Although many believers think that it is not possible for them to endanger themselves and others through music if it has Christian words, careful attention to biblical revelation and other evidence concerning fallen spirits and their influences on human music proves otherwise. The following treatment of that revelation and evidence warns us to beware endangering others and ourselves through music.
Fallen Spirits and Their Activities
God is the only eternal Being (Ps. 90:2; John 1:1-2), and He created everything else that exists (Gen. 1:1; John 1:3), including all supernatural spirit beings (Gen. 2:1; Exod. 20:11; Neh. 9:6; Ps. 148:1-5; Col. 1:16). Supernatural spirit beings mentioned in Scripture include seraphim (Is. 6:2), cherubim (Gen. 3:24), four living creatures (Rev. 4:8), holy angels (Matt. 25:31), and evil spirits (Acts 19:12).
Because God is not the Author of evil (Gen. 1:31; cf. James 1:13), we know that the evil spirits mentioned in Scripture were created as holy spiritual beings (Ezek. 28:14-15a; cf. Jude 6). At some point after their creation, they rebelled against God and became fallen spirits (Ezek. 28:15b; cf. Jude 6; 2 Pet. 2:4).
Fallen spirits are intent on denying God the glory that He alone is due from His creatures (Is. 14:12-14; cf. Col. 2:18; Rev. 9:20). They seek to harm as many of His creatures as possible and to bring about their destruction (cf. Matt. 8:32; John 8:44; Acts 19:12), especially humans (Luke 13:16; Acts 10:38; 1 Pet. 5:8).
Because the Father desires people who will worship Him in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24), we can be certain that fallen spirits want to prevent people from giving Him that worship. Undoubtedly, they do so continuously throughout the world either through preventing it entirely (2 Cor. 4:3-4; Col. 2:18; Rev. 9:20) or through corrupting it in as many ways as possible and as much as possible (cf. 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 4:1-3).
Fallen spirits have influenced humans to do evil things without their knowing anything about that influence (1 Chron. 21:1; 1 Kings 22:22; 2 Cor. 11:14). They have had this covert influence on both unbelievers (1 Kings 22:22; John 13:27) and believers (1 Chron. 21:1; Acts 5:3).
Fallen Spirits and Music in Scripture
The angels sang when God created the earth and everything on it (Job. 38:6-7). Angels sound trumpets (Exod. 19:16; Rev. 8:2) and heavenly spirit beings worship God, play harps, and sing praise to God and the Lamb (Rev. 4:8-11; 5:8-14). We know, therefore, that supernatural spirit beings, including fallen spirits, are musical beings (see this post for further explanation of this point.
Fallen spirits have observed and heard all the worship of heaven that has included music (Job 38:6-7; Ps. 148:2; cf. Is. 6:3). They know experientially what heavenly music that pleases God sounds like.
Fallen spirits have observed the activities of humans from the beginning of mankind (Gen. 3; 2 Cor. 11:3; cf. Job 1:7). They know exactly what music man has made that has pleased God (e.g. 2 Chron. 5:11-14).
Fallen spirits know about the godly instrumental music produced by a Spirit-empowered man that drove out an evil spirit from another man (1 Sam. 16:14-23). At least one fallen spirit, therefore, has personally experienced the spiritual power of such godly music (1 Sam. 16:23).
Fallen spirits have full knowledge also about the music that man has made that has not pleased God (e.g. Is. 5:11-12; Dan. 3:5-7, 10, 15). They undoubtedly played a major role in the musical activities of multitudes of people who were destroyed in the Flood because “every imagination of the thoughts of [their hearts] was only evil continually” (Gen. 4:21 cf. Gen. 6:5; see this post for a full explanation of this key point).
After the Flood, on a particularly sordid occasion, fallen spirits influenced people who had eaten meat offered to an idol in syncretistic worship of Yahweh to sing in a way that the Holy Spirit highlights by providing an explicit record of that singing (Exod. 32:17-18). Because that singing was produced by demon-influenced people (cf. 1 Cor. 10:20) who were idolatrously eating, drinking, and playing (1 Cor. 10:7; including ungodly dancing [Exod. 32:19]) in such an evil, uncontrolled way that even their enemies were ashamed of them (Exod. 32:25), we can be certain that their singing that was supposedly to Yahweh was evil as well.
Fallen Spirits and Dangerous Music
Given all that we know about the aims and activities of fallen spirits and about their full knowledge about music that pleases God and music that does not please Him, believers must not be at all dismissive about the role of fallen spirits in the production of ungodly popular musical styles (Eph. 2:2-3; 1 John 5:19). Rather, we have every reason to believe that fallen spirits have influenced and continue to influence as many people as possible to listen to and produce music that does not please God, especially in their worship of Him.
In fact, many popular musicians have testified in various ways that the source of their music has been supernatural influences from outside themselves.[1] Believers must not reject such testimonies—they must stay as far away as possible from any music, even if it has Christian words, when there is even the slightest possibility that fallen spirits have played a role in originating that dangerous music (see also Are Secular Testimonies about Fallen Spirits and Music Inherently Unreliable?).
Conclusion
Christians must reject (Ps. 1:1; Eph. 5:11) all music, including music with Christian words, that employs ungodly popular musical styles that evil humans have produced for explicitly stated evil purposes, such as rock music, because vital biblical considerations and sobering personal testimonies point to fallen spirits as the supernatural origin of those ungodly styles. Beware endangering yourself and others through music!
[1] The following quotes are from a website that I found by doing a Google search on evil spirits and rock music:
David Bowie: “Rock has always been THE DEVIL’S MUSIC. . .” (Rolling Stone, Feb. 12, 1976);
John Lennon: “I’ve sold my soul to the DEVIL.” (Ray Coleman, Lennon, p.256);
Little Richard: “I’m the Rock ‘n Roll singer that you heard about through the years. . . I was directed and commanded by another power. The power of DARKNESS. . . The power of the DEVIL, SATAN.” (Charles White, The Life and Times of Little Richard, pp. 205-206);
During a 1993 Oprah Winfrey interview, Michael Jackson, explained the reason for some of his filthy sexual gestures during his concerts: “It happens subliminally. IT’S THE MUSIC THAT COMPELS ME TO DO IT. You don’t think about it, it just happens. I’M SLAVE TO THE RHYTHM.” (The Evening Star, Feb. 11, 1993, p. A10)
—http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Evils%20in%20America/CCM/hip_hop.htm; accessed 1/17/14; 3:55 pm
I also found the following sources from that same search: Note the testimonies provided in point II of this web article (http://truediscipleship.org/Gtopics/general108.htm; accessed 1/17/14; 3:59 pm) and the many testimonies from rock musicians themselves in this article (http://www.inplainsite.org/html/voices_of_rock.html; accessed 1/17/14; 4:09 pm); see also the similar testimonies in a similar article (http://wayoflife.org/index_files/rock_musicians_as_mediums.html; accessed 1/17/14; 4:14 pm.)
Please note that I have not independently verified the quotes provided in any of these sources. I have no reason, however, to doubt their veracity, especially since several sources provide some of the same quotes.
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