Mentoring Men for the Master

THE DIFFERENCE IN THE MINISTRY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT AND ANGELS

Our present age is being called, “The Great Reawakening to the Angels.”  This is primarily because the “Big Lie” of the New Age Movement is that all humans can become God.  Where do angels fit into this teaching?  New Agers teach that, “We are evolving into gods, and angels help us evolve.” This is an abominable, anti-biblical lie.  So let us consider the basic biblical data concerning Angels.

  1. Are angels real? Absolutely.  Mentioned more than 300 times in the Bible, 108 referenced in     the Old Testament and 192 in the New Testament.  Revelation has 65 references.  Angels are      very active in the life of Jesus.
  1. Where did angels originate? Psalm 148:5 says God created them.  Note John 1:3
  1. When were they created? Before the universe (Job 38:7)
  1. Who are the angels? The messengers of God (angeloi Theos)
  1. Were all the angels “good” when created? Yes.  One-third of the angels became “bad” or      “demons” when they followed their papa (the Devil) in his rebellion against God in heaven  (Rev. 12:4).
  1. How many angels are there? They cannot be numbered – Hebrew 12:22;Rev. 5:11 (100 million);  Psalm 68:17 (20,000).
  1. Where do they dwell?  (Matthew 24:36; Hebrews 1:14; 2 Thess. 1:7)  In heaven – On earth -In bottomless pit – In the clouds
  2. How does the Bible classify the angels?  Two main categories – Good  (Matt. 13:39) and Bad  (Rev. 12:4)
    1. The most important Angel is the Angel of the Lord, who is the pre-incarnate Christ    before Bethlehem. (Gen. 16:7, Gen. 18, Gen. 22, Gen. 32).
    2. Arch Angel, Michael  (Jude 1:9)
    3. Gabriel, the Annunciator  (Luke1:19,26).
    4. Seraphim (Isaiah 6) burning ones
    5. Cherubim – guardians (Heb. 9:5)
    6. Principalities, authorities, powers, thrones, might, dominion
    7. Death Angel (Acts 12:23)

 

  1. Are angels real personalities? Yes
    1. They possess intelligence (Matt. 28:5; Rev. 10:5-6, 17:1-18)
    2. They possess emotions  (Isa. 6:3; Rev. 5:11, 7:11-12)
  2. What are some other traits of Angels?
    1. They are created beings – Ps. 148:5
    2. They have a language – 1 Cor. 13:2
    3. They can take bodily form, though generally invisible spirits – Acts 8:26
    4. They speak with urgency  “Hurry and get on with task…”
    5. They are powerful -2 Kings 19:35; Matt. 28:2
  1. What are some great limitations of Angels?
    1. Angels are not Omnipotent (Rev. 12:7)
    2. Angels are not Omnipresent (Dan. 10:10-14)
    3. Angels are not Omniscient  ( Dan. 10:10-13; 1 Peter 1:11-12)
  1. What is the one great limitation of Angels?

            They do not possess the convicting power of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 2:11).  They are not  God nor a part of the Holy Trinity and have no part in bringing salvation to lost human  kind.

  1. What is the foremost human trait of angels?  They can eat  (Gen 18:8).
  1. What do angels look like?
    1. They are invisible, spirit beings (Psalm 104:4).
    2. They never get sick or die (Luke 20:36).
    3. They do not marry (Matt. 22:30)
    4. We do not know whether they are male or female.
    5. They sometimes have wings, other times not.  The earliest angels in the Bible did not  have wings.
  1. Do angels help everybody?    No.  Apparently they are limited in their ability to assist us because of our own level of    trust in the Lord (and innocence) and our own sin. There is no example in Scripture of    angels assisting those who doubt God’s Word or who refuse to put their trust in God, according to Phil Phillips, authority on angels.
  1. Who do angels help?  Heb. 1:14 says they have been, “sent forth to minister to the heirs of        salvation.”
  1. Exactly How do angels minister to the “heirs of salvation”? Two ways:
    1. Rescue and protection  (Psalm 91:11; Gen. 48:15-16)
    2. Escort in death – Luke 16:22 says the “angels” (not just one guardian angel) carried                    righteous Lazarus into the bosom of Abraham.

 

SIX THINGS WHICH OPEN ONE’S LIFE TO DEMONIC ACTIVITIES

  1. False Teaching. The devil and his demons are liars, and they can only operate in the midst of     falsehoods.  During the last days, many will fall away from the faith and fall under the     teaching of “deceitful spirits” and “demons” (1 Tim. 4:1).  The doctrines of demons are   accepted  phenomena today.  You can’t watch a talk show or a sitcom or read a newspaper   without hearing about them.  But we don’t call it necromancy or demons in our sophisticated    culture.  We call it “channeling” or following your “spirit guide”. It has become a parlor game  in Malibu and other places where the cultural elite congregate.  But it is no game.  They are  making  contact with very real and powerful spirit beings.  Without strong, undiluted Bible  teaching,  no human being knows the dangers of such activity.  The New Age is big business.    It  sponsors magazines which circulate in the millions.  Books by Shirley MacLaine and others   are best sellers.  Do you know enough Bible to stay away from New Age teaching?  Are you      sure?
  1. Involvement with the Occult
  1. Toleration of weaknesses in our lives. Until we call weaknesses what God calls them,    namely,  wickedness and sin, we will never deal with them.  Justification of our natural   tendencies  (gossiping, temper tantrums, cursing, jealousy, stinginess, and laziness) makes us   spiritually anemic and a “field day” for the enemy.
  1. Persistent, unconfessed sins in one’s life. Every unconfessed sin in your life is the devil’s   legal territory.  You must keep your sins confessed up to date, if you expect to win over   demonic influence.  Read Proverbs 28:13 and 1 John 1:9.  Confession (homologeo) is to   say the same thing about sin that God says.  When you do, you will acknowledge it, abhor   it, and abandon it through the power of Christ (Phil. 4:13).
  1. Idolatry. Idolatry is to esteem anything more than you do Jesus Christ.  Is there anything in your life more important and enjoyable than Jesus?  Idolatry is very deceiving.  Most   Americans would be horrified if you told them they were idolaters, but that is what they are.   They esteem other things more than Jesus Christ – their money, children, popularity, ease,   animals, home, car, wardrobe, etc.  We can be an idolater and sing every Sunday in church,    “O  how I love Jesus”.  The Israelites did; 2 Kings says, “They feared the Lord, yet served their  own gods…” Are you sure you are not an idol worshipper?
  1. Rebellion Against God’s Authority. When we are not living under God’s authority, we are     guilty of something as serious as “witchcraft” and “idolatry”, according to 1 Samuel 15:23.     When is one out from under God’s authority?  When he rejects the Word of the Lord, says   1 Samuel 15:23.  Authority is for our protection.  So the home is protected by the authority of    the husband, the church by the authority of her pastor, children by the authority of their  parents,etc. When the covering of authority is removed, the way is wide open for demons to   deceive, teach, confuse, and destroy.  Such is happening in millions of homes and churches in  our land today.  This will increase until one day one rebellious man will take over the lives of  every human being on this planet.  (Read 2 Thess. 2:3-11).  Could you be preparing the way   for the Antichrist (this  rebellious man) and not know it?

Take a hard look at these 6 “door openers” for the devil and his demons.  God commands in Ephes. 4:27, “don’t give the devil a chance”.  If you do, he will take advantage of it, but you will be responsible.  Take charge of your life and claim victory through Jesus Christ.  “We are super-conquerors (more than conquerors) through Him who loved us”  (Romans 8:37).  Hallelujah, what a Savior!!