Demons during the End times
By John Chopores
1Ti 4:1 ¶ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
We see here that even the demons are concerned about doctrine! And why not? For if you can change the way a man thinks, you are on the way to changing the man.
The Greek word for "giving heed" is "prosecho", it can mean; "to turn the mind to, attend to be attentive", it can also mean; "to apply one's self to, attach one's self to, hold or cleave to a person or a thing".
The Greek word for "seducing" is "planos", it can mean; "wandering, roving", as well as "misleading, leading into error". We know that Satan walks about on the earth. Cf. Job 1:7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 1 Peter 5:8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
"expressly--"in plain words." This shows that he refers to prophecies of the Spirit then lying before him.
seducing spirits --working in the heretical teachers. #1Jo 4:2,3,6, "the spirit of error," opposed to "the spirit of truth," "the Spirit" which "speaketh" in the true prophets against them.
doctrines of devils --literally "teachings of (that is suggested by) demons." #Jas 3:15, "wisdom...devilish"; #2Co 11:15, "Satan's ministers." [JFB].
"{Seducing spirits} (pneumasin planoij). Old adjective (planh, wandering), here active sense (deceiving)." [RWP].
"Doctrines of demons. Doctrines suggested by demons. The Greek daimonion, "demon," not "devil," always refers in the New Testament to an evil spirit." [PNT].
"Verse 1. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly `rhtwv? Manifestly, openly.
Depart from the faith aposthsontai-thv pistewv? They will apostatize from the faith, i.e. from Christianity; renouncing the whole system in effect, by bringing in doctrines which render its essential truths null and void, or denying and renouncing such doctrines as are essential to
Christianity as a system of salvation.
Giving heed to seducing spirits pneumasi planiv? Many MSS. And the chief of the fathers have pneumasi planhv? spirits of deceit; which is much more emphatic than the common reading." [ADAM CLARK].
James 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
"tremble" for many reasons, one of which is, the judgment coming on them! Cf. Matthew 8:29 And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
The Greek word for "tremble" is "phrisso", it can mean; "to shudder, to be struck with extreme fear, to be horrified ".
James 2:19. The devilstremble
" The devils also believe, and tremble.Ñ It is well to believe there is one only true God; this truth universal nature proclaims. Even the devils believe it; but far from justifying or saving them, it leaves them in their damned state, and every act of it only increases their torment; frissousi," [A. CLARKE.].
"19. Tremble (fri>ssousin). Only here in New Testament. It means, originally, to be rough on the surface; to bristle. Hence, used of the fields with ears of corn; of a line of battle bristling with shields and spears; of a silver or golden vessel rough with embossed gold. Aeschylus, describing a crowd holding up their hands to vote, says, the air bristled with right hands. Hence, of a horror which makes the hair stand on end and contracts the surface of the skin making "gooseflesh." Rev., much better, shudder." [VINCENTS.].
"thou doest well --so far good. But unless thy faith goes farther than an assent to this truth, "the evil spirits (literally, 'demons': 'devil' is the term restricted to Satan, their head) believe" so far in common with thee, "and (so far from being saved by such a faith) shudder (so the Greek)," #Mt 8:29 Lu 4:34 2Pe 2:4 Jude 1:6 Re 20:10. Their faith only adds to their torment at the thought of having to meet Him who is to consign them to their just doom: so thine(#Heb 10:26,27, it is not the faith of love, but of fear, that hath torment, #1Jo 4:18)." [JFB].
"{Thou doest well} (kalwj poieij). That is good as far as it goes, which is not far. {The demons also believe} (kai ta daimoniad~ pisteuousin). They go that far (the same verb pisteuw). They never doubt the fact of God's existence. {And shudder} (kai frissousin). Present active indicative of frissw, old onomatopoetic verb to bristle up, to shudder, only here in N.T. Like Latin _horreo_ (horror, standing of the hair on end with terror). The demons do more than believe a fact. They shudder at it." [RWP].
"the devils also believe; the Arabic version reads, "the devils likewise so believe"; they believe the same truth; they know and believe there is but one God, and not many; and they know that the God of Israel is he; and that the Father, Son, and Spirit, are the one God; they know and believe him to be the most high God, whose servants the ministers of the Gospel are; and they know and believe that Jesus is the Holy One of God, the Son of God, and the Messiah, #Ac 16:17 19:15 Lu 4:34,41.
And tremble; at the wrath of God, which they now feel, and at the thought of future torments, which they expect, #Mr 5:7 Mt 8:29 and which is more than some men do; and yet these shall not be saved, their damnation is certain and inevitable, #2Pe 2:4 Jude 1:6 wherefore it follows, that a bare historical faith will not profit, and cannot save any; a man may have all faith of this kind, and be damned; and therefore it is not to be boasted of, nor trusted to." [JOHN GILL].
Revelation 9:20 And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:
Mankind seems ever ready to turn away from God to idols! Cf. Deuteronomy 31:29 For I know that after my death ye will utterly corrupt yourselves, and turn aside from the way which I have commanded you; and evil will befall you in the latter days; because ye will do evil in the sight of the LORD, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands.
Deuteronomy 32:17 They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.
2 Chronicles 34:25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched.
" devils--Greek, "demons" which lurk beneath the idols which idolaters worship." [JFB].
" {Devils} (ta daimonia). Both in the O.T. (#De 32:17; Ps 96:5; 106:37) and in the N.T. (#1Co 10:21) the worship of idols is called the worship of unclean spirits. Perhaps this is one explanation of the hideous faces given these images. "The idols" (ta eidwla #1Jo 5:21, from eidov, form, appearance) represented "demons, "whether made of gold (ta crusa) or of silver (ta argura) or of brass (ta calka) or of stone (ta liyina) or of wood (ta xulina). See #Da 5:23 for this picture of heathen idols. The helplessness of these idols, "which can neither see nor hear nor walk" (a oute blepein dunantai oute akouein oute peripatein), is often presented in the O.T. (#Ps 113:12; Ps 115:4)." [RWP].
REV. 13:11 ¶ And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spake as a dragon.
We see here, that someone may look godly ("like a lamb"), but still be of the Devil ("spake as a dragon")!
Rev. 13:12 And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed.
We see that his power, is from Satan. For the "dragon" is Satan! Cf. Rev. 12: 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Rev. 13:13 And he doeth great wonders, so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men,
The Greek word for "wonders" is "semeion"; it can mean "a sign, prodigy, portent, i.e. an unusual occurrence, transcending the common course of nature".
"{That he should even make fire come down out of heaven} (ina kai pur poih ek tou ouranou katabainein). Purpose clause again with ina and the present active subjunctive of poiew and the object infinitive of katabainw after poiei. Christ promised great signs to the disciples (#Joh 14:12), but he also warned them against false prophets and false christs with their signs and wonders (#Mr 13:22). So also Paul had pictured the power of the man of sin (#2Th 2:9). Elijah had called down fire from heaven (#1Ki 18:38; 2Ki 1:10) and James and John had once even urged Jesus to do this miracle (#Lu 9:54)." [RWP].
Rev. 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.
The Greek word for "deceivth" is "planao"; the word means, " to cause to stray, to lead astray, lead aside from the right way".
" deceiveth them that dwell on the earth--the earthly-minded, but not the elect. Even a miracle is not enough to warrant belief in a professed revelation unless that revelation be in harmony with God's already revealed will.
by the means of those miracles--rather as Greek, "on account of (because of; in consequence of) those miracles."
which he had power to do--Greek, "which were given him to do."
in the sight of the beast--"before him" (#Re 13:12)." [JFB].
Rev 13:15 And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.
Here we see that one of the main jobs of evil spirits, is to try and get people to worship Satan!
" image--Nebuchadnezzar set up in Dura a golden image to be worshipped, probably of himself; for his dream had been interpreted, "Thou art this head of gold"; the three Hebrews who refused to worship the image were east into a burning furnace. All this typifies the last apostasy. PLINY, in his letter to Trajan, states that he consigned to punishment those Christians who would not worship the emperor's image with incense and wine. So JULIAN, the apostate, set up his own image with the idols of the heathen gods in the Forum, that the Christians in doing reverence to it, might seem to worship the idols." [JFB].
Re 16:14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty.
"14. Devils--greek, "demons."
working Miracles--greek, "signs."
go forth unto --or "for," that is, to tempt them to the battle with Christ." [JFB].
""Doing signs" (present active participle of poiew)." [RWP].
"[Marg] {world} "oikoumene" =inhabited earth." [Scofield].
" working miracles; lying ones, to deceive men; this clearly points out who are meant, namely, the followers of antichrist, who, as they spread the doctrines of devils, endeavour to confirm them by signs and lying wonders:" [JOHN GILL].
Re 17:3 So he carried me away in the spirit into the wilderness: and I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet coloured beast, full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns.
The "spirit" that carried John, was probably the Holy Spirit. For He is the guide to all truth.Cf. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
Many times you can tell were a "spirit" is from by what is says! Here we see the "beast" is full of blasphemy.
" {He carried me away} (aphnegken me). Second aorist active indicative of apoferw, to bear away, prophetic aorist. This verb is used of angels at death(#Lu 16:22) or in an ecstasy (#Re 21:10 and here).
{Sitting} (kaqhmenhn). Present middle participle of kaqhmai as in verse#1. "To manage and guide the beast" (Vincent).
{Full of names of blasphemy} (gemonta onomata blasfhmiaj)
here they cover the whole body of the beast (the first beast of #13:1; 19:20).
The beast is here personified with masculine participles instead of neuter," [RWP].
"full --all over; not merely "on his heads," as in#Re 13:1, for its opposition to God is now about to develop itself in all its intensity. Under the harlot's superintendence, the world power puts forth blasphemous pretensions worse than in pagan days.
#Re 17:3
He carried me away in the spirit into a wilderness. It is not explained why she is seen in a wilderness. Perhaps the thought is that her development was in obscurity and almost unnoticed until she had reached supreme power." [JFB].
Re 18:2 And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird
"Babylon, "confusion," [Scofield].
Cf. Leviticus 11:13 And these are they which ye shall have in abomination among the fowls; they shall not be eaten, they are an abomination: the eagle, and the ossifrage, and the ospray,
