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Angels/Demons and the End Times -- Lesson #4

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A study of angels wouldn’t be complete without looking at the spiritual battle taking place across our nation, which has intensified almost daily! Yes, spiritual battle. Our role as God’s people is vigilance and prayer (Matt. 14:38). Though we do not see them, there is a broader involvement of angels in the “physical realm” both good and evil. When Americans turn away from God, Satan and his demonic angels become increasingly bold and destructive. Nevertheless, God’s angels are not standing idly by (Heb 1:14; Psalm 34:7; Psalm 91:11). They are restraining the full onslaught of evil as long as Christians are in prayer. 

This week’s lesson is somewhat intense. That’s only because spiritual warfare is intense. Many proclaim that our Nation is in a cultural civil war. Actually, it goes deeper than culture. We are facing an evil onslaught manifested by humans but initiated by dark spiritual forces. Why now? I believe it’s because we have a president who is not only resisting Satan’s one world government (Rev. 13:1-18, 17:11-13) but preventing it from making greater inroads. No this is not a political message, but it is a warning that even Jesus Christ is now under attack.

When watching the news, it’s perceived as Blue vs. Red, Liberal vs. Conservative, Democrat vs. Republican, “Black Live Matter” vs. “Blue Lives Matter”. But you will never hear the term “spiritual warfare” or “evil vs. good”. We are told in Ephesians 6 that we are engaged in a spiritual battle. But with whom? Paul tells us the battle is against the “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm.” These spiritual forces of evil are Satan and his demonic angels. This is the real enemy; this is the real battle. We are moving from a study of the different classifications of angels, to their interaction with mankind here on earth—both good and evil. 

Satan is wiser and more cunning than all the leaders of the world combined and will seize every opportunity to intensify his assaults against the United States, the world in general, and God’s people in particular. We can be certain his assault will intensify unless God’s people recognize it for what it is and turn to the LORD in fervent prayer for our Nation, our President and our Church.

Demons are Satan’s fallen angels  (Luke 4:41; Luke 8:30-32). In 2 Corinthians 4:4, Satan is called “the god of this age”, another way of expressing it, “god of this world”. Jesus referred to Satan's Kingdom in Matthew 12:26 when He said, "And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?" This world is under the domain of Satan (Luke 4:5-7; Matthew 4:8) and at certain periods in history he increases his grip, such as in recent history with Nazi Germany, North Korea, Communist China and others. Some believe American is destroying itself from within. The Church is its first line of defense if it awakens to the threat, or not, if it doesn’t. 

You can’t win a battle if you’re not aware that there is a battle, or you don’t know who the enemy is. Only by being aware can we be alert as to why there is so much evil in the world, and why it is intensifying almost daily. Ephesians 6 describes the weapons in our arsenal needed to react against Satan and his demonic angels who are the merchants of destruction. A similar message in 2 Cor 10:4 – our weapons are not the weapons of the world. My goal with this particular study is to make the church aware of the threat we are facing, not only aware, but active in alerting others as to the reality of this challenge. So feel free to share this blog address with a friend or download the material for your own use. 

Angels are stronger and more powerful than humans (2 Peter 2:10-11). They are also called mighty ones in Psalm 103:20. The spiritual realm, though invisible, is as real for angels as earth is for us, the battle line of which is drawn between good and evil angelic forces. I’m certain some have wondered why didn’t God destroy Satan and his evil angels instead of letting them wreak havoc on the world? We will look at that further on in our study.

In Genesis 28, Jacob had a dream of a ladder (NKJV) or stairway (NIV) extending from earth to heaven, with angels ascending and descending on it. In the dream he received a message of encouragement from the LORD for him and his descendants. 

The ladder was more than a dream. It illustrates the interaction between God’s angels and His people. We are not alone in this battle. Hebrews 1:14 tells us – Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? Pray, dear brothers and sisters for our church, our pastor, our nation and our president, that God may place a protective shield around them from Satan’s relentless onslaught. 

The dark side of man is void of God’s grace, it’s also in open rebellion against Him, His Church and everything sacred. Their evil goal is not to build or make things better, but to destroy. In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the Pharisees: John 8:44 – You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him.

Historic monuments are being defaced and torn down across America, and with the monuments, the dismantling of American history, including what sets us apart as “One Nation Under God!” Is this part of Satan’s assault on America? Absolutely! These are not random acts of violence. It is planned, and carefully orchestrated and executed destruction of our heritage.  Do you believe it? I do. 

A dark shadow is also being cast over the U.S. Congress, especially with those whose decisions are contrary to God’s Word. When Christians do not take an interest in who holds political office, others will, and we will not like the outcome. America is at a critical crossroad. Some may sluff it off, while others will recognize the reality of spiritual warfare. Future generations and the Nation will be shaped by what’s happening today, right before our eyes. Again, this isn’t intended as a political message but a reminder that the direction of our Nation is being decided today. 

Eph 6:12 NIV For 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.

But God has a plan – Isaiah 46:10 – I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please. … Regardless of what we may think or observe, God’s plan is perfect, and the final victory is His. 

Freedom of worship is guaranteed under the Bill of Rights. Our Nation was established on biblical core-values and a longstanding heritage as “One Nation Under God”, which Satan is determined not just to undermine but to destroy it, if we let him.

Eph 6:13 — Therefore 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. (Eph. 6:13-18)  In Ephesians 6:10-19, Paul lays out our defenses against the schemes of the devil. 

The more our nation turns away from God, the more intense Satan’s efforts and stronger his influence. Discontent and violence in the world are manifestations of the spiritual battle between evil and good both in the heavenly realm and here on earth under demonic influence. So where are God’s angels?  When America turns away from God, He withholds His angelic hosts, permitting sinful man to face the consequence of “willful sin”, just as it was with Israel in the O.T. God will not bestow blessings on a nation that has turned from Him, nor reward evil with good. 

These are not just “discontent-people” problems. Names and faces change over time but satanic influences remains the same and Satan’s influence adapts to each situation—protesters may differ and shout different slogans, yet there is only one enemy—Satan! Hitler and Mussolini rose to power because the Church in Germany and Italy slept; and the clergy and individual Christians, fearing for their personal safety, remained silent. 

The COVID-19 pandemic laid the foundation for the civil unrest, riots, looting and destruction of historic monuments. We forget that Communist China is a long-standing atheistic ideology and enemy of the West, a country where Christianity is and has been subjugated and persecuted throughout its history. Was evil intent behind the spread of this pandemic as a way of destroying the West? We can be certain that Satan is behind it. Not only is Communist China against Christianity, but there are forces right here in our own country that have turned against Christianity and God as well see in the following slides.

1st Amendment: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof….”  Is this a political battle or a spiritual one? For me, it is self-evident that it is spiritual. This is what happens when Christians lose interest in and their sway over the political process. If Christians do not take an active role in selecting our leaders, others will gladly do so—and we may not like the outcome. Are we still on angels? Absolutely. Their influence is empowered or restrained by our participation or lack there of. November 2020 will be a major milestone or turning point for America. 

And so it begins. You can find Shaun King’s rants online. Satan’s real target: destroy Christianity and drive Jesus Christ out of America, and he has plenty of willing accomplices, including Mr. King. Is this the next wave of destruction?  Shaun King uses social media to promote social justice causes, including the Black Lives Matter movement.  Christianity itself has now become the BLM target. It didn’t take long for Jesus, Himself to become the target. Spiritual warfare? Absolutely. Satanic influence? Absolutely. 

Yes, Lucifer—a.k.a., Satan, the Devil—is being openly worshiped in America as we’ll see in the next couple of slides. 

Satan’s lies are still influencing man. Yes, we are still discussing angels, but focusing on their influence on the world. Satan was Lucifer the angel of light, the Morning Star, and all his demons were once angels in heaven, created perfect and sinless! The “Greater Church of Lucifer” crest (shown) states, “Bringing the light of truth to all who see it”. Satan’s deceit first to Eve and then Adam was based on a lie. He is the master of deceit and father of lies! The “Greater Church of Lucifer”, built on a lie, even has a Facebook page. 

Were you aware that there was such an organization dedicated to the worship of Lucifer—the Devil? A Nationwide Luciferian march (Lucifer, a.k.a., Satan & Devil) is scheduled for Sunday, June 21st during the solar eclipse “ring of fire”, is scheduled to take place in nine American cities including Washington DC. It speaks volumes concerning Satan’s influences on the very soul of America. How many people turn out will be a sign of Satan’s influence. 

Man inherited Adam’s fallen nature, his DNA. This slide appeared in Lesson #2 but it’s equally appropriate here. Hatred of Jesus runs hand-to-hand with today’s evil. Evil isn’t imposed on man from without; it is instinctive from within yet influenced and intensified by Satan and his demons. Adam was born with a perfect and sinless nature and yet he sinned of his own free will. 

Was Satan’s goal to deprive Adam of his birthright having been given dominion over the earth by God? (Gen. 1:26). Did Lucifer, because of his own brilliance, beauty and authority, resent God giving man dominion over the earth, maybe Lucifer felt it should be his? Adam and Eve’s sin originated from within. Satan did not compel them to sin, he tempted them with a lie cunningly tailored for them. Knowing that neither angels or man could achieve and maintain a holy state equal to God’s holiness, God has a plan, otherwise all would perish. God’s natural design for people (and animals) is that they inherit their parents’ DNA, as such, we inherited Adam’s DNA, i.e., his fallen nature with the propensity to sin. But God has a plan rather than letting all perish. 

God understood the consequences of creating both angels and man, yet He did so. Why? The end result or outcome will be worth the results of God’s overall plan of creation. But how? I think the answer can be found in asking why a husband and wife have children? It is an extension of their mutual love. The creation of man is an extension of God’s love. He even became man to achieve it on a personal basis. 

Just as Satan questioned the hedge, that the only reason God did so, was because Job would otherwise curse God. There is more to God knowing the answer, it is also to show angels, who are witnesses to man’s creation and struggles, an eternal expression of God’s ultimate love and perfect justice, which helps demonstrate the very nature of God. 

Why did God allow angels and man the ability to sin? God did not want puppets. But without a command, no sin could be condemned. So God made Adam representative of the human race. God’s plan includes Jesus as the second Adam for our redemption, as explained in Romans 5, and in 1 Corinthians 15. Angels and man, who by their own free-will, embraced evil will spend eternity separated from God. As we have seen with Lucifer’s fall and that of Adam, no created being, can retain a sinless perfection and holy state for eternity, without God’s grace. Satan believed he didn’t need God’s grace and strove to be like God by his own authority and ability, which was his lie to Eve and Adam, “you will be like God” (Gen. 3:5). 

What other lesson is there? The spiritual battle taking place enables people to see the ugliness and cruelty of Satan and the beauty and blessedness of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3:4; Eph. 2:10; Rom. 8:6) in that we were redeemed by His sacrificial death and saving grace. It glorifies not only God’s power, but Christ’s superior magnificence and love over Satan’s wicked, perverted and corrupt nature. It also makes people who are hurting more receptive to the Gospel. 

The following verses imply a proportional punishment for evil and proportional reward for good works: Matthew 5:11-12; Luke 6:22-24; Matthew 6:1-2; Matthew 16:27; 2 Cor. 5:10; 1 Peter 1:17; Matthew 10:15; Matthew 11:23-24; Luke 10:13-14. There are many more verses supporting proportional rewards in heaven and a perfectly-just punishment in hell. We are not saved by our good works, but our good works are a reflection of God’s grace on our lives. 

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Angels and people were created with immortal and eternal souls. God’s grace and plan are superior for all eternity versus just casting Satan and his demonic angels into hell right now! You can visit John Piper’s website for the full article.  https://www.desiringgod.org/articles/why-satan-is-left-on-earth  

Both angels and man were created perfect, holy and sinless. But both were incapable of maintaining a holy state on their own merits and by their own desires, sufficiently to remain in a state of perfect holiness for eternity. The created can never achieve the permanent and perfect holiness of the Creator to abide with Him and in His holy state for all eternity. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone, in Christ alone.   

We will continue our study of angelic interaction and spiritual warfare. This is a very broad based topic and I had to cram more in than I typically would. But, I hope it was worth your time. Until next week, blessings... 

END OF LESSON #4

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Angels Lesson #3

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The title Archangel only occurs in two Bible verses: Jude 9 describes the Archangel Michael when he faced the Devil, and 1 Thess. 4:16 where Jesus returns with the voice of an archangel. Being associated with Jesus one would tend to place archangel as a top rank. But we can’t disregard Seraphim who many biblical scholars rank at the top. So, who’s right? One can be top ranking within their specific sphere of responsibility. A Navy admiral and Army general may be of equal rank, but their authority is dictated by their organizational responsibilities, one over sea, the other over land. 

The Seraph’s authority is focused within the context of God’s throne. An Archangel’s responsibility is focused outward as chief warrior in defense of God’s throne. We know Michael has the same access to God’s throne since he takes his orders directly from God. Rank and authority don’t necessarily coincide. Archangels and Seraphim have different area of responsibility and authority. I don’t think you can pit one against the other, as some commentaries do.

Archangel, translated from the Greek, literally means “chief angel.” Ranking between classification of angels isn’t always that certain; i.e., Seraphim, who tend God’s throne, don’t lead an army as does the Archangel Michael or guard the tree of Life as do Cherubim. 

In Dan. 12:1 Michael was defender of the nation of Israel, described as “a great prince who stands up for the children of your people” (i.e., Israelites). Michael's title is archangel. What exactly does that entail? During WWII the allied armies in Europe and Africa were led by a Supreme Commander, Dwight D. Eisenhower, a five star general, the highest military rank at the time. Now four star is the highest rank.

Eisenhower’s rank reflected his authority as supreme commander over all the allied forces in Europe and Africa, which did not include the Pacific theatre. Rank and specific area of responsibility go together. Both Lucifer (before his fall) and Archangel Michael were top ranking angels. Jude 9 may give us a hint regarding the possibility that Lucifer may have been at the very top of angelic ranks. His position may have contributed to his pride. 

Did Satan lose his exalted angelic rank when he was cast out of heaven? Jude 9 seems to indicate that Lucifer retained his rank, but lost his authority over God’s angels. We see it when Archangel Michael disputed with Satan over the body of Moses in Jude 9: – But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"  We see something similar in how top-ranking German prisoners were treated with respect, in accordance with rank. Here we see an American officer saluting a higher rank surrendering German officer.

One last word on Michael: The Book of Daniel was written during the Babylonian captivity. Dan. 12:1 tells about a time of distress, yet God assures Daniel that Michael (the archangel) will protect his people. I believe the same is true today in the spiritual battlefield. Michael and his angelic hosts stand ready to respond to God’s command. If the Church is to be God’s people, it must live by His Word. When we witness some of the actions of certain mainline denominations, it’s apparent that not everyone in the Church is of the Church. 

Uriel is also identified as an archangel by some, but is not included in the canonical books of the Bible—(those recognized as Scripture). Few have heard of Uriel, who is in the apocryphal books of 2 Esdras and Enoch and in some ancient Jewish writings. Though Gabriel is not preceded by the title archangel, he is recognized by the Church as an archangel. Gabriel described himself as, "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God.” (Luke 1:19). 

Raphael appears in the apocryphal Old Testament (Greek O.T.) Book of Tobit. He was accepted as one of three archangels by the Roman Catholic Church. He was removed in the 4th century since he only appeared in the apocryphal books, which were removed by the 16th century Protestants because they were not included in the official Hebrew Old Testament. They remained in original King James Version for 274 years but were removed in 1885. Raphael is still recognized by the Anglican tradition, the official Church of England, with some churches named after him as St. Raphael.

Many Christians believe that God cannot save us unless we give Him permission, because it would violate our free will. Please note that Gabriel did not ask Mary’s permission to be the mother of the Savior. He informed Mary of God’s decision. The angel’s message was a statement of fact, not a request for her permission. Did it violate her free will, or bless her beyond measure? (See Eph. 1:4-9)

A slight departure from angels, per se, but it is related to Gabriel’s message to Mary that she was to be the mother of the Savior, so it has relevance to our study of angels. We were chosen by the Father, regenerated (born again) by the Holy Spirit. blessed and redeemed by Jesus Christ. 

“The Destroyer” i.e., the Death Angel, in Exodus 12, killed all the first born of Egypt, both humans and animals, to compel Pharaoh to let the Hebrew slaves leave Egypt. The Destroyer is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:28.

The Jews still celebrate the Passover—“passing-over” of the angel of death, by passing every home having blood on the doorframe. Some scholars believe he was an archangel; some believe it was Jesus. But in the verse he takes orders from God, most likely, an angel being instructed by the Second Person of the Trinity, Jesus. The Passover lamb was representative of Jesus' sacrifice for our sins. Some day, the Jews will understand that. 

The four living creatures are described in Ezekiel 1:10-14. A similar description is in Isaiah 6:2, where they are referred to as Seraphs. They closely resemble the four creatures described in Revelation 4:8. It is not clear whether all these passages are describing the same four living creatures, but it is very likely they are of the same exalted order of angels, whose main job, like the Seraphs, is to worship God and proclaim His holiness (Rev. 4:8,19:4).

Just a couple of Bible verses in regard to Guardian angels. I don’t want to skip over them; they are worthy of mention. Does everyone have an angel watching over them? Scripture tells us of guardian angels, but doesn’t tell us if everyone had/has a guardian angel. In researching angels, it leads me to believe that God does assign angels to watch over His people. We can only speculate how much they have protected us against Satan’s angels. I believe Psalm 34:7 (next slide) give evidence that yes they do protect us.

Those who “fear Him”, can be defined as “respect and love Him”, i.e., Christians. We tend to think of guardian angels as watching over children, but the Bible tells us otherwise. I posted three verses showing the protective role of guardian angels. There are many more verses that show angels protecting God’s people. 

It’s believed that Moses wrote Psalm 91 concerning his own experiences. Satan quoted this verse when he tempted Jesus on the temple mount (Luke 4:9-13). Nevertheless, it concerns the reality of protective angels, i.e. guardian angels. 

Our study of angels would not be complete without mentioning Satan and his fallen angels. We, the Church, are engaged in spiritual warfare. What does spiritual warfare have to do with a study of angels? Everything! On the spiritual battlefield are two opposing forces—God’s angels versus Satan’s fallen angels who shared in his rebellion.

It all began with him. The story of Lucifer’s fall is noted in two Old Testament chapters— Ezekiel 28:14 he is referred to as an anointed cherub, and Isaiah 14:12, where he is cast down to the ground, i.e., the earth. 

God created Lucifer full of wisdom and perfection in every way, even in his love for God. This slide describes the perfect nature of Lucifer when created. He was endowed with exceptional intelligence which gave him persuasive powers. As man turns away from God, he is prone to Satan’s influence, just as Adam, though a perfect human, was swayed by Satan’s temptation.

Isa 14:12-14 tells us that Lucifer wanted to be like God (i.e. the sin of pride). What’s equally amazing is that one third of the angels followed him (Rev. 12:4), which could potentially be tens or even hundreds of millions, even though they were all created perfect and resided with God in a heavenly paradise. What swayed them?

God’s heaven is perfect; no one can dispute that. What would create discontent in angels resided in a perfect place (environment). What’s the lesson? Even perfect creatures cannot maintain a degree of holiness necessary to reside in perfect holiness equal to God for all eternity. 

Were the angels that followed Lucifer, jealous that man, being created in the image of God (Gen. 1:26), was given dominion over the earth and everything in it? Being instigated by Lucifer, did they resent mankind’s inheritance, with a sense of pride that they were superior to man? I believe their sin like that of man, is rooted in pride that can easily lead to discontent—in both angels and man. 

Having thousands of years of experience studying human nature, they are experts at “temptation”! They know our weaknesses and areas of discontent or pride. We are witnessing it on the civil unrest in our society. The BLM/Antifa looting and riots is a manifestation of that evil. Unless America turns to God in prayer, evil can only grow in intensity. 

Defacing of Washington DC monuments is an example of demonic influence. The civil unrest we are seeing is because man has turned away from God, and in doing so, has opened himself up to and embraced evil. Again, as Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, spiritual warfare is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 

Victor Davis Hanson of the Hoover Institute believes we are in a revolutionary time. Attempts are under way to defund the police, which may see a corresponding increase in crime, as police fearing political condemnation for doing their job, will begin ignoring many types of nonviolent crimes and 911 calls. Yes, we need to pray for America. Don’t be depressed. We have guardian angels watching over us. 

Are you ready to resume classes in Heritage Lounge? Let me know by email or phone (both are in the church directory). Until next time. 

END OF ANGELS LESSON #3

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