polar regions.

Also, there are ancient maps of the entire globe that were done by satellite, and you can find the reproductions of them in the Book "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings", in which Antarctica is depicted ice free, and divided by water into two land masses.
That map was made post flood, so the ice was not formed there, yet...
FYI: God began the process of dividing the one land mass of creation into several, separated by the waters, after the fall of the tower of Bab-el and the dividing of the one mother tongue. At that time, God cut off/shortened the long days of Adam persons and divided the land mass into the several there are now.
That was depicted by Eber in his naming two sons "Cut off and Divided" Yoktan and Peleg.
Jasher Chapter 7 - The Book of Jasher Published by J.H. Parry & Company 1887

Book of Jasher chapter 7: 19, These are the generations of Shem; Shem begat Arpachshad and Arpachshad begat Shelach, and Shelach begat Eber and to Eber were born two children, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the sons of men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth was divided.
20 And the name of the second was Yoktan, meaning that in his day the lives of the sons of men were diminished and lessened.

A WW 2 crashed plane was discovered some decades back, under about 200' of ice. I may remember details a bit wrong, but it defied the so called "experts" of how long it takes ice to form in the polar regions. I read it in an Answers in Genesis paper.

Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings

 

[yeshuasavedme]

There has not been a complete 6,000 years since the beginning of creation. In the millennial week of this present creation, we are in the 6th millennial day. Sabbath Millennial Day is next.
The ice in Anartica and Greenland did not take such time as you think, to form, and just over 4,500 years ago, the entire globe was covered with the waters of the flood of Noah to 15 els above the highest mountain on earth -even those in the polar regions.

Also, there are ancient maps of the entire globe that were done by satellite, and you can find the reproductions of them in the Book "Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings", in which Antarctica is depicted ice free, and divided by water into two land masses.
That map was made post flood, so the ice was not formed there, yet...
FYI: God began the process of dividing the one land mass of creation into several, separated by the waters, after the fall of the tower of Bab-el and the dividing of the one mother tongue. At that time, God cut off/shortened the long days of Adam persons and divided the land mass into the several there are now.
That was depicted by Eber in his naming two sons "Cut off and Divided" Yoktan and Peleg.
Jasher Chapter 7 - The Book of Jasher Published by J.H. Parry & Company 1887

Book of Jasher chapter 7: 19, These are the generations of Shem; Shem begat Arpachshad and Arpachshad begat Shelach, and Shelach begat Eber and to Eber were born two children, the name of one was Peleg, for in his days the sons of men were divided, and in the latter days, the earth was divided.
20 And the name of the second was Yoktan, meaning that in his day the lives of the sons of men were diminished and lessened.

A WW 2 crashed plane was discovered some decades back, under about 200' of ice. I may remember details a bit wrong, but it defied the so called "experts" of how long it takes ice to form in the polar regions. I read it in an Answers in Genesis paper.

Maps of the Ancient Sea Kings

The lost squadron - creation.com
"In the years to follow, a few people occasionally recalled the legendary Lost Squadron of 1942, but it was only in 1980 that anyone thought of a salvage mission. U.S. airplane dealer Patrick Epps told his friend, architect Richard Taylor, that the planes would be like new. “All we’d have to do is shovel the snow off the wings, fill them with gas, crank them up and fly them off into the sunset. Nothing to it.”
icy_tomb
P–38 Lightning fighter plane
The P–38 Lightning was one of the deadliest planes to come out of WWII. Powered by twin Allison V–12 engines, it had one 20 mm cannon and four .50 calibre machine guns in its nose. Operational from 1941–49, the nickname given to it by German pilots, on account of its double tail, was Der Gabelschwanz Teufel (the fork-tailed devil). They are a highly prized collector’s item; only five were believed to be flying at the time the Lost Squadron P–38 was salvaged —under c. 75 m (250 ft) of solid ice!
Return to text

It took the two of them many years, much money and several failed expeditions before the first real clue came. Using a sophisticated form of radar with the help of an Icelandic geophysicist, they located eight large shapes beneath the ice in 1988.

As a small, makeshift steam probe began to melt a hole in the ice, expedition members watched dumbstruck as more and more extensions were added to the hose, some 75 m (250 ft) before reaching the first airplane!

None of the discoverers thought that the planes could possibly be buried under more than a light cover of snow and ice. And why would they? After all, the impression the general public has is that the build-up of glacial ice takes very long time periods—thousands of years for just a few metres (see ‘deep freeze salamanders’)."
The lost squadron - creation.com

 

[Episaw]

Satan told me himself.

Hey up! Satan is the father of lies and couldn't tell the truth to save himself so you have been fed a load of lying garbage.

 

[yeshuasavedme]

The thing is that people of that time didn't even define demons in the way that people do today. ...

Bible Gateway passage: Tobit 6 - Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
4 Then the angel said to him, “Cut open the fish and take the heart and liver and gall and put them away safely.” 5 So the young man did as the angel told him; and they roasted and ate the fish.

And they both continued on their way until they came near to Ecbat′ana. 6 Then the young man said to the angel, “Brother Azari′as, of what use is the liver and heart and gall of the fish?” 7 He replied, “As for the heart and the liver, if a demon or evil spirit gives trouble to any one, you make a smoke from these before the man or woman, and that person will never be troubled again. 8 And as for the gall, anoint with it a man who has white films in his eyes, and he will be cured.”...
chapter 7
11 I have given my daughter to seven husbands, and when each came to her he died in the night. But for the present be merry.” And Tobi′as said, “I will eat nothing here until you make a binding agreement with me.” 12 So Rag′uel said, “Take her right now, in accordance with the law. You are her relative, and she is yours. The merciful God will guide you both for the best.” 13 Then he called his daughter Sarah, and taking her by the hand he gave her to Tobi′as to be his wife, saying, “Here she is; take her according to the law of Moses, and take her with you to your father.” And he blessed them.[a] 14 Next he called his wife Edna, and took a scroll and wrote out the contract; and they set their seals to it. 15 Then they began to eat.

Tobias 8:
Tobias Routs the Demon

8 When they had finished eating, they escorted Tobi′as in to her. 2 As he went he remembered the words of Raph′ael, and he took the live ashes of incense and put the heart and liver of the fish upon them and made a smoke. 3 And when the demon smelled the odor he fled to the remotest parts of Egypt, and the angel bound him.

Also, in the DSS, there is included "Psalms of Exorcism" David wrote some of them...
I have my copy of "The Dead Sea Scrolls Translated, the Qumran Texts in English", second edition, open to pages 376/377, and 378 also has some. I can't find it online to paste from, but believe me, they certainly knew what demons and evil spirits/satans, were.

 

[Alexpro]

Ive done a lot of research on the subject. If you read the book of Enoch you'll learn more about the fallen angels and the giants. The angels where mixing there seed with humans and animals. Thats where the monsters and demonic creatures came from like fairies, dinosaurs, mermaids and demonic animals.

If you want to see an incredible testimony about a man who spent 28 minutes in hell Click the link below.
Hell Really Exists. This Man Spent 23 Minutes In Hell. Real Testimony.. | Christian Forums

 

[gordonhooker]

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You took the words right out of my mouth brother...

 

[BobRyan]

First of all it all begins with Satan's falling from God's grace due to his belief he could become as great as God. So he and one third of all the angels who sided with Satan were all dismissed from God's grace and became His enemy.

That is true.

The next step was that of the early creation following Adam and Eve, humanity had increased considerably and the daughters of men attracted some of Satan's angels, who then left heaven to come and select any of them as wives for themselves.

This is not true at all.

In fact in Matthew 22 Jesus said that angels are not beings that have been created with the function of forming families or having children. They do not pro-create even within their own kind - they do not have that function at all. According to Christ.

The Bible calls these angels, sons of God just as it calls Adam "the son of God" because they were all created directly by God.

But the term "sons of God" refer not only to beings created directly by God - but as we see in John 1:11-12 - it refers to those who choose to be adopted into the family of God - to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

 

[BobRyan]

Ive done a lot of research on the subject. If you read the book of Enoch you'll learn more about the fallen angels and the giants.

True - but you won' learn Bible truth on the subject. It was written outside of the Bible -- in second century B.C.

It claims to be by Enoch - but is a fake. At "best" some of the statements in the book do preserve something Enoch taught ... but much of it is pure fiction and was not included in scripture at the time of Christ.

 

[BobRyan]

A demon is someone who was once human but now resides in hell where they serve Satan. In fact, even the Devil was once human. He lived an earthly life, died, then was condemned to hell. He was born in ancient India and worked as a Brahmin priest.

Apparently there are a great many fictions I have never heard of before.

 

[JacksBratt]

You don't know how powerful the mind is. Many people heard about Jesus and who he was and the deranged man was no different. The scri

I agree with this with the exception of "spirits having intent". Spirits do not have intent, they are intent.

Jesus had not yet been recognized as the Messiah, nor was it time for Him to be. This is one of the reasons that He told them to be quiet.

Mental illnesses can be caused by demon possession. Others by chemical imbalance or the mental illness causes the chemical imbalance.

I heard a show all about doctors discussing the fact that they are not certain if the chemical imbalance is caused by or is the cause. They do know that controlling some chemical imbalances will control the illness but will not state for certain which is the cause.

I do know that demons are entities. Jesus spoke to them and they had knowledge that the possessed could not have known.

I got this from: Why would Jesus not let the demons speak?

In Mark 1:34 we read that Jesus "drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was." The parallel account in Luke's Gospel tells us that Jesus "rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ" (Luke 4:41).


There are probably several reasons as to why Jesus would not allow the demons to speak. First, Satan is called the father of lies (John 8:44; see also Genesis 3:4), and the demons who follow Satan no doubt reflect the character of their diabolic leader. Certainly Jesus would not want any testimony regarding His identity from a sinister, lying source. Moreover, one must keep in mind that some of the Jewish leaders associated Jesus with Beelzebub, "the prince of the demons" (Mark 3:22). Hence, allowing testimony from lying spirits might add fuel to the fire regarding that false claim.


A second possible reason for Jesus silencing the demons may be to demonstrate that He has authority over the demons. This would be in keeping with other verses in the Gospels where this authority is openly demonstrated (for example, Mark 8:33; 9:38; Luke 10:17).


A third possible reason for silencing the demons may relate to the popular misconceptions of the Messiah held by many in first-century Judaism. The Jews were expecting the coming of a glorious conquering Messiah who would deliver the Jews from Roman domination. If a demon prematurely blurted out that Jesus was the Messiah, the Jews who were present might interpret the term "Messiah" in this mistaken sense. It may be, then, that Jesus silenced the demons from revealing His identity at this early juncture so that He could, in His own time, demonstrate by word and deed that He was the true biblical Messiah.


Finally, we might observe that it was Jesus' purpose not to have His identity established by the testimony of lying spirits, but rather by the messianic signs (miracles) that He performed (see Matthew 11:4-6; Luke 7:21-23). These miraculous signs were predicted of the Messiah in the Old Testament (see Isaiah 29:18; 35:4-6).

 

[JacksBratt]

That is true.



This is not true at all.

In fact in Matthew 22 Jesus said that angels are not beings that have been created with the function of forming families or having children. They do not pro-create even within their own kind - they do not have that function at all. According to Christ.

The Bible calls these angels, sons of God just as it calls Adam "the son of God" because they were all created directly by God.

But the term "sons of God" refer not only to beings created directly by God - but as we see in John 1:11-12 - it refers to those who choose to be adopted into the family of God - to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

That is just one view.

The scriptures say that, in heaven, there is no giving or taking in marriage.

Matthew 22:30King James Version (KJV)

30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.

Note that it states "the angels of God in heaven" This is a distinct location.

Also, this could be why this act that they carried out, leaving their first estate, was such a huge disrespect to God that they are the only angels, in the bible, that are chained and they are chained where?.... in the bottom of hell. Tartarus.

This must have been a huge punishment for these fallen yet still angelic beings.

 

[Neal of Zebulun]

Matthew 8:

28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.​

29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Yahushua, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?​

Wow. This already says a lot about demons in such a short space.

But we can infer even more about them knowing who Christ is:

Matthew 16:

16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.​

17 And Yahushua answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.​

And where they will be tormented:

Revelation 20:

10 And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.​

And with whom:

Matthew 25:

41 ..Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:​

So here's a list of clues concerning demons:

1. they know who Christ is
2. they know there is an end time
3. they know it's too early
4. they know they are to be tormented
5. even with Satan and his angels
6. because Yahweh revealed it to them

This is some pretty strong circumstantial evidence that Yahweh sent a prophet to these demons at some time in the past, because they committed some heinous crime that involved Satan and his angels.

 

[Quasar92]

That is true.



This is not true at all.

In fact in Matthew 22 Jesus said that angels are not beings that have been created with the function of forming families or having children. They do not pro-create even within their own kind - they do not have that function at all. According to Christ.

The Bible calls these angels, sons of God just as it calls Adam "the son of God" because they were all created directly by God.

But the term "sons of God" refer not only to beings created directly by God - but as we see in John 1:11-12 - it refers to those who choose to be adopted into the family of God - to believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The sons of God in Gen.6:2:

They were not related to the sons of God, i.e. children of God. in any way, of the NT, who are those of us who belong to Christ.

Job 1:6 "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them." NASB

Job 2:1 "Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD." NASB

Wickedness in the World

Gen.6:1 "When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend witha humans forever, for they are mortalb ; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

5The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.



Quasar92

 

[Alexpro]

True - but you won' learn Bible truth on the subject. It was written outside of the Bible -- in second century B.C.

It claims to be by Enoch - but is a fake. At "best" some of the statements in the book do preserve something Enoch taught ... but much of it is pure fiction and was not included in scripture at the time of Christ.

The book of Enoch is a real book, it was taken out of the bible by Rome. The book of Enoch is an extended biblical text. The book of Jasher is another book taken out by the roman catholic church. The reason why the church took out these books; they don't want the people to know the truth and there is other books that where also taken out of the bible. Like the first book of Adam and eve. We have to many biblical scholars out there; Thank God, and what about the book of giants; I never read it but I heard its out there.

In the early days; or the early church of Christianity these book where available, but in modern days these books where taken out of the bible. We have so much proof; the existence of these books. There finding them in caves with the rest of the gospels old and new.

There is no reason to argue about this issue. The evidence is out there. Just ask a biblical archaeologist.