If ever there was an example of something beginning good and ending bad it is the story of devils, aka demons.  Those who read this website and watch my YouTube site (proveallthingsofgod) know that I try to provide the who, what, why, when, how, etc. of whatever subject I am discussing.  This series will be no different.

The words “devil” and “devils” are mentioned over 200 times in the Holy Bible.  Obviously the Lord wants His people to know not only that they exist, but that they dominate the lives of the world’s human beings, including the vast majority of  those known as “Christians.”  Many church people do not believe that demons exist, making themselves low hanging fruit for Satan’s angels.  Having dealt with them on numerous occasions I can assure the reader that they do not merely exist, they dominate the majority of people.  This study is of paramount importance to those who truly seek to know God’s Truth.  For this reason I will begin at the beginning and explain what devils are? from whence they came? why they came to earth? what part they play in the lives of men? and how to deal with them.

In Job 38:4-7 we are told that when the sons of God (angels) saw the beautiful earth that God had created, they shouted for joy.  This tells us that God created angels before He created the earth.  We do not know how many angels He created–millions? billions? trillions?–we simply do not know.  We do know from the Scriptures that He created them with great power, many abilities and the right of choice.  As we will see, many of them exercised the right to do wrong and will pay an eternal price for doing so, as will those people who allowed themselves to be controlled by them.

Of all the angels God created, one stands out above all the others–Lucifer, which means “morning sun.”  The word “lucid” means to give forth light.  The word comes from the Latin term “lucere,” meaning to shine.  Biblically, angels are described as being large, powerful, and able to change their appearance at will.  Recall that when God and two angels visited Abraham on their way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah they appeared as “men.” The local homosexuals also saw them as “men.”  See the previous series for more on this subject.

God gave Lucifer and 1/3 of His angels the responsibility of taking care of the newly-created earth.  To get a view of Lucifer’s incredible magnificence we will turn to the Book of Ezekiel chapter 28 verses 12-15 where we find God speaking to him (Lucifer) through the prophet.  He is referring to Lucifer’s control over Tyre, a city known for its wickedness.  In this passage the Lord characterizes Lucifer as the king (sin-director) of Tyre who was at one time His most magnificent, most powerful angel.  “You (Lucifer) were the expression of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.  You were (your throne was) in Eden, the garden of God.  Every precious stone was your covering.”  Then God lists 10 of the world’s most precious jewels which were apparently part of Lucifer’s robe. “The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes (musical instruments) was prepared for you on the day you were created.  You were the anointed (specially gifted) cherub who covers.  I established you on the holy mountain of God.  You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.  You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created UNTIL INIQUITY (LAWLESSNESS) WAS FOUND IN YOU.”  In verses 16-19 the Almighty reminds Lucifer of his fall from his position of power and grandeur.  His primary sin was to try to replace God on His throne in the northern heavens.  Having convinced his angelic helpers to join him in his rebellion, he attacked the throne of God and tried to displace Him.  A cosmic war ensued.  At this point his name was changed to Satan–enemy.  The war in heaven destroyed the planets, including the earth where everything died and the lord sent water to cover it.  The story picks up with God recreating the earth in Genesis 1:2.  Genesis 1:1 refers to the earth as it was originally created.  We do not know how many years separates verse 1 (the earth’s original creation) and verse 2 (the earth’s recreation.

Due to their rebellion against God, Satan and his fallen angels (one third of all angels) were cast back down to the earth.  Then God created man (Adam means “man”) and was given control of the earth IF HE COULD KEEP SATAN FROM TAKING IT FROM HIM BY TEMPTING HIM (ADAM) TO SIN.

Recall that when He created Adam God said about him and those who would follow him: “Let Us (Elohim–two Gods) make man in our image according to Our likeness; let THEM (Adam and his descendants) have dominion (absolute control) over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps  on the earth” (Gen. 1:26).   Satan convinced Adam and Eve to sin, and in so doing, took dominion over the earth from them.  Now he and his angels–devils–were free to tempt Adam’s descendants at will.  His posterity, having the choice to obey God (as did Abel) or to obey Satan and his devils (as did Cain), chose to obey God’s enemies. The spirit of jealousy is very powerful, so powerful that it convinced Cain to murder Abel.  A lying spirit convinced Cain to lie to God.  Whatever the sin, there is a demonic spirit involved in it either directly or indirectly.  Spirits cannot force anyone to do anything.  They work through temptation.  The evening news tells us that they are very effective.

When Satan’s angels were cast back down to the earth and people began to multiply they (devils)  immediately began to tempt them.  Devils are as varied as human beings.  The have individual personalities as well as strengths.
Every devil that followed Lucifer/Satan became evil by personal choice.  Different devils have different specialties in terms of sin.  Some specialize in hate, others in theft, others in sex sins, others in false religion, others in lying, cheating, murder, hate, physical diseases, mental diseases, etc.  Every type of sin has a devil involved in it to some degree.  Human beings have been controlled by devils for so long that they are accepted as part of the human condition.  Demons have convinced church people that they must sin because of Adam’s sin-transfer-to-his-descendants’-dna miracle.  A lying devil used a priest named Augustine to convince people of this “truth.”  Following the recreation of the earth man grew continually more evil until: “the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and every intent of the thought of his heart (mind) was only evil continually” (Gen 6:5).  “The earth was corrupt and indeed it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth” (vs 12).  By Noah’s day demonic spirits had gained total control over mankind.  God had no choice but to destroy the earth and its inhabitants.  He chose to cleanse the earth by riding it of both man and animals using water.  Only Noah and his family were spared because Noah walked with God (Gen. 6:9).  The world now finds itself in the same situation.  With the exception of God’s true saints, the world’s human inhabitants have become exactly like those of Noah’s day.  And their end will be the same unless they repent and turn to God.  Jesus said few would do so (Mat. 13,14).

When we are tempted to sin there is a devil (demon) somewhere in the mix.  Not having the power of the Holy Spirit makes 99.99% of the world’s population low-hanging fruit for Satan and his angels.  The fact that the treatment of mental and physical infirmities is one of the world’s largest professions and is considered its most important profession; the fact that crime is rampant throughout the earth; the fact that religion has no answer for man’s numerous problems, the fact that religion is the cause of man’s numerous problems, and the fact that man is not what God created him to be and cannot do what He (God) created him to do is proof of the power of Satan and his fallen angels over the lives of over seven billion human beings living today.  With the exception of God’s “remnant,” His “very elect,” His “little flock,” mankind is spiritually dead.  This is proof that Satan’s spiritual storm troopers–his evil beings in high places–are very good at what they do.  L.J.