Spiritual Beings

TH Bible Study March

Purpose: To understand angels and demons better by studying what they are, their roles, their creation, activities, and eventual eternal state (good and bad).

Big Picture: God created all things, including angelic beings like Lucifer, and has total control over their activities. He will ultimately defeat Lucifer’s plans to be greater than God after the Tribulation period has ended.

God=WINNER

Lucifer=LOSER

Story:

The Reverend John G. Paton, pioneer missionary in the New HebridesIslands, told a thrilling story involving the protective care of angels.

Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. John Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see that, unaccountably, the attackers had left. They thanked God for delivering them.
A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Jesus Christ, and Mr. Paton, remembering what had happened, asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men you had with you there?" The missionary answered, "There were no men there; just my wife and I." The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard - hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the mission station so that the natives were afraid to attack. Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent His angels to protect them. The chief agreed that there was no other explanation.

Could it be that God had sent a legion of angels to protect His servants, whose lives were being endangered?

Angelic Beings: What are they?

Show PowerPoint Pictures with our misconceptions about what they look like

THE ATTRIBUTES OF ANGELIC BEINGS:

1. ______(Spirits)

They can and do appear in human form (we may have even entertained them "unawares"), but angels are nonetheless called "spirits" in Hebrews 1:14. The Lord said they are not supposed to function as humans with regard to marriage (Mark 12:25) and are not subject to death (Luke 20:36).

2. ______(Created beings)

Read Heb. 1. Psalm 148 orders all of nature to praise God for His creation. It mentions that angels were created by His Word. Job 38:6-7 tells us that angels sang hymns of praise when they were created and, ultimately, will sing praise to the Lord Christ -- Colossians 1:16 and the heavenly account in Revelation.

3. ______(Finite in number)

The Colossians reference also describes the creation of angels as a singular act. Since they cannot reproduce their own kind (Matthew 22:30), their number remains the same.

Their number in Hebrews 12:22 is "muriasin" (Greek myriad -- literally, ten thousand). This term is multiplied in Revelation 5:11-12 to suggest countless.

4. ______(Higher order than man currently-Angels)

Read Hebrews 2:7 suggests that we are "made lower than the angels" for the time being. Since angels cannot die (Luke 20:36), they are presently wiser than man (2 Samuel 14:20) and, subsequently, have more power (Matthew 28:2, Acts 5:19 and 2 Peter 2:11).

5. ______(Lower order at resurrection-Angels)

Nonetheless, angels have limited wisdom (Matthew 24:36) and are limited in power (Daniel 10:13). But even the Lord, in His divinely chosen incarnation, is "lower" (Hebrews AND Philippians 2:7). The good news for us is that angels were NOT fully created in the image of God and thus, do NOT share our particular redemptive destiny in Christ. We who believe in Him will someday be exalted ABOVE the heavenly angels (Read 1 Corinthians 5:3).

Angels:

The Bible tells us that God created the angels and that at some time in the distant past there was a rebellion in heaven and many of the angels fell. (See “Fallen Angels”) The Bible says that angels were created by Christ (Col. 1:16), that they carry out the will of God (Psalm 103:20; Matt. 6:10), they worship God and Christ (Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:6), are wise (2 Sam. 14:20), mighty (Psalm 103:20), holy (Matt. 25:31), and innumerable, (Heb. 12:22).However, angels are not to be worshipped (Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:9) since they are creatures.

Angels are very active in the Bible and are used by God as messengers, warriors, and servants. The word "angel" comes from the Greek word "angelos" which means messenger. Angels are spiritual beings without bodies of flesh and bones, though they apparently have the ability to appear in human form (Gen. 19:1-22). Angels had many functions. They praised God (Psalm 103:20), served as messengers to the world (Luke 1:11-20, 26-38; Luke 2:9-14), watched over God’s people (Psalm 91:11-12), and were sometimes instruments of God’s judgment (Matt. 13:49-50).
THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS

Angels attend perpetually to the holiness of God Almighty as servants.
Having a significant ministry to the Son of God as outlined in the Bible, they:

1. Prophesied His Birth -- (Luke 1:26-38).

2.Guarded Him during sojourn to Egypt-- (Matthew 2:13-20).

3.Supplied encouragement and food as they did with Elijah during period of temptation -- (Matthew 4:11 and 1 Kings 19:5-7).

4.Strengthed Him in Garden of Gethsemane(Luke 22:43).

5.Announced His Resurrection (Matthew 28:5-7, Mark 16:6-7, Luke 24:4-7 and John 20:12-13)

6.Attended His triumphant Ascension into Glory (Acts 1:10).

7. Attend His Second Coming after regathering the elect of Israel to the land (Matthew 24 AND 25, verse 31).

Angels also have an important ministry to humans -- Hebrews 1:14 says angels have a ministering ("leitourgika" in Greek) function to believers in both the Old Testament and the Church.

Specifically, they:

1. Protect -- The prison chronicles of the apostles (Acts 5:19, 12:7-11), the 144,000 Jewish proselytes of Revelation 7, the enemies of Gods' people (Psalm 91:11-13) and even David himself when he was hounded by the Philistines (Psalm 34:7).

2. Nourish -- Elijah and Jesus, for example. Brought them food when they were hungry.

3. Encourage -- like Paul during the storm and shipwreck on the way to Rome (Acts 27:23-25).

4. Call a meeting where appropriate, such as Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26) and Peter and Cornelius the centurion (Acts 10:3, 22).

5. Respond to prayer requests at the behest of God -- Peter in prison (Acts 12) and Daniel 10:10-12:13) II Kings 6:17.

6. Carry home the saints -- like Lazarus to Abraham's Bosom (Luke 16:22).

They also carry the bad news of judgment -- Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:12) and the Battle of Armageddon. In Revelation, they also sound the trumpets and announce the bowl judgments as well as cast unbelievers into the fire (Matthew 13:39-42).Elsewhere, angels carried out judgment over Jerusalem for its idolatry -- (Ezekiel 9) and slew Herod Agrippa for blasphemy (Acts 12:23)

Are there different kinds of angels?

Apparently, there are different kinds of angels with different characteristics and roles: cherubim, seraphim, and archangels. Let’s focus on the four main groups.

  1. "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" (Isaiah 6:2).
  2. They praise God (Isaiah 6:3).
  3. The word "seraphim" (singular is saraph) probably a translation of ‘fiery ones’ and probably stems from the fiery imagery often associated with the Presence of God (cf. Ezek. 1:27).1
  4. "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). See also Exodus 25:18-22; Heb. 9:5.

a.Cherubim are typically represented with wings, feet, and hands, but are described in different forms as having two faces (Ezek. 41:18) and even four faces (Ezek. 10:21).

b.Cherubim were considered to be angels that guarded sacred things. In Gen. 3:24 they guarded the tree of life. They were over the Ark of the Covenant on the Mercy Seat (1 Sam. 4:4). See also Psalm 80:1; 99:1

c.Figures of Cherubs were embroidered on the temple veil (Exodus 26:31; 2 Chron. 3:7) and lavished Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:26ff).

  1. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thess. 4:16).
  2. The word "archangel" is not found in the Old Testament. References to Michael archangel appear only in 1 Thess. 4:16 and Jude 9. However, Gabriel, who is considered an archangel appears in both the OT and NT. In the OT he is found in Dan. 8:15-26 and 9:21-27. In the NT he is mentioned in Luke 1:11-20, 26-38. He seems to be a messenger angel.
  3. On the other hand, Michael the archangel seems to be a warrior angel (Rev. 12:7) who does battle (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1 ).
  4. An interesting note is that in Rom. 8:38, Eph. 1:21, and Col. 1:16, the word ‘principalities’ is used. In Greek the word has the prefix of "arche" suggesting archangel. Some think this means there is a hierarchy of angels as is suggested in 1 Pet. 3:22: "who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him" (NASB).
  1. General Rank
  1. Ephesians 6:12 describes the ranks of fallen angels as "principalities, powers and rulers (highest rank)." All angels and demons have authority to exert force in this world. An example in the Old Testament is the "prince of Persia" (Daniel 10:13) who was resisting Michael and the unnamed heavenly messenger. A New Testament mention of this ongoing spiritual warfare is Revelation 12:7 -- the "war in heaven." Earlier, we know that Michael even contended with Satan over Moses' body (Jude 9) but left judgment properly to the Lord.

Demons:

WHO ARE DEMONS?

Demons are living, seducing spirits whose supernatural mission is to turn men and women away from the way, truth and life of Jesus Christ. They rebelled against God in eternity and have but a limited time to hinder His divine plan for salvation. Demons seem to be able to cause illness, paralysis, blindness, and violence combined with great strength in the one possessed. Demons apparently strongly desire to reside within people (Matt. 8:28) and even animals (Matt. 8:32).
Imagine how bad things will be when the restraining influence of the Holy Spirit is removed (2 Thessalonians 2:7)?

The Greek word "daimon" in the Bible suggests an inferior "deity" or evil spirit who has the supernatural ability to enter the human body and exercise control over it. Thus the demons of Satan are disembodied spirits seeking something or someone to possess. Read Matthew 8:28 describes "two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way." Powerful stuff!

A scary premise features demons who can and do pose as "angels of light"- 2 Corinthians 11:14,15 - "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."

What does the Bible say about fallen angels?

Of course, there are fallen angels as well. Lucifer, another archangel, rebelled against God and became the devil. Following are verses often quoted in reference to the evil one.

  • "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.’" (Isaiah 14:12-14).

Most scholars agree that one third of the angels fell into sin and became demons.

  • "And another sign appeared in heaven: and behold, a great red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads were seven diadems.4 And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven, and threw them to the earth . . . " (Rev. 12:3-4).

In the future, there will be a judgment upon the fallen angels:

  • "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:41).
  • "For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment" (2 Pet. 2:4).
  • "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6).
  • "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Rev. 12:9).

______
1. Achtemeier, Paul J., Th.D., Harper’s Bible Dictionary, (San Francisco: Harper and Row, Publishers, Inc.) 1985.
2. Swanson, James, Editor, New Nave’s Topical Bible, (Oak Harbor, Washington: Logos Research Systems, Inc.) 1994.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF DEMONS

Fallen angels, according to Matthew 25:41 and Revelation 12:7 are the hosts of Satan. They actually fall into two groups –(1) those who are active and (2) those who committed an unpardonable sin in eternity and are confined.

These latter demons fall into two sub-categories.

1a. The permanently disabled in Tartarus

2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6 describe the fate of the pre-Flood Nephilim who left their "oikterion" (heavenly body), gave themselves over to sexual immorality and went after "strange flesh" (Jude 7). As a result, they were cast down to Tartarus bound in "chains of darkness to be reserved for judgment."

1b. Those confined in the Pit

Luke 8:31 and Revelation 9:2 talk of other fallen angels who resemble "scorpion-like locusts" and are confined to the "abusso" (bottomless pit). These will be loosed upon the earth in the Fifth Trumpet Judgment for five months to torment all who lack God's protective seal. Not a pretty picture.

2. The active demons

These demons answer to God, as we see Satan do in the Book of Job. They are powerful but NOT omnipotent like God (John 10:21); they are exceedingly clever but NOT omniscient like God and know their eventual destiny (Matthew 8:29); and they are mobile but NOT omnipresent like God, occupying only one place at a time. The fallen angels who are "unconfined" are the active demons of this world.

They are NOT god -- not even close!

THE ACTIVITY OF DEMONS

From Read James 2:19 and Matthew 8:29, we learn that demons "tremble" before God and know all too well who the Son of God is.

What demons can do

We know through God's Holy Word that demons influence and, in many cases, actually "possess" human beings. This is something quite evident in the time of Christ (Matt. 8:28). Demons can bring illness such as the woman in Luke 13 but, as we read in the Book of Job and 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, they can only function as God permits. Found mainly in Matthew and Mark, these are the evil spirits that can possess living creatures. Mary the Magdalene, the Canaanite woman's daughter and, most certainly "Legion" and the two men of Matt. 8:28 are great examples.

Deception is the key means by which these enemies defy their God. Their punishment is certain but their attentiveness to perverting the truth of Jesus Christ is unflagging.

NAMES APPLIED TO SATAN/LUCIFER

Satan (Job 1:6-9; Matt. 4:10) The title "Satan" occurs 53 times in 47 verses in the Bible. The primary idea is'adversary, one who withstands.'

The Devil (Matt. 4:1, 5, 9; Eph. 4:27; Rev. 12:9; 20:2)"Devil" is the Greek word diabollos which means "slanderer, defamer." This accentuates his goal and work to impugn the character of God.

The Serpent (Rev. 12:9) This name for Satan looks back to Genesis 3 and the temptation in the Garden.

Lucifer (Isa. 14:12) The Hebrew word for Lucifer (KJV translation) is literally "the shining one." This name draws our attention to his pre-fall condition and to the nature of the cause of his fall - pride.

The Evil One (John 17:15; 1 John 5:9) The Greek poneros means "wicked, evil, bad, base, worthless, vicious, degenerate." It points to Satan's character as active and malignant.

The Dragon (Rev. 12:7) The Greek word is drakon (as in draconian) and refers to a "hideous monster, a dragon, or large serpent." This word stresses the cruel, vicious, and blood thirsty character and power of Satan.

The Prince or Ruler (John 12:31) The Greek literally means, "the ruler of this world system." This points to Satan as the head and energy behind the arrangements of things as they are in the world today.

The God of This World or Age (2 Cor. 4:4) The fact Satan is called, the god of this world (Greek, aionos, "age, course") may emphasize Satan's rulership over this final period or economy which is so marked by a growing increase in apostasy, deception, and moral decay.