Christians have historically claimed that demons are Satan’s fallen angels. Some people, however, will claim that they are not; instead, some will say they are the spirits of Nephilim or some other type of evil spirit. Demons are fallen angels because it has the most evidence to back it up, it makes the most sense, and because there is no biblical evidence against the claim.
First off let’s define our terms. Demons: evil spirits that possess people that are under Satan. Fallen angels: angels (spirits as defined in Hebrew 1:14) that fell from heaven with Satan and work for Satan. While demons are never specifically said to be fallen angels, we can make a reasonable assumption that they are for many reasons. This is similar to the trinity just because the Bible does not use the word the trinity, we can see that the idea of it is expressed throughout the Bible.
Why are demons considered fallen angels?
Demons are evil spirits under Satan
Fallen angels are evil spirits under Satan
Therefore, fallen angels are the same as demons
Unless there is more than one kind of evil spirit. (There are only three kinds of spirits; human spirits, angels, and God.) But then why would the Bible never make this clear wouldn’t it be more reasonable to assume that they use interchangeable words; evil spirits, unclean spirits, and demons all are considered the same thing but why? If it must be the same exact word as these critics assume then why do they assume that evil and unclean spirits are the same and why would they say that those are the same as demons?
So, if these are all described to be the same thing then they probably are the same thing, right? "If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck (Dougles Adam).” If all these things point to being exactly the same as fallen angels, then maybe I don’t know but maybe they are a fallen angels. They both are evil or unclean spirits; they both are under and work for Satan.
How would Nephilim’s spirits recognize Jesus? The demons that Jesus encounters often talk to him and call him the Son of God. Angels would know this, but would Nephilim know this? In James 2:19 it says “You believe that God is one? Good, even the demons believe and they shudder.” Why wouldn’t James just say the fallen angels? Because they are the same, maybe? How would the children of humans and angels have such a good understanding of who God is and yet turn against him? This fits perfectly with what we would assume fallen angels would believe.
What do fallen angels do if they are not demons and do not do the same thing as demons? What are fallen angels doing? Some people might claim that angels cannot possess people therefore fallen angels cannot possess people, but what proof do they have? What motive would an angel have to possess someone? Wouldn’t that be interfering with our free will? Some people will try to throw the question back at you and say wouldn’t being possessed by a demon be interfering with our free will?
They are different because people possessed have already hardened there heart already against God and against his law. Also, God must allow the demon to possess or do evil we see this in Job when Satan asks for permission to take everything from Job.
The question now becomes can fallen angels possess people? Satan can. Luke 22:3 and John 13:27 claim that Satan entered into Judas. Demons enter into pigs in Mark 5:12-13. Also, in Luke 8:30 it says that many demons had entered into a man. Another reason why Satan can possess and his possession of Judas was legitimate is because when people are possessed, they often harm themselves and try to commit suicide or commit suicide. Some examples are:
Mark 5:5 demon possessed man gashing himself with stones and screaming night and day among the tombs, Mark 9:18a states “whenever the spirit seizes him, it slams him to the ground and he foams at the mouth, and grinds his teeth and stiffens out.” Also, in Matthew 17:14-18 (talking about the same demon) it claims that this boy would fall into the fire and fall into the water. Again, in Mark 5 the demons enter the pigs then go and fall off a cliff resulting in death. All these demon possessions lead to attempts to suicide, suicide, or at the very least harm to oneself.
How does this connect? After Satan entered into Judas, Judas commits suicide by hanging himself. More collaborating evidence with this is found in some of Islams holy books. The story Islam starts with Muhammad meeting the angel Gabreil in a cave. But this “angel” acted a lot more like a demon than an angel.
Here’s why; the angel shook Muhammad violently and commanded him to read. After he encountered this “angel” his neck was twitching (Sahih Al-Bukhari). Does this sound like an angel encounter? Even Muhmmad thought he was possessed. He claimed he is either a poet (which a poet was looked down on because they believed poets were influenced by jinn which are evil spirits) or possessed (this is found in Ibn Ishaq’s biography).
In Surah 81:22-25 Mohummad is quoted saying “No your compatriot is not mad. He saw him (Gabreil) on the clear horizon. He does not grudge the secrets of the unseen, nor is this utterance of an accursed devils.” Even Muhammad had to convince his followers that he was not possessed. Also, Muhammad tries to commit suicide multiple times but is stopped by the “angel” every time.
How does this all come together? Muhammad was probably possessed because the angel that appeared to him did not act like any other angel in the Bible and acted a lot like a demon inflicting physical violence and making him want to commit suicide. If this demon appeared to Muhammad as an angel, it would make sense that it was a fallen angel that possessed him not a spirit of a Nephilim or some other evil spirit, for how would they have an appearance of an angel?
The only reason people believe that Nephilim’s spirits are demons is because of 1 Enoch 15:8-10 which claims that the spirit of a Nephilim does not go down to Sheol when its body dies but instead becomes an evil spirit roams the earth. People will claim that because 1 Enoch is quoted in the book of Jude it must be true.
This argument does not work because Pual quates three separate Greek poets in Acts 17:28, 1 Corinthians 15:33, Titus 1:12, yet quoting these poets does not automatically make everything they write and say true. This is the same for the book of 1 Enoch it was quoted in Jude 1:14-15 which states
“It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.’”
Just because Jude quotes this book does not mean it is reliable, he talks about the Enoch of Genesis (not the writer of the book of Enoch but dedicated to him essentially, and 1 Enoch was not written till 300-100 BC which is thousands of years after Enoch’s death) and quotes a prophecy that was attributed to Enoch. So, quoting something that the real Enoch might have prophesied verses quoting something that Jewish scribes entirely made up is totally different.
People who believe this theory will bring up Jude 1:6 and 2 Peter 2:4. Jude 1:6 states “And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds wonder darkness for the judgment of the great day.” They will claim that this verse says that all fallen angels are in eternal bonds, and this means that they are in a sort of jail.
The word bonds does not mean they cannot do anything, but they have limited power and they must ask God for permission like we see in the book of Job. This also might be talking just about the angels who interbreeded with humans because it says” to the angels who did not keep their domain” These angels did not keep to their natural habitat they instead did something detestable to God and man.
2 Peter 2:4 states “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;” People that believe that Nephilim’s spirits are demons will say; if all the angels that sinned are in hell then how would they be demons that posses people? First off then why is Satan not in Hell? He is an angel that sinned so he would therefore have to be in hell but that is not the case.
And if he is then why can he possess people? Why can he interfere with our lives and why does he rule over the earth (2 Corinthians 4:4, John 12:31, John 14:30, John 16:11, 1 John 5:19, Luke 4:9).
This verse is most likely referring to the angels who came down to earth and interbreeded with women. Making the earth corrupt, in result inflicting the flood as judgment on the evil offspring of the angels. So, besides the book of Enoch there is no reason to believe that demons are not fallen angels.
So demons are fallen angels that work for Satan by; tempting, possessing, and doing all kinds of evil in the name of Satan.