Doctrines of Demons

 When writing to Timothy, the apostle Paul warned him
of the time coming when men will "depart from the faith, giving heed to
deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy 4:1). In verse
three, Paul identified two of the coming doctrines of demons. These
apostates would forbid marriage and command people to not eat meats. In
spite of this clear passage, some religious groups still forbid their
nuns and priests to marry and claim that to eat certain foods is sin.
These are not the only doctrines of demons mentioned in the Scriptures.
The Bible identifies several different practices as actually being
service to demons, whether the worshippers recognize it or not. Psalm
106 is a historical psalm that gives a general history of the practices
of Israel. In Psalm 106:34-37 we are told, "They [Israel] did not
destroy the peoples, concerning whom the Lord had commanded them, but
they mingled with the Gentiles and learned their works; they served
their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their
sons and their daughters to demons." When did the Israelites ever
sacrifice their children to demons? The very next verse tells us they
sacrificed their children to demons when they sacrificed them to the
idols of Canaan. The Bible tells us that Ahaz and Manasseh, kings of
Judah, offered their children as burnt offerings to false gods, as did
the northern tribes of Israel (2 Kings 16:3, 2 Kings 21:6, 2 Kings
17:17). God rebuked Judah through Jeremiah for offering their children
as burnt sacrifices to Molech, one of the false gods of Canaan (Jeremiah
32:35). Although there are several passages that expose the idols as
being nothing, Psalms 106:34-38 teaches there was a spiritual reality
behind these idols. When the Israelites became involved in idol worship,
they were not serving the stone, metal and wood the idols were
constructed from, but the demons, who were the spiritual reality
represented by the idols. In Leviticus 17, God commanded the Israelites
to bring their sacrifices to the tabernacle instead of out in the open
fields. The reason was so that, "they shall no more offer their
sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot" (Leviticus
17:7). This also demonstrates the spiritual reality behind the idolatry
in which the Israelites partici pated. When Moses foretold the future of
the nation of Israel, he warned of a time when they would offer
sacrifices, "to demons, not to God, to gods they did not know, to new
gods, new arrivals that your fathers did not fear" (Deuteronomy 32:17).
After the death of Solomon, Jeroboam led the northern tribes of Israel
into apostasy by making two golden calves for them to worship. These
calves were not all that was involved in Jeroboam's actions. The Bible
tells us that Jeroboam, "appointed for himself priests for the high
places, for the demons, and the calf idols which he had made" (2
Chronicles 11:15). When writing to the Corinthian church, Paul delivered
some extensive instructions concerning the question of Christians eating
meats sacrificed to idols. The full discus sion of this topic covers
chapters 8-10 in 1 Corinthians. In the beginning of this section, Paul
wrote, "We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is
none other God but one" (1 Corinthians 8:4).  Although Paul understood
the idols the pagans were wor shipping were nothing in themselves, he
also understood the spiritual reality that was represented by these
idols. These idols were not just mere carvings in wood and stone, but
were physical representations of the forces of spiritual darkness.
Later, in 1 Corin thians 10:19-20, the apostle Paul continued his
instructions concerning these idols. There, he wrote, "What am I saying
then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything?
Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to
demons and not to God, and I do n ot want you to have fellowship with
demons."  He was warning the Christians that if they participated in the
idolatrous practices of the pagans, they would have fellowship with
demons. Why? The demons were the spiritual force behind these idols.
This truth can be seen again in the description of the beast who comes
out of the sea in Revelation 13. This is the beast whose number is 666.
There have been many explana tions offered through the years trying to
explain who this beast is, but one point that all agree on is that this
beast is extremely evil. Revelation 13:2 tells us of the source of the
power of this beast. There, we read, "the dragon gave him his power, and
his seat, and great authority." Two verses later, we are told, "So they
worshipped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they
worshipped the beast, saying, 'Who is like the beast? Who is able to
make war with him?'"  When the people bowed down to the beast, it was
the same as bowing down to the dragon who was the real power behind the
beast. In all of these passages, there is no indication that those who
follow doctrines of demons, or worshipped the idols or beast were
deliberately bowing down to demons or Satan so they could be condemned
by God.  Instead, they were deceived into participating in false
religion instead of worshipping the only true God. Why were they
deceived?  These false religious practices did not just originate from
the imagination of men, but there were other spiritual forces at work to
bring these about. In Ephesians 6:12 we are told, "For we wrestle not
against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers,
against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual
wickedness in high places."  These "principalities and powers" are
continually at work trying to deceive men and women away from true
worship (John 4:24). They were involved in bringing about the idolatry
of the Canaanite religions, the idolatry of the Greeks and  Roman, and
the rise of the beast. They are behind the apostasy the Spirit warned us
about when He revealed that, "in the latter times some shall depart from
the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of demons" (1
Timothy 4:1). Doctrines of demons take on many forms and come in many
varieties, but they all serve the same purpose. They all turn people
away from the truth and deceive them into believing a lie. With the
knowledge of this demonic activity revealed in the Scriptures, is there
any reason to think the doctrines of demons have ceased?  Unfortunately,
the deception of Satan continues in our time. Some of the same lies he
told in other generations are being repeated and believed in our time.
Where is this happening? What doctrines of demons are being promoted
among religious people in our nation? Its amazing to think about it, but
Satan is still having great success with the very first lie he ever told
mankind. Many have still not seen through his deception. In the
beginning of  Genesis, we are told of the creation of the world and of
Adam and Eve. God put the first couple in a garden where everything was
perfect and they enjoyed fellowship with God. They were told that they
could freely eat of all the fruit except of the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). Everyone knows that Adam
and Eve did not continue to enjoy their new home and their fellowship
with God.  The reason is given in the next chapter. "Now the serpent...
said to the woman, 'Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every
tree of the garden'?' And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat the
fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is
in the midst of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat it, nor
shall you touch it, lest you die.' ' Then the serpent said to the woman,
'You will not surely die'" (Genesis 3:1-4). As we read this, it doesn't
take much imagination to hear the hiss of the serpent as he tells Eve to
go ahead and eat of the forbidden fruit. He tells her, don't worry, you
will not die! You can go ahead and sin and not worry about your
relationship with God! Your relationship with God is safe! Your actions
will not affect it at all! Adam and Eve did not die physically the day
they first sinned, but they did die spiritually. They were separated
from God, and were cast out of the garden so they would not have access
to the tree of life and continue to live physically. Compare the words
of Satan, the head of the demons, to the words of Sam Morris, pastor of
the First Baptist Church in Stamford, Texas. "Do a Christian's sins damn
his soul? We take the position that a Christian's sins do not damn his
soul. The way a Christian lives, what he says, his character, his
conduct, or his attitude toward other people have nothing whatever to do
with the salvation of his soul. All the prayers a man may pray, all the
Bibles he may read, all the churches he may belong to, all the services
he may attend, all the sermons he may practice, all the debts he may
pay, all the ordinances he may observe, all the laws he may keep, all
the benevolent acts he may perform, will not make his soul one whit
safer; and all the sins he may commit, from idolatry to murder will not
make his soul in any more danger. The way a man lives has nothing
whatever to do with the salvation of his soul." Quoted in "What is the
Church of Christ" by V. E. Howard, Central Printers & Publishers, pg.
335. As you read the words of this Baptist preacher, can you hear the
hiss of the serpent as he says, "Go ahead and sin, you will not surely
die!" In spite of the multitudes of clear warnings found in the Word of
God, many still teach that a child of God cannot depart from the faith
and lose his fellowship with God and be lost. We need to take heed to
the warning of the Holy Spirit when He says, "in the latter times some
shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and
doctrines of demons" (1 Timothy. 4:1).




Wayne Wells wayneliz@twave.net http://users.twave.net/ncc