Demonology- what it is...and isn't.

    When I published my first book, "Diary of a Demonologist", I knew I was going to get a lot of flak, just for the title.  I secretly cringed whenever I was asked what the title was.  I'm getting over that now, slowly but surely.  What I wasn't expecting was that most of the questions would be coming from Christians.
    I wanted this to be my first book because even though it is a work of fiction, I felt that it would call attention to this little known part of theology as well as entertain those who were looking for a good read.  You don't need to be a Christian to enjoy my stories; you just need to want to be entertained, and maybe just a little bit scared.
     Anyway, for those who were wondering, I had to explain that demonology "is the systematic study of demons or beliefs about demons.[1] It is the  branch of theology relating to superhuman beings who are not gods.[ (from Wikipedia).  That's exactly what it is- a branch of theology, but not one that's widely talked about, even among Christian circles.  What's interesting to me is that the Catholic church  uses the branding of "religious demonologist".  
    To me, that's sort of a misnomer.  You can't be a demonologist without being religious, or at least go beyond studying demonology.  Period.  That's right- I said it.  I will explain further.
    Not only is demonology a theology study, but one to be taken very seriously.  This is a matter of life or death in most cases.  I will talk more about some of these such cases in a future post.  
    During His earthly ministry, Jesus talked about demons and hell more than any other subject.  There's a reason for that.  He wanted us to know the seriousness and reality of both.
    Demons hate us.  Really.  With a passion.  Why?  Because we were created by God.  They hate God, and everything about Him, including His creations.  Their mission?  To find the "weakest link", wear it (the person) down, and eventually take over and/or kill the individual with the person's soul as the prize.  This does not always happen quickly, either.  They need a body to inhabit, and that is what they crave- a body.  When they are finished with one, they will look for the next one.  And so on.
    As to why you really should be religious to be a demonologist?  Well, a practicing demonologist, anyway- it's OK to just study about it and not be.  You need to have the authority and protection of the Lord Jesus Christ.  If you are going to be a practicing demonologist, one of the things that you are more than likely going to be doing  at some point in time is assisting ministers who perform exorcisms or deliverances.   This is going to put you at war with some of the most vile creatures ever- demons.  You are fighting to gain someone's soul back and this is going to make you an enemy in their eyes.  You will be on their radar as a target and make no mistake; you will be attacked.  This is why you need to be a person of faith, and your walk with the Lord needs to be a very strong one.  To go up against even one demon without the authority and protection of the Lord Jesus Christ is a very foolish mistake, and it could cost you your life.  Not only yours, but the very person who you are trying to rescue from the clutches of satan himself.  Only because of the authority of Jesus Christ of Nazareth are we able to expel demons from the possessed or from a place anyway.  We cannot ever do this on our own merit.
    So, now that we know what demonology is, we will now talk about what it isn't.
    It isn't witchcraft.  When people hear demons or demonology, they immediately associate that with the dark arts.  Not so.  We know that demonology is a theology study.  Theology is the study of religion and of religious influences, to include religious truths.  Where do you study theology?  A university, school of divinity, or seminary.  
    It also isn't to be taken lightly.  If you are called by the Lord to be a demonologist, it's an honor and one to be taken very seriously.  This is what I feel that I am being called to do, eventually, as well as my writing.  I have been studying this for a very long time.  This is how the Lord has been preparing me, and when He feels I am ready, he will place me in a position to be mentored by someone who is experienced in this.
    Keep in mind that one of the charges that Jesus gave his disciples was that of casting out demons.  You need to be sure that you have a close walk with Jesus all the time.  As I said earlier, attacks will come, and the more that you are involved in the Lord's work, the more often they will happen.  How you're able to defend against them depends on how close you are to the Lord and also your knowledge of how to use His armor in the battle.

Next week:  Where did demons come from and are they the same as fallen angels?