BETWEEN2WORLDS.ORG. Angels & Demons - part two. May 24, fighting alongside heaven s angels

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1 BETWEEN2WORLDS.ORG May 24, 2010 Leading Nigerians and Nigerian Americans into a deeper relationship with Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:9-11 Angels & Demons - part two fighting alongside heaven s angels By Segun Aiyegbusi As I dozed off into dream world, I suddenly found myself standing in a large schoolyard as part of a missionary team of workers in a local village. When I looked down at my outfit, I realized my team and I were on this campus to provide medical assistance and spiritual & prayer support for those who seemed to be in desperate need around us. Now I don t recall how long we were on location, but I do remember suddenly seeing a large crowd of thugs and students carrying sharp machetes and sticks aggressively moving towards us. Terrified, we immediately dropped all our equipments, turned and ran for our lives. All the chaos and noise made it even more difficult to identify a safe escape route, where in the world was I? With each step, I could feel the mob getting closer and I cringed at the thought of being hacked to death by this mad evil mob. I had just made it out of the school gates onto a major highway and my legs were about to give out from under me when I caught a sight that nearly took my breath away. It was an army, an enormous army! They were all dressed in green military fatigues marching (and jogging) in tight formations. I couldn t even count them because they stretched out as far as the eye could see. In this dream world, I instinctively knew these soldiers weren t human but supernatural heavenly beings. To be more exact, I instinctively knew they were angels. I can t explain how I knew I just did. I also instinctively knew that though there were only a handful of us in harm s way, the Lord himself had dispatched such a large unit to protect us to show the amazing depths of love He would go on our behalf. As I slowed down on the side of the highway to catch my breath, I turned to look at the mob chasing us and all I could see was the dust from their feet as they fled from this great army equipped and armed for battle. I was about to walk over to one of 1

2 the military commanders to thank him and talk about who, what, why, and how they knew of our need when I suddenly woke up from my deep sleep! Though I have never seen or met an angel face to face, that dream has served as a vivid reminder that though the warfare is unseen, you and I as followers of Jesus Christ are engaged in a very real battle with unseen entities in the spiritual realm on a daily basis. However, I think due to popular culture and some ignorance of scripture, many might have some misconceptions about who and what angels really are. So, during this message, I want to talk not only about angels and their role in the lives of believers, but also briefly about the weapons that we as born again believers have in this ongoing spiritual battle. So, Let s dive right in. Angels are Holy supernatural beings created by God for God s glory and purposes. In everything they do, they are first and foremost messengers of God created to worship and serve him. They are described with different names in the scriptures: The book of Job 38:7 describes them as the morning stars Psalm 104:4 describes them as winds and flames of fire. I don t suppose it means that they are always in the wind or made up of fire, nor are they actual stars in the sky. These are simply the closest terms natural humans can use to describe supernatural beings. We re not really told the exact moment they were created, you ll notice no mention is made of them in the visible creation account in Genesis. However, we do know they were around when the earth was being created. In the book of Job 38, God challenges Job s understanding of who He was by asking him some questions He says where were you when I laid the earth s foundations?... while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? So based on this text, we know they were definitely already on site and present when earth was being created. Ever since humans entered into the scene, their job description has included serving and protecting humans. Hebrews 1:14 says Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? To however fully understand these spiritual beings, it would helpful if we took a look at an account in the bible where one of them appears to a man named Daniel. We ll look in detail at some of the angel s activities because his interaction with Daniel captures for us what angels do on a day-to-day basis in the lives of God s people. So if you have your bibles with you, please turn to the book of Daniel 10:1-21 where we ll make 4 observations about angels. Starting in verse 1 of chapter 10, In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, a revelation was given to Daniel (who was called Belteshazzar). Its message was true and it concerned a great war.. On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. First unmistakable observation is that angels are powerful & fierce beings. They are no small push over, they are not cute little bald headed naked babies with harps, and they are not your close relatives reincarnated. Except for times when they choose to appear in human form, their appearance almost always strikes terror in the hearts of people they appear to. If you take a survey of Old and New Testament accounts where angels appear to people (Judges 6:22; Luke 1:13; Matthew 28:5), the first words they often tell the individuals are do not be afraid The only reasonable explanation why they d give this kind of greeting has to be because there is something absolutely In our battle against these evil spiritual forces, you will find that the greatest offensive weapon you have against the enemy is a continual fervent prayer lifestyle and an unwavering trust in what the word of God says about you, about demons, and ultimately about Jesus Christ and his power over them. If you recall, it was through the word that Jesus defeated the devil when he was tempted in the desert. terrifying about their physical appearance. Even Daniel s reaction and the men around him confirm this truth, verse 7-9, I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground. Their fierceness and strength isn t however limited to their appearance, these heavenly beings really know how to brawl. In the book of Isaiah 37:33-37, when the Assyrian army threatened to harm God s people, the account says one angel went into the Assyrian camp and killed 185,000 men ONE ANGEL! In the book of Revelation, when the apostle John was seeing visions of the end times, he saw some serious angel action, And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years. 3 He threw him into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. Revelation 20:1-3. In light of this, erase every cute picture you ve ever had about angels, they are not cuddly, and they are not 2

3 fluffy! Angels are powerful fierce beings created by God to serve God and protect his people. Secondly, angels are messengers of God, emphasis on GOD. Starting in verse 10, A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, "Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you." And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling. Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them Notice the order here, Daniel prayed to God, then God dispatches the angel. Daniel didn t pray to an angel nor did he go seeking help from one! I m taking the time to emphasize that order in prayer because it is incredibly easy to become so infatuated with angels, to the point that they slowly turn into idols in our lives. The church I grew up in as a child had an unhealthy fascination with the angel Michael. During prayers, he was often represented as a saint who interceded on our behalf before God, as a matter of fact, our prayers always started with the words Jehovah, Jesus Christ, Holy Michael. It wasn t till years later that it occurred to me that that statement presented a theological problem. Whenever anyone tries to elevate the role of angels above the role of messenger, that s your first hint that their teachings are unbiblical and ungodly. Angels are servants of God who perform only God s biddings. No where in scriptures do they themselves ever receive worship that belongs to God. As a matter of fact, whenever a human tries to worship a holy angel, the angel always insists that worship should be given to God alone. In the book of Revelation, the apostle John is so overwhelmed by the presence of an angel that he impulsively falls down to worship him and the angel responds by saying, Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!" Revelation 19:10. That is the standard response of angels when humans try to worship them. Even they recognize their role and position before God as messengers, and they always redirect people to worship God. The only time an angel ever attempted to receive worship was when Lucifer became pridefully violent and was eventually banished out of heaven. Notice the role of prayer in this story, Daniel sensed that something was spiritually amiss with his people, he sought after God in prayer, and the Lord sent a mighty angel to fight on his behalf. Ephesians 6:18 says whenever we sense a restlessness in our spirits or in the lives of those close to us (especially in the church) We do not worship Angels! The only time an angel ever attempted to receive worship was when Lucifer became pridefully violent and was eventually banished out of heaven. we are to...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. Praying in the spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayer requests implies that you frequently engage in a variety of prayer concerning different issues around you. It also means that you are praying along the lines of what God puts on your heart. When a random concern about someone close to you comes to mind, pray fervently for God s protection, when you begin to observe unusual trends of difficulty in your family or in your life, pray fervently for God to watch over you. Always be alert to what God is doing in your life and around you, and always keep on praying according to his spirit s leading. Third observation about angels is that they are warriors of God. Look at the angel s response to Daniel in verse 12, Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come." While on his way to deliver God s message to Daniel, this powerful angel was met by evil opposition. The opposition was an evil demon referred to as the prince of the Persian kingdom Do you remember what Paul said in the beginning about the struggles we face in this world? 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. Well, this prince of Persia was actually one of those dark spiritual forces in the heavenly realms. He was a highranking evil demon who had an entire kingdom under his control. His method of control was through his influence on the human king of Persia. The message God sent through this angel to deliver to Daniel was an important message that would reveal to him the coming shift in world rule. It was also a message that would reveal the timing and birth of the coming Messiah. If that message got out to the people (which it eventually did), it would give hope and renew their faith in God; and Satan and his demons felt deeply threatened by that kind of revival. Hence the demon overseeing the affairs of Persia was dispatched (by Satan) to intercept the heavenly angel messenger. So in reality, this holy angel s arrival was an invasion of enemy territory and his arrival triggered a battle in the spiritual realm that lasted for 21 days (verse 13). In fact, the heavenly battle was so intense that the angel needed reinforcement, and that reinforcement came in the form of another powerful and fierce holy archangel called Michael. Michael is described here as one of the chief princes, which would be the same as saying he was one of the major generals in the army. There are a number of references to the archangel Michael serving as the protector over the people of Israel, and we see him doing exactly that in this account. He intercepts the prince of Persia which gives this other angel enough time to get God s message to Daniel. Incidentally enough, when the angel was done delivering the message to Daniel, he returns to get in on some of the cosmic action he explains in verse 20 So he said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will 3

4 come; but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.. And in the first year of Darius the Mede, I took my stand to support and protect him. I think this passage paints for us the reality of events unfolding in the unseen realm. There are angels engaged in a raging battle (perhaps on a daily basis) that our human eyes cannot see, and they are are often summoned into service or into battle whenever God chooses to direct us in a new endeavor or whenever the spiritual forces have their eyes set on bringing harm into our lives. So let s do a quick review, angels are powerful and fierce beings. Angels are messengers of God. Angels are warrior beings who fight on behalf of God s people. And lastly, angels serve as comforting spirits. Even though these supernatural beings are powerful enough to destroy a hundred thousand soldiers in one night and battle even the meanest of demons, they are also gentle enough to care for and protect a little child. Demons only know how to do one thing, that s to harm and destroy. Angels on the other hand not only have the power to bring about epic disasters (depending on whom God is judging), but they also have the ability to comfort a hurting soul. Between verse 4 and 16, Daniel is overwhelmed by this angel s presence and falls on his knees twice, but in verse 16-19, we are given a picture of their ability to bring comfort..i said to the one standing before me.my strength is gone and I can hardly breathe." Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. "Do not be afraid, O man highly esteemed," he said. "Peace! Be strong now; be strong." When he spoke to me, I was strengthened. Scripture refers to them as ministering spirits, part of their duties include providing guidance and comfort in times of desperation or anguish. Remember when Jesus fasted for forty days and was tempted in the desert? The account says after it was over, he was exhausted, but Matthew 4:11 says...then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him. We don t know exactly what they said or gave to him, but we know that when they were done, Jesus was strengthened and back on his feet again. In another account, on the night of his betrayal while praying in the garden, Jesus soul was so overwhelmed with the task ahead of him that he began to sweat drops of blood, we are told in that moment of weakness that An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. Luke 22:43. Through all these accounts, we see them serving God s people. I experienced something similar to this a few years back, I had woken up in the middle of the night and a deep dark sense of terror overwhelmed me. This wasn t a scared in the dark moment; it was much deeper than that, almost a tangible darkness. It s the feeling you get when you wake up in the middle of the night and feel like someone is in your house. So I sat up in bed and turned the lights on trying to get my mind together and snap out of it, but I couldn t shake it off. In light of some things I had been studying and preparing to teach about at church, I immediately sensed that whatever was happening to me in that moment, was beyond the natural. So I immediately started praying, but the feeling of terror slowly overwhelming my soul was so deep that I couldn t even articulate my words properly. Then I grabbed my phone and put on some worship music, thinking it would soothe my spirit, but even that was no good! Finally, I picked up my bible because I knew it was the SWORD of the spirit, and I searched through the Psalms looking for battle passages. This wasn t and isn t a formula, I just simply knew I was in a spiritual battle and I needed to read something in the scriptures where Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground 13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword God fought on behalf of his people. So I tracked down Psalm 17 and 18 and I began reading, except I changed a few words to fit my context 17:1 Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea; listen to my cry I call on you, O God, for you will answer me; give ear to me and hear my prayer. They have tracked me down, they now surround me, with eyes alert, to throw me to the ground 13 Rise up, O LORD, confront them, bring them down; rescue me from the wicked by your sword Then when I was done there, I moved on to Psalm 18 where the Psalmist unashamedly asks God to destroy his enemies. I prayed.in my distress I called to the LORD; I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice; my cry came before him, into his ears 12 Out of the brightness of his presence clouds advanced, with hailstones and bolts of lightning. 13 The LORD thundered from heaven; the voice of the Most High resounded.14 He shot his arrows and scattered the enemies, great bolts of lightning and routed them.16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me; he drew me out of deep waters.17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy, from my foes, who were too strong for me. As I read through those passages, something began to happen. Just as suddenly as that sense of terror had overwhelmed me, I suddenly began to sense a strong calm wash over my spirit. I knew in that moment, that because of 4

5 the sword of the spirit (the word of God), whatever evil spirit beings had threatened my soul had lost in that battle because the Lord God had fought on my behalf. Now I obviously didn t see any activity in the spiritual realm in that moment (though I definitely felt it), but I ve often wondered if holy angels were dispatched in that moment as I prayed? I ve often wondered if angels were dispatched to my home to act as warring spirits fighting on my behalf? and if others were dispatched as comforting spirits? Those questions are not for me to know, instead all I need to do is simply rest in the incomparable, insurmountable greatness of God s power that rescued me. I d imagine that there are a lot more roles angels play in our lives and in their service to God (some we ll never know until eternity), but from this account in Daniel, we see that they are fierce powerful beings, they are messengers of God who do his bidding, they are warrior fighters, and they are ministering spirits whom God sometimes send to guide, protect and comfort us in times of need. They are never to be worshipped nor should they be sought after for comfort, our prayers should always be lifted to God and he in turn and in his wisdom decides how to bring comfort into our situations. So in light of this, let me end with this reading from Psalm 91. It s a beautiful picture of how God uses his angels in our lives, I hope you find comfort in it as you reflect on the partnership we have with these heavenly beings. He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty..A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. If you make the Most High your dwelling. then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.. "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. Amen. To get an electronic copy of this document, download it from our website for free (www. between2worlds. org) Segun Aiyegbusi is an ordained reverend and serves as pastor of young adult ministries at Grace the church on the Mount in New Jersey. He holds a Masters of Divinity from Alliance Theological Seminary in New York and has a passion for preaching and teaching in-depth Biblical truths. Segun and his wife Modupe reside in Netcong, New Jersey and enjoy mentoring young couples and single adults in their twenties. They both currently minister to young adults in a ministry called THE REMIX. www. remixnj. com www. grace4families. com www. facebook. com / people / Segun-Aiyegbusi /