Christianity 101: 20 Basic Christian Beliefs Chapter 6 What Are Angels, Satan, and Demons? Introduction: C. S. Lewis wrote in the preface to his work of fiction, The Screwtape Letters: There are two equal and opposite errors into which our race can fall about the devils. One is to disbelieve in their existence. The other is to believe, and to feel an excessive and unhealthy interest in them. They themselves are equally pleased by both errors and hail a materialist or a magician with the same delight. I. Angels a. What are Angels? b. Have Angels always existed? c. How does God show a greater love for humans than for angels? d. What do angels do? e. Should we pray to angels? Why or Why Not (and give biblical examples)?
II. Demons a. What are Demons? b. Were Demons evil when they were created? c. Who is the leader of the Demons? d. Are Demon s powers unlimited and can they work miracles? III. Demonic Activity a. Do Demons account for the majority of the evil work done in the world today? b. How did Jesus defeat Satan?
c. What are a Christian s weapons against Satan and his Demons? IV. Discussion Questions: a. How are the angels like us? How are they different from us? b. What is the primary role of angels in the world today? c. What are some of the things that the Bible tells us about Satan? How do these things put you on guard against Satan? How do these things remove some fears you may have about Satan?
Appendix ANGELOLOGY: DOCTRINES OF ANGELS, SATAN, AND DEMONS (David L. Burggraff, Ph.D., Th.M.) Creation of Angels (McCune 351) The Bible assumes the existence of angels. The specific divine creation of angels, although assumed in the doctrine of creation of all things, is not formally taught in the Bible. I. The fact of their creation. Angels are created beings (Ps. 148:2-5, esp. v.5). This means they did not evolve from lower or less complex form of life. This is reinforced by the fact that angels do not procreate (Matt. 22:30; Luke 20:36). Apparently the total number of angelic beings was created at one time. When they were created, they were created as angels. As created beings, they are finite, not infinite. NOTE: Since angels do not procreate, the suggested procreation in Genesis 6:2 is contrary to the direct teaching of Jesus. II. III. IV. The agent of their creation. All things were created by Christ (John 1:1-3). Specifically, angels were created by Him (Col. 1:16). The time of their creation. The Bible does not undebatably state the time of their creation. Angels were created before man in the sequence of the six days of creation. It appears that angels observed Gods early creative activity; they were present when the earth was created ( sons of God, Job 38:7) so their creation had to be prior to the creation of the earth. The state of their creation. A. Holy Originally all angelic creatures were created holy. God pronounced His creation good (Gen. 1:31, they were thus included in the pronouncement very good ); and of course, He did not create sin. The fall of angels must have occurred between Gen. 1:31 and Gen 3:1. Even after sin entered the world, God s good angels, who did not rebel against Him, are called holy (Mark 8:38). These are the elect angels (1 Tim. 5:21) in contrast to the fallen angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God (Matt. 25:41). In addition to being created holy, all angels were surrounded by holiness. Their Creator was absolute holiness. The atmosphere in which they lived and served was, until the sin of Satan, without the imperfections and taint of sin. B. Creaturely Angels are creatures, not the Creator. Yet they are a separate order of creatures, distinct from human beings (1 Cor. 6:3; Heb. 1:14). As creatures they are limited in power, knowledge, and activity (1 Pet. 1:11-12; Rev. 7:1). Like all responsible free agents, they will subject to judgment (1 Cor. 6:3; Matt. 25:41).
The Nature of Angels I. Angels have personalities. Personality means to have personal existence. Thus, angels have personal existence and possess the quality or state of being persons. It is commonly understood that the essential facets of personality involve intelligence, emotions, and will. A. Angels qualify as personalities because they have the aspects of intelligence, emotions, and will; which is true both of good and evil angels. Good angels, Satan, and demons possess intelligence (Matt. 8:29; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Pet. 1:12). Good angels, Satan, and demons show emotions (Luke 2:13; James 2:19; Rev. 12:17). Good angels, Satan, and demons demonstrate that they have wills (Luke 8:28-31; 2 Tim. 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). B. The knowledge they possess is limited to their being creatures. This means they do not know all things as God does (Matt. 24:36), yet they have greater knowledge than human beings. 1. Angels were created as a higher order of creatures in the universe than humans are. 2. Angels gain knowledge through long observation of human activities and the fact that they have experienced the past. They know how people have acted and reacted throughout history. 3. Angels can study God s revelation (the Bible) more thoroughly than some humans do and can gain knowledge from it (James 2:19; Rev. 12:12). C. Though they have wills, angels, like all creatures, are subject to the will of God. 1. Good angels are sent by God to help believers (Heb. 1:14). 2. Satan, though powerful, is limited by the will of God (Job 2:6). 3. Demons were/are subject to the will of Christ (Luke 8:28-31). II. Angels are spirit beings. Although angels may reveal themselves to mankind in the form of human bodies (Gen. 18:3) they nonetheless are called spirits (Heb. 1:14), suggesting they do not have corporeal bodies. A. As spirit beings they are immaterial and incorporeal. 1. Some Jews and early church fathers understood angels as having some kind of airy or fiery bodies, though in the Middle Ages it was concluded that they were pure spirits beings. The tendency to ascribe to angels a body grows out of the supposed impossibility of conceiving of a true creature without a body. 2. They function without physical bodies; they are only spirit (pneumata) in nature (Matt. 8:16; Luke 7:21; 8:2; 11:26; Acts 19:12; Eph. 6:12; Heb. 1:14).
B. Angels may reveal themselves to men. 1. They are real bodies. Their spirit nature does not forbid their appearing to human beings. Angels walked and talked with Abraham; they ate with him. They employed genuine, physical (but not birth/growth) bodies at times for revelatory purposes (Gen. 18:2; 19:1, 5; Exod. 3:2; Num. 22:22-31; Jud. 2:1; 6:11, 22; 13:3, 6; 1 Chron. 16:20) the bodies employed by angels were real, temporal, physical, brilliant bodies (luminous), but not birth-growth human bodies. 2. Usually they appear as males (though possibly the women of Zech. 5:9 are angels). Angels were often recognized as like men before it became apparent that they were angels. 3. Angels have appeared in dreams and visions (Matt. 1:20; Isa. 6:1-8), and to people in a normal, conscious, waking state (Gen. 19:1-8; Mark 16:5; Luke 2:13). 4. The appearance of a revealing angel engendered fear; often their first message was, Fear not. (Bible written from earth dwelling human perspective) 5. In heavenly visions they are described by superhuman characteristics that are quite different from other humanlike appearances (Dan. 10:5-7; Rev. 10:1-3; 15:6; 18:1). Some angels have wings (Is. 6:2, 6; Ezek. 1:5-8). III. Angels are immortal and do not propagate. A. As created beings, angels are finite. The number of angels is and always will be the same. 1. The Lord taught that angels do not propagate baby angels (Matt. 22:30). 2. The Lord taught that angels do not die (Luke 20:36). B. As created beings, they have limited movement; they are sent. 1. Some holy angels are continually in the presence of God; some demons are already permanently confined. 2. Holy angels willingly obey God; demons are independent free agents but restricted by God. 3. The activity of a holy angel can be hindered (Dan. 10:12-13). IV. Angels are higher creatures than men. A. Angels are of a class distinct from man (1 Cor. 6:3; Heb. 1:4; 2:16; 12:22-23). Men will never become angels. B. Mankind, including our incarnate Lord, is lower than the angels (Heb. 2:7). While there are problems connected with the writer s use of Psalm 8 in this passage, it does seem clear that Incarnation placed Christ in a position lower than the angels (although, of course, this was only temporarily true during the time of Christ s humiliation on earth). This is because man who was created in the image of God is lesser than God by nature (Ryrie, BT, 127-8). For further discussion, see Dickason, 53-7.
C. Angels are superior to humans (Matt. 24:36; 1 Pet. 1:12; 2 Pet. 2:11; Ps. 103:20; 2 Thess. 1:7). 1. They were created a few days prior to man (Job 38:7). 2. Their acts are often super-human (Jud. 13:20). 3. They are assigned to minister to saints (Heb. 1:14). 4. They are greater in knowledge than man (2 Sam. 14:20; Matt. 24:36), but they are not omniscient (Matt. 24:36). 5. They are stronger than man (Matt. 28:2; Acts 5:19; 2 Pet. 2:11), but not omnipotent (Dan. 10:13). 6. They are more mobile than man, but they are not omnipresent. 7. They are superhuman yet finite; they are limited in power, knowledge, and activity (1 Pet. 1:11-12; Rev. 7:1). D. Angels are not subject to the limitations of man, especially since they are incapable of death (Luke 20:36). E. Angels have limitations compared to man, particularly in future relationships. Angels are not created in the image of God, therefore they do not share man s glorious destiny of redemption in Christ. At the consummation of the age, redeemed man will be exalted above angels (1 Cor. 6:3).