What Can We Know About Demons?
1) Direct Answer
Demons are real, personal, unclean spirits. They are under Satan’s rule, they seek embodiment, they deceive, torment, and oppress, and they war against the Word of God. They fear the Lord Jesus Christ and are subject to His Name. A born‑again believer, sealed with the Holy Spirit, cannot be demon‑possessed, though he can be attacked or oppressed. Their end is judgment, and they cannot cross the Blood of Jesus Christ.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- What they are:
- The Bible calls them “unclean spirits” and “devils” (demons): Mark 1:23–27; Matthew 10:1.
- They are many and have ranks: “We wrestle… against principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness, spiritual wickedness” (Ephesians 6:12). A “legion” spoke from one man (Mark 5:1–13).
- They are persons without bodies, they speak, reason, and beg (Mark 5:7–12). They seek rest and embodiment; when cast out, they wander and try to return to an empty life (Matthew 12:43–45). They can even enter animals (Mark 5:13).
- What they do:
- Deceive and teach error: “doctrines of devils” (1 Timothy 4:1). A lying spirit can influence prophets (1 Kings 22:21–23).
- Imitate the supernatural: a spirit of divination operated in a girl until the Name of Jesus drove it out (Acts 16:16–18).
- Afflict bodies and minds: Jesus rebuked a “spirit of infirmity” (Luke 13:11–16), a deaf and dumb spirit with seizures (Mark 9:17–27), and even rebuked a fever (Luke 4:39). The Scripture says people were “oppressed of the devil” and healed by Jesus (Acts 10:38).
- Their limits and defeat:
- They know Jesus and tremble (Mark 1:24; James 2:19). They begged not to be tormented “before the time” (Matthew 8:29).
- Authority is given to believers: “In My Name shall they cast out devils” (Mark 16:17). “I give you power… over all the power of the enemy” (Luke 10:19).
- The devil is one being, not omnipresent; demons are many (1 Peter 5:8; Mark 5:9). They are driven back by the Word and the Blood (Matthew 4:1–11; Revelation 12:11).
- A believer sealed by the Holy Spirit belongs to God; the wicked one cannot lay hold of him to possess his soul (Ephesians 1:13; 4:30; 1 John 5:18; John 10:28–29).
- Open doors and resistance:
- Sin, bitterness, and occult involvement give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:26–27; 2 Corinthians 2:10–11; Deuteronomy 18:10–12; 1 Corinthians 10:20).
- We overcome by repentance and renouncing darkness (Acts 19:18–19), submitting to God and resisting the devil (James 4:7), standing in the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–18). Some cases require prayer and fasting (Mark 9:29).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- Demons are not imaginations; they are real spirits because they speak, know, fear, choose, and obey when commanded in Jesus’ Name.
- They crave bodies; an “empty house” is a target. Therefore deliverance without being filled with the Holy Spirit and the Word invites a worse return (Matthew 12:44–45).
- Not every sickness means possession, but all oppression and bondage trace back to Satan’s kingdom. Jesus came to destroy the works of the devil, so healing and deliverance are part of His victory (1 John 3:8; Acts 10:38).
- A Christian can be tempted or oppressed, but cannot be demon‑possessed in the soul when sealed by the Holy Spirit. Keep the door shut by walking clean, keeping the Word, and staying filled with the Spirit.
4) Reinforcing Counsel
- Expose and renounce all hidden works of darkness.
- Do not argue with demons; command them in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Keep your “house” filled—daily Word, prayer, worship, and obedience. The devil cannot cross the Blood line. Stay under the Blood, and stand on the Word, and the enemy must flee.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Demonology
53-1120 §2
...suppose, maybe, I'd, I maybe had seen something that I should not have seen. And I do realize, friends, with all sincerity, that this is not just a--a drama, a stage show. We're in church and--and it's the--it's the power of Almighty God. And it's demon spirits are on people, it's if I tell Christians that... Now, I don't mean if... You say, "I got the Holy Ghost, Brother Branham. I ain't got no demon." Well now, I don't say, "demon possession," it's, "demon oppression," you see. Satan in the flesh, not Satan in t...
Demonology, religious realm, part 2
53-0609A §45
Now, we've got a deep something coming here, and I hope it's not too deep. Now, over in I Samuel 28, I want to read some Scripture here right at this time. I want you to listen closely. And I want to bring "demons," show you how they work right in the church, and how Satan has a counterfeit for every real there is. Now, you can see, according to the Bible, that demons come among Christians and they impersonate. And many times we have declared people to be Christians when they said, "I believe in Jesus Christ." Why,...
Exhortation on healing
51-0501 §54
...kindly skeptical, sometimes you have to command it out. See? And if you do that, then they're angry. That's when they go from one to another. And when they come out... You know Jesus said to them demons, "Come out." And they said, "Suffer us to go into them swine." See, a devil is helpless if he isn't in a body somewhere. See? He's just a spirit in the world until he's in a body, and then he can torment us.
Diseases and Afflictions
50-0100 §53
Look, friends, demons recognize God's power sometimes before ministers do and Christians. Did you know that? Many times ... read the Bible. When the priest said it, "Oh, He is Beelzebub." The devil said, "We know who you are, the Son of God, the holy One of Israel." Is that right? You remember when Paul and Silas, when the ministers said they were impostors, that little old fortuneteller said they were men of God, who had the way of life.
Demonology, religious realm, part 2
53-0609A §112
...r Thy goodness and mercy. I'm sorry, Lord; maybe the people... I kept them here so long. But being the closing of these afternoon meetings like this, I wanted to tell them: demons. And I chopped too much of it in one place, in one sermon, but maybe they can pick it out here and there and understand what I meant. You know the intentions of my heart, of bringing it. May people go from here this afternoon, and men and women watch every move they make, but live happy and free. May they know that God has saved them. And...