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Angelology: Doctrines of Angels, Satan, and Demons · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to Reformed Thinking. Today we are initiating A
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comprehensive deep dive into the biblical doctrine of the
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spiritual realm. Specifically, we are
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investigating angelology, satanology, and demonology
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utilizing some really well highly regarded excerpts from
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Paul Insurance's work, The Moody Handbook of Theology.
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It's a phenomenal resource for sure.
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Yeah, it really is. And whether you are actively
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preparing to lead a Bible study, or you are a listener who you
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know simply wants to separate Hollywood fiction from
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scriptural fact, this session will equip you with the precise
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data you need. We are going to look strictly at
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what the text says, stripping away centuries of myth and
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folklore to find the actual, literal, scriptural truth about
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the invisible world around us. And from a Reformed perspective,
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analyzing the spiritual realm does something quite
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magnificent. It highlights God's absolute
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supreme sovereignty. Everything we discussed today
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involves created beings who operate strictly under God's
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providential rule. In our theological framework,
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which is Here's to the Westminster Confession.
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There is no cosmic dualism where God and Satan are equal and
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opposite forces battling for supremacy.
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Right, they are not two sides of the same coin.
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Not at all. God is the sovereign Creator.
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Every Angel with her, elect or fallen, is a creature.
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They exist within the parameters of His decrees, They possess
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only the capability He permits, and their actions always fall
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within the boundaries of His eternal purposes.
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This theological reality provides an incredible anchor
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for the believer. When we look at the unseen
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realm, we are not looking into chaos.
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We are observing A realm entirely subjugated to the
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Lordship of Jesus Christ. I love that framing.
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OK, let's unpack this by starting with the doctrine of
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good angels, specifically looking at their identity and
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creation. The terminology itself is quite
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revealing when we look at the Hebrew word malach and the Greek
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word angelos. The basic literal translation is
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simply messenger. It describes one who is sent.
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Yes, just a messenger. But Paul ends points out several
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other scriptural titles that give us a much broader picture.
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We see the phrase sons of God used in the Old Testament,
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recognizing their unfallen state as creations of the Father.
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They are called holy ones, meaning they are set apart as
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attendance to God's holiness, and they're referred to as the
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host, which translates to the armies of heaven.
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So right away, the terminology paints a picture of beings who
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were sent out on military, commutative and holy
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assignments. They aren't chubby babies with
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harps sitting on clouds. They are active commissioned
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agents of the Most High. That imagery of babies with
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harps is so far from the truth. It really is.
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But before we get into what they do, I want to ask about why this
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matters so much. Some folks might say I believe
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in Jesus, but I'm not so sure about the supernatural stuff
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with angels. Can a Christian hold that
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position? That is a crucial question, and
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the short answer is absolutely not.
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What is fascinating here is how belief in angels is tied
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directly to the reliability of Jesus Christ himself.
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In our modern, hyper rationalistic age, people often
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try to embrace the moral teachings of Jesus while
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discarding the supernatural elements of Scripture.
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Thomas Jefferson famously cut the miracles out of his Bible,
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but you cannot logically separate the two.
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Christ's own testimony repeatedly affirms the reality
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of angels. He talks about them all the
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time. He really does.
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If you trust Christ's words regarding His temptation in the
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wilderness, where Mark tells us angels minister to him, or His
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teaching on the resurrection where he compares our future
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state to that of the angels, or His promises regarding His
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return, where he states that angels will gather the nations,
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then you must accept the reality of angels.
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To deny the angelic realm is to deny the veracity of the
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Incarnate Word of God. The reliability of our entire
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faith hinges on Christ speaking the truth.
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If he was wrong about angels, he cannot be trusted regarding
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salvation. That makes perfect sense.
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You can't cherry pick the red letters.
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If we accept the reality, we also need to understand their
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nature. According to the text, angels
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are spirit beings without corporeal bodies.
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Because they lack physical flesh and blood, they don't function
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as human beings do. Jesus explicitly states they
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don't marry, they don't die. They belong to a completely
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different category of creation. A totally separate category.
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Yeah. Now sometimes in Scripture they
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manifest in human form to accomplish a specific task.
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We see that in Genesis 18 when three men visit Abraham, and we
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later find out two of them are angels heading to Sodom.
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But they're essential. Baseline nature is spirit.
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And regarding their creation, Colossians 116 is definitive, it
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says. For by Him all things were
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created both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible,
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whether Thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities, Christ
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created them all simultaneously. Because they cannot reproduce,
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their number is static. The author of Hebrews uses the
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Greek word Mirias and translated as myriads, which denotes an
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uncountable static multitude. Just a massive uncountable
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number. Precisely.
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They were all spoken into existence by the Word of God at
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a specific point, and they burst forth singing praises to their
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Creator as the book of Job describes when God laid the
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foundations of the earth. They are entirely dependent on
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Christ for their continued existence.
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They are not eternal in the way God is eternal.
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They had a definitive beginning. Here is where it gets really
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interesting. This is a massive revelation for
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many believers. We usually think of humans as
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the pinnacle of creation, but angels are actually a higher
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order of creation than humans right now.
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They possess greater wisdom. They possess far greater
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physical might. The psalmist says mankind was
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made a little lower than the angels.
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However, angels are not created in the image of God.
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Only humanity holds that distinct honor.
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Furthermore, angels do not share in the destiny of redemption.
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They look at the cross, they observe grace, but they do not
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experience salvation from sin. If we connect this to the bigger
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picture, it leads to a staggering reality about our
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future state. First Corinthians 6.3 explicitly
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states that redeemed humans will one day judge angels.
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Because humanity is united to Christ, who is the supreme
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Judge, we will share in his victorious administration over
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the cosmos. We will actually judge them.
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The angels who currently exceed us in capability and wisdom will
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eventually be subject to the judgement of redeemed, glorified
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men and women. This beautifully illustrates the
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magnitude of salvation. God takes humanity formed from
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the dust tainted by Adam's original sin, redeems them
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through the blood of the second Adam, and exalts them above the
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celestial hosts. The angels who never fell will
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watch as the redeemed earth are elevated to rule and reign with
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Christ. It really puts the grace of God
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into an entirely new perspective for you.
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Let's shift our focus to how this heavenly host is organized.
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Scripture outlines a highly structured hierarchy within the
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angelic ranks. Ephesians 6 speaks of
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governmental rulers, rulers, authorities, and cosmic forces.
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Then we have the highest ranking angels.
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Michael is the only one designated specifically as the
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Archangel, and his specific jurisdiction seems to be acting
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as the protector of Israel. We see him standing guard over
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God's people in the book of Daniel.
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He has a very specific jurisdiction.
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He does. We also see prominent
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individuals like Gabriel, who operates as God's special
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messenger for monumental Kingdom programs.
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Gabriel is the one who interprets the 70 weeks for
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Daniel, giving us the precise timeline for the Messiah.
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Centuries later. Gabriel is the one who steps
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into the temple to announce the impending birth of John the
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Baptist to Zechariah and then visits Mary to announce the
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incarnation of Jesus Christ. Let's hit pause for a second.
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We really need to unpack what Jude 9 is saying about Michael
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the Archangel because it touches on a major theological
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battleground. Jude verse 9 describes Michael
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disputing with the devil over the body of Moses.
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Instead of pronouncing A railing judgement on his own authority,
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Michael says the Lord rebuke you.
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He appeals to a higher authority.
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Exactly. This text firmly refutes a false
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teaching promoted by groups like the Jehovah's Witnesses, who
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claimed that Michael is actually Jesus Christ in an angelic
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state. If Michael were Christ, he would
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possess the inherent authority to rebuke Satan directly.
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He would not need to appeal to anyone else.
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The fact that Michael defers to the Lord's authority proves he's
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a created being subordinate to God.
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To claim Michael is Christ severely diminishes the supreme,
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uncreated authority of the Son of God, violating the core
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tenets of our orthodox faith. Jesus is the Creator.
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Michael's the creature. I am so glad you pointed that
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out. Distinctions like that are why
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we need to walk through this text carefully.
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Let's also look at the divine attendance mentioned in the
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text, the Cherubim and the seraphim.
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The cherubim are described with extraordinary features, four
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faces guarding the holiness of God.
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After Adam and Eve rebelled, God stationed cherubim at the
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entrance of the Garden of Eden with a flaming sword, preventing
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sinful humanity from returning to the Tree of Life.
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They are also depicted on the Mercy seat of the Ark of the
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Covenant, their wings spread over the place where the blood
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of Atonement was sprinkled. Guarding the presence of God.
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Yeah, exactly. Then you have the Seraphim,
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whose name literally translates to burning ones in Isaiah 6.
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The prophet gets a vision of the throne room and the Seraphim
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surround the throne constantly crying out holy, holy, holy.
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They are consumed with declaring the perfect, unblemished purity
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of the Creator. One of them flies to Isaiah with
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a burning coal to touch his lips, symbolizing purification.
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Transitioning from their hierarchy to their actions, we
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see a vast, continuous timeline of angelic ministry directed
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specifically toward Christ. During his earthly incarnation,
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the angels were intensely focused on the work of the sun.
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As you mentioned, Gabriel predicted his birth, then an
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Angel warned Joseph in a dream to flee to Egypt, providing
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physical protection for the infant Jesus from Herod's
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slaughter. Angels ministered to Christ in
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the wilderness after his grueling 40 day temptation.
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That wilderness experience was brutal.
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It was. Think about the physical toll of
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that event. Jesus was full of human
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exhausted and starving. The Father sent angels to
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sustain him. Later, an Angel appeared in the
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Garden of Gethsemane, providing strength as Christ's sweat,
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drops of blood, wrestling, and agonizing prayer.
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Anticipating the cross, angels rolled away the massive stone
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from the tomb, not to let Jesus out, but to let the witnesses
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in. And they announced His
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resurrection to the women. They attended his ascension into
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glory, asking the disciples why they stood gazing into the sky.
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And Christ promised that myriads of angels will attend His
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triumphant return to earth. This constant attendance
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highlights His deity. Just as they surround the
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Father's throne in heaven, they attend the Son's incarnation on
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earth. And their ministry extends
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beyond attending to Christ. It extends to you, the listener.
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The author of Hebrews, in chapter 1, verse 14, asks A
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rhetorical question about angels.
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Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to render
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assistance for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?
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That means they actively assist believers.
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The Bible is full of dramatic examples showing how they aid
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US. Psalm 91 speaks of physical
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protection, stating God will command His angels concerning
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you to guard you in all your ways.
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It is incredibly practical assistant.
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Very practical. In First Kings 19 we see a
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depressed, exhausted Elijah sleeping under a broom tree
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asking God to take his life. What does God do?
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He sends an Angel to wake him up, cook him bread over hot
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coals, and give him water. The Angel provides literal
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physical nourishment. In the book of Acts, an Angel
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stands by Paul on a storm tossed ship, a ship that is literally
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falling apart in the Mediterranean Sea.
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To provide encouragement and assure him he will reach Rome,
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an Angel gives Philip direct localized instructions to go
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South to the Desert Rd., leading him straight to the Ethiopian
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eunuch for a divine appointment. We also see them actively
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assisting in answering the Church's prayers.
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Acts 12 provides a brilliant illustration.
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The apostle James has just been executed by Herod.
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Peter is arrested and slated for execution the next morning.
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He is sleeping between two soldiers bound with two chains,
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with sentries guarding the door. The church is gathered in a
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house, praying fervently. An Angel of the Lord suddenly
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appears in the cell, basing it in light.
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The Angel strikes Peter on the side to wake him up.
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The chain simply fall off Peter's hands.
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The Angel tells him to get dressed and they walk right past
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the 1st and 2nd guard post. They come to the iron gate
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leading to the city, and it opens for them by itself.
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That story is just incredible. It is a historical, factual
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account of angelic deliverance in response to the prayers of
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the Saints. And perhaps the most comforting
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detail of their ministry comes to Luke 16, where Jesus
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describes angels carrying the beggar Lazarus to Abraham's
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bosom at the moment of his death.
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They escort the souls of believers into the presence of
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God. It is comforting to know that
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angels act as agents of God's grace and deliverance, but that
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deliverance implies an active opposition.
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We can't talk about the armies of heaven without addressing
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what they are arrayed against. Angels are not solely agents of
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comfort, they are also instruments of divine judgment
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upon unbelievers. NS points out their involvement
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in the destruction of Sodom, where they struck the wicked men
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of the city with blindness before raining down fire.
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They execute severe justice. They really do.
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In the book of Acts we see the flip side of the Peter story.
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Herod Agrippa sits on his throne dressed in royal apparel, giving
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an oration. The people shout the voice of a
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God and not of a man, because Herod accepts worship that
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belongs exclusively to God. And Angel of the Lord
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immediately strikes him, and he is eaten by worms and dies.
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During the end times, as detailed in the Book of
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Revelation, angels will be instrumental in pouring out the
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bull judgments upon the earth and separating the wicked from
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the righteous. They carry out God's decrees.
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Florida State whether those decrees involve displaying mercy
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or enacting severe justice. That sobering reality provides a
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very Natural Bridge into the dark side of the spiritual
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realm. When we look at Satanology, we
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must absolutely reject all cultural sensationalism.
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We are not interested in medieval superstitions, cartoon
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characters with pitchforks, or horror movie tropes.
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We stick strictly to the biblical text, and the text is
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clear. Both the Old and New Testaments
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affirm his reality. Christ Himself references Satan
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25 times. If we take Jesus at His word
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regarding salvation, we must take Him at His word regarding
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the adversary. Analyzing Satan's personality
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traits is incredibly revealing. He is not an impersonal force of
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negative energy like some sort of dark side of the force in a
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sci-fi movie. He possesses all the markers of
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a distinct personality. He possesses intellect,
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demonstrated by his crafty schemes and his twisting of
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scripture. When he tempts Jesus in the
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wilderness, he actually quotes Psalm 91.
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But he twisted the application trying to get Jesus to test the
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Father. A brilliant but erupted
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intellect. Right.
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He possesses emotion, clearly seen in his wrath and his
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burning desire for self exaltation.
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Revelation 12 says he has great wrath, knowing his time is
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short. And he possesses a will which is
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most glaringly displayed in his deliberate choice to rebel
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against the Creator and his continuous attempts to entice
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humanity into sin. He's a thinking, calculating,
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emotional and willful creature. The text.
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Provides a chart of names and titles that describe him, and
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each one exposes his methods. He's called Satan, which means
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adversary. He's called the Devil, which
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means slanderer. He's called Apollyon, meaning
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destroyer. He's called Beelzebel, the Lord
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of the Fly, a term of derision from the Pharisees.
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Jesus designates him as the Tempter, the murderer from the
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beginning, and the father of lies.
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Revelation calls him the accuser of the Brethren.
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Those are heavy titles. They are not stylistic titles.
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They describe his constant ferocious methods against
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believers. When the text calls him the
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accuser, it means he actively stands before God attempting to
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point out the sins of the elect, demanding their condemnation.
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He points at your failures and says to God, look at them, how
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can you accept them? Of course, Christ or Advocate
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steps in pointing to His shed blood.
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When Satan is called the Deceiver, it highlights his
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primary weapon, lies. He doesn't often attack with
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obvious, terrifying manifestations.
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He attacks by distorting the truth, perverting God's Word,
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and making sin look rational, justifiable and appealing.
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Knowing his methods is vital, but so is knowing his origin.
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Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14 give us a window into his pre fall
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state. This is another area where
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people get confused. God didn't create an evil being.
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God created everything good. Satan was created as the
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anointed covering cherub. Ezekiel uses highly poetic
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language saying he had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom
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and perfect in beauty. He walked in Eden, the Garden of
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God, adorned with every precious stone.
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He was placed in a position of supreme authority over the other
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angelic hosts, enjoying the highest honor in the presence of
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God. He was the pinnacle of the
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angelic creation. But then the fall occurred.
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The text breaks down the core of his rebellion, which was pride.
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Isaiah 14 lists the five high wills of Satan.
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He said I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the
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stars of God. I will sit on the mount of
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assembly. I will ascend above the heights
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of the clouds. I'll make myself like the Most
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High. He looked at his own God-given
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beauty and wisdom, and his heart became corrupted.
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He wanted the worship that belonged to God alone.
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He wanted the throne. He did.
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Now let's connect this back to our Reformed theology, because
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it's raises a massive question for many people.
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Did Satan's rebellion ruin God's plan?
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Absolutely not. Satan is a morally responsible
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creature. His rebellion did not catch God
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off guard. The fall of Satan was
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incorporated into the sovereign decrees of God from eternity
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past. Satan is heavily restricted.
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He acts out of his own wicked volition, but he can only
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operate within the parameters God allows.
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I think the book of Job is the perfect analogy for that
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restriction. It is the perfect analogy.
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In the opening chapters of Job, Satan appears before God.
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God brings up Job's righteousness.
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Satan accuses Job, saying he only worships God because God
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put a hedge of protection around him.
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Satan asks for permission to strike Job's possessions.
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God grants permission but sets a strict boundary only.
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Do not put forth your hand on him.
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Later, Satan asked for permission to strike Job's
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physical body. God grants it, but sets another
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boundary. Spare his life.
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So he is completely leashed. Yes, Satan is like a vicious dog
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on a leash held by the Almighty. The dog wants to tear everything
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apart, but the Leech only extends as far as the sovereign
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Lord permits. This means that any trial or
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temptation you face has passed through the permissive will of a
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sovereign, loving God who is using even the malice of Satan
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to achieve his holy purposes. That brings tremendous Peace of
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Mind, and his defeat is a definitively established
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timeline in Scripture. The outcome is never in doubt.
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The moment he successfully tempted Adam and Eve, God
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pronounced his doom in Genesis 3, stating the seat of the woman
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meaning Christ would crush his head.
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That crushing blow was delivered at the cross where Hebrews 2.1
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tune says Christ rendered him powerless over the believer.
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Moving forward in the prophetic timeline, Revelation 12 tells us
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He will soon be cast from the stellar heavens down to the
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earth. During the Millennial Kingdom.
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He will be bound in a pit for a literal 1000 years, completely
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unable to deceive the nation's. And finally, after a brief
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release, he will be thrown into the lake of fire for all
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eternity. His end is absolutely
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guaranteed. Moving from the ruler of the
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fallen realm to his subordinates, we must address
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the doctrine of demons. There are numerous theories
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floating around regarding their origin, and we must test every
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single one against the rigorous standard of Scripture.
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Some ancient Greek philosophers and even some early Jewish
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writers suggested demons are the spirits of deceased evil people
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roaming the earth. I have heard that one before.
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It is common, but we can dismiss it immediately because Jesus
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teaching in Luke 16 shows us that evil people who die are
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immediately confined in Hades, awaiting final judgement.
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The rich man in that story was in agony in the flame.
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He was not allowed to roam the earth possessing people.
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Ends outlines another popular theory in the Moody Handbook,
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the idea that demons are the spirits of a pre Adamic race.
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This relies on what theologians call the gap theory.
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For those who might not be familiar, the gap theory inserts
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a massive gap of time between Genesis 1.1 and Genesis 1.2.
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It suggests God created a perfect world in verse one, an
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entire civilization of human like creatures lived on it.
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Satan fell and corrupted them. God destroyed that entire world
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in a flood, which is why the earth was formless and void in
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verse 2. And then God recreated the world
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with Adam and Eve. The theory claims demons are the
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disembodied spirits of that original destroyed race.
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It sounds like a great sci-fi novel, but how does it hold up
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biblically? It fails completely and this is
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where the Westminster framework gives us the theological tools
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to dismantle false doctrines. We reject the pre Adamic race
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theory by looking at Paul's argument in Romans 5.1.
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Paul states explicitly that sin and death enter the cosmos
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exclusively through one man, Adam.
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Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world,
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and death through sin, and so death spread to all men.
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So death started with Adam. Period.
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If a pre Adamic race lived, sinned and died before Adam was
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ever created, then death existed before Adam's original sin.
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If death existed before Adam, then Adam's sin didn't break the
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creation and the entire biblical doctrine of the fall shatters.
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Furthermore, it destroys the necessity of the second Adam,
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Jesus Christ. Christ came to conquer the death
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that Adam introduced. You cannot have millions of
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years of death and fossil records preceding the Garden of
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Eden without dismantling the core of the gospel.
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Therefore, demons cannot be the spirits of a pre Adamic race.
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That is a brilliant breakdown. The theology of original sin via
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Adam is non negotiable. Another theory suggests demons
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are the offspring of angels and human women, often called the
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Nephilim. This stems from a specific
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reading of Genesis 6, where the text says the sons of God saw
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that the daughters of men were beautiful and they took wives
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for themselves. Some ancient traditions claim
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fallen angels materialized, married women and produced giant
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offspring, and when those giants died in the flood, their spirits
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became demons. We also reject the Nephilim
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demon theory based on strict exegesis.
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First, the phrase took wives for themselves in Genesis 6 is a
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standard normal Hebrew idiom for the institution of marriage.
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It never describes an illicit cross species sexual union
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between spirit beings and fleshly humans.
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Second, Jesus states plainly in Matthew 22 that angels do not
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marry, nor are they given in marriage.
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They do not possess the biological capability to
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reproduce. That seems pretty definitive.
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It is a much more biblically consistent interpretation of
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Genesis 6 is that the sons of God refers to the righteous God
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fearing line of Seth who compromised their faith by
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intermarrying with the daughters of men, meaning the wicked
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rebellious line of Cain. This unholy the unequal yoking
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led to the intense corruption of the Earth that triggered the
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flood. So if they aren't dead humans, a
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pre Adamic race or Angel human hybrids, we are left with the
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clear biblical view. Demons are simply fallen angels.
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They are the angelic beings who chose to join Lucifer in his
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prideful rebellion. Revelation 12 indicates that
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Satan dragged 1/3 of the stars of heaven down with him, and the
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text indicates these fallen angels are currently divided
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into two distinct groups. One group is free and active in
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the world right now, acting as Satan's emissaries, opposing
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God's purposes. The other group is already
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confined. Second, Peter and Jude tell us
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that God cast certain angels who sinned into Tartarus, pits of
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darkness, reserving them for judgement.
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They committed sins so severe, possibly during the days of
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Noah, that God removed them from the battlefield entirely.
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For you, the listener, understanding the
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characteristics and limitations of these active demons provides
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immense comfort. We often give them too much
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credit. First, they are entirely
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localized. Because they are created beings,
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they can only be in one place at one time.
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They are not omnipresent like God.
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Satan cannot be in New York and London simultaneously.
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He relies on a network of demons.
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Second, while they possess immense ancient intelligence and
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have observed human behavior for thousands of years, they are not
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omniscient. They do not know the future.
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Only God declares the end from the beginning, and they cannot
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read your mind. They can observe your reactions,
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but they do not have access to your internal thoughts.
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Third, they possess great physical strength, but they are
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not omnipotent. Those limitations completely
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change how we view spiritual warfare.
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They aren't all knowing gods, they're highly restricted
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creatures. Precisely.
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Let's use an analogy to make this practical.
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Imagine a hostile former CEO who was fired from a massive
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corporation. He still wants to ruin the
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company, but he has no actual authority anymore.
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He can't change the corporate policy.
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He can't sign any checks, he can't access the main server.
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All he can do is stand in the parking lot and yell at the
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employees through a megaphone, trying to convince them the
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company is going under, trying to sow discord, trying to get
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them to quit. He operates a network of
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disgruntled former employees who do the same thing.
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They are loud, they're annoying, and they can cause localized
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trouble. But they do not run the company.
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That is a fantastic picture of their.
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Or think of it like a computer program operating in a sandbox
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environment. A virus might be malicious, but
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if the System Administrator places it in a restricted
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folder, it can only execute the code the administrator permits.
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God is the administrator. The demons are restricted to the
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sandbox. They can never do the work of
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God, they can never thwart the decrees of God, and they can be
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evicted at a moment's notice by the authority of Christ.
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I love that CEO analogy. It strips away the fear.
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Let's look closer at how these disgruntled former employees
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operate. Ends details their activities in
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the text. They are capable of inflicting
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physical ailments. Luke 13 describes a woman who
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was bent double and could not straighten up at all.
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Jesus explicitly states she was bound by a sickness caused by a
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spirit for 18 years. In the Book of Revelation, we
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see them active and deceiving entire nations, performing signs
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to gather the kings of the earth for warfare against the Messiah
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at Armageddon. But perhaps their most common
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everyday activity is influencing the human mind.
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We need to 0 in on 2nd Corinthians 4.4 and James 3.15
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because this is where the battle is actually fought daily.
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Paul says the God of this world has blinded the minds of the
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unbelieving so they might not see the light of the gospel of
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the glory of Christ. Demons promote a specific type
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of thinking, earthly natural demonic wisdom.
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James says this wisdom leads to jealousy, selfish ambition,
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arrogance and lies against the truth.
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They are attacking the truth itself.
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Absolutely. They attack the mind by
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promoting false doctrines in the church.
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Paul warns Timothy that in later times some will fall away from
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the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines
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of demons. They discourage believers.
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They try to distract Christians from pure devotion to Christ.
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So if the primary battlefield is the mind, what is the biblical
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solution for the listener? It's not to panic, right?
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It's not to seek out a Mystic or burn sage.
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The solution is practical theological obedience.
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You entrust matters to God in prayer, and you actively bring
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every thought into subjection to the obedience of Christ, as Paul
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instructs in 2nd Corinthians 10.5.
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You fight lies with the objective truth of Scripture.
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When the enemy whispers that you are condemned, you quote Romans
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8.1. There's therefore now no
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condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
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You rely on the written word, just as Jesus did in the
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wilderness. That brings us to the most
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severe manifestation of demonic activity recorded in Scripture,
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demon possession. The text quotes theologian
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Charles Ryrie, who provides an excellent, precise definition.
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He defines possession as a demon residing within a person,
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exerting direct control and influence over them, causing
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derangement of mind or body. It is an internal takeover.
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We see this repeatedly in the Gospels.
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The entity speaks to the person's vocal cords.
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It controls their physical movements, like the man in Mark
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Five who lived among the tombs, crying out and gashing himself
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with stones possessing unnatural strength that snapped iron
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chains. Now here is the question every
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Christian eventually asks when they read those terrifying
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accounts in the Gospels. Can this happen to me?
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Can a believer be possessed? This brings us to a massive non
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negotiable theological point for the listener.
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A genuine Christian cannot be possessed by a demon.
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It is a theological impossibility.
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Why? Because the believers already
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permanently indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.
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The moment you are justified, you are sealed with the Spirit.
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Paul asks the Corinthians. Do you not know that your body
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is a temple of the Holy Spirit who was in you?
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The Spirit of God and a demon cannot simultaneously occupy the
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throne of a human heart. Light and darkness cannot dwell
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in the same room. Precisely, A believer can
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certainly be targeted, A believer can be tempted, A
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believer can be heavily harassed or oppressed from the outside,
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but they can never ever be possessed from the inside.
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We belong entirely to Christ. You have been bought with a
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price the enemy cannot repossessed with.
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The Son of God is purchased with His own blood.
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That is the ultimate comfort, and their entire Kingdom has
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already been judged. I love how Paul describes this
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in Colossians 2.1. It paints A glorious picture of
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what Christ accomplished at the cross.
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Paul writes that Christ disarmed the rulers and authorities,
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making a public display of them triumphing over them through the
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cross. The imagery Paul uses there is
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brilliant. He is describing A victorious
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Roman general returning to Rome from a conquered territory.
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The general would parade the defeated enemies, stripped of
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their weapons and chained together through the streets as
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spoils of war while the crowds cheered.
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That is what Jesus did to the demonic realm at Calvary.
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The cross wasn't Satan's victory.
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It was his absolute, undeniable defeat.
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He thought he was bruising the heel of the Messiah, but the
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Messiah was crushing his head. As we transition into looking at
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further study and application, we see how vital this doctrine
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is for a robust Christian life. Ignorance of the spiritual realm
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leaves a believer vulnerable to deception, while a biblical
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understanding anchors the soul. The Moody Handbook provides an
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extensive bibliography for those who want to keep digging.
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We want to curate a few top resources for you to check out.
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If you want a thorough, systematic approach to
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everything we've discussed today, see Fred Dickerson's book
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Angels Elect and Evil is highly recommended.
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It breaks down the exegesis verse by verse.
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Also, Meryl Effunger's Biblical Demonology is considered a
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standard text for understanding the dark side of the spiritual
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realm through a strictly scriptural lens, completely
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devoid of sensationalism. Reflecting on the value of this
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knowledge, we see that understanding the invisible
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world doesn't lead to fear or paranoia for the Reformed
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believer. Quite the opposite.
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It leads to immense peace when you realize the staggering
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strength of the angelic host, and you acknowledge the
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malicious intent of the fallen realm.
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And yet you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Creator
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holds absolute authority over every single spirit.
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Your trust in God's Providence grows exponentially.
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You realize who is actually in charge.
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Yes. Not a single demon can take a
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breath, so to speak, without the Sovereign Lord's permission.
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The elect angels minister to us. The fallen angels are restrained
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from destroying us. We rest secure in the mighty
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hands of Christ. Thank you for joining this deep
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dive into the theology of the spiritual realm.
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We hope it has equipped you with a sharper, more accurate
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scriptural lens, allowing you to walk through your daily life
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with confidence in God's absolute rule.
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Let me leave you with a final reflection built upon the source
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material we analyzed today. We established earlier that holy
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angels possess vast intellect, but they completely lack the
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personal experience of human redemption.
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They've never known what it is to rebel, to feel the weight of
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guilt, and then to be entirely forgiven and justified.
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The apostle Peter tells us they are intensely observing the
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unfolding of God's Kingdom on earth, longing to look into the
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mysteries of salvation. So consider this what specific
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aspect of God's grace, patience, or mercy are the holy angels
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learning right now just by watching how the sovereign Lord
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interacts with your life today? That is a staggering thought to
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carry with you, to know that the heavenly host is marveling at
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the grace extended to you. Until next time, keep your mind
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anchored in the text. Goodbye.