We’ve seen the spoofs – a character in a cartoon or
television show is struggling to decide between right and wrong. Suddenly, a
tiny angel dressed in white with a halo over his head appears on one shoulder. A contrasting angel appears on his other shoulder, usually dressed in black or
red and sporting a pitchfork.
Each tries to
influence the person’s behavior. We laugh and nod at these scenes, acknowledging the struggle
we all experience when trying to make a decision between right and wrong.
Is this scene a far-fetched theory? Where does it come from,
and does it have any biblical basis?
Dr. Harold Wilmington, author of Wilmington’s Guide to the Bible, quotes A. S. Joppie: “The
Mohammedans believe . . . that two angels are assigned to each person. The
angel on the right hand records all your good deeds. The angel on your left
records all your evil deeds.”
While the Bible records no such angelic assignments, it does
confirm that many of the battles we face are spiritual in nature: “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” (Eph. 6:12).
This invites us to examine some of these dark forces,
especially angels.
Myth: All angels are good.
Truth: There are both good and bad angels.
Angels, like everything else in the universe, were created
by God (Col. 1:16). God were created them before he created man (Job 38:1,4,7),
and their purpose was to glorify God (Heb. 1:6).
Tragically, Lucifer revolted against God’s leadership and
took one third of heaven’s angels with him (Rev. 12:3-4). Scripture refers to
these beings as fallen angels,
because God expelled them from heaven.
Now they serve Satan as demons and oppressive
spirits whose mission is to oppose God’s purpose (Dan. 10:10-14), execute Satan’s
program (1 Tim. 4:1), disseminate false doctrine (1 Thes. 2;2), and afflict
human beings. They can oppress believers (1 Sam 16:14) and possess unbelievers
(Mt. 15;28). They will be one of the chief agents of destruction during the tribulation
period.
Are you scared yet? I’ll confess that I stopped in the
middle of writing this post to pray for protection over myself and my family,
and you probably should, too.
My motive in sharing this information is not to
frighten you, but to make you aware of the spiritual forces of wickedness at work
around us. When we acknowledge our enemy and study his ways, we can recognize
him for who he is, who he is not, and be better prepared to wage war against
him.
By acknowledging that forces of spiritual wickedness are at
work (if you doubt this, just watch the nightly news or read a news feed), we
are informed and equipped.
We’ve looked at what fallen angels can do. Now let’s look at
what they can’t do:
They (especially Satan) are not omnipresent (everywhere at
once).
Satan is not God’s equal. He is a created being with limited (although
significant) power. The people who say, “Satan’s really riding me today,” have
delusions of grandeur. Trust me; you and I aren’t important enough to warrant
Satan’s attention. President Obama or Billy Graham maybe, but not you and me. Most
of the trouble we get into is because of our own sinful nature.
They are not omnipotent (all powerful).
While Satan and his
demons have power to affect the world and its people, their power is limited by
God (Job 1:12).
They will all one day bow and submit to Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us: "'As surely as I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee will bow
before me; every tongue will confess to God'" (Rom. 14:11).
They will be judged by Christ and his church (1 Cor. 6:3).
They will be cast into the lake of fire forever (Mt. 25:41).
Thankfully, God has not left us defenseless before these
spiritual enemies. He promises us, “Greater is he that is in you than he that
is in the world” (1 John 4:4), and he gives us power and weapons to fight the
forces we encounter. The apostle James exhorts us, “Submit yourselves, then, to
God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (Jas. 4:7).
Ephesians 6:12-18 gives us the blueprint for effective
spiritual warfare:
“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. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled
around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with
your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In
addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can
extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit
on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be
alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
Every good soldier studies his enemies, not to become
fearful, but to become wise. He knows his survival depends upon a strong, wise
plan of defense and attack. May we be similarly convinced to fight the good
fight, knowing that God and his angels are on our side.
What about you? What’s your most effective defense against
the spiritual forces of evil? Share your thought below so we can learn from
each other.
Join me next time for Part III of Angels—Debunking theMyths. In this installment, I’ll answer the question, “What do angels do,
anyway?” If you haven’t yet subscribed to Hungry for God, now’s a great time.
That way, you won’t miss a single post in this series.
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I think that demons like us not to realize that we're in a spiritual battle because it gives them the upper hand. Have you read The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis or the Ishbane Conspiracy by Randy Alcorn?
ReplyDeleteI agree, Nikki. That's one of the reasons I felt led to write this series. I think by exposing the works of darkness, we become more aware of their lies and better able to defend ourselves against them. I haven't read Randy Alcorn's book, but I'm quite familiar with The Screwtape Letters -- a great expose'. Thanks for chiming in on this series. You're always an encouragement to me!
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