Devil, and Demons. Part 1
Edited: 12/11/23
The Devil. Part 1.
The leader of fallen angels, the archenemy of both God and man!
Matthew 25:41, “Everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.”
Devil, in French is diable; in German, teuffel,; in Latin, diobolus,; and is a modification of the Greek diabolos, which, from diaballein means, calumniate, calumniator, detradtor, false accuser, etc. The Syrian is achelkartzo, “The devourer of calumny,” a phrase that expresses his delight in blasting the character of sound holy men.
Diabolos, when found in the plural, never refers to fallen angels but humankind.
1 Timothy 3:11, “Their wives be reverent, not slanders (devils.)”
Titus 2:3, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior — not as false accusers (slanders-devil).”
There’s one devil characterized as “The god and prince of this world; the prince of darkness; the prince of the power of the air; the accuser; Belial; the tempter; an adversary, deceiver; liar; etc.”
Spirit beings separated from God, who, in the essence of their nature, work evil. The Jews saw moral evil as being the act of man. On the other hand, physical evil or adversity is seen as punishment merited because of sin and inflicted by a just and holy God. The angels who would reveal God’s purpose and execute God’s will, however great they are, are never accused of moral evil.
Even in the account of the seduction of Eve, there is nothing to make us believe that Moses regarded the serpent as nothing more than “The most subtle of all the beasts of the field.”
It is probable that at some early period in Jewish history, their faith had divorced itself from its religious conceptions of the “One living and true God,” now lapsing into some petty superstitions. The Jews had become familiar with the idea of certain fearful, unearthly beings haunting the wilderness. is similar to the fauns (Roman demigod, half goat, and half man) and the sattrs of Greece.) We find traces of this in the Pentateuch.
The Hebrew word “seirim” (devils) in Leviticus 17:7 says, “They shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils.”
Devils here meaning “Hairy ones.” The Egyptians worshipped the (he-goat,) and the Hebrews participated in their idolatry. Moses, in Leviticus 17, forbids the Jews from committing this sin in the future. He wrote, “They shall no more offer their sacrifices to devils (seirim, the Egyptian he-goats.)”
The development of demonism in Jewish culture was furthered after the Babylonian captivity; this came about because of Medo-Persian influences. In the post-exile period of the Jews, their conceptions of angels became more definite. Attributed to these creatures were different ranks, names, and offices. They were supposed to be the guardians and helpers of various peoples and land, but all were in absolute dependence upon God.
As powerful and influential as these malignant demons are, men can resist them by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who attempt to clear themselves of any sin by throwing the blame on the devil’s action are foolish at best. Are we tempted? Yes! Will he use various deceptive methods by which to seduce us? Yes! But can he force us to sin? No!
James 4:7, “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour. Whom resist steadfast in faith –.”
Phillip LaSpino