Transcription
For the last two weeks, we've been studying the first four verses in the book of Genesis chapter six. And what I've been doing is laying the foundation for what I'm going to be sharing with you this morning. But first, I want to look at one more verse in Genesis chapter 6, and that verse is verse number five. Because verse number five kind of ties everything together. You see, it explains why God had to destroy every living creature on the earth, including every man, woman, and child, with the exception of Noah and his family.
So, turn with me, if you would, to the book of Genesis chapter six and follow along with me as I read. Verse five says, "And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Now, I want you to underline the word "imagination." Imagination is translated from the Hebrew word "zer," which refers to the different aspects of a person's thought process. Now, when we talk about the different aspects of a person's thought process, we're talking about his thoughts, imaginations, intentions, motives, daydreams, plans, reasoning, etc. So, what this is saying is that doing evil was the only thing that people thought about. They fantasized and daydreamed about doing evil things. They used their imagination to come up with new ways of being evil. Then they contemplated on how to do it, and that's all they thought about, every day, all day long.
In fact, I want you to notice how the NLT translates this verse. Notice what it says: "The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil." Now, people, that's bad. Everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil.
Now, verses 1 through 4 explain why the people became so wicked. It's because the sons of God left their natural habitat, had sex with the daughters of men, and they produced a super race of people known as the Nephilim. In fact, let's read verse 4 so you can get a picture of what I'm talking about. Notice what Genesis chapter 6, verse 4 says: "The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men that were of old, men of renown." So, the Nephilim were half angel and half human, or if you want to get technical, they were half fallen angel and half human. But that also explains why they were so evil. They were the offspring of fallen angels. They were literally the spawn of Satan's angels.
Now, if you noticed, verse 4 also says that they became heroes, men of renown. And you can see why, being half angel, they were physically superior to humans. They were bigger, they were faster, they were stronger, they were quicker, they were more agile, etc. Now, when you combine these two things: number one, they were evil, and number two, they were heroes, you can see why they had such a corruptive influence on men. It's because their heroes were evil beings. Interesting.
So, in verse number five, we're told that doing evil was the only thing that men thought about, and that explains why it was necessary for God to destroy every living creature, including every man, woman, and child, with the exception of Noah and his family. And that's the gist of what we've covered over the last two weeks.
Now, this morning, we're going to discuss the subject of demons. Because I know that when you start talking about falling angels having sex with human women and creating a super race of people known as the Nephilim, it raises a lot of questions, especially about the supernatural dark side. Am I right? In fact, let me do a little impromptu survey if you don't mind. How many of you had never heard of the Nephilim until two weeks ago? Just raise your hand. Yeah, most of you. How many of you had never heard of fallen angels having sex with human women? Just raise your hands. Yeah, never even heard of that. Had you? You didn't even know that was in the Bible. So, when I started teaching on this, it raised a lot of questions, especially about demons and fallen angels. Well, didn't it? It should have. We should have inquisitive minds. So, when we're reading something, we should be asking, "What does this really mean?" So, when you were reading through the book of Genesis and you got to the first five verses, you should have been thinking, "What in the world is this talking about?" And then, when you found out, it should raise questions about fallen angels and demons. So, let's talk about demons this morning.
Well, believe it or not, the word "demons" is not in the Bible. At least not in the King James Version. It's in the—it's in the New American Standard and the NIV, but it is not in the King James Version. Now, really, that's an erroneous claim, and let me explain why I say that. People, the Bible was written originally in Greek and in Hebrew. The New Testament was written in Greek, the Old Testament was written in Hebrew. So, many times, you'll have a person come out and say, "Well, that word's not even in the Bible." I'll give you a good example. I've had people come up to me, "You don't believe in the rapture?" They'll say, "Well, the word 'rapture' is not even in the Bible." And I look at them and say, "Yes, it is." They look at me kind of confused. "Where is it?" "It's in the book of First Thessalonians. It's the Greek word 'harpazo.' 'Harpazo' means to snatch up or to—or to catch up in the air." And literally, that's what it means. And so, when we translate it, we didn't translate it as "rapture." We translated it as "caught up in the air to meet the Lord." Yeah, but that word "rapture" is there. We could have used the word "rapture" when we translated.
So, when I say that the word "demons" is not in the Bible, and then I clarify myself and I say, "Well, it's not in the King James Version, it's in the NIV and it's in the New American Standard," I really shouldn't say that. And I'll tell you why. The word "demons" is in the original Greek and Hebrew. We just maybe don't translate it as "demons." So, we find other terms. And let me list some of the other terms we find. We find the term "unclean spirit," "evil spirit," "devils," "seducing spirit," "foul spirit," and "familiar spirit." And those terms are used quite frequently in the Bible. In fact, "evil spirit" is used 13 times. "Unclean spirit" is used 22 times. "Devils" (plural) is used numerous times, especially by Jesus. In fact, let me give an example. Look at Luke chapter 13, verse number 32. Here's what Jesus said: "And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold, I cast out devils and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I am perfected." So, that word is used numerous times by Jesus. "Seducing spirit" is used once. "Foul spirit" is used twice. "Familiar spirit" is used 15 times in the Bible. And all of these terms are referring to what we call demons.
But what are demons? Does anyone know? Anyone? Well, there are three theories as to what demons are. The first theory is that demons are fallen angels. The second theory is that demons are the disembodied spirits of a pre-Adamic race. Now, if you remember, there are those that believe that the creation story in the book of Genesis chapter 1 is actually a recreation story. They believe that there is a gap between verse 1 and verse 2 in Genesis chapter 1. What they believe in is known as the gap theory. And I'm not going to go into that. If you weren't here when I was teaching through the book of Genesis, you don't know what I'm talking about, but you can go back and listen to that sermon. That is the third sermon in my series on the book of Genesis. So, go back and listen to that. But that is the second theory. The third theory is that demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim that were killed during the flood, or who died during the flood.
Now, which one of these theories is right? Well, the first theory is certainly the most popular. If you were to take a survey, most people would say that demons are fallen angels. In fact, let's do that. How many of you believe that demons are fallen angels? All right, that's quite a few of you. How many of you really believe that, but you're afraid to act—to raise your hand because you're afraid you might be wrong? How many of you are not going to raise your hand, no matter what I say? Yeah, there, see. Yeah, that would be me. Yeah. Well, most people believe that demons are fallen angels, but that seems to contradict what the scriptures say. Do you think Jesus taught that demons are disembodied spirits? Turn to Matthew chapter 12, verses 43 through 45. I'll show you what I'm talking about. And as you're turning there, let me say this: Jesus taught more on demons than anyone else. In fact, I could probably spend at least three months teaching on demons from Jesus' perspective, but I'm not going to do that. I do want to show you that Jesus taught that demonic spirits are disembodied spirits.
So, look at Matthew chapter 12, verses 43 through 45. Notice what it says: "When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. Then he saith, I will return into my house whence I came out." That word "house" is very important. If I were you, what I would do is I would turn to this passage of scripture in your Bible, I would come down to this verse, and I would underline the word "house." I would put it in parentheses and I would put an asterisk there and say, "This is important." All right. Then it says, "I will return into my house whence I came out." In other words, the house I was cast out of. "When he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished." What house? The house that the demonic spirit was cast out of, unoccupied, swept clean, and put in order. "Then goeth he, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself." "Spirits" is referring to demons. "More wicked than himself." Why? Because it wasn't powerful enough to keep from being cast out. That's why it wants to find more demons that are more powerful or more wicked than it, because it doesn't want to be cast out again. Let's keep going. "Then goeth he, and taketh with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there." Where's "there"? The house that it was cast out of, because it was empty, had been cleaned, had been swept out. So, we get seven or demons, and it goes back to the house, and that's where it lives. Now, notice this very important and the final condition of that man, the man that the demon was cast out of, the house that it was cast out of, is worse than the first.
Now, notice that when an unclean spirit comes out of a man, it's homeless. You see, demons want to use people's bodies as a home. Why? Because they don't have a home. They don't have a body. They are disembodied spirits. You see, your spirit has a home, and that home is your body. Turn to 2 Corinthians chapter 5, verses 1 through 3, and I'll show you what I'm talking about. If you don't understand this, you don't understand what Jesus was teaching about demons. Notice what it says: "For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." "This earthly tent we live in." I don't know about you, but if you go to where I live, there's not a tent pitched on the land that I live in. I live in a house. But this is not talking about where I live. This is talking about my earthly body. Says, "For we know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down." In other words, when this earthly tent dies. "Now let's keep reading." "That is because now he's clarified, that is when we die and leave this earthly body." So, right now, this earthly tent is my earthly body. It's where my spirit lives. Does that make sense? My soul, my spirit lives in my body. Now, you recognize me because of my body. But the real Allan Nolan is not this. You can cut off my hands, and I'm still Allan Nolan. You can cut off my arms, as long as I don't bleed to death, and I'm still Allan Nolan. You can cut off my legs, and I'm still Allan Nolan. You can shave my head, which is pretty close to what it is now, and I'm still Allan Nolan. This body is where I live. And it says, "that is when we die and leave this earthly body, we will have a house in heaven." Now, this is not talking about our mansion. Yes, we're going to have a mansion there that we live in, but it's not talking about that. It's talking about an earthly body. How do I know that? We'll keep reading. "An eternal body." See that? "We will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself, and not by human hands." "For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened." We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing. For we will put on heavenly bodies. We will not be spirits without our bodies. We will not be disembodied spirits. So, when I die, my physical body is going to go into the earth, and I'm going to have—my spirit's going to leave, but it's going to have a spiritual body. That's why when I'm teaching and I tell you, we will have all five of our senses. We'll still be able to see, we'll still be able to hear, we'll be able to taste, we'll be able to smell, we'll be able to feel. We can do all of those things because we're going to have a spiritual body. Why is our physical body going to be resurrected one day? Because we were created to live in a three-dimensional world, and we're going to come back with Jesus to live on this earth during the Millennium. So, our physical body is going to be resurrected and reunited. So, even that spiritual body is going to put on another physical body. But he wants you to know that when you die, you will not be a disembodied spirit.
But here's what I want you to notice. When you read this, the first thing that you see is your physical body is actually a home for your spirit. But demons don't have a home. In other words, they don't have a body. That's why demons seek to possess people. They need a home, a body to live in. And that's what Jesus was saying. When a demon or an unclean spirit leaves a man, is cast out of that man, it goes through arid places, and it knows, "I need a body." It's uncomfortable. It's a disembodied spirit. It goes back to that home, that body, and it sees that it's cleaned, it's been swept out. Why? Because that demon had been cast out. But it goes to—if I go back in and get cast out again, so we get seven more wicked than itself, and it goes back, and it says, "That man's condition is worse than the first." Why? Because it came back taking a home, a body to live in. But my point is this: According to Jesus, demons are disembodied spirits. Which means that demons are not and cannot be fallen angels. Which means that demons are not and cannot be fallen angels. Why? In other words, how do I know that? I know that because angels are not disembodied spirits. Angels have a celestial body, and they can also manifest themselves at times in a terrestrial body, in other words, a physical body. And I proved that to you several weeks ago when we talked about fallen angels having sex with human women. Even God has told us in the book of Hebrews that we ought to entertain strangers, because many of you entertained strangers, and they were actually angels, and you were unaware of that. Yeah. So, if demons are disembodied spirits, they can't be fallen angels, because angels have bodies.
Now, let me take this a step further, because that's not the only proof. The book of Jude and 2nd Peter tell us that the fallen angels who left their natural habitat and had sex with the daughters of men are being kept in chains until the day of judgment. Turn to 2nd Peter chapter 2, verses 4 through 5, and you see what I'm talking about. Says, "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." Now, when did God do this? Immediately when they failed? No. How do you know that? Because I keep reading, and I take this verse in context. Notice what it says: "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down into hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment." When did he do this? Well, let's keep reading. "If he spared not the ancient world." What is the ancient world? The world before the flood. Keep reading. "But saved Noah with seven others, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood of the ungodly." So, what he's saying is, the reason he had to bring that flood, if you remember, is because these angels, fallen angels, had sex with, and they created a super race of people known as the Nephilim, and they were wicked, and they were the heroes of the people, and everyone became wicked, and God said, "I've got to destroy them." And the reason Noah was saved is because he was a godly man, and his genetics, his line, was not tainted. So, he's the only one that survived. But when it talks about these angels being put in dungeons, it tells us the timeframe. This ancient world. Those fallen angels that left their natural habit.
Jude talks further about this. Look at Jude chapter 1, verse 6. Notice what it says: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, where have you heard that word before? Genesis chapter 6, verses 1 through 4. Why did these—these sons of God, these fallen angels, leave their natural habitat in order to have sex with the daughters of men? So, that's what he's referring to. "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." "Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh." Interesting phrase. "Strange flesh." If I were you, I would underline that. I would put it in parentheses, maybe highlight it. I'd put a little asterisk by it and I would say, "Study this out," especially according to 1st Corinthians chapter 15, verse number 39, because every creature is giving a certain type of flesh, and that's what it's talking about in 1st Corinthians 15:39. But those have thought, and then Gomorrah went after strange flesh. They had sex with other men and women with women. But here's what's interesting. That phrase "strange flesh" here is actually talking about something else. Study that out. Very interesting. But let me keep going. "Are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."
Now, this doesn't mean that all of the fallen angels are in chains right now, or in a dungeon in hell waiting for the great day of judgment. Doesn't mean that, because you actually have two groups of fallen angels. You have those that are bound in chains, and you have those that are free. Those that are bound in chains are the ones that left their natural habit and had sex with human women. Those that are free rebelled with Satan, but they didn't leave their natural habit. Refers to these free angels or fallen angels in Ephesians chapter 6, verse 12. Go ahead and turn there if you don't mind, and follow along with me as I read this. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood." Some of you are having such a tough time in your life. Can I be honest with you? Wake up and smell the coffee. "Your struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil." Now, notice where these four things dwell. Let's keep reading. "In the heavenly realms." People, that's their natural habit. But these are different classes of fallen angels, and that's what Paul is saying. Those that dwell in the heavenly realm and did not leave their—their natural habit. They did not come to this three-dimensional world and have sex, strange flesh, with women, daughters of men. And who are these? They're the ones who did not leave the heavenly realm. They did not leave their natural habit. They are rulers, they are authorities, they are powers of the dark world, and they are spiritual forces of evil. But there is no biblical evidence whatsoever that these fallen angels have ever possessed a person. None. Why? They already have a body, a celestial body. These fallen angels that did not leave their natural habitat, but are still in the spiritual realm, are still in the spiritual dominion, dimension. They work against God's plan, and they use demons to fulfill their purposes.
The second theory, that demons are the disembodied spirits of a pre-Adamic race, is pure speculation. We really don't have any scriptures to support it, so it's difficult to prove. It might be true, but there's no supporting evidence to hang your hat on. It's just a theory.
The third theory, that demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim who were destroyed in the flood, not only has scriptural support, as we study the teachings of Jesus, but it was also the accepted view among the Jews at the time of Jesus Christ. You see, the Jews believed that when the Nephilim were killed in the flood, their half-angel, half-human soul-spirit lived on, just like ours did. And that's what demons are. They're the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim. In fact, all of the Jews at Jesus' time believed this. It's true. In fact, the most common Hebrew word for demon at the time of Christ was "Timuna fall." "Timuna fall" is a compound word that simply means it's made up of more than one word. In this case, it's made up of two words. The first word is "Timu," which means "one who is dead or buried." The second word is "'no fall." Now, remember, "'no fall" is the singular for Nephilim. "Nephilim" is plural. Now, when you combine these two words, "Timu" and "'no fall," it literally means "dead Nephilim." So, the common word for demons at the time of Christ was "dead Nephilim." Did you know that? Everyone that was a Jew that lived in Israel at the time of Jesus referred to demons as "Timuna fall," dead Nephilim. And that's what the Jews believed at the time of Jesus. They believed that demons were the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim that were destroyed in the flood.
Now, let me explain why the Jews believed that at the time of Jesus. How many of you have heard of the Book of Enoch? I mean, never heard of the Book of Enoch? What? A few of you have never heard of the Book of Enoch. This is the Book of Enoch. The Book of Enoch was a very popular book during the time of Jesus, and two of our New Testament books actually refer to the Book of Enoch. The book of Jude does, and the book of 2nd Peter. And the Book of Enoch specifically states that demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim. In fact, let me read chapter 15 in the Book of Enoch. Follow along with me as I read it. In fact, if you wanted to, you could buy this Book of Enoch. You could turn to the fifteenth chapter and you could just follow along with me as I read this, because this is actually where I got it. The Book of Enoch. Here's what it says: "Verse 1. And he (talking about God) answered and said to me (who is me? Enoch) and I heard his voice. This is what he said to Enoch: Fear not, Enoch, thou righteous man. Ascend righteousness, approach hither and hear my voice. And go, say to the Watchers of heaven." Now, here's what's interesting. Daniel referred to the angels as what? Watchers. Why? Why did Daniel refer to angels as Watchers? Because they live in the spiritual—in the spiritual dimension. They live in the spiritual realm, and we live in the physical realm. We live in this three-dimensional world. We can't see into the spiritual realm, but they can see into the physical realm. So, they watch us. Those angels are watching us right now. If you could look into the spiritual realm, you would see angels all around this way, but you can't see them. They can see you, though. And that's why Daniel refers to them as Watchers. Enoch is referring to them as Watchers. So, he says, "Go, Enoch, and say to the Watchers of heaven, angels who have sent thee to intercede for them." Why would these angels want Enoch to intercede for them? Because they're fallen angels. So, they're asking Enoch, who is a righteous man, "Would you intercede for us?" And God says, "You go tell them this: You should intercede for men, and not men for you. There's no hope for you." Then he goes further, and this is what Enoch is supposed to tell them: "Wherefore have you left the high, holy, and eternal heaven, and lain with women, and defiled yourself with the daughters of men, and taken to yourselves wives, and unlike the children of Earth, and begotten giants as your sons?" What's this referring to? Genesis chapter 6, verses 1 through 1 through 4. The fallen angels left their natural habitat, the daughters of men were very beautiful, and they took them. That's a sexual euphemism. And they had children called the Nephilim. This is what verse 3, chapter 15 of the Book of Enoch says. Let's keep reading. "Verse 4. And though you were holy, again, he's talking to these fallen angels, and though you were holy, spiritual, living the eternal life, you have defiled yourself with the blood of women, and have begotten children with the blood of flesh, and as the children of men have lusted after flesh and blood, as those also do who die and perish." "Verse 5. Therefore, I have given them (who's them? Man) wives also, that they might impregnate them and beget children by them, that thus nothing might be wanting to them on the earth." Because when Adam and Eve were first created, there were the only two, and the way that they were going to populate the earth is through having sex and children. Angels are not that way. They are created beings. They were never designed to reproduce. Keep reading. "Verse 6. But you (talking to fallen angels) were formerly, no longer are you, but were formerly spiritual, living the eternal life and immortal for all generations of the world. And therefore, I have not appointed wives for you. For as for the spiritual ones of the heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling." In other words, that's their natural habit, the spiritual realm. "Verse 8. And now the giants who are produced from the spirits and flesh, who are the Nephilim, who are the giants? The ones that are produced from spirits and flesh. Shall be called evil spirits upon the earth, and on the earth shall be their dwelling." Wow. Let's keep reading. It gets even better. "Verse 9. Now we're gonna find out the origin from the Book of Enoch. The origin of demons. Evil spirits have proceeded from their bodies." Whose body? The Nephilim. Because when they die, that's the spirit of the Nephilim. And then it goes further. "Because they are born from men and from the holy Watchers." In other words, fallen angels. So, these giants are from what? They're from men and from angels. And then it goes further. "That is their beginning and their primal origin." So, what's the origin of demons? The Nephilim, those who were born of fallen angels and men. Then he goes further. "They shall be evil spirits upon the earth, and evil spirits shall they be called." Let's keep reading. "Verse 10. As for the spirits of heaven, in heaven shall be their dwelling. But as for the spirits of the earth, the spirits of the Nephilim, which were born upon the earth, the fallen angels were not born upon the earth, but their offspring was the Nephilim. But as for the spirits of earth, which were born upon the earth, on the earth shall be their dwelling." They do not dwell in the heavenly realm. They dwell on this earth. Let's keep reading. "And the spirits of the giants afflict, oppress, destroy, attack, to battle, and work destruction on the earth, and cause trouble. They take no food, but nevertheless hunger and thirst, and they cause offenses." "Verse 12. And the spirits shall rise up against the children of men, and against the women, because they have proceeded from them." In other words, these demons hate you because they are not like you. You have an eternal spirit. If you're born again, your spirit will go to heaven when you die. If you're not born again, when you die, your spirit will go to hell. You will never burn up in hell. Then one day, your body will be resurrected, reunited with your soul. You'll stand before God at the white—great white throne judgment, and then you'll be thrown in the lake of fire. And you still won't perish for all eternity. You will be in the lake of fire. But it was never prepared for man. It was always prepared for the devil and his—what? Angels. But the demons hate you, according to the Book of Enoch.
Now, let me explain something about the—the Coveney. It was very, very popular during the time of Jesus. Very, very popular. And because of that, everyone believed that demons at the time of Jesus, every Jew, not the pagans, the Jews, they believed that demons were the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim. Now, let me explain something about the Book of Enoch. It belongs to a group of books known as the pseudepigrapha. Has anyone ever heard of the pseudepigrapha? Most of you have not heard of the pseudepigrapha. All right. The pseudepigrapha is a collection of books that claim to be written by well-known biblical characters, but they really weren't. They are pseudepigrapha books. You see, the word "pseudepigrapha" is a compound word that simply means it's made up of one word—more than one word. In this case, it's made up of two words. It's made up of the Greek word "pseudo," which means "false," and the Greek word "epigrapha," which means "to ascribe." Now, when you combine these two words, it literally means "to falsely ascribe," or in other words, "to falsely attribute to someone." So, the pseudepigrapha is a collection of books that are falsely attributed to well-known biblical characters. So, the real Enoch did not write this book. The Enoch that walked with God before the flood and then was no more, that was raptured, that was taken up to heaven, he did not write this book. But this book is attributed to him. Does that make sense?
Now, every once in a while, I'll have someone come up to me who's been doing some studying, and they'll find out that there are certain people that believe that the pseudepigrapha should have been included in the Bible. So, they'll come up to me and they'll say, "Why weren't the books in the pseudepigrapha included in the Bible?" And I always look at them and say, "Are you kidding?" No, I don't really say that. I say, "Well, think about it. Every book in the Bible is inspired by God and is inerrant. What do we mean by inerrant? It's without error. So, if you've got a book that claims to be written by someone famous in the Bible, but it really isn't, people, that's a false claim. That alone disqualifies it from being in the Bible." And that's why these—these books are not included in our Bible.
Now, I do have to say this. The Book of Enoch is included in the—in the Christians of Ethiopia and some in North—Northern Africa. All right. But for the most part, it's not included in our Bible. But that doesn't mean that there are not some truths in some of these books. As an example, this is a history book. It's a very good history book. I would recommend it to anyone. It's "The Christian History of the Constitution." I don't believe that the Constitution is evolving and changing. We want a good conservative Supreme Court justice, don't we? And every Christian said, "Yes." All non-Christians say, "No." But anyways, that's "The Christian History of the Constitution." Now, here's what's interesting. That book is not inspired by God and is not inerrant. So, I can't take for granted that everything in it is 100% true or 100% accurate. In fact, I'm sure that some of the things that are written in this book are wrong. But at the same time, there's still a lot of truth in it. So, I can get some good information from it, right? And the same thing holds true for many of the pseudepigrapha books. They might not be inspired by God or inerrant, but it doesn't mean that there isn't some truth in them. And there must be some truth in the Book of Enoch, because two books in the Bible actually quote from it. They don't just refer to the Book of Enoch, they quote from the Book of Enoch. Yeah, the book of 2nd Peter and the book of Jude both quote from the Book of Enoch. Does that make sense?
Now, whether or not demons are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim doesn't really matter. What matters is that demons are real. They existed in Christ's day, and they still exist today. Now, let me explain why I do believe that they are the disembodied spirits of the Nephilim. Because every Jew believed that, and because Jesus taught so much on demons, and he corrected the wrong beliefs of the Jews in his time. Jesus never did correct the thought. He never did say, "You have been taught that demons are 'Timuna fall,' but I say unto you..." And it would have been very easy. Jesus never did that. Interesting, isn't it? But it really doesn't matter. Come up to me, and we can get in a debate, and we can talk about these three theories, and they're really the basic three theories that all scholars believe. There might be some wild things out there, but those are the three that Christian scholars discuss and they debate. That doesn't really matter which one is right. What really matters is that demons are real. They existed in Jesus' day, and they still exist today.
So, let me give you some facts about demons. If you're taking notes, get ready to write. First of all, demons vary in wickedness and in power. Turn with me, if you would, to the book of Matthew chapter 12, verse number 45. I'll show you what I'm talking about. "Then the unclean spirit takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there." That's their home. Now, what's the home? That person's body. Why do they seek a body? Because they're disembodied spirits. "And the last state of that man is worse than the first." So, some demons are more wicked than others. Jesus was teaching that. It says that the demon that's cast out, it goes through a tear—dry places, a man. Let's go back. Oh, it's still empty. In other words, that person's not a believer. The demon was cast out, but he hasn't filled himself with the Holy Spirit. He's—Jesus is not living inside of him. So, when he goes back, he goes, "I was cast out. I need some more backup." So, he gets seven demons more wicked than himself. But what it says is that—what this is telling us is some demons are more wicked than others.
Now, look at Mark chapter 9, verses 28 through 29. "And when he was come into the house, his disciples asked him privately, Why could not we cast him out?" What was he talking about? A demon. "And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting." In other words, some demons are more powerful than other demons. Does that make sense?
Secondly, demons seek to oppress and entice people to sin, and if possible, to possess a person. Turn with me, if you would, to the book of First Samuel chapter 16, verse 14. I'm going to use an Old Testament scripture because I want you to understand this is not just a New Testament phenomenon. There were demonic spirits in the Old Testament too. I literally heard one pastor say this one time, "Well, you won't find demons in the Old Testament. You only find them in the New Testament. It's a New Testament phenomenon." Oh, good Lord, read your Bible. Anyways, notice what it says: "But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." Now, "troubled" actually means "oppressed him." But here's what throws people: "from the Lord." Now, here's what you need to understand. If you're a Christian, then God has a hedge of protection around you. You're under His umbrella of protection, even in the Old Testament. So, when Saul was first anointed to be king, he was under the—he was under the umbrella of God's protection. But when he began to sin, and he did the things God told him not to do, especially when he went to a necromancer, God pulled back. He was no longer—men oppressed him. And so, now this evil spirit comes. And the reason it says "from the Lord" is because the Jews perceived it like this: "Man, everything is under God's hands. But if he pulls his protection back, then that evil spirit, it's as well as coming from the Lord." But it didn't mean the Lord sent him. It simply meant that the Lord pulled back His protection, left him unarmed, and that's what that is saying.
Now, look at James chapter 1, verse number 14, because I want you to see that demons seek to oppress and entice people to sin, and if possible, to possess a person. Notice what it says: "But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust." We can't even blame demons, you know, when we're drawn away to sin. It's because we have lust inside of us. It's that Adamic nature. There are certain things we want. We don't all want the same things. Some people want power, others don't. Some people want money, others don't. Some people want all types of sexual satisfaction, others don't. But here's what it says: "But every man is tempted, was drawn away of his own lust." But notice this: "and enticed." Who does the enticing? Demons. And if you want to be more specific, familiar spirits, which has been mentioned 15 times in the Bible. Familiar spirits are those spirits that actually, because they live in their—kind of eternal, not kind of, they're eternal. They've been around ever since the Nephilim. They're with your family. They know all the weaknesses in your—in your genetics. They know everything about you. They know what you lust after, and therefore, they know what to entice you with.
Now, let me explain what opens the door to demonic possession. Because demons do seek to possess bodies. Why? Because they're disembodied spirits. So, let me explain what opens the door to demonic possession. Number one: The worship of other gods and idols. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 32, verse number 17. This is a very important verse. If you've never read this verse, you need to highlight it in your Bible, because it explains what happens when you worship other gods. This is why the children of Israel were commanded never to serve other gods. Notice what it says: "They sacrificed unto devils, that means demons, not to God (big G, not to Yahweh), to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not." So, I want you to notice God's words. As they sacrificed to demons, but then it went further and referred to them as gods (little G). So, these gods are demons. In India, they have all of these gods, and they sacrifice to these gods. What are these gods? These gods are demons. Remember, the Nephilim, they walked this earth. But what's interesting is when these angels came down, and we look at mythology, they thought the Nephilim were the gods—the sons of these gods. So, here's what's interesting. When you worship other gods, you're worshipping demons, and that opens the door to demonic activity, impossible possession.
Number two: Involvement in occultism. Turn to Deuteronomy chapter 18, verses 10 through 12. "So as for example, never sacrifice your son or daughters a burnt offering, and do not let your people practice fortune-telling or use sorcery or interpret omens or engage in witchcraft or cast spells or function as mediums or psychics or call forth spirits of the dead. Don't do those things. Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord." Why? Those are demons. "It is because the other nations have done these detestable things of the Lord your God will drive them out of head of you." Number three: Drugs. Yeah, it opens the door to demons and demonic activity. Turn to Galatians chapter 5, verse 20. This is the list of the works of the flesh. Notice what it says. I'm just reading a few of these: "Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies." Would you see that word "witchcraft"? That's translated from the Greek word "pharmakeia." We get our word "pharmacy" from it. And what it actually means is mind-altering drugs. One of the things that the pagans did is they got high, and one of the reasons they got high was to worship their gods, and they would open themselves up, and that allowed these demons to come in and possess them. Yeah.
Now, I need—I've used a phrase that every one of you need to understand when it comes to demons and demonic activity, and it's the phrase "opening the door." You see, what we don't want to do is open the door to demons or demonic activity. But what do I mean by that? What do I mean by "opening the door"? Well, turn to Genesis chapter 4, verse 7. Let's find out. This is God speaking to Cain. Here's what he told him: "You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out. Sin is crouching at the door. Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you, but you must subdue it and be its master." Now, as you can see, sin is lying at the door. It's crouching, and it's just waiting for you to open the door. In other words, it's waiting for an invitation to come in. And that's what we mean by opening the door. It's when we do something that gives demons the liberty to enter our life. Something that—sin is an open invitation to come in. Remember, your body is a home to your spirit, and demons want to come in through the door, but unless you open the door, they can't come in.
Now, as I said, we can do that in one of several ways: worshipping other gods or idols, that's an invitation. Getting involved in some type of occultism, that's an invitation. Drugs, that's an invitation. These are the three most common ways of opening the doors to demons and demonic activity. But there are others: pornography, you're not gonna like this, gambling. And the more you open the door, the more access they have to your life, the more they're able to entrap you, and the greater access they have to you. Let me just say this: almost every addiction has a link to demonic activity.
How many of you are sensitive to the spiritual world? You prayed enough, you just kind of sensed it. How many of you wouldn't know a spiritual thing if it—in the—but a number of years ago, I was downtown, and I saw a woman. Didn't know who the woman was. And I looked at this woman, and I'm telling you, the demonic presence was unbelievable. And a person looked over there and saw me looking, said, "You know who that person is?" And I have no idea. "That's Carol Parish Hara." I said, "Who is that?" "All I saw was the strong demonic presence." That's the founder of Sparrowhawk. I said, "Oh, understood." Had a person once come to talk to me, and she was a channeler. Because I think something's not right. Now, I don't know how you believe, but I believe that we can channel the dead spirits. Says, "Something's not right because something's got a control of me. It's in me." And the person was from Sparrowhawk. She said, "One time, I was laying on the bed, and I've been in this dream, but I woke up, and I woke up that there's this anaconda, and it wrapped itself inside around me. So, it was like it was physical, and I know I wasn't dreaming. And then all of a sudden, it morphed into my body and said, 'Ever since then, I could channel, and I can see into the spiritual realm.'" And she said, "If I—if I wanted to, right now, if you'd allow me, I could channel." I said, "No, I'm not going to allow that." Looked in there and saw the demonic spirit. People, those things are real. Some of us have to get to discernment of spirits. Others don't. Sometimes God doesn't show those things because God's given a person a chance to repent. But I want you to understand that demons are real, and they still operate today. But if we don't open the door, then they can't come in.
But more importantly, if your house is not vacant, if the Holy Spirit lives inside of you, you cannot be possessed. That door is shut. Now, it doesn't mean you can't open the door to demonic activity. It doesn't mean you can't be oppressed, but you can't be possessed because the Holy Spirit lives inside of you. Now, if you're here this morning, I'm not trying to scare you. I'm not trying to do anything. Here's what I want you to understand: If you don't have Jesus, when you die, you're not going to heaven. That's as simple as I can make it. Jesus said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man can come to the Father but by me." In other words, I'm the only way to get to heaven. I'm the only way. There's no other way. And it's true, because God is just, and fair, so he must punish sin. The problem is, he also has to reward righteousness. And once you've sinned, you're no longer righteous. So, even if you died and paid the price for your own sins, he could never resurrect you because you're not righteous. But he sent his Son, Jesus. And Jesus came to die for us. And here's what's interesting: even when Jesus was made our sin, he never sinned, because he's actually doing the will of the Father. And he fulfilled the two greatest commandments: "Love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength." He loved God when he was willing to do that. And "Love your neighbor as yourself." And he's willing to die for us. So, he actually fulfilled the righteousness of the law by dying for us, and he paid our penalty. And when all of our sins were paid for, God looked into hell, saw that he had never sinned, and raised him from the dead. Legally, according to Leviticus 18:5. And because of that, if you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your sins are paid for. When you die, you get to go to heaven. But if you reject Jesus, what you're telling God is, "I don't want Jesus to pay for my sins. I'll pay for my own." And you will. You'll be eternally separated from God forever.