Does The Bible List The Names Of Demons?
by JACK WELLMAN ·
.
Does the Bible list the names of demons? If
so, what do they mean?
Sacrificing to Demons
Did you realize that when the ancient pagans
sacrificed to their “gods,” they were literally making sacrifices to demons?
That’s what the Bible teaches about who these
sacrifices are actually for. As incredible as it sounds, God connects
sacrificing to pagan gods to actually sacrificing to fallen angels or demons.
Demons are about 1/3rd of the angels that rebelled
with Lucifer or Satan. They became totally corrupt and their every intent was
only to do evil.
Part of their evil intent was to influence
mankind into sacrificing animals to gods which were not gods at all, but even
worse, they began sacrificing human beings!
This is why there is a connection between
sacrificing to pagan gods and sacrificing to demons and this connection is
found throughout Scripture.
In the Old Testament, in speaking about
Israel’s former ways, “they shall no more sacrifice their
sacrifices to goat demons, after whom they whore. This shall be a statute
forever for them throughout their generations” (Leviticus
17:7).
Apparently, while some of the Israelites were
in Egypt, they joined the Egyptians in sacrificing to “goat demons.”
Some of these images were found on certain
Egyptian hieroglyphics. It is believed that the goat-like appearance of the
Devil originates from associations with Pan, which was a horned, half-goat,
half-man pagan god.
This could be what Leviticus 17:7 is
referring to, but the point is, what they thought they were sacrificing to was
not what they really were sacrificing to.
Again, God refers to Israel’s former pagan
worship by writing that “They sacrificed to demons that were no gods, to gods
they had never known, to new gods that had come recently, whom your fathers had
never dreaded” (Deuteronomy 32:17).
In fact, Israel’s idolatry got so bad that “They
sacrificed their sons and their daughters to the demons” (Psalm
106:37).
Surely the demons delight in this, but God
abhors such evil, but of course pagan worship always does that which God hates
but the demons love.
Casting out Demons
Jesus was the supreme exorcist because He
never failed.
Of course, Jesus as God has full authority
over everything, including the demons. They have no choice but to obey His
word.
In one
case, Jesus “came to the other side, to the country of
the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men met him, coming out of the tombs, so
fierce that no one could pass that way” (Matthew 8:28).
Someone that’s possessed has demonic powers. Holy
angels have
Even so, these demons knew Jesus’ authority
over them as “they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of
God? Have you come here to torment us before the time” (Matthew 8:29).
And so “the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send
us away into the herd of pigs.” And he said to them, “Go.” So they came out and
went into the pigs, and behold, the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into
the sea and drowned in the waters” (Matthew 8:31-32).
We don’t know their names in this case,
although this may be the same event recorded in Mark chapter 5.
We know there must have been several demons
in them because so many pigs were needed for them to enter into (perhaps
hundreds). Of course, the pigs then dived into the sea and drowned.
Later on, “a demon-oppressed man who was mute was brought to him” (Matthew 9:32).
After “the demon had been cast out, the
mute man spoke. And the crowds marveled, saying, “Never was anything like this seen in Israel” (Matthew
9:33).
This obviously means that none of the Jewish
religious leaders could have done this or had been doing this.
So these same leaders accuse Jesus of doing
this under the power of the “prince of
demons,” which of course is Satan (Matthew
9:34; 12:24).
This is a total lie.
Failed Exorcism
Jesus enabled His disciples to perform
exorcisms (Matthew 10:8).
But then there would be a few others who
would, unsuccessfully, try to cast out demons.
Some itinerant Jews had seen that “God
was doing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that even
handkerchiefs or aprons that had touched his skin were carried away to the
sick, and their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them” (Acts 19:11-12).
They decided to try their hand at casting out
a demon, and so “some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to
invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, “I
adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims” (Acts
19:13).
It was the “Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were
doing this” (Acts 19:14).
But “the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I
recognize, but who are you?” And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on
them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that
house naked and wounded” (Acts 19:15-16).
These men thought they knew Christ but they
didn’t really know Him. That’s
why the demons didn’t know them. But if you are
That doesn’t mean you should start looking
for demons to cast out around every corner or in every person.
Make certain you know Jesus (through the
written word) and Paul (through his inspired books) before you ever try to cast
out a demon.
Names of Demons
I was only able to find one name of a demon,
but it’s not really a name but a description, and that was the name “Legion.”
We find this in Mark 5:2-4, “when Jesus had stepped out of the boat, immediately
there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit. He lived among the
tombs. And no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain, for he had
often been bound with shackles and chains, but he wrenched the chains apart,
and he broke the shackles in pieces. No one had the strength to subdue him,” so
this man has such demonic power that he could break chains and not be bound.
When the demon possessed man “saw Jesus from afar, he ran and fell down before
him. And crying out with a loud voice, he said, “What have you to do with me,
Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me” (Mark
5:6-7).
This again indicating Jesus’ complete
sovereignty over them. So “Jesus asked him, “What is your
name?” He replied, “My name is Legion, for we are many” (Mark
5:9).
A legion is a huge force, as Roman Legions
could range anywhere between 3,000 and 6,000 troops, depending upon what
century it was. Imagine the power of thousands of demons!?
Now, imagine you or me trying to cast out
3,000 to 6,000 demons! For Jesus, it’s just a little word and they’re gone!
There is one final reference where Daniel the
Prophet wrote about “The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me
twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I
was left there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:13) and “the
prince of Greece” (Daniel 10:20).
But these are more of titles or positions of
authority than they are a personal pronoun or name of a demon.
Conclusion
I hope you have found this interesting. I
wouldn’t want you to
Yes, we should be aware of their schemes and
be sure to armor up every day (Ephesians 6).
But we should not fear the demons or Satan,
because the prince of darkness was defeated on Calvary and it forever sealed
his fate and the fate of his demons.
We read in the Book of Revelation, “and
the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur
where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and
night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:11).
In
this spiritual war, there are no fence-sitters – you are either with the Lords’
victorious army or with the wicked “Powers” of Satan.
Be
sure you are listed with the victorious army of the Lord. Settle that sin issue right now by saying
this prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner and my sins have separated me from
You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my past sinful life and
live a new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid sinning again.
I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died for my sins, was resurrected
from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my life, to rule and reign in my
heart from this day forward.
Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and to do Your will for
the rest of my life. Thank you, Lord, that according to Your Word, I am born
again. I promise to obey You and study your Word – the Bible.
Use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
RELATED POSTS:
How Angelic Warfare Affects Your Prayers
What was the reason of Lucifer's fall from heaven?
3 Subtle Distinctions Between Demons and Fallen
Angels
Jack Wellman is
a father and grandfather and a Christian author, freelance writer, and pastor
at the Mulvane (KS) Brethren church in Mulvane, Kansas. Graduate work at Moody
Bible Institute. His books are inexpensive paperbacks that are theological in
nature: “Teaching Children The Gospel/How to Raise Godly Children,“ “Do Babies
Go To Heaven?/Why Does God Allow Suffering?,“ "The Great Omission;
Reaching the Lost for Christ," and “Blind Chance or Intelligent Design?,
Empirical Methodologies & the Bible."
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