48 THE WORKER Scripture: Devotion Psalm 62: 11 Topic Job 1:6, 7; Isaiah 14; Ezekiel 28; Luke 10:18; Ephesians 2:2 NOVEMBER 2015 Third Week Theme GOD S ANGELS SERVE AND PROTECT BELIEVERS Theme Song Topic All Hail the Power of Jesus Name THE FALLEN ANGELS Betty M. Crawford Guildfield Baptist Church Washington, DC Key Verse Jesus said to them, I watched Satan fall from heaven like lightning... Luke 10:18 (God s Word Translation). DEVOTIONS: Quiet Music All Hail the Power of Jesus Name! Call to Worship Praise ye the Lord. Sing unto the Lord a new song, and His praise in the congregation of the saints (Psalm 149:1). Prayer (brief) Hymn There s Power in the Blood!
NOVEMBER THIRD WEEK DEVOTIONAL MESSAGE 49 POWER BELONGS TO GOD! Psalm 62:11 declares unto us, God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that power belongs to God. The psalmist, here in Psalm 62:11 makes a profound statement: God hath spoken it... God, who spoke worlds into existence! God, who created man in His own image! God, to whom the earth belongs and everything in it! God, who is omnipotent... Power belongs to God! Many people think that they have power through the oppression, suppression and repression of others. But, real power holy power belongs to God! God s creative, earth shaking, world changing, life-giving power is demonstrated throughout the Universe. Lucifer made the ludicrous mistake of attempting to appropriate God s power for himself by orchestrating usurpation which is the wrongful seizure of royal sovereignty. Consequently, God summarily evicted from Heaven, Lucifer and one third of the angels who foolishly followed him in his folly. The lesson before us is to recognize that God is God alone and He alone rules Supreme! Power belongs to God! We re under God s Authority. It is He to whom we are responsible and accountable. TOPIC DISCUSSION THE FALLEN ANGEL The Power Struggle Authority, responsibility and accountability were issues with which Lucifer had problems. This week s Topic Discussion will focus on how Lucifer, in pride, coveted God s power and all that God is, by attempting to usurp the power and authority of Almighty God. Consequently, Lucifer and one third of the like-minded angelic host were rapidly kicked out of Heaven by our Omnipotent God. The
50 NOVEMBER THIRD WEEK resultant power struggle continues today and will finally culminate in the day that Satan and the fallen angels are judged and cast into hell s everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his fallen angels. Rapidity of Satan s Fall Luke 10:18 records, in part, Jesus saying the following words, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven... One noted theologian provides these comments on what Jesus said to His returning victorious seventy disciples, [I beheld Satan...] Satan here denotes evidently the prince of the devils... Lightning is an image of rapidity or quickness. I saw Satan fall quickly or rapidly as quick as lightning. Jesus here confirms the reality of Satan s fall and the rapidity of Satan s fall. Furthermore, there were rebellious (fallen) angels who were expelled from Heaven along with him. Background (John 1:1-4 NLT) In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone. The everything that God created included angels which apparently were created before the Creation account found in Genesis chapter 1. Angels are God s creation. They are personalities which mean that angels have personal existence and possess the quality or state of being persons. Commonly, the essential facets of personality are considered to involve intelligence, emotions, and will. Angels then qualify as personalities because they have these aspects of intelligence, emotions, and will. This is true of both the good and evil angels. Good angels, Satan, and demons possess intelligence (Matthew 8:29; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Peter 1:12). Good angels, Satan, and demons show emotions (Luke 2:13; James 2:19; Revelation 12:17). Good angels, Satan, and demons demonstrate that they have wills (Luke 8:28 31; 2 Timothy 2:26; Jude 6). Therefore, they can be said to be persons. The fact that they do not have human bodies does not affect their being personalities (any more than it does with God). To be sure, the knowledge that angels possess is limited by their being creatures. This means they do not know all things as God does (Matthew 24:36),
NOVEMBER THIRD WEEK yet they seem to have greater knowledge than humans. This may be due to three causes. (1) Angels were created as a higher order of creatures in the universe than humans are. Therefore, innately they possess greater knowledge. (2) Angels know more about God than humans do (James 2:19; Revelation 12:12). (3) Angels gain knowledge through long observation of human activities. Unlike humans, angels do not have to study the past; they have experienced it. Therefore, they know how others have acted and reacted in situations and can predict with a greater degree of accuracy how we may act in similar circumstances. The experiences of longevity give them greater knowledge. Though they have wills, the angels are, like all creatures, subject to the will of God. Good angels are sent by God to help believers (Hebrews 1:14). Satan, though most powerful and cunning in carrying out his purposes in this world, is limited by the will of God (Job 2:6). Demons, too, have to be subject to the will of Christ (Luke 8:28 31). The personality of angels means that they are not merely personifications of abstract good or evil, as some have considered them to be. This includes Satan, who also is a personality, not a personification of man s collective idea about evil. Angels are spirit beings. Angels, demons (assuming they are fallen angels), and Satan belong to a class of beings that may be labeled spirit beings. Angels are said to be ministering spirits (Hebrews 1:14). Demons are called evil and unclean spirits (Luke 8:2; 11:24, 26), and Satan is the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience (Ephesians 2:2). As spirit beings they are immaterial and incorporeal. Also, it seems clear that angels are not omnipresent but have spatial limitations. However, the Scriptures explicitly call angels and demons spirits (pneumata) in Matthew 8:16; Luke 7:21; 8:2; 11:26; Acts 19:12; Ephesians 6:12; and Hebrews 1:14. Though God is also a Spirit Being, this does not mean that angels are infinite in nature as God is; rather they are finite spirit beings. Neither does their spirit nature forbid their appearing to human beings. Angels are immortal and do not propagate. The number of angels is and always will be the same. The Lord taught that angels do not propagate baby angels (Matthew 22:30) and that they do not die (Luke 20:36). However, the wicked angels will be punished in a place of separation from God (Matthew 25:41; Luke 8:31). 51
52 NOVEMBER THIRD WEEK Angels were originally holy beings. The Bible gives little specific evidence about the original state of the angels, though we know that when God finished His work of Creation He pronounced everything to be good (Genesis 1:31). Jude 6 also indicates that originally all the angels were holy creatures. Some were elect (1 Timothy 5:21) and others sinned (2 Peter 2:4). Presumably all might have remained in that original state of holiness, and those who did not rebel were confirmed forever in their holy state. In other words, those who did not join in Lucifer s rebellion will always stay in that original holy state. Those who failed and fell are now confirmed in their evil, rebellious state. To sum up: though there are similarities between angels and Deity and between angels and men, angels are a distinct class of beings. An important practical point emerges from this. Angels are organized; demons are organized; yet Christians, individually and in groups, often feel that it is unnecessary that they be organized. This is especially true when it comes to fighting evil. Believers sometimes feel that they can go it alone or expect victory without any prior, organized preparation and discipline. It is also true when it comes to promoting good. Believers sometimes miss the best because they do not plan and organize their good works Reality of Lucifer s Fall The Greek word pipto is translated as fallen. One definition of this word is, to fall to one's ruin or destruction. It should be noted that both Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 recount Lucifer s rebellion against God and subsequent fall as he was summarily cast out of Heaven by our All-Powerful God. Lucifer fell because he wasn t content to serve God, but wanted to be God, hence we see the I wills found in Isaiah 14:12-15, How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High. Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.
NOVEMBER THIRD WEEK Brothers and Sisters, you are encouraged to read Isaiah chapter 14 and Ezekiel chapter 28 in their entirety. Ezekiel 28:11-17 (ESV) provides the following description of Lucifer, aka Satan, and his sin of pride which caused him and one third of the angels who followed him to be evicted from Heaven. Although this passage refers to an earthly king, God uses the prophet Ezekiel to use this earthly king s doom to describe Lucifer s pre-creation fall and being cast out of heaven (along with the rebellious angels who followed him). Ezekiel declares, Then this further message came to me from the Lord: Son of man, sing this funeral song for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign Lord: You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisite in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone red carnelian, pale-green peridot, white moonstone, bluegreen beryl, onyx, green jasper, blue lapis lazuli, turquoise, and emerald all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you. Your rich commerce led you to violence, and you sinned. So I banished you in disgrace from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. Your wisdom was corrupted by your love of splendor. So I threw you to the ground and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. Satan is a creature. Assuming that Ezekiel 28:11 19 refers to Satan, that passage clearly states that Satan was created (v. 15). This means that he does not possess attributes that belong to God alone, like omnipresence, omnipotence, and omniscience. Though a mighty being, he has creaturely limitations. And as a creature he must be accountable to his Creator. Satan wanted to be as powerful as God. He wanted to exercise the authority and control in this world that rightfully belongs only to God. His sin was a direct challenge to the power and authority of God. Satan s sin was all the more heinous because of the great privileges, intelligence, and position he had. His sin was also more damaging because of the widespread effects of it. It affected other angels 53
54 NOVEMBER THIRD WEEK (Revelation 12:7); it affects all people (Ephesians 2:2); it positioned him as the ruler of this world, which he uses to promote his kingdom and to counterfeit God s (John 16:11); it affects all the nations of the world, for he works to deceive them (Revelation 20:3). All sin is serious, and all sin affects others. But sin in high places is more serious and its ramifications more widespread. The sin of Satan should serve as a constant reminder and warning to us. Rebellious Fallen Angels Their End Jude, the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ declares to us in verse 6 of the one chapter Book that bears his name, And 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. Note the following. [And the angels which kept not their first estate] (Greek - arche) Here it refers to the rank and dignity which the angels had in heaven. That rank or pre-eminence they did not keep, but fell from it. On the word used here [arche/rank/first estate], compare Ephesians 3:10; Colossians 2:10, as applied to angels; 1 Corinthians 15:24; Ephesians 6:12; Colossians 2:15, as applied to demons. [But left their own habitation] According to common interpretation, heaven. The word rendered habitation (Greek oikeeteerion) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means here that heaven was their native abode or dwellingplace. They left it by sin; but the expression here would seem possibly to mean that they became "dissatisfied" with their abode, and voluntarily preferred to change it for another. He hath reserved in everlasting chains] Peter says, chains of darkness; that is, the darkness encompasses them as chains. Jude says that those chains are everlasting, desmois aidiois. The punishment of the rebel angels AFTER the judgment is represented as an everlasting fire, which has been prepared for them and their followers (Matthew 25:41). Some fallen angels (demons, unclean spirits) are presently active in the world working all manner of evil. Some others are bound in chains, Jude 3, 6, awaiting God s final judgment. Satan is ultimately and finally held accountable by the Lord Jesus Christ, the Righteous Judge (Matthew 25:41) Then shall He say also unto them on the left
NOVEMBER THIRD WEEK hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels... Thank God that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ has already defeated Satan and all his cohorts from hell and made an open show of them when He shed His precious blood on Calvary s cross. Colossians 2:15 emphatically states that Jesus,... having spoiled principalities and powers, He made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it. Further, Ephesians 6:10-18 arms believers in Christ Jesus with the following battle plan, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints... Therefore Saints, we walk in victory, disciplining ourselves to worship God, use the Sword of the Spirit, namely, the Word of God; fervently praying; appropriating the spiritual weapons God has given us, employing the power and authority of the name of Jesus and the efficaciousness of His precious blood as we triumphantly live this Christian life. Lastly, just as Jesus declared in Luke 10:18 that He saw Satan fall as lightning from heaven, He also said to the 70 disciples in verses 19, 20 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven. Rejoice Sisters and Brothers, for our names are written in the Lamb s Book of Life and we are victorious! 55
56 Closing Hymn Satan, We re Going to Tear Your Kingdom Down! Closing Prayer Father God, we thank You that You have not left us defenseless in the world in which we live. Give us the courage needed to boldly live for you as we seek to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout the world. In Jesus name I pray. Amen. Assignment: Knowledge is power! Study 2 Corinthians 10:3-6; Ephesians 6:10-18; Colossians 2:13-15 and discuss how Christians can be fully equipped to fight the spiritual battle in which we are engaged.