Understanding the doctrine of demons By Robin Schumacher, Exclusive Columnist for The Christian Post
With respect to doing battle with the enemy, we should never forget the fact that Satan is not ugly on the outside.
When the Bible warns about being deceived by “deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1), the last thing we should do is think the devil’s instruction will be superficially distasteful. On the contrary, it will be a surprisingly appealing poison.
Of course, there will be people who drink down the ugliness of external Satan worship, but their numbers will always be small. The net Satan wants to cast is much larger than that and, to meet his goal of making as many disciples as possible, he’ll employ his true cosmetic nature.
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If you’ve ever wondered where the red, horned, pitchfork-wielding devil-with-a-pointed-tail concept originated, it came from the medieval church in the Middle Ages. Although they sought to wound Satan’s pride by depicting him in a ludicrous way, something tells me the devil inspired it in an act of brilliant misdirection.
The fact that later generations have accepted this caricature as true is pure genius. What better way to spring a trap on your victim than by luring them into a welcoming Hansel-and-Gretel gingerbread house that they don’t fear?
That being the case, if we are not to be “ignorant of his schemes” (2 Cor. 2:11), all of us would do well to remember what the real doctrine of demons looks like.
Beautifully evil
Because “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light and “his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:14-15), his destructive teaching will manifest as he does and in the same way it did to Eve. To her, it looked “good,” “a delight,” and “desirable” (Gen. 3:6).
It will promise life and paradise but deliver death and hell. It will dismiss or encourage sin, thus making its victim miserable. It will sound like the truth, but be a lie. It will provide false light that leads to eternal darkness. It will promise freedom but ultimately enslave.
