Concerning Demons

THEIR HISTORY:

Origin:

Satan, an angel, became the first sinner (1 John 3:8) and led a rebellion in heaven against God (Revelation 12:7).
In Satan's fall he drew a vast number of angels with him (Rev 12:4,9).

Three Types:

Some of the fallen angels are loose and some are bound in a place called the Abyss (Luke 8:31). The loose ones we call "demons."
Of the bound ones, there are two kinds, permanently bound (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6) and temporarily bound (Rev 12:17).

Involved in Warfare:

Satan and his demons now wage war against God's kingdom (Revelation 12:17).
Demonic forces wage war against every one of God's people (Ephesians 6:12). Whether we are aware of it or not, all believers are in spiritual warfare with demons. The question is not whether we will fight against demons, but rather how well. Demonic struggle is unavoidable for a Christian.
Some believers make the mistaken assumption that if they remain ignorant of the Biblical teaching regarding Satan and demons then Satan and his demons will "not bother them." But ignorance does not save us from the battle. It just means that when we get wounded we have no idea where the shot came from or how to avoid it in the future.
Jesus Himself described His ministry as warfare between two spiritual kingdoms: the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Satan (Matthew 12:28). As followers of Jesus we participate in that warfare.

What They Look Like:

Most people think of demons in terms of the a picture like this. Ugly, revolting, lizard like, or ghostlike creatures.

The truth is that demons are more likely to appear in attractive forms. Demons are deceivers. They love to masquerade, so even Christians are fooled by them.

Paul wrote to the Corinthians and said that they had eagerly received evil spirits into their midst (2 Corinthians 11:4) in the form of false prophets and false apostles. Paul warned them that even "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

THE NATURE OF DEMONS:

The Bible clearly portrays them as personal beings. They have:

intellect (Mark 5:7),
knowledge (Acts 19:15),
emotion (Matthew 9:31; Mark 5:7; James 2:19),
self-awareness (Mark 5:9),
will (Matthew 8:31), and
ability to speak (Mark 1:24; 5:7-12; Acts 19:15).

Restrictions:

Demons are not omnipresent nor do they have unlimited power. Their freedom is restricted, as is that of Satan, by their own nature and the power of God (Job 1:12; 2:6-7).
Since demons are fallen angels, like angels they are immaterial and not usually subject to human visibility or our other senses.
Demons are not all-knowing. Demons are fallen angels and angels don't know everything (1 Peter 1:11-12). There is no indication in the Bible that demons (or Satan for that matter) can read our thoughts. They are pretty good at predicting human behavior, however, because they are experts on human nature.
Demons are numerous. It is impossible to count the number of angels (Revelation 5:11; Hebrews 12:22; Daniel 7:10) and the fallen angels were apparently a third of all these (Revelation 12:4,9). This means that there are many, many demons. Nevertheless the number of demons is far less than holy angels who care for God's people.

HOW JESUS DEALT WITH DEMONS:

Jesus never spoke about people being "possessed." "Possession" is a misleading word.

The question about whether or not a Christian can be "possessed" is never directly answered in the New Testament. In spite of what some translations have, the word "possessed" never appears in the Greek Bible!
When speaking of demons and people, three phrases are used interchangeably in the New Testament:

to "HAVE" a demon or evil spirit,

to be "IN" or "UNDER THE INFLUENCE OF" a demon, and

to be "DEMONIZED."

Can a Christian be "possessed" (owned or belong to) a demon? No, a Christian is owned by God. 1 Peter 2:9 says that we are "God's possession." But can a Christian be "UNDER THE INFLUENCE" of a demon? Surely. Can a Christian be "DEMONIZED?" Yes. Can a Christian "HAVE" a demon? As long as we understand that the question is not "Can a demon HAVE a Christian?", we can answer affirmatively to this question too.
We recognize the influence, actions, or oppression of demons in the lives of many believers. Some Biblical examples of demonic activity in the lives of believers are Job (Job 1:12; 2:6-7), David (1 Chronicles 21:1), Peter (Matthew 16:23), Paul (2 Corinthians 12:7).
It is perfectly appropriate for believers to seek deliverance from "demonization." Seeking deliverance does not mean that you are "possessed" by Satan or that you have lost your salvation.

Jesus saw the need for deliverance from demonization.

Jesus was not hesitant to drive out demons (Mark 1:32-34,39).
This was also part of the ministry of His apostles (Mark 3:15).
As 20th century Christians who live in a materialistic culture, we are often hesitant to talk about the need for deliverance from demonic influence. But there is a reality beyond test tubes and our Lord was not embarrassed to speak about it.

Deliverance was not just for those who had dabbled in the occult:

The occult can certainly be a gateway for demonic activity and the Bible forbids us to be involved in occult activities (Deuteronomy 18:9-14; Leviticus 19:26b,31; Isaiah 47:8-15):

Divination = fortune telling, clairvoyance.

Sorcery operates by charms, music, drugs.

Interprets omens = horoscopes, astrology, reading of animals organs.

Witchcraft operates by spells, curses, hypnosis.

Medium or spiritualist = someone who acts as a channel through whom the spirit speaks.

Consults the dead = necromancy, calling up the dead.

Yet most of those whom Jesus delivered from demons were religious Jews, forbidden ever to practice witchcraft or idolatry. They were "normal" people, neither criminal, insane, nor spooky (Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:39).
Demons are active in less obvious ways than the occult.

The worship of other gods or idols is in fact the worship of demons (1 Corinthians 10:19-21; Revelation 9:20; Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:36-37).

Demons are involved in the teaching of false doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 1 John 2:18-22; 4:1-3).

Demons preach from the pulpit of some churches (2 Corinthians 11:13-15).

Causing jealousy and discord among God's people is an activity of demons (1 Samuel 18:8-10). So too is lying (1 Kings 22:21-24).

At times Jesus spoke directly to demons, and they to Him (Mark 3:11-12; 5:6-13).

However, there is no New Testament pattern for holding lengthy conversations with demons.
This should be avoided since their basic nature is that of deception (1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Corinthians 4:4; Revelation 20:3,7,8,10).

Jesus never commanded demons to go to hell or the Abyss:

Demons were left free to enter into other bodies available to them (Luke 8:31-33).
There is a time ordained when evil spirits will be bound and punished (Revelation 20:3,10), but both Jesus and the demons recognized that this time had not yet come (Matthew 8:29).

There were powerful manifestations when Jesus cast out demons (Mark 1:26; 3:11; 9:20,26,27; Acts 8:7). We should not be frightened or surprised by these manifestations.

Jesus encouraged those who were delivered from demons to testify of their deliverance, and they were not ashamed to do so (Mark 5:18-20; Luke 8:1-3).

FURTHER THOUGHTS ON DELIVERANCE:

It has been thought almost universally that the only way to deal with demons is by the casting out of the evil spirit:

But facts prove that this method is not always successful for the ground that gave the demon a place to reside cannot be cast out. Deliverance from demonic influence will not be obtained by "casting out" only. The ground which admitted the evil spirit in the first place is the ground that can keep a person in possession (Ephesians 4:27 - "foothold").
Evil spirits can be cast out in the Name of the Lord Jesus, but the ground they have gained can only be removed by the intelligent choice of our wills refusing the territory given to them, and appropriating the deliverance by death with Christ on Calvary.
This should not surprise us for Jesus Himself plainly warned that demons will seek to return and may bring others with them (Matthew 12:43-45). Upon at least one occasion Jesus commanded the demon to come out and specifically added "and never enter him again" (Mark 9:25).
Unless the ground of demonic influence is dealt with, no full relief can be obtained, or change seen, in the majority of deliverances.

Complete deliverance actually has three steps:

The casting out or refusal of the evil spirit. The believer may say of his declaration of decision:

I refuse the "influence" of this evil spirit and command you to leave in Jesus' name.

I refuse the "power" of this evil spirit...

I refuse to be "led" by this evil spirit...

I refuse to be "guided" by this evil spirit...

I refuse to "obey" this evil spirit...

I refuse to "pray" to this evil spirit...

I refuse to "ask" anything of this evil spirit...

I refuse to "surrender" to this evil spirit...

I refuse all "knowledge" from this evil spirit...

I refuse to "listen" to this evil spirit...

I refuse "visions" from this evil spirit...

I refuse the "touch" of this evil spirit...

I refuse "messages" from this evil spirit...

I refuse all "help" from this evil spirit...

The recognition of the ground upon which the evil spirit made his home.

Understanding is such an important factor in deliverance and the subsequent warfare and yet one which is often neglected.

The person who is demonized must pray for light until the cause or causes of the deception are revealed, and honestly desire and be willing for the light on every point (John 3:21). It is of primary importance that the one who is demonized should know the ground.

The ground upon which a demon resides can be as seemingly harmless as watching too much depressing TV news or listening to country music of the type that promotes immorality. Or ground can be a blatant sin, bitter spirit, or unrepentant attitude.

Getting rid of all ground upon which the enemy makes his home.

Recognizing the ground and getting rid of all ground are two different things.

Evil spirits must be dispossessed from every hold. Whatever caused possession, the opposite must be obtained for continued dispossession. Instead of the lies of Satan, the truth of God must be embraced. Instead of passivity, activity. Instead of ignorance, knowledge. Instead of surrender to the enemy, resistance. Instead of acceptance, refusal.

This "fighting through" period is a very painful time. There are bad moments of acute suffering and intense struggle. The moment we begin to advance from weakness into strength, we also become aware of the strength of the demonic spirits resisting us. Consequently we feel worse, not better, when fighting through.

The Deceiver fought long to obtain the ground and the believer may have to fight a long time ere he is fully set free.

The steps to deliverance which have been given, deal with the practical aspect of the believer's actions. On the Divine side, the victory has been won, and Satan and his deceiving spirits have been conquered. But the actual liberation of the believer demands his active cooperation with God's Holy Spirit.

DEMONS IDENTIFIED IN SCRIPTURE:

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but here are some of the evil spirits which are identified in the Bible.

A spirit of divination (Acts 16:16).

Divination would include fortune telling (Micah 5:12, Isaiah 2:6), sorcery (Exodus 22:18; Revelation 21:8), horoscopes (Isaiah 47:13; Leviticus 19:26; Jeremiah 10:2), channeling (Deuteronomy 18:11; Leviticus 20:27; 1 Samuel 28), witchcraft (Deuteronomy 18:10; Galatians 5:20), casting spells (Deuteronomy 18:11; 2 Kings 17:17), or interpreting omens (Deuteronomy 18:10).
Renounce these practices.
Shut the door to previous involvement by members of your family lineage (Exodus 20:5).
Cleanse your home of these practices or any item connected with them (Deuteronomy 7:25-26).
Fill the house (Matthew 12:43-45) of your body and mind with the good things of God. Take away any foothold.

A lying and deceiving spirit (2 Chronicles 18:21-22).

This would include false prophecy (2 Chronicles 18:21-22; 1 John 4:1-3), superstitions (1 Timothy 4:7), counterfeit miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9; Revelation 16:13-14), error (1 John 4:6), deceit (1 Timothy 4:1), and strange doctrines (1 Timothy 4:1-2; 2 Timothy 4:3).

A spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:10-16).

Not all physical or mental illness is caused by demons. The gospels make a clear distinction between illnesses with a demonic base and those without. Nevertheless, some illnesses and distresses do have a demonic foundation.
In some cases demons are said to be the cause of physical distress:

Deafness and muteness (Matthew 9:32-33; Mark 9:25; Matthew 12:22).

Blindness (Matthew 12:22).

Convulsions/seizures (Mark 9:20).

Back problems (Luke 13:11).

Superhuman strength (Mark 5:4).

In some cases demons are said to be the cause of mental or psychic disorders:

Torment (Mark 5:5).

Depression (1 Samuel 16:14-16,23).

Physical harm to oneself (Mark 5:5).

Suicide (Mark 9:22).

A spirit of fear (Romans 8:15; 2 Timothy 1:7).

This might include a fear of death (Hebrews 2:14-15), fear of man (Proverbs 29:25), worries and anxieties (Philippians 4:6; 1 Peter 5:7), and night terrors (Psalm 91:5).
This battle is mostly won in the mind (Philippians 4:8; 2 Corinthians 10:5; "sound mind" - 2 Timothy 1:7).

For further reading on deliverance see the book War on the Saints by Jesse Penn-Lewis.