Demons in the Bible | Isolated Bible Study on Demons

Today we are doing an Isolated study on the term “Demons in the Bible”. Demons can be many different things, not just Spiritual. The following Bible study on demons has been put together to help you research the topic.

We see in the Old Testament demons being driven out from the land (false gods and worshippers of those gods) to fake or non-existent spiritual deities.

(You may be asking, “What is an isolated Study?” An Isolated study is when you isolate a word in the scriptures to see how the word is used throughout the document.)

• Baal means lord. Supreme male deity of the Phoenicians or Canaanites
• a reubenite
• the son of Jehiel and grandfather of saul
• a town of Simeon, probably identical to Baalath-beer 

• a fly

• owner
• husband
• citizens
• inhabitants
• rulers
• lords

• to marry
• to rule over
• possess
• own

Demons In The Bible – New Testament Scriptures

• Matthew 7:22– Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’

So what exactly is being cast out? Entity? Manifestation? Presence? Mindset?

•  Matthew 8:31– The demons began to entreat Him, saying, “If You are going to cast us out, send us into the herd of swine.”
• Matthew 9:34– But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”
• Matthew 10:8– But the Pharisees were saying, “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

When it comes to demons in the bible, many tout Beelzebub is the “ruler” of demons but he is fake. A made-up God that the people worshipped. Can there be other “eternal” spiritual entities, as in less powerful gods? The Word clearly states that God is the ONLY God, not the most powerful of many gods.  Biblical demons are NOT gods.

• Matthew 12:24– But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “This man casts out demons only by Beelzebul the ruler of the demons.”
• Matthew 12:27– If I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason, they will be your judges.
• Matthew 12:28– But if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

Mindsets, transformation, releases, chains falling (bondages) is a sign that the kingdom is present.

• Mark 1:34– And He healed many who were ill with various diseases, and cast out many demons; and He was not permitting the demons to speak, because they knew who He was.

Do demons in the Bible need a body to speak? Can they manifest without a human?

• Mark 1:39– And He went into their synagogues throughout all Galilee, preaching and casting out the demons.
• Mark 3:15– and to have authority to cast out the demons.
• Mark 3:22– The scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “He casts out the demons by the ruler of the demons.”

We know they actually said this, but this is an impossibility. Humans do not have the power to make up spiritual entities that can possess. We also know that dead people do not turn into angels or demons.

• Mark 5:12– The demons implored Him, saying, “Send us into the swine so that we may enter them.”
• Mark 6:13– And they were casting out many demons and were anointing with oil many sick people and healing them.
• Mark 9:38–  John said to Him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name, and we tried to prevent him because he was not following us.”
• Mark 16:9– [Now after He had risen early on the first day of the week, He first appeared to Mary Magdalene, from whom He had cast out seven demons.
• Mark 16:17– These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name, they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues;
• Luke 4:41– Demons also were coming out of many, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But rebuking them, He would not allow them to speak, because they knew Him to be the Christ.

This story is also portrayed in history as people’s minds becoming awakened. They once were worshipping to false gods and as they were ministered to and prayed for they would say ” you are the Son of God”…not some exorcism.

• Luke 8:2– and also some women who had been healed of evil spirits and sicknesses: Mary who was called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out,
• Luke 8:27– And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs.
• Luke 8:30– And Jesus asked him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion”; for many demons had entered him.

A “legion” was a grouping in the Roman army. So referencing that he is dealing with a LOT of things was related to this because everyone knew the term.

• Luke 8:32– Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain, and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission.
• Luke 8:33– And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.

What is this? What does this look like?

• Luke 8:35– The people went out to see what had happened; and they came to Jesus, and found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting down at the feet of Jesus, clothed and in his right mind; and they became frightened.

The very important point to note is that when the “demons” left, what they noticed was that he was in the “right mind”. Can the term demons be used for anything that takes away your right mind or identity?

• Luke 8:38– But the man from whom the demons had gone out was begging Him that he might accompany Him; but He sent him away, saying,
• Luke 9:1– And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

We have the power over everything that deters our identity through JESUS.

• Luke 9:49– John answered and said, “Master, we saw someone casting out demons in Your name; and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow along with us.”
• Luke 10:17– The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”
• Luke 11:15– But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons.”
• Luke 11:18– If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand? For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul.
• Luke 11:19– And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges.
• Luke 11:20– But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
• Luke 13:32– And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’

I find it fascinating that after the Gospels and the Cross the ONLY time demons are mentioned is referring to false and fake gods, except maybe James (unverified).

• 1 Corinthians 10:20– No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons.

False gods

• 1 Corinthians 10:21– You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.

The cup of false gods and idols. There is only one God…Jesus.

• 1 Timothy 4:1– But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,

What they were believing at the end of the age was not the Gospel of Jesus…as we see what was taking place all throughout the New Testament Epistles.

• James 2:19– You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe and shudder.

A play on words to false gods are weak compared to Jesus. 

• Revelation 9:20– The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk;

These are false gods and idols.

• Revelation 16:14– for they are spirits of demons, performing signs, which go out to the kings of the whole world, to gather them together for the war of the great day of God, the Almighty.

Demons have spirits? 

Revelation 18:2– And he cried out with a mighty voice, saying, “Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great! She has become a dwelling place of demons and a prison of every unclean spirit, and a prison of every unclean and hateful bird.

DEMONIAC

• Matthew 4:24– The news about Him spread throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering from various diseases and pains, demoniacs, epileptics, paralytics; and He healed them.

Notice that demoniacs are lumped in with other physical ailments. Mental disease?

• Matthew 8:33– The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the demoniacs.

The people with mental illness became well!

Church Fathers & Biblical Demons

Ignatius of Antioch- 110 AD

He truly raised himself up, not, as certain unbelievers [i.e., the gnostics] maintain, that he only seemed to suffer, as they themselves only seem to exist [or, seem to be Christians]. And as they believe, so shall it happen to them, when they shall be divested of their bodies and be mere evil spirits. 

Justin Martyr- 150 A.D 

For the restraint which human laws could not make happen, the Word, inasmuch as he is divine, would have effected, had not the wicked demons—taking as their ally the lust of wickedness which is in every man and which leads in various ways to many types of vices—scattered many false and profane accusations, none of which attach to us.

Let necromancy, the divinations you practice by immaculate children, the evoking of departed human souls, and those who are called among the magi, Dream-senders and Assistant-spirits … persuade you that even after death souls are in a state of sensation. Also, [be persuaded by] those who are seized and cast about by the spirits of the dead, whom all call dÊmoniacs or madmen, as well as those you repute as oracles

You [Jews] hesitate to confess that he is Christ, as the Scriptures and the events witnessed and done in his name prove, perhaps for this reason: that you may be persecuted by the rulers, who, under the influence of the wicked and deceitful spirit, the serpent, will not stop putting to death and persecuting those who confess the name of Christ until [Christ] comes again and destroys them all and gives each what they deserve.

Tertullian- 210 A.D

[Some gnostics] undertake to bring up from Hades the souls of the prophets themselves. I suppose that they can do so under cover of a lying wonder. For, indeed, it was no less than this that was permitted in ancient times to the pythonic [ventriloquist] spirit. It was allowed to represent the soul of Samuel when Saul consulted the dead after [leaving] God. God forbid, however, that we should suppose that the soul of any saint, much less of a prophet, can be dragged out of [Hades] by a demon.

We know that “Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light”; how much easier a man of light! … [Satan] hardly hesitated on the before-mentioned occasion to affirm himself to be a prophet of God, especially to Saul, in whom he was then actually dwelling.

You must not imagine that he who produced the phantom was one, and he who consulted it was another. It was one and the same spirit both in the sorceress and in the apostate. It easily pretended an appearance of that which it had already prepared them to believe as real.

Comodianus- 240 A.D

When Almighty God, to beautify the nature of the world, willed that that earth should be visited by angels, when they were sent down they despised His laws. Such was the beauty of women, that it turned them aside. Then, being contaminated, they could not return to heaven.†Rebels from God, they uttered words against Him.†Then the Highest uttered His judgment against them, and from their seed giants are said to have been born.† They made arts known in the earth, and they taught the dyeing of wool and everything which is done. To them, when they died, men erected images. But the Almighty did not allow them to be brought back from death after they died because they were of an evil seed.†As a result they now wander and fight for control of people’s bodies. It is the likes of these that you [Romans] now worship and pray to as gods.

Thus it has pleased the Lord of lords Himself in the heavens, that demons should wander in the world for our discipline. And yet, on the other hand, he has sent out His mandates, that they who forsake their altars [i.e., the altars of idols, which are demons] shall become inhabitants of heaven.