Showing posts with label Isaiah. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Isaiah. Show all posts

Angels - Part 6: Fallen and Deceptive Angels

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Friday, September 17, 2010 at 12:01 AM

Today I'm wrapping these posts on angels looking at fallen angels, sometimes called demons, and their leader, Satan.

The biblical story about Satan, or the devil, is not clear. The Bible does not set out to tell that story. Many of our ideas about Satan and his dark angels come from popular folk lore or classic literary works such as Dante's Inferno or Faust. Isaiah 14:12-15 (NLT2) seems to give the best picture of what happened, if, in fact, it refers to Satan and not Israel, as some have suggested:

“How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. 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. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.’ Instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths.”

Jesus said, “‘…I saw Satan fall from heaven like lightning! Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions (sometimes symbols for the devil and his demons) and crush them. Nothing will injure you.’” (Luke 10:18-19 NLT2)

We don’t know for sure where Satan came from, though he was probably a cherubim and possibly the highest of all the angels; he fell to earth at God’s bidding due to his sin, and continues as a superhuman opponent of God and his people. Demons appear to be angels who followed him and fell with him. It appears about one-third of the angels fell with Satan, according to Revelation 12:3-4. The name Satan in Hebrew means “adversary.” His other well-known name is the devil, which means “accuser” or “deceiver.” It is his title, but it really describes what he does. In fact, lies and deception are his primary instrument in human lives. Scripture also offers several other names for him:
  • the Wicked or Evil One (Matthew 6:13) 
  • the Enemy (Matthew 13:25, 28, 39) 
  • Murderer (John 8:44) 
  • Deceiver (Revelation 20:10) 
  • Beelzebub (Matthew 9:34, 12:24) 
  • Belial, or Beliar, “worthless one” (2 Corinthians 6:15) 
  • Ruler of this World (John 12:31) 
  • Prince of this World (John 12:31) 
  • Prince of the Power of the Air (Ephesians 2:2, 6:12) 
  • the Great Dragon (Revelation 12:9) 
  • the Ancient Serpent (Revelation 12:9) 
  • Abaddon, Apollyon, the Destroyer (Revelation 9:11) 
  • the Tempter (Matthew 4:3) 
  • Father of Lies (John 8:44)

There is certainly a great deal of interest in angels these days. An incredible number of books have been written about them in recent years. Yet, not all are written from a Christian perspective. But, if we’re talking about angels they must be God’s good angels, right? Not necessarily, for notice there are evil or fallen or dark angels. People are claiming to be told by angels to write books about angels, to seek your angel, etc., but this doesn't fit with the ministry God has given angels.

Certainly this interest in angels indicates a spiritual hunger in our land today, and that is positive. Yet, not all angels are answers to spiritual hunger. Angels can deceive us, even when they are not trying to do so. John of Revelation describes a dazzling appearance of the resurrected, glorified Christ (Revelation 1:14-17). John worships him. Yet, at the end of the book we again see John falling down to worship, but this time it is an angel, who objects to him doing so and tells him to worship God (Revelation 22:8-9). If John could be unintentionally fooled, how easy is it for us to be fooled. So, how do we recognize the wrong kinds of angels? Here are some suggestions:

  • Are angels identified by non-biblical names? In the Bible only two angel names appear: Michael and Gabriel. 
  • Are the angels given an extrabiblical description? In other words, what do they look like? The Bible is very minimal about angelic descriptions because the emphasis is on the message. Angels do not draw attention to themselves but to their message from God. Too much detail means the angel has become the focus of the appearance rather than the message, and that is not biblical. 
  • Are the angels performing roles beyond what the Bible reveals about them? Many of the claims of modern-day angels far exceed the biblical norms. 
  • Are angels sources of additional information beyond the teaching of the Bible? For instance, the Book of Mormon includes revelation to Joseph Smith by an angel. Much of this new revelation contradicts the Bible. Paul himself wrote, “But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned” (Galatians 1:8). 
  • Are the angels in any way proclaiming another gospel, another way to heaven, a “revised” form of Christianity? In the Book of Mormon this is certainly true. We must be careful.
I hope these posts have helped clarify what we know about angels (and what we don't know). They are certainly beautiful creations of God, serving Him constantly and faithfully (except those who are fallen). Someday we will enjoy God's creation alongside the angels, and I'm sure that will be an amazing and glorious time. And the stories they can tell, since they have seen just about everything!

Angels - Part 4: the Ministry of Angels

Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Wednesday, September 15, 2010 at 12:01 AM

I'm continuing my postings on angels, related to a series we've been offering at Gateway on Heaven. I began on Sunday offering an overview of angels. On Monday we looked at what we know about the origin and nature of angels. On Tuesday I listed the various kinds of Bibles as found in the Bible. And today, Part 4, we're looking at the ministry of angels, again as detailed in the Bible.

Angels minister in both heaven and earth, but what are some of the specifics that they do? We’ll look at their ministry in three areas: in relation to God, in relation to Christ, in relation to Christ followers.

In Relation to God: 
Angels’ primary ministry seems to be that of worship and praise of God (Isaiah 6; Revelation 4:6-11). Much, if not all, of this praise is in the form of song. Angels serve God and His purposes and are His messengers. Angels seem to carry out certain aspects of God’s government, including controlling nature (Revelation 7:1, 16:3, 16:8-9) and guiding nations. Angels protect God’s people, delivering them from wicked works (Psalm 34:7; Isaiah 63:9). God uses angels to execute His judgments, as in the case of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1, 12-13), or bringing plaques on Egypt (Psalm 78:43, 49), or destroying many Assyrians in answer to Hezekiah’s prayer (2 Kings 19:35).

In Relation to Christ: 
While all that was said about God above would apply to Christ, there appear to be some special ministries of angels in relation to Christ. Angels predicted his birth (Luke 1:26-28) and announced his birth to the shepherds (2:8-15). They protected Christ as an infant when they warned his parents to flee to Egypt to escape Herod’s wrath (Matthew 2:13-15). They strengthened him after Satan’s temptation (Matthew 4:11). Angels announced Christ’s resurrection. Once he was resurrected the angels worshiped and served him. Angels have predicted his return (Acts 1:11). Angels will accompany Christ when he returns (Matthew 25:31).

In Relation to Christ Followers: 
Angels minister to Christ followers as signs of God’s love. They are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). God uses angels to reveal His will to people. They guide people, as in the case of the angel who told Joseph to take Mary as his wife and virgin-born son as his own (Matthew 1:20-21). On a few occasions the Bible shows angels providing for the physical needs, such as food, of people (Hagar and her son, Genesis 21:17-20). Angels protect people from physical danger, as in the three youth in the fiery furnace (Daniel 6:20-23) or when Israel’s king sent an army to capture Elisha at Dothan and an army of angels protected Elisha (2 Kings 6:16). Angels encourage, as in the case when an angel freed the apostles from prison and then encouraged them to continue preaching (Acts 5:19-20). Angels are sometimes agents in answering prayers.

An important distinction, however, is necessary. The ministry of angels is “primarily external and physical, whereas the ministry of the Holy spirit is internal and spiritual. Angels minister for us; the Holy Spirit minister in us (John 14:16-17; Hebrews 1:13-14). They guard our bodies and pathway; He guards our spirits and guides us in the right way. They may be agents to answer prayer, but He is the Prompter and Director of our prayers (Romans 8:26-27; Jude 20).”

What Angels Do Not Do: 
Though we’ve looked at many of the things angels do, we need to also say a few words about what angels do not do (from Angels: Dark and Light, Gary Kinnaman, pp. 78-80):



  • Good angels never try to change Scripture. Messages of angels never change or contradict the Bible. 
  • Good angels refuse to be worshipped. Good angels can be respected, but never worshipped. Neither are they objects of prayer. They may help God answer prayer, but nowhere in the Bible do we see any suggestion that we are to pray to anyone but God. Good angels always point people back to God, never to themselves. 
  • No one in the Bible ever initiates conversation with an angel. Pay particular attention to this. People may talk to angels, but angels always talk first. Some new age authors suggest you are to call on your angels like calling on a friend on the telephone. Good angels are always there, but they don’t answer our calls—only God does that! 
  • Angels are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. They are not all-powerful, though they are very powerful. They are not all-knowing, though they are very intelligent. They are not everywhere at once, though they can be at any one place immediately. 
  • Angels do not violate the free will of humans. Angels play an important role in the purposes of God and affairs of people, but they do not control people or violate their free will.
Join me tomorrow as we look at the organization of angels and a little more about how they work in our world today.

    24 HOURS-Week 4: Jesus Took Our Place, and Now We Take His

    Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Saturday, March 27, 2010 at 7:19 PM

    As Jesus hung on the cross, darkness covered the land for three hours. And then, just before he died, he cried out, "...'It is finished.'..." (John 19:30 NLT2)

    What did he mean? Was his life really finished? Did he mean he was a failure? John tells us he died after saying these words, but is that what Jesus meant? Fortunately, the Christian faith teaches us he was declaring something much more significant. In that moment, he had taken on the sins of the world.

    "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." (2 Corinthians 5:21 NIV)

    The NLT2 translation puts it this way: "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ." In that moment Jesus took our place, becoming our sin or the offering for our sin, the Bible tells us. He took our place, experiencing the effect of sin and its separation from God. He died our death so we wouldn't have to. As the prophet Isaiah predicted seven hundred years earlier, Jesus became our Suffering Servant, who took on our sins and paid the price for our sins, even though he had never sinned himself, so that we could be forgiven and freed from the power of sin.

    "Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed." (Isaiah 53:4-5 NLT2)

    He did it all for us – for you, for me, so we could be healed of the sin that ravages us, that ravages our world. He did it not just for those of us who typically read these words but also for those folks who aren’t in church, who don’t even believe in God, who even wage war against God. It was the ultimate sacrifice for us all, and that news is so good, so amazing, so incredible, that we when we understand the depth of Jesus' sacrifice we are driven to share it and help others experience it, too.

    "God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. We’re speaking for Christ himself now: Become friends with God; he’s already a friend with you." (2 Corinthians 5:19-20 Message)

    Jesus took our place on the cross, but at the time no one understood that. Today many still don't understand, but for those of us who do, God tells us we are Christ's representatives, given the task of "telling everyone what he is doing." We are called to speak for Christ, to be his voice, his hands, his feet.

    I feel inadequate to even begin this task, but the Good News is that Christ has not left me by myself to accomplish the mission he has given us. When we place our faith in him, his Spirit comes to live in us, empowering us, transforming us, enabling us to be and do what we otherwise could not do. In every step of this journey of faith we are completely and totally dependent on God, but He is able to do far more than we can even imagine...when I'm submitted to Him.

    As Jesus died, he finished his work here on earth, but the mission was only beginning. Greater things were still to be done, by the power of his Spirit living in his followers to do his work. And we are called to continue his mission until either Jesus returns or we leave this earth and meet him face to face. Jesus took our place so that we could all take his place and fulfill his mission to seek and save all people.

    Just Take the Next Step

    Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , , | Posted On Wednesday, October 21, 2009 at 12:01 AM

    Our reading today in Acts 13-14 tells us about what has historically been called Paul's first missionary journey. He would ultimately take four of these, and this was the first and shortest (in distance). From this journey we learn several things about sharing the story of Jesus Christ.

    First, notice that Paul doesn't travel alone. He begins with Barnabas and John Mark. Also, notice that the Holy Spirit led them out - they didn't do it on their own. And the Holy Spirit used the church to dedicate these men to their mission. (Acts 13:2-3 NLT)

    Second, notice that Paul and his companions always started out in the local synagogue when they arrived in a new town. Paul started with those who would have the most connection with the Christian faith - the Jews. In fact, as we see here in Acts 13, Paul's typical pattern was to ground the story of Jesus in the history of Israel. Jesus Christ, the Messiah, was the fulfillment of all God had been working toward in what we call the Old Testament. The early Christians discovered this and always attempted to reach Jews by showing them their common history and how Jesus fulfilled prophecy. "'Brothers, listen! We are here to proclaim that through this man Jesus there is forgiveness for your sins. Everyone who believes in him is declared right with God - something the law of Moses could never do.'" (13:38-39) And Acts tells us many did listen and turned their lives over to Jesus Christ.

    Third, we notice to see that not everyone liked what Paul and his companions were doing. Some of the Jews became very upset, slandering them and arguing with them. A mob ran them out of Antioch of Pisidia and Iconium, and in Lystra Paul was stoned nearly to death. (14:19-20) Jesus warned that the Gospel would divide friends and families. Today there are folks who are vehemently opposed to Christianity, and they'll do whatever they can to ridicule it or discredit it. When we run into those folks, we just need to realize we're in good company with Paul and other missionaries.

    Fourth, we see that when the Jews would reject the Gospel message, Paul would then take the message to the Gentiles. He started with those who would most easily connect with his message, but he discovered that God had also been working in the hearts of the Gentiles, who had no history or connection to Jesus. "'...since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.'" (14:46) Paul then quoted from the prophet Isaiah to show that even this extension of the mission to the Gentiles had always been a part of God's plan: "'"I have made you a light to the Gentiles, to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth."'" (14:47, from Isaiah 49:6)

    Interestingly, the Gentiles, who had little or no common history with Jesus, were often the most grateful ones to hear this Good News. "When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message..." (14:48) Sometimes we may overlook folks around us who are the most eager to hear Good News. They are different from us, in any number of ways, and we presume we have nothing to say or offer them. But Paul discovered otherwise. We make a grave mistake when we presume we know whom God is trying to reach. The Holy Spirit can work in us and anyone, and sometimes all God desires is for us to open that door, to share our story and offer hope and healing to folks who are looking for answers.

    Because Paul was faithful in his journey, many Jews and Gentiles came to faith in Christ. I'm sure the journey did not go at all the way Paul had anticipated, but he left himself open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, and God took care of the rest. It was not an easy journey - he nearly died - but lives were transformed forever. By faith, many times all we can do - and should do - is just take the next step, and trust God to work out His plans through our faith and obedience. We don't have to worry about where it will all end, or what might happen - just take the next step, and leave the results to God. That's really all walking by faith is - taking the next step.

    Who is Your Cornerstone?

    Posted by Randy | Labels: , , , , , , , , | Posted On Wednesday, October 7, 2009 at 12:01 AM

    In Luke 20 Jesus continues to teach and have encounters with the religious leaders. In vs. 17 Jesus asks his listeners, "…'Then what does this Scripture mean? "The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone."'" Jesus is quoting from Psalm 118:22. It's interesting that both the prophets Isaiah (28:16) and Zechariah (10:4) made references to this "cornerstone." In the New Testament Matthew (21:42) and Mark (12:10) both quote Jesus on this same saying. Luke again quotes it in Acts 4:11. The Apostles Paul (Ephesians 2:20) and especially Peter (1 Peter 2:4-7) reference this same "cornerstone".

    So, if this Psalm is quoted by Jesus, Isaiah, Zechariah, Paul and Peter, among others, it must have been significant. So, we go back to Jesus' question - what does it mean?

    Jesus is applying this Psalm to himself. He has just entered Jerusalem (on what we call Palm Sunday) and faces his last week on earth. He knows that on Friday he will be rejected by the religious leaders and the government and even the people. He knows he will hang on a cross and die. He understands that his rejection is only days ahead of him. Yet, in spite of this "rejection," he will become the cornerstone of life and faith.

    The cornerstone was the first and most critical stone laid in building a structure, because everything else was built from it and on it. If the cornerstone was improperly placed, the whole structure would be in jeopardy. So, the cornerstone was crucial.

    Jesus is quoting this scripture to tell his listeners that rejecting him doesn't change his importance and significance. God placed Jesus as the cornerstone of life and living, and apart from him, life will never be all it can be.

    Many of the people in Jesus' time rejected him, and many still reject him. They fail to realize who he really is and why he is so important. Sometimes it's intentional, but often it's simply from neglect or laziness. Yet, the day will come when everyone will know who Jesus is. Paul wrote to the Philippians: "Therefore, God elevated him (Jesus) to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (2:9-11)

    Jesus is Lord and Master, whether we realize it or acknowledge it. But those who fail to acknowledge him will find that they built their life on something that will never support life now and for eternity. This isn't what Jesus wants, nor is it what his church wants. So, am I building my life upon the cornerstone? Have I chosen a cornerstone that is sure and true and strong? And what about those around us? Our goal and mission is to lead everyday people to build their lives on this cornerstone, this rock, that will withstand all the floods of life and remain standing into eternity. With so much at stake, how can we do anything less?

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