Angels and Demons

 Our duty as Christians is to disciple new believers. The more new believers see our love for God and the Word, the more their love will grow too! This is our responsibility!

For the past several weeks, we’ve been discussing angels and demons. I’ve waited until we’ve finished everything to post, so this will probably be long (but definitely good!). When discussing the realm of the spiritual, we must be fully aware that there are two opposing armies warring over our very souls. So as we begin, let us pray that we go through life with eyes wide open.

                        * 2 Kings 6:15-17 - Now when the attendant of the man of God had

                        risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots

was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶ So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And the Lord opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.

ANGELS

- Defined as created, spiritual beings with moral judgment, and high intelligence, but without physical bodies.

           

            - They haven’t always existed. Like humans, they are created beings. Unlike

            humans, they are not created in God’s image. They, like us were made purely

            for God’s pleasure.

                        ** How much more must God love us than the angels, since He chose

                        to make us in His image!!

                        ** When Satan was cast out of heaven, God showed no mercy to him

                        and the other angels who disobeyed. When man disobeys, God

                        continually shows mercy!

- Their purpose:

            1. They show God’s love and plan. Angels are like humans in that they can

            exercise moral judgment and have high intelligence; therefore, we can

            understand much about God’s love and plan by studying the angels.

            2. They are a reminder of the realness of the unseen world. Scripture

            frequently calls our attention to angels, whether through actual visits from

            angels or descriptions of their characteristics.

                        - Luke 2:13 - And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude

 of the heavenly host praising God.

                        * There is so much more to Christianity than we can see

                        – there is a whole spiritual realm!

            3. They are an example of a correct relationship with God.

           

                        * Angels were created specifically to worship God.

                                    Rev. 4:8-11 - And the four living creatures, each one of them

                                    having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day

                                    and night they do not cease to say,

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

⁹ And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, ¹⁰ the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,

¹¹ “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

                        * Sola de gloria de Dios! – everything for God’s glory

                        * The angels are committed to serving God.

                                    - God is always faithful to us, so we should always praise Him!

                        * Angels are faithful in their humility.

                                    - Is. 6:2-3 - Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings:

                                    with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet,

                                    and with two he flew. ³ And one called out to another and said,

Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

                   * We are unworthy to come before God, but we

                                       are always welcome!

- The different types of angels:

            1. Cherubim:

                        - Gen. 3:24 - So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of

                        Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned

                        every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

                        - Ps. 18:10 - He rode upon a cherub and flew; And He sped upon

                        the wings of the wind.

                        - Ez. 10:1-22 - Then I looked, and behold, in the expanse that was over

the heads of the cherubim something like a sapphire stone, in appearance resembling a throne, appeared above them. ² And He spoke to the man clothed in linen and said, “Enter between the whirling wheels under the cherubim and fill your hands with coals of fire from between the cherubim and scatter them over the city.” And he entered in my sight.

³ Now the cherubim were standing on the right side of the temple when the man entered, and the cloud filled the inner court. ⁴ Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub to the threshold of the temple, and the temple was filled with the cloud and the court was filled with the brightness of the glory of the Lord. ⁵ Moreover, the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court, like the voice of God Almighty when He speaks.

⁶ It came about when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, “Take fire from between the whirling wheels, from between the cherubim,” he entered and stood beside a wheel. ⁷ Then the cherub stretched out his hand from between the cherubim to the fire which was between the cherubim, took some and put it into the hands of the one clothed in linen, who took it and went out. ⁸ The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings.

⁹ Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a Tarshish stone. ¹⁰ As for their appearance, all four of them had the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel. ¹¹ When they moved, they went in any of their four directions without turning as they went; but they followed in the direction which they faced, without turning as they went. ¹² Their whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels belonging to all four of them.¹³ The wheels were called in my hearing, the whirling wheels. ¹⁴ And each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

¹⁵ Then the cherubim rose up. They are the living beings that I saw by the river Chebar. ¹⁶ Now when the cherubim moved, the wheels would go beside them; also when the cherubim lifted up their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels would not turn from beside them. ¹⁷ When the cherubim stood still, the wheels would stand still; and when they rose up, the wheels would rise with them, for the spirit of the living beings was in them.

¹⁸ Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. ¹⁹ When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the Lord’s house, and the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them.

²⁰ These are the living beings that I saw beneath the God of Israel by the river Chebar; so I knew that they werecherubim. ²¹ Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and beneath their wings was the form of human hands.²² As for the likeness of their faces, they were the same faces whose appearance I had seen by the river Chebar. Each one went straight ahead.

* Just for fun: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7f69SLJPNRU

- Assyrian definition: something great and mighty

- Babylonian definition: perpetual and blessed

- They are a protective deity often found in pairs

- Associated with fire and movement

- Surround God’s throne and even hold the throne

            2. Seraphim:

                        - Is. 6:2-7 - Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with

                        two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with

                        two he flew. ³ And one called out to another and said,

“Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts,
The whole earth is full of His glory.”

⁴ And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. ⁵ Then I said,

“Woe is me, for I am ruined!
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
And I live among a people of unclean lips;
For my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.”

⁶ Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs.⁷ He touched my mouth with it and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.”

                        - The seraphim are in constant worship. Their one purpose is to stand

                        around God’s throne calling out, “Holy Holy Holy!”

                        - They surround God’s throne calling out God’s glory

                                    ** We must always look on the holiness of God to realize our

                                    own wretchedness.

                        - Hebrew definition: burning ones

                                    * They are burning with passion for God. They cannot stop

                                    saying, “Holy Holy Holy!”

                                    ** We are able to come into God’s presence. We, too, should be

                                    constantly looking to God’s holiness and praising Him!

            3. Living Creatures:

                        - Ez. 1:5-14 - Within it there were figures resembling four living

                        beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. ⁶ Each of

them had four faces and four wings. ⁷ Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. ⁸ Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, ⁹ their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. ¹⁰ As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man;  all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. ¹¹ Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. ¹² And each went straight forward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went. ¹³ In the midst of the living beings there was something that looked like burning coals of fire, like torches darting back and forth among the living beings. The fire was bright, and lightning was flashing from the fire. ¹⁴ And the living beings ran to and fro like bolts of lightning.

                        - Rev. 4:6 - and before the throne there was something like a sea of

glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind.

                        - These creatures are part human and part animal with multiple wings

                        and eyes.

                        - Their existence shows God’s majesty and creativity.

- The Bible also notes that there is rank among the angels. Michael, the archangel, is the highest of the angels and is the leader of them. The Bible does not state whether or not Michael is the only archangel.

-  A Few Questions about Angels:

            * Are angels everywhere? Angels are created beings. Just like humans, they

            can only be in one place at a time. Only God is omnipresent.

                        - Daniel 10:12-14, Luke 1:26

            * How many angels are there? Scripture does not give us an exact number of

            angels.

                        - Deut. 33:2 – uses the phrase “ten thousands of holy ones”

                        - Ps. 68:17 – states that the “chariots of God are tens of thousands of

                        thousands of thousands”

                        - Heb. 12:22 – says that the angels are “innumerable”

                        - Rev. 5:11 – uses the phrase “myriads and myriads and thousands of

                        thousands” to indicate an amazingly large number of angels

            * Do people have individual guardian angels? There is no specific place in

Scripture that states every person has one guardian angel. It does, however, say that one job of the angels is to provide protection. Grudem gives this athletic analogy: “The angels may be playing ‘zone’ rather than ‘man-to-man’ defense.” They come when they are sent; they aren’t hovering around us waiting for the moment to come to our rescue.

*** If you have more questions about angels, please leave a comment, and I’ll be sure to do some research on it. ***

Satan and Demons

Is. 14: 12-15 - “How you have fallen from heaven,
O star of the morning, son of the dawn!
You have been cut down to the earth,
You who have weakened the nations!
¹³ “But you said in your heart,
‘I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God,
And I will sit on the mount of assembly
In the recesses of the north.
¹⁴ ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.’
¹⁵ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,
To the recesses of the pit.

- Demons defined – evil angels who sinned against God and who now continually work evil in the world.

            - 2 Pet. 2:4 -  God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them

            into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment.

                        ** God didn’t spare the angels when they sinned but cast them into

                        hell. How much greater must God love us, for He doesn’t cast us off

                        immediately when we sin.

            - Jude 6 -  And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned

            their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the

            judgment of the great day.

- Satan’s main pursuit is to be better than God. Since God’s main pursuit is to display his own glory, they are in constant battle.

- 1 Chron. 21:1 - Then Satan stood up against Israel and moved David to number Israel.

            - Satan constantly stands against those whom God loves.

- Zech. 3:1 - Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him.

            - Satan is the accuser. He stands ready to point out our sins crying, “Guilty!

            Shameful! Unworthy!”

- The name Satan means adversary. In every way he is the enemy. His purpose is to oppose every work of God.

            * He and the demons are limited by God’s control and are helpless in

            comparison to God’s power!

- They can only go so far. Every temptation or trial caused by this evil realm cannot happen without God’s permission (i.e. Job). We can always remember 1 Cor. 10:13 -  No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.

- Nature of Satan:

- He is a deceptive tempter. Gen. 3:1-6 - Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴ The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

- He is a murderer and a liar. John 8:44 - You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

- He is a sinner from the beginning. 1 John 3:8 - the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.

** We have all the same characteristics before grace!

- Characteristics shared by Satan and the Demons:

- Desire failure. Matthew 4:1-11 - Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. ³ And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” ⁴ But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’” ⁵ Then the devil took Him into the holy city and had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, ⁶ and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down; for it is written, ‘He will command His angels concerning You’; and ‘On their hands they will bear You up, So that You will not strike Your foot against a stone.’” ⁷ Jesus said to him, “On the other hand, it is written, ‘You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.’” ⁸ Again, the devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory;⁹ and he said to Him, “All these things I will give You, if You fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him,“ Go, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.’” ¹¹ Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.

- Gains joy through destruction. Rev. 12:9 - And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

- They blind people and keep them in bondage. 2 Cor. 4:4 - in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

- They enslave people. Gal. 4:8 - However at that time, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those which by nature are no gods.

- Longs to devour us. 1 Pet. 5:8-11 - Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. ⁹ But resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in the world. ¹⁰ After you have suffered for a little while, the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you. ¹¹ To Him be dominion forever and ever. Amen.

- Incapable of competing with God’s power. James 4:7 - Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

- Luke 9:1 - And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases.

- Luke 10:17 - The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.”

** The realm of the spiritual is real and powerful. We must acknowledge its existence as well as its power. Scripture is our greatest ally. We learn from Scripture how to praise God like the angels and how to defeat Satan and his demons with the powerful two-edged sword!

 * Please leave a comment if there is a question you want answered. I'll do my best to research it and post as quickly as possible! 

 Notes for this lesson were taken from Wayne Grudem's Systematic Theology and the NASB.