For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Isaiah 5:20
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”When Jesus saves you, you are transformed through The Spirit by desiring to walk away from sin.
Both Peter and Jude are confronted with opponents who deny the authority of Jesus Christ over them through the indulgence of their sinful passions. In both situations it seems that the opponents rejected the possibility of facing final judgment for their actions, though this is clearer in 2 Peter than in Jude. The opponents demonstrate their departure from the one true gospel proclaimed by the apostles and confirmed by the Old Testament through lives that are out of step with the moral imperatives that flow from what Jesus has done for his people. Peter is dealing with opponents who explicitly deny the return of Christ and twist Scripture; neither seems to be the case with Jude’s opponents. Although more speculative, there is also likely a difference in the context in which their respective audiences live. Jude appears to have been written to believers who were familiar with Jewish traditions and noncanonical Jewish literature, whereas Peter seems to be addressing readers living in a more Greco-Roman context.
One key takeaway from both 2 Peter and Jude is the inseparable relationship between orthodoxy (right belief/doctrine) and orthopraxy (right living). In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus warned that false prophets would enter in among God’s people as wolves looking to devour the sheep (Matt. 7:15–20). He gave a simple yet powerful way of identifying these false prophets and false teachers:
You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. (Matt. 7:16–20)
Taking Jesus at his word, both Peter and Jude go to great lengths to expose the rotten fruit of their opponents as a means of inoculating the sheep from the disease that the wolves have brought with them.
In this addition to the New Testament Theology series, Matthew S. Harmon examines the unique themes of 2 Peter and Jude as well as their common ground, addressing topics such as false teaching, God’s authority, and the new heavens and the new earth.
Understanding the similarities and differences between the opponents that Peter and Jude addressed in their respective letters is an important first step. But in order to set the false teaching of these opponents within a broader biblical and theological context, we need to go back to the very beginning of the biblical story, because at the core of what Peter and Jude must confront is an error first propagated in the garden of Eden by the serpent himself. What we see there is a pattern that, at some level, all subsequent false teaching follows. That pattern has three steps.
The initial sign of trouble is in the opening description of the serpent (who is later explicitly identified as Satan in Rev. 12:9) as “more crafty than any other beast of the field” (Gen. 3:1). His initial question to the woman confirms his craftiness: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Gen. 3:1). There should be little doubt that Satan knew God had not prohibited eating from any tree but rather just from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. His purpose is to raise questions and doubts about what God had actually said. Eve responds by going beyond what God had actually said: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die’” (Gen. 3:2–3). But a closer look at what God had actually told Adam reveals that Yahweh never prohibited touching the tree but only eating from it (Gen. 2:17). Satan has managed to muddy the waters, creating confusion as to the exact nature of what God had or had not commanded.
The serpent moves from questioning God’s word to direct rejection of it in his response: “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). Yahweh had been emphatic with Adam when he gave the commandment: “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen. 2:17). Not maybe. Not even probably. Disobedience to this one commandment would bring certain death. But Satan, emboldened by the confusion he has created in Eve’s mind about the specifics of what God actually said, is now able to openly reject what God said. He is even so bold as to use the same wording that God spoke to Adam and that Eve spoke to the serpent. In effect, the serpent accuses God of lying.
The serpent explains why God actually does not want people to eat from the tree: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen. 3:5). Despite the fact that the man and the woman were created in the image of God, the serpent holds out the “better” alternative of determining for themselves good and evil rather than submitting to what God has already revealed as good and evil.1Why submit to what God says when what he has said is not true? Would it not be better to simply strike out on your own? After all, God is actually holding you back from being everything you could be. Rather than respond along the lines of “I am already like God in every way that God intends me to be, no more and no less,” the woman says nothing more. Inspired by this better alternative, the woman “saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise” (Gen. 3:6). Prompted by the serpent, the woman now sees the tree in a fresh light. Rather than a source of danger to be avoided at all costs, it is now an enticing path to “truly” being like God. When she stretches out her hand to touch the fruit of the tree and nothing happens, it seems as though the serpent had been right. She does not die. God must have lied to them after all.
But once Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they realize that the serpent was only partially right. Their eyes are indeed opened, but rather than the promised joys of selfdetermination, they experience the guilt and shame of self-destruction (Gen. 3:7). Whereas before they were “naked and were not ashamed” (Gen. 2:25), now they are naked and, by implication, ashamed, as the effort to cover themselves indicates (Gen. 3:7). But their feeble efforts to cover that shame and guilt are nowhere near adequate for such a task. That shame only intensifies when Yahweh walks in the garden; rather than joyfully approaching him, they hide, knowing that they are no longer able to approach a holy God because of their disobedience (Gen. 3:8–11).
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We see this same pattern in Jesus’s encounter with Satan in the wilderness (Matt. 4:1–13). Right before the Holy Spirit leads him into the wilderness to be tempted, Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist. After the Spirit descends upon Jesus, God the Father declares from heaven, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 3:17). Like he did with Eve in the garden, Satan begins his temptation by questioning what God said: “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread” (Matt. 4:3). While he was successful in raising doubts about God’s word with Eve, the tempter is unsuccessful in his efforts to do so with Jesus. Nonetheless, Satan moves on to reject what God says, though in a more subtle manner than he did with Eve. Continuing in his efforts to question what God said, Satan takes Jesus to the pinnacle and says, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone’” (Matt. 4:6, citing Ps. 91:11–12). On the surface, quoting Psalm 91:11–12 might seem like Satan is embracing God’s word. But by intentionally twisting and misapplying it, he is in fact rejecting its authority by trying to make it mean something that it does not. In his final temptation of Jesus, Satan proposes a “better” alternative to receiving universal dominion than the long path of obedience and the suffering it will entail. He offers Jesus all the kingdoms of the world if he will simply fall down before Satan and worship him (Matt. 4:8–9). But rather than choose the path of least resistance, Jesus rejects Satan’s offer and reaffirms his loyalty to the Father (Matt. 4:10–11). At every point where Adam and Eve had failed to resist the wiles of the serpent, Jesus obeyed!
Each aspect of this pattern is also present in 2 Peter, though not always in the most obvious way. Peter refers to the “the ignorant and unstable” who twist Scripture to their own destruction (2 Pet. 3:16). One obvious form of twisting Scripture is calling into question what God has said. Peter’s opponents ask the question, “Where is the promise of his coming?” (3:4). Despite the explicit promise of the Lord Jesus that he would return for his people (e.g., John 14:1–4), the opponents question whether he said it or perhaps whether he meant it.
From this posture of questioning God’s word they move to a direct rejection of what Jesus said. They do so based on their own brand of flawed logic: “For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation” (2 Pet. 3:4). The return of Christ is not possible, according to the opponents, because the world has remained the same since the days of Israel’s patriarchs. But their rejection of God’s word is most evident in their rejection of God’s moral standards, which have been clearly revealed in the Old Testament and reaffirmed by the apostles of Jesus (2 Pet. 3:1–3). They casually dismiss God’s condemnation of greed (Ex. 20:17), sexual immorality (Ex. 20:14), rebellion against authority (Num. 16:50), pride/arrogance (Prov. 3:34), and impurity (Ps. 24:3–4).
Having questioned and then rejected God’s word, Peter’s opponents seek to offer a better alternative to faithfulness to God by appealing to a variety of appetites. Most noticeably they appeal to the seemingly unrestrained expression of sexual desire, described in various ways as sensuality (2 Pet. 2:2, 7, 18), indulging the lusts of defiling passions (2 Pet. 2:10), and eyes full of adultery (2 Pet. 2:14). Indeed, they actively “entice by sensual passions of the flesh those who are barely escaping from those who live in error” (2 Pet. 2:18). They appeal to the desire for autonomy, offering freedom when they are in fact leading people into slavery to corruption (2 Pet. 2:19).
While not as evident in Jude, hints of this pattern are still present. His opponents “pervert the grace of our God into sensuality” (Jude 4), language that could reflect either their questioning of God’s word spoken through the apostles or their rejection of it. They “deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 4), which at some level must include a rejection of what he taught. These opponents clearly reject God’s revealed moral commands with regard to sexuality (Jude 6–7, 16, 18), submitting to God’s appointed leaders (Jude 8–11), and greed (Jude 11), among other areas. Although Jude does not explicitly say so, these opponents are clearly using their wiles to appeal to people within the body of Christ, trying to entice them to embrace their rejection of God’s moral standards and embrace their sinful desires.
Notes:
This article is adapted from The God Who Judges and Saves: A Theology of 2 Peter and Jude by Matthew S. Harmon.
Matthew S. Harmon (PhD, Wheaton College) is professor of New Testament Studies at Grace College and Theological Seminary in Winona Lake, Indiana. He was previously on staff with Cru for eight years and is the author of numerous books, including commentaries on Galatians, Philippians, 2 Peter, and Jude. He also cohosts the Various and Sundry podcast. Matthew and his wife, Kate, live in Warsaw, Indiana, and have two sons.
Modified: January 9, 2024
Written by: Daniel Gallik
Reviewed by:
Peter Smith
These names of demons, along with their practices and characteristics, serve as a warning for us to avoid and reject them at all costs.
In 1 Peter 5:8, we are given an important warning; to stay sober because the enemy is waiting like a lion for someone to devour. As firm believers in Christ, we are taught about demons. Demons are fallen angels with a mission to promote sin, induce temptations, torment, or frighten us or to basically do anything that will keep us away from God (Revelation 12:7-9). 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”. Actually, there are different names of demons along with their classifications as stated in the Bible.
What Are Demons?
Demons are malevolent beings that are able to travel within the transcendent dominion. While there are different names of demons provided by different traditions including the Bible, 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 are able to manipulate humans; and to do that, they often test a person’s faith in God.
Actually, 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 directly control us, they manipulate us. Demons tend to torment people through possessing them or by provoking visions that could induce people to sin (Matthew 17:15-16). They try to tempt people into abandoning the faith, commit heresy, and turn towards idols (Ephesians 6:12).
The Characteristics of Demons
Before the different names of demons, its general characteristics should be introduced first. As stated earlier, demons are not one, there are many. Here are the dangerous characteristics demons possess that we, as Christians, should keep an eye for.
Demons Have Levels.
In Ephesians 6:10-12, we are told to stay strong because we are not dealing with the flesh or tangible and visible beings like humans. Instead, we are against the “rulers, authorities, and powers” of the dark world. Satan has control over all demons and their goal is to be an army to defeat God. Hence we as children of God need to put on the Armor of God. Additionally, Ephesians tells us that we must be against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. From this, we are able to understand that each demon has its function. These are also why demons have different names and not just one. “Demons” is the general term used to identify these evil forces.Demons Can Demonize
Unlike how being demonized is presented in movies, “demonic possession” is shown differently multiple times in the New Testament. One example was while Jesus was in Gerasenes, there were two men possessed by the demon known as Legion (Matthew 8:28 – 34, Mark 5:1 – 20, Luke 8:26 -39). Here, it is shown that the demon feared Jesus who held power and authority given by God. Indeed, demons can “demonize” people by entering into us. If we permit them, demons can influence our thoughts, actions, and words. Indeed, this is terrifying to think about. But, the Bible also offers a solution – The demons cannot demonize someone under the influence of God’s love. It is the best weapon we have against this characteristic.
Taking a Demon Off a Person has Risks
In connection to being “demonized”, is it possible for a person to be free off demonization by cleansing? Yes. But, there are risks. Taking out a demon is like cleansing a severe infection in the skin. If it is not done properly with the correct method and standards for sanitation, the infection will worsen. In the same way,Matthew 12:45 tells us that without proper spiritual care, a demonized person can be more demonized. Cleaning up your life without filling it with God’s word allows Satan and his demons to refill that empty space, making your life seven times worse. Do not let yourself be a target for Satan.
Demons like to Confuse People.
While these demons have different characteristics, one thing remains consistent and that is, their great ability to confuse people. Again, demons are nowhere as powerful as our God. So, they resort to searching and aiming for our weaknesses and when they find our weaknesses, these demons take advantage of us. 1 John 4:4 reminds us of how we should always remember that the One within us is stronger than the one of the world. Whatever the demons offer, we should not be swayed as the enemy sees this as a loophole to take us away from the Light.
Demons Pretend they are Gods
Demons are not gods and they never will be. But, they have to ability to trick humans into thinking demons are equal to or are Gods. These actions and beliefs are seen in the lives of the pagans. These Pagans believe that they are offering their blood and sacrifices to God when really, they are being tricked into worshiping a fake god. This “fake god” is a product of demons. If people are distracted away from God’s Word, these demons can lurk and deceive us into worshipping them. This is why there is a great emphasis opposing paganism in the Bible (1 Corinthians 10:20-21).
The Demons and Its Multiple Methods
According to Christian demonology (the study of demons), the main mission of the demons is to make humans sin. See, the more we sin, the farther we are separated from God. Since it cannot attack something near the presence of the Lord, the demons want us to separate from God’s presence so they can attack with ease. Now, the demons don’t follow just a single pattern or method into enticing us. Demons can strike us through fear, flesh, deceit, greed, hate, temptations, and even with our self-image. There are countless ways demons can take us but, for our part, we only have one answer to all these and that’s our relationship with God. Demons cannot touch what only God can hold!
Names of Demons In the Bible
“Flesh”, “devil”, “world” and “enemy” are some of the terms used to refer to demons. However, the Bible has few names of demons that are addressed and some Jesus even spoke to. Demons are plural; they come in levels with different purposes. So, like everyone, they each have their own names; they are fallen angels after all. However, there are demons with specific and prevalent ill intentions. Here are some of the mentioned names of demons in the Bible along with their different purposes, history, and specializations.
Satan
Among the names of demons, Satan is the most known and feared demon. But, he was not born or destined to be a demon. In fact, Satan was being referred to as a recipient of many blessings from the Hands of God. He was anointed as a guardian cherub until he sinned, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade, you were filled with violence, and you sinned” (Ezekiel 28:12–15). Even in the New Testament, Jesus says that He saw Satan fall from heaven “like a flash of lightning” (Luke 10:18). These Bible verses all point to Satan as a fallen angel.
Also, the common misconception of Satan ruling Hell is flawed. He does not rule Hell. Instead, he is imprisoned in Hell just like any other sinner that rebels against God (Revelations 20). One-third of fallen angels who followed Satan and opposed God also faced the same destiny, separated from God and Heaven forever. But, where is Satan today? Going back to Matthew 4:9, Satan is the force of evil. In the New Testament, he attempted to tempt Jesus to abandon His fast. But of course, Jesus did not give in. Satan is in the evil around us today, in every sin we commit.
Satan’s Approach
In the same manner, Satan attacks us in the manner of temptation just as he did Jesus. We are given a reminder to stay disciplined and be alert because the devil is always prowling in hopes for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Based on the nature that is revealed about Satan, he is the type to entice people into abandoning their beliefs and sin more.
Based on his approach towards Jesus when he offered Him bread and water in the middle of His fast, Satan is going to present us our desires (money, success, relationships) in exchange for our relationship with God. We have to stay strong; Let’s never choose anything that is against God’s Will because this is how the enemy attacks. In order to do this, we must practice patience and communicate with God more so that we can stay grounded in His Grace.
Molech
In this list of names of demons, there’s Molech. While it was not directly stated in the Bible that Molech is a demon, the act of worshipping under his name was an issue for Israel in the Old Testament (Leviticus 20:2). Since the act of worshipping false gods equate to demonic acts, Molech is a name that God has commanded us to not associate with. The history behind Molech’s existence is imprecise. Scholars believe that the act of worshipping Molech came to the region of Canaan with the Phoenicians.
Molech belongs to the terrifying list of names of demons we should erase from our lives. Int the Bible, we are told to not give any of our children as offerings to Molech (Leviticus 18:21). This is a reference to one of the documented practices of Molech worship where they sacrifice humans. Molech was also mentioned in 1 Kings 11:7.
The act of worshipping Molech was at peak during Solomon’s reign. The existence of worshipping Molech teaches us a great lesson of being careful with what and who we worship. At the time, people would go to the extent of sacrificing their children over to a demon they thought was God. As believers, we should be extra careful around those who claim to be God. The best way to avoid this is to dwell inside the Lord’s Word because knowledge is power. The more we know God, the more we know who and what to believe in.
Legion
With many names of demons, we can see that they are unlike God for there is more than one demon; we have only one God. This is well-depicted through Legion, a demon Jesus spoke to (Mark 5:1 – 20). When Jesus arrived at the country of Gerasenes, He met a possessed man outside a cemetery. This man was unlike any other, no one was strong enough to subdue him. They tried binding him with chains and shackles but, none of these worked as well. So, Jesus asked this man his name. He replied with “My name is Legion, for we are many”(Mark 5:9, Luke 8:30 – 31).
As stated earlier, demonization can include more than one demon. In this case, a Roman legion consists of about three thousand to six thousand soldiers. This made sense as to how the unclean spirit or demon was immensely powerful in terms of physical power. Although the possibility of having thousands of demons is terrifying, here’s something we should always remember – It doesn’t matter if there are thousands if not, millions of demons. If we have God, then One Man is more than enough.
Among the many names of demons available in different sources, Abaddon is definitely a name we want to avoid. Abaddon is mentioned in Revelation 9:11. His Hebrew name is Abaddon and His Greek name is Apollyon. Either way, Abaddon is included in the “Seven Trumpets’ prophecy” as described by Apostle John.
Under this prophecy, when the fifth trumpet is blown, demons will be released with the goal of bringing torture and terror towards those without God’s seal. Now, these demonic locusts will have a leader and this leader is Abaddon. This demon’s mission is simple; torturing, and causing suffering upon those who have declined God as its only purpose. Additionally, Abaddon is also one of Satan’s underlings.
It cannot be denied that the thought of demons like these are scary. But, we have the power to turn against a future of eternal suffering. This is why we should choose, act, and speak carefully. Today, at this very moment, we are given the opportunity to choose and pursue Jesus Christ so that we are saved. Only through the Name of God, we are saved, exempted, and protected from these demons.
Other Demonic Traditions In the Bible
There are moments in the Bible that show how humans are prone to be enticed into the different names of demons and the false promises being offered to them. Demonic traditions have been highly conducted throughout history. Due to humanity’s lack of spiritual strength and knowledge of God’s Words, these practices spread to many countries. These people thought that they were worshipping God when in reality, they were praising demons. Here are the demonic traditions praising the names of demons in the Bible.
Divination
Divination is an eerie demonic tradition found Deuteronomy 18:10-12. This practice included killing chicken or any similar animal in size. These people willingly did this act to observe its liver to somewhat “predict” the future or any queries about their paths. Divination is a demonic tradition because of its pagan intentions. If we are calling for another name that is not the Lord’s, it means that we are seeking the opposite- the names of demons. There is no way to identify what God has for us. Instead of committing such acts, we should return to the Scriptures (Psalm 119:9).
Necromancy
From the word “necro” or “corpse”, this type of practice involved the bodies of the dead. This action aims to communicate with the dead. Deuteronomy 18:11-12 clearly warns us that anything or anyone who attempts to charm or communicate with the dead is considered an abomination in the eyes of the Lord. See, the dead cannot communicate with the living and this has always been the rule of God. Therefore, necromancy opposes God by doing something that is against what is natural.
Witchcraft
Unfortunately, witchcraft is still present today. It is not what we see on television and movies; and there’s no good or bad witches and wizards. Witchcraft is a combination of magic and sorcery. This act answers to the names of demons that strongly opposes the Way of the Lord (Deuteronomy 18:10-13). Actually, witchcraft was the first act Saul banned when he first became the king of Israel (1 Samuel 28:9). Again, we as Christians should not associate ourselves with power that does not come from the Lord. Only God should be the One we acknowledge as our Source, never accept anything that mimics God. If something copies God, this probably opposes God.
Magic
While “magic” sounds like a normal word used in movies and songs, attempting on using it is a whole different story we want to avoid. Magic actually has a strong demonic background, it dwells on the names of demons. Even if it is “white magic” or “black magic”, any attempt on recreating any form of power similar to God is an abomination. In Exodus 7:11–12, this is made clear. Any power worshipped or duplicated that isn’t from God is a power that comes from evil.
See, when a person is able to accomplish something great that he or she believes is more than her abilities, this is called being blessed by God. Absolutely, there is no grain of evil in being blessed by the Lord. However, if any improvement or “magic” is done that God is not the source of. Then, this so-called source is seen in demonic power. Calling out to the names of demons is nowhere as strong and powerful as the Lord. But, if humans aren’t strong, they can easily be manipulated and deceived.
Astrology
Like witchcraft, astrology is one of the oldest practices out there. Yet, it still thrives today. From what is stated in the names of demons, astrology is a practice that revolves around the demon Molech. Especially in Canaan, astrological practices were centered around worshipping the bull. They would go as far as sacrificing children for the demon they worshipped. Exodus 34:14 tells us that God is a jealous God. Therefore, affiliating ourselves with other forces is not just demonic but, also offensive to God. We only need to rest still, God is more than what we need and He’ll never run out!
In this article, aside from the names of demons, the practices revolving demonic traditions and characteristics were also discussed. The reason behind this is because sometimes, humans can be tricked into the demons’ promises. A person does not have to know the names of demons that are attacking them. It’s like a disease, we don’t have to be doctors or medical experts to experience complicated disease. If our bodies are weak then, it is expected that we’ll lose our vitality and become sick. Our spirits work exactly like this. This is why we use the Armor of God to strengthen our spirits and fill our minds with the Truth which comes only from the Lord.
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
King James Version (KJV)
