The Personality Of Demons

And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons. . . . Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, “What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God?”
–Luke 8:27-28

Demons are more than just forces or concepts; they are real beings. We know this because Jesus Himself interacted with demons. One of His most famous encounters with demons is found in Luke 8, and it tells us a few things about the personality of demons.

Luke wrote, “And when He came out onto the land, He was met by a man from the city who was possessed with demons; and who had not put on any clothing for a long time, and was not living in a house, but in the tombs. Seeing Jesus, he cried out and fell before Him, and said in a loud voice, ‘What business do we have with each other, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me.’ . . . They were imploring Him not to command them to go away into the abyss. Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit to them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission. And the demons came out of the man and entered the swine; and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned” (vv. 27-28, 31-33).

Let’s look at what this passage teaches us about demons. First of all, demons are intelligent beings. They are aware of what is going on around them. When they saw Jesus, they shouted out, “Jesus, Son of the Most High, please get away from us!” Isn’t it interesting that demons know more about Jesus Christ than many seminary professors today? Some of the greatest professions of faith about Jesus Christ in the New Testament came from demonic lips. The demons knew exactly who He was. Demons possess intelligence.

Second, demons experience emotions. In this case, they had great fear about being cast into the abyss, the place of confinement for demons. They feel emotions.

Third, demons have a will. In other words, they have a plan. They have a purpose. The demons asked Jesus not to cast them into the abyss–they really did not want that to happen–and then they creatively offered an alternative. They said, “Instead, put us into the swine.” When Jesus agreed, the demons submitted themselves to the will of God. They have a will.

Finally, demons have names, just like you and I do. Verse 30 described this demon as being named “Legion,” a military term referring to six thousand soldiers. Demons have names. They are not just forces or concepts; they are real, intelligent beings.

Today’s devotion is excerpted from “The World Of Demons” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2010.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. www.lockman.org.