Belial (Beliar)

One of the FALLEN ANGELS . Belial ranks as one of Satan’s most important and evil DEMONS , who is decep- tively beautiful in appearance and soft in voice, but full of treachery, recklessness, and lies. He is dedicated to creating wickedness and guilt in mankind, especially in the form of sexual perversions, fornication, and lust. Belial’s name probably comes from the Hebrew term beli ya’al, which means “without worth.” In Jewish lore, Belial was the next angel created after Lucifer. He was evil from the start, being one of the first to revolt against God. After his fall from HEAVEN , he became the personification of evil. St. PAUL considered him to be chief of demons. According to lore, Belial danced before King SOLOMON , and was among the demons who worked under the king’s command, ruled by Solomon’s magical ring. In HELL Belial commands 80 legions of demons and served as infernal ambassador to Turkey. The LEMEGE - TON describes him as appearing in the deceptive form of a beautiful angel seated in a chariot of fire and speaking in a pleasant voice. Belial distributes preferences for senatorships, favors to friends and foes, and gives excellent FAMIL - IARS . Because of his power, sacrifices and offerings are necessary to invoke him. Belial sometimes break his promises, but those who gain his true favor are hand- somely rewarded. Belial’s name is sometimes a synonym for Satan or the Antichrist, the epitome of evil. In the Old Testa- ment, the “sons of Belial” refers to people of worthless- ness and recklessness. Belial is among the 72 spirits of Solomon. Prior to his fall, he was in the order of the VIRTUES . In a QUMRAN TEXT called the Testament of Amran (Q543, 545–548), Belial is identified as one of the WATCHERS whose three titles are Belial, Prince of Dark- ness, and King of Evil. He is empowered over all dark- ness and his every way and every work are darkness.