Classification of Demons

Types of Demons and Demon Classification

While these demons have different characteristics, one thing remains consistent and that is, their great ability to confuse people. Again, demons are nowhere as powerful as our God. So, they resort to searching and aiming for our weaknesses and when they find our weaknesses, these demons take advantage of us. 1 John 4:4 reminds us of how we should always remember that the One within us is stronger than the one of the world. Whatever the demons offer, we should not be swayed as the enemy sees this as a loophole to take us away from the Light.

“Flesh”, “devil”, “world” and “enemy” are some of the terms used to refer to demons. However, the Bible has few names of demons that are addressed and some Jesus even spoke to. Demons are plural; they come in levels with different purposes. So, like everyone, they each have their own names; they are fallen angels after all. However, there are demons with specific and prevalent ill intentions. Here are some of the mentioned names of demons in the Bible along with their different purposes, history, and specializations.

Demons play an important role in the mythology of many cultures, from the asuras of Hinduism to the tzitzimimeh of the Aztecs. Their universal appearance in religions and cultures from all over the world perhaps speaks to a fundamental desire to understand the nature of evil and the motivation behind evil acts. The mythology of demons is quite complex, with many cultures having unique hierarchies and a number of famous named demons, such as Satan in Christian mythology.

Many cultures have a tradition of demons which act as tempters to lead people from the path of righteousness. Incubi and succubi, for example, appear in seductive male and female forms, and Mara appeared to the Buddha to tempt him. By resisting such tempers, the faithful can demonstrate their commitment to their religion.

A demon is an evil spirit, or devil, in the ordinary English usage of the term. This definition is, however, only approximate. In polytheistic religions the line between gods and demons is a shifting one: there are both good demons and gods who do evil. In monotheistic systems, evil spirits may be accepted as servants of the one God, so that demonology is bound up with angelology and theology proper, or they may be elevated to the rank of opponents of God, in which case their status as diabolic powers differs from that of the demons in polytheism. Moreover, in none of the languages of the ancient Near East, including Hebrew, is there any one general term equivalent to English "demon." In general, the notion of a demon in the ancient Near East was of a being less powerful than a god and less endowed with individuality. Whereas the great gods are accorded regular public worship, demons are not; they are dealt with in magic rites in individual cases of human suffering, which is their particular sphere.

Few things hold the imaginings of the religious and superstitious like the idea of demons. Demons are beings that are often seen as malevolent that can be found in religion, in literature, mythology, and folklore. They are most commonly found in the religions of Judaism, Christianity and Hinduism. Demons are believed to have originated from one of four different things: the deaths of wicked men and demons are their unresting spirits, the spirits of a race of beings from before humanity, spirits from the unions of Nephilim and human women, or they are the fallen angels that were cast our of heaven when Satan waged war against God.