Demons – Class 1
Reading: 1Cor 8

•	One of the most challenging and baffling topics to understand. After reading the O.T. and almost never coming into contact with the idea of “demon possession”, it suddenly springs onto the scene in Matthew.
•	The challenge comes from our understanding of the Devil. If one does not believe in a supernatural devil, there is no place for demons. And yet…
o	Many accounts of them possessing others
o	Being cast out
o	Jesus talks about them and to those possessed and seems to accept their reality
o	The narrative itself speaks about them in a matter of fact way.

•	Class 1 – look at why we do not believe that they exist, and explain why they are referred to
•	Remaining classes – look a bit deeper, and see that they are actually part of an elaborate parable of Israel itself that was possessed by idolatry in its heart, and that the way demons are described is actually debunking them.

A few basic facts
•	KJV does not have the word demons – it has devil or devils. 2 different words in original. Sometimes it is diabalos, but on other occasions it is daemon – this is the word that is used to described those possessed – about 75 times in the N.T. The first occurrence is Matt 4:24
o	Several occs like this – speaks simple of Jesus healing various illnesses, including demoniacs.
o	“epileptic” = lit. “one possessed by the moon” – obviously not literal, and an example of the language of the day being used to describe an illness – will see the same thing with demons.

•	Note the majority of the references occur in Matt-Luke
o	John has a few references, but these are conversations by some who were trying to slander Jesus – for example – John 10:20-21
•	Useful passage to consider as it shows insanity and demon possession were commonly used to mean the same thing.
•	Lk 7:33 – John B – led an ascetic lifestyle, so they said he had a demon
•	Mark 3:21 – family says: “He is mad”
•	Mark 3:22 – Scribes say “demon possessed”
o	Another point – Demons were used to describe non physical illness – if someone had a physical ailment like a deformed hand – it was not attributed to demons – it was only for illness when the cause was not apparent, such as muteness, blindness or 
o	Today, many of the diseases that were called demon-possession then share symptoms today with mental illness that can be treated with therapy or drugs.
o	John describes the same types of ailments but never blames them on demons – for example:
•	Matt 12:22 – blindness ascribed to a demon
•	John 9:1-3 the blindness came from God
•	OT teaching too: Exod 4:11 – God is the source of illness
•	Isa 45:5-7 – Only one god – he is the one who causes evil/calamity – goes on to describe foolishness of idols
•	Isa 41:23-24 – Challenge to idols – they are nothing, they cannot do evil
•	Another interesting point – demons are sometimes referred to as “evil spirits” in the NT. This is a hint as to where the diseases really came from, if we know our OT.
•	Judges 9:23 – Abimelech and Shechem
•	1Sam 16:14-15 (18:10, 19:9-10) (Saul)
•	1Kings 22:22 – Ahab – Interesting link to 1Tim 4 which time will likely prevent us following up.

What is different about Matt-Luke and Acts, to John?

•	John is to mature Christians – it is not particularly evangelical in nature
•	The other gospels were for preaching and were written in the language of the audience
o	Superstitions like demon belief are hard to persuade believers of otherwise – the main emphasis is not in debunking the belief, but in showing Christ was more powerful than them.
o	Like a child with a monster in his room – simply saying it is not there does not help – you need to look under the bed, rebuke it etc.
o	Those involved in missionary preaching find the same thing – even some ex catholics I know find it hard to let go of these things.
o	The disciples themselves likely believed in demons for all of the ministry.
•	Matt 14:26 – they believed in ghosts (phantasm) Even after resurrection they had these doubts (Luke 24:37) until the “Bible Class” that Christ gave to open their eyes.
o	Miracles, even when not mentioning demons showed an accommodation of the beliefs of the individual – thus we read of clay on the eyes etc. 
o	We know from elsewhere that this was not needed – Jesus could heal remotely with a mere word.
•	Partially may be part of a parable
•	But also needed for the person being healed.

•	Important lesson about the toleration of weakness in others. 
o	1Cor 8:4-6 – This is a key passage in the understanding of demons
•	There is NO SUCH THING as an idol – and yet we know idols physically exist – the point is that they do not spiritually exist.
•	“so-called” gods – i.e. they do not really exist, they are not really gods
o	1Cor 8:7 -  who does not have this knowledge?
•	Some of the brethren in Corinth – v10-11
o	Obviously Paul is not saying to throw these brethren out of the ecclesia, even though they obviously have doubts about the reality of idols and demons
o	They are treated with patience
o	But they are not allowed to simply go on as they were – Paul here is teaching them that they are wrong to believe in idols
o	And we can be sure he would not tolerate them teaching it – difference between belief and doubts vs. teaching

Locations of demons
•	where did the miracles occur?
o	Galilee has all of the miracles – a very backward area, influenced by greek ideas
•	Blindness in Galilee was caused by demons, but not in the south
•	And what about today?
o	Jerusalem – occasionally spoken of in the abstract, but not miracles. People did not believe in them there.
o	Research of Talmud has shown rabbi’s in the north believed in demons, whilst those in south did not at this time.

•	Acts 16:16 - Python was a Greek demon in the form of a snake associated with the Greek God Apollo. Does this mean that Luke, who wrote Acts, believed in the existence of a demon named Python? Or that Luke believed in the Greek God Apollo?
o	Of course not – Paul was very clear that the Greek mythologies did not exist:
•	Acts 14:11-15 (vain things = useless, powerless, empty)

So Greek areas had Greek demons, Jewish areas had Canaanite ones (like Beelzebub)

Question – Why is this?
•	In O.T. no mention of demons as a cause of illness, with exception of an evil spirit sent by God!
•	Persian and Greek cultural influences in 300 years prior to Christ
•	See this is non-Biblical books of the Apocrypha
o	Tobit (200BC) – he defeats a demon named Asmodeus with a fish liver magic potion
o	Many other writings such as Enoch and various writings about Solomon in particular
•	Very elaborate demonologies
o	Numbers, nature, origins, how they multiply, are they intelligent, where do they live, hierarchies etc. etc.
o	The N.T. has none of this – other than the occasional reference to the existing beliefs
o	A big difficulty for those who hold to a Scripture only belief is that there is almost nothing about them in the Bible. 

Mocking - Occasionally we read language where it appears that the demons are regarded as real by Christ –a common OT practice of doing the same, but in a mocking way. – For example Elijah and Baal, Isaiah’s challenges to the gods of the nations.
•	Mark 3:23 – in parables!
•	Beelzebul (v22, Luke 11:18) – the god of the flies – an Ekronite idol – did not exist
•	Psa 86:8, 10 (not real), 

Summary
•	demons are referred to in preaching books, not books to established believers
•	demons appear to only occur in areas where people believed in them
•	Christ using their language, either to mock the belief, or out of patience with those who thought they were afflicted

So what does the rest of the Bible say about them?

•	In other classes, we will look at the Gospel accounts in more detail. But now I want to look at the handful of non Gospel/Acts references. 
•	In these references, written to mature believers, we will learn the true nature of what demons are.

1Cor 10
•	we already have seen Paul’s writings in 1Cor 8 where we are told that other gods or idols do not exist.
•	Now comes back to idolatry

1Cor 10:7, 14
•	Warnings against idolatry – uses examples of exodus

1Cor 10:19-21
•	Here we see demons and idols equated. Some say that there were demons behind/in the idols to give them power. This of course contradicts all we know of idols
•	V20 is a OT quote – Deut 32:17 (LXX)
o	V21 – they are not really gods, they are simply idols 
o	V39 – no other gods, only God can wounds and heal

While in OT – another LXX reference
96:4 For the Lord is great, and greatly to be praised: he is terrible above all gods.
96:5 For all the gods of the heathen are devils: but the Lord made the heavens.

Psa 96:4-5
•	Look in Hebrew – devils/demons = idols
•	Idol here in Hebrew = “nought, nothing”, “worthless” or “no value” (as in Job 13:4)
o	Jer 14:14 (thing of nought), Zech 11:17 (worthless shepherd) also a good xrefs
•	Again we see idol and demon linked – but in a way that indicates that they are nothing.

Back to the NT
-	Will skip 1Tim 4:1 – we looked at this in my Timothy classes last year, and also mentioned it at Manitoulin – if you are taking notes, the links to bear in mind are 1Kings 22:22 and 2 Thess 2:10-11