Tagged: evil spirits

July 8, 2025

The Power and Limitations of Angels and Demons

This is the sixth in a brief series of posts on angels.

Who are demons? Where did they come from? What are they like? And what do they do? Scripture clearly affirms the reality of demons. In the New Testament alone, all of the writers except for the writer of Hebrews mention demons — for a total of more than 100 references. Jesus often casts out demons and authorizes His disciples to do the same. Never does the Lord correct anyone for his or her belief in demons.

References to demons are far less frequent in the Old Testament. The shedhim of Deut. 32:17 and Ps. 106:37 are lord-idols whom the Hebrews regard as visible symbols of demons. The seirim of Lev. 17:7; 2 Chron. 11:15; Isa. 13:21 and 34:14 also are demonic conceptions, according to Charles Ryrie in Basic Theology.

Demons in Scripture exercise great power and knowledge; they clearly recognize Jesus as God and fear Him; they work actively against Jesus; and they promote false teachings known as “doctrines of demons.”

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March 13, 2008

Hard Sayings of the Bible — Download Free Bible Study

Did God really regret He created mankind, as Gen. 6:6 suggests? Why did He order King Saul to wipe out an entire race of people (I Sam. 15:18)? Who should be turned over to Satan (1 Cor. 5:5)? And what is the sin that brings death (1 John 5:16)? These are so-called “hard sayings” of the Bible.

What is a “hard saying?” Simply put, a “hard saying” is a passage of Scripture that is difficult to understand. We shouldn’t feel badly that we struggle with some Bible verses; even the apostle Peter had a hard time with some of Paul’s writings (2 Peter 3:16).

Why are some Bible passages difficult to understand?

They seem to contradict other Scriptures (“No one has ever seen God”).
They are isolated passages that cannot be cross-referenced with other Scriptures (“Being baptized for the dead”).
They call God’s character into question (“The Lord regretted that He had made man”).
Or they seem to make unreasonable – even unholy – demands of God’s people (“Go and complete destroy the sinful Amalekites”).

What are some keys to understanding these “hard sayings?”