Brazilian Pastor and former member of the satanic brotherhood Daniel Mastral once said quoting biblical scripture (Ephesians 6:12) that the kingdom of satan is organized in principalities, ranks and responsibilities, much like the kingdom of God is. He goes further to elaborate on the higher ranks of satan’s army indicating who their generals are and their goal of destruction: Beelzebub, astaroth, asmodeus, and leviathan.
They are the Baal gods of the canaanites of antiquity, he illustrates. Fascinating in my opinion, as a follower of the way. Sun Tzu, the great Chinese general once said, “Know thyself, know thy enemy, a thousand battles, a thousand wins.”
As Christians, I argue, we must better understand the devil and his commanders so we can act accordingly when we see an attack coming our way or in the way of people that we love or know.
After reading Aquinas theology, scanning the Babylonian Talmud, and knowing the culture of Brazil though the understanding of yemoja from a culture context, what I’m going to write below is at the minimum eye opening and worth knowing about.
The Beelzebub demon, a prince of hell theologically known as the Lord of the flies, attacks the brethren in the areas of pride and gluttony. In the treatment of Solomon, this demon is associated with destruction, Beelzebul claims to cause destruction, to excite priests to lust, to cause jealousies and murders, and to bring war.
Astaroth is a Duke of hell who rules 40 legions of demons, according to Weyer. This demon attacks the lukewarm brethren by means of laziness, self-doubt, and rationalized philosophies. This demon corrupts the people of God through manipulation and corruption through the intellect.
Asmodeus is one of the princes of hell who leads 72 legions of demons, according to the Malleus Maleficarum of 1486. This demon is related to gambling and is often referred to as the prince of revenge. The demon of trickery and tyranny. Those who rule tyrannically and torture weaker beings typically are manifestations of this demon. Slavery had been associated with Asmodeus as well as the sin of lust.
Leviathan is one of the princes of hell, the demon of chaos, jealousy, and envy, in Brazilian culture, Leviathan is embodied as the mother of all orixás, yemanja the demon of water. That’s why every New Year’s Eve in Copacabana Rio de Janeiro, many followers of yemanja and cultural Brazilians dress in white to show reverence to this demon in exchange to good fortune and order.
Next time that you experience the temptation of pride and gluttony, war and destruction, understand that the Beelzebub demon is tempting you. Be aware of be square.
Laziness, self-doubt, or the corruption of the intellect… astaroth is trying to destroy you. Are you trying to seek revenge, engage is lustful actions to enslave others? Asmodeus maybe acting up in your life. If you are overwhelmed with envy, jealousy or the need to have a good fortune to a point of idolatry, the demon leviathan is at work.
Remember: “My people perish for lack of understanding.” Hosea 4:6.