Dake Bible Discussion Board ⇒ Dake on the Origin of Demons

[Spiritblade Disciple]

I asked Grok about the origin of demons according to Finis Jennings Dake:

According to Finis Jennings Dake, in his theological works such as God’s Plan for Man and the Dake Annotated Reference Bible, demons are the spirits of a pre-Adamite race of beings who inhabited the earth before Adam’s creation. He argues that these beings were part of a pre-Adamite world that existed between Genesis 1:1 and Genesis 1:2, a period he associates with the "gap theory." This theory posits a significant time gap between the initial creation of the heavens and the earth and the subsequent re-creation or restoration described in Genesis 1:2 and beyond, during which a cataclysmic event, often linked to Lucifer’s rebellion, led to the destruction of this earlier world.

Dake suggests that demons are the disembodied spirits of this pre-Adamite race, which he believes were physical beings who sinned and were judged by God, resulting in their physical bodies being destroyed while their spirits remained. These spirits, according to Dake, became the demons referenced in Scripture, seeking to inhabit bodies and oppose God’s plan. He supports this view with passages such as Isaiah 14:12–14 and Ezekiel 28:11–17, which he interprets as describing Lucifer’s fall and the destruction of a pre-Adamite world. Additionally, Dake points to Genesis 1:28, where God commands Adam to "replenish" the earth, arguing that the word implies a previous population that needed to be restored, thus supporting his belief in a pre-Adamite race whose spirits became demons.

Dake’s view is controversial and departs from traditional Christian interpretations, which typically identify demons as fallen angels who rebelled with Satan. Critics argue that his reliance on the gap theory and the interpretation of "replenish" as "refill" lacks solid biblical and linguistic support, as the Hebrew word male (used in Genesis 1:28) simply means "to fill" and does not necessarily imply a refilling.

This perspective is detailed in Dake’s God’s Plan for Man, particularly in Lesson 6, which discusses Satan and the spirit world, including the nature and work of demons.