Why do Demons Desire Bodies?
In the latter part of Matthew 8, we have an account of two demon-possessed men whose spiritual captors were expelled into a herd of swine which promptly drowned. Similar accounts are found in Luke 8 and Mark 5, but here is Matthew, from the New King James Version:
28 When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
30 Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. 31 So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.”
32 And He said to them, “Go.” So when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.
33 Then those who kept them fled; and they went away into the city and told everything, including what had happened to the demon-possessed men. 34 And behold, the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And when they saw Him, they begged Him to depart from their region.
Note their desire to be embodied. They have somehow entered the men and, seeing the inevitability of their departure, look about for some other bodies to occupy. We cannot satisfactorily account for why the Lord would acquiesce to such a request (I suspect the Lord judged the locality for keeping unclean animals, even though many gentiles lived in that place), yet why was it made to begin with? Why do demons desire bodies? I propose the following:
Demons and angels are spirits, having no physical covering or body
A human is a spirit designed to inhabit a physical body; angelic creatures are disembodied. They are not limited to time and place as we inhabiting this physical world may be, but neither can they enjoy the world as we can, its flavours, its smells, its beauty. On the other hand in 1 Corinthians 15:39-41, Paul states:
All flesh is not the same flesh, but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of animals, another of fish, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies and terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory. New King James Version
An angelic being's essence has an intrinsic glory or splendour, just as a human's, or a giraffe's, also possesses, but the form is not physical, comprising molecules and atoms.
Demons envy humans’ estate
Although Man was made a little lower than the angels, he was made in God's image, and was a creature with whom God has a special affinity and love. It was for his Fall that the Creator became a human to effect his redemption. No angel can or will be redeemed. We, the favourites of creation, the object of our Heavenly Father's doting affection, are envied by corrupted spirits. Furthermore, they design to further offend the Creator by harming and corrupting His children. By possessing some and influencing many more, these unclean spirits extend their rebellion.
Demons seek to dominate humans
To posses something is to own it, to use it, to abuse it. By having a degree of control over the men's bodies, they made them their slaves. Their corrupt selfishness and treason can be further expressed by controlling human beings. Such people are driven further from God's presence and become agents of an even darker iniquity. They rebelled because of their pride; now they seek power and control for the remaining years of their malice.
Demons seek to pervert humans
By controlling a human body, they can better corrupt its rightful occupant. In Matthew's account, the two men prevent others from passing through the area, and other accounts intimate the violence and danger they present. Although fallen humans are thuggish and cruel of their own accord, these two men were able to take these unpleasant behaviours to greater depths, thanks to their demonic guests.
Demons desire to employ humans
We who were made to be lords over the physical cosmos now find ourselves sold as slaves to sin and obeying the croaked demands of the evil one. We are made servile to angelic creatures who delight to control and dominate. Demons who receive worship from humans are pretending to be gods, and receive the honour and praise due to the Creator alone. To have humans at their beck and call is a further expression of their rebellion against God, for they receive worship due Him alone. Angels are messengers, designed to express God's glory and splendour to lesser creatures. By controlling humans, they employ them as their own messengers and communicate their own wills rather than God's.
Demons enjoy distorting God’s clear injunctions and categories
The Creator made clear that each creature was made 'according to its kind' and that this strict separation of bodies, especially in the realms of sexual intercourse, was paramount. When demons occupy human bodies, they are transgressing against the Creator's blueprint.
Whatever the reaons for some demons' desire to share human bodies, their days are numbered, their activities limited. 'Their time' is looming, and their period of toleration draws to a close. He that is in us is greater than he who is in the world, which is good news indeed.
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