Holy Angels and Fallen Angels:
A Spiritual Battle
TBC Sunday School ~ November 9, 2014 ~ Tenille & Dustin
Shrock
Much information comes from Ron Rhodes' book Angels Among Us.
“The Reverend John G. Paton, pioneer missionary in the New
Hebrides (heb-ra-dees) Islands, 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?”
(From Billy Graham’s book Angels.)
Why Study Angels?
Angels are
mentioned over 250 times in the Bible, in 34 books from Genesis to Revelation.
Often what is
mentioned about angels is implicitly stated in the context of a story. We must keep that in mind, and know that some
issues about angels are not clear and often debated by scholars. We must never build our theology on parts of
the Bible that are difficult to understand, but view them in light of what the
Bible says clearly. These issues are not
“deal breakers”. It is valuable to
study, however, because it opens our eyes to the spiritual world around us,
that has more influence on our lives than we may realize.
A little confusing?
Angel comes from the Greek word for messenger.
Angels go by many names in the Bible, especially in the Old
Testament. Here are a few: heavenly hosts, sons of
God, holy ones, morning stars, cherubim, seraphim, ministering spirits,
watchers, fallen angels, demons.
We also see specific angels mentioned.
Some of these include: Michael
(an archangel of high rank; who is a soldier), Gabriel (less powerful; a
messenger), Lucifer or Satan (maybe the most powerful angel; was thrown out of
heaven taking 1/3 of the angels with him), Prince of Persia (the evil spirit in
Daniel).
Angels Attributes and Purpose
*God does not need angels, but he made them and uses
them for his glory. (Hebrews 1:7)
*They have
personalities and emotions. (Luke 2 1:-13, Matthew 8:29, James2:19,)
*Angels can’t sin.
(Revelation 21:4, 27)
*They are very
powerful, but not omnipresent or omniscient. (Matthew 4, Matthew 24:36)
*They have a
beginning. Jesus Christ created them
himself. (Colossians 1:16, Job 38:4-7)
*They are
invisible, but can take on physical form when they need to. (Hebrews 13:2)
*They do not get
sick or die. (Luke 20:36)
*They are very wise. (Revelation 12:12)
*They are joyful. (Luke 15:10)
*They reside in
heaven, but descend to earth when sent on missions to help us. (Hebrew 1:14)
*They can move very
fast from one location to another and are very powerful. (1 Chronicles 21:15)
*They have ranks
and different jobs. (Ephesians 6:12)
Angel’s Work
They praise God. (Psalm
148:1-2; Isaiah 6:3)
They worship God. (Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8-13)
They rejoice in what God does. (Job 38:6-7)
They serve God. (Psalm 103:20; Revelation 22:9)
They are instruments of God's
judgments. (Revelation
7:1; 8:2)
They bring answers to prayer. (Acts 12:5-10)
They observe Christian order,
work, and suffering. (1
Corinthians 4:9; 11:10; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:12)
They rescue and protect God’s
children. (Psalm 91:11-12)
They encourage in times of
danger. (Acts
27:23-24)
They care for the righteous at
the time of death. (Luke
16:22)
(From Got Questions.org)
The coolest thing about angels
is that they have known Jesus since he created them, and they have witnessed
the entire story of salvation. They are
amazed by humans and are constantly learning from us about what it means to
worship God in a fallen state.
The scariest thing about angels
is that the fallen ones are ruling our world today. They have just as much power as the holy
angels (taking God out of the equation, of course). Satan knows his time is short, and he knows
the end of the story, so he wants to take as many humans with him to hell as he can. He disguises himself as an angel of light. What are we to do?
Ephesians
6
Paul
wrote this around 60AD to the Gentile church.
He was likely writing it from a Roman prison. It was meant to be an encouraging letter
reminding them that since they now belong to Christ,
they must start living their lives differently. They need to distance themselves
from immorality and strive for spiritual purity. It’s in the context of this
discussion that he uses the famous metaphor of the “armor of God.”
The
Armor of God
10Finally,
be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your
stand against the devil’s schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but
against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark
world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the
day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have
done everything, to stand. 14Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around
your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes
from the gospel of peace. 16In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with
which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
18And
pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s
people. 19Pray
also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will
fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, 20for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may
declare it fearlessly, as I should.
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