- [Narrator] Two of the most evil demons in the Bible.
Number one, Prince of Persia.
The Prince of Persia appears
only in the apocalyptic Daniel 10.
The Prince of Persia is most likely a reference
to a wicked spiritual being who ruled over Persia
in ancient times.
Daniel had received a troubling vision
concerning a great war.
A three week fast, prayer and mourning period followed.
God sent a heavenly messenger to explain the vision
in response to Daniel's prayer.
Daniel 10:1-9, New American Standard Bible;
"In the third year of Cyrus King of Persia,
"a message was revealed to Daniel
"who was named Belteshazzar and the message was true
"and it concerned great conflict
"but he understood the message
"and had an understanding of the vision.
"In those days, I, Daniel, had been mourning
"for three entire weeks.
"I did not eat any tasty food, nor did meat or wine
"enter my mouth nor did I use any ointment at all
"until the entire three weeks were completed.
"On the 24th day of the first month while I was by the bank
"of the great river," that is the Tigris,
"I raised my eyes and looked and behold
"there was a man dressed in linen
"whose waist had a belt of pure gold of Uphaz.
"His body was also like topaz.
"His face had the appearance of lightning.
"His eyes were like flaming torches.
"His arms and feet like the gleam of polished bronze
"and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
"Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision
"while the men who were with me did not see the vision.
"Nevertheless, a great fear fell on them
"and they ran away to hide themselves.
"So I was left alone and saw this great vision
"yet no strength was left in me,
"for my complexion turned to a deathly pallor
"and I retained no strength
"but I heard the sound of his words
and as soon as I heard the sound of his words,
"I fell into a deep sleep with my face to the ground."
Daniel was once again being ready to receive a vision
and prophecy from an angel
as well as establishing God's kingdom on earth.
The prophecy mentioned Cyrus of Persia.
Daniel foresaw something incredible
because he wept and fasted for three weeks
before it happened.
In spite of the facts that Daniel's companions
did not see the vision, they were terrified.
In the meantime, Daniel was weakened by holy terror
and had fallen asleep.
"A hand touched me and set me trembling
"on my hands and knees.
"He said, 'Daniel, you are highly esteemed,
"'consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you
"'and stand up for I have now been sent to you.'
"And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
"Then he continued, 'Do not be afraid, Daniel.
"'Since the first day that you set your mind
"'to gain understanding and to humble yourself before God,
"'your words were heard and I have come in response to them.
"'But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days.
"'Then Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me
"'because I was detained there with the King of Persia.
"'Now I have come to explain to you what will happen
"'to your people in the future
"'for the vision concerns a time yet to come.'"
Daniel 10:10-14.
Here we are given discernment into the warfare
in the spiritual realm.
Daniel had been praying and fasting for three weeks
and the angel had been sent from the first day in response.
However, the angel had been delayed by a figure
called the Prince of the Kingdom of Persia
who opposed him for 21 days for the entire period
during which Daniel had been fasting and praying.
This was apparently a high ranking demon
allocated to the nation of Persia
to represent the devil's kingdom and fight against gods.
The kingdom of Satan is composed of four evil divisions.
The first is the fallen angels or principalities
which serve as Satan's highest ranking rulers.
The second division is the powers who are given authority
to execute the will of the chief rulers.
Satan has just one reason for dividing his legions
into ranks and that reason is spiritual warfare.
His passion is fueled by pride which feeds his ravenous need
for total authority.
Satan's main goal is to have the entire world
bow down to him and worship him as God.
There is, however, a better kingdom than Satan's,
led by Jesus Christ who will rule the globe for 1,000 years
in perfect peace.
"The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb,
"the leopard shall lie down with the young goat,
"the calf and the young lion and the fatling together
"and a little child shall lead them."
Isaiah 11:6.
Demons are the foot soldiers of his evil army
and they are controlled and directed
by higher ranking rulers, powers and principalities.
The term devil, devils and demons
are frequently interchanged.
There is also one prince of devils, Satan
but there are many demons.
The word demon is derived from the Greek word daemon
which means evil spirit.
Demons are evil spirits that operate in the world
by possessing the bodies of humans or beasts.
Luke 8:30, King James Version;
"And Jesus asked him saying, 'what is the name?'
"And he said, 'Legion,'
"because many devils were entered into him."
Luke 8:33, King James Version;
"Then went the devils out of the man
"and entered into the swine and the herd ran violently
"down a steep place into the lake and were choked."
Scripture repeatedly says that Satan exercises
a level of control and rule in this fallen world.
1 John 5:19, New International Version;
"We know that we are children of God
"and that the whole world is under the control
"of the evil one."
2 Corinthians 4:4, New International Version;
"The God of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers
"so that they cannot see the light of the gospel
"that displays the glory of Christ who is the image of God."
As a result, the messenger who came to Daniel
was engaged in angelic warfare.
In fact, the demonic Prince of Persia
wielded such incredible power that Michael,
one of the chief princes, was dispatched to his aid.
In Jude nine, we learned that Michael is the archangel.
The angel was able to reach Daniel due to his strength.
Angel Michael is a great fighter angel.
Revelation 12:7, New International Version;
"Then war broke out in heaven,
"Michael and his angels fought against the dragon
"and the dragon and his angels fought back.
"Soon I will return to fight against the Prince of Persia
"and when I go, the Prince of Greece will come.
"But first I will tell you what is written
"in the book of truth.
"No one supports me against them
"except Michael, your prince."
Daniel 10:15-21.
The angel had returned immediately
to fight the Prince of Persia.
Then he informed Daniel
that the Prince of Greece would be arriving.
This implies that Satan's demons are constantly at odds
with God's kingdom and servants.
You must be prepared to fight in the spiritual realm
where you cannot see the battle.
Ephesians 6:10-18, New International Version;
"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power,
"put on the full armor of God
"so that you can take your stand
"against the devil's schemes.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood
"but against the rulers, against the authorities,
"against the powers of this dark world
"and against the spiritual forces of evil
"in the heavenly realms.
"Therefore, put on your full armor of God
"so that when the day of evil comes,
"you may be able to stand your ground
"and after you have done everything to stand,
"stand firm then with the belt of truth
"buckled around your waist,
"with the breastplate of righteousness in place
"and with your feet fitted with the readiness
"that comes from the gospel of peace.
"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith
"with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows
"of the evil one.
"Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit
"which is the word of God and pray in the spirit
"on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
"With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying
"for all the Lord's people."
There are battles fought and things that happen
in the spiritual realm that we may know nothing about
but we are taught that our conduct has an effect
on what transpires there.
This is why we should never give up praying
and submitting ourselves to the Lord in obedience.
What happens in our lives of faith has implications
far greater than what we can see.
So we must stay steadfast and trust the Lord
even when we cannot see what he is doing.
It is unknown whether the fate
of this spiritual Prince of Persia was linked
to that of the physical Persian Empire.
Number two, Abbadon also known as Apollyon.
Abbadon makes an appearance in the last book
of the New Testament, Revelation.
Revelation 9:11, New American Standard Bible;
"They have as king over them, the angel of the abyss.
"His name in Hebrew is Abbadon,
"and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon."
Abaddon and Apollyon both have the same thought
of destruction or torment, perdition.
Since this is the king of these locusts
and since he has the name Abbadon or Apollyon,
this is a high ranking leader of demons.
Abbadon is a demon that works under Satan
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.
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, New American Standard Bible;
"Sheol is naked before him and Abaddon has no covering."
It is clear and consistent in the Bible that demons exist.
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.
Christians must submit to God and resist Satan
and his minions' incursions.
As a result, we need to understand the fundamental truths
of scripture regarding demons' behavior
and their methods of influence.
Having become aware of the work of demons,
we are commanded to take a stand in Christ and oppose it
whether as individuals, cooperations or societal structures.
Demons desire to keep us from God by promoting sin,
inducing temptations, tormenting and frightening us.
Revelation 12:7-9, New American Standard Bible;
"And there was war in heaven,
"Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon.
"The dragon and his angels waged war
"and they did not prevail
"and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven
"and the great dragon was thrown down,
"the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan,
"who deceives the whole 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 have various purposes
and knowledge in their area of expertise.
Satan mimics God through counterfeit means
and demonic invasion is no exception.
Those who are submitted to the Lord
have a divine personality dwelling in them
in the form of the Holy Spirit.
John 14:23, New American Standard Bible;
"Jesus answered and said to him, 'If anyone loves me,
"'he will follow my word and my father will love him
"'and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.'"
Those who are ruled in some area of their life by demons
are influenced by Satan's evil spirit.
Acts 19:16, New American Standard Bible;
"And the man in whom was the evil spirit pounced on them
"and subdued all of them and overpowered them
"so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded."
Jesus Christ came to earth to deliver the oppressed
from the power of demons.
Acts 10:38, New American Standard Bible;
"You know of Jesus of Nazareth,
"how God anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power
"and how he went from doing good and healing
"all who were oppressed by the devil for God was with him."
God's spirit transforms believers when they are liberated,
a supernatural transformation that Satan cannot imitate.
However, Angel Michael faces Satan twice.
To watch that video, click here.