Angels & Demons
Angels & Demons - Part I
Introduction:
1. God created some spiritual beings with greater authority than mankind.
2. Some of these beings remained faithful to Him by obediently following His Will. These are usually referred to as good angels.
3. Other beings disobeyed His will and chose to oppose and hinder His work. These are usually called demons or fallen angels.
4. The study of angels and demons is called angelology - demonology is a subcategory.
5. Historical Overview - Teachings about angels have varied both in variety and frequency over history.
(a) Some doctrines have been highly speculative while others have been influenced by modern thinking that view the existence of angels and the spiritual beings as myth. (e.g. Rudolf Bultmann)
(b) At times there was extreme preoccupation with angels while at other times there was a total ignorance of them.
6. There is a great potential to mishandle the subject due to limited information given in the Bible. Angels are not spoken as a subject of prominence. However, we ought not to disregard the subject since it is an integral part of Scripture.
7. The fact that God has limited our information about angels and demons suggest that we ought not to be overly preoccupied about them!
I. Angels
Definitions:
(a) "Angels are created, spiritual beings with moral judgement and high intelligence, but without physical bodies." - Wayne Grudem
(b) Angels are "those spiritual beings which God created higher than man, some of whom have remain obedient to God and carry out his will, and others of who disobeyed, lost their holy condition, and now oppose and hinder his work." - Millard Erickson
(c) The word "angel" is translated from the Hebrew word מלאך, mal'ākh and the Greek word ἄγγελος, ángelos. Both these words mean "messenger" and are not always translated as "angels."
A. Who or what are angels?
1. Angels are created beings. (Colossians 1:16; Nehemiah 9:6)
2. They exercise moral judgement i.e. they know right from wrong. (II Peter 2:4)
3. They are spirits (Hebrews 1:14) and so do not ordinarily have physical bodies. (Luke 24:39)
(a) God allowed certain individuals to see them in the spirit realm. (Numbers 22:31; II Kings 6:17)
(b) They can take on physical form in order to be seen:
- as ordinary men. (Genesis 19:1-2; Judges 13:6; Hebrews 13:2)
- as creatures with glorified bodies clothed in light. (Luke 2:9)
(c) They can appear in dreams. (Matthew 1:20, 24)
(d) They can appear as other physical manifestations. (Exodus 14:19)
4. They are called by a number of names:
(a) "sons of God" - Job 1:6; 2:1
(b) "holy ones" - Psalms 89:5,7
(c) "spirits" - Hebrews 1:14
(d) "watchers" - Daniel 4:13, 17, 23.
(e) "thrones," "dominions," "principalities," "authorities" - Colossians 1:16
(f) "powers" - Ephesians 1:21
5. Other heavenly beings that may be angels:
(a) "Cherubims" - Genesis 3:24; Psalms 18:10; Ezekiel 10:1-22
(b) "Seraphims" - Isaiah 6:2-7
(c) "Living Creatures" - Ezekiel 1:5-14; Revelations 4:6-8
6. Some suggest that there is rank and order among the angels based on:
(a) The fact that Michael is called an "archangel" (Jude 1:9) as well as "one of the chief princes" (Daniel 10:13) - terms that suggests hierarchy.
(b) The fact that Paul uses terms that denote hierarchy such as "thrones," "dominions," "principalities," and "authorities." Colossians 1:16
(c) However, if a hierarchy of angels exists its order is not known.
7. Angels are not omnipresent (Daniel 10:12-14) nor omniscient (Mark 13:32; I Peter 1:12)
8. Only 2 angels are mentioned by name but there are many, many angels. (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11)
9. They do not marry. (Luke 20:34-36) No gender difference is given in the Bible.
10. They do not die. (Luke 20:36)
11. They are more powerful than humans. (II Peter 2:12)
12. They are not deity. (Hebrews 1:5 - 2:9)
B. When were the angels created?
1. Before the 7th Day of Creation. (Genesis 2:1; Exodus 20:11)
2. Before the Earth was created. (Job 38:6-7)
3. Conclusion: Angels were created on the 1st Day of Creation. (Genesis 1:1)
C. Why did God create the angels? What are their roles?
1. Angels are messengers from God.
(a) As mentioned before, the word angel means "messenger."
(b) The name is therefore indicative of their function and not their nature.
2. They glorify God:
(a) For His holiness. (Isaiah 6:2-3)
(b) For His plan of salvation through Jesus. (Luke 2:14)
(c) For the salvation of sinners. (Luke 15:10)
(d) For the unfolding perseverance of the believer. (I Peter 1:12)
(e) With us in our worship. (Hebrews 12:22)
3. They do God's bidding:
(a) They execute his judgements. (2 Samuel 24:16-17; Acts 12:23)
(b) They patrol the earth as His representatives. (Zechariah 1:10-11)
(c) They wage war against demonic forces. (Daniel 10:13)
(d) They proclaim the coming of Christ. (I Thessalonians 4:16; Revelation 18:1-2)
4. They minister to, protect and guard God's people. (Psalms 34:7; 91:11; Matt 4:11; Heb 1:14)
5. They are examples to us for worship and obedience to God. (Matthew 6:10)
6. They help us understand God's great love for humanity: Of the 2 rational/moral creatures He has created, God has chosen to redeem mankind from sin but there is no salvation for fallen angels!
D. How should we relate to angels?
1. We should not worship angels. (Revelation 19:10)
2. We should be cautious of receiving false doctrines from them. (Galatians 1:8; II Cor. 11:14)
3. We should be aware of angels in our daily lives: in worship; as strangers in need; as witnesses to every deed done; as protectors from dangers of the day.