According to the Scripture, demons are fallen angels but their names often reveal that they derive from pre-christian Gods demonized by the early fathers of the Church. In Christian writings demons in the strictest sense -- those fallen angels who remained loyal to Lucifer in hell -- were continually being confused with pagan deities and with nature spirits.
Thus we find mention of the demon Satyr who incites men and women to lust, and the demon Theutus, who induces the urge to gamble for money with cards or dice. The satyr is a nature spirit of Greek mythology, and Theutus is a degenerate variation on the name of the Egyptian god Thoth, who was associated by the Greeks with numbers, and by extension with money. In dealing with the pagan system of idolatry, the apostle Paul declared by inspiration of God that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice to idols
"they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of the demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord, and the table of demons" (1 Cor. 10:10-21 ).
The Bible thus clearly reveals that behind every pagan idol there is a demon and that the sacrifices offered to such idols are offered to demons and not the the one and only true God. There was the table of demons and the table of the Lord, and expressed fellowship with one or the other.
Associated with the whole satanic, pagan system of idolatry were many other demon activities about which Moses of old warned the children of Israel. In the book of Deuteronomy we read:
"When thou art come in the land which the Lord they God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all who do such things are an abomination unto the Lord" (Deut. 18:9-12).
What Ever Happened to the Spirits of the Giants?
Genesis 6:4
"They are dead, they shall not live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish." Isaiah 26:14
"That was also regarded as the land of the giants; giants formerly dwelt there, but the Ammonites call them Zamzummin, a people as great and numerous and tall as the Anakim. But the Lord destroyed them before them, and they dispossessed them and dwelt in their place."
Deuteronomy 2:20 - 21.
"But the angels that did not keep their proper domain, but left their abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day..." Jude 6.
"For this reason the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels." 1 Cor. 11:10.
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Showing posts with label angels. Show all posts
Showing posts with label angels. Show all posts
Sunday, January 15, 2012
THE ORIGIN OF ANGELS
THE ORIGIN OF ANGELS
December 1, 1997 Issue
by Alan Bonifay
Two installments on the subject of angels have already dealt with Guardian Angels, the definition of angels and misconceptions about them, and the fact that until judgment day, when the saved are given their home in Heaven, angels make up the family of God in Heaven. Now, looking again only to the scriptures to teach us, we wish to examine the origin of angels. This study will lead us also to a consideration of the origin of Satan and the demons.
ANGELS ARE CREATED BEINGS
Angels are created, not eternal, beings. The Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration to the saints in Colasse clearly taught the creation of angels saying, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him." (Colossians 1:16; cf. Eph 3:9; Heb 1:2; John 1:3).
When these words are considered there can be no doubt that angels are not by nature eternal beings, but in fact have their origin as part of God’s creation. But when did God create the angels? He probably did not do it in the six days of the creation of the universe. We base this contention upon the fact that everything created during those six days is carefully named, and yet we have no account of the creation of angels. As we try to determine just when the angels were created, considerations of another class of angels enter into the picture. We have not yet discussed these angels, but to study them now will help us with this question.
INFERNAL ANGELS
In addition to earthly messengers (angels) and celestial messengers, the angels we are really concerned with in this study, there are also infernal angels. These are evil angels who wait upon and serve the Devil. They are the demons. The book of Revelation reports the entrance of these angels into evil, so giving us an account of the origin of demons.
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him... Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the seal for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:7-9, 12).
Jesus said in Luke 10:18, "I behold Satan as listening fall from heaven." This great war and the origination of demonhood must have occurred after the origin of all the angels, and after the creation of the earth (since Satan was cast into it at the end of the war), but anterior to Satan’s appearance on earth in the Garden of Eden. Clearly, Satan had, by the time of his appearance in Eden, already fallen "as lightening," having lost the war in heaven. Before the great war in heaven, before Adam’s last day in the Garden of Eden, angels were created. But did this creation of angels occur between the creation of the universe and the great war? Or was it during the creation of the universe? Or was it before the Genesis account? A final passage may help us to narrow down the period in which angels came into being, Job 38:4-7.
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
The New International Version equates the phrase "sons of God" with angels in this passage. And as the LORD speaks to Job, the indication seems to be that angels were certainly created before the sixth day of creation, and with all probability on or before the first day. All of this information taken together seems to place the creation of the angels sometime before Genesis 1:1. And that is as close as we can determine. They are not eternal, but as far as we can tell, they were in existence prior to the creation of the universe.
But what about these evil angels we have discussed? Where did they come from? Did God create them as evil beings?
THE ORIGIN OF SATAN
As we consider the origin of Satan and his demons, we must look at some passages of scriptures from the prophets that are written in Apocalyptic Language. This symbolical form of writing was used by several of the Bible writers - Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and John the Revelator. The Book of Revelation is, in fact, called The Apocalypse, which means veiled or hidden until revealed. Apocalyptic writers used symbolical language to reveal truths to those to whom he addressed his work while at the same time keeping the message hidden from others. Persecutors of the truth could not understand the meaning, and so Apocalypic Language was a form of protection for the writer and the receivers. This language is used about Satan to describe other people, the intention being to show how they and their sins are like Satan and his sins. Isaiah, writing about the King of Babylon, actually reveals a great deal to us about Satan.
"How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isaiah 14:12-15).
Ezekiel 28:12-19 describes to us the high position once occupied by Satan, and even speaks of the perfectness of his ways until iniquity was found in him (verse 15) and he suffered the judgment of God. Ezekiel Apocalyptically gives us this picture as he describes the King of 1~re. These two passages teach us much about Satan’s character. Several New Testament passages also describe the origin of Satan and the demons. Paul wrote to Timothy about the qualifications of elders saying in I Timothy 3:36, "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil." (emphasis mine - AWB). Jude 6 says, "...the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Peter also speaks of "the angels that sinned" and their judgment (2 Peter 2:4). The Scriptures teach that Satan was, when created, a great angel with much influence in heaven. It seems to be implied in Ezekiel and Isaiah that Satan was the first angel in creation, rank, and power. However, he became lifted up with pride, and rebelled against God by trying to raise himself to an even higher station than God had given him. In fact he actually sought to overthrow God. Consequently, he was cast down to earth with all the angels who followed him. Here we have the origin of Satan and his demons. They were not created evil, but through their own iniquity became so. When Satan was cast down to earth, it was then that the appeared in Eden to tempt man, and he continues his pernicious work as the deceiver of nations to this day.
It is well to note in all of this that the angels were under law. I John 3:4 says, "sin is the transgression of the law," and Paul said, "where no law is, there is no transgression," (Romans 4:15). And yet Peter, as we noted previously, spoke of "the angels that sinned," (2 Peter 2:4). We must conclude that the angels were indeed under law. Having once fallen under the power of darkness, those angels that sinned were forever condemned to Hell, which Jesus said was "prepared for the devil and his angels. In this, we note a tremendous difference between the way God has treated us and the way He treated the sinful angels. They never had a Savior. Once under the power of darkness, that is where they were consigned to stay forever. However, God has given to us a means of deliverance, and we should be eternally grateful for it.
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" ( Colossians 1:13-14).
CONCLUSION
The scriptures teach us that the angels are indeed created, not eternal, beings. They were created, in all probability, by God prior to the creation account we find in Genesis chapter one. Satan and his angels, the demons, were also created by God, not as evil beings but the same as all the other angels. By their own sin they fell into eternal condemnation. And thus we see the origin of all the angels and the origin of the evil angels, and as we consider the state of the latter, we are bound to thank God always for the hope we have through Jesus Christ. We intend in the next article to study the Nature of Angels.
December 1, 1997 Issue
by Alan Bonifay
Two installments on the subject of angels have already dealt with Guardian Angels, the definition of angels and misconceptions about them, and the fact that until judgment day, when the saved are given their home in Heaven, angels make up the family of God in Heaven. Now, looking again only to the scriptures to teach us, we wish to examine the origin of angels. This study will lead us also to a consideration of the origin of Satan and the demons.
ANGELS ARE CREATED BEINGS
Angels are created, not eternal, beings. The Apostle Paul, writing by inspiration to the saints in Colasse clearly taught the creation of angels saying, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him." (Colossians 1:16; cf. Eph 3:9; Heb 1:2; John 1:3).
When these words are considered there can be no doubt that angels are not by nature eternal beings, but in fact have their origin as part of God’s creation. But when did God create the angels? He probably did not do it in the six days of the creation of the universe. We base this contention upon the fact that everything created during those six days is carefully named, and yet we have no account of the creation of angels. As we try to determine just when the angels were created, considerations of another class of angels enter into the picture. We have not yet discussed these angels, but to study them now will help us with this question.
INFERNAL ANGELS
In addition to earthly messengers (angels) and celestial messengers, the angels we are really concerned with in this study, there are also infernal angels. These are evil angels who wait upon and serve the Devil. They are the demons. The book of Revelation reports the entrance of these angels into evil, so giving us an account of the origin of demons.
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon fought his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him... Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the seal for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." (Revelation 12:7-9, 12).
Jesus said in Luke 10:18, "I behold Satan as listening fall from heaven." This great war and the origination of demonhood must have occurred after the origin of all the angels, and after the creation of the earth (since Satan was cast into it at the end of the war), but anterior to Satan’s appearance on earth in the Garden of Eden. Clearly, Satan had, by the time of his appearance in Eden, already fallen "as lightening," having lost the war in heaven. Before the great war in heaven, before Adam’s last day in the Garden of Eden, angels were created. But did this creation of angels occur between the creation of the universe and the great war? Or was it during the creation of the universe? Or was it before the Genesis account? A final passage may help us to narrow down the period in which angels came into being, Job 38:4-7.
"Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof, When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?"
The New International Version equates the phrase "sons of God" with angels in this passage. And as the LORD speaks to Job, the indication seems to be that angels were certainly created before the sixth day of creation, and with all probability on or before the first day. All of this information taken together seems to place the creation of the angels sometime before Genesis 1:1. And that is as close as we can determine. They are not eternal, but as far as we can tell, they were in existence prior to the creation of the universe.
But what about these evil angels we have discussed? Where did they come from? Did God create them as evil beings?
THE ORIGIN OF SATAN
As we consider the origin of Satan and his demons, we must look at some passages of scriptures from the prophets that are written in Apocalyptic Language. This symbolical form of writing was used by several of the Bible writers - Daniel, Ezekiel, Isaiah, and John the Revelator. The Book of Revelation is, in fact, called The Apocalypse, which means veiled or hidden until revealed. Apocalyptic writers used symbolical language to reveal truths to those to whom he addressed his work while at the same time keeping the message hidden from others. Persecutors of the truth could not understand the meaning, and so Apocalypic Language was a form of protection for the writer and the receivers. This language is used about Satan to describe other people, the intention being to show how they and their sins are like Satan and his sins. Isaiah, writing about the King of Babylon, actually reveals a great deal to us about Satan.
"How art thou fallen from heaven, 0 Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit." (Isaiah 14:12-15).
Ezekiel 28:12-19 describes to us the high position once occupied by Satan, and even speaks of the perfectness of his ways until iniquity was found in him (verse 15) and he suffered the judgment of God. Ezekiel Apocalyptically gives us this picture as he describes the King of 1~re. These two passages teach us much about Satan’s character. Several New Testament passages also describe the origin of Satan and the demons. Paul wrote to Timothy about the qualifications of elders saying in I Timothy 3:36, "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil." (emphasis mine - AWB). Jude 6 says, "...the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Peter also speaks of "the angels that sinned" and their judgment (2 Peter 2:4). The Scriptures teach that Satan was, when created, a great angel with much influence in heaven. It seems to be implied in Ezekiel and Isaiah that Satan was the first angel in creation, rank, and power. However, he became lifted up with pride, and rebelled against God by trying to raise himself to an even higher station than God had given him. In fact he actually sought to overthrow God. Consequently, he was cast down to earth with all the angels who followed him. Here we have the origin of Satan and his demons. They were not created evil, but through their own iniquity became so. When Satan was cast down to earth, it was then that the appeared in Eden to tempt man, and he continues his pernicious work as the deceiver of nations to this day.
It is well to note in all of this that the angels were under law. I John 3:4 says, "sin is the transgression of the law," and Paul said, "where no law is, there is no transgression," (Romans 4:15). And yet Peter, as we noted previously, spoke of "the angels that sinned," (2 Peter 2:4). We must conclude that the angels were indeed under law. Having once fallen under the power of darkness, those angels that sinned were forever condemned to Hell, which Jesus said was "prepared for the devil and his angels. In this, we note a tremendous difference between the way God has treated us and the way He treated the sinful angels. They never had a Savior. Once under the power of darkness, that is where they were consigned to stay forever. However, God has given to us a means of deliverance, and we should be eternally grateful for it.
"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:" ( Colossians 1:13-14).
CONCLUSION
The scriptures teach us that the angels are indeed created, not eternal, beings. They were created, in all probability, by God prior to the creation account we find in Genesis chapter one. Satan and his angels, the demons, were also created by God, not as evil beings but the same as all the other angels. By their own sin they fell into eternal condemnation. And thus we see the origin of all the angels and the origin of the evil angels, and as we consider the state of the latter, we are bound to thank God always for the hope we have through Jesus Christ. We intend in the next article to study the Nature of Angels.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
angels
Angel
Hebrew: "mal'ak" / Greek: "aggelos."
In both languages, the word means "messenger," and is used to describe any agent God sends to do his will. It does not always refer to heavenly beings.
For much more information about angels, see our answer to "What does the Bible Say about angels?"
The appearances of "the Angel of the Lord" to Abraham at Mamre (Gen. 18:2, 22. Compare 19:1), to Jacob at Peniel (Gen. 32:24, 30), to Joshua at Gilgal (Josh. 5:13,15), were of the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ. They were "foreshadowings of the incarnation," revelations before the "fullness of the time" of the Son of God.
HEAVENLY ANGELS
These superior beings are very numerous. "Thousand thousands," etc. (Dan. 7:10; Matt. 26:53; Luke 2:13; Hebrews 12:22-23). They have different ranks in dignity and power (Zech. 1:9,11; Dan. 10:13; 12:1; 1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 1:9; Eph. 1:21; Col. 1:16).
They are spirits (Hebrews 1:14), like the soul of man, but without a physical body.
Such expressions as "like the angels" (Luke 20:36), and the fact that whenever angels appeared to man it was always in a human form (Gen. 18:2; 19:1, 10; Luke 24:4; Acts 1:10), and the titles that are applied to them ("sons of God," Job 1:6; 38:7; Dan. 3:25; compare 28) and to men (Luke 3:38), all seem to indicate some resemblance between them and the human race.
Imperfection is ascribed to them (Job 4:18; Matt. 24:36; 1 Pet. 1:12). As free-willed creatures, they may fall under temptation; and thus we read of "fallen angels." We can only guess at the cause and manner of their "fall." We know only that fallen angels "left their first estate" (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 12:7,9), and that they are "reserved unto judgement" (2 Pet. 2:4).
Angels never die (Luke 20:36). They possess superhuman intelligence and power (Mark 13:32; 2 Thess. 1:7; Ps. 103:20).
They are called "holy" (Luke 9:26), "elect" (1 Tim. 5:21). The redeemed in glory are "like the angels" (Luke 20:36).
They are not to be worshipped (Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10).
They have many functions.
In the widest sense, they are AGENT'S OF GOD'S PROVIDENCE (Ex. 12:23; Ps. 104:4; Hebrews 11:28; 1 Cor. 10:10; 2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Chr. 21:16; 2 Kings 19:35; Acts 12:23).
They are especially God's agents in carrying on his great WORK OF REDEMPTION. There is no clear report of angelic appearances to man till after the call of Abraham. From that time onward there are frequent references to their ministry on earth (Gen. 18; 19; 24:7, 40; 28:12; 32:1). They appear to rebuke idolatry (Judg. 2:1-4), to call Gideon (Judg. 6:11-12), and to consecrate Samson (13:3). In the days of the prophets, from Samuel downward, the angels appear only on their behalf (1 Kings 19:5; 2 Kings 6:17; Zech. 1-6; Dan. 4:13, 23; 10:10,13, 20-21).
When Jesus Christ came to earth to die, a new era was begun in the ministry of angels. They came with their Lord to earth to assist him while here. They predict his advent (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:26-38), minister to him after his temptation and agony (Matt. 4:11; Luke 22:43), and declare his resurrection and ascension (Matt. 28:2-8>; John 20:12-13; Acts 1:10-11).
They now minister to the people of God (Hebrews 1:14; Ps. 34:7; 91:11; Matt. 18:10; Acts 5:19; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7; 27:23). They rejoice over a repentant sinner (Luke 15:10). They carry the souls of the redeemed to paradise (Luke 16:22); and they will be the ministers of judgement on the great day of judgement (Matt. 13:39,41, 49; 16:27; 24:31).
GUARDIAN ANGELS? - The passages (Ps. 34:7, Matt. 18:10) usually referred to in support of the idea that every individual has a particular guardian angel have no such meaning. They merely indicate that God employs the ministry of angels to deliver his people from affliction and danger, and that the angels do not think it below their dignity to minister even to children and to the least among Christ's disciples.
ANGEL OF HIS PRESENCE - The "angel of his presence" (Isa. 63:9. Compare Ex. 23:20-21; 32:34; 33:2; Num. 20:16) sometimes referred to in the Bible is probably referring to the Messiah as the guide of his people. Others have supposed the expression to refer to Gabriel (Luke 1:19).
When the manna is called "angels’ food" in Psalms, this is merely to describe its heavenly excellence (Psalm 78:25).
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