What is a Demon?

Aren’t demons just another name for fallen angels? Most people today think that demons and fallen angels are the same thing, but in reality, that idea is only half right. A demon is a being who is half-angel, half-human.

We know that demons and fallen angels cannot be the same thing because of the way each is spoken of in Scripture. In the book of Jude, we read, And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these [God] has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great day (Jude 6). And Peter says, For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment… (2 Peter 2:4). So, we see that the fallen angels who willingly left Heaven are already in Hell, awaiting God’s final Judgment Day.

The Satan himself is a different story. In Job 1:7, we read: The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you come from?”

Satan answered the Lord, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”

And 1 Peter 5:8 says, Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

The devil, apparently, is not in Hell with the fallen angels. And neither are the demons. They are still roaming the earth.

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

It is these demons who possess and tempt us, not fallen angels. So, who are these demons? 

When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. Then the LORD said, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown (Genesis 6:1-4).

The “sons of God” were marrying “daughters of men.” Some have thought that both of these terms refer to humans, but the most ancient authorities claim that the “sons of God” were angels and that the “Nephilim” was the term used to describe the children born as the result of the intercourse between these angels and human women. 

The Books of Enoch were never chosen to be included in the Bible as Scripture, but they were quoted by other books in the Bible and by early Christian teachers and so, therefore, may be viewed as useful to us, if not as authoritative as Scripture. 1 Enoch says, “It happened after the sons of men had multiplied in those days, that daughters were born to them, elegant and beautiful. And when the angels, the sons of heaven, beheld them, they became enamoured of them, saying to each other, ‘Come, let us select for ourselves wives from the progeny of men, and let us beget children.’ 

“Then their leader Samyaza said to them; ‘I fear that you may perhaps be indisposed to the performance of this enterprise and that I alone shall suffer for so grievous a crime.’ 

“But they answered him and said; ‘We all swear and bind ourselves by mutual execrations, that we will not change our intention, but execute our projected undertaking.’ Then they swore all together, and all bound themselves by mutual execrations. Their whole number was two hundred, who descended upon Ardis, which is the top of mount Hermon. That mountain therefore was called Hermon, because they had sworn upon it, and bound themselves by mutual execrations. These are the names of their chiefs: Samyaza, who was their leader, Urakabarameel, Akibeel, Tamiel, Ramuel, Danel, Azkeel, Saraknyal, Asael, Armers, Batraal, Anane, Zavebe, Samsaveel, Ertael, Turel, Yomyael, Arazyal. These were the prefects of the two hundred angels, and the remainder were all with them. 

“Then they took wives, each choosing for himself; whom they began to approach, and with whom they cohabited; teaching them sorcery, incantations, and the dividing of roots and trees. And the women conceiving brought forth giants. The giants brought forth the Naphelim, and the Naphelim brought forth the Elioud. And they existed, increasing in power according to their greatness. The giant’s stature was each three hundred cubits. These devoured all which the labor of men produced;until it became impossible to feed them. When they turned themselves against men, in order to devour them, and began to injure birds, beasts, reptiles, and fishes, to eat their flesh one after another, and to drink their blood. Then the earth reproved the unrighteous” (1^st Enoch 7).

The Nephilim, then, were giants, “men of renown,” as Genesis 6 calls them, because, as children of angels, their physical height and strength would have been that much greater than normal men.

So, what happened to these giants, these Nephilim? Enoch says, “Then the earth reproved the unrighteous” and the next thing we read about in Genesis 6 is the Flood. Enoch 9 provides the account of God sending an angel to Noah and instructing him to build the ark before the Flood begins.

Meanwhile, we read, ^“To Gabriel also the Lord said, ‘Go to the biters, to the reprobates, to the children of fornication, and destroy the children of fornication, the offspring of the angels, from among men. Bring them forth and excite them one against another. Let them perish by mutual slaughter, for length of days shall not be theirs. They shall all entreat you, but their fathers shall not obtain their wishes respecting them, for they shall hope for eternal life, and that they may live, each of them, five hundred years.’

“To Michael likewise the Lord said, ‘Go and announce his crime to Samyaza, and to the others who are with him, who have been associated with women, that they might be polluted with all their impurity. And when all their sons shall be slain, when they shall see the perdition of their beloved, bind them for seventy generations underneath the earth, even to the day of judgment, and of consummation, until the judgment, the effect of which will last for ever, be completed. Then shall they be taken away into the lowest depths of the fire in torments, and in confinement shall they be shut up for ever. Immediately after this shall he, together with them, burn and perish. They shall be bound until the consummation of many generations” (Enoch 10:13-17).

So, before the Flood begins, the Nephilim giants are apparently going to war amongst themselves and will kill each other off. Their angel fathers, however, are being sent to Hell (as we read in Jude and 2 Peter) to await the Judgment for their crimes.

The next question, then, is what happened to the Nephilim after they died?

“Now the giants, who have been born of spirit and of flesh, shall be called upon earth evil spirits, and on earth shall be their habitation. Evil spirits shall proceed from their flesh, because they were created from above. From the holy angels was their beginning and primary foundation. Evil spirits shall they be upon earth, and the spirits of the wicked shall they be called. The habitation of the spirits of heaven shall be in heaven, but upon earth shall be the habitation of terrestrial spirits, who are born on earth. The spirits of the giants shall be like clouds, which shall oppress, corrupt, fall, content, and bruise upon earth. They shall cause lamentation. No food shall they eat and they shall be thirsty. They shall be concealed and shall rise up against the sons of men, and against women, for they come forth during the days of slaughter and destruction” (1 Enoch 15:8-10).

The giants became evil spirits, or demons, as we call them, and are set against normal humans. It’s interesting to note that these evil spirits are denied food and drink, as if they still wanted it but can’t have it. This may be why demons desire to take possession of a human body. They were physical once and still desire to partake of the physical pleasures. They still want to eat and drink but are unable to in their strictly spiritual form. They may, however, be able to partake so long as they are doing it through someone else’s body. 

Commodianus, writing in the third century A.D., agrees with Enoch in writing, “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; so that, 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. By them arts were made known in the earth, and they taught the dyeing of wool, and everything which is done; and to them, when they died, men erected images. But the Almighty, because they were of an evil seed, did not approve that, when dead, they should be brought back from death. Whence wandering they now subvert many bodies, and it is such as these especially that ye this day worship and pray to as gods” (Against the Gods of the Heathen, section 3).

It’s also interesting to note that the Bible speaks of the descendants of the Nephilim later in the Bible, after the Flood. When Moses sent twelve spies into Canaan to explore the land, this is what they said:  “We can't attack those people; they are stronger than we are. The land we explored devours those living in it. All the people we saw there are of great size. We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them” (Numbers 13:31-33). 

How are these descendants of the Nephilim still alive in Moses’ day? We know that everyone on earth was killed during the Flood except for Noah and his family, but it may be that someone in Noah’s family (possibly one of his daughters-in-law) had some Nephilim DNA in her that she passed on to her children after the Flood.

The point is that demons are not fallen angels. The fallen angels are in Hell, whereas the demons continue on earth. Demons are the children of angel fathers and human mothers, and they are the ones whom Satan uses to deceive us. One of the ways they try to deceive us is by appearing as ghosts and distracting us from the reality and the finality of Heaven and Hell.

What are Ghosts?

Are they really the spirits of once-living people come back to say good-bye or to tend to unfinished business?

There are only two places where the Bible talks about ghosts. The first is 1 Samuel 28:3-20:

“Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in his own town of Ramah. Saul had expelled the mediums and spiritists from the land.  The Philistines assembled and came and set up camp at Shunem, while Saul gathered all the Israelites and set up camp at Gilboa. When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart. He inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets. Saul then said to his attendants, "Find me a woman who is a medium, so I may go and inquire of her."

"There is one in Endor," they said.  So Saul disguised himself, putting on other clothes, and at night he and two men went to the woman. "Consult a spirit for me," he said, "and bring up for me the one I name."  

But the woman said to him, "Surely you know what Saul has done. He has cut off the mediums and spiritists from the land. Why have you set a trap for my life to bring about my death?"

Saul swore to her by the LORD, "As surely as the LORD lives, you will not be punished for this."

Then the woman asked, "Whom shall I bring up for you?"

"Bring up Samuel," he said.

When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out at the top of her voice and said to Saul, "Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!" 

The king said to her, "Don't be afraid. What do you see?"

The woman said, "I see a spirit coming up out of the ground."

"What does he look like?" he asked.

"An old man wearing a robe is coming up," she said.

Then Saul knew it was Samuel, and he bowed down and prostrated himself with his face to the ground.

Samuel said to Saul, "Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?"

"I am in great distress," Saul said. "The Philistines are fighting against me, and God has turned away from me. He no longer answers me, either by prophets or by dreams. So I have called on you to tell me what to do."

Samuel said, "Why do you consult me, now that the LORD has turned away from you and become your enemy? The LORD has done what he predicted through me. The LORD has torn the kingdom out of your hands and given it to one of your neighbors—to David. Because you did not obey the LORD or carry out His fierce wrath against the Amalekites, the LORD has done this to you today. The LORD will hand over both Israel and you to the Philistines, and tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The LORD will also hand over the army of Israel to the Philistines."

Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of Samuel's words. His strength was gone, for he had eaten nothing all that day and night.”

Is this really the spirit of Samuel coming back from the dead, or is it a trick of the medium? In this case, we have to assume that it really was Samuel being summoned because we are given no indication that the event was inauthentic in any way. The key here is that Samuel had to be summoned. He wasn’t wandering the earth or haunting his old residence.

So where was Samuel being summoned from? He surely wasn’t in Hell and he wasn’t in Heaven yet. Samuel was being summoned from Sheol, or death, the place where all Old Testament persons had to wait until Christ died for them (more discussion on Sheol in the next chapter). And Samuel is only summoned for a brief period of time. He is still bound in death after this and unable to communicate or to leave death without being summoned again.

The second mention of ghosts in the Bible is found in Luke 16:19-31.

“Jesus said, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.  The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

“But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

“He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

“Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

“‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

In this parable, Jesus is clearly portraying Lazarus and Abraham as being in Heaven and the rich man as being in a fiery Hell. Thus, Jesus is projecting the story forward to the time when He has already died and freed Abraham and all other Old Testament persons from Sheol. The story takes place in the time when people’s spirits do not remain in death, but are “carried” directly to Heaven or Hell. And when the rich man begs for Lazarus to return (as a ghost) and to speak to his family, his request is denied. Not because it is impossible, but because it is impractical. The sending of people back from the dead is simply not done in Heaven. It is ineffective in persuading people to repent.

So Samuel was able to be summoned because he was in Sheol at the time. Presumably, anyone could be summoned when they were in Sheol. But could Samuel be summoned after Christ died and Samuel was moved to Heaven? Could Abraham or Lazarus be summoned? I think not. People who are in Heaven or Hell, as in the parable, will not leave those places again until the time of Christ’s second coming and the final resurrection.

So what about ghosts that we see today? If people are carried directly to Heaven or Hell now and they do not return to appear as ghosts to us, what are the ‘ghosts’ that people experience?

I believe that the ghosts we see today are not people at all, but demons disguising themselves as our loved ones and the random dead. The reason they do this is to cast doubt on the reality of Heaven and Hell. If the demons can make us believe that people become ghosts and wander the earth for a time, then it takes away some of the urgency of our eternal fate. It makes it seem like Heaven and Hell aren’t so immediate. We don’t have to worry about it quite as much. We can finish what we were doing on earth first. We can avenge our murderer. We can say good-bye to our families first.

Whereas these are all nice and comforting thoughts, they aren’t the reality. We don’t have any more time after we die. We can’t change our minds or repent or do things differently. We only have one life to do what needs to be done and we only get one life to make our decision for eternity. When we die, that’s it. Time’s up and Heaven and Hell are all that’s left. So we better live like we understand that. Demons appearing as ghosts only seek to distract us from this fact. Any ghost that we see today is a false apparition.