- [Presenter] Do demons really have specific names?
Number one, Apollyon.
Scripture clearly speaks of the existence
of beings known as demons or unclean spirits.
We know they do exist.
They are spirit beings.
They are disembodied spirits.
They have no physical form to them whatsoever.
In 1 Peter 5:8,
we're given a very significant warning.
We are to keep our senses about us
because the enemy is lying in wait,
like a lion looking for someone to devour.
As firm believers in Christ, we are taught about demons.
1 Peter 5:8:
"Be sober, well-balanced, and self-disciplined.
Be alert and cautious at all times.
That enemy of yours, the devil,
prowls around like a roaring lion,
fiercely hungry, seeking someone to devour."
Also known as Apollyon,
Abaddon makes an appearance
in the last book of the New Testament, Revelation.
Revelation 9:11:
"They have as king over them
the angel of the abyss, the bottomless pit."
In Hebrew, his name is Abaddon, destruction,
and in Greek, he is called Apollyon, destroyer king.
The name means destruction,
so you can imagine a pretty good guess
as to whether this being is good or bad.
Even though Satan is known by a variety of names,
one of those names is not Apollyon.
It would appear that Abaddon is a demon
that works under him
and is in charge of an abyss
that is full of locusts
that will make their appearance on stage
during the final days.
The locusts will bite, sting, or cause pain
to those who do not believe in Jesus Christ.
Where in the Bible do we find mention of Abaddon,
or the phrase destroyer, for that matter?
John gives a description
of a time period that takes place at the end times,
in Revelation 8 and 9,
in which angels blow seven trumpets.
The sounding of each trumpet heralds the approach
of a fresh round of judgment for the inhabitants of earth.
The abyss, which is described as a great smoking pit,
will open when the fifth angel blows his trumpet,
and an army of demonic locusts will emerge from it.
These beings will be granted the authority
to torment everyone
who does not have the seal of God on their foreheads.
The suffering they cause will be so severe
that those who experience it will beg to be put to death.
These demonic locust are ruled over by Abaddon,
who is also known as Apollyon.
He is the ruler of the abyss.
Where do we see Abaddon in the Bible?
Because the Old Testament and the New Testament
were written in separate languages,
the word for destroyer in Greek is going to be different
than the word in Hebrew.
This is something that we need to keep in mind at all times.
Although we only see the instance
in the latter half of the Bible, in Revelation 9:11,
five verses in the Old Testament use the word.
Abaddon, in the Old Testament, appears to mean destruction.
Job 26:6:
"Sheol, the nether world, the place of the dead,
is naked before God,
and Abaddon, the place of destruction,
has no covering from His eyes."
Job 26:6 says that destruction exists
in the realm of the dead, known as Sheol,
hell, in essence.
A similar definition of Abaddon operates
in Psalm 88:11 and Proverbs 15:11.
Psalm 88:11:
"Will Your loving kindness be declared in the grave,
or Your faithfulness in Abaddon, the underworld?"
Proverbs 15:11:
"Sheol, the nether world,
the place of the dead,
and Abaddon, the abyss,
the place of eternal punishment,
lie open before the Lord.
How much more the hearts and inner motives
of the children of men?"
As for the character of Abaddon,
we only encounter this being in Revelation.
As was discussed earlier with regard to the locusts,
he plays out his part with the fifth trumpet of disaster.
They swarm out of a seemingly bottomless pit.
Other than the poetic freedoms that were taken
in "Pilgrim's Progress",
and the material that was conveyed
in non-canonical literature,
like as Tobit and The Wisdom of Solomon,
it would appear that we do not know anything much else
about Abaddon.
The Bible's testimony about demons is clear and consistent.
They are entities that oppose God's supremacy.
They seek to carry out their unholy rebellion
by influencing people to live in ways
that contradict God's stated intentions.
At the same time, they remain under His control
and can be used to carry out the divine plan.
As Christians, we are to submit to God
and resist Satan and his minions' attacks.
To do so, we must be aware
of the fundamental truths presented in scripture
concerning not only the ontology of demons
but also their methods of influencing our lives.
Once we are aware, we are to take a stand in Christ
and oppose the work of demons,
whether individually, corporately,
or in societal structures and systems.
Demons are with a mission to promote sin,
induce temptations, torment, frighten us,
or do anything that will keep us away from God.
Revelation 12:7-9:
"And war broke out in heaven,
Michael, the archangel, and his angels
waging war with the dragon.
The dragon and his angels fought,
but they were not strong enough and did not prevail,
and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.
And the great dragon was thrown down,
the age-old serpent who was called the devil and Satan,
he who continually deceives
and seduces the entire inhabited world;
he was thrown down to the Earth,
and his angels were thrown down with him."
Like their counterparts,
the characteristic of a demon is spiritual,
immutable, and immortal.
Demons are not omniscient, and their power is limited
to that of which God allows.
Demons also do not pertain to just one person or one kind,
but of various purposes and knowledge
in their area of expertise.
Actually, there are different names of demons
along with their classifications,
as stated in the Bible.
Number two, Legion.
In Mark 5, Jesus visits the region of the Gerasenes,
and is immediately confronted by a demon-possessed man
who lived among the tombs.
Mark 5:1-16:
"They came to the other side of the sea,
to the region of the Gerasenes.
When Jesus got out of the boat,
immediately, a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit
met Him,
and the man lived in the tombs,
and no one could bind him anymore, not even with chains,
for he had often been bound with shackles for the feet
and with chains,
and he tore apart the chains
and broke the shackles into pieces,
and no one was strong enough to subdue and tame him.
Night and day, he was constantly screaming and shrieking
among the tombs and on the mountains,
and cutting himself with sharp stones.
Seeing Jesus from a distance,
he ran up and bowed down before Him in homage,
and screaming with a loud voice, he said,
'What business do we have in common with each each other,
Jesus, Son of the most high God?
I implore You by God, swear to me, do not torment me.'
For Jesus had been saying to him,
'Come out of the man, you unclean spirit.'
He was asking him 'What is your name?'
And he replied, 'My name is Legion, for we are many.'
And he began begging Him repeatedly
not to send them out of the region.
Now there was a large herd of pigs
grazing there on the mountain,
and the demons begged Him, saying,
'Send us to the pigs so that we may go into them.'
Jesus gave them permission,
and the unclean spirits came out of the man
and entered the pigs.
The herd, numbering about 2,000,
rushed down the steep bank into the sea,
and they were drowned, one after the other, in the sea.
The herdsman tending the pigs ran away
and reported it in the city and in the country,
and the people came to see what had happened.
They came to Jesus
and saw the man who had been demon-possessed
sitting down, clothed and in his right mind,
the man who had previously had the legion of demons,
and they were frightened.
Those who had seen it described in detail to the people
what had happened to the demon-possessed man
and told them all about the pigs."
When Jesus asked the demon what its name was,
the demon replied, "My name is Legion, for we are many."
In common usage, a legion was the largest unit
in the Roman army.
At that time, a legion averaged about 5,000 fighting men,
though it could have thousands more, or fewer,
so the term legion refers
to any large number of beings, a multitude.
When the demon in Mark 5 said that its name was Legion,
it meant that the demoniac of the Gerasenes was possessed
by a large number of unclean spirits.
There's one further instance
of the word legion being used in reference to spirit beings.
This time, it is in reference to good angels.
During the time when Jesus was being arrested,
Peter pulled out a sword
and injured a member of the crowd who was nearby.
Jesus then instructed Peter to put away his sword,
and then He cured the wound.
Peter was informed by the Lord
that in the event that He required assistance,
He may petition God to send more than 12 legions of angels.
Matthew 26:51:
"And one of those who were with Jesus reached out
and drew his sword,
and struck Malchus, the slave of the high priest,
and cut off his ear."
That might total 60,000 angels,
but the exact number wasn't the point Jesus was making.
Instead, it reminded the frightened disciples
that God is always in control of all events,
even during the terrible unfairness
of the slaying of His own son.
Interestingly, the Bible refers to holy angels and demons
as forming legions.
Legions is a military term
that fits the Bible's descriptions of spiritual warfare
in multiple places.
Daniel 10:13:
"But the prince of the kingdom of Persia
was standing in opposition to me for 21 days.
Then behold, Michael,
one of the chief of the celestial princes,
came to help me,
for I had been left there with the kings of Persia."
Ephesians 6:12:
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood
contending only with physical opponents,
but against the rulers,
against the powers,
against the world forces of this present darkness,
against the spiritual forces of wickedness
in the heavenly, supernatural places."
Revelation 12:7:
"And war broke out in heaven
Michael, the archangel, and his angels
waging war with the dragon.
The dragon and his angels fought."
How can we stand against such numerous and powerful foes?
God thoroughly equips believers
for battle against satanic forces.
Put on the full armor of God
so that when the day of evil comes,
you may be able to stand your ground.
As Christians, we are more than conquerors through Christ.
Romans 8:37:
"Yet in all these things,
we are more than conquerors
and gain an overwhelming victory
through Him who loved us so much
that He died for us."
Jesus is our commander.
He is the one who dispatched the demons named Legion
with just a word.
He it is who will someday throw Legion
and all the other demons
into the eternal fire
prepared for the devil and his angels.
Matthew 25:41:
"Then He will say to those on His left,
'Leave me, you cursed ones into the eternal fire
which has been prepared
for the devil and his angels, demons.'"
Revelation 20:10:
"And the devil who had deceived them
was hurled into the lake of fire and burning brimstone,
sulfur,
where the beast, antichrist, and false prophet are also,
and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever."
Demons are malevolent beings that can travel
within the transcendent dominion.
While different traditions, including the Bible,
provide other names of demons,
one thing remains the same.
Demons are not good beings.
They never come with good intent.
The most alarming characteristic they hold
is how they can manipulate humans.
To do that, they often test a person's faith in God.
Demons have no direct power over us like God does.
If they did, we would all have been attacked by now,
but since they do not have the power to control us directly,
they manipulate us.
Demons tend to torment people by possessing them
or provoking visions that can induce people to sin.
Matthew 17:15 and 16:
"'Lord, have mercy on my son,
for he is a lunatic, moonstruck, and suffers terribly,
for he often falls into the fire and often into the water,
and I brought him to Your disciples,
and they were not able to heal him.'"
They try to tempt people into abandoning the faith,
committing heresy, and turning towards idols.
Ephesians 6:12:
"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."
Jesus teaches the peril of a barren life.
The vacuum left by the departure of an evil spirit
must be filled with the Holy Spirit,
or else the individual is open to worse demonic activity.
The immediate application of the teaching
is to those who lack the spiritual discernment
to recognize Jesus as the savior.
In rejecting Him, they have nothing left
but empty rights and ceremonies,
making them even more susceptible to Satan's deception.