Demon

     We're going to begin a series on the subject of Satan & demons. Some times people say why teach on the Devil? Aren't we glorifying the Devil by teach on him? I don't want to give the Devil any glory, but I fell that if we don't teach on him & his actives, we will be ignorant of what he is doing & we won't be able to stop him.

     I. 2 COR 2:11

              A. Paul is saying that we are not ignorant of Satan's devices.

                        1. The only way for us not to be ignorant is to be taught.

              B. Paul also says something else of importance in this V.

                        1. He's letting us know that if we are ignorant of Satan's devices, he could get an advantage over us.

                        2. Paul uses the word “Devices” here in referring to Satan's devices.

                                  a. If you go to the Greek and look up the word “Devices” it means “a mental perception, thought; an evil purpose; that which thinks, the mind, thoughts or purposes.”

                                           i. In other words his “Plans.”

                                  b. I like how the NIV put it, (11) “For we are not unaware of his schemes.”

              C. It's important that we do learn about Satan. We don't want to be overcome by him.

     II. Right now I want to look at the questions, Who are demons & where did they come from?

              A. Some have thought that they are fallen angels.

                        1. There are a few reasons why I disagree with that.

                                  a. 1st of all we know that demons desire a body to live in.

                                           i. Both (MATT 12:43) & (LUKE 11:24) say, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man...”

                                           ii. Demons desire a body to live in.

                                  c. Angels never had a physical body. Why would they desire one?

                                  b. Fallen angels are very powerful beings. Why would they want to limit themselves to a physical body?

                        2. The 2nd reason why I feel that fallen angels are not demons are because of 2PET 2:4. (Turn there) 

                                  a. Where did God send them? It says He sent them to hell.

                                           i. Every translation that I looked up it either says “God sent them to hell or Tartarus,” which is the same thing as hell.

                                           ii. It literally means that the fallen angels were thrust down to Tartarus, to hold captive in Tartarus.

                                  b. But that can't mean all of them because we know that Satan is not in hell yet.

                                           i. More than likely most are in hell now, but not all.

                                           ii. Look at Ephesians 6:12

                                           iii. I believe that “Spiritual wickedness in high places” is referring to fallen angels.

     III. Some have said that demons are the spirits of those that have died without the Lord.

              A. There is no support of that in the Word of God.

                        1. The Bible does say for those that are Christians (2 Corinthians 5:8) “Absent from the body, present with the Lord.”

                        2. In (LUKE 16) We see a rich man that died. right after his death it says that he lifted up his eyes in hell.

                                  a. We also see the man that died on the cross next to Jesus

                                           i. Jesus said, “Today you shall be with me in paradise.” (LUKE 23:43)

     IV. But there is a 3rd theory and that is “A preadamic race.” (A race of beings that existed long before Adam.)

              A. I fell that this is the only one that can not be disputed, but even still there is not a lot of information in the Word about it. Just a few glimpses.

                        1. Before we begin, let's look at 1COR 15:45

                                  a. This tells us that the 1st man was Adam.

                                  b. If there were being on this Earth that existed before Adam they were not men & women. They were something else. Adam was the 1st man.

              B. Let's start at the beginning to find out how this theory came about.

                        1. GEN 1:1-2

                                  a. In (V 2) the word “was” could be translated “became.” (Read with became) 

                        2. In this same passage (GEN 1:2a). The words “Without form & void” are the Hebrew words “Tohu & Bohu.”

                                  a. The word “Tohu” translated “Without form” means “formlessness, confusion, emptiness, formlessness, nothingness, empty space, wasteland, wilderness, vain.”

                                  b. & The word “Bohu” translated “Void” means “emptiness, void, waste, & ruin.”

                                           i. God does not make anything in confusion, worthless, a waste, a wilderness, or empty.

                                                     a. I believe that when God created this Earth, He created it to be inhabited.

                                           ii. Something most have happened between (GEN 1:1 & GEN 1:2)

                                           iii. It must have been a great deal of time that took place between these to Vs.

                        3. Look at ISA 45:18

                                  a. It says “He created it not in vain.”

                                           i. The word “vain” is the Hebrew word “Tohu.”

                                           ii. The same word that we have in (GEN 1:2) that says the earth was without form.

                                  b. In other words this V is saying that God did not create the earth a desolation, He did not create it worthless, a wilderness, a ruin, or in confusion.

                                           i. He said “He created it to be inhabited.”

              C. So what happened?

                        1. Go back to GEN 1:1 (Read) 

                        2. V 2a (was) (became)

                        3. V 2b

                                  a. God is the Father of Lights. The Devil is darkness. There are many scriptures that refer to that.

                                           i. In (Acts 26:18) “To open their eyes, [and] to turn [them] from darkness to light, and [from] the power of Satan unto God.”

                                                     a. That V refers to God as light & Satan as darkness.

                                           ii. (2Corinthians 6:14-15) Says, “What communion hath light with darkness?” “And what concord hath Christ with Belial?”

                                                     a. Here it's referring “Belial” to “Darkness.” Belial in 1 of the names of Satan.

                                           iii. Let's read V 2 again.

                                                     a. Again, it's another possibility, but Satan & his kingdom may have been present on the earth.

              D. GEN 1:3-4, 6-10

                        1. If the Earth was not created a total wasteland, but that it was created to be inhabited, something must have happened.

                                  a. The Earth was now covered with water.

                                  b. Apparently God destroyed the world with a great flood.

                                           i. This is not Noah's flood, but another.

                                           ii. There is even Geological evidence of 2 floods.

                        2. Look at 2PET 3:1-6

                                  a. When you read this you think that it's talking about Noah's flood.

                                           i. But the word “World” in (V 6) means “world system.”

                                           ii. And the word “Perished” in the same V. means “to put out of the way entirely, abolish, put an end to ruin.” You could say that it was destroyed totally.

                                           iii. (read it with the new words) (“world system & totally destroyed).

                                  b. When was the world system totally destroyed?

                                           i. With Noah? NO

                                           ii. The people were destroyed not the system.

                                           iii. The system is still the same.

                        3. From the fall of Adam until now Satan is the God of this world.

                                  i. With the Earth being under him, it is still under the same system.

                                  ii. Only if there was a time that Satan was not the God of this world could God destroy the system. It would have to be sometime before Adam.

              E. ISA 14:12-17a

                        1. When did Satan turn the world into a wilderness, or destroy the cities of the world? ( Hebrew says utterly destroyed)

                                  a. Never since Adam was here.

                        2. It had to be a Preadamic race. That would also explain what is call prehistoric man.

                        3. ISA 14:13-14 (again)

                                  a. Apparently Satan was here on earth serving God. (Before the fall.)

                                  b. What was he doing here?

                                  c. Look at EZE 28:13

                                           i. We see a glimpse of Satan playing musical instruments.

                                           ii. If he did he probable led praise & worship on Earth.

                                  d. Then his fall came & he corrupted all the inhabitants of the earth.

                                           i. The Earth became so bad that no one was serving God. So God destroyed it with a flood.

              F. Whatever you believe weather you feel that demons are fallen angels, or if you believe that demons are the spirits from a race that died long before Adam.

                        1. We still have authority over them.

WOLCC 9/19/93 SUN AM