Are demons real? Where did they originate? How do they operate? Are they really present to assist in séances? Are they behind the mysterious powers of fortune-tellers, mystics, clairvoyants, and palm readers? Do they have anything to do with voodoo, white magic, telepathy, astrological charts, and the Oriental meditation cults? Once again, let’s look into God’s Holy Word for answers to these important questions.

For a number of reasons, I personally believe that demons are fallen angels. In the first place, God created nothing that was evil. Lucifer, who became the devil, was perfect before his fall (see Ezekiel 28:15). Therefore, other perfect beings must also have fallen from their perfect condition to one of iniquity, as did Satan. Secondly, since Lucifer was an angel (a cherub) who became the arch or number one demon, it is only logical to state that the angels who followed his leadership also fell because of the same sin, pride (see 1 Timothy 3:6), and also became demons. Finally, since angels are associated with the devil and his work, as are the demons, they must be the angels who fell from their holy estate.

Revelation 12:7 reveals the association of the fallen angels with Satan’s program: And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels [good ones] fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels [evil ones]. Verse 9 continues, 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.

We also note in Matthew 25:41 that hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels. Nowhere does the Bible mention a judgment for demons. However, it does mention the judgment of Satan and his angels. Since the demons perform their evil work under Satan’s guidance and at his command, and because the Bible teaches the judgment of the devil and his angels, one cannot help but conclude that the demons are the fallen angels. I have studied nearly every book written on the subject of demonology and find that most scholars do not commit themselves. Still, I believe that there is an answer and that the facts outlined above provide it for us.

One account concerning the sin of the angels is found in 2 Peter 2:4: God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment.

The other text depicting the angel’s sin is found in Jude 6: And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Some may believe that since these angels have been chained, they are unable to roam as demons upon the earth. Let’s consider the subject carefully.

First, 2 Peter 2:4 states that the angels were “cast down to hell.” However, the Greek word is tartarus, not the lake of fire or place of burning. Therefore, this is not the final gehenna where the angels and sinners are imprisoned to burn forever following the Great White Throne judgment of Revelation 20:11-15.

Remember that Matthew 25:41 states that hell has been prepared for the devil and his angels and this is a place of future burning according to Revelation 20:15. The angels of 2 Peter 2:4 are not in that place of fire presently. Rather, they are in tartarus, or “the place of waiting”, a special place that fallen angels (or demons) call home. Because translators have made the word hell out of tartarus, many have the false idea that Satan and his demons are currently in hell, roasting their victims. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Again I say that tartarus in this text is not the lake of fire. It is the place the demons congregate and call home.

Secondly, the phrase, “chains of darkness,” cannot refer to a literal binding because angels are spirits, and chains cannot hold a spirit without a physical body. The Lord Jesus, as a spirit, could walk through closed doors (see John 20:19,26). Thus, this statement undoubtedly means that the angels are ruled, controlled, and dominated by darkness and wickedness until the judgment day. Such a description certainly fits their situation.

The devil has many names that depict his unholy attributes and deeds. Since we have determined that Satan is a fallen angel who became a demon, and that the fallen angels who followed him are also demons, we can assuredly state that they may be classified with Satan according to his biblical titles. In Revelation 9:11, he is called the angel of the bottomless pit. He is also an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). In this capacity, he fools those persons who follow damnable, heretical cults and new religions. Satan is also the enemy (Matthew 13:29), the foul spirit (Mark 9:25), the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4), a liar, and the father of [lies] (John 8:44), the tempter (Matthew 4:3), and the serpent (Genesis 3:1). The demons that follow Satan share these titles with him as enemies, foul spirits, lying spirits, tempters, and unclean spirits.