Do demons exist?

Demon-possession is a great reality. Let none deceive themselves as to this. More than one can enter into a single person (Mark 5:9; Luke 8:2). Demons can adopt a fair exterior as well as a repulsive one. Seeing that Satan himself can play the role of "an angel of light," his ministers are able to act the part of "ministers of righteousness" (2 Cor. 11:14-15). They can fill pulpits and speak therefrom as well as mutter in seances. They can also tell the truth when it suits them. The demon who said to the Lord, "I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God," spoke the truth (Mark 1:24); as also did the demon-possessed girl who cried after Paul and Silas through the streets of Philippi, "These men are the servants of the Most High God, which show to you the way of salvation" (Acts 16:17). But when these malignant beings speak the truth, it is with a view to gaining the confidence of their victims in order to ensure their everlasting ruin.

There is another class of fallen angels, in Scripture called demons, who evidently are allowed a range of activity in this world. We have ample proof of this in the four Gospels. That these unclean spirits have the power to enter and possess the bodies of men and animals is evident. We read:

"And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit: and he cried out, saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee, who Thou art, the Holy One of God" (Mark 1:23-24). "And all the devils besought Him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave, And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea (they were about two thousand) and were choked in the sea" (Mark 5:12-13). "Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven devils" (Luke 8:2).

These demons are often designated as "unclean spirits," for it has ever been Satan's aim to pollute men's minds to destroy their souls, and to bring about evil diseases to destroy their bodies. That these hordes of evil spirits are highly organized we gather from Scripture.

But He did not only teach, that day; for a man was there with an unclean spirit, as Mark states — a demon, as Luke calls it. If the congregation listened to the Lord in silence, struck by His teaching, that man could not keep quiet. He attracted the Lord's attention by speaking to Him in a language all could understand — the language of man, yet giving utterance to the thoughts of the demon within him: "What have we to do with Thee, Thou Jesus the Nazarene? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou art, the Holy One of God" (1:24). The demon would bear testimony to the Lord; but the Lord would not receive it. What that spirit made its victim utter was all true. The Nazarene was the Holy One of God, and He will deal in judicial and almighty power with that spirit in a future day. Testimony, however, from such a source He would not accept; so He rebuked the demon, saying, "Hold thy peace, and come out of him" (ver. 25). The unclean spirit obeyed, and came out, having first torn the man, and having cried with a loud voice. Demoniacal possession is a reality. There was no illusion. That spirit's power was displayed, and its voice heard; but the power of the Lord was greater. And however unwilling to leave its victim, at the word of Christ, "Hold thy peace, and come out of him," it came out.

The evil spirits that possessed so many persons when the Lord was on earth were demons, and from the instances given we learn much respecting them. The Pharisees said that the Lord cast out demons by Beelzebub the prince of demons. The Lord interpreted this to mean 'Satan casting out Satan;' by which we learn that the demons were the agents of Satan; and that Satan as a strong man had to be bound before his kingdom could be assailed. Matt. 12:24-29. The demons also were strong ones, by the way they handled those they possessed, and by one overcoming seven men and making them flee out of the house naked and wounded. Acts 19:16. We know also that they were intelligent beings; for they knew the Lord Jesus and bowed at once to His authority. They also knew that punishment awaited them: for some asked if the Lord had come to torment them before the time. Matt. 8:29.

δαιμόνιον, δαίμων. It is to be regretted that the translators of the A.V. did not use the word 'demon' where these words occur instead of 'devil,' for which there is another Greek word, διάβολος, signifying 'accuser.' This latter word is used only in the singular, referring to the devil — Satan; but there are many demons. Philosophers spoke of demons quite differently from the way they are represented in scripture. Thus Plato says, "Every demon is a middle being between God and the mortal. God is not approached immediately by man, but all the commerce and intercourse between gods and men is performed by the mediation of demons." This was a device of Satan, that God could be worshipped through the agency of demons or demi-gods. In a similar way the Roman Catholics pray to the Virgin and the saints to intercede for them. Scripture makes it plain that the demons were evil spirits: cf. Rev. 16:13-14.

We read of these, the devil’s angels, (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:7). They seem to be of two classes. First, according to 2 Peter 2:4, there are angels who sinned and were delivered into chains of darkness, Jude also alluding to them in the same way. They appear to be strictly confined, until “the judgment of the great day,” and unable to roam about. But there is another very numerous class of fallen angels who have liberty of movement and act under the direction of Satan in his attempts to subvert the work of God.

Of course God never created any being or intelligence sinful. Sinfulness was acquired by self-will. As Satan fell and became the destroyer, Apollyon, so his angels fell and became demons. All through the four Gospels we get constant allusions to demons. These are clearly those fallen angels who are not under everlasting chains.

Your second question assumes two falls of angels, of which scripture does not speak, though it be very possible. Satan is spoken of as fallen; he "abode not in the truth" - but of his angels we have no account, though we must suppose they are fallen, but not the same as those reserved in chains of darkness. These last are simply kept in chains for the judgment of the great day; nor are they ever called demons that I know of: those are active in evil. So we have "the devil and his angels:" but no further account of them.

It has been argued that the persons said to be possessed were really lunatics, who imagined they were possessed; and to meet that fancy the Lord spoke to the supposed spirit and told it to come out! But this is simply an effort to deny the power of Satan and his emissaries over man, and also God's power in the miracles. The Lord spoke of the casting out of demons when he was not speaking to those possessed. The demons also knew the Lord to be the Son of God, answered Him, asked permission to go into the herd of swine, and feared he had come to punish them before the time. Those who were lunatics are mentioned along with, and as different from, those possessed with demons. Matt. 4:24. It is true that the father of a lad who was possessed by a demon called him a lunatic, and said the disciples could not cure him, in Matt. 17:14-16; but in Mark 9:17 he said his son had a dumb spirit, and in Luke 9:39 'a spirit taketh him.' It was clearly a case of possession: the Lord rebuked the demon, and it departed from him.

In all cases the relief was experienced immediately the demon was expelled; the words used are too explicit to mean aught else than that the persons were possessed, and that the wicked spirits were cast out. The case of Judas Iscariot was somewhat different, inasmuch as it was Satan himself that entered into that wretched man. Luke 22:3. Here it was more than the mere question of power over man, it was the Adversary standing up against Christ.

As to these demons, we learn from the Gospels that they take possession of human bodies, even the bodies of beasts. When an unclean spirit was asked his name, his reply was, “My name is Legion: for we are many” (Mark 5:9). Out of Mary Magdalene seven were cast. The demons were subject to Christ’s commands, and after His resurrection to the power of His name as we learn from the case of Paul and the damsel of divination in Acts 16. They know their doom, as is evidenced by their cry: “What have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of God, art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Matt. 8:29).

Some other intelligent beings were created by Him, and in some way we know not have become demons, unclean spirits, who are all around us, and are so numerous that a legion of them attended one single man.