Satan is a deceiver and a counterfeiter. He cannot create anything of his own, but he can twist things God made to evil and perverse purposes.
This means Satan has his own sacraments. In 1 Corinthians 10:21 Paul speaks of partaking of the table and cup of demons; this provokes the Lord to jealousy (10:22) because those who engage in demonic liturgies really do have communion with demons in some sense (10:20). While the analogy between demonic rites and the Lord’s Supper in 1 Corinthians 10 is not complete, Paul does indicate that there is a “real presence” of demons in some way in these idolatrous sacrifices.
In 2 Corinthians 11:1-3, Paul implies that when Eve was deceived/seduced by the serpent and ate the forbidden fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge and Good and Evil, she committed adultery with the serpent, provoking the Lord’s jealousy. Elsewhere Scripture suggests that if Adam and Eve had waited patiently, God would have eventually given them access to the forbidden tree and promoted them to a higher level of kingly glory. There was an eschatology built into the world and humanity from the beginning. But because they did not wait, the very tree that could have been a means of greater communion with God became a means of communion with Satan. Satan perverted the good tree into a demonic sacrament.
Another case in point is drugs, at least certain forms of drugs. Everything God made is good – but Satan can pervert God’s good creation and use it for evil purposes. In Lewis Ungit’s book Return of the Dragon, he provides compelling evidence that Satan is able to use some drugs as demonic sacraments, as a gateway to participation in a demonic realm. People across time and space who use certain drugs (eg, ayahuasca) report eerily similar experiences and visions, which suggests something objective rather than merely subjective is going on. The use of the word “pharmakeia” in the LXX OT and the NT for “witchcraft” or “sorcery” suggests the use of certain substances to tap into the demonic is commonplace among pagans. The fact that pharamakeia was a capital crime under Torah suggests it is not merely a matter of fakery or deception (telling lies except in a court of law is not normally a capital crime), but is actually demonic. It is a species of idolatry.
Satan has also been able to counterfeit miracles. Think of Pharaoh’s magicians who could perform some of the same miracles as Aaron and Moses. Witchdoctors have been able to perform healings, according to credible accounts. Some people who engage in the use of psychedelic drugs gain real insight.
Satan can also counterfeit piety. In 1 Timothy 4, Paul says man-made rules restricting marriage and diet are actually demonic teachings. They stand in the way of the fulfillment of the creation mandate, forbidding men to marry and multiply, and cutting him off from the proper use of God’s good gifts. These rules may have appearance of godliness but they are actually anti-God and anti-human. To abide by these rules is to submit to demonic influence. Satan counterfeits God’s law with his own law. Satanonomy replaces theonomy.
Satan can counterfeit prophecy. In Acts 16, Paul meets a woman possessed with a “spirit of divination,” literally a “spirit of Python.” We do not know if she was an accurate fortune-teller but the fact that she made her masters a great profit suggests it is at least possible. She was most certainly possessed by a demon — a demon Luke can name. The priestess at the Oracle of Delphi was known as the Pythia.
Demonic spirits can even counterfeit the Holy Spirit. Christians are to be filled with the Holy Spirit. But sometimes people are filled with, or possessed by, demonic spirits. Just as being filled with the Holy Spirit means yielding his guidance and influence, so being possessed with demonic spirits means yielding to their guidance and influence. I do not doubt Mohammad and Joseph Smith really saw something in their visions – but they were demonic, and they founded idolatrous religions as a result. We have plenty of examples of demon possession in the Bible to give us a glimpse of what it’s like. It often includes self-harm, fornication, drunkenness, and other sins. Certainly there are degrees of demonic possession, just as there are degrees of sanctification. I do not doubt that in many cases of addiction (to drugs, porn, etc.), some level of demonic activity and influence is present. Same with sodomy and transgenderism.
In sum: Demons are real and they do act within the creation in various ways. Demons can interact with the human mind to tempt us and demons can use created things in perverse ways. Christians should flee idolatry – especially pagan rites and rituals, including certain substances known to be deeply associated with pagan practices – because they are spiritually dangerous.
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