Devils-Evil Spirits-Unclean Spirits

[Waggles]

John 8:44  You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

[TheBlade]

Hey Dennis from what read and understand fallen angels need no host for how God created them.. they far superior to man. So the fallen took women and had children of great renown "There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.". Before the flood how many were on the earth no one knows. Could have been billions, more then are one the earth now. The difference is back then every thought of man was evil "The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain."

So those born from fallen angels were never meant to be. Also the supernatural is not like the natural. So nothing is gone away. Here we  have time and space but in the supernatural there is no time no space and they do not die. When Christ cast out the Legend of demons as they said for we are many. Back then that's up to 5000+. They told Christ have you come to torment us before our time. So they are still here. Satan is still the god of this world. We pass them all the time but where we the Church once believe today like some do with the gifts they do not believe. The legend cast out went in to pigs yet those pigs ran of and are all dead. Legend is still out there. But today we walk buy sight and we follow what some man/women tell us.  Were believers yet we talk like the world "unless I see it I won't believe".

"“When the unclean spirit has gone out of a person, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, but finds none. Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when it comes, it finds the house empty, swept, and put in order. Then it goes and brings with it seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that person is worse than the first. So also will it be with this evil generation.”

This still  happens day in day out and doubt only helps them and stops God. Doubt is like a ship tossed back and forth.. let not that man think he will get anything from God. And as long as we don't believe they are very happy. 

[Marathoner]

This will be rather long.

An interesting topic, @Dennis1209. The canon of scripture is mostly bereft of passages which illuminate us as to the nature and order of the powers arrayed against us, though such was not the case in times past. Previous iterations of the canon included books which recorded such things in detail. 

We don't have much to work with, my friend. But we are not left empty- handed, for key passages in the Law and Prophets offer clues regarding the underlying order of the principalities of spiritual darkness and wickedness. I'll rely upon my memory since I'm currently at work (covering extra hours so my colleagues can enjoy the holiday), so I can't paste relevant passages on this phone. No worries! My memory works just fine...

Most of the time. 

We recall the passage from Genesis chapter 6 which informs us about sons of God who were enamored with human women --- there's little question these were angels --- and they took them as wives. Their progeny were the giants of old, an abomination in the sight of Almighty God. These were not ordinary men by any means. 

What followed was the defilement of man such that the Lord was grieved, and He set about to destroy the world for it had become unspeakably wicked. However, passages from Exodus and Joshua inform us that the taint of the fallen watchers (the watchers are referred to in the book of Daniel) was not completely expunged from the earth in the aftermath of the flood. The canon is silent as to why this was.

The descendants of Anak (I recall Anak referred to somewhere in Genesis) occupied Palestine, which was promised to the seed of Jacob. Goliath was one such descendant. 

The sons of God who abandoned their first estate are referenced by the apostle Peter and also by Jude in his letter, so we know about the fallen watchers and their progeny, the nephilim. That is one order which appears to end with the imprisonment of the fallen watchers and Joshua's war. The Lord sent Joshua and Israel to wipe out the abominable descendants of Anak. We remember that men were like grasshoppers in comparison to these hulking giants. 

The preceding narrative is scattered throughout the Old Testament, with further commentary by Peter and Jude. 

Here's an issue worth mentioning: not all angels are Watchers, and not all of the Watchers abandoned their first estate. Watchers declared the decree of the Lord in Nebuchadnezzar's dream, for example (Daniel 4). This is an important clue to an underlying order which is only hinted at in the canon of scripture.

There are unclean spirits, then, the origin of which are not addressed in the canon we possess today. Demons in the Greek, also devils in English; I prefer "unclean spirit" myself.

There is a separate order which is touched upon in the Psalms, passages from Isaiah, the book of Daniel, and also New Testament scripture: spiritual powers and rulers of darkness in high places. There is some confusion with regard to what "principality" means as referred to by Paul, which I understand to be the actual meaning of the word: a polity. A principality is a fiefdom, or kingdom if you will. This principality of spiritual darkness is ruled by a prince.

Prince? Yes. Princes are referred to in the Psalms and particularly in the book of Daniel (10th chapter). The angel of the Lord sent to aid Daniel was withstood by the prince of the kingdom of Persia... and so we therefore know that this prince was not a man. No mere man can do such a thing.

Michael, referred to as the prince of Israel in the scripture, intervened so the angel could reach Daniel. So, we learn something else regarding this particular order: a prince is a mighty spiritual being, the likes of which was beyond the angel sent to Daniel. 

These princes are the spiritual rulers of darkness whom we strive against, my friends.

Ah, but not every prince is a wicked ruler of darkness. Michael, for example, serves the Lord. Here's my opinion:

Princes are the "stars of heaven" referred to in prophetic scripture. Satan drew a third of the princes to him.

I might return later to elaborate. Thanks for bearing with this lengthy post. 

Edited November 25, 2022 by Marathoner
Typos

[Waggles]

Psalm 82:1  A Psalm of Asaph. God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: 
2  “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah 
3  Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. 
4  Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” 
5  They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 
6  I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; 
7  nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” 
8  Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations! 

[Waggles]

Mark 5:2  And when [Jesus] was come out of the boat, straightway there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 
6  And seeing Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him; 
7  and crying out with a loud voice, saith, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not. 
8  For [Jesus] said to him, Come forth, unclean spirit, out of the man.

Luke 4:33  And in the synagogue was a man, having a spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, 
34  Ah! what have we to do with thee, Jesus Nazarene? camest thou to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 
35  And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Be silent, and come out of him. And the demon threw him down in the midst, and came out of him, having done him no hurt.

James 2:19  THOU believest that God is one; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and shudder.

[Starise]

I must haved a list of books on the subject long as my arm. Most of them I've only read once, but a few have remained decent references. Having books doesn't make anyone an expert at anything, and maybe it gives me a false sense of assurance sometimes.

Doesn't hurt to study. I don't recall the bible expressly saying to study our enemy because that way we will know him better. If you ride on some of this stuff, it might decide to ride on you. I guess my point being we need some balance. Otherwise it looks like we are the losers and Satan is powerful enough to defeat us. He really isn't, if all of our power comes from the Lord.

Focusing on the power of our enemy while not realizing how much power we possess through Christ is not a balanced discussion. One of Satan's tools is to get us to look somewhere else. If he can do that, then we aren't looking at what is important. This is a win for him.

My studies with respect to this subject have been based mainly on three areas with a view to get a foundational view for how we are affected in the present day. I don't spend too much time on background as I believe it has already mostly been covered ad nauseum, at least for me personally it has.

- Manifestations both overt and covert

-Personal experiences or valid experiences of others

-Warfare tactics

I would classify most attacks on believers as being similar to being in the ocean in a large boat and Satan sneaks up from under the boat and introduces a small hole in it. Nothing overt is readily apparent, and you may not even be aware of a problem right away. Of course he is going to place the hole somewhere that it won't be seen until it's too late. Maybe your wife made a male internet friend online and they are getting closer as friends which ultimately ends in an affair and the end of a marriage. Maybe we are being fed images online that are attracting our flesh to sexual thoughts for other people besides our spouses. Maybe we are hanging with unsaved friends who are beginning to pull us down. Maybe jealousy is creeping in the back door because we think someone has something we should have had and we are becoming hateful towards that individual. Maybe we have been pulled into a heated debate with other belivers online and it robs us of our peace.

All of these things are natural inclinations of the flesh, so all Satan has to do is get us to lean into it instead of leaning into the Spirit. Satan always has an angle and he knows what your weaknesses are. He is all about the hocus pocus, the magic which when all boiled down to the basics is just lies and deceptions which he is pretty good at.

Others who are unsaved go running after some of this stuff. In this world there is the stream of life and the river of death. 

I just listened to a man's testimony who was one of those ghost hunters. It's a pretty long testimony in podcast form on YouTube, but I think it's worth a listen for anyone who might be into any of this stuff. 

This would bne found on the Celebrate Truth YouTube Channel for anyone who is interested.

Title-

PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE OTHER SIDE with Billy Connelly | CT Radio Ep. 151

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ayin jade]

22 hours ago, Ray12614 said:

I recall an missionary from Africa (I don't remember which country) was at my church, and he briefly spoke about demon activity. He said that in Africa the devils are 'dumb' devils; Meaning that they strip down naked, foam at the mouth, hurt people when they can and scream and howl to generate fear in people. Then he said that in America, we have 'smart' devils that try to pervert the clear teachings of the Bible, and wear suits and ties, and appear to be 'experts' in theology and some are bankers on wall street and love to control finances and indirectly as a result control people, and some churches. The 'smart' devils have the same goal, that is to dis-credit Jesus and His salvation message for people.

Just this AM, I read about how George Soros (billionaire) gives large amounts of money to organizations that are anti-Christian, and Marxist in nature. He said that he believes that he is God, and that he wants to re-shape the world in his image . . .  Hummm . . . sounds like a devil to me . . .  

Ray . . . 

You have a link for the soros story? I am curious about it. Sounds more THE antichrist than devil.

[Ray12614]

21 hours ago, Dennis1209 said:

If you are willing, I would like to hear the details.

As far as I am aware, I have had no perceivable visual or hearing encounters with the dark side.

This is hearsay and a long time ago. My grandfather was a devout Christian witnessing to a man one time and told me the story. As my grandfather was leading a man to Christ, his wife burst forth, and he said she was demonically possessed.

If you knew my grandfather, he was not easily shaken or frightened. After hearing this (the early 70s), I wish I could remember more and have asked him some questions. At that time, I had slipped, starting to live a carnal life, but that is another story.

One thing that applies to both spiritual and physical war is knowing your enemy and his tactics. Our Bible goes into detail on both. One need not go to a war college or read Sun Tzu and The Art of War.

The word demons means intelligence. We are not to try and outsmart them, that would be foolish and disobeying God, we would lose. Hence our Eph. 6 armor and to stand against the wiles, with one offensive weapon. 

Later, if there is any interest, I’ll post what demons do and why.

I have one story that qualifies as an encounter with the dark side.

My mother-in-law stayed with my wife and I as she had cancer and needed 24/7 care. The day that she died, her live-in boy friend came to visit while a hospice nurse was there. The nurse knew that she had only hours/minutes before she would die, and then, as a Christian nurse, she lead my mother-in-law to the Lord just minutes before she died. During this time the boy friend stood in another room and yelled in an un-earthly voice "NO!! You can't take her from me!!".  Well, my wife bound-up that spirit, and my mother-in-law did receive Jesus as her Lord and Savior, and then died. I believe that she was saved, and that she is in heaven now.

My point is; All who heard what the boy friend yelled agrees that it was not him speaking, but, some kind of evil spirit talking through him. It was an eye-opener for me . .  

[Ray12614]

3 minutes ago, ayin jade said:

You have a link for the soros story? I am curious about it. Sounds more THE antichrist than devil.

Wish I did . . . it was during an interview I saw somewhere . . .  I just think that he is deceived, and bordering on being mentally ill.

[Marathoner]

4 hours ago, Starise said:

I must haved a list of books on the subject long as my arm. Most of them I've only read once, but a few have remained decent references. Having books doesn't make anyone an expert at anything, and maybe it gives me a false sense of assurance sometimes.

Doesn't hurt to study. I don't recall the bible expressly saying to study our enemy because that way we will know him better. If you ride on some of this stuff, it might decide to ride on you. I guess my point being we need some balance. Otherwise it looks like we are the losers and Satan is powerful enough to defeat us. He really isn't, if all of our power comes from the Lord.

Focusing on the power of our enemy while not realizing how much power we possess through Christ is not a balanced discussion. One of Satan's tools is to get us to look somewhere else. If he can do that, then we aren't looking at what is important. This is a win for him.

My studies with respect to this subject have been based mainly on three areas with a view to get a foundational view for how we are affected in the present day. I don't spend too much time on background as I believe it has already mostly been covered ad nauseum, at least for me personally it has.

- Manifestations both overt and covert

-Personal experiences or valid experiences of others

-Warfare tactics

I would classify most attacks on believers as being similar to being in the ocean in a large boat and Satan sneaks up from under the boat and introduces a small hole in it. Nothing overt is readily apparent, and you may not even be aware of a problem right away. Of course he is going to place the hole somewhere that it won't be seen until it's too late. Maybe your wife made a male internet friend online and they are getting closer as friends which ultimately ends in an affair and the end of a marriage. Maybe we are being fed images online that are attracting our flesh to sexual thoughts for other people besides our spouses. Maybe we are hanging with unsaved friends who are beginning to pull us down. Maybe jealousy is creeping in the back door because we think someone has something we should have had and we are becoming hateful towards that individual. Maybe we have been pulled into a heated debate with other belivers online and it robs us of our peace.

All of these things are natural inclinations of the flesh, so all Satan has to do is get us to lean into it instead of leaning into the Spirit. Satan always has an angle and he knows what your weaknesses are. He is all about the hocus pocus, the magic which when all boiled down to the basics is just lies and deceptions which he is pretty good at.

Others who are unsaved go running after some of this stuff. In this world there is the stream of life and the river of death. 

I just listened to a man's testimony who was one of those ghost hunters. It's a pretty long testimony in podcast form on YouTube, but I think it's worth a listen for anyone who might be into any of this stuff. 

This would bne found on the Celebrate Truth YouTube Channel for anyone who is interested.

Title-

PARANORMAL INVESTIGATION OF THE OTHER SIDE with Billy Connelly | CT Radio Ep. 151

 

 

 

 

 

 

I agree, brother. Just as Joshua and Israel of the flesh faced the post-flood descendants of the Nephilim in the lands promised to them, so we face giants of a spiritual nature. This is one way in which the examples of old foreshadowed something far greater to come with the ascension of Jesus Christ our Lord. 

The Nephilim were flesh and blood, but the powers arrayed against us are not flesh and blood. However, we have nothing to fear at all. The princes are the mightiest of the sons of God, but we are not alone by any means. 

In days of old, only the prophets walked in the Spirit of the Lord. The New Covenant is the fulfillment of all the promises of God, then, for we are the temple of His Holy Spirit. Heaven is His throne, and the earth is His footstool; no one and nothing can stand against the Lord. Indeed, when Jesus Christ ascended to sit with our Father upon His throne, He sent His Holy Spirit into the world. This is why our Lord said that it was needful for Him to depart, so that He would be with us all day and night. The Lord dwells with us, and we dwell with the Lord.

The wicked princes will die like men.