Angelic Beings
Who lives in the spiritual world? Obviously, God is the most important resident, but there are others as well. Historically, one of the main quests of mankind has been to find an entrance into this world through a physical portal, a religious act, or an encounter with a spiritual entity. These citizens of the other world have often made their appearance in the lives of men and women, affecting lives and human history. Since the beginning of time, they have been labeled with many names and titles. We know them simply as angelic beings.
Gabriel appears to Mary, Church of the Annunciation, Nazareth
Angelic Beings
The Bible begins by telling us about God’s creation of the Earth, and His creation of the animals and humans. In the third chapter of Genesis we witness deception on the part of a serpent, and the beginning of a conflict between mankind and God’s other creation-- angels.
By chapter six, this conflict has escalated to the point of angels taking on human forms and having sexual relationships with women, producing an evil infected race of that God decides to wipe out through a massive flood. He only allowed one righteous man named Noah and his family to survive.
Since then this conflict between mankind and a group of rebellious angels has continued.
Paul of Tarsus, one of the great missionaries of the first century, wrote a letter to the church in Ephesus in an attempt to explain our place in the spiritual world. In chapters 1 through 5, he describes our position, our purpose, and how we function as the body of Christ. In chapter 6, he describes our interaction with another of God’s creations¾the angels.
For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12
As we look at the Scriptures, we see that these angelic beings fall into two categories:
First, evil spirits (also called demons):
For Jesus had already said to the spirit, “Come out of the man, you evil spirit.” Then Jesus asked, “What is your name?” And the spirit replied, “Legion, because there are many of us here inside this man.” Mark 5:8-9
And there are God’s angels:
For I, the Son of Man, will come in the glory of my Father with His angels and will judge all people according to their deeds. Matthew 16:27
Understanding angels and demons help us live victorious lives in the spiritual world.
Arielle: Angels? Demons? I used to think that they existed only in the movies. We can’t see, hear, smell, or touch them, but I think that I have been in their presence. How can that be?
MB: There are many things that exist that are not detectable through our five senses. Have you ever watched an airliner accelerate down the runway and take off? Every time I see an airplane lift off, especially an airliner like the B737, I am reminded that there is much more going on than I can see with my own eyes. As we accelerate down the runway on takeoff, you will notice at some point the tip of the wing begins to flex upward. At about 35 seconds into the takeoff roll, suddenly the aircraft lifts off the ground. Do you see that upward force we call lift pick up that 180,000 lb airliner and take it off the ground? No, we don’t, but we feel it happening.
Do you answer your cell phone? Watch videos on your IPAD? Can you see the electromagnetic waves pass through the air into your cell phone? No, but we know its happening.
Arielle: It’s the same with my refrigerator magnets. I can’t see the magnetic force, but I see the evidence that it is there all the time.
MB: It’s the same with spiritual things. Much is going on around us that we cannot sense with our eyes, ears, nose, etc. Once we are spiritually connected to God, we are able to discern these things that are happening in other special dimensions that suddenly appear in ours.
RS: Developed within Judaic theology was a place for angels. By the time of Jesus, the Sadducees rejected the notion of angels, while the Pharisees believed in angels. The reality of angels is confirmed in thirty-four different books of the Bible. Paul had a great spiritual sense from his own walk; he talked about visiting the third heaven where he saw things that he couldn’t share in his writings. Later, he advised the early believers in Jesus to be careful about the way that we, the church, are behaving because of the angels ( 1 Cor 4:9). To the church in Corinth, he said that a woman should have her head covered “because of the angels” who were obviously watching (1 Cor. 11:11).
The Bible relates that there are several different kinds of angels. There are cherubim that guard the holiness of God and seraphim that are always before the throne crying “Holy, Holy, Holy” (Is. 6:3). Then there are archangels. We have at least the name of Michael in Jude 9 and Daniel 10 as an archangel. There are also angelos, the messenger angels. This is the infantry-troop-type of angel doing work: sometimes bearing messages, sometimes creating disturbances, or maneuvering behind the scenes.
I think we have a mirror image of that on both sides-good and evil. I can’t prove that because Scripture is fortunately vague¾it is not designed to give us the ranks of evil.
In reality we need to know our enemy. However, we need to be cautious in our study, as some spend an inordinate amount of time studying the ranks of the enemy. The most important thing to know is what he does. I think we as spiritual beings have felt that warfare. I don’t think there is any doubt in any of our minds that these guys exist and that they affect our lives.
For us, the impact is what happens in our lives. We understand that difficult things are happening, tough times are there, and even as a Christian, I have noticed thorns grow just as quickly on my roses as they do on my neighbor’s roses. Some of the difficult issues and circumstances we face are related to what angelic beings are doing, some relate to the influence of the world, and others are simply the flesh¾our human nature. The Scriptures make it clear that there is a lot more than meets the eye and that there is involved in my life both angels who are there to help me and those who are there to hinder me.
MB: It is very important to understand the nature of these very important players in the spiritual world. Whether you realize it or not, you are interacting with them (the good angels and the “fallen” ones) on a regular basis.
Angels are not gods, because the Lord created them:
Praise him, all his angels! Praise him, all the armies of heaven! Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being. Psalm 148:2-5
Angels cannot die because they have eternal life:
And they will never die again. In these respects, they are like angels. They are children of God raised up to new life. Luke 20:36
They are invisible to man until they want to be seen.
Recall Elisha’s servant in 2 Kings 2? Also:
Then the Lord opened Balaam's eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam fell face down on the ground before him. Numbers 22:31
Angels are not robotic, computer-like creatures but rather have emotions:
“In the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents.” Luke 15:10
They are not all knowing and rather curious about mankind:
It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven¾things into which angels long to look. 1 Peter 1:12 nas
John the Baptist’s father, Zacharias, had an interesting encounter with and angel while he was serving in the temple. Gabriel came to deliver the message that he and his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son, despite their old age. Even though he had prayed for years for a child, he still could not believe his ears! The entire account is in Luke 1:5-25.
The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” Luke 1:19-20 nas
From this we can see that angels can move freely through space and time and can alter human physiology.
Lukas: OK. You got my curiosity up. How did some of the angels become demons, or evil spirits? What does the Bible tell us about this?
MB: There are three angels mentioned by name in the Bible (kjv): Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer. It seems that one of these chief angels, Lucifer, decided that he was worthy of the praise and worship that God received. That’s when the problems began. Ezekiel describes what happened:
“You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone. . . . I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire. You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.” Ezekiel 28:12-15
There is not a lot in the Bible that elaborates on this subject; however, if you piece three biblical passages together, you get a pretty good idea of how it all happened. These three are worth reading: Revelation 12, Isaiah 14, and Ezekiel 28. Lucifer became known as the adversary, or in Hebrew, Satan. At one time in his existence, Satan was created as a worship leader of the heavenly host of angels. Some believe that he was the chief worship leader of heaven. This is why we really need to pray for our worship leaders.
What was Satan’s specific sin? Isaiah tells us that it was pride. The entire account is in Isaiah 14:12-17.
For you said to yourself, “I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God’s stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north.” Isaiah 14:13
RS: I always found it interesting that we begin time with God creating these beings that are in a perfect environment (God had obviously made them in an unflawed way¾they’re perfect), there is perfection all around, and out of this comes the rise of an evil heart.
Where did evil come from? That is a question that only the Lord Himself can answer.
God’s call in my life is a call similar to that of the angels¾to be willing to serve Him with all of my heart and not to be concerned about receiving the credit for that. The basic sin that occurred was “I want the glory that belongs to Him.” Essentially, that is the first sin that man would later take part in.
It seems to me that there is an underlying theme. There was a small plaque that set on President Reagan’s desk that said, “There is no limit to what a man can do if there is no concern who gets the credit.” Within the servant heart of the believer, there is an angelic pattern that must be followed; a basic process of dying to self has to happen.
MB: Once Satan felt that he was as worthy as the Lord was for honor and praise, he led a rebellion against God, and a third of the angels joined him.
Suddenly, I witnessed in heaven another significant event. I saw a large red dragon with seven heads and ten horns, with seven crowns on his heads. His tail dragged down one-third of the stars, which he threw to the earth. Revelation 12:3-4
Michael and the other angels fought against the rebels and forced them out of heaven and onto the earth.
Then there was war in heaven. Michael and the angels under his command fought the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle and was forced out of heaven. This great dragon¾the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world¾was thrown down to the earth with all his angels. Revelation 12:7-9
Many years ago, Apollo astronaut, Jim Irvin, came to Maui. During one meeting, he told us that while he was on the moon, for the first time in his life, he felt the “absence of evil.” What an interesting comment! Very few people have had the opportunity to travel away from planet Earth; fewer were spirit-filled believers when they traveled there.
Are the demons indeed confined only to this planet? Here’s an extraordinary witness!
Now, Satan and his fallen angels have a plan to wage war against the human race, especially the members of the body of Christ.
He stood before the woman as she was about to give birth to her child, ready to devour the baby as soon as it was born. . . .
Then the dragon became angry at the woman, and he declared war against the rest of her children¾all who keep God's commandments and confess that they belong to Jesus. Revelation 12:4,17
This war is very real. A few years ago, we were at our home in La Ceiba, Honduras, meeting with our ministry co-workers. There was a lot of spiritual activity; many of us were having dreams where demonic images were speaking to us.
One evening, I half awoke, feeling a presence hovering over our bed. A bony finger reached out from a dark form and touched me on my right shoulder near the collarbone. I knew that when I awoke, I would have pain there. Sure enough, the next morning, I did.
The pain persisted for three weeks, during which time we traveled to Florida. One night I had my family pray for this pain. As they prayed, I had the sensation of a needle being withdrawn from my shoulder. I knew the pain would now disappear. The next morning, I awoke with the pain gone.
Satan was so bold that he even tried to convince Jesus to join his rebellion.
Today, he is trying to convince and deceive all of us into joining the rebellion too.
Next the Devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him the nations of the world and all their glory.
“I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will only kneel down and worship me.”
“Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God; serve only him.’” Matthew 4:8-10
Jesus gave us a great description of these fallen angels and how they operate in Matthew 12:43-45. It is worth taking a few minutes to study and draw tactical information out of this passage:
“When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, seeking rest but finding none. Then it says, ‘I will return to the person I came from.’ So it returns and finds its former home empty, swept, and clean. Then the spirit finds seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they all enter the person and live there. And so that person is worse off than before.” Matthew 12:43-45
According to Jesus:
· exist inside and outside of humans;
· travel;
· make decisions;
· have individual identities;
· remember and make plans;
· can unite in battle with others; and
· vary in degrees of wickedness.
Mikaela: OK! I’m beginning to understand about God’s other creation. What do the “good” angels do anyway?
MB: Think about any situations where you may have encountered angelic or demonic activity. Let’s look at some biblical examples of what angels and demons do.
Angels are powerful and serve God:
Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you mighty creatures who carry out his plans, listening for each of his commands. Psalm 103:20
They serve us as “lifeguards”:
For the angel of the Lord guards all who fear him, and he rescues them. Psalm 34:7
RS: There is an interesting story in Acts 12 where an angel comes to Peter while he is in prison, wakes him up, releases the chains, opens the gate, and leads him outside into the street.
The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, chained between two soldiers, with others standing guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel tapped him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered. Acts 12:6-8
Peter thinks that he is dreaming, and only after (as the text reads)“Peter came to himself” did he realize that it was a rescuing angel. The encouragement for me as a believer is even those who were the movers and shakers of the Book of Acts who “shook the world” were taken by surprise when these heavenly messengers broke into their life. Suddenly, Peter finds himself outside saying, “I must be dreaming.”
The reality is that, even for those of us who walk with God, He never runs out of an arsenal of new things to present in your life that take you by surprise.
MB: The interesting end to this story is when Peter arrives at the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark.
He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!” “You’re out of your mind,” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.” Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally went out and opened the door, they were amazed. Acts 12:13-16
I find it amazing that everybody thought it was “Peter’s angel” at the gate and yet nobody went out and see this “angel.” Were angelic encounters that common for these First Century believers?
Angels are used to provide for God’s people.
We see a great example of this in the life of Elijah:
Then he (Elijah) lay down and slept under the broom tree. But as he was sleeping, an angel touched him and told him, “Get up and eat!” He looked around and saw some bread baked on hot stones and a jar of water! So he ate and drank and lay down again. 1 Kings 19:5-6
Angels also act as guides:
As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” Acts 8:26
Here is a modern example of angelic guiding:
There was a Marine Corps AV-8B Harrier (Jump Jet) pilot who was flying with seven other Harriers from Hawaii to California. It was an overcast evening when they took off from Honolulu and climbed to 29,000 feet to join with the Air Force tanker for in-flight refueling. This pilot was number eight in the flight, and during the climbing rendezvous, he began to fall behind the rest of the flight. As he pressed the throttles as far forward as they would go, he also focused on the tail lights of the airplanes in front, knowing that if he lost sight, there could be more problems. He still could not close the gap and was falling farther behind.
I have been in this exact situation many times during my flying years in the Navy. In night “running rendezvous,” it is imperative that you not lose sight of the formation that you are joining on. Often, in your concentration on the visuals in front of you, you neglect to scan your instruments and slight inputs to the flight controls go unnoticed. I totally understand what was happening to this Marine pilot.
Suddenly he sensed a presence nearby and looked over his left shoulder. What he saw shocked him. It was another Harrier flying perfect “parade” (very close) formation. But this jet was upside down! He focused for a moment on the visor of the pilot of this inverted jet and then looked into his own cockpit and scanned his instruments. Suddenly, he realized that he was inverted and not climbing but in a descent. In his concentration on the formation, he had inadvertently begun a slow roll of the Harrier, which resulted in an inverted nose-down attitude!
He immediately rolled right side up and brought the nose up to reestablish the climb. He looked back for his “wingman,” but he had disappeared. He was nowhere to be seen.
Eventually, he joined the tanker and saw the seven other Harriers. After six hours, they all landed in California, and he asked each one of the other pilots if they had been the one who had dropped back to help him. None had¾each one in the flight had all been in front of him when the incident took place. This pilot later gave his testimony to the Full Gospel Businessmen’s Association, convinced that an angel had saved him that night.
Lukas: One night a few years ago, I was at a party with some of my friends doing the usual things. We all decided to go over to another friend’s house. I was planning to ride with three of my friends in one car.
As I was walking toward the driveway toward them, I was stopped by a blond headed guy who I had not seen before who told me don’t go in that car…go in the other . I stopped and I thought, “Who is this guy? He looks like he is from California.” I thought he was maybe a friend of somebody. I stopped turned around and walked to the other car. I don’t know where the blond headed guy went.
When we got to my friend’s house the other car had not arrived. About an hour later we got a phone call saying that they had gotten in an accident on the way over and some of them were seriously hurt. That sobered me up very quickly.
I later asked my friends who the blond guy from California was. Nobody knew who I was talking about.
I think it may have been an angel sent to protect me.
Daniel gives us some good descriptions of the function of angels. From this passage in chapter 10, we see that angels are messengers and warriors. They can give strength to humans and can take on human appearance.
Then he said, “Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer. But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia. Then the one who looked like a man touched me again, and I felt my strength returning.” Daniel 10:12-13, 18
RS: Look at the incredible number of ministries that angels have been involved with in Scripture, such as predicting the birth of Jesus in Luke 1 or announcing the birth of Jesus, which is probably the number one place that people around the earth acknowledge the heavenly host. Suddenly there appeared this great angelic host. We know the shepherds were awestruck. I have always wondered if the sheep and goats’ reactions were as well!
There was a whole process whereby the angels were protecting Jesus as a baby and later in the strengthening of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. I think there is a good illustration in the life of Jesus for what angels can be and can do for us.
The important thing is that there is never a focus on them. They are always messengers, pointing to someone else. They are never about what they were. What an example for us!
MB: How many angels are there? According to Jesus, there are at least twelve legions (there are 4,500 to 6,000 troops in a Roman legion!).
“Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53 nas
Jesus made an interesting comment regarding angels and children:
“Beware that you don’t despise a single of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father.” Matthew 18:10
Arielle: OK. So I’ve got some angels watching over me. I know there have been times where something bad should have happened, like a car pulling out in front of me in traffic on a slippery road and somehow I avoided hitting it, miraculously.
What about those evil ones? What can they do to me?
MB: First of all, Satan has used them to keep you from seeing the truth.
Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. 2 Corinthians 4:4
Demons are also experts at deception. They take a little truth and mix it with a big lie. It’s a deadly recipe! Paul told his friends in Corinth:
But I fear that somehow you will be led away from your pure and simple devotion to Christ, just as Eve was deceived by the serpent. You seem to believe whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach about a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed. But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:3-4, 14
Demons also set traps for us, so that we will be held captive through spiritual bondage to them.
Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants. 2 Timothy 2:26
Satan and his horde are murderers and liars. Jesus himself said:
“For you are the children of your father the Devil, and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and has always hated the truth. There is no truth in him. When he lies, it is consistent with his character; for he is a liar and the father of lies.” John 8:44.
Lukas: It can seem overwhelming. I’ve had dreams where I felt like satan himself was leading the charge against me.
MB: It’s true that Satan has a plan for your life! It is to steal from you, destroy your life, and kill you (spiritually and physically)!
“The thief's purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.” Jesus speaking in John 10:10
However, the good news is that Jesus’ plan for you is quite the opposite. That’s why being a member of the family of God is so important. When you have the power of the Holy Spirit inside, you can resist and be victorious in this spiritual battle!
Here are a few encouraging reminders from the Word:
And don’t sin by letting anger gain control over you. Don’t let the sun go down while you are still angry, for anger gives a mighty foothold to the Devil. Ephesians 4:26-27
We have the option of allowing Satan into our life by opening a “spiritual door” and literally inviting him in. How do we do this? By allowing our thoughts and emotions to be influenced by him. The Bible says to:
Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life. Proverbs 4:23 nas
If we take all of our emotions and filter them through the Word of God, we will not allow the enemy to have a foothold in our lives. Invading armies need to establish a “beachhead” or “foothold” on enemy territory, so that they can build up their forces for the main attack.
Likewise, Satan attempts to cause us to hold on to certain emotions (bitterness, lust, frustration, etc.) that naturally occur but are contrary to the character of God. As we hold on to them, we literally give Satan a “legal right” to have influence in our lives.
That’s why the Bible says to “Watch over our hearts (emotions) with all diligence.” The emotion itself is not often the sin, it is what you do with it. Holding on to emotions that don’t fall into the category of “love” and “others-centeredness” are usually beachheads for Satan to later mount a major attack.
Two of my favorite movies are about invasions. As a child, I enjoyed the epic The Longest Day ¾ the story of the Normandy invasion in World War II. Almost every major star of the ’60s appeared in that documentary filmed in black and white so it could include actual combat film from the invasion. A few years ago, The Saving of Private Ryan gave us the realistic account of this same invasion, focusing on a squad of soldiers invading Omaha Beach.
One of the reasons why these films are a personal favorite is that my father, Forrest, was one of the invading soldiers at Omaha Beach. He, along with others from the Second Armored Division, rolled their tanks ashore on June 8, 1944, right into intense fighting. They fought for weeks to secure the beachhead, and eventually the Germans were outflanked, outfought, and overcome. Paris fell, and Forrest and his buddies began a high-speed advance eastward toward the Rhine that was only temporarily slowed by the Battle of the Bulge, where he fought in the snow for 43 days straight. By May, Forrest and the rest of the Second Armored were the first Americans to enter Berlin.
The Normandy invasion was the third beach assault for Forrest and his 2nd Armored Division mates: The first one was near Rabat Morocco in November 1942, followed by Sicily in July 1943. Of the 120 soldiers that began the war in his company at Ft. Benning Georgia there were only three left when they entered Berlin in July 1945.
How did the 2nd armored Division get to Berlin? By first taking the beaches in North Africa, then Sicily, and finally Normandy. Without that critical final beachhead in France, there would have been no surrender by the Germans in Berlin.
Our thoughts are another potential foothold. We are constantly bombarded by thoughts from ourselves, from the world, from Satan and his demonic cohorts, and from the Lord.
RS: In 2 Corinthians, chapter 10, there is a fabulous image of the battle to take a human heart and to conquer our own thoughts and beliefs. We have a very interesting second-century Roman document about the collapse of a city fortress wall. It is not an interesting document until you look with the eyes of trying to figure out the strategy of what is happening.
There are four steps in which you take an ancient city. These mounted, walled garrison cities have a glacis, or an angled wall, at the base of the vertical wall. This is about a thirty-degree angled slope that prevents a battering ram of doing its job effectively by deflecting the force¾it will glance off. The glacis also prevents attackers from having a firm level ground to try to climb up and over the wall¾usually this slope is slippery (from oil), and it makes ground attack more difficult.
The only way to take a city like this was to bring in shielded men called sappers who would crawl into the sewer pits, the drains at the base of the wall, and take out a section of the wall from below. The problem is that if you are a sapper and are good at your job, you only get to do this once, because the wall usually collapses on top of you.
When the wall collapses, the second team comes in. They are called the casters. They cast away the bodies of the sappers, and, of course, the stones of the fallen section of the wall, allowing the third group, the infantry, to pour through the breach in the wall. They will begin to take each section of the city, block by block, in a sustained attacked.
Finally, just in time to take credit for the battle, you have the fourth element, the captains, who come in and put up two poles. There is a pole¾a gallows¾set up for the execution of everyone who will not get with the program, and then a flagpole allows the captives to pledge their allegiance to the new regime.
Paul picks up on this illustration and uses it with the people of Corinth who are familiar with warfare because they have been soldiers and naval officers. He says in 2 Corinthians 10:3-6:
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds. . . .
We are the sappers at the bottom of the wall, pulling down these weighty things that have imprisoned us for so long. It seems that, like the sappers, we will die in the process. The reality is you won’t die doing this¾you may feel like you are dying, and there is a spiritual sense that you are dying to yourself, but your physical body will live.
casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. . . .
Now we are like the casters, removing all the plans and strategies that exalt ourselves.
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. . . .
As the infantry moves in and takes control of each part of the city, we allow God to move into each room of our lives and take control. Finally,
and being ready to punish all disobedience . . .
The captains bring in the gallows, and everything is placed in order.
You have a great warfare analogy for a simple conclusion.
It is a big grandiose picture to produce one point, which is:
How is the life of the believer lived?
One thought at a time. . . .
Go into the base of yourself and remove all the garbage and thoughts of self-importance. The heart of God is an “other-persons centeredness,” which is what He called on the angelic being to be and is exactly what He calls on the believer to be. As long as I am interested in getting the credit, I’m not interested in God’s work.
MB: It is often said that the battleground is the mind. We must analyze every thought to determine its origin and how it lines up with the thoughts and character of God. Things that fall outside the category of “from or like God” are red flags and need to be handled with extreme caution. Thoughts that fall into the category of “from the devil” or overly “self-oriented” should be flushed out. In this way, we will keep the enemy from establishing those footholds that he needs to attack us.
Next:
Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. James 4:7 NAS
There are three specific steps that James gives us in our spiritual battles.
First, he says to submit, or bring everything in our life under the authority of God.
If we don’t, then we have an open “spiritual door” that invites the enemy into our lives. We must bring all those secret sins and areas of disobedience under the authority of our Lord. After all, if He is Lord, then that is our appropriate response.
Step Two: Once all the doors are closed, then we must resist, or fight against, the thoughts and temptations that the enemy is trying to snare us with.
One good technique when you have a thought that is out of line with God’s thinking or a temptation to do something that you know that He knows is not good for you is to quote a Scripture verse that tells the devil who you are (in the spiritual realm) and remind him that he doesn’t have any right to attack you. Keep it up. Jesus had to do that three times in His temptation in the wilderness.
Another technique is to begin praying for someone or something when you are being attacked or tempted. Satan doesn’t like to do things to us that cause us to pray.
Singing praise and worship songs is another effective tactic in your spiritual battles. Not only is your faith affirmed but also there was a reason why God told Joshua to send seven priests blowing ram’s horns to lead Israel’s army as they marched around Jericho. Let me give you one example of this tactic as I experienced it a few years ago in Honduras while delivering some cargo to our school district on the lower Coco River.
After the Sandinista war ended in 1990, all the refugees crossed Coco River and returned to rebuild their home villages. It was during this period in the early 90’s that my monthly trip from La Ceiba (on the north coast of Honduras) to Waspam (on the Nicaraguan side of the Coco River where we had our office and boats) was through the crossing point at Leimus, where the Honduran and Nicaragua military had set up checkpoints for people to cross from one country to another. Leimus was about two hours upriver from Waspam, and Truman would usually be waiting for me there in our boat and take me downriver to Waspam, followed by a further six hour trip downriver to our school district.
The closest airstrip to Leimus was at Rus Rus, where anrelief organization called Friends of the Americas had a hospital which serviced the population of this very remote area. We could not fly our airplanes across the Coco River to Waspam, as it was an international border.
At Rus Rus, my pilot friend Ken Anderson would take me in his truck to Leimus, which was about 50 miles away along a very desolate dirt road through the pine savannah that roughly followed the river. It was complicated, but the only way to get from La Ceiba (about 250 miles away) to Waspam.
There were two airstrips in Rus Rus. One was a 4000 foot long in a relatively flat area that had been used by large DC-3’s during the war. A shorter one was right in front of the clinic, surrounded by tall pine trees. Due to the short length of that strip, I usually landed our Seneca at the big strip and off loaded whatever cargo and passengers, then flew the seven miles to the short strip where I would park the airplane during my boat trip downriver. It was always an exciting approach and landing in the Seneca on the short strip, as you had to pass low over two latrines and set the plane down quickly and get on the brakes to avoid the trees at the end. I never had the courage to land there fully loaded.
Ken would usually be waiting for me at the big strip in his truck, and he would load the cargo and passengers and bring them back to the hospital. Once I got the Seneca covered and tied down, we would be ready for the 90 minute trip down a lonely road to Leimus.
One day I set out from La Ceiba for Rus Rus after calling Ken on the HF radio. When I arrived at the Big Strip two hours later, no one was there. I took out my boxes of notebooks, pencils, paper, and other school supplies and set them under a pine tree, and took off for the Short Strip in front of the clinic, looking for Ken and his truck along the way. I landed and pulled up in from of the hospital, looking for Ken’s truck. Carlos the doctor walked out to greet me. I asked him where Ken was, and Carlos said that he had left an hour ago for the Big Strip.
It was then that we both realized that something had happened to Ken, and he was probably broken down someone along the road. Carlos suggested that we take the other truck and go see if we could find Ken. About four miles away from the hospital the trusty Toyota Landcrusier truck began chugging and suddenly stopped. Carlos cranked the motor, but it refused to start. He kept cranking until the battery died. That’s when we began to suspect contaminated fuel and realized that Ken was probably having the same problem. All the fuel that we used in Miskitia came from La Ceiba in plastic barrels onboard ship, and it was not unusual to have water and dirt get in the barrels in transit. That’s why we always used a chamois cloth to filter the aviation gas that we used in the airplanes. It was always amazing to see the amount water that was filtered out in this manner. Water in an airplane engine does not work, and the aircraft quickly becomes a glider….
But here we were four miles from the hospital on a remote road with no inhabitants or traffic with a dead battery and contaminated fuel in our engine, and Ken was somewhere ahead of us with probably the same problem. I stepped out on the road and said: “Lord we need you now to do something please.”
That’s when it started raining.
Hard. It lasted almost 30 minutes. Suddenly I heard to sound of a motor. Sure enough around the bend came a large cargo truck. Amazing! There were very few vehicles that travelled this road.
As the truck stopped, I could see that it was a friend Froilund, the father-in-law of my pilot friend Barry Watson. He had a cattle ranch at the end of this road in Ahuasbila, about 60 miles away. I told him that we probably had contaminated fuel. His driver jumped out and opened the hood of the truck. Very quickly he disconnected the fuel line going into the engine. What he did next amazed me- he stuck the hose in his mouth and began sucking! Suddenly he spit out a mouth full of mud! I had the thought “God sent us an angel!”
He did it again, with more mud. After about five more sucks, he spit out pure clear diesel fuel. He reattached the fuel line and then took a chain out of his truck and attached it to our front bumper and his trailer hitch. He gave us a pull and Carlos popped the clutch. The engine chugged violently, but the big truck was dragging us along the road forcing the engine to turn over. Big black clouds were coming out of the exhaust pipe. After about 500 years of being dragged along this road, the engine fired. We stopped and disconnected the chain and followed Froilund’s truck onward.
In a few minutes we came around a bend and almost ran into Ken’s truck. The driver jumped out and disconnected the fuel line on Ken’s truck and sucked the mud out of the fuel tank. Then he gave Ken the same drag along the road to clear the fuel out of his engine. Finally both truck were running, and we went to the Big Strip and picked up my cargo, and returned to the hospital. As it was very late in the day, we canceled our trip to Leimus. I was able to use Ken’s HF radio to get a message to Truman that I would not be coming today that day.
We spent that night taking off the gas tanks of both trucks and draining all the fuel through a chamois filter. There was plenty of water and dirt. Then reattached the gas tanks and filtered two barrels of fuel. By midnight we were done.
The next morning, we set out for Leimus. About three miles away from the hospital, the truck began chugging and ground to a stop. Ken disconnected the fuel line and sucked out more water! How could that be in the tank, as we drained it the night before? The truck started up, and we were off.
In about 15 minutes, the engine began chugging again. I suddenly thought of Joshua and the worship team circling Jericho. I burst out singing “There is power, power, wonder working power, in the blood, of the Lamb, there is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the Lamb”
The engine smoothed out! Ken and I looked at each other. We drove on.
In a short time, the engine began chugging again. Again I cried out:
“There’s victory in Jesus, my savior forever………”
The engine smoothed out. Ken and I looked at each other again, this time with the realization that something was going on.
20 minutes went by. 30 minutes. Then suddenly the engine began chugging again. We both sang “I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back…”
The engine smoothed out again.
For the rest of the trip, every time the engine began chugging, we began singing! When we arrived in Leimus, we were both hoarse! But we arrived!
Step Three: As we resist the devil in these and other methods, the Bible says that he will flee from us.
Many quote this verse as “Resist the devil and he will flee.” That won’t happen without submitting all areas of our life to the Lord and closing all the spiritual doors.
It’s interesting that the Bible doesn’t say that Satan will simply back off and stop attacking but rather uses the word flee. Why would he suddenly flee from the attack? Probably because someone more powerful shows up!
Peter, who experienced many attacks from Satan, gives us a similar strategy:
So humble yourselves under the mighty power of God, and in his good time he will honor you. Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about what happens to you. Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour. Take a firm stand against him, and be strong in your faith. Remember that Christians all over the world are going through the same kind of suffering you are. 1 Peter 5:6-9
According to this passage of Scripture, there are two potential “handles” that Satan could use to pull you away from God.
First there is the big sin¾pride. Pride is not needing God in your life, not submitting all areas to Him. As Samuel spoke to Saul:
“Rebellion is as the sin of divination, and insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry.” 1 Samuel 15:23
Pride is indeed a bright, bold neon sign inviting the enemy to come into your life!
Fear is another “handle.” Are you believing God and His promises to you, or are you ignoring them and buying into lies the enemy is telling you? Fear is disbelief. Not believing God is calling Him a liar. That’s sin and a big handle to turn you away from God! That’s why Peter says to give all your worries and cares to God.
Eliminate pride and fear from your life, and you become an effective spiritual warrior.
Here’s something important to remember:
Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to cast out evil spirits and to heal every kind of disease and illness. Matthew 10:1
Jesus has given His disciples authority over the rebellious angels. Authority is defined as “the power or right to give commands, enforce obedience, take actions, or make final decisions” (Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th ed. s.v. “authority”). When Jesus’ disciples exercised this authority in their ministry, Luke reports that:
The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. “Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. “Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.” Luke 10:17-20
As a pilot in the United States Navy, I was given authority by President Gerald Ford and later President Jimmy Carter (via the chain of command) to enforce the laws and policies of the United States in my role as a carrier attack pilot flying an A-6 Intruder, defending the Pacific and Indian Oceans. This meant I could use any of a variety of missiles, rockets, bombs, and even nuclear weapons to carry out United States laws and policies when ordered by my squadron commander.
Using the authority was a different matter. Even though I may have the orders from above to use it, I always had the ultimate choice whether I would use that authority. It took a conscious decision and action on our part to press the bomb release button on the stick or pull the trigger. We often joked that in the event of a nuclear war, we pilots would suddenly have stuffed sinuses and runny noses and be medically unfit for flight rather than go flying to drop “the big one.”
In spiritual matters, it is the same. When you realize you are in a spiritual battle, showing your “badge of authority” is the first step in seeing the enemy back off. Sometimes, for whatever reason, we don’t do that and deal with the situation through our own strength and resources. This is a formula for protracted struggle and ultimate defeat.
The disciples Jesus sent out saw results, and Jesus cautioned them to remember the reality¾it all comes from Him. Without His authority, we are nothing. With it, and Him, we are formidable in spiritual battles.
Just as this authority is relationship-oriented, so is the “armor of God,” which Paul describes in Ephesians 6:
Be strong with the Lord’s mighty power. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.
Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor (or breastplate) of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere. Ephesians 6:10-18
When you read Paul’s description in Ephesians 6 of the armor of God, notice that all the pieces¾the belt of God’s truth, the breastplate of His righteousness, the helmet of salvation bought by Him, the shoes of God’s peace, a shield of faith in God’s promises, and the sword of God’s Word¾all rely on our relationship with Him. It has nothing to do with us; it all comes down from Him.
This spiritual armor is the defense that a close and obedient relationship with God gives you.
Believing His Truth vs. satans lies;
Knowing your relationship as an adopted son or daughter of God Himself, having right standing before Him and the legal rights that go along with that relationship;
Your willingness to share the good news of this relationship;
Your faith in God to protect you; and
Your knowledge that you have eternal life with Him no matter what may happen here in this life.
This is the defensive armor that God offers us.
But there are offensive weapons as well.
The “sword” in the spiritual realm is God’s Word—truth to apply to every situation where you feel yourself under spiritual attack; truth about your identity; truth about God’s promises to you; truth about the limited power of the evil one over you.
The other weapon He gives us is prayer—communion with Him. Prayer to align ourselves with God and His will and move with Him to accomplish His plan for our lives and for this world. Truth and prayer are powerful dynamics in the spiritual realm.
A final reminder:
Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Hebrews 13:2
We sense activity of the fallen angels in our lives more than the good ones because we tend to notice when bad things start to happen. Most North American and European Christians believe that they deserve “good” things in this life. Yet there is an angelic host constantly guarding over us and protecting us without being too intrusive in our lives. It seems like if God’s angels are doing their jobs that they often go unnoticed.
Consider those times when your car skidded on the wet road and didn’t hit that telephone pole or the car in front. “Good reflexes” are sometimes just “good angelic protection.”
Flying in remote places in the world can present many challenges not experienced in the civilized world. Many times as we are approaching an airstrip in Central America with thunderclouds and showers around we pray for a clear landing area. With no weather reporting, it is impossible to predict weather conditions at remote destinations. We have come to rely on prayer and angelic activity. Often, as we have flown through heavy rain showers to get to the airstrip, we break out to discover that it is indeed clear over the landing area. That’s happened too many times to be just coincidence.
This account was reported by a medical missionary at his home church in Michigan:
While serving at a small field hospital in Africa, I traveled every two weeks by bicycle through the jungle to a nearby city for supplies. This required camping overnight half way. On one of these trips, I saw two men fighting in the city. One was seriously injured, so I treated him and witnessed to him of the Lord Jesus Christ. I then returned home without incident.
Upon arriving in the city several weeks later, I was approached by the man I had treated earlier. He told me he had known that I carried money and medicine. He said, “some friends and I followed you into the jungle knowing you would camp overnight. We waited for you to go to sleep and planned to kill you and take your money and drugs. Just as we were about to move into your campsite, we saw that you were surrounded by 26 armed guards.”
I laughed at this and said I was certainly all alone out in that jungle campsite. The young man pressed the point, “No, sir, I was not the only one to see the guards. My Jave friends also saw them and we all counted them. It was because of those guards that we were afraid and left you alone.”
At this point in the church presentation in Michigan, one of the men in the church jumped up and interrupted the missionary, and asked, “Can you tell me the exact date when this happened?” The missionary thought for a while and recalled the date.
The man in the congregation told this side of the story: “On that night in Africa it was morning here. I was preparing to play golf. As I put my bag in the car, I felt the Lord leading me to pray for you. In fact, the urging was so strong that I called the men of this church together to pray for you. Will all of those men who met with me that day please stand?”
The men who had met that day to pray together stood—there were 26 of them!
Personal Reflections
1. If Satan was to set a trap for you, what would he use as bait?
2. Have you had any sudden and unexplained physical problems lately?
3. How can you recognize demonic activity in your life?
4. What is the difference between a spiritual attack and the natural consequences of sin?
5. What is the best way to prevent a spiritual attack?
6. How do we use the authority that Jesus has given us in spiritual warfare?
Deeper Water
A) Read the account of Balaam in Numbers 22, 23, and 24. Here we see many incredible things happening that can only be explained in terms of living in the spiritual world. Here are some questions to consider:
1. Why could Balaam not curse the children of Israel?
2. How did the donkey speak (22:28)?
3. What is the meaning of sorcery (24:1)?
B) We see the appearance of an infamous character named Jezebel in 1 Kings 16: 31. She appears again in 1 Kings 19:2, causing Elijah to run for his life. Read the account of the encounter between Jezebel and Jehu in 2 Kings 9. What can we learn from these passages about this manipulating spirit and how to combat it?
C) In 2 Kings 18, we read about Hezekiah and the Assyrian invasion of Judah. In verse 19, the representatives of Sennacherib begin a campaign of fear and intimidation against God’s people. What can we learn from this account that may apply to our own spiritual attacks?
D) The Book of Nehemiah presents one of the best descriptions of spiritual warfare recorded in the Bible. Closely read chapter 4.
1) What are the tactics that Sanballat and Tobiah use to discourage those rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem?
2) What does Nehemiah do in response to these attacks?
3) How was Nehemiah successful in accomplishing his mission?
E) What is the significance of Proverbs 26:2?
Like a fluttering sparrow or a darting swallow,
an undeserved curse will not land on its intended victim. Proverbs 26:2
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