The Doctrine of Angels, No. 3

RV104-01

The Doctrine of Angels

1. Angels are under the Authority of the Lord Jesus Christ

   The first point in our continued study is that angels are under the authority of the Lord Jesus Christ. In Luke 4:36, we read, "And they were all amazed and spoke among themselves saying, 'What a word is this? For with authority and power He (that is, the Lord Jesus Christ) commanded the unclean spirits and they come out.'"

   1 Peter 3:22: "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject to him." So, angels are not superior to Jesus Christ. They are under His authority. This is demonstrated, furthermore, in a number of ways.

   For example, in Matthew 26:53, we see that when Jesus Christ was on this earth, the angels were at His call: "Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give me more than 12 legions of angels?" The Lord Jesus Christ had angels immediately at His call.

   Furthermore, the Bible indicates that at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, He will be accompanied by the holy angels. In Matthew 16:27, we have this indicated: "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He shall reward every man according to His work."

   Furthermore, we may add Matthew 25:31: "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory," which will be the earthly throne of His Father David. So, when the Lord Jesus Christ comes, and all humanity looks up and sees Him approaching, the angels are going to be a very impressive part of that appearance.

   The holy angels, furthermore, we are told in the Word, worship the Lord Jesus Christ. We have this indicated in Hebrews 1:6: "And again, when He brought in the first begotten into the world, He said, 'And let all the angels of God worship Him,'" referring to the person of the Lord Jesus Chris. The angels recognize that He is God, and they worship Him accordingly.

   Revelation 7:11: "And all the angels stood around about the throne, and about the elders and the four living creatures, and fell before the throne on their faces and worshipped God." The Lord Jesus Christ, being deity, is included in that worship.

   Furthermore, those who are among the fallen angels, beginning with Satan himself, are also under the power of the Lord Jesus Christ. We have this indicated in the Old Testament. For example, in the book of Job, angels are subject to God's control. In Job 1:10-12, we hear a conversation between God and Satan: "Have you made a hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he has on every side. You have blessed the work of his hand, and his substance has increased in the land." Satan is describing what God has done for Job: "'But put forth your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse You to Your face.' The Lord said unto Satan, 'Behold, all that he has is in your power, only upon himself do not put forth your hand. So, Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord."

   Satan is trying to taunt God the Father, and say, "Oh, sure, you're very pleased with Job. He's a very faithful man. You consider him one of your prime examples of godliness. But that's just because You've made him so wealthy, and because You've given him such a nice lifestyle. Take that away from him and see how he'll treat You." The implication is that Satan would like to have gotten that job, but he wasn't able to because the angels (good and evil) are under the authority of God. So, God said, "Alright, let's make a test case of Job. You can do whatever you want with his material goods, but you can't kill him. Don't touch his life."

   Furthermore, it is clear in the Word of God that demons are subject to the Lord Jesus Christ. That was one of the great dramatic evidences of who He was when He was here on earth. Matthew 9:34: "But the Pharisees said, 'He casts out demons through the prince of demons.'" The Pharisees didn't want to credit Jesus Christ with casting out demons because he was God. Whatever they thought about it, one thing was clear to them: He was in charge of the demons. We may add to that Mark 1:23-24: "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, saying, 'Let us alone. What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: the holy one of God. So, the demon angels were very fearful of what Jesus Christ could do to them. Satan and his angels are very clearly under the control of God.

   So, while it is true that sometimes God permits Satan and the demon angels to impose something upon us for one reason or another, it's always under a controlled condition. The very apostle Paul knew what it was to have a demon angel that was permitted to give him a suffering – a physical ailment of some kind in order to remind him never to reveal what he had seen when he was in heaven. So, God permits Satan and the demons to go only so far. They are under his control. We do not have to fear them.

   Luke 9:1 one indicates to us that the Lord Jesus Christ gave His disciples, as a matter of fact, authority over the demons: "Then He called his 12 disciples together, and He gave them power and authority over all demons, and to cure diseases. In Luke 10:17, we have a larger group going out. They too were given that authority: "And the 70 returned again with joy saying, 'Lord, even the demons are subject unto us through your name.'" While this was a special dispensation of authority over the demons, which were enormously active in the New Testament world, the basic principle is still true – that in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we have authority over demons, and subject to the particular plan and will of God at any point in time (of any particular situation), we have executive authority over demons. This includes, in the providence of God, to cast demons out of people.

2. The Holy Angels Announced the Resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ

   The holy angels announced the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. This was done in order to make a very authoritative, clean-cut declaration of exactly what had happened – why that tomb was empty, because the religious leaders of Israel were going to lie about it. So, God sent an angel to make an official declaration of what had happened. Matthew 28:5: "And the angel answered and said unto the women (this angel they found in the tomb), 'Do not fear, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He is risen. For He said, 'Come see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead. And, behold, He is going before you unto Galilee, There you shall him.' Lo, I have told you'" – me: I, an angel. This is not just somebody who said, "Well, He must be risen." This was an authoritative messenger of God, so it is an important declaration from an angel.

   If you ever have occasion to visit Israel and go to the garden tomb (which I think is really the real tomb where Jesus was buried), as you come up to that entrance over the top, they have the words, "He is risen." When I read them, it was kind of an exciting thought to realize that those words were not somebody's assumption, and not somebody conclusion. They were the official declaration of an agent of God. It was an angel himself from God that told us what happened in the tomb. Jesus Christ was alive. Anybody who says that His bones are still rotting in some Syrian grave is a liar, which is exactly what the liberal world contends for.

3. The Holy Angels Glorify God

   The holy angels glorify God in contrast to the demon angels who vilify God. Revelation 5:11-12, which we have been studying, tells us about that: "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the living creatures and the elders. The number of them was 10,000 times 10,000 and thousands of thousand, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing." That verse 12 is what we're coming into. You can see those seven words are going to really hit the mountain peak of dramatic information and of dramatic doctrinal understanding in those seven words.

   In Psalm 148:2, we have this stated again: "Praise Him all His angels. Praise Him all His hosts." The Holy Angels glorify God.

4. Holy Angels Prevented Mankind form Entering the Garden

   After the expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the Holy Angels prevented mankind from reentering the garden. Immediately, that mankind fell, a great problem arose. There was in that garden the tree of life. It was possible for man to eat of the tree of life and therefore to preserve himself forever in a status of his fallen sinful condition so that it could never have been resolved. Genesis 3:24, therefore, tells us what God did to prevent that: "So, he drove out the man, and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life." It was the angels that prevented man from reentering the garden and permanently crystallizing his fallen conditions.

5. The Holy Angels Protect the Children

   The next point is a very special comfort to parents relative to angels. The holy angels protect the children, and heaven knows that they need it. Matthew 18:10: "Take heed that you don't despise one of these little ones. For I say unto you that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of My Father who is in heaven." Your child's angel is a personal emissary before the face of God Himself in behalf of your child. That should be a great comfort to know that there is an angel who is interceding in behalf of your child who is actually his guardian.

6. Angels Will Regather the Jewish People at the Second Coming of Christ

   Angels will regather the Jewish people to the Promised Land at the second Coming of Christ. In all likelihood, when the Scriptures tell the people of Israel that when they see the antichrist turning against them, that they should flee into the wilderness, the only direction that will be open to them to flee will be toward the south – toward the land of Edom. That has led to the likelihood that the land of Edom, which contains the famous remains of the monumental, enormous city of Petra will be the hiding place to which the Jewish people will run. From that point, perhaps from the city of Petra, wherever they have gone for refuge from the antichrist's wrath, angels will regather them at the Second Coming of Christ to bring them into the Promised Land, and to form a nation not like the one that exists in Israel today, a nation in unbelief, but to form a nation now which has received its Savior and its Messiah.

   Matthew 24:31: "And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. They will not only be the Jews who have run for cover, but the Jews who are everywhere else in the world as well.

7. Angels are Present in Every Service of the Local Church

   Angels are present in every service of the local church – in every gathering for worship of the local church. 1 Corinthians 11:10 indicates that, relative to the women and the covering on their heads – either a cap (a material covering) or their long hair. The passage seems to lend itself to both of those ideas. It gives the reason for the covering on the woman's head: "For this cause ought the women to have authority on her head because of the angels," because it is offensive to angels to see any violation of doctrinal principles. It is offensive to angels to see violation of the order of relationship between males and females; between men and women; and, between husbands and wives that God has ordained for the preservation; protection; happiness; and, blessing of the human race. So, because angels are present within this room as they are right now: learning; listening; observing; and, delighting in what they hear said, and the Son is being honored and exalted, we should act accordingly. Maybe that should be in our mind when we come into a gathering such as this for a church service, as to how we conduct ourselves at the point when that service is about ready to begin. The angels are here and observing.

8. The Language of Angels Conforms to the Recipient of their Message

   The language of angels conforms to the recipient of their message. 1 Corinthians 13:1 says, "Although I speak with the tongues of men and of angels." "The tongues of men and of angels" are the same tongues. Angels don't have one kind of language, and people another kind of language. That's why anytime angels speak to a person, the angel is understood. Angels speak all of the languages of the world, and they speak in languages that are intelligible.

9. Angels Rejoice when a Lost Sinner is Born Again

   We are told that angels rejoice when a loss center is born again. Luke 15:10: "Likewise, I say unto you that there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents." This is probably for two reasons: First of all, the holy angels know very well what the fate is going to be of Satan; the demons; and, all unbelievers in the lake of fire. The holy angels have seen that lake of fire. They know what a terrible thing it will be for a person to spend eternity in that place. So, they rejoice when a person is secured from ever facing that kind of a tragedy.

   Furthermore, the holy angels are also aware of the fact that every time a person is born again, it is a testimony to the justice of God, and it is a blow in the teeth of Satan. Satan has risen up and accused God of being unfair and unjust because of the judgment that God passed upon the demon and his angels. You have heard what people say, as you have explained the gospel to them, and what God is going to do to them if they do not accept the gospel – if they are not born again. You have even heard what people said when they have been taught the doctrine of election – that God Himself chooses to eternal life. They say, "Oh, that's not fair." Do you know whom they're quoting? They are quoting the devil. This is what Satan has done. He has pointed his finger at God and said, "It's not fair what you're doing to me and to a third of the angels you created – sending us into hell." Man is a demonstration that God is fair. Man is a fallen, hopeless, hell-destined sinner that nothing can change. Yet God takes that sinner and places him in heaven, where you have to be absolutely perfect. And God's justice is not violated when He does that because of what He did in preparing the ground to do that through Jesus Christ.

   So, when the angels see a person saved, they clap their hands and they cheer because it's another demonstration that God is fair. Nobody gets into heaven who is not qualified to be there. And only God qualifies us to be there.

10. Angels Carry the Saved People into Heaven

    Angels carry the same people into heaven as the final expression of dying grace. Angels carry those believers who die into heaven as the final expression of dying grace. As God provides us with grace for living, and provides us grace if we're prepared through doctrine in our souls, He provides us with grace to die with the happiness and the joy of knowing what it is that is happening to us, and what is before us. Luke 16:22: "And it came to pass that the beggar died (the born-again man died) and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died, and he was buried," and so on. The angels carry believers into the Father's presence.

11. Demon Angels will be Turned Loose in the Tribulation

    A great horde of demon angels is to be turned loose on the earth during the tribulation period. This will be the darkest moment in human history. Revelation 9:1-11 describe that terrible attack by the demon angels against all of humanity, We may add to that Revelation 9:20 which sums it up this way: "And the rest of the men who are not killed by these plagues, yet don't repent of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold and silver and bronze and stone and wood, which neither can see, nor here, nor walk. They neither repented of their murders, nor their sorceries, nor their fornication, nor their thefts." These great hordes of angels will be bringing great suffering to human beings. These human beings are so degenerated and so corrupted that even when they see what is happening to them, they will not repent.

12. Holy Angels are at War with the Demon Angels

    The holy angels are at war with the demon angels. The climactic battle is still in the future. It is described for us in Revelation 12:7: "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels (Michael is the current archangel) fought against the dragon (that is, Satan) and the dragon fought, and his angels, the demon angels." That is the great climactic battle which is still ahead. The result is that Satan and his angels are defeated in that battle, and they are cast out of heaven, never to have access to it again. Verse 9 says, "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent called the devil and Satan, who deceived the whole world. He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him."

    You and I, as Christians, face this particular problem every day of our lives. We face this angelic conflict. It is around us. It surrounds us. The demon angels have us under attack because the Lord Jesus Christ is no longer available for them to strike at. Ephesians 6:12 says, "We do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities; against powers; against the rulers of the darkness of this world; and, against spiritual wickedness in high places." It is very important as a Christian to realize that this is what you are struggling against – that you are actually facing demonic powers in your life every day. The people that you deal with are people who are motivated (if not possessed) by demon powers. And demon influences are around us. Therefore, you have to fight the battle accordingly.

    The holy angels, we are told in Scripture, will one day exercise a very humiliating act upon Satan himself, who was once their boss. They're going to take him; bind him; and, put him into the pit of the abyss, and he will be imprisoned there all during the 1,000 years of the millennium when Christ reigns upon this earth. Revelation 20:1-3 tell us that: "And I saw an angel come down from heaven having the key of the bottomless pit, the pit of the abyss, and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent who is the devil and Satan, and bound him 1,000 years, and cast him into the pit of the abyss, and shut him up, and said a seal upon him that he should not deceive the nations any more till the 1,000 years should be fulfilled. After that, he must be loosed a little season." Can you imagine what it's going to be like to have a world in which the devil cannot be operational – where he's incapacitated? The only sin that people who are still living in their mortal bodies will face is either the sin from the natural propensity of evil within us (the nature of sin); or, from a society (but tremendously decreasing from society). The Lord Jesus Christ is not going to tolerate the sort of things that are tolerated in our society that are so degenerative to people. For 1,000 years, Satan will be bound. You can imagine what he's going to be saying when he sees these angels that he once ruled taking hold of him and binding him and throwing him into that pit like a common nobody.

13. Satan is in Authority Over all Nations Today

    Satan is in authority today over all the earth and all of the nations of the world. Luke 4:4-7: "Jesus answered him saying, 'It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.''" This is part of the temptation scene. Verse 5: "And the devil took Him (Jesus) up into a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. The devil said to him, 'All this authority I will give You, and the glory of them, for that is delivered unto me, and to whomsoever I give it. If You, therefore, will worship me, all shall be Yours." And, for once, the devil was not lying. He was giving Jesus a bonafide offer. He could have come through. If Jesus had worshiped him, he could have given Jesus authority over all the nations of the world. Satan makes it very clear that this was delivered to him. He is in control of all the nations on the face of the earth.

    We may add to this John 12:31: "Now is the judgment of this world. Now the prince of this world shall be cast out." The Bible calls him the prince of this world.

    Add to that John 14:30: Jesus says, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world comes and has nothing in Me. So, it is very clear from the Bible that Satan is in charge of all the nations on the earth. He secured this control on the earth when Adam fell into sin, and Adam lost his God-given authority over the earth. All unbelievers, therefore, are under Satan's power, and they are under Satan's deception. Acts 26:18 says, "To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins; that inheritance among them who are sanctified by faith that is in Me."

    One of the missions of Jesus Christ was to turn people from the power of Satan under which they were held. In 2 Corinthians 4:4, this principle is enunciated: "In whom the God of this age has blinded the minds of them who do not believe, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."

    Then 1 John 5:19 says, "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lies in wickedness" (lies in the control of the wicked one). So, the Bible, in John 8:44, tells us that Satan is the father of all unbelievers. Whenever you deal with an unbeliever, be very clear in your mind that you are dealing with the person who is under Satan's power – not just a little bit. Not just part of him is under Satan's power, but the whole human being is under Satan's power. Remember that he has a god: Satan is his god.

    Furthermore, as we read in 2 Corinthians 4:4, he is the god of all unbelievers; and, John 8:44 tells us that he is the father of all unbelievers." So, unbelievers have a father – it is Satan. Unbelievers have a God – it is Satan. Satan's authority over the nations is delegated to his demons. We have already seen this in Daniel 10:13-20 – how there is an angel that is called the prince of Persia; the prince of Greece; the prince of Britain; or, the prince of the United States. There is a demon angel that has had Satan's power delegated to him.

    Because of the enormous number of demons, it is possible for Satan to control all the nations of the world. Satan does not possess omniscience, and he does not possess omnipresence, but because of the number of demon angels, he's in touch. He has a complete system of control. And that system of control goes down to each of us personally. He's got a dossier on each of us. He knows us backwards and forwards (believers and unbelievers), and he knows exactly how to deal with us. So, while Satan is a creature with limitations of a creature, he has a tremendous network through which he operates. It gives him great control.

    Mark 5:9 says, "And He asked him, 'What is your name?'" This is Jesus speaking to the demon possessed man. And the demon spokesman answered and said, "My name is Legion, for we are many." There is an enormous number of demon angels. Satan's authority and influence over a nation, we should be aware, can only be restricted by the believers in that nation whose biblical divine viewpoint acts as the preserving salt. That's the point of Matthew 5:13, where we read, "You (the believers) are the salt of the earth. If the salt has lost its savor, with what shall it be salted? It is therefore good for nothing but to cast out to be trodden under the foot of men." This is the usefulness and the effect of believers in a nation. This is why God does not crush a nation until there is a certain point that is passed, and there are too few believers.

    When that happened in Sodom and Gomorrah, God sent the word out: "Destroy it." Abraham argued and said, "Let's bring the total down. You're asking for too many: 50 people in this whole city." God said, "Alright, I will readjust, because you are my friend, Abraham, and I will do this for you." Abraham got Him down to 10. And Abraham couldn't find 10 people who were righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah. So, there was no preserving salt, and the nations were destroyed. When that happens to our nation, this nation will be destroyed.

14. Satan can Entrap Believers in Sin

    Satan is such a cunning and subtle adversary that he is able to entrap believers in sin. This is one of the areas that we have to be very much concerned about with Satan. Here is why the unbelievable happens to Christians – why the unbelievable happens to strong Christians. It is because they do not appreciate the subtlety of Satan. Suddenly, a strong Christian finds himself in unbelievable sin. 2 Corinthians 2:11: "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices." Paul says, "Satan has all kinds of clever approaches and devices, and you should be aware of that."

    Ephesians 6:11 adds to this: "Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." This is one reason why the armor which is described in here must be kept intact on a believer, and why this is such an important area of Scripture that you must understand. Without this armor, you expose yourself to falling into grievous sin first.

    Timothy 3:7 says, "Moreover, he must have a good report of them which are outside lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil." This is another word for describing how the devil works. He puts out a snare; you walk into it; and, he drops the trap on you.

    2 Timothy 2:26 says, "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by him at will." There is a way for recovery, but he does ensnare the believer.

    We may add 1 Peter 5:8: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, like a roaring lion, walks about seeking whom he may devour." He is out to do injury to believers. One of the ways that Satan does injury to believers is that he hinders believers from following God's will. 1 Thessalonians 2:8 and Revelation 2:10 tell us that.

    However, we have a comforting statement also in Scripture that when Satan is resisted by the spiritually mature believer, he departs. You do not have to be in fear that he is stronger than you are. The Bible makes it very clear: "Greater is He who is in us that he that is in the world."

    So, James 4:7 says, "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

    In Matthew 4:10-11, you have the description of Jesus Christ doing exactly that. So, when you fall into sin, you don't have any ground for whining and saying, "Well, the devil tricked me." That was exactly what Adam and Eve tried to pull. All Adam and Eve had to do was resist the devil, and he would have put his tail between his legs and run. He would have gotten out. You and I are capable of resisting the devil.

    Ephesians 4:7, therefore, says, "Neither give place to the devil." The only way he can knock you down is when you start toying around with the viper.

    Satan calls attention to the sins of believers before God the Father in heaven in order to challenge the justice of God. When we do sin, He really takes advantage of it. Revelation 12:10 and 1 John 2:1-2 describe that for us.

    One of the things that Satan does is that he infiltrates the children of God with his own children. Matthew 13:38-39 tell us about that. The Lord says that you can't tell the wheat from the tears. Within any local church, there will be people who are unbelievers; who are agents of Satan; and, who are false teachers. And the larger the group, the more this is likely, because they can more easily get lost. And they will have been infiltrated within the group by the devil. When a local church finds people like that, you better be smart to remove them.

15. Satan will Empower the Antichrist

    Satan will empower the antichrist and his evil work. 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10 tells us that the antichrist will be so powerful because Satan gives him that capacity.

16. Satan has the Power of Death

    The next point is a very sobering realization about the power of the devil. He that he has the power of death. In Hebrews 2:14, we read, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also (Jesus Christ himself) likewise took part of the same, that through death, He may destroy him that had the power of death; that is, the devil." Today, Satan has the power to bring death upon certain individuals. However, it is always within the limitations of God's hand.

17. The Activity of Demons is Always Evil

    A summary of an important section about demons (as we tie this up), the activity of demons is always evil. Here are some of the things that demons do:
    
    
    1. They spread false doctrine. 1 Timothy 4:1 speaks about doctrines of demons. All of the religions of the world are an expression of demonic doctrines. Remember that all the religions of the world stem either from Judeo-Christianity (a perversion of that), or they stem from Hinduism (a variation of that). In Hinduism, all are doctrines that have come from demons.
       
       
    2. Demons tempt man to do evil. Genesis 3:1-7 describes for us the tempting in the Garden of Eden. We may add Acts 5:3 and John 13:2.
       
       
    3. Demons Act as Satan's emissaries. They do his work. Matthew 12:26-27 describes that.
       
       
    4. Demons enter and control humans and animals. Mark 5:2-13 describe that for us. Demons control humans and animals.
       
       
    5. Demons actually seek embodiment to do their work (Matthew 12:43-44, Mark 5:10-12). The demons did not want to just be cast out of the man. They wanted to go into anything, and they took the pigs. They said, "We'll go into that." Demons want some kind of embodiment. There is a difference, remember, between demon influence and demon possession. In Ephesians 2:2, we read, "In which in times past, you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience." Then add to that Acts 8:7: "For unclean spirits, crying with a loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. Ephesians 2:2 describes for us a person or demon influence, and that can be a Christian. A Christian can be demonized. A Christian can be very much directed by a demon. But Acts 8:7 tells us about possession, where a person actually is indwelt and possessed by a demon. Now, unbelievers can be possessed, but believers are only indwelt by God the Holy Spirit (John 14:17, 1 Corinthians 6:19). Christians cannot be demon-possessed, though they can certainly be demon influenced.
       
       
    6. Another thing that demons do is that they inflict physical maladies. Matthew 12:22, Matthew 17:15-16, AND Acts 10:38 tell us that demons make people sick.
       
       
    7. Demons deceive people into thinking that it is possible to communicate with the dead through a medium (Deuteronomy 18:10-11, 1 Samuel 28:7). Deuteronomy 18:10-11 Talk about necromancy. That is talking with the dead. It was a capital crime in Israel, and it was forbidden. The reason for that was that when a medium pretends to be speaking with somebody who has died, that person is actually speaking with the demon. 1 Samuel 28:7 describes the incident where Saul wanted a medium, the Witch of Endor, to call up Samuel who had died, to advise Saul on what was going to happen. Well, the Scriptures tell us that suddenly the medium screams because the medium got the shock of her life. The medium knew that this was fake. The medium knew that she was working with a demon. The medium knew that she would go through her incantations; her sounds; her moans; and, her groans, and she knew that the demon was standing around there twiddling his thumbs. And at the right point, he would get on the microphone and say. "Oh, this is Samuel talking to you, and I have a message for you from God." Instead, suddenly God said, "This time I'm going to make it for real." And she sees not the demon working, but she actually sees Samuel reappear. And that scared the fool out of her. But she went screaming in her horror because, for this time, it was real. But you can't speak with the dead. Speaking with the dead is the deception of demons.
       
       
    8. Furthermore, another evil thing that demons do is they control the forces of nature to do injury. Job 1:12-19 is an example of that.
       
       
    9. Demons oppose Christians who are positive to the Holy Spirit and to the Word of God (Luke 8:12, Ephesians 6:12). I guarantee you that those of you who are indifferent to the Word of God; those of you who don't bother studying the Word of God during the week; and, those of you who aren't particularly positive to the Word of God, the demons don't much care about you at all. But if you start being a student of the Word of God; you start being very positive to the Word of God; and, you start applying it and living by it, the demons now put you on a top priority target objective of their attacks.
       
       
    10. Acts 19:16 tells us that demons physically attack people. 2 Corinthians 11:14 tells us that they disguise themselves as holy angels.
        
        
    11. John 8:44 tell us that demons are murderers and liars.
        
        
    12. John 13:27-30 tell us if demons tempt human beings with evil thoughts.
        
        
    13. A very important thing that demons do is found in Revelation 16:13-14. Those verse tell us that demons perform miracles so that they almost are able to deceive even believers. They perform miracles to try to deceive believers: "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. For they are the spirits of demons working miracles that go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to do the battle of that great day of God Almighty." In Matthew 7:21-23 is the experience describing what a number of charismatics are going to discover who are unsaved, but who are playing around with the demon miracle world: "Not everyone that says unto Me (Jesus Christ) 'Lord, Lord' will enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of My Father who is in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, and in Your name have cast out demons, and in Your name have done many wonderful works?' Yes, they did all those things: "Then I will profess to them, 'I never knew you. Depart from Me, you that work iniquity.'" Why is their work iniquity? It is because they were working there by the power of demons.
        
        
    14. Then one more final point of the evil things the demons do is that they promote the use of drugs. Galatians 5:20 describes this by the word "sorcery."

18. The Demons Fear Jesus Christ

    The demons know that Jesus Christ is God, and they are in great fear of Him (Luke 4:41, Acts 19:15, James 2:19). James 2:19 tells us that they know so much about God that they tremble in fear.

19. Demons Cause Physical Phenomena

    Demons, in response to incantations, cause physical phenomena to occur, such as: levitation – things floating around the room; apports – things going through solid walls; telekinesis – things being moved about; materialization; poltergeists; voices; clairvoyance – seeing the future; and, magic. We won't take time to read the Scriptures. We'll let you pursue that on your own: Leviticus 19:31; Deuteronomy 18:10-11; Exodus 7:11-22; Exodus 8:7; and, Acts 19:13-19. Demons have tremendous capacity to bring about physical phenomena. And under certain conditions, and the use of certain incantations, that's not just hocus pocus. That is for real. And those who are in contact as controls of certain demons can perform these things.

20. Fortunetelling is Demonic

    All forms of fortunetelling, such as astrology; tarot cards; palmistry; dreams; and, visions are all demonic delusions condemned by God (Isaiah 8:19, Jeremiah 29:8-9; Jeremiah 14:14; Acts 16:16-18). It is all hocus pocus fakery. People who have been in astrology have found that it seemed to work. It did seem to predict things. Then when they became believers, they discovered that when they looked up their horoscopes, nothing came out right anymore. It was demonic to begin with. You might want to be careful before you look up in the paper to see what your horoscope has to say about you this day, because one of the bad things about doing that is it does psych you into thinking along a certain line. Satan uses that kind of deceptive thinking to guide you in his direction. The horoscope is baloney.

21. Demons are the Objects of Pagan Religions

    The final point is that the sacrifices of pagan religions and the worship of idols have demons as their objects. Anytime pagan religions worship, and anytime they worship an idol, it is worshiping demonic gods. Any system of worship which is false, and any system of worship which is based on that which is contrary to the Word of God is not just a nothing. It is a worship of a demon god. So, when the Roman Catholic Church stands up and performs the Babylonian mystery cult process of the mass, it is worshiping a demon. It is not worshiping the living God. When you stand in the presence of a cathedral (of a Roman Catholic Church), and see that taking place, your skin should creep, realizing what is happening. 1 Corinthians 10:20-21: "But I say that the things which the gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God. And I would not that you should have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord at the Lord's table and the cup of demons. You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and the table of demons."

    Revelation 9:20: "And the rest of these men who were not killed by these plagues, yet did not repent not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship demons, and idols of gold, and silver, and bronze, and stone, and of wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk." So, when the pagans do their worship, it's not just that they're mistaken. What they're doing is a monstrous evil.

Dr. John E. Danish, 1982

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