Angels: who are these supernatural beings?

LESSON 9

ANGELS: WHO ARE THESE SUPERNATURAL BEINGS?

You are welcome to another edition of Insights from God's Word, a Bible study programme that is committed to sharing God's Word by allowing the Bible to speak for itself.

In this edition, we continue with our series on Heaven. The topic for this study is: Angels: Who Are These Supernatural Beings? In our previous study, we considered the four living creatures before the throne of God. From the Scripture and the Spirit of Prophecy, we concluded that the four living creatures are actually cherubim and seraphim, the angelic beings who are found closest to the throne of God.

The word angel (that is; aggelos in Greek or malak in Hebrew) basically mean a divine messenger. The word angel, when used in Scripture may refer to Christ (Exodus 3:2-6; Zechariah 3:1-5; Joshua 5:13-15), man (Luke 9:52; James 2:25; Revelation 1:20), or an angelic being ( Matthew 20:13; Acts 12:5-9). In our study today, I want us to focus on the angelic beings.

A) THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS

When we go through the pages of Scripture, we learn that the Bible does not try to prove the existence of angels. Rather, just like the Creator God, the Bible clearly states in several passages about the existence of angels. From Christ Himself, we obtain the following testimonies about the existence of angels:

1) "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10).

2) "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (Mark 13:32 ).

3) "Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels" (Mark 8:38 ).

Thus friends, from the words of Christ Himself, we learn that angels are real beings that exist. In the rest of our study, we are going to look into the nature, groups and the agency or work of the angelic hosts.

B) THE NATURE OF ANGELS

1 a) Angels are created beings.

Supporting Texts:

i) "1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2 Praise ye him, all his ANGELS: praise ye him, all his HOSTS. 3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. 4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were CREATED" (Psalm 148:1-5; Capital Emphasis Added).

ii) "12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast CREATED. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast CREATED, till iniquity was found in thee" (Ezekiel 28:12-15; Capital Emphasis Added).

1 b) The Agent of their creation is Jesus Christ.

Supporting Texts:

i) "For by him were ALL THINGS CREATED, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him" (Colossians 1:16; Capital Emphasis Added).

ii) "1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (John 1:1-3).

2) Angels were created simultaneously as a host. Unlike human beings who were created in pair with the ability to procreate, angels were created or brought forth together as a company.

Supporting Text:

i) "1 Praise ye the LORD. Praise ye the LORD from the heavens: praise him in the heights. 2 Praise ye him, all his ANGELS: praise ye him, all his HOSTS ... 5 Let them praise the name of the LORD: for he commanded, and they were created" (Psalm 148:1-2, 5; Capital Emphasis Added).

3) Angels are spirit beings. In other words they do not possess a body like that of humans.

Supporting Texts:

i) "And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels SPIRITS, and his ministers A FLAME OF FIRE" (Hebrews 1:7; see also Psalm 104:4; Capital Emphasis Added).

ii) "Are they not all ministering SPIRITS, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14; Capital Emphasis Added).

4) Angels are sexless and hence do not marry and procreate.

Supporting Texts:

i) "For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven" (Mark 12:25).

ii) "35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection" (Luke 20:35-36).

5) Angels are strong, mighty and powerful.

Supporting Texts:

i) "Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in STRENGTH, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word" (Psalm 103:20; Capital Emphasis Added).

ii) "Whereas angels, which are greater in POWER and MIGHT, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord" (2 Peter 2:11; Capital Emphasis Added).

6) Angels are wise and extremely knowledgeable beings.

Supporting Text:

i) "... and my lord is WISE, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to KNOW all things that are in the earth" (2 Samuel 14:20; Capital Emphasis Added).

7) Angels travel at superb speeds.

Supporting Texts:

i) "1:11 Thus were their faces: and their wings were stretched upward; two wings of every one were joined one to another, and two covered their bodies.

1:14 And the living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning."

(Ezekiel 1:11, 14)

8) The number of angels is innumerable.

Supporting Texts:

i) "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an INNUMERABLE company of angels" (Hebrews 12:22; Capital Emphasis Added).

ii) "11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation 5:11-12).

iii) "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place" (Psalm 68:17).

9) In comparison to humans, angels are a higher order of beings.

Supporting Text:

i) "6 But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man that thou visitest him? 7 Thou madest him A LITTLE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands" (Hebrews 2:6-7; Capital Emphasis Added).

10) Angels can assume the form of humans and other created things.

Supporting Texts:

i) "1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground; 2 And he said, Behold now, my lords, turn in, I pray you, into your servant's house, and tarry all night, and wash your feet, and ye shall rise up early, and go on your ways. And they said, Nay; but we will abide in the street all night. 3 And he pressed upon them greatly; and they turned in unto him, and entered into his house; and he made them a feast, and did bake unleavened bread, and they did eat" (Genesis 19:1-3 ).

ii) "15 And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? 16 And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Kings 6:15-17).

C) THE TWO GROUPS OF ANGELS

The Scripture presents two groups of angels; holy angels and fallen angels or demons. Even though all the angelic host were created perfect or holy, some chose to exercise their freewill to rebel against the government of God (Jude1:6, Ezekiel 28:12-15). The mystery of sin began with one powerful angel called Lucifer (now Satan). Lucifer began to covet the worship and adoration that was due only the Creator God. He became dissatisfied with His position and began to embark on a journey to usurp the throne of God. From Isaiah 14:12-14, we read about the sin that led to the fall of this mighty angel: "12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:12-14).Friends, Lucifer wanted to be like the most high. He was able to deceive one third of the angelic hosts (Revelation 12:4) to follow Him in His rebellion against God. The rebellion that began as a mysterious thought in his mind now led to an open war in heaven. The Scripture says concerning this war:"7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Revelation 12:7-9).Thus beloved, this is how come we have two groups of angels; holy angels (Mark 8:38, 1 Timothy 5:21) and fallen angels or demons (Jude 1:6). The holy angels are the ones who stayed faithful to God and did not accept the lies of Lucifer in regard to the loving character of God. The fallen angels are the ones who joined Satan in his rebellion against God.

D) A BACKGROUND OF THE GREAT CONTROVERSY BATTLE

The war that began in heaven due to Satan's rebellion brought about what is now popularly referred to as the Great Controversy War. This is basically a war between Christ and Satan; a war between good and evil.

You see friends, when God cast the devil and his angels out of heaven ( Revelation 12:7-9), He did not station them here on our planet. However, when our first parents obeyed the voice of Satan instead of God (Genesis 3:1-6), they sold out the dominion that God had given them over the world to Satan (Genesis 1:26-28; Psalm 8:4-6). Like the fallen angels, our first parents also gave their allegiance to Satan when they sinned against the express command of God (Genesis 2:16-17). Satan then became the prince of this world (John 12:31). For over six thousand years, the human race has witnessed the great evil that Satan together with the evil angels has wrought upon the human race.

Beloved, God did not create our world as we see it today. Actually, He created a perfect world, where there was no sin, suffering or death ( Genesis 1 and 2). In the parable of the wheat and tares, Christ gave us an insight into what originally happened to the once beautiful planet. From Matthew 13:24-30, we read the following: "13:24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

13:25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

13:26 But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

13:27 So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

13:28 He said unto them, AN ENEMY HAS DONE THIS. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

13:29 But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

13:30 Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn."

(Matthew 13:24-30; Capital Emphasis Added)In this parable, Christ's statement "an enemy has done this" was a direct reference to Satan. It was the devil who entered the perfect world of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and deceived them to sin against the commandment of God, thus plunging a once beautiful planet into a centre of rebellion against the government of God. But beloved, God did not just stay unconcerned when man sinned. He promised man a Redeemer Who will come to destroy the works of the devil (Genesis 3:15; 1 John 3:8). From 2 Corinthians 5:19, we read that "...God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation." We read from John 3:16, the beautiful eternal words of Christ that; "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

And so friends, here is the background to the great controversy battle for the souls of men. While the Creator God will go to any extent to redeem fallen humanity (even if it will take the death of His only begotten Son), the devil has made it his prime focus to destroy the souls of men. Beloved, in this battle for souls is the employment of both the holy and fallen angels. The Creator God of course makes use of the holy angels in this warfare while Satan makes use of the fallen angels or demons.

E) THE AGENCY OF HOLY ANGELS

The holy angels are utilized by God for the redemption of mankind. The apostle Paul makes it clear that the holy angels are "... all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14). The Scripture teaches that the salvation of mankind is one thing that the angels desire to look into (1 Peter 1:12). They are so passionate about their work for the salvation of man that we learn from Christ in Luke 15:10 that "there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."

In fact, the Scripture clearly teaches that all the holy angels are looking forward to the day when they will come with Christ to gather the people of God from this sin-sick world (Matthew 25:31; Matthew 24:31).

At this point friends, I want us to capture some few examples of how holy angels have ministered on behalf of the people of God in both the Old and New Testaments.

From the Old Testament, we learn the following about the ministration of holy angels on behalf of the people of God:

1) An angel ministered to Elijah.

Supporting Text:

"5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 6 And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. 7 And the angel of the LORD came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee" (1 Kings 19:5-7 ).

2) An angel protected Daniel in the lion's den.

Supporting Text:

"21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. 22 My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt" (Daniel 6:21-22).

3) An angel fought for the people of God.

Supporting Text:

"34 For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake. 35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses" (2 Kings 19:34-35).

In the New Testament, we also come across the ministration of holy angels for the people of God:

1) Angels brought good tidings about the birth of the Messiah.

Supporting Text:

"8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. 10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:8-11).

2) An angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus and His mother.

Supporting Text:

"And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him" (Matthew 2:13 ).

3) An angel freed Peter from prison.

Supporting Text:

"5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. 6 And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. 7 And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. 8 And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. 9 And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision" (Acts 12:5-9).

4) Two angels comforted the disciples at the departure of Christ.

Supporting Text:

"9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight. 10 And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; 11 Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" ( Acts 1:9-11).

Beloved, these are few examples in Scripture about how holy angels have ministered for the children of God. And even today, they continue to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation.

F) THE AGENCY OF FALLEN ANGELS OR DEMONS

Besides the holy angels, there are also fallen angels on our planet. I want us to take some time to consider the agency of this other group of angels. It is important for us to know that the fallen angels or demons are utilized by Satan to destroy the souls of mankind. The Scripture give us some insights about the work of fallen angels or demons:

1) Fallen angels possess people and destroy their lives.

Supporting Text:

"1 And they came over unto the other side of the sea, into the country of the Gadarenes. 2 And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 Who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: 4 Because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. 5 And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones. 6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him, 7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come out of the man, thou unclean spirit. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many" (Mark 5:1-9).

Beloved, it is important for us to note that the only way we can be free from the possession of evil angels is to give our whole hearts to Jesus Christ.

2) Fallen angels bring trials and suffering unto the believer.

Supporting Text:

"6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. 7 And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 8 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? 9 Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, Doth Job fear God for nought? 10 Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. 11 But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. 12 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD" ( Job 1:6-12).

3) Fallen angels cause natural disasters to afflict mankind. In the story of Job we learn how the devil used the elements of nature such as fire and wind to destroy the family, slaves and properties that Job possessed (see Job 1:13-22).

4) Fallen angels tempt the human race to sin against the commandments of God.

Supporting Text:

"1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die. 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Genesis 3:1-6).

Friends, it is important for us to note that among the key and subtle temptations of Satan in our time today is the creation of devices that will occupy men and women so they will not have any time to commune with their God in prayer, Bible study, meditation, witnessing and Christian service. Satan plans with his angels to do all they can so the Christian will be prevented from putting on the whole armour of God so they will be able to stand consistently for their Lord.

Beloved, a lot of Satan's subtle devices in our world today come through the entertainment industry. Subtle devices such as secular movies, soap operas, secular music and music videos, internet pornography, homosexuality, alcohol and drugs, junk food and drinks, nude fashion and competitive sports such as football are all designed to poison the mind with lustful pleasure and a callous spirit that generally dislikes spiritual things. Friends, the devices I have mentioned above are just few of the subtle devices that evil angels have created to tempt mankind to sin, and thus bring about a definite separation of the relationship that men and women must have with their Maker.

5) Fallen angels try to hinder the purposes of God in the life of a believer.

Supporting Text:

"11 And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling. 12 Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. 13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia" (Daniel 10:11-13).

6) Fallen angels hinder the spiritual growth of God's people.

Supporting Text:

"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" (Ephesians 6:12).

7) Fallen angels deceive people through miracles, signs and wonders so they are not prepared to understand and accept the plain truths of Scripture.

Supporting Texts:

i) "9 Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved" (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10).

ii) "13 And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. 14 For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Revelation 16:13-14).

Friends, it is important for us to understand that not all miracles, signs and wonders come from God; and that the manifestation of signs and wonders is not always an indication of the presence of the Holy Spirit at a place of worship. In fact, in the final hours of this earth's history, Satan is going to employ miracles, signs and wonders to deceive many, even if possible the very elect (Matthew 24:24).

Beloved, have you ever wondered how fetish priests and some of today's so called ‘prophets of God’ are able to tell people so much about themselves when they go to consult them? You see friends, it is not all of these folks that use trickery in their work. In fact, a good number of them rely on fallen angels or demons in their operations. Let us consider someone who has decided to go to a fetish priest or a false prophet for consultation. We have stated earlier that angels are extremely knowledgeable and also travel at superb speeds (2 Samuel 14:20; Ezekiel 1:11, 14). They know all about the human race. Thus, by the time someone gets to a fetish priest or false prophet, the fallen angels who work with such priests and prophets speedily get in touch with them and furnish them with all the necessary information about the people who are coming for consultation. That's how come such priests and prophets are able to tell the reasons why their clients have come to them even before they speak. That’s how come these priests and prophets are able to tell the secret lives of people as if they have lived with them for years. Now, when these innocent people who do not have any idea about the work of evil angels hear their secret lives being opened unto them, they become amazed, wooed and overtaken by their deception.

Moreover friends, fallen angels or demons are the ones who appear to people as their dead friends and relatives, trying to convince the world through these appearances that the souls of the dead still live on. Meanwhile, the Bible makes it clear that the dead do not come up from their graves until the resurrection. Here are some clear statements of Scripture that support this position:

i) "5 For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 6 Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the sun" (Ecclesiastes 9:5-6).

ii) "8 The eye of him that hath seen me shall see me no more: thine eyes are upon me, and I am not. 9 As the cloud is consumed and vanisheth away: so he that goeth down to the grave shall come up no more. 10 He shall return no more to his house, neither shall his place know him any more" (Job 7:8-10).

iii) "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep" (Job 14:12).

iv) "28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation" (John 5:28-29 ).

And so friends, it is clear that the apparitions we see around sometimes of our dead friends and relatives are not actually such people but fallen angels or demons. Our dead relatives and friends rest in their graves awaiting one of two resurrections (John 5:28-29; Daniel 12:2). Beloved, you don't have to be surprised that evil angels are able to do all these. In fact, the Bible makes it clear that Satan is able to transform himself into an angel of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). After this series on Heaven, we are going to consider the subject: The Truth About Death. Until then, it is my prayer that this knowledge you have gained about fallen angels today will help you not to be overtaken by any of their deceptions in the future.

G) AN ASSURANCE FOR THE BELIEVER IN CHRIST

Beloved, despite the presence of evil angels on our planet, there is also the presence of holy angels. If we have Christ in our hearts, we do not need to fear Satan and his host of fallen angels. The holy angels of God are stronger and mightier than the angels on the side of Satan (Daniel 10:10-14; Revelation 12:7-9). Earlier in this study, we considered how holy angels have ministered on behalf of God’s children in biblical times. As the great controversy between good and evil wages on, the Lord has given us wonderful promises about how holy angels are going to minister on our behalf as well. From Psalm 34:7, we read this blessed assurance: "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them." Another wonderful Psalm says: "11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Psalm 91:11-12).What assurances of guidance, protection and companionship await those who give all their hearts to our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Beloved, there is no need to go to the devil for protection or any other thing. At the end of the day, those who give their allegiance to Satan will end up in the lake of fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41 ). And so my dear friend, why don’t you surrender your heart fully to Christ so you will also begin to enjoy the guidance, protection, and companionship of holy angels? May the Lord bless you as you decide for Christ today!

Exhortation: "We need to understand better than we do the mission of the angels. It would be well to remember that every true child of God has the co-operation of heavenly beings. Invisible armies of light and power attend the meek and lowly ones who believe and claim the promises of God. Cherubim and seraphim, and angels that excel in strength, stand at God's right hand, "All ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." — The Acts of the Apostles, 154 (1911).CM 110.1

"Nothing is apparently more helpless, yet really more invincible, than the soul that feels its nothingness and relies wholly on the merits of the Saviour. God would send every angel in heaven to the aid of such a one, rather than allow him to be overcome." — Testimonies for the Church 7:17 (1902).

In our next study, we will consider the topic: Is there intelligent life on other planets? The Bible study references for this study are Job 1:6-7, Job 2:1-2, Job 38:1-7, Hebrews 1:1-2 , and Hebrews 11:3. Please do well to go through these study references before the next study is released.

Stay blessed and keep shining for King Jesus.

Maranatha!

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