If Satan also be divided against himself, how shall his kingdom stand? because ye say that I cast out devils through Beelzebub. And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your sons cast them out? therefore shall they be your judges.”
–Luke 11:18-19
Not so very long ago, a lively discussion was entered into about evil/unclean spirits.
What follows are some of the highlights taken from that conversation.
1- “Why are there so many different names for bad spirits?
The Bible sometimes calls them EVIL spirits.
Sometimes, the Bible calls them UNCLEAN spirits.
Other times, it calls them demons.
Why?
Why are there so many different names for the same entity?”
“Actually, God’s Word never ONCE called an evil spirit a “demon”–that word came later (AFTER the Bible was written). What the Bible DID call the bad spirits were “devils.”
2- Why did God’s Word use so many phrases to describe these bad pennies? That’s a good question. We DO know that the Bible used more than one word or phrase to describe the same supernatural being. In Mark 5, Jesus is casting out an evil spirit from a man in Gadarene. Notice that Jesus called the spirit both an “unclean spirit” AND a “devil.”
“And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.
“But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many.”
“And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.”
–Mark 5:1-9, 15
3- The Old Testament only speaks of evil spirits a few times and EVERY TIME it does, it tells the reader where the evil spirit came from: from God Himself.
Though some have argued long and loud that this could not be so, it CLEARLY declares it to be so in the Bible.
“Then God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem dealt treacherously with Abimelech”
–Judges 9:23
“But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him.”
–1SAMUEL 16:14
“And the evil spirit from the LORD was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his javelin in his hand: and David played with his hand.”
–1SAMUEL 19:9
4- Why did the Hebrews (as well as Jesus and His disciples) refer to EVIL SPIRITS as UNCLEAN SPIRITS?
Maybe they thought of these evil entities as UNCLEAN–since God’s Word strongly hints that the dwelling place of ALL spirits–good AND evil–is in the belly (BOWELS) of a man?
“The spirit of man is the candle of the LORD, searching all the inward parts of the belly.”
–Proverbs 20:27
“In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
–John 7:37-39
Why did the Hebrews refer to EVIL SPIRITS as UNCLEAN SPIRITS?
Maybe they thought these evil spirits were DIRTY?
Maybe it had to do with Beelzebub (a pagan god who ended up becoming another name of Satan for many Hebrews: and Beelzebub literally means “Lord of the flies“–and flies are not the cleanest of God’s creation, usually being associated with excrement and other forms of uncleanness?
It was about this point that the conversation then turned to BEEZLEBUB.
4- There are a LOT of stories which surround Beelzebub–about whom not a lot is known anyway.
BUT, there are a few hard facts about the ‘Lord of the flies.’
a – Author William Golding named him MOST (by far) successful novel after “>Beelzebub.
b- Beelzebub has often been called “one of the seven princes of hell.” But this is one of the stories of man.
c- Several animals have received names from the scientific community, including the prehistoric frog Beelzebufo and Beelzebub’s tube-nosed bat.
“Was Beelzebub the devil or not?”
“Although there are many MEN who might claim this to be so, the TRUE answer is to be found in the Word of God. And the Word of God is (mostly) silent on the matter: which means that the answer is “NO.”
And those were the MAIN points remembered from a discussion which took place almost a YEAR ago.
IS the reader familiar with Beelzebub?
WHAT does the reader believe about that name/entity?
It is not YET too late: there is still a little time to change direction (repent), place your faith (hope) for the future entirely on Jesus Christ and enter the kingdom of heaven.
DOES the reader believe he is saved?
Make Your Calling and Election Sure: End Times Survival
DOES the reader believe he is NOT saved?
Time is Running Out: Today is the Day of Salvation
THE GOSPEL OF JESUS CHRIST
“Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:
And that he was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve: After that, he was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen of James; then of all the apostles. And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. ”
–1 Corinthians 15:1-8
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
-–Romans 1:16
A Reminder: The Gospel is Simple
MORE: Eternal Salvation Through Jesus Christ: Salvation Messages from End Times Prophecy Report
[Portions of this piece appeared originally in End Times Prophecy Headlines: September 8, 2021.]
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by Jeremiah Jameson
–with Mondo Frazier
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