Hello beloved,
Today, let us learn about the existence of unclean spirits:
And immediately there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying,
— Mark 1:23-24
The immediate thing we notice in the text is that the Bible acknowledges the existence of unclean spirits. Other translations refer to these beings as demons. This is not the only acknowledgment of such beings in Scripture; we see the apostle Peter refer to them in his epistle:
For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment;
— 2 Peter 2:4
Peter’s account of these fallen angels suggests that they were not necessarily created this way, but rather, they sinned against God and were “not spared.” They were “cast into hell and committed to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment.”
In other accounts, we see the particular sin that these angels committed, as in Paul’s instruction to Timothy on the qualifications of elders:
and not a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil.
— 1 Timothy 3:6
Paul’s instruction is that an overseer should not be a new convert, so as not to fall into the same condemnation that the devil fell into, which was becoming conceited. That is to say, the devil’s downfall was his pride; he was puffed up, thinking himself equal to God, and thus faced judgment by being cast out of heaven and into hell along with the other angels who followed him.
Another mention of these unclean spirits is in the book of Jude:
And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
— Jude 1:6
It is common in our world today to downplay the reality of the existence of these unclean spirits, demons, and even the devil. By doing this, most people find themselves caught off guard when such spirits and entities attack them.
Paul warns Timothy about misleading teachings that would be taught in the church. He says that these teachings are doctrines of demons:
But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons,
— 1 Timothy 4:1
Paul highlights that such false teachings aim to lead people astray, predicting that some will fall away from the faith.
By dismissing the existence of such entities, which work day and night to drive people away from the faith, people—even believers—are left open to the attacks of the devil and the misguidance of unclean spirits. Without the discernment of spirits, people cannot test if they are from God, in keeping with John’s teaching on discernment:
Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
— 1 John 4:1-2
It is important for believers to understand the severity of acknowledging the reality of these beings. The enemy is awake and active, working tirelessly to lead us astray. Someone once said:
“The greatest trick the Devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”
— Charles Baudelaire
Scripture tells us of such a tactic by the devil, where he disguises himself as an angel of light:
For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds.
— 2 Corinthians 11:13-15
What Paul alludes to is that the devil, along with his messengers, hides in plain sight. This is evident in our world today, where we see the works of evil normalized in plain sight—in our TV programs, movies, comedy shows, and music throughout the entertainment industry. Not only that, but it also infiltrates our politics, business practices, and even our churches, as we see in this verse from Mark, where a person with an unclean spirit was right inside the synagogue—the very place where people gathered for worship.
Friends, let us not be deceived. Demons are real, unclean spirits are real, the devil is real, and we need to be watchful of his tactics and tricks. He is indeed prowling around like a lion seeking someone to devour:
Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world.
— 1 Peter 5:8-9
I pray this word will bring to remembrance the enemy we face and also bring comfort, knowing that our Lord is greater than all evil spirits, as we’ll see in the next verse when Jesus displays His authority over them.
Be blessed.
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