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Angels and Demons

Angels and Demons
William W. Klein

Angels and demons constitute an order of celestial spirit beings created by God to serve God. The Greek word aggelos and the corresponding Hebrew term mal’ak mean “messenger,” though their tasks are broader than that. They represent God and the celestial world to his creation. As spirit beings they can navigate between the heavenly and earthly realms, even appearing in human format times (Gen. 19:1—2; Judg. 13:15—21; Acts 12:7—il). The Bible divides angels into two groups: “good angels” and “bad angels.” Created with free will, angels decided whether to serve God faithfully or to rebel.

The faithful angels, called “holy angels” or “angels of God” (or “of the Lord”), also have titles such as “heavenly beings,”“holy ones,” or “hosts.” The Bible names only two, the archangel Michael (Dan. 10:13, 21; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7—8) and Gabriel (Dan. 8:16; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26). Angels function chiefly as God’s messengers in the Old Testament (Gen. 16:7—12; 1 Kings 19:5—8), sometimes even identified with the Lord himself (Judg. 6:11—18). Angels appear at the significant events of Jesus’s life: birth (Matt. 1:20; Luke 1:26—27), temptation (Mark 1:13), resurrection (Matt. 28:2, 5), and his return as judge of the world (Matt. 24:31; 25:31; Mark 8:38). Angels aided the expansion of the church in a variety of ways (Acts 5:19; 8:26; 10:22; 12:7; 27:23). The writer of Hebrews captures their essential ministry to God’s people: “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14). In Revelation angels feature prominently.

They lead worship around God’s throne (5:11; 7:11), they transmit God’s message (1:1; 14:6), and they carry out judgments on the earth and its inhabitants (8:8; 14:15; 15:1).
A large number of angels rebelled against God, and their leader, Satan (also called the devil, the ancient serpent, Beelzebul), instigated Adam and Eve to sin. Satan and his angels—also called demons or unclean spirits— provoke evil, injure, destroy, and seek to thwart God’s purposes. Their destiny is the lake of fire (Matt. 25:41; Rev. 19:20; 20:10). The Greek Old Testament uses the word “demon” to refer to pagan deities (Deut. 32:17; Ps. 106:37; cf. 1 Cor. 10:20—21; Rev. 9:20) or worthless idols (Ps. 96:5), perhaps implying that Satan energizes all false gods. In the New Testament, most references to demonic activity occur in the Gospels in connection with Jesus’s ministry.

The New Testament writers considered the demons to be personal agents who could take up residence within people (Luke 4:33; Acts 16:16)—and could be cast out. Jesus’s healings often involve exorcising demons (Matt. 9:23; Mark 1:23—28; 6:13; Luke 8:2), and he passed on to his disciples this authority (Matt. 10:8; Acts 5:16; 16:18). Paul warned his churches against the powers of the fallen spirit world—rulers, authorities, powers, lordships, and thrones (Rom. 8:38; Eph. 1:21; 6:12; Col. 1:16). Only in Christ can Christians achieve victory over these demonic forces of evil.


Ref: The Baker Illustrated Bible Handbook - New Testament

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