LESSON 31- ANGELS AND THEIR ROLE [continued]
1 Corinthians 6:1-6
Hebrews 1:13,14
Ephesians 3:8-13
Matthew 4:8-11
INTRODUCTION
In 1 Corinthians 6 Paul is criticizing the Corinthians for taking each other to court and appearing before pagan judges. The problems should be settled within a church. In this passage he says that we are going to judge angels. Even the least astute of you in Christ ought to be able to judge between yourselves, he argues. You need to be Spirit filled, to be a good judge. In the end time you are going to judge the world and angels.
ELECT AND FALLEN ANGELS
The elect angels take great interest in you and are cheering you along; the fallen angels also take interest in you because one day you will be judging them. This makes it very clear why demons and Satan are so antagonistic to believers as they know in the end that you are going to deal with them. Satan walks around like a roaring lion seeking whom he can devour. Lions only attack the sick or weak. Lions sit and wait for hours and will pick the weakest. Satan and his team hate us, and understanding the judgment, as they do, we can see why! As the local thief hates the local judge so he hates us.
The name angel means that the individual is related to God's plan. God has a plan and these creatures are related to a part in it. They are keen spectators as shown in Hebrews 1. They are not only spectators but also actively involved in the believer's life. This is known from a passage on guardian angels Hebrews 1:5. We are not inferior creatures, in Christ, to the angels, but have superiority through our unity with Christ over the entire angelic realm. We have the Holy Spirit in us and so greater is he that is in us than he that is in the world, but also, in Christ we have superior position to them.
GUARDIAN ANGELS
We are in union with Christ therefore we are position ally superior to the angels. Physically they are superior to us at this time and are more powerful, yet even here, through the power of the Holy Spirit within we have more power than they do also.
That we are heirs of salvation is shown in many passages, and that means we are recipients of special provisions from the Lord. The angels are under His orders and when a person believes in the Lord Jesus Christ; it would appear from the text; that the Lord allocates one angel to that individual as their guardian angel.
We therefore have a super creature with us, who is responsible for controlling the unseen spiritual environment about us, and making sure that we are protected in areas which we may not recognize as dangerous. We should remember that because the Holy Spirit is in you and we are in Christ and we have a guardian angel we are very well protected as believers.
Angels can materialize and disappear; they have powers to work miracles and are from a different dimension. We, in union with Christ, are superior to them, that is why they serve us. In Christ we are higher than the angels. He is seated at the right hand of the Father; an honour never accorded an angel.
We therefore, in union with Christ, have superior spiritual resources to Satan, Michael and Gabriel. You are therefore in an unassailable position. So if you are living as a spirit filled believer, you should be aware of your position in Christ. Are you as a spiritual believer in any danger from Satan? The answer is no.
When the believer is out of fellowship they become technically an enemy of God and can become a fool, and made a fool of by Satan. Knowing where you stand causes us to appreciate the angelic conflict. If you do not understand this you, possibly are a sitting duck.
ANGELS AND GOD
Angels are created and are therefore not in any way equal to God. The scriptures do not support the Asian concept of Ying and yang with both being equal. There is no possibility of Satan winning because of this. Angels do not procreate, so there are no little angels or cherubs as we see in some European paintings.
In times past Genesis 6 and Jude 6 shows that they had, prior to the Flood, relationship with human women by being involved with sexual immorality. Those that did this great evil were chained up in 'pits of dense darkness' (tartarus) 2 Peter 2:4 until the end for judgment. In the angelic realm however they do not procreate. From the reading of Scripture it would appear that all angels appear as males. Therefore the number of angels that were originally created still exists today. Therefore they existed before the creation of this world as shown in Job 38:7.
The reason that man was made a little lower than the angels is related to their fall, and our role in their destiny. They are watching us because their fate is being played out by us; if we, as inferior creatures, accept the Lord, then it proves God is just and right in judging those that fell with Satan.
If an inferior creature can exercise positive volition and be saved, then these superior creatures could have resisted Satan’s temptations and followed God also. It appears that Satan argued with God after he fell, saying that he couldn't help but to sin and rebel, for that was the way God made him. Man, as a lower being becomes the test case. The salvation of men proves Satan's argument wrong, and seals his doom. That is one reason why he hates everyone who believes in the Lord, for their volition proves his culpability in the evil of his rebellion.
They were created holy and some fell. They have emotion, intelligence and will. These creatures are created superior to man, they know the Scriptures more and as they have existed for millennia are able to predict what man is going to do, but cannot read men's minds. Satan does not know what you are thinking. The great danger in this study of angelic creatures is to either under estimate or to over estimate their power.
Though there are similarities between angels and deity, and angels and men, the angels are a distinct class of beings. Like deity they do not die, like deity they are superior to men, but they are not omnipotent, omnipresent, nor are they omniscient.
Like both God and man they have personalities. They are spirit beings but not omnipresent. Man is physical and spiritual. Angels do not procreate as man does. Man is a little lower than the angels unless he is in union with Christ when he becomes higher through this position in Christ, than the angels. In union with Christ man is in a position to judge angels. Through this union, and in spirit filled status, the believer is actually superior to the angels.
DEMON POSSESSION
The whole area of demon possession is often by invitation of the person involved or can be passed down from previous generations. Only unbelievers can be demon possessed and their possession is by their willingness to continue in that bondage. So how can they get rid of the demons? Only one way and that is mentioned in 2 Corinthians 10: 4,5 by submitting everything in our lives before the Lord Jesus Christ and acknowledging him as their Saviour. The Lord Jesus Christ is the only one who can set a demon possessed person free. This is demonstrated by the man with a thousand demons living amongst the Gadarenes who even though his voice was controlled was able to show his attitude, and request to Jesus, by falling at His feet. The subject of generational curses needs to be studied in another lesson.
If you are dealing with a demoniac you talk to the person and preach the gospel rather than exorcise them. Dramatic exorcisms are, on the whole, more about Hollywood
Many Church goers are not really Born Again believers, therefore they do not understand the deviousness of the evil one. Satan is THE great counterfeiter, and can counterfeit all of the biblical gifts and ceremonies; and use people who are seeking power, through pride and wanting great gifts. Satan is ever ready to provide an alternative to the bible while pretending it is Christian. Many people claiming Christianity are members of fraternal Societies, such as the Freemasons, Oddfellows, Buffaloes and other secret groups and yet they are really serving Lucifer, as all of these groups use satanic rituals. Any one claiming to be a Christian should renounce all the rituals he has been involved with and seek Gods forgiveness for his involvement with any satanic group.
Make no mistake about this subject as it is real and is something that needs to be understood. No one has the power of delivering the demons, except for the Holy Spirit who takes on the evil ones. When the demon possessed person has been delivered they need biblical counseling and constant prayer and renouncing of their previous captivity for a significant period of time. Mostly they need systematic bible teaching to stabilize them as they become grounded in the Word of God and get further away from their old evil path.
There are believers who have gone to the pits because the demons still try to oppress a Christian. Therefore they need to get stabilized in the truth of who Jesus Christ is. The root of their problem is often pride and other sin patterns that need to be broken in the power of the Holy Spirit and with steady obedience to the bible over time. It is important to be stabilized through obedience to the Holy Spirit and the living Word of God, and fully know your position in Christ.
CLASSES OF ANGELS
There are seven classes of elect angels
[a] Michael - the archangel
[b] Gabriel - the principle messenger of God.
[c] Elect Angels - 1 Timothy 5:21
[d] Principalities and Powers which seem to be both elect and fallen. There is an incessant warfare between the elect and fallen angels. These are different ranks of angels showing that there is organization in the angelic realm.
[e] Cherubim - these are the defenders of the holiness of God.
[f] Seraphim - in Isaiah with a function which appears to be worship function.
[g] The Angel of the Lord Yahweh who is the pre-incarnate Lord Jesus Christ.
CATEGORIES OF FALLEN ANGELS
There are two categories of fallen angels
[a] Those that are free and commonly called demons
[b] Those that are bound and are in a compartment of Hades called Tartarus. These are mentioned in Jude and 2 Peter and are there because of offences in the past.
The organisation of angels is given in Ephesians 3:8-10. Paul is saying here that everything that has been revealed in the way of doctrine in the Church is to teach principalities and powers in heavenly places. Both the elect and the fallen angels are very interested in everything that Paul is communicating as it is a challenge to believers and a statement of fact as well. They are not all knowing and Paul says that what I am saying they are paying attention to.
Paul in Ephesians 6:10-13 gives us the armour of God. The fallen angels are the implacable enemies of the believers. The protection we have is the armour of God so that we can be protected from the fallen angels. In the angelic conflict the Christians must be prepared for warfare. In Ephesians 6:12 we have principalities, powers and wickedness in high places. The fact of organisation is given in the fact that there are archangels, the chief princes. These are also given in Daniel 10:13 where the prince of the king of Persia
We have angels of the seven judgments, angels of the seven churches, guardian angels, we are surrounded by the angelic conflict which we cannot see but we can be aware of incredible spiritual pressure. We should pray and study the Scriptures and put on the whole armour of God.
We do not know how many angels there are. From Matthew 18:10 there is an inference that the number of human beings as believers from the beginning to end of time is the same as the number of fallen angels. There are therefore many millions of fallen angels if that concept is correct.
Believers think that they can have victory without any prior organised spiritual discipline. Such training is absolutely vital. You are called to fight as a soldier in the Lord's army. Many Christians need to evaluate their stand before the Lord and stop walking in disobedience to their commanding officer and to the Holy Spirit as they are not walking in step with Him. In addition they are often not obedient to the under shepherd, the pastor of the church.
They are not feeding on the Word he is teaching. The enemy is organised, so we must be organised. You cannot go it alone in this battle. If you do the odds against you are overwhelming. You must be in communication with your commanding officer all the time and you must stand shoulder to shoulder with Christians who are doing the same. Only then can the enemy be beaten in your area of the world.
The church therefore must be organised, spirit filled and evangelistic. Satan is in the business of splitting churches. He is not interested in hotels and beer houses so much as churches which he wishes to close down, split or immobilize.
ROLE OF ANGELS
The elect angels praise God, worship Him, rejoice in what He does, serve Him, appear before Him and are instruments of His judgment. Relationship to the ages or epochs of history, dispensations, the creation and the Garden of Eden is also of interest in this topic, so we will examine some of these things now, and many more through the course.
When Abraham was visited by the three men, two of them were angels. At the giving of the law and at the first advent of Christ the angels sang with the shepherds and were observing the Cross. During the first few years of the church they were also active with such events as the freeing of Peter from prison. They will be active again at the Second Advent. Between these events angels are still active but not as visible as they were in the first few years of the Church Age.
Michael is the special Archangel for Israel
If we examine politics today we have most politicians making very peculiar decisions because they are under some sort of influence. The principle of the fallen angels influencing unbelieving leaders and the elect fighting them gives the principle of the guardian angel. This shows that God check mates Satan everywhere he works and that His hand is on history. Even though Satan has the world generally in his pocket he is still constrained by God as to what he can do.
JUDGEMENT ACTION OF ANGELS
The judgment action of the angels; they announce judgment and execute it at times. Angels will separate the righteous from the unrighteous. It is also, of interest that the angels who are the protectors of the believers are also those who execute judgment on the unbelievers.
The Lord is either your Saviour or your judge, and the angels are either your protector, or executors of judgment. We therefore have the relationship between the Lord and angels, the Lord and man, and man and the angels.
ANGELS IN RELATION TO THE CHURCH
They help as ministering spirits; they have a communication function in Revelation. In Acts they aided in winning people to Christ, they observe us, whilst in Ephesians 3:10 they encourage.
Sometimes it has been reported that in the real missionary area help for the believer is given by angels. Many missionaries have testimonies regarding angels. God chooses to employ the intermediate ministry of the angels from time to time. In Acts 12 the Lord released Peter from prison through an angel.
When an angel is involved the Lord gets the glory, when the Lord is involved, the Lord gets the glory. The angelic ministry is a very important part of our life on the earth but most of our lives we are unaware of angelic ministry. It is very important that we take angels seriously and study the subject. The believer must be filled with the spirit and put on the armour of God. The super creatures were here before the creation of man in the form of angels. They are a lot smarter than us and are very active for both bad and good. The evil angels can be manifest as angels of light in bodily form.
Because of the nonsense talked about angels in some Hyper Charismatic ‘ministries’, such as Oral Roberts telling his followers to paint crosses on the soles of their shoes to crush demons and more recently Bob Jones and Todd Bentley asking for visitations from angel Emma to bring the gold; it is of little wonder that many conservative churches do not get involved or even wish to tackle this subject. However we should not be put off by these dangerous people, for this study of angels is biblical and necessary.
As we are in the end times we can expect to see great increase in activity perhaps in the form of extra terrestrials. The demons in séances are saying that it will not be long before real contact is made. Keep remembering the Lord's words, that, Greater is He that is in you than He that is in the world. You have to have doctrine and have the armour of the Holy Spirit on for greater deception than we have seen to date will occur in the world soon.
DOCTRINES
ANGELIC CONFLICT
1. There is an angelic conflict and it is intimately related to our presence in this world.
2. ETERNITY PAST
[a] Initially God created angels. At creation we are told that there was unity as all the angels sang in unison.
[b] Satan as Lucifer with the title Son of the Morning was the head of the angels. Isaiah 14. Ezekiel 28:12-15
[c] It is noted that the Lord Jesus Christ is now called Son of the Morning in 2 Peter 1 showing that the Lord replaced Satan as a result of His victory at the Cross.
3. FALL OF SATAN
[a] Satan became proud and attempted a coup d’etat against God in Isaiah 14:12-17
[b] When Satan fell he took one third of the angels with him. Revelation 12:9.
[c] The angels who exist forever therefore fall into two permanent groups
(i) Elect Angels who remained faithful to God (1 Timothy 5:21)
(ii) Fallen angels who chose to follow Satan who fall into two categories:-
(1) Imprisoned ones who were made inoperative at the time of the Flood (Jude 6, 2 Peter 2:4)
(2) Demons who are currently operative (1 Corinthians 10:20, 21, Mark 5:1-20)
[d] There is therefore a spiritual warfare between elect and fallen angels, which affects the human race. (Ephesians, 6:12, Revelation 12)
4. SENTENCE ON THE FALLEN ANGELS
[a] In eternity past Satan and the fallen angels were judged and sentenced to the Lake of Fire - Matthew 24;51
[b] It would appear that Satan appealed against his sentence and said "how can a God of Love sentence any of his creatures to the lake of fire?"
[c] The answer is in the character of God who is HOLY as well as LOVE. His holiness can only judge sin and rebellion.
[d] The lake of fire therefore was not created for man. Man ends up in the lake of fire due to his own negative attitude towards God.
5. MAN’S ROLE IN THE ANGELIC CONFLICT
[a] This sentence which was given before man existed has not yet executed and will not be so until the end of the Millennium in Revelation 20:10.
[b] There must be a long lapse of time before the sentence is executed with this period being taken up with the whole of human history. Therefore the purpose of the existence of the human race and its relation to God can only be explained as a testimony to the angels.
[c] Through the creation of man God provides a clear legal witness to Satan and his angels of their sin. The whole of human history is to prove certain points to the angels. Things can happen in your life as a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and these can only be explained as a testimony to the angels.
6. FALL OF MAN AND VICTORY OF THE GOD MAN
[a] Man starts off lower than the angels. Hebrews 2:9 tells us that Jesus Christ made Himself a little lower than the angels.
[b] Although Adam failed to be victorious the Lord Jesus Christ replaces Adam in history and won the battle in His humanity. 1 Corinthians 15:22 tells us that in Adam all die, in Christ shall all be made alive.
[c] A new form of creature judges come into existence and will judge the angels 1 Corinthians 6:1-3
7. SIMILARITIES BETWEEN ANGELS AND MAN
[a] Angels and mankind have a number of parallels with human free will being tested in exactly the same way as angelic free will.
[b] Angels began in innocence and full obedience to God (Job 38:7 Ezekiel 28:14-15)
Man began in innocence (Genesis 2:25)
Angels sinned - rebellion of Satan (Isaiah 14:12-14)
Man sinned - rebellion of Adam (Genesis 3:1-7)
Angels are divided into two categories - elect or fallen.
Man is divided into two categories - believers and unbelievers. (John 3:36)
8. ADAM AND FREEWILL
[a] God created Adam and Eve, to show Satan that mankind, created lower than angels (Hebrews 2:6-7), would choose to obey God. Mankind therefore, by a choice of freewill, would decide whether to obey God and be blessed, or to disobey God and be judged (the same choice that Satan had).
[b] A test was instituted for man's freewill - obedience to God or disobedience. (Genesis 2:16-17). Adam - and therefore all mankind - sinned and thereby rebelled against God. All of mankind, therefore, is in the same condition of sinful rebellion as Satan.
[c] However, God instituted another test of freewill for mankind - will they choose to return to God through Jesus Christ, or will they choose to continue in sin and rebellion (John 3:16, 2 Peter 3:9).
[d] Anyone who chooses to return to God will be saved; anyone who chooses to remain in rebellion to God will be judged in the lake of fire, the same fate as Satan (Matthew 25:41)
[e] Therefore, by the work of Christ on the cross, and man's freewill faith in Christ, God has vindicated His love to save and His justice to judge.
9. RESOLUTION OF THE ANGELIC CONFLICT
Stage 1 - Salvation - by faith, man is saved and made positionally superior to angels (Hebrews 2:6-7)
Stage 2 - Christian Walk - by faith, the believer overcomes Satan (Ephesians 6:10-17)
Stage 3 - Eternity -in Christ, the believer will judge Satan and his fallen angels (Hebrews 2:8, 1 Corinthians 6:3)
10. THE CLOUD OF WITNESSES
Angels watch the human race. (1 Corinthians 4: 9, Ephesians 3:10, 1 Timothy 5: 21, 1 Peter 1:12). Elect angels rejoice
every time someone is saved (Luke 15:10)
11. THREE BASIC QUESTIONS
The angelic conflict answers three basic questions:-
[a] Why man? Inside man is a soul with mentality and freewill which when linked together resolves the angelic conflict, (Colossians 2:14-15, Hebrews 2). The cross is the real victory in the angelic conflict.
[b] Why sin? Sin resolves stage 1 of the plan of God (see paragraph 9). At the cross sin was judged and the barrier between man and God was removed so that man's relationship with God depends on his free will. Every time a person accepts Christ, elect angels rejoice. In the garden man was innocent and all he had to do was stay away from one tree. Now man is guilty he has to come to a tree (the cross). (Genesis 2: 17, 1 Peter 2: 24).
[c] Why suffering? Suffering resolves the issue in Stage 2. Suffering involves the promise principle. (1 Peter 1:7-8, Romans 5:2-4). Suffering is allowed because it leads to blessings and is a further blow to Satan. It is to demonstrate the love of God in a way that cannot be done in eternity as in eternity there is no more sorrow, pain or death. (Revelation 21:4)
12. STAGES IN THE CONFLICT [SEE SATANIC ATTACK ON THE PLAN OF GOD]
[a] From the fall of man to the ascension of Christ the line of Christ and Jesus Christ himself were the target of attack. Once the ascension was a fact in history Satan was unable to attack the line of the Saviour. That is why Jesus pronounced on the cross, it is finished.
[b] The resurrection, ascension and session of the Lord Jesus Christ caused intensification in the angelic conflict.
[c] Once Christ is glorified at the right hand of the Father the angelic conflict becomes intensified in the Church age.
[d] Every Church Age believer is now a target and because of this every believer has had special provisions made for him:
(i) Indwelling of the Holy Spirit (John 14:17)
(ii) Indwelling of Jesus Christ (John 14:23)
(iii) Completed canon of Scripture (1 Corinthians 13:10)
13. PROGRESSION TO THE LAKE OF FIRE
This explains the actions of the Lord Jesus Christ from the time he sat down at the right hand of the Father until the Last Judgment. Psalm 110:1 says “The Lord [God the Father] said to my Lord [God the Son], Sit thou at my right hand until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”
[a] The first stage – Insurgency warfare – Pentecost - Rapture
During this time He calls out the personnel who will replace the angelic council members who have been condemned 1 Corinthians 4:8, 6:1-3, 2 Timothy 2:12, Revelation 3:21
The angelic council comprises God and all the angels as seen in 1 Kings 22:19-23 and 2 Chronicles 18:18-23
[b] The second Stage – Rapture to Second Advent - Confrontation
During this time the new members of the angelic council are evaluated in relation to their divine and human good, rewarded [1 Corinthians 3:11-15], they lose their old sin nature and have a resurrection body. The rebellious members, Satan and his followers are cast out of heaven Revelation 12:4
[c] The third stage – Second Advent – Victory Stage
Christ casts Satan and the fallen angels into hell for a thousand years and rightfully asserts His authority.
[d] The fourth stage – The Last Judgment. The Lake of Fire
Satan is cast into the Lake of Fire Lake of Fire
14. THE BELIEVERS AND RESULT OF THE ANGELIC CONFLICT
The result of the angelic conflict:
Stage 1 - Salvation - saved mankind is positionally superior to angels;
Stage 2 - Christian Walk - through suffering the believer develops his faith towards Christ to such an extent that he thereby shows the fallen angels the certainty of their doom;
Stage 3 - Heaven - In eternity the believer in his resurrection body will be physically superior to angels.
15. CONCLUSION
Through the fall of man Satan obtained control of the world though not necessarily control of mankind.
What makes it possible for man to live in the Devil's world and not be under his control? - free will.
By using The Word of God you can make decisions that are completely against Satan and his concepts.
Satan is the ruler of this world. (2 Corinthians 4:4, John 12:31, 14:30, 16:11, Ephesians 2:2)
However we have the Bible - the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) we should know it and use it.
No comments:
Post a Comment