Demons in the bible

[ranrod]

The bible talks about demons but I never had a clear idea of what they are. At one point, a couple of demons see Jesus and recognize him, which I thought was pretty cool. The two guys were just acting like lunatics, outcasts or criminals, but when Jesus showed up, they immediately dropped the act.

So where do they come from? Do beings become demons? When a human dies, can they eventually become a demon? Does the devil create demons? Where they humans possessed, or demons pretending to be people?

The bible clearly depict them being among us. Do people change their lives according to this knowledge?

Are Demons and Saints (like Saint Michael), autonomous free-willed creatures that live in another realm and are able to cross over to this one, and interact with deities more intimately than humans can, and are able to supernaturally affect humans with their supernatural powers?

[Skep B]

According to the bible

demons are the angels who sided w/ lucifer in the war in heaven, they are cast out of heaven.

people can't become them, they (angels) are separate beings, and since they chose to rebel against God it corresponds that they'd have free will

the supernatural questions are something you kidn of have to come to a decision on on your own as it pertaisn to faith

[ranrod]

the supernatural questions are something you kidn of have to come to a decision on on your own as it pertaisn to faith

The bible doesn't mention where they come from? I imagine Yahweh created them, but there are so many follow-up questions to that: did he create them all at once, did he create a few that somehow multiplied, do they have a different way of being created, etc?

Anything in the bible about demons possessing / pretending to be things other than humans? There was that bear that Yahweh sent to kill a bunch of children, was that a possession?

[Skep B]

oh,damn ok

angels creation is never explained, its assumed they were created by god. they don't multiply as they aren't sexual beings

in a book of the new testament the demon calling themselves legion are cast into pigs by christ, and the pigs then drown th0meselves.

but animals not being seen as having souls wouldn't be prone to posession in the bible's viewpoint.

and the bear chldren thing is a bit misleading

as the "children" was actually a group of young men, adn teh bear was sent by god to deal with them for harassing one of his prophets,

[ranrod]

in a book of the new testament the demon calling themselves legion are cast into pigs by christ, and the pigs then drown th0meselves.

If demons can be cast into pigs, isn't that technically a pig being possessed by a demon? Or just trapping a demon within its being? If the bear wasn't a possession, did Yahweh go to this bear and say, "hey bear, please kill these kids for me"? If animals don't have a soul in the bible, it doesn't seem like that would work. Seems like the bear's actions would have to be guided by the supernatural, in a pseudo-possession kind of way?

[Donnie Darko]

I was under the impression that Angels were indeed sexual beings, this because they previously had sex with human women, which then gave birth to the race of giants. I know the book of Enoch is not widely accepted as part of the gospels, but I believe it elaborates a little more than the others. If you research about the giants, many remains of presumed giants have been discovered all over the world as well. Very interesting stuff.

[Skep B]

yeah i know the apochrypha.

i was just trying to keep things simple.

If demons can be cast into pigs, isn't that technically a pig being possessed by a demon? Or just trapping a demon within its being? If the bear wasn't a possession, did Yahweh go to this bear and say, "hey bear, please kill these kids for me"? If animals don't have a soul in the bible, it doesn't seem like that would work. Seems like the bear's actions would have to be guided by the supernatural, in a pseudo-possession kind of way?

the pigs werent posessed as teh demons didnt control them so by deffinition, no they were jsut kidn of...holding spots i reckon

the bible claims that all creation knows who God is, and as suck the animals would bend to his will, so he'd just have to want the bear to do a thing and the thing would be done

ultimately the God of the bible comes down to this.

"It's magic, it doesn't have to make sense"

[Gunn]

There really is no such thing as demons, except for the ones we carry in ourselves. Or to put it in another way...our lowerselves. What you' re talking about is nothing more than Elementals, which have been called demons or angels in past ages. But they are not either, they are as I said, elementals; which is part of nature itself.

[ranrod]

There really is no such thing as demons, except for the ones we carry in ourselves. Or to put it in another way...our lowerselves. What you' re talking about is nothing more than Elementals, which have been called demons or angels in past ages. But they are not either, they are as I said, elementals; which is part of nature itself.

I actually haven't heard about these Elementals. I was asking in the context of what's written in the Bible, though if it's book that didn't make the cut in the council of Nicaea, we can consider those as well.

[ranrod]

I was under the impression that Angels were indeed sexual beings, this because they previously had sex with human women, which then gave birth to the race of giants. I know the book of Enoch is not widely accepted as part of the gospels, but I believe it elaborates a little more than the others. If you research about the giants, many remains of presumed giants have been discovered all over the world as well. Very interesting stuff.

Do you know if it was sex, as in the way humans do it, or a supernatural process that creates a baby like with the virgin Mary?

[Donnie Darko]

I wouldn't know, but my guess is that it was as physical as any two lustful humans can get. So yes, they probably had sex. Perhaps angels have the ability to take full flesh form when needed. This is kind of implied in the story of Sodom and Gohmora. When Lot takes in two angels and offers them food, etc... surely they couldn't have eaten solid food had they been as ghosts.

Edited August 19, 2013 by Ever After

[Nik Xues]

my belief is that every human is telepathically linked. this natural net connection hosts the collected knowledge of humanity's existence.

unfortunately imagine accessing all that data with no training or protection from the negative impressions and urges.

the psychological trauma done in normal lives(well as normal as trauma can be) would pale in comparison to witnessing all the montrosities of humanity.

the demon would be a split personality to protect the mind amongst other possibilities.

[ranrod]

my belief is that every human is telepathically linked. this natural net connection hosts the collected knowledge of humanity's existence.

Cool concept, however, I'm trying to narrow down what the bible or other Christian writings say about this. There seems to be big gaps in the understanding of these creatures as described by Judeo/Christian sources.

[ranrod]

I wouldn't know, but my guess is that it was as physical as any two lustful humans can get. So yes, they probably had sex. Perhaps angels have the ability to take full flesh form when needed. This is kind of implied in the story of Sodom and Gohmora. When Lot takes in two angels and offers them food, etc... surely they couldn't have eaten solid food had they been as ghosts.

So interesting! What's the consequence of an Angel/Demon and human baby? Would it be like Hercules? A being with traits from both? In the case of the virgin Mary one can certainly make this argument. The giants seem to validate this as well.

[ranrod]

Gen 6:4

"The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown"

Does this refer to the Angels (Nephilim) having babies with humans? Could a demon in principle do the same since they are fallen angels?

[Nighthawk9653]

I thought demons where hell's equivalent of angels. They were cast out of heaven with Satan, because they sided with him. While angels sided with God.

Maybe they dropped their demon act because maybe they aren't completely evil, maybe, even though they followed the path of Satan, they still revere Jesus and God.

Maybe its Kind of like, when someone hates a celebrity or king or some sort of powerful person, they openly say this and believe they dislike them and stuff, but when in the actual prescence of this person, they just get caught up in the power and status of that person.

[Phaeton80]

Some speculate that the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim remained on the Earth and became what we now refer to as demons. The presumption is that as angelic-human hybrids, the spirits of the Nephilim would have been different from the human soul-spirit, including the ability to remain present in this world despite no longer having a physical body. This would possibly explain the desire the demons have to possess human beings, thus gaining control over a physical body. This would also make some sense from the perspective of the fallen angels, who are outnumbered 2-1 by the holy angels, giving them a good reason to seek to increase their ranks.

[Grandpa Greenman]

I actually haven't heard about these Elementals. I was asking in the context of what's written in the Bible, though if it's book that didn't make the cut in the council of Nicaea, we can consider those as well.

Elementals are not a part of Christianity. They are part of Earth base Neo Pagan paths.

[LEGIONS]

how did the angels {or myself for that matter] fall..I fell when I said in my heart ...I will be above the most high ...I do not usually say it in that fashion but as I condemned the world that my father has made ..it became clear to me that I had indeed thought myself greater than my father ...it is not the demons the world is afraid of that haunts me it is the ones who stand in the house of god looking down on the stench of the world never remembering what they may have once smelled of themselves

[Donnie Darko]

Errr yea...

Well anyway, Phateon80 - you might be right. I think Satan sends them, from hell to capture souls, which explains possession I think.

[Grandpa Greenman]

You should read Dante's Inferno, It is kind of a tourist guide book for hell.

[ranrod]

If demons are angels that changed alliance, are they necessarily evil? Do they want to hurt or torment humans as a rule? In human ranks you can often find kindness in enemy territory.

[ranrod]

You should read Dante's Inferno, It is kind of a tourist guide book for hell.

I think artistc license was taken for most of that, but I agree it is a very cool read.

[ranrod]

This would also make some sense from the perspective of the fallen angels, who are outnumbered 2-1 by the holy angels, giving them a good reason to seek to increase their ranks.

This is an interesting point. How would angels or demons increase their ranks? I thought humans couldn't become either.

[Ogbin]

Ranrod,

Yes they are evil. They are going to the lake of fire no matter what. They are trying to take as many of us down with them as they possibly can. They want to hurt and torment us if possible. There is no Kindness in this enemies territory.