Doctrine of Creation (Part 25)

We have been talking about angels and demons and last time we discussed some of the nature of these demonic beings. They have intelligence and seek to deceive believers. They are, like angels, spiritual beings; that is to say, they are minds without bodies. They are, however, malevolent. They are called unclean spirits; they are extremely evil.

In addition to that, they also, like the angels, form supernatural dominions and levels of authority. We see this in Ephesians 6:12. There Paul says, “For we are not contending against flesh and blood.” That is an idiom for mortal creatures – human beings. He continues, “. . . but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” Wow! When you read that, it makes you realize what we are up against. We are not just fighting against human beings or human persecution or obstacles but this whole panoply of spiritual powers and dominions that are arrayed against God and against his church.

Also in Jude 8-10, a verse that we have come back to again and again, is the story about Michael which says,

Here, again, we have an indication of this sort of authority structure (I believe) that exists even with these demonic beings.

Also 2 Peter 2:10-11 says something very similar. He speaks of “those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. Bold and willful, they are not afraid to revile the glorious ones, whereas angels, though greater in might and power, do not pronounce a reviling judgment upon them before the Lord.” So these foolish human heretics are not reluctant to revile what they don’t understand and to speak out against authority where angels, even though they are greater in strength than these human beings, are more circumspect in being careful to not speak out against these demonic principalities and powers that are over them.

Finally, 1 John 5:19 says, “We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.” This indicates Satan’s authority over this planet. The whole world lies within his sphere of authority.

So there is this supernatural realm – dominions, powers, principalities, rulers – that are arrayed against God and his church and seek to undo God’s work.

The next point is that these demonic creatures can possess people and exhibit supernatural strength. Mark 5:1-4 is the story of the Gadarene demoniac.[1] Mark says,

Here you see this demoniac who has as a result this incredible superhuman strength that was a result of his being possessed by this demon.

Another example would be Acts 19:13-16. Here Luke says,

This is just another illustration of the kind of superhuman strength that comes as a result of demonic possession.

The next point is that these demons must submit to the authority of Jesus’ name. Mark 5:7-13 – this is the sequel to the story of the Gadarene demoniac. The demoniac sees Jesus,

In this encounter, you have the practice of naming someone as an attempt to control them. If you know the person’s name then you are in the position of authority. So the demon says, “What have you to do with me” and he identifies Him, “Jesus, the Son of God, I adjure you, don’t torment me.” He tries to have a one-upsmanship on Jesus. Why? Because Jesus had said to him, “Come out of the man” and then Jesus turns the tables and says, “What is your name?” And the demon says “Legion, for we are many.” He was possessed by multiple demons. Then Jesus casts them out. Here we see the authority of Jesus’ name over the demons and his authority to cast them out.

Take a look also at Luke 10:17 for another example. Here the seventy go out on their mission to heal and cast out demons and proclaim the kingdom. Luke 10:17 says, “The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’” So with the name of Jesus they have the power to cast out these evil spirits.

Now this doesn’t mean that there is something magical about the name of Jesus. After all, the name “Jesus” is different in different languages, right? Jesus is the English pronunciation of the name.[2] It is not as though this is an incantation or a magic formula that just anybody could utter to cast out demons. That is the lesson of Acts 19:13-16. If you turn back to that passage again, these Jewish exorcists don’t believe in Jesus but they try to use the name of Jesus like a sort of formula or an incantation. “I adjure you by the Jesus that Paul preaches to come out” and the demon just mocks them and overpowers them and beats them up. Why? Well, because they didn’t really have the power of Jesus’ name. When we talk about the power of Jesus’ name, whether it is praying in Jesus’ name or casting out demons in Jesus’ name, it doesn’t just mean the verbalization of some kind of a formula or an incantation. It means doing it in the power of Jesus’ name with his authority. These Jewish exorcists didn’t have that sort of authority. For them, these were just empty words. But of course Jesus and his disciples did it in the authority of Christ and with his power to rule the demonic realm.

Finally, these demonic creatures know their own end. Look at Matthew 8:29. Here the demoniacs say to Jesus, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?” Before the time. What are they talking about there? They are talking about that time when, on the Judgment Day, they will be judged and eternally cast into hell. We see this in Matthew 25:41 where Jesus says, “Then he will say to those at his left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” This is their fate – the eternal fire has been reserved for them. I think this is interesting, too, because you notice this eternal fire isn’t prepared for human beings. This is prepared for the devil and his angels. In one sense, it is a travesty that any human being should ever go there. This isn’t designed for them. This is designed for the devil and his angels. The only reason that some people end up in hell is because they consciously reject God’s grace, the convicting power of the Holy Spirit and his every effort to save them. The Scripture says that God is not willing that any should perish but all should reach redemption.[3] God wants all persons to be saved and come to a knowledge of the truth. So this eternal fire is not prepared or intended for human beings. No human beings should be there. It is intended for the devil and his angels and their punishment and not for human beings. The demons know ultimately that they will be consigned there at the end of the age.