Is There A Devil & Demons?

Q: Is There Really a Devil and What about Demons?

A: God tells us in His word (the bible), that Satan the devil and demons are fallen angels. They are called "fallen angels" because God had the "Arch Angel, Michael, " along with loyal angels - cast these rebels out of heaven & down to the earth. God is "Spirit," and He is the "Father of Spirits". Angels are spirits whether good or bad - hence the term "evil spirit" being interchangeable and same as devils or demons. Some scriptures also refer to angels as the "sons of God."
Satan is referred to in scripture by various terminology including "the serpent", "the god of this world", "the spirit who works in the disobedient", "the adversary", and "the accuser" - among other descriptions. The devil's fervent desire is to deceive the nations to not worship/believe in God - so they will incur the same final judgement as him - which is to be cast into the Lake of Fire.

At the "end of the world" God will have Satan thrown into the Lake of Fire - which will be the final end of the devil, demons, (other fallen angels) along with the wicked (unbelievers) whom Satan deceived. Death and Hell shall also be tossed into the Lake of Fire.

In the meantime - Satan roams the earth, seeking to deceive the nations, and is busy making war against the saints (believers in Jesus Christ).

Satan Thrown Down to Earth

Revelation 12:7-12 (KJVER) " And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, ⁸And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
⁹And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.¹⁰And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.¹¹ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.¹² Therefore rejoice, you heavens, and you that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.

The Devil was in the Garden of Eden:

Genesis 3:3,4 (NIV) "But from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'" The serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!…"

The Devil was in Heaven:

Job 1:6,7 (ESV) "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. The Lord said to Satan, “From where have you come?” Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”

The Devil also tempted Jesus (unsuccessfully):

Matthew 4:1 (KJV) "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. "

The Devil Deceives People, He is the Father of Lies & Liars:

2 Timothy 2:25-26 (NLT) Gently instruct those who oppose the truth. Perhaps God will change those people’s hearts, and they will learn the truth. ²⁶Then they will come to their senses and escape from the devil’s trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants.

John 8:44 (KJ2) "You are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father you will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it."

1 John 3:8 (ESV) " Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil."

2 Corinthians 4:4 (ESV) "In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

Mark 4:15 (KJV) "And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan comes immediately, and takes away the word that was sown in their hearts."

1 John 5:19 (NIV) "We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one."

James 2:19 (ESV) You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

Ephesians 2:1,2 (NLT) "Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins. 2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God."

Jesus Cast Out Demons:

Acts 10:36 (NKJV) "The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ—He is Lord of all— ³⁷that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached: ³⁸how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him."

Luke 11:14 ( NLT) "One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn't speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed".

Luke 4:33-35 (NLT) "Once when he was in the synagogue, a man possessed by a demon—an evil spirit—began shouting at Jesus “Go away! Why are you interfering with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are—the Holy One of God!”. Jesus cut him short. “Be quiet! Come out of the man,” He ordered. At that, the demon threw the man to the floor as the crowd watched; then it came out of him without hurting him further."

Jesus gives Believers (disciples) Power over the devil & demons:

Luke 10:1,17-20, ¹"After these things the Lord appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go. ¹⁷ Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” ¹⁸And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. ¹⁹Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. ²⁰Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.”

Mark 16:15-17 (NLT) "And then He told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. ¹⁶Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. ¹⁷ These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in My name, and they will speak in new languages."

We are Given Authority to Resist the devil/demons and Given Armor to Withstand & Not Be Deceived:

Ephesians 6:11 (NIV) " Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes."

James 4:7 (ESV) "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."

James 1:13 (NAS) "Let no one say when he is tempted, "I am being tempted by God "; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone."

1 Corinthians 10:13 (NAS) "No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it."

1 Peter 5:8 (ESV) "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour."

2 Corinthians 11:14 (ESV) "And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light."

2 Corinthians 11:13-15 (NIRV) "People like that are false apostles. They are workers who tell lies. They only pretend to be apostles of Christ. 14 That comes as no surprise. Even Satan himself pretends to be an angel of light. So it doesn’t surprise us that Satan’s servants also pretend to be serving God. They will finally get exactly what they deserve."

God will Punish Satan and evildoers:

Romans 16:20 (ESV) "The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you."

Matthew 25:41 (ESV) “Then He will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels."

Revelation 20 (NKJV) Satan Bound 1,000 Years
20:1-3 "Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal on him, so that he should deceive the nations no more till the thousand years were finished. But after these things he must be released for a little while."

Revelation 20:10 (NKJV) "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.