Supernaturalism in the Bible

A. TERRITORIAL SPIRITS IN THE BIBLE by Gary S. Greig, Ph.D. (9/26/2006)

According the Bible, demons are territorial. A high-level demon called The Prince of Persia resisted even the Angel Gabriel when he was sent by God to Daniel in Persia (Daniel 10:13).

Demonic principalities were called "gods" in the biblical world and were associated with specific peoples and specific territories or lands in the ancient Near East: See:
  • Deut. 32:8 "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the sons of God [i.e., "according the number of the angels" following, as most Old Testament scholars do, the Septuagint and Qumran versions of the text of Deut. 32:8]" on which see Gregory Boyd, God at War: The Bible and Spiritual Conflict (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), p. 135, 339 note 72;
  • Deut. 31:16 "the gods of the land they are entering";
  • Judges 10:6 "the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the Ammonites, the gods of the Philistines";
  • Ruth 1:15 "her people and her gods";
  • 2 Kings 18:34-35 "the gods of Hamath and Arpad . . . the gods of these lands";
  • Jer. 2:11 "Has a nation ever changed its gods?";
  • Micah 4:5 "All nations may walk in the name of their gods. . . .";
See aslo:
  • Gregory Boyd, God at War: The Bible and Spiritual Conflict (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1997), pp. 9-10, 135-37;
  • E. T. Mullen, The Assembly of the Gods: The Divine Council in Canaanite and Early Hebrew Literature (Harvard Semitic Monographs 24, 1980);
  • H. Bietenhard, Die himmlische Welt im Urchristentum und Spätjudentum [The Heavenly World in Early Christianity and Late Judaism (Tübingen, 1951);
  • J. L. Cunchillos, Cuando Los Angeles Eran Dioses [When the Angels Were Gods] (Salamanca Universidad Pontificia, 1976).

B. EVIDENCES OF SUPERNATURALISM IN THE BIBLE -- One hundred eighty-eight gods, spirits, and practices demonstrating the Bible's thorough familiarity with the pagan supernatural worldview and with God's ultimate superiority over these entities; a significant lesson for people in Bible times and in our own day -- a Bible study by Bayard Taylor (3/6/2006)

One of the big stories running through the whole Bible often missed is Yahweh's war against the false gods. The God of the Bible is not a spirit or a force to be controlled or manipulated. Any spirit or force that opposes him is asking for it.

Genesis 1 set the stage for a historic series of cosmic smackdowns. Starting with Exodus, one by one Yahweh takes the pretender gods out.

I hope this list impresses on you that, far from discounting the reality of demonic spirits who are in rebellion against God (sometimes recognized and named by the pagans), the Biblical worldview is thoroughly familiar with them. Jesus and the Bible aggressively reveal spiritual warfare between God and his angels and Satan and his demons, and how God's truth and power are vastly superior to Satan and the demons' parlor tricks, lies, and deceptions. Paganism and the New Age movement might try to put down the Bible as musty and old-fashioned; they may also try to make a show of spiritual power; but it in the end they have no advantage over the Bible because the Bible leads us to the highest and greatest spiritual Reality of all.

(Note: This list is not exhaustive.)

  1. Abaddon, the Hebrew name for the angel ruling over the dead (Revelation 9:11).

  2. Adonis, a Syro-phoenician vegetation god who had a temple at Byblos beside the river Adonis (Isaiah 17:10 “plantings of Adonis” in ERV; other versions have “pleasant plants”).

  3. Adrammalech and Anammelech, worshiped by the people of Sepharviam, possibly the Hebrew names for the Babylonian gods Anu, god of heaven and Adar (also Ninib) god of the sun; or, possibly they were Syrian or Canaanite gods who required child sacrifice (2 Kings 17:31).

  4. Altar of sacrifice to Baal (Judges 6:31).

  5. Altars to pagan gods in the courts of the Lord (2 Kings 23:12).

  6. Altars of pagan gods reproduced in Israel (2 Kings 16:10-11).

  7. Altars on roofs (2 Kings 23:12).

  8. Altars on high places such as hills and mountains (2 Kings 23:12).

  9. Apollyon, the Greek name for the angel ruling over the dead (Revelation 9:11).

  10. Anat, Canaanite goddess of the underworld and consort to Baal; possibly the patron god of the city Anathoth.

  11. Ancestor worship; not mentioned in the Bible, but was part of Hittite religion which called the ancestors “former deities.” (the Hittites are mentioned in the Bible 47 times, beginning with Genesis 15:20).

  12. Angelic council in heaven (1 Kings 22:19; Psalm 8:5; 89:5-7; Jeremiah 23:18, 22).

  13. Angels [ital]and[end ital] spirits as different orders of beings (Acts 23:7-8).

  14. Angelic messengers (Genesis 18:2,10,13; 32:22-30; Psalm 104:4; Hebrews 1:7).

  15. Amon the Egyptian sun god (Jeremiah 46:25).

  16. Apis the bull-transport of the Egyptian god Ptah (Jeremiah 46:15).

  17. Artemis, the Greek name of the Great Goddess of the Ephesians (Acts 19:23-37).

  18. Asherah/Asherot, Canaanite fertility goddess (1 Kings 14:15, 23-24).

  19. Asherah poles, figured in fertility religion (2 Kings 23:6).

  20. Asherim, plural of Asherah (Deuteronomy 12:3).

  21. Ashima, goddess of Hamath (2 Kings 17:30) and Samaria (Amos 8:14).

  22. Ashtoreth, the detestable goddess of the Sidonians (2 Kings 23:13).

  23. Astrology (2 Kings 17:16-17; 23:5; Isaiah 34:4; 47:12-15; Jeremiah 8:2; Daniel 2:2, 4, 10; Zephaniah 1:4-6).

  24. Baal, the supreme Phoenician and Canaanite fertility/vegetation god; he was god of the storm (rain, wind, clouds) and vegetation; he fought against Mot (death), is killed and must be found in the underworld by his lover, Anat (1 Kings 18:25-29; Judges 10:6).

  25. Baal-berith. The word “Baal,” used for the supreme Canaanite god, could mean “master” or “lord.” The name Baal-berith, meaning “lord of the covenant” (at Shechem), could possibly indicate some confusion in some peoples’ minds between the true God and Baal (Judges 9:4).

  26. Baal-gad was a northern Palestinian god of good fortune (Joshua 11:17).

  27. Baal-hamon, a city named after the god of abundance (Song of Solomon 8:11).

  28. Baal-peor, Moabite god of he mountains to whom the Israelites played the harlot and partook in fertility cult rituals (Numbers 25:1-3).

  29. Baal-zebub, the lord of the flies and the healing god of Ekron (2 Kings 1:2; Matthew 12:24).

  30. Bel, Babylonian son of high god Marduk (Jeremiah 50:2).

  31. Bull, see Golden calf cult.

  32. Carved images (2 Chronicles 33:19).

  33. Castor and Pollux, sons of Zeus, guardians of sailors (Acts 28:11).

  34. Channeling spirits of the dead/being a medium/ necromancy/spiritism/consulting the dead (Leviticus 20:27; 2 Samuel 28:7-14; Isaiah 8:19).

  35. Chariots and horses dedicated to the sun god (2 Kings 23:10).

  36. Chemosh, the detestable god of the Moabites (1 Kings 11:7; 2 Kings 23:13).

  37. Clan gods (2 Kings 17:29).

  38. Claiming to speak for the Lord (2 Kings 18:25).

  39. Constellations (2 Kings 23:5).

  40. Consulting the dead/channeling spirits of the dead/being a medium/ necromancy/spiritism/ (Leviticus 20:27; 2 Samuel 28:7-14; Isaiah 8:19).

  41. Cursing by one’s gods (1 Samuel 17:43).

  42. Cursing other peoples with the help of shamans and divination (Numbers 22:5-6; Judges 17:1-4).

  43. Cutting oneself in a religious ritual was customary (1 Kings 18:28).

  44. Death. The Hebrew word for death is “mut.” The Canaanite god of death is “Mot.”

  45. Dagon, grain and fertility god of Philistia and Canaan (Judges 16:23; 1 Samuel 5:7).

  46. Deceiving spirit (1 Kings 22:22-23).

  47. Demonic entities: Whether we realize it or not, we are locked in spiritual combat against demonic entities who oppose God (Luke 11:18; Acts 26:18; Ephesians 6:10-12; 1 John 3:8).

  48. Demonization, (lit., “to be demonized”), sometimes translated “demon-possession” (Matthew 4:24; 8:16, 28, 33; 9:32; 12:22; Mark 1:32; 5:15-17; Luke 8:35).

  49. Demons (Deuteronomy 32:17; Psalm 106:37; 1 Corinthians 10:20-21).

  50. Desolator, “the horror that appalls” (Daniel 9:27).

  51. Destroyer (Exodus 12:23; 1 Corinthians 10:10).

  52. Diana, the Latin name for the Great Goddess of the Ephesians (Acts 19:23-37). This great Mother goddess, associated with orgiastic cults and mystery religion, was known as Cybele, Sulla, Ma, Bellona, and Isis.

  53. Dionysius, Greek god of revelry and gross immorality; the Latin name was Bacchus (Acts 17:34).

  54. Dream and vision interpretation – not from God (Daniel 2:1-3; 4:4-7).

  55. Dream and vision interpretation – from God (Daniel 2:17-19; 4:18-28).

  56. Dreams and visions direct from God (Genesis 28:12-15; Judges 7:13-15; 1 Kings 3:5; 1 Chronicles 17:1-15; Job 42:5; Isaiah 1:1, 6:1; Ezekiel 1:1, 3:14; Zechariah 1:19-21; Matthew 2:12, 13; Acts 10:9-32; 16:6-10).

  57. Drink offerings to other gods (Psalm 16:4).

  58. Eating or drinking blood (Leviticus 7:26-27; Acts 15:29; 21:25).

  59. Egyptian gods (Exodus 15:11; 18:11; 20:3), revealed indirectly who the ten plagues of the Exodus would have challenged and embarrassed:


    • 1st plague (Nile turned to blood) v. Khnum, god of Nile; Hapi, the spirit or dynamism of the Nile; Osiris, whose bloodstream was the Nile (Exodus 7:14-25).

    • 2nd plague (frogs) v. Heqt, the goddess of birth, wife of creator Amon-Ra; depicted with the head and body of a frog (Exodus 8:1-15).

    • 3rd plague (lice) v. Geb, god of the earth (Exodus 8:16-19).

    • 4th plague (swarms) v. the sacred scarab beetle, symbol of Amon-Ra, sun-god and creator who had a scarab-beetle head (Exodus 8:20-32).

    • 5th plague (livestock disease) v. Apis the bull; Hathor the cow-goddess of the desert; Khnum the ream-headed god; Bast the cat-goddess of love (Exodus 9:1-7).

    • 6th plague (boils) v. magicians; Imhotep god of medicine; Serapis god of healing; and Thoth god of intelligence (Exodus 9:8-12).

    • 7th plague (hail) v. Nut the sky-goddess; Shu the god of wind; Horus another sky-god; and Isis and Seth, who were supposed to protect the crops (Exodus 9:13-35).

    • 8th plague (locusts) v. Nepri, god of grain (Exodus 10:1-20).

    • 9th plague (darkness) v. Amon-Ra, Horus and Atum, sun-gods; Ptah, creator of the sun, moon and earth; Tem god of sunsets; and Shu god of sunlight and air (Exodus 10:21-29).

    • 10th plague (death of firstborn) v. birth-goddesses Meshkenet, Hathor and Min; fertility goddess Isis; Selket guardian of life; and Renenutet, the cobra-guardian of Pharaoh (Exodus 11:1—12:30).


  60. Emperor- or king-worship (Daniel 3:1-18; Acts 12:22).

  61. “Every high hill” and “every green tree” where fertility rituals were practiced and Israel “played the harlot” (2 Kings 17:10).

  62. Evil spirits (1 Samuel 16:14; 1 Kings 22:20-22; Acts 19:13-16).

  63. Exorcisms - unauthorized (Acts 19:13-17).

  64. Exorcisms – authorized by Jesus (Matthew 10:8; Luke 10:17-21; Acts 5:16).

  65. False miracles and prophecy (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).

  66. Fate and luck /fortune and Destiny (Isaiah 65:11).

  67. Figured stones; carved stones (Leviticus 26:1).

  68. Fire and sacrifice (1 Kings 18:25; Jeremiah 7:18).

  69. Food offered to the dead (Deuteronomy 26:14).

  70. Food sacrificed to idols and redistributed (Acts 15:29; 21:25).

  71. Following the detestable practices of the nations the Lord had driven out of the land (2 Kings 17:8).

  72. Following worthless idols and becoming worthless (2 Kings 17:15).

  73. Forbidden occult practices (Deuteronomy 18:9-12):

  • Human sacrifice

  • Divination

  • Sorcery

  • Omen-interpreting

  • Witchcraft

  • Spell-casting

  • Consulting the dead (being a medium or a spiritist).

  1. Foreign gods (Acts 17:18).

  2. Fortune and Destiny/fate and luck (Isaiah 65:11).

  3. Fortune-telling (Acts 16:16)

  4. Gad, the West Semitic god of good fortune; often identified with Jupiter (Isaiah 65:11).

  5. Gnosticism and Asceticism (Colossians 2:16-23).

  6. (the) gods of gold, silver, bronze, iron, wood, and stone (Daniel 5:4).

  7. (the) gods of Hamath and Arpad (2 Kings 18:34).

  8. (the) gods of Sepharvaim, Hena and Ivvah (2 Kings 18:35).

  9. (the) gods of city-states or nations (1 Kings 18:33-35; 2 Kings 17:29-33).

  10. (the) gods of hills, gods of valleys (1 Kings 20:23-28).

  11. (the) gods of the land/country/soil (2 Kings 5:17; 17:26-27).

  12. Gods/sons of gods (Psalm 29:1; 89:7; 97:7, 9; 103:20; 148:2; Job 1:6)

  13. Golden calf cult; the bull or calf was a major fertility symbol (Exodus 32:4; 1 Kings 12:26-33; Acts 7:41). City-slickers and suburbanites who have never visited a dairy or cattle farm might wonder why the bull was a symbol for fertility in the ancient world. But if you’ve ever seen how a bull behaves in a field full of cows, it won’t be a mystery any longer.

  14. Goliath’s gods (1 Samuel 17:43).

  15. Graven images, carved idols (Exodus 20:4).

  16. Green Tree; Israel played the harlot (practiced fertility rituals) “on every high hill and under every green tree” (2 Kings 17:10).

  17. Hadad, the head of the Canaanite gods, expressed in a fertility cult; also mentioned in Assyrian inscriptions as the god of Aleppo and Baal-Hadad (Zechariah 12:11).

  18. Hadad-Rimmon, a name that combines the Aramaen Hadad (“thunderer”) with the Assyrian air-god Rimmon or the Akkadian Ramman (“thunderer”) (Zechariah 12:11).

  19. Healing by God’s power (Numbers 21:8; Matthew 9:22; Mark 5:34-36; 6:7-13; Luke 4:39; 8:48; Acts 3:1-10; 5:12-16; James 5:15-16).

  20. High places, where rituals and sacrifices were performed (Numbers 22:41).

  21. Hill of Corruption, a high place where several gods were honored: Ashtoreth, Chemosh, and Molech (2 Kings 23:13).

  22. Horses and chariots dedicated to the sun god (2 Kings 23:10).

  23. House of the gods (1 Kings 16:32; 1 Chronicles 10:10).

  24. Household gods (Genesis 31:19; 35:2; Judges 8:14; 18:17-20; 2 Kings 23:24).

  25. Idol-making in the form of “any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4; Deuteronomy 7:5; 29:17; Isaiah 40:18-26; 42:8, 17; 44:9-20).

  26. Images overlaid with silver and/or gold (Isaiah 30:22).

  • Incense-burning (2 Kings 23:5; Jeremiah 7:9).

  1. Leaping on the altar (1 Kings 18:26).

  2. Legion, multiple demons in a person (Mark 5:9).

  3. Lilith, an ancient Near Eastern night-demoness (Isaiah 34:14).

  4. Magic, witchcraft, and sorcery (Exodus 7:10-12; 22:18; Leviticus 19:26, 31; 20:6, 27; Deuteronomy 18:10-12, 20-21; Isaiah 2:6; 47:10-14; Jeremiah 27:8; Micah 5:12; Malachi 3:5; Acts 8:9-24; 16:16-18; 19:13-19; Galatians 5:20).

  5. Making cakes for the Queen of heaven  (Jeremiah 7:18).

  6. Marduk, supreme god of the Babylonians (Jeremiah 50:2).

  7. (Being a) Medium/consulting the dead/channeling spirits of the dead/necromancy/spiritism (Leviticus 20:27; 2 Samuel 28:7-14; Isaiah 8:19).

  8. Meni, West Semitic god of destiny; associated with Manat, a goddess of fortune; identified with Venus (Isaiah 65:11).

  9. Milcom, a Phoenician and Ammonite god (1 Kings 11:33 RSV).

  10. Molech, the Moabites’ national god (2 Kings 23:10, 13; Jeremiah 32:25).

  11. Molten (cast-metal) images or idols (1 Kings 14:9).

  12. Naming and names of people and cities; often people and cities carried the names of pagan deities. Cities: Memphis, “the goddess of Pepi I endures” or “the abode of the spirit of Ptah” (Isaiah 19:13); Ashtarot (Deuteronomy 1:4); Baal-meon (Numbers 32:38); Baal-hermon (Judges 3:30); Baal-peor (Numbers 25:3). People: Saul’s son Esh-baal (1 Kings 8:33); Jonathan’s son Merib-baal (1 Kings 8:34); David’s son Beeliada (1 Kings 14:7); Jerubbaal who was Gideon (Judges 6:32; 7:1); Dionysius (Acts 17:34); Apollos (Acts 18:24).

  13. Naming as a way to gain control over someone, an occult belief the demons tried on Jesus (Mark 1:24; 5:7).

  14. National (i.e., city-state) gods (2 Kings 17:29; 18:33).

  15. Moon (2 Kings 23:5).

  16. Nebo, Babylonian god of speech and writing (Isaiah 46:1).

  17. Necromancy/spiritism/consulting the dead/channeling the spirits of the dead/being a medium (Leviticus 20:27; 2 Samuel 28:7-14; Isaiah 8:19).

  18. Nergal, known as “the burner,” originally a Mesopotamian god of fire and the sun; later developed into the god of war, pestilence, and death; his consort was Ereshkigal, ruler of the netherworld; Nergal is the patron deity of the city of Cuthah and the curse-enforcer of Hammurabi’s Code; later he becomes the protector-god of cattle, fields, and the hunt and the one who restores the dead (2 Kings 17:30).

  19. Nibhaz, possibly Hebrew for the Elamite god Ibnakhaza (2 Kings 17:31)

  20. Nisroch, worshiped by Assyrian king (2 Kings 19:37).

  21. Offering food/meat to idols (1 Corinthians 8:1-13).

  22. Occult and Magic (Leviticus 20:6; Deuteronomy 18:9-14; 1 Samuel 28:3-25; Isaiah 8:19; Acts 19:27-37).

  23. Pillars, sacred pillars, a fertility/phallic symbol (2 Kings 10:26).

  24. Pouring out drink offerings to other gods (Jeremiah 7:18).

  25. Priests (1 Kings 18:19).

  26. Principalities and Powers (Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 1:16; 2:15).

  27. Prophecy – false, presumptuous (Deuteronomy 13:1-5).

  28. Prophecy – from God, true (too numerous to mention).

  29. Prophecy for hire (Numbers 22:7, 16-17).

  30. Queen of heaven, or Istar/Inanna (Jeremiah 7:18).

  31. Rahab and Leviathan, watery chaos personified (Isaiah 27:1; 51:9).

  32. Raising from the dead (1 Kings 17:17-22; Matthew 9:25; Luke 7:14; John 11:43-44).

  33. Rimmon, Aramean storm-war god, akin to Baal (2 Samuel 5:17-18; Zechariah 12:11).

  34. The star of the god Rompha (Acts 7:46).

  35. Sacred food (2 Kings 23:9).

  36. Sacred groves (Exodus 34:13; Deuteronomy 7:5; 16:21; Judges 3:7; 6:25).

  37. Sacred pillars which God hates (Deuteronomy 16:22).

  • Homosexual shrine prostitution (1 Kings 14:24; 15:12; 22:46).

  • Heterosexual shrine prostitution (Genesis 38:21-22; Exodus 34:16; Deuteronomy 23:17; 1 Kings 14:24; 2 Kings 23:7; 1 Corinthians 6:15-20).

  1. Sacred stones (2 Kings 17:10; Lamentations 4:1).

  2. Sacrifice--animal (Judges 16:23; Hosea 4:13-14).

  3. Sacrifice--human (2 Kings 17:17; 21:6; 2 Chronicles 33:6; Isaiah 57:5; Jeremiah 32:35; Ezekiel 20:31; Hosea 13:2).

  4. Satan, the accuser (Genesis 3:1-8; Job 1:6; Matthew 4:10; Acts 26:18; Revelation 12:10).

  5. Supernatural deliverance from oppression (the Exodus).

  6. Supernatural deliverance from sin (by way of the Cross).

  7. Supernatural guidance (Acts 9:1-8; 16:6-10)

  8. Supernatural protection (Daniel 3:19-27; Luke 4:28-30).

  9. Supernatural provision (1 Kings 14:4-6; Matthew 4:1-2).

  10. Secret practices (2 Kings 17:9).

  11. Selling oneself to do evil (2 Kings 17:17).

  12. *** **** *nimals (Leviticus 18:23; 20:15-16).

  13. Shrines at gates and high places (2 Kings 17:29; 23:8).

  14. Shrines in Samaria (2 Kings 23:19).

  15. Shrines – private (Judges 17:5-6).

  16. Signs and wonders pointing to God (Mark 16:17; John 3:2, 20:30; Acts 2:19, 5:12; 1 Corinthians 2:4-5; 2 Corinthians 12:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:9).

  17. Sorcery (Leviticus 19:26; Numbers 24:1; Acts 8:9-11; 13:6-11; 19:18-20).

  18. Special clothing in worship (2 Kings 10:22).

  19. Spiritism/consulting the dead/channeling the spirits of the dead/being a medium/necromancy (Leviticus 20:27; 2 Samuel 28:7-14; Isaiah 8:19).

  20. Spirits of Egypt (Isaiah 19:3 NRSV).

  21. Starry hosts (2 Kings 23:4).

  22. Succoth Benoth (Hebrew: “booths of daughters”), where sexual rituals were performed for a Babylonian fertility goddess, either Banitu/Ishtar or Zer-Benitu, consort of Marduk (2 Kings 17:30).

  23. (the) Sun (2 Kings 23:5).

  24. Syncretism (Exodus 34:14; Deuteronomy 12:4, 31; Judges 6:10; 1 Kings 11:1-10; 2 Kings 17:29-41, esp. 35-38; cf Exodus 20:3; Deuteronomy 3:24; 22:20).

  25. Tahpanhes, Egyptian city where the god was Baal-zephon (Jeremiah 2:16).

  26. Tammuz, the Hebrew name for the Mesopotamian vegetation god Damuzi (Ezekiel 8:14).

  27. Tartak, possibly Hebrew for the Elamite god Dirtaq; or, possibly a shortened form of Atargatis (also known as Derceto), a composite male-female deity that had attributes of both Attar and his consort Anat, the Syrian fertility cult goddess (2 Kings17:31).

  28. Taunting other gods for their weakness (2 Kings 18:33-35).

  29. Tatoos or head-shaving for the dead (Deuteronomy 14:1).

  30. Temples dedicated to other gods (Genesis 38:21).

  31. Tombs and bones in tombs as having defiling power (2 Kings 23:15-16).

  32. Topheth in Ben Hinnom valley, where children were sacrificed in the fire to Molech (2 Kings 23:10).

  33. Tribal gods (2 Kings 17:29).

  34. Unclean spirits (Matthew 10:1; 12:43; Mark 1:23, 26-28; 3:11, 30; 5:2, 8, 13; 6:7; 7:25; 9:25; Acts 5:16; 8:7; Revelation 16:13; 18:2).

  35. Watchtowers as high places (2 Kings 17:9).

  36. “Wise men” as magicians, enchanters, diviners, sorcerers, and astrologers (Daniel 2:2, 12, 27).

  37. Women weeping for Tammuz (Ezekiel 8:14).

  38. Women weaving for Asherah (2 Kings 23:7).

  39. Wicked things in worship (2 Kings 17:11).

  40. Worship of angels (Colossians 2:18; Revelation 19:9-10).

  41. Worship of demons (Leviticus 17:7; Deuteronomy 32:17; 1 Corinthians 10:20).

  42. Worship of the Lord and other gods at the same time (2 Kings 17:32, 41).

  43. Worship of the Lord but appointing “all sorts of people” as priests rather than Levites (2 Kings 17:32).

  44. Worship of the one true God and him alone (Exod. 20:3; Deut 6:4-6).”

  45. Worship of snakes/possession by a Python spirit (Acts 16:16-18).

  46. Worship of unnamed gods (Joshua 24:2; Acts 17:23; 1 Corinthians 8:5-6).

  47. Worshiping “other gods” (2 Kings 17:7).

  48. Zeus and Hermes - Greek names; Jupiter and Mercury - Roman names; the high god and his messenger (Acts 14:11-13).

  49. In Exodus 3:14, the infinite, eternal God revealed his personal name to Moses as “I am that I am.” This revelation of God’s name shows that God is not remote, aloof and secretive, keeping himself from people, but is communicative.

  50. In ancient (and modern) Pagan traditions, if you know a spirit’s or a god’s name you’re supposed to be able to call it forth and have some claim on or power over it. The demons in one man tried to control Jesus by naming him in Mark 1:24, but their magic didn’t work.