What are Demons?

What are Demons?

'Demons', daemons, in the original New Testament Greek, refer to ideas or natural principles that underly civilization, like gravity and magnetism. Daemons, spirits in Latin, were often personified as gods. Venus, for example, personified love; Sophia, "theoretical knowledge" (226); Apollo, intellect; and Neptune, the power in the oceans.

By the fifth century, the relationship of daemons and spirits was overshadowed by the belief that demons and spirits, in a supernatural sense, ruled the world. Medieval art, and especially poetry like Dante's Infernal, completed the change in definition of daemons, from ideas to supernatural imagery, depicting hell fires and demons.

demon--This word is used in Matt. 8:28-34, when the demons ask to be sent into the swine. The demons of the parable represent error states of mind that have been quickened by Truth and are repentant. When one knows the work of Jesus in regenerating or reconstructing the mind and body and that this work is typical of what all have to do, one sees that negative thoughts have to be dealt with. One also understands that the demons or devils are error states of mind that have to be lifted up by the quickening power of Spirit.

demons, de'-mons (Gk.)-- As a rule the Bible usage refers to an evil spirit or unclean spirit; that is, a emotional feeling that dethrones the normal reason. This we can see from the book of Numbers 5:14

14 And the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be defiled: or if the spirit of jealousy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and she be not defiled: (King James Bible)

the spirit of jealousy is a feeling of jealousy this can be seen from another translation

and if feelings of jealousy come over her husband and he suspects his wife and she is impure--or if he is jealous and suspects her even though she is not impure (New International Version)

Jud 9:23 Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech: (King James Bible)

That is God let develop a bad attitude between Abimelech and the landowners of Shechem again this can be seen from another translation

23 God put bad feelings between Abimelech and the citizens of Shechem, who rebelled against Abimelech. (New International Version)

Demons, or evil spirits, are conditions of mind, or states of consciousness, that have been developed because the mental faculties of man has been used in an unwise or an ignorant way. If in thought or in word you are using your mental faculties in an ignorant way, you are bringing forth an ego or a personality of like character. The mind builds states of consciousness that become established in brain and body. Both good and evil are found in the unenlightened man, but in the new birth evil and all its works must be cast out. The work of every overcomer is to cast out of himself the demons of sin and evil, through the power and dominion of his indwelling Christ.

Obsessions, dual personalities, and all mental aberrations are the result of personal error thoughts' crystallizing around the will of man. This crystallization must be broken up with a focalized thought energy of greater power, such as is found in the Christ I AM. We are empowered by the name of Jesus Christ to "cast out demons" (Mark 16:17). To reach the place referred to as "my name," affirm your unity with the Christ I AM; then silently, or audibly if you are so moved, speak the word of rebuke directly to the false personality.

"Jesus rebuked him; and the demon went out of him" (Matt. 17:18). He "suffered not the demons to speak" (Mark 1:34). These texts mean that Jesus did not admit for a moment that demons have any power; nor did He allow them to affirm power, but with the "finger of God" (Luke 11:20) He cast them forth. He concentrated the dissolving power of Spirit upon them and their hold was broken.

The meaning of demons

1. The following is an analysis showing that what was attributed to demon possession at the time of Jesus is today diagnosed in different terminology but involves the same symptoms. Jesus simply used the vernacular of the times:

   Description	Vernacular at the time of Jesus	Diagnosis Today
   Matt. 12:22 "Then was brought unto him one possessed with a demon, blind and dumb: and he healed him, insomuch that the blind and dumb both spake and saw."	"possessed with a demon	blind and dumb It is Yahweh who makes blind and dumb not fallen angels Ex 4:11  And Yahweh said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I Yahweh?
   Mark 5:1-5 "No man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones."	"a man with an unclean spirit"	insanity,schizophrenia?
   Mark 9:17-27 "He teareth him: and he foameth, and gnasheth with his teeth, and pineth away . . . and often times it hath cast him into the fire, and into the waters, to destroy him."	"hath a dumb spirit"	epilepsy
   Luke 13:11-17 "A woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself."	"spirit of infirmity"	arthritis
   See also John 10:20; Mark 3:21 where "he hath a demon and is mad" means "he is beside himself."

2. Patients today with epilepsy and schizophrenia respond to medication However in New Testament times they were said to be possessed with demons. This is significant, for if indeed the illness were due to demon possession, as some suggest, how can the patient's recovery through medicine and therapy be explained? Can pills cast out demons?
3. Although the narratives appear to indicate that the "spirits" cried out, it is clear that the vocalization of the sounds came from the demoniac. This is implied in the shift of pronouns in Mark 5:7, 9: "What have I to do with thee?"² cf. "I adjure thee by God that thou torment me not." cf. "My name is Legion: for we are many."
4. After the miraculous cure by Jesus, Legion is described as "clothed and in his right mind." (Mark 5:15). This implies that his affliction was insanity and not the influence of a fallen angel. (The request that the unclean spirits enter the swine is characteristic of some kinds of schizophrenics who fear the return of the insanity).