CCan they help us tounderstand ourselves and our world? Can we
view them as “teachers,” whoshow us how we should act inthe presence and service of ourCreator? What can we learnfrom their presence, theirchoices, their worship, theirservice, and their struggle withdefecting rebel forces?
We have seen in our day areawakening of belief in theunseen world. In the followingpages, senior research editorHerbert Vander Lugt leads usthrough an evaluative look at arace of beings who, according tothe Bible, can teach us a lotabout ourselves, our God, andour enemy.
and number twobestsellers of the EvangelicalChristian PublishersAssociation were thefictional novels This PresentDarkness and Piercing TheDarkness by Frank Peretti.Both books describe anongoing struggle betweenangels and demons as they battle each other forinfluence over all those who dwell on the earth.
The interest in the spiritworld is even stronger today.Books about communicatingwith angels and spirits of thedead are repeatedly at thetop of the secular charts. But this interest isn’t new.People have always beenfascinated by stories ofinvisible, supernaturalbeings who are involved in
a celestial good-versus-evilstruggle. All the major worldreligions—Hinduism,Buddhism, Judaism, Islam,Zoroastrianism, andChristianity—believe in theexistence of angels who areorganized in complexhierarchies of rank andfunction. The ancientsdeveloped complicateddoctrines of angels. It is said
that during the ScholasticPeriod, men of learningdebated about the numberof angels that could danceon the head of a pin.
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People have always beenfascinated by
stories of invisible,supernatural beingswho are involved
The present interest inthe invisible spirit world isalso fueled by people whoare connected with the NewAge movement. Some claimto have personal “guides” or“channels” who enable themto enter into an altered stateof consciousness or tocontact the spirits of thedead. Some well-knownpeople—the anthropologistCarlos Castenada, thefamous death-and-dyingauthority Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the actress ShirleyMacLaine—write and speakconvincingly about spiritbeings with whom theymaintain contact and fromwhom they receive help.
This New Age emphasison “unseen friends” is partof a world view that haspermeated our society.Books on channeling,crystals, visualizations,reincarnation, and astrologyare flooding the market andare being viewed withrespect. These ideas
sometimes even filter intothe classrooms of our publicschools. Some teachers havefollowed the procedureoutlined by the psychicWilliam W. Hewitt to showchildren how they can invitespirit beings to be theirhelpers. He says they canconstruct in their minds a“psychic workshop” to“experience communicationwith a dead person.” Hefollows with theseinstructions:
In this session you willmeet your two advisors.Now mentally say, “Iwelcome my advisor into my workshop.Please enter and sit in your chair.”. . . Greetyour male advisor. Thankhim for coming . . . .Now, mentally say, “I welcome my femaleadvisor into myworkshop” (BeyondHypnosis: A Program ForDeveloping Your HealingAnd Psychic Power,
William W. Hewitt, St.Paul, MN, LlewellynPublications, 1990,pp.84,144,152,154,177).
Later in his book this sameauthor instructs his studentsto make contact with “theMaster of all Masters.”
While relatively fewchildren are actually beingexposed to such a disturbingprogram, the fact that it hasoccurred should alertparents to the potentialdanger. Although we haveno solid basis to speak of a“New Age conspiracy,” weshould recognize thatthousands of people todayclaim that through hypnosisand mind-altering drugs theyhave been able to makegenuine contact with spiritbeings, who become veryreal to them. The“experiences” they relate arehighly convincing. Andmultitudes have been greatlyinfluenced by them.
In many ways, those whorecognize the authority and
perspectives of the Bibleshould not be surprised atsuch developments. Fromcover to cover, the Bible
describes the activities ofunseen spirits who have along history of interactingwith our human race.
What the Bible makesclear, however, is that thesubject of angels calls for agood deal of discernmentand caution. The unseenworld can either be harmfulor helpful. Therefore, itneeds to be treated notmerely as an intriguingcuriosity, but as an unseensociety from which we havemuch to learn.
TThe Bible containsmore than a series of alleged “angelic
sightings.” It offers anevaluative look into a world beyond the reach of scientific examination.When we study what it says about angels, we learnthat: (1) We are not alone, (2) We are helped byunseen friends, (3) We areopposed by invisible foes,(4) Choice determinesdestiny, (5) Nearness toGod produces worship, (6) Worship of God inspiresservice, and (7) ServingGod brings joy.
WE ARE NOTALONEThe Bible repeatedlymaintains that humanbeings are not the onlyintelligent, moral creatures
in the universe. The wordsangel and angels occurabout 300 times. The Biblespeaks often of Satan anddemons, and refers to themas real, though not flesh-and-blood, earth-bound
creatures like we are (Eph.6:12). It names two angels—Michael (Dan. 12:1; Jude 9;Rev. 12:7) and Gabriel (Dan. 8:16; Lk. 1:19). Itgives us graphic portrayalsof heavenly beings called“seraphim” (Isa. 6:2-3),“cherubim” (Ezek. 10:1-20),and “living creatures” (Ezek.1:5-22; Rev. 4:6-11).
The Bible is filled withreferences to spirit beingswho possess intelligence and
moral qualities. This showsus that we are not alone.
Some scientists agree thatwe are not alone, insistingthat life was planted onearth by aliens. But mostbelieve that we are productsof an inexplicable series ofimprobable happenings over billions of years andemphatically deny a spiritworld. The Bible, however,tells us that God createdboth the visible and theinvisible worlds andeverything and everyone inthem (Gen. 1:1; Isa. 40:26;Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11).
So, according to theBible, we are not alone! Weare not orphans in a hostileuniverse. We were createdby the living God of theBible. He is spirit (Jn. 4:24)and is present with us at alltimes (Ps. 139). And in thespirit world with Him aremyriads of living creatureswho can make an impacton us for either good orbad.
WE ARE HELPED BYUNSEEN FRIENDS
The Bible says that there are angels who help us.These angels are our unseen friends. The writer of Hebrews, referring toangels, asked the rhetoricalquestion, “Are they not allministering spirits sent forthto minister for those whowill inherit salvation?”(1:14). The answer is yes.And they are normallyinvisible because they arespirits. They do not havephysical bodies. Therefore,they can move quickly from the spirit world to ourphysical world to help us.
sometimes appear in theform of men as they did toAbraham (Gen. 18) and tothe followers of Jesus at thetomb from which He hadrisen (Mk. 16:5; Jn. 20:12).The writer of Hebrewsencouraged us to behospitable to strangersbecause “some haveunwittingly entertainedangels” (Heb. 13:2).
Do angels still appear in human form to help us?On the basis of our ownexperience, most of uswould not be able to give a conclusive answer. Butmany of us have heardChristians tell of experiencesin which they saw an angelin human form.
The late Dr. RaymondEdman, formerly thepresident and chancellor of Wheaton College, wasconvinced that an angelappeared to him when hewas a young missionary. He was in his front yard,discouraged and depressed,
when an elderly woman who was walking bystopped, spoke words of encouragement andchallenge to him, and thenstarted to walk away. Stirredby what she said, he wentinto the house to tell hiswife. But before he couldsay anything, Mrs. Edmansaid, “Why don’t you invitethat woman in for lunch?”He ran out to stop her, butshe was gone. He could seea great distance in bothdirections, but she wasnowhere to be seen. Heasked his neighbors if theyhad seen her, but they hadnot. To the end of his life,Dr. Edman believed that thiswoman was an angel inhuman form sent by God to help in a moment of greatneed.
This is not an isolatedinstance. I recently heard amissionary tell how a mansuddenly appeared whenshe was in a dangeroussituation, guided her, and
then disappeared. Shethinks he may have been an angel.
What should we do withsuch reports? One thing issure: We can’t use them asproof to skeptics that angelsexist. These Christians couldhave been mistaken inthinking these visitors wereangels. But we must alsorecognize the possibility that they were correct. Dr. Edman was a highlyregarded and well-educatedChristian. And so is themissionary who reported her encounter. Angelsappeared in this manner in the past. It’s possiblethey’re doing so today.
We cannot prove ordisprove the accounts ofangels appearing to ourcontemporaries in humanform. But if they areaccurate, we must recognizethat such appearances havealways been the exception,not the rule. And theseappearances leave many
unanswered questions. Anangel fed Elijah (1 Ki. 19:5-7), protected Daniel fromhungry lions (Dan. 6:22),and freed Peter from prison(Acts 12:7-10). But we don’tknow what form they took.All we know is that the angel who freed Peter wasaccompanied by a great lightand that he disappearedwhen the apostle wasoutside the prison.
It is entirely possible that angels usually remaincompletely invisible whenthey carry out their work forus. They cannot be seenwhen they carry the soul ofa dying believer to heavenas they did Lazarus (Lk.
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We cannot proveor disprove the
accounts of angelsappearing to ourcontemporaries in
16:22), or when they protectGod’s children from harm(Ps. 91:11), or when theywatch us in our worship (1 Cor. 11:1-10), or whenthey observe us living outour salvation (1 Tim. 5:21).
The fact that Psalm 91:11depicts angels keeping usfrom harm, coupled with ourLord’s warning “Do notdespise one of these littleones, for I say to you that inheaven their angels alwayssee the face of My Father”(Mt. 18:10), has led some toteach that each Christianhas a guardian angel. But tomake this claim is to gobeyond what Jesus said. Hisstatement certainly assuresus that we have angels whowork in our behalf, but itdoes not necessarily declarethat there is one assignedangel for every person. Itmay be, but not necessarily.However, this should nottrouble us. God can and willlook after each one of usindividually. He certainly
has enough angels availableif He chooses to use them toprotect or help us. Myriadsof these heavenly beings areour friends and stand readyto be our helpers andprotectors.
Perhaps it is safe to saythat they usually help andprotect us without becomingvisible. Consider the story of Elisha and his servantrecorded in 2 Kings 6. Theservant was frightened whenhe saw a large enemy armysurrounding the city ofDothan where they werestaying. He didn’t know that God had placed anarmy of angels betweenthese human soldiers andthe inhabitants of the city.But when Elisha offered thepetition, “Lord, I pray, openhis eyes that he may see” (2 Ki. 6:17), the servant saw the angelic host.
Our angel friends may beunseen, but according to theBible they are all around us. God uses them as His
servants to protect and help“those who will inheritsalvation” (Heb. 1:14).
WE ARE OPPOSEDBY INVISIBLE FOES
As we learn what the Biblesays about angels, we also discover that we haveenemies in the spirit world.A large number of evilspirits hate God. Thishatred motivates thesedemons to do all they can to frustrate His lovingpurposes for mankind. TheBible refers to the devil asour adversary (1 Pet. 5:8)and our enemy (Mt. 13:39),and pictures his followersas an organized and
powerful army (Eph. 6:12).Let’s now look at what
these demons do, and thenat what we can do tocounterattack and defeatthem.
What They Do:1. They oppose God
and His people. Undertheir leader Satan (thisproper name means“adversary”), they do allthey can to keep God fromcarrying out His plans andpurposes. The devil is our“adversary” (1 Pet. 5:8), the“enemy” (Mt. 13:39), thehead of a vast host of evilbeings against whom wemust “wrestle” (Eph. 6:12).
2. They slander Godand His people. Undertheir leader the devil(“slanderer”), they do allthey can to cast doubt onGod’s character (Gen. 3:1-5) and that of His people(Job 1:9-11; Rev. 12:10).
Christians. Satan “deceivesthe whole world” (Rev.12:9), blinds the eyes ofthose who do not believe (2 Cor. 4:4), uses “lyingspirits” (2 Chr. 18:21-22),and sends “deceiving spirits”who promote “doctrines ofdemons” (1 Tim. 4:1).
4. They plant evilthoughts into the minds of people. Satan put it intoDavid’s mind to take acensus of his people,undoubtedly motivated bypride (1 Chr. 21:1). He wasbehind Peter’s rebuke ofChrist for announcing Hisapproaching suffering andcrucifixion (Mt. 16:22-23).He filled the mind of Judaswith thoughts that led himto betray Christ (Lk. 22:3; Jn. 13:2). He was involvedin the lying done by Ananiasand Sapphira (Acts 5:3).Demons played a large rolein the mental processes ofthe false teachers describedin 2 Peter 2:1-2,10,13-14,18.
5. They take over
the personality of somepeople. Demons made two men in Gergesa so fierce that people avoidedthe region (Mt. 8:28). They caused such severeconvulsions in a boy that heoften hurt himself as he fell(Mt. 17:14-21). Their sinisterpurpose in taking control isindicated by the terms usedto describe them: “uncleanspirits” (Mt. 10:1) and “evilspirits” (Lk. 7:21).
6. They influencenational leaders. The devil, who is the “ruler ofthis world” (Jn. 12:31; 14:30;16:11) and the “god of thisage” (2 Cor. 4:4), used “alying spirit” to lead KingAhab to his death (1 Ki.22:20-23,37-38), assigned a spirit being to control theleader of Persia (Dan. 10:10-21), and will throughdemons lead armies ofhumans to fight against God and be slaughtered inthe war of Armageddon(Rev. 16:13-16).
7. They play a role inhuman illnesses. Demonscaused some to be mute(Mt. 9:32-33; 12:22), blind (Mt. 12:22), deformed(Lk. 13:11-17), convulsive(Mt. 17:15-19), and insane(Lk. 8:27-29). Satan brought on Job’s physicalaffliction (Job 2:6-8). Even if he doesn’t bring on theaffliction, as in the case of Paul’s thorn, he may use the illness as his “messenger” ofdiscouragement (2 Cor.12:7).
8. They try to pervertthe doctrine of grace. Paulreferred to rules that forbidmarriage and the eating ofcertain foods as comingfrom “seducing spirits” and called these regulations“doctrines of demons” (1 Tim. 4:1-5). In 2Corinthians 11:3, Paulexpressed his concern thatthe devil through hiscraftiness may corrupt theminds of believers from the
“simplicity that is in Christ.”This was a reference to theteachings of those whoinsisted on circumcisionand dietary restrictions asessential to salvation. It isin this context that he saidSatan “transforms himselfinto an angel of light” (v.14). The devil and hisfollowers hate the doctrineof salvation by gracethrough faith plus nothing.
9. They try to distortthe biblical view of JesusChrist. This fact lies behindthe apostle John’s warningto “test the spirits, whetherthey are of God . . . . Everyspirit that confesses thatJesus Christ has come inthe flesh is of God, andevery spirit that does notconfess that Jesus Christhas come in the flesh is not of God” (1 Jn. 4:1-3).
In John’s day, men whoclaimed that they spoke byinspiration, maybe evencrediting their words to aspirit being, were saying
disturbing things about JesusChrist. It appears that theywere denying He hadpossessed a genuine flesh-and-blood human body.They probably said that Heonly appeared to have a real body, that His perceivedhumanity was in reality an
apparition. They did thisbecause they wanted to holdto the Greek philosophicalconcept that matter isessentially evil and thatspirit is essentially good. But in denying the genuinehumanity of Jesus, thereality of His physical body,they were also rejectingbasic doctrines like theincarnation, the atonement,and the bodily resurrection.
For a person to confessthat “Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” was anacknowledgment that theman from Nazareth wasnone other than theincarnate Christ—that He,through the virgin birth,came in a human body. Thewords “has come in theflesh” are in the perfecttense, which means “hascome in the flesh with theresult that even now in Hisresurrection body He isgenuinely human.”
Evil spirits are always atwork trying to distort thebiblical portrayal of JesusChrist. They probably thinkthe best way to do so is tospeak well of Him but tocome short of the full truth.For example, Muslims speakof Him as a great prophet.New Agers refer to Him asan Enlightened One in thespirit realm. Jews refer toHim as a great teacher.
and Mormons see Him as a Savior and Revealer. Butyou won’t hear themconfessing Jesus to be theGod-man, the incarnateDeity who came to revealGod and provide salvationfor sinful mankind. It istherefore important that we“test the spirits” as welisten to religious teachers.If they deny Jesus Christ asthe eternal God-man, theyare receiving theirinstructions from evilspirits, not from God.
How We CanCounterattack:Knowing what the enemyaims to do and how heexecutes his plan can be aliability. It can do nothingmore than increase our fearand apprehension. But it isbeneficial if we use theinformation to build a gooddefense and to strategize acounterattack. The apostleJames gave the followingplan: “Therefore submit to
God. Resist the devil andhe will flee from you” (Jas.4:7). Wanting to do God’swill, humbly submitting toHim, and resisting the devilin God’s strength is theprescription for victory.
According to Paul inEphesians 6:11-18, we must also have on certainpieces of military equipment—“the whole armor of God.”Let’s look at each element of this armor and what itmeans to us in our battleagainst “the wiles of thedevil.”• The belt of truth. Since
Satan and his demonsdepend on deceit tomaintain their power, our first line of defense
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Knowing what the enemy aims
to do and how heexecutes his plancan be a liability.
is always to be truthful.We must never distort or misrepresent the truth, regardless of anyadvantage we might gainby doing so.
• The breastplate ofrighteousness. Any sinin our life leaves us opento demonic attack. Eventhough we are given therighteousness of Christ (2Cor. 5:21), we must stillcontinually put on theprotection of holy living.
• The shoes of the gospelof peace. With our feetfirmly planted on thetruth that we are at peacewith God, we can standresolutely against Satan’sattacks.
• The shield of faith. Inorder to quench the “fierydarts” of Satan’stemptations, we musttrust and believe whatGod’s Word says aboutevery area of our life.
• The helmet ofsalvation. This is the
confidence that there iscoming in the future agreat victory celebration.It’s also referred to as the“hope of salvation” (1 Th.5:8). This helmet protectsus against Satan’s two-edged sword ofdiscouragement anddoubt.
• The sword of the Spirit.Since the Word of God isthe basis of our faith, weneed to learn how towield it with authority.Scripture is our bestoffensive weapon againstthe devil (Mt. 4:1-11).After he described the
various elements of thearmor, Paul said that we are to be in constant prayer. Prayer expresses our dependence on God. We can fight against Satanand his demons only “in the[strength of the] Lord and in the power of His might”(Eph. 6:10). In the power ofChrist with the armor of theSpirit, we will be victors.
From our biblical study ofthe angels we learn thatchoice determines destiny.The Bible shows us that thedevil and his followers wereonce good angels. But when God gave them anopportunity to choose either to give Him their full allegiance or to exaltthemselves, they chose toforsake Him.
Many Bible scholars,though recognizing thatIsaiah 14 is directed to the king of Babylon, areconvinced that the languagegoes beyond this earthly
monarch to Satan and hisfall. He is the Lucifer who,though created sinless,rebelled against God andtried to usurp God’s place in the universe.
How you are fallen fromheaven, O Lucifer, son ofthe morning! How you arecut down to the ground,you who weakened thenations! For you have said in your heart: “I willascend into heaven, I willexalt my throne above thestars of God; I will also sit on the mount of thecongregation on thefarthest sides of the north;I will ascend above theheights of the clouds, Iwill be like the MostHigh.” Yet you shall bebrought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of thePit (Isa. 14:12-15).Another passage that
speaks of the bad choicemade by the angel who isnow known as Satan isEzekiel 28:12-17. In this
message directed to the kingof Tyre, the prophet usedlanguage that transcends theearthly monarch and pointsto Satan, the source of allhuman sin. “You wereperfect in your ways fromthe day you were created, till iniquity was found inyou. . . . Your heart waslifted up because of yourbeauty” (vv.15,17). Pridemust have been the reasonfor the fall of this high-ranking angel.
The symbolism ofRevelation 12:4 portraysSatan as a great dragon whodrags a third of the starsdown from heaven with histail. This may indicate that a third of the angels joinedhim in his rebellion and thatthe devil is now the leader of a vast host of evil spiritbeings.
Lucifer and those whofollowed him made one badchoice—one that determinedtheir destiny. As far as weknow, they were never given
an opportunity to repent.Very likely, they have neverwanted to repent. They arenow the evil angels, thecompany of invisible spiritbeings for whom hell wascreated (Mt. 25:41).
The fact that one badchoice made these angelsevil, hell-bound creatures issobering indeed. But we aretreated less severely. We canoften rectify a bad choice ora series of bad choices. Wecan repent of our sin. Andwe must remember thatpeople who have lived inrebellion against God alltheir lives are sometimesconverted to Christ justbefore they die. Think of the
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Lucifer and thosewho followed himmade one badchoice–one that
criminal crucified with JesusChrist! (Lk. 23:39-43).
Yes, it is true that Godgraciously forgives andreceives people who turn to Him in repentance andfaith after having made bad choices. But no oneshould let this fact lead topresumption. If someoneknows the truth but coldlyrejects it with the idea thathe can always change hismind later, he may besealing his doom. The badchoice he makes to rejectthe truth at one point intime may not be reversible.God will not change. AndHis grace will not change.But that person may neverhave the desire to change inthe future.
God seems to haveestablished the principlethat the closer someone is to God and His truth, themore disastrous will be theconsequences of the badchoice. Angels were createdsinless. They lived in
heaven, in the immediatepresence of God. Lucifer,who apparently was a leaderamong the angels, chose toexalt himself and rebelagainst God. A large numberof angels joined him in hisrebellion. God’s judgmentwas swift and severe as Hecast them out of heaven.This event is recorded inIsaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel28:11-19. Because theseheavenly beings lived soclose to God, God gavethem only one choice.
God graciously giveshumans more than oneopportunity He sees us ashaving inherited a sinfulnature. Unlike the angelswho before they sinned livedin heaven, we dwell on animperfect planet. Unlike theangels who before their fallsaw God’s glory firsthand,we see “in a mirror, dimly”(1 Cor. 13:12) in nature and in conscience (Ps. 8,19;Rom. 1:18-20; 2:14-15) and(because of our human
failings) even in His Word.God is patient with us. He“remembers that we aredust” (Ps. 103:14).
The Lord has shown us,however, that we must notpresume on His patience.The Bible speaks of a“hardening” and a“blinding” that occurs when people deliberatelyreject Him and boldly refuseto obey Him. We see this in
the well-known story ofPharaoh and the ten plagues(Ex. 5–12). This Egyptianking was haughty, arrogant,and belligerent when Moses
told him that God wantedhim to let the Israelites leave their tasks and hold afestival of praise to Jehovah(Ex. 5). His response was to make the slavery of the Israelites even moreintolerable than it had been.
In the biblical account of this struggle betweenPharaoh and Moses, Godsaid that He would “harden”Pharaoh’s heart (Ex. 4:21;7:3). Eventually He did“harden” the heart of theking (9:12). We alsoencounter the simpledeclaration that Pharaoh’sheart “became hard” or “was hardened,” ascribingthe phenomenon to neitherGod nor Pharaoh. Inaddition, we’re also toldexplicitly that Pharaohhardened his own heart(8:15; 9:34). This king, inthe face of a demand thatcame with authenticatingsigns, said no to God. When he did this, hehardened his heart, set in
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The Bible speaks of a “hardening”and a “blinding”that occurs whenpeople deliberately
motion a natural process by which his heart becameincreasingly hard, andcaused God to send uponhim a judicial hardening.
The more direct theencounter with God, thegreater the responsibility toobey, and the greater thelikelihood that a hardeningprocess will keep a personfrom repenting.
The Lord Jesus alsoexpressed this principle. He warned the religiousleaders repeatedly that theirstubborn refusal to believeon Him in spite of themiracles they saw Himperform, and the truth theyheard from His lips, would
lead to their eternal doom.They went so far as to saythat He cast demons out of people by the power of Satan. Our Lord, whoindicated that He did so bythe power of the Holy Spirit(Mt. 12:27-28), warned themthat they were in danger ofcommitting “blasphemyagainst the Spirit” (v.31), asin that cannot be forgiven.
A short time later, a fewdays before His crucifixion,Jesus addressed the samegroup of religious leaders.He said, “A little whilelonger the light is with you.Walk while you have thelight, lest darkness overtakeyou . . . . While you havethe light, believe in thelight, that you may becomesons of light” (Jn. 12:35-36).The apostle John told usthat after saying this, Jesusdeparted and hid Himselffrom these leaders. In doingthis, He acted out awarning similar to thatexpressed by Isaiah (6:9-10;
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Those who keeprejecting the truth. . . . will gradually
29:12) and freely quoted byJohn, “He has blinded theireyes and hardened theirhearts” (Jn. 12:40).
When people deliberatelyand repeatedly reject God,they are in danger ofhardening their hearts. Paul spoke of the “god ofthis age” blinding the minds of those “who do notbelieve” to keep them fromreceiving Christ as theirSavior (2 Cor. 4:4). Thosewho keep rejecting the truthwill also find themselvesbecoming increasinglydrawn toward deceit. Theywill gradually become moreand more insensitive toGod’s Word.
From the angels we learn that the closer one isto God when he rejects Him,the greater the danger of aswift hardening process.Choice determines destiny.One choice determined the destiny of the angels.One choice can alsodetermine ours.
NEARNESS TO GOD PRODUCESWORSHIP
We learn from the angelsthat for those who loveGod, nearness to Himproduces worship. InHebrews 1:14, the goodangels, the ones who didn’tjoin in the rebellion led byLucifer, are called“ministering spirits sentforth to minister for thosewho will inherit salvation.”The expression, ministeringspirits in the Greek uses aterm that refers to theceremonial activities ofpriests and to public service“exclusively of religious andritual services both in a
wider and more restrictedsense” (Arndt and Gingrich,p.471). It is service with Godin mind. In this context,Hebrews 1:14 could beproperly translated, “Arethey not all worshipingspirits sent forth to serve?”
The good angels worshipnaturally and spontaneouslybecause they are filled withawe, reverence, and love asthey observe God’s glory,love, and power. Around thethrone of God they “do notrest day or night, saying,‘Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’ ”(Rev. 4:6-11).
When angels saw thebirth of Christ and knew that God had miraculouslybecome a member of thehuman family to bringsalvation to mankind, they shouted, “Glory to Godin the highest” (Lk. 2:14).When they saw the glorifiedSon of God and realized thatHe had gone through death
to bring salvation to sinners,they said, “Worthy is theLamb who was slain toreceive power and richesand wisdom, and strengthand honor and glory andblessing!” (Rev. 5:12). Whenthey saw God creating ourworld, they “shouted for joy”(Job 38:7). As holy angelswho are close to God, theycan’t help but worship Him.
It appears from this that we can establish aprinciple: The closer wewho have chosen to believe in God live to Him,
the more spontaneouslyand enthusiastically we will worship Him. Considerwhat happened to the godlypeople of the Bible when
God came close to them andthey had a vivid sense ofHis presence: Jacob (Gen.28:16-17), Moses (Ex. 34:8),Isaiah (Isa. 6:5), Ezekiel(Ezek. 1:28), Daniel (Dan.10:8-9), the apostle Paul (2 Cor. 12:1-4), the apostleJohn (Rev. 1:17). When we
live obediently and praysincerely, we will senseGod’s presence in our lives.Then worship will comenaturally. We will worship inprivate and look forward toworshiping Him with others.We will feel empathy withDavid who wrote, “I wasglad when they said to me,‘Let us go into the house ofthe Lord’ ” (Ps. 122:1).
WORSHIP OF GODINSPIRES SERVICE
From angels we also learnthat worship leads to willing,God-honoring service. As noted in the previouspoint, the Hebrews 1:14declaration that angels are“ministering spirits sent forth to minister” probablywould be better translated“worshiping spirits sent forth to serve.” In the Bible,angels are a joyful group,always eager and ready todo God’s bidding. Theyrejoiced at God’s creation ofour earth system (Job 38:7).This combination of worshipwith readiness to serve isexpressed by the psalmist,
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Worship of GodInspires Service
When we liveobediently and pray sincerely,we will sense
“Bless the Lord, you Hisangels, who excel instrength, who do His word,heeding the voice of Hisword. Bless the Lord, all youHis hosts, you ministers ofHis, who do His pleasure”(Ps. 103:20-21).
The angels are aworshiping community. They serve God withreadiness, zeal, andconscious dependence onHim. They never appearreluctant to do His bidding.Their service, which flowsfrom their worship, has in itthe element of gratitude.They know that God coulddo without them. They know
that He can do anything He wants to do by directcommand. They know that it was because of His lovethat He created them, and itis because He loves themthat He uses them to carryout His will. This makesthem not only eager to servebut also causes them to behumble.
Michael, the onlyheavenly being given thetitle “archangel,” showedhumble respect for the devilwhen the two had a disputeabout the body of Moses.Perhaps Satan, with thehope that it would becomean object of worship, wanted it to be found by the Israelites. Whatever thepoint of the dispute, Michael“dared not bring against him [Satan] a revilingaccusation, but said, ‘TheLord rebuke you!’ ” (Jude 9).His God-consciousness gavehim humility in his service.
The angels show us thatnearness to God produces
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The angels show usthat nearness toGod producesworship and
worship, and that thisworship inspires willing,eager, and humble service.
SERVING GODBRINGS JOY
The angels also teach usthat the right kind of servicebrings joy. The fact that Godkeeps them busily servingHim enhances their joy. TheBible says that “there is joyin the presence of the angelsof God over one sinner who repents” (Lk. 15:10). Their joy is evident in theirwords of praise throughoutthe book of Revelation. AndHebrews 12:22 states that those who believe onJesus Christ will stand with
“thousands upon thousandsof angels in joyful assembly”(NIV). Their grateful, humble,willing service gives themgreat joy.
The Bible also gives us many indications thatgladness comes to us whenwe serve the Lord. Thewords glad and gladnessare used more than 100times in the Bible, often todescribe God’s people andto tell what they feel whenthey worship and serve theLord. Add to this the manyinstances when the terms joy and rejoicing are used
in the same way, and wehave a wonderful picture:Those who serve God withgratitude and praise will behappy people.
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Serving GodBrings Joy
Those who serveGod with gratitudeand praise will be
IIn the Old Testament we find numerousreferences to a heavenly
messenger called “the Angelof the Lord.” Twice Hehelped Hagar, the Egyptianslave girl, as she tried to find her way through thewilderness (Gen. 16:7;21:17). He called fromheaven, stopping Abrahamas he was about to sacrificeIsaac on an altar (Gen.22:11-12) and then spokeagain, assuring the patriarchof God’s covenant blessings(Gen. 22:15-18). He spoketo Abraham again inconnection with thedestruction of Sodom andGomorrah (Gen. 18:1–19:1).
He accompanied Eliezeron his journey to Haran forIsaac’s bride (Gen. 24:7,40).He appeared to Jacob,identifying Himself as theGod of Bethel (Gen. 31:11-13). He wrestled with Jacob,
drawing from this oldwarrior the declaration, “I have seen God face toface” (Gen. 32:24-30).
He spoke to Moses (Ex.3:2-6), guided and guardedthe Israelites (Ex. 13:21-22;14:19), appeared to theprophet Balaam (Num.22:22), declared Himself tobe the “Commander of thearmy of the Lord” (Josh.5:14-15). He spoke to theIsraelites at Bochim (Jud.2:1-5), to Gideon (Jud. 6:11-14), to Samson’s parents(Jud. 13), and to David at the threshing floor ofOrnan, where He alsostopped a destroying angel(1 Chr. 21:15,18,27).
He ministered to Elijahwhen he was fleeing fromJezebel (1 Ki. 19:5,7) andspoke to him on otheroccasions (2 Ki. 1:3,15). Hekilled 185,000 Assyriansoldiers in one night (2 Ki.19:35). He appeared as anauthority figure in Zechariah1:10, receiving a report from
Who is this Angel? Allagree that He stands outamong the angels andsometimes identifies Himselfwith God when He speaks.Some Bible scholars affirmthat He is an angel throughwhom God manifestedHimself in a unique way.
Others are convinced thatthis angel was the SecondPerson of the Trinity, makingHimself visible long beforeHe became a human babywho was born of the virgin
Mary. That is why He couldlet Abraham call Him Lordand could speak with theauthority of God (Gen.18:16-33). That is why Hecould refer to His name as“wonderful,” allow Samson’sparents to offer a sacrifice toHim, and let them thinkthey would die because theyhad seen God (Jud. 13:3-23). This perhaps alsoaccounts for the fact thatHis appearances sometimeswere terrifying andawesome—very similar tothe portrayal of Christ inRevelation 1:12-19.
We believe “the Angel of the Lord” in the OldTestament is indeed theSecond Person of theTrinity. He, who is depictedin John 1:1 as the eternalWord, kept in close touchwith His people during theOld Testament era. Heappeared in human form.He spoke face to face withpeople. He showed themagain and again that they
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“The Angel of theLord” was theSecond Person of the Trinity,
were the objects of His loveand care. Therefore theprophet could say, “In alltheir affliction He wasafflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them; in His love and in His pity He redeemed them;and He bore them andcarried them all the days of old” (Isa. 63:9).
We today do not needsuch visible tokens of Hislove, power, and presence.The New TestamentScriptures tell us the story
of God’s coming to earth inthe person of Jesus Christ toshow us what He is like, toprove His love, and toprovide salvation. The HolySpirit will use this record tomake God and His presencevery real to us if we read it,believe it, and obey it.
THEPREEMINENCEOF JESUS CHRIST
AAlmost 30 years ago, the French Bible
scholar Jean Heringmade the followingprediction:
The day is not far distantwhen only the NewTestament doctrine ofangels will form a barrieragainst certain gnostic or“religious” movementswhich, intentionally orotherwise, run the risk ofmaking many believersfall back into the cult ofangels, dominions, and
“elements” (quoted inThe Message Of Hebrewsby Raymond Brown, IVP, 1982).This is a warning that we
should pay attention to. Inmost cases, Christians arewell enough informed toreject occultism, spiritism,astral healing, easternmysticism, and other belief systems that areexplicitly condemned in theScriptures. However, theprominence of these beliefsand practices in our societyhas made an impact on theChristian community. Manybelievers are beginning tofocus their attention on“spirit world” teaching.They place an emphasis onhow to put the good angelsto work for them. And theyhave developed formulas tocast out demons and defeatthe devil.
The problem with thiskind of teaching is that solittle of it is drawn from theScriptures. Experience takes
precedence over the Bible. But an even greaterproblem with any teachingthat is preoccupied with thespirit world is that notenough emphasis is givento the person and work ofJesus Christ.
The apostle Paul warnedthe believers in Colosseabout false teachers who, in the guise of humility,said that we should becontent to worship angelsrather than thinking wehave the right to enter the presence of God, the
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The problem withany teaching that ispreoccupied withthe spirit world
Ultimate One. The apostlesaid that such a teacher“goes into great detail about what he has seen”(Col. 2:18 NIV). But in his emphasis on hisexperiences, he “has lostconnection with the Head”(v.19 NIV). This lack of vitalcontact with Jesus Christcuts a person off from theOne who is the source ofspiritual life and growth.Jesus Christ must be keptpreeminent. He is to beworshiped as God. Angelsare to be recognized ascreatures—spirit beingscreated by God to worshipand serve Him.
Hebrews 1:4-14beautifully delineates the preeminence of Christover the angels. He is theSon to whom all the angelsare to give their worship(vv.5-6). He is called “God,” and His throne is“forever and ever,” whileangels are created beings and His servants
(vv.7-9). He existed from all eternity, will neverchange, and sits enthronedin heaven, whereas angelsare “ministering spirits”who are sent out by Him to serve “those who will inherit salvation”(vv.10-14).
Jesus Christ is thePreeminent One. He is theHead of the church (Col.2:18-19). He is worshipedby angels (Rev. 5:11-12).Someday every human,every good angel, and everydemon will acknowledgeChrist’s supremacy (Phil.2:10). Let’s make Himpreeminent in our livestoday!
IIs it necessary to believein angels? The Biblementions angels
extensively (over 250 times)from Genesis to Revelation.Not only did Jesus refer toangels in His teaching, butthe New Testament recordsthat angels were present at Jesus’ birth, resurrection,and ascension. Angels alsoministered to Him after Histemptation by Satan in the wilderness and in theGarden of Gethsemane just prior to His arrest andcrucifixion. Belief in theBible, then, necessitatesbelief in the spirit world.
You may believe inangels but have neverunderstood how knowingwhat God’s Word saysabout them applies to yourlife. We hope this booklethas shown you that thereare practical truths we can
discover by learning moreabout them.
Are you searching foranswers to questions aboutthe reality of the spiritworld? Instead of readingall the books that deal withthis subject, consider whatthe Bible says about JesusChrist. He existed in thespirit world as the eternalGod. But 2,000 years agoHe entered the physicalworld as a man to pay thepenalty for our sin—death.He lived a perfect life andbecame our substitute when He was crucified onthe cross. Then He rosefrom the dead to provideeternal life for all whowould put their trust inHim. The apostle Johnwrote, “But as many asreceived Him, to them Hegave the right to becomechildren of God, to thosewho believe in His name”(Jn. 1:12). Put your trust inChrist. Angels serve Him, so should you.
DEFINING OUR TERMSAngel(lit. “messenger”) is a spiritbeing created by God toworship and serve Him.Angel Of The Lordis the Old Testament“messenger” believed bymany to be a preincarnatemanifestation of Jesus Christ(see pp.26-28).Cherubimare a high-ranking order ofangels who function asguardians of the holiness of God.Christis the Second Person of thetriune God who, as Creatorof the angels, deserves andreceives their worship.Demons, Evil Angelsare those angels who sinnedwhen given the opportunity;now confirmed in evil, theyhate and oppose God andHis people.Demon Possessionis a phenomenon that occurs
when a demon or demonstake over the control of ahuman personality.Devil, Satan, Luciferis the leader of the evil angelswho rebelled against God.Gabrielis the only named holy angelin Scripture other thanMichael; he broughtmessages from God toseveral key individuals.Holy Angelsare those angels who facedan opportunity to choosebetween good and evil,made the right choice, andnow are beyond beingtempted.Michaelis the only angel given thehighest rank of archangel;he appears as the guardianangel of Israel.Occultic Activityare efforts to contact thespirit world, either celestialbeings or spirits of the dead.Seraphimare an order of angels whoattend the throne of God.
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