Thursday, March 28, 2024

Angels and Fallen Angels

Angels and fallen angels

Angels are creations of God. Their purpose is to worship God and serve mankind.

But about the angels God said, “God makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.”  (Heb 1:7 GNB)

What are the angels, then? They are spirits who serve God and are sent by him to help those who are to receive salvation. (Heb 1:14 GNB)

The LORD placed his throne in heaven; he is king over all. Praise the LORD, you strong and mighty angels, who obey his commands, who listen to what he says. Praise the LORD, all you heavenly powers, you servants of his, who do his will! (Psa 103:19-21 GNB)

They are countless

No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, (Heb 12:22 NAB)

Again I looked, and I heard angels, thousands and millions of them! They stood around the throne, the four living creatures, and the elders, (Rev 5:11 GNB)

 

Angels can pose as humans

Remember to welcome strangers in your homes. There were some who did that and welcomed angels without knowing it. (Heb 13:2 GNB)

They bring Messages from God

Messenger angels usually relate to believers in terms of spiritual warfare. They interpret God’s will, encourage, provide guidance, bring answers to prayer, announce, warn, instruct, and deliver messages of judgment.

Then Manoah prayed to the LORD, “Please, LORD, let the man of God that you sent come back to us and tell us what we must do with the boy when he is born.” God did what Manoah asked, and his angel came back to the woman while she was sitting in the field. Her husband Manoah was not with her, (Jdg 13:8-9 GNB)

May they be like straw blown by the wind as the angel of the LORD pursues them! May their path be dark and slippery while the angel of the LORD strikes them down! (Psa 35:5-6 GNB)

But now I beg you, take courage! Not one of you will lose your life; only the ship will be lost. For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I worship came to me and said, ‘Don’t be afraid, Paul! You must stand before the Emperor. And God in his goodness to you has spared the lives of all those who are sailing with you.’ (Act 27:22-24 GNB)

angels

Angels bring assistance in time of need

The LORD, the God of heaven, brought me from the home of my father and from the land of my relatives, and he solemnly promised me that he would give this land to my descendants. He will send his angel before you, so that you can get a wife there for my son. (Gen 24:7 GNB)

He answered, ‘The LORD, whom I have always obeyed, will send his angel with you and give you success. You will get for my son a wife from my own people, from my father’s family.  (Gen 24:40 GNB)

Behold, I send an Angel before you, to keep you in the way, and to bring you to the place which I have prepared. (Exo 23:20 MKJV)

They fight against God’s enemies

That night an angel of the LORD went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead! (2Ki 19:35 GNB)

The LORD sent an angel that killed the soldiers and officers of the Assyrian army. So the emperor went back to Assyria disgraced. One day when he was in the temple of his god, some of his sons killed him with their swords. (2Ch 32:21 GNB)

An angel of the LORD went to the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 soldiers. At dawn the next day there they lay, all dead! (Isa 37:36 GNB)

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; (Rev 12:7 GNB)

For My Angel shall go before you and bring you in to the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I will cut them off.  (Exo 23:23 MKJV)

Angels provide protection

His angel guards those who honor the LORD and rescues them from danger. (Psa 34:7 GNB)

God will put his angels in charge of you to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands to keep you from hurting your feet on the stones. You will trample down lions and snakes, fierce lions and poisonous snakes. God says, “I will save those who love me and will protect those who acknowledge me as LORD. (Psa 91:11-14 GNB)

Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels? (Mat 26:53 MKJV)

[Note: A legion consists of seven-thousand angels.]

They bring Comfort and Strength

Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. “It’s too much, LORD,” he prayed. “Take away my life; I might as well be dead!” He lay down under the tree and fell asleep. Suddenly an angel touched him and said, “Wake up and eat.” He looked around and saw a loaf of bread and a jar of water near his head. He ate and drank, and lay down again. The LORD’s angel returned and woke him up a second time, saying, “Get up and eat, or the trip will be too much for you.” Elijah got up, ate and drank, and the food gave him enough strength to walk forty days to Sinai, the holy mountain. (1Ki 19:4-8 GNB)

Then the Devil left Jesus; and angels came and helped him. (Mat 4:11 GNB)

Then again one like a man in form came and touched me, and he made me stronger and said, O man greatly beloved, do not fear. Peace to you; be strong; yes, be strong. And when he had spoken to me, I was made stronger, and I said, Speak my lord, for you have made me stronger. (Dan 10:18-19 MKJV)

 

What are fallen angels?

When Satan rebelled against God, a portion of the angels participated in his rebellion. God cast them out of heaven along with Satan, and they are now referred to as demons.

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, who fought back with his angels; but the dragon was defeated, and he and his angels were not allowed to stay in heaven any longer. The huge dragon was thrown out—that ancient serpent, named the Devil, or Satan, that deceived the whole world. He was thrown down to earth, and all his angels with him. (Rev 12:7-9 GNB)

Note: The demons confronted by Jesus knew their final destination was a place of eternal torment. Since this torment was prepared for Satan and his angels, demons must be the fallen angels.

[See also Dan 10:4–13, Isa 14:13–19, and Eze 28:13–19]

 

Satan cannot create his own forces.  His followers consist of angels who turned in rebellion against God.

There are two groups of these fallen angels. One group is actively opposing God and His people on earth. The other is confined in chains:

Remember the angels who did not stay within the limits of their proper authority, but abandoned their own dwelling place: they are bound with eternal chains in the darkness below, where God is keeping them for that great Day on which they will be condemned. (Jud 1:6 GNB)

God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell, where they are kept chained in darkness, waiting for the Day of Judgment. (2Pe 2:4 GNB)

The Bible also mentions other spiritual beings such as seraphs (seraphim), cherubs (cherubim), or living creatures. These are not angels but belong to a higher order.

In the year that King Uzziah died I then saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphs; each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is Jehovah of Hosts; the whole earth full of His glory.  (Isa 6:1-3 MKJV)

The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like a young bull, the third had a face like a human, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and were covered with eyes, inside and out. Without stopping day or night they were singing, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, who is, and who is coming.” Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to the one who sits on the throne, to the one who lives forever and ever,  [Rev 4:7-9 GW]  [see also Eze 1:4-14]

Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the place of expiation. (Heb 9:5 NAB)

 

We are not to worship any spirit beings apart from God

Do not allow yourselves to be condemned by anyone who claims to be superior because of special visions and who insists on false humility and the worship of angels. For no reason at all, such people are all puffed up by their human way of thinking. (Col 2:18 GNB)

I, John, have heard and seen all these things. And when I finished hearing and seeing them, I fell down at the feet of the angel who had shown me these things, and I was about to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do it! I am a servant together with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all those who obey the words in this book. Worship God!”  (Rev 22:8-9 GNB)

You must reject all spiritual beings preaching other gospels than the one revealed by God

Many people have claimed that angels gave them new ways of serving God. Entire religious movements have grown on such false revelations. Watch out! You are not to listen to any person or other spiritual being who wants to guide you in ways that are contrary to God’s Word.

“But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel that is different from the one we preached to you, may he be condemned to hell!” (Gal 1:8 GNB)

“Well, no wonder! Even Satan can disguise himself to look like an angel of light!” (2Co 11:14 GNB).

Next Page: – Demons and evil spirits