SATAN (the Devil) — Liar, Slanderer, Thief, Murderer

Satan is the leader of the fallen angels. His name is a Hebrew word (originally pronounced saw-TAWN) that simply means “adversary” or “enemy.” As such, when you hear believers talk about “the enemy” it’s a reference to Satan and, by extension, his kingdom. This is the perfect name for the ultimate loser seeing as how he’s the willful enemy of the Creator and all that is good or life-giving.

Scripture shows that he is a created being who’s in opposition to the LORD, but he’s not equal to the Almighty and is actually no threat to God’s supreme reign (Isaiah 45:5-7). Note, for instance, how easily God defeats Satan’s final rebellion in Revelation 20:7-10.

Interestingly, the word ‘satan’ in the Hebrew is made up of the three letters of the Hebraic alphabet—shin/tet/nun:

• Shin is a picture of two front teeth meaning “sharp or destructive.”
• Tet is a picture of a basket meaning “surrounding, enclosing or containing.”
• Nun is a picture of a seed meaning “life or the continuation of life.”

The point? The letters of Satan’s very name define his prime directive—the destruction of anything that contains life and any continuation of it. Is it any wonder that Christ described the Enemy as a “thief” who “comes to steal and kill and destroy”? This is the express opposite of the LORD’s purpose, which is to give life and give it to the full (John 10:10). You see, God is the Fountain of Life (Psalm 36:9): Just as a mighty geyser gushes forth water, so the LORD gushes forth life into the lives of all who come near to Him (James 4:8). The Enemy, by contrast, works to steal or destroy life. Yahweh is the Creator while Satan is the de-creator. God only justly destroys as a last resort based on the incorrigible will of the individual (Ezekiel 18:30-32). Satan destroys indiscriminately because that’s his mission; he thrives on it.

Slanderer, Liar, Murderer

Satan is also known as the devil, which is translated from the Greek diabolos (dee-AB-ol-os), meaning “slanderer.” The term comes from the verb diaballó (dee-ab-AL-loh), meaning “to slander, accuse, defame, complain.” Moreover, Christ called the devil a “murderer from the beginning” and “the father of lies” (John 8:44).

These are the bad fruits of the devil and the satanic nature, which is the flesh — slandering, defaming, complaining, lying and murdering. Needless to say, if you know people, groups or organizations that regularly operate in such tactics it tells you everything you need to know—they’re “of the devil.” The libertine party of choice in the USA, the Demoncraps, is Exhibit A.*

* Speaking as someone who’s politically independent. No doubt more conservative parties are also guilty of such transgressions on occasion, but the Demoncraps—and hedonism in general—are out of hand in the US today.

How did Satan—the Enemy—come to be this way? Let’s look at…

Lucifer: Before He Became “the Enemy”

Many details about the Enemy are relayed in prophecies that have two applications. Theologians refer to this as the law of double reference, which is the tendency of biblical prophets to prophesy two things simultaneously—one relevant to the general time of the prophecy and the other relating to the distant past or far-flung future. A good example can be observed in the first two chapters of Isaiah where the prophet jumps from the restoration of Jerusalem to the future Millennium and the new Earth. From a warning to the people of Jerusalem of looming judgment to a notice of God’s Day of Judgment of all unredeemed souls throughout history (see 2:12-22). What was about to take place in Jerusalem was just a prefiguring of what will happen to the entire Earth. Just as Jerusalem was restored, so the Earth will be restored after God’s reckoning.*

* Why did the LORD hide prophecies concerning the distant future or past in ones that had a more immediate application? In other words, why is there a “Law of Double Reference” at all? Perhaps because the prophecies of Old Testament prophets had to be 100% accurate. If their words were proven to be false, they were to no longer be regarded as prophets and, in fact, were to be put to death (Deuteronomy 18:20-22). As such, their prophecies had to have a more immediate application.

With the law of double reference in mind, let’s consider a prophecy from Ezekiel 28 that concerns the king of Tyre, Ithobaal II. Tyre was (and still is) a city just north of Israel along the coast of the Mediterranean. The great wealth that Ithobaal II had amassed resulted in pride to the point that he perceived himself as god (verse 2). Such pomposity drew righteous judgment as the LORD said he would send foreign nations to humble the king by drawing “their swords against his beauty and wisdom,” bringing him “down to the pit” through a “violent death” (verses 7-8). God’s judgment ends with this humbling pronouncement:

⁹ Will you then say, “I am a god,”      

in the presence of those who kill you?  

You will be but a mortal, not a god,      

in the hands of those who slay you.

¹⁰ You will die the death of the uncircumcised      

at the hands of foreigners.

Ezekiel 28:9-10

The LORD’s judgment on Ithobaal II was to die prematurely, which is in line with the biblical axiom “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

The next nine verses are another prophecy against the same king, but this time it is paralleled with the fall of Satan and his banishment from Heaven to the Underworld:

This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

    “ ‘You were the seal of perfection,        

full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.

¹³ You were in Eden,      

the garden of God;   

every precious stone adorned you:       

carnelian, chrysolite and emerald,       

topaz, onyx and jasper,       

lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl.   

Your settings and mountings were made of gold;       

on the day you were created they were prepared.

¹⁴ You were anointed as a guardian cherub,       

for so I ordained you.   

You were on the holy mount of God;       

you walked among the fiery stones.

¹⁵ You were blameless in your ways       

from the day you were created       

till wickedness was found in you.

¹⁶ Through your widespread trade       

you were filled with violence,       

and you sinned.

So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God,       

and I expelled you, guardian cherub,       

from among the fiery stones.

¹⁷ Your heart became proud       

on account of your beauty,   

and you corrupted your wisdom       

because of your splendor.   

So I threw you to the earth;       

I made a spectacle of you before kings.

¹⁸ By your many sins and dishonest trade       

you have desecrated your sanctuaries.   

So I made a fire come out from you,       

and it consumed you,   

and I reduced you to ashes on the ground       

in the sight of all who were watching.

¹⁹ All the nations who knew you       

are appalled at you;   

you have come to a horrible end       

and will be no more.’ ”

Ezekiel 28:12-19

Why would God parallel Lucifer’s fall with the king of Tyre’s doom? Because the devil was the evil spiritual authority who pulled the strings of this pagan king. With this understanding, Ezekiel 28:12-19 is speaking of either Satan or the king of Tyre, and sometimes both, depending on the verse. It’s our responsibility to “rightly divide” God’s Word to discern which.

Verses 12-17 refer to Lucifer and could only be applied to the king of Tyre in a figurative sense. After all, the person addressed is described as “the seal of perfection… and perfect in beauty” (verse 12) who dwelled in “Eden, the garden of God” (verse 13). On top of this he’s called a “guardian cherub”—an angel (verses 14 & 16). Needless to say, none of these descriptions are literally applicable to a flawed human monarch.

Take another look at the final part of verse 13:

Your settings and mountings were made of gold;     

on the day you were created they were prepared.

Ezekiel 28:13

Notice that it says “on the day you were created” and not “on the day you were born.” This indicates that it’s talking about Lucifer and not the king of Tyre. Secondly, it says that Lucifer’s gold “settings” and “mountings” were prepared on the day he was created. What’s this talking about? A couple of other translations shed insight:

the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

Ezekiel 28:13 (KJV)

Gold work of tambourines and of pipes was in you. In the day that you were created they were prepared.

Ezekiel 28:13 (WEB)

Not only was Lucifer created “full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” and a “guardian cherub,” it also appears that he was created with built-in instrumentation—tambourines and musical pipes—the very day he was created. This is where theologians get the idea that Lucifer was in charge of worship in Heaven.

If you compare various translations you’ll see that there is some speculation concerning the Hebrew word translated as “pipes,” which is used in Scripture this sole time. The NIV translates it as “mountings” and another version as “engravings.” However, the word translated as “tabret” or “tambourine” literally refers to a timbrel or tambourine. It appears 16 other times in the Hebrew Scriptures where the King James Version and the New American Standard Bible unanimously cite it as a musical instrument, whether “tambourine,” “timbrel” or “tabret” (i.e. a tabor). Seeing as how the first word definitely refers to a musical instrument—a tambourine or tabor—it stands to reason that the second word refers to an instrument as well. And, since a tabor is a small drum used to accompany a pipe or drum, it’s reasonable that the word refers to pipes or fifes of some sort.

This intrinsic musical anointing that Lucifer had explains how the devil uses music to mislead people, particularly the youth. Like the Pied Piper, Satan will utilize music to lead astray whole generations. And I’m not talking about a specific style of music, but rather the content of it, regardless of style. Consider, for example, the Beatles hit song from late 1963 “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” which debuted at the beginning of so-called Beatlemania. It’s a catchy ditty about innocent youthful romance and had no ill effect on the teen and tween-ager masses. Yet less than 14 years later the band Queen released the sexually explicit “Get Down, Make Love” aimed at the same audience. It was a bait-and-switch tactic using the power of music to mislead a generation and its descendants into sexual hedonism.

In any case, Lucifer was more likely to have such wealth, beauty, wisdom, perfection and musical instruments at his creation than some ancient earthly king at his birth.

“Anointed Guardian Cherub”

As noted, verses 14 and 16 show that Lucifer was “anointed” a “guardian cherub.”

‘Anoint’ means “to dedicate to the service of God” and indicates the LORD’s favor. This explains why Jesus is called Christ (from the Greek christos) or Messiah (from the Hebrew mashach), both of which mean “anointed one.” So Lucifer was handpicked by God for the privilege of guarding—i.e. covering—the LORD’s throne, similar to the cherubim who were assigned to guard the Garden of Eden after Adam & Eve were banished (Genesis 3:24).

This is evidence that Lucifer had regular access to the glorious presence of the Almighty.

“You Were Perfect in Your Ways”

Let’s read verse 15 from a different translation:

You were perfect in your ways from the day that you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you.

Ezekiel 28:15 (WEB)

Lucifer was perfect in angelic beauty before his fall and thus was praised as “the seal of perfection… and perfect in beauty” (verse 12). This obviously wasn’t wholly true of Ithobaal II, but it was true of Satan when he was Lucifer, before iniquity was found in him.

The first part of the passage shows how proud God was of Lucifer: This magnificent cherub was God’s pattern of perfection and beauty. Yet the second half resonates with disappointment, even mourning.

Lucifer’s Fall

What was it that led to Lucifer’s rebellion and fall from Heaven? Verse 17 shows that Lucifer’s root transgression was pride:

Your heart became proud     

on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom     

because of your splendor.

So I threw you to the earth;     

I made a spectacle of you before kings.

Ezekiel 28:17

This is a great warning against allowing our blessings to go to our heads. Lucifer became arrogant because of his great beauty, wisdom and splendor. His inherent blessings puffed up his ego to the point that he thought he was all that and a bag of chips, so to speak. The New Testament corroborates this (1 Timothy 3:6). The root of sin is always traced to what’s going on in one’s heart.

Understandably, the LORD throws this archangel out of Heaven to the Earth in disgrace. We know this isn’t referring to Ithobaal II because he never left the Earth in the first place.

Verses 18-19, however, more clearly apply to the earthly king of Tyre because they show his body being “reduced to ashes” in the sight of spectators as he comes to “a horrible end” and is “no more.” Since we know from other passages that Lucifer wasn’t reduced to ashes when he fell to the Earth and didn’t become “no more,” these statements obviously refer to Ithobaal II and not Satan. The latter’s alive and not-well on planet Earth to this day.

The main point about Lucifer rings loud and clear: This blessed archangel was corrupted by pride due to his incredible beauty and other endowments, which resulted in his foolish rebellion and ousting from glory.

Thus the LORD threw Lucifer to the Earth or, more specifically, the Underworld, which is the spiritual dimension that underpins the Earth and Universe. Isaiah paralleled Satan’s fall with the king of Babylon’s doom:

¹² How you have fallen from heaven,      

morning star [Lucifer], son of the dawn!   

You have been cast down to the earth,      

you who once laid low the nations!

¹³ You said in your heart,      

“I will ascend to the heavens;  

I will raise my throne       

above the stars of God;   

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,       

on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;       

I will make myself like the Most High.”

¹⁵ But you are brought down to the realm of the dead [Sheol],       

to the depths of the pit.

¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you,       

they ponder your fate:  

“Is this the man who shook the earth       

and made kingdoms tremble,

¹⁷ the man who made the world a wilderness,    

who overthrew its cities       

and would not let his captives go home?”

Isaiah 14:12-17

This is another example of the law of double reference where two things are simultaneously prophesied—one relevant to the general time of the prophecy and the other relating to the distant past or far-off future. In this case, Isaiah prophesies Sennacherib’s doom* and parallels it with the much earlier fall of Lucifer, who became Satan.

* FYI: Assyrian king Sennacherib (suh-NAK-uh-rib) conquered Babylon and hence dubbed himself the King of Babylon.

Verse 12, for instance, is an obvious reference to Lucifer and could only be applied to the king of Babylon in a figurative sense. After all, did Sennacherib literally fall from Heaven down to the Earth, like the devil? Was he nicknamed “morning star,” aka “Lucifer” (which is how the King James and New King James translate the Hebrew word for “morning star”)? Furthermore, Jesus partially cites verse 12 as a reference to the devil:

“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”

Luke 10:18

This is reinforced by Revelation 12:7-10 (covered in this article).

Why would the LORD draw a parallel between the king of Babylon and Satan? The same reason Jesus rebuked Peter as “Satan” in Matthew 16:23 for being a mouthpiece for the devil’s ungodly agenda. Just as Satan was the spiritual force behind Peter’s rash words, so he was the diabolic authority behind Sennacherib’s oppressive reign.

Whereas verses 12-14 obviously refer to the devil and only figuratively to Sennacherib, verses 15-17 solely relate to the earthly king (although verses 16-17 may refer to the devil by extension). Verse 15 shows Sennacherib’s soul being housed in “the pit” after his death, which is Sheol, the “realm of the dead” located in the heart of the Earth.* The point is that death awaits those who arrogantly presume to be God.

* See my book SHEOL KNOW for details or, for something shorter and free, this article.

Lucifer’s Pride Wouldn’t Allow Him to Serve God or People

We observed last chapter that angels already existed when the Earth and Universe were created, as shown in God’s humbling response to the venting Job:

“Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?      

Tell me, if you understand.

⁵ Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!      

Who stretched a measuring line across it?

⁶ On what were its footings set,      

or who laid its cornerstone—

⁷ while the morning stars sang together     

and all the angels shouted for joy?”        

Job 38:4-7

The angels “sang together” and “shouted for joy” when the Almighty created the Earth. Satan’s rebellion occurred sometime after this because there had to be an Earth and the corresponding Underworld for him to fall to and inhabit. As explained in this article, the “underworld” is simply the spiritual dimension that undergirds the Earth. Not being physical beings, the devil and his fallen angels operate from this spiritual realm to negatively influence the physical world.

Notice that verse 7 says “all the angels shouted for joy” when the Earth was created. The word ‘all’ is kol (kohl) in the Hebrew, meaning “the whole.” As noted last chapter, the Hebrew for ‘angels’ in this verse literally means “the sons of God,” the same words used to describe angels elsewhere in Scripture, including the devil & his filthy angels (e.g. Genesis 6:2,4 & Job 1:6, 2:1). My point is that all the angels rejoiced when God created the Heavens and the Earth (Genesis 1:1), which would include Lucifer and his subordinates before their rebellion and ouster from Heaven.

Yet in Genesis 3:1-15 we observe Satan, after his fall, possessing a serpent-with-legs in order to tempt the first woman. This shows that Lucifer and his cohorts rebelled and were cast from Heaven sometime after the creation of the Earth & Universe, but before the devil’s duping of Eve, which means sometime between Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1.* We don’t know the exact expanse of time between the two, but it could’ve been years. In any case, this shows that Satan’s rebellion occurred shortly after the creation of human beings.

* This is the young Earth perspective, which I believe is the most biblically faithful position on the age of the Earth/Universe. Gap theorists, who embrace the old Earth model, place the fall of Lucifer & his fallen spirits sometime between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. For details, see How Old is the Earth? (The Gap Theory vs. Young Earth Creationism).

We know from the previous section that Lucifer’s insurgency was due to pride:

¹³ You said in your heart,     

“I will ascend to the heavens;   

I will raise my throne       

above the stars of God;   

I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,       

on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.

¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;       

I will make myself like the Most High.”

Isaiah 14:13-14

These five “I will” statements reveal Satan’s arrogance—he wanted to be God rather than be God’s servant. This was the first sin ever committed. And notice, again, that sin is traced to what’s going on in one’s heart, which is corroborated by Christ in the New Testament (Mark 7:20-23). No wonder Jesus emphasized this in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28).

We saw earlier in Ezekiel 28 that Lucifer was an exceptionally beautiful angel, God’s guardian cherub with an intrinsic musical anointing who dwelt in the presence of the Almighty. But he was not satisfied with his extraordinary blessings and privileges. Instead, Lucifer wanted to be God and so, after his defeat, he naturally tempted Adam & Eve with the same basic sin that led to his downfall (Genesis 3:1-5).

Now here’s an important point: Lucifer was no doubt having problems with the concept of serving before God created Adam & Eve, but once they were created and he caught wind of the fact that angels were commissioned to serve people (Hebrews 1:14) his pride couldn’t handle it, particularly when he found out human beings were created in the likeness of God. And, worse, that they were expressly created to be co-heirs with Christ, seated with Him at the right hand of the Father, a privilege and position not granted to angels (Romans 8:17, Hebrews 1:13 & Ephesians 2:6). Lucifer’s envy went into overdrive and thus he orchestrated his doomed revolt.

Humankind’s Slavery to Satan

Incredibly, the Bible teaches that unredeemed humanity is in slavery to Satan. The rest of this article we’re going to look at what this means, how it happened, and what are its ramifications. The good news—the awesome news—that God has ingeniously provided a way of escape for anyone who wants it, as detailed in this article.

What is the evidence that humanity is in slavery to Satan? Let’s start with John 8 where we observe Christ having a discussion with the Pharisees and likeminded Jews. The Pharisees were the staunchly legalistic religious leaders of Israel at the time. While they were respected conservatives, Jesus frankly told them that they were slaves to sin, which they adamantly denied on the grounds of their Hebrew stock (Abraham being their forefather). The Messiah responded that, if they were truly Abraham’s offspring, they would walk righteously as Abraham did. And if they were God’s children they would love him—Jesus—since he came from God. Instead, they were trying to murder him. Christ went on to candidly tell them that the reason they wanted to kill him was because they were acting in accordance with their father’s desire. He was talking about the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning (verses 33-44). So Jesus was saying that the devil was their spiritual father.

Of course, no one likes to be called a child of Satan—especially respected religious folk—and so they proceeded to call Jesus names and even attempted to stone him to death. But the Mighty Christ miraculously slipped from their clutches, no doubt assisted by angels (verses 48-59).

The reason I bring this particular occasion up is because Christ was talking to conservative religious people whom he said were slaves to sin and children of the devil. These were people who knew the Scriptures like the backs of their hands. This shows that conservativism and religion cannot set us free from sin and make us children of God.

Notice what the Bible point blank says about humanity’s slavery to the devil:

We know that we [believers] are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.

1 John 5:19

 

…the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.

Revelation 12:9

The devil is able to mislead humanity because he’s the legal ruler of this world; the Bible even calls him the “god of this world” (2 Corinthians 4:4). Some translations render this as “the god of this age,” which shows that Satan’s dictatorship is limited to “this present evil age” and is not forever (Galatians 1:4).

Christ testified to humanity’s slavery to Satan when he commissioned Paul “to open [people’s] eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18).

But when and how did Satan become humanity’s slave master? Let’s look at…

The Fall of Humanity

As noted earlier, after Satan’s plunge from Heaven he possessed a serpent-with-legs for the purpose of tempting Eve in the Garden of Eden and, through Eve, seduced Adam into outright rebellion against the Almighty. Here’s the account:

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Genesis 3:1-8

Let’s start our analysis of this pivotal passage by grasping these four points:

1. While Satan could have manifested himself in the physical realm like the “sons of God” later did (Genesis 6:1-4) (see this article for details) he obviously wanted to present his temptation to Eve as a harmless creature in order to be successful. This corresponds to something the New Testament says about him—“Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). So he possessed a serpent, but this reptile was hardly the slithering serpentine creatures with which we’re familiar. This reptile had legs and it did not have the negative connotation that snakes have had ever since (Genesis 3:14). Remember, after God created the Universe and all living things the entire creation was called “very good” and this would include the serpent (Genesis 1:31). So this was a striking, shining animal. It was as threatening to Eve as the GEICO gecko would be to us.
2. Someone mocked this event to me on the grounds that Eve was tempted by “a talking snake.” But A. it wasn’t a snake as we know it, as explained above; and B. Adam & Eve were clearly used to communicating with animals in the Garden of Eden before their fall because Eve wasn’t shocked when the serpent spoke to her. She reacted as if conversing with such an animal was a normal thing. If this sounds strange to you, keep in mind that most of us communicate with animals every day. For instance, my cats let me know when they want something to eat, when they want affection, when they want outdoors and when they want in the house; they even give thanks! They may not speak English, but they certainly talk verbally and bodily; and I understand them. Now imagine how heightened such communion would be before the fall of creation when the world was perfect. Then add the fact that the serpent was said to be the smartest of the animals God made (Genesis 3:1). This is where the serpent is called “crafty” or “clever,” which is translated from the Hebrew word arum (aw-ROOM), which means prudent, shrewd or sensible.
3. Eve appears to have been alone with the serpent when she was tempted, but this seems to be contradicted by Genesis 3:6 where it says she gave some of the forbidden fruit to Adam “who was with her,” which he ate. This explains the traditional Judaic position that Adam was present with Eve the whole time and he heard the entire conversation of the temptation. However, saying Adam “was with her” could simply mean that he was with her when she offered him the fruit. According to this scenario, Eve had the discussion with the serpent, believed his lies, partook of the fruit, and then went to Adam—who was likely nearby—and offered him some of it once he “was with her.” This interpretation helps make sense of the New Testament’s point that Eve was deceived by the devil while Adam was not; and death came to humankind through Adam’s sin rather than Eve’s (1 Timothy 2:13-14 & Romans 5:14-21). Satan obviously knew that Adam would be more open to embracing his deception if it came via the fairer sex. In other words, he knew that women were men’s weakness.
4. Eve’s actions could perhaps be excused on the grounds that she was deceived by the serpent. Not to mention she was clearly confused in light of her embellishing of God’s prohibition against eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil wherein she added “and you must not touch it” (verse 3). God never said this and it reveals Eve’s muddled mental state. For Adam, however, there was no such excuse: He willfully opted to go with Eve, his “hot babe,” rather than continue with God. It was a clear-minded decision. Simply put, he rejected the LORD and chose the way of the “ancient serpent” (Revelation 12:9 & 20:2).

Now let’s consider the bigger picture from Satan’s perspective: After his humiliating expulsion from Heaven he & his minions were utterly defeated and devastated, living meaningless lives separate from God in the “dark heavenlies.” So the purpose of the devil’s diabolic enticement of Adam & Eve was fourfold:

1. To get back at God somehow.
2. To ruin the only beings created in God’s image and destined to be co-heirs with Christ, of whom he was furiously envious. This ruin would, of course, extend to their descendants and therefore all humanity.
3. To usurp the authority and power that Adam & Eve had over the Earth and Universe. As such, Satan would attain lawful control of God’s physical creation.
4. Perhaps the most important reason was to possibly win an acquittal with the LORD, which is explored here. This no doubt is Satan’s ultimate goal.

As far as usurping the authority of our primeval parents goes, what power did Adam & Eve possess that Satan craved? God originally blessed the primordial couple — and, by extension, all humankind — to “be fruitful and multiply,” to “subdue” and “have dominion” over all the Earth:

Then God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

Genesis 1:28 (NKJV)

This blessing was equally a directive, showing that the LORD put humanity in charge of the Earth and its animal inhabitants. No stipulations were given on how to govern except that they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17). In short, Adam & Eve had power-of-attorney to manage physical creation in God’s place. The Creator obviously trusted them because they were created in His likeness and they didn’t have a sin nature (Genesis 1:27).

Power mad, Satan craved this authority and so masqueraded as a harmless creature in order to, first, deceive Eve and, second, convince Adam through her to make a ruinous decision for them and all humanity, which was in their loins.

Satan’s “Power of Suggestion”

Did you notice, by the way, that Satan’s strategy in duping Eve was simply the “power of suggestion”? He didn’t approach her with a blatant denial of God’s Word, which would’ve shocked her and sent her running. Instead, he worked with her natural curiosity. He knew Eve was already curious about the forbidden fruit and so he waited until she “just happened” to be in the area of the tree before conveying his suggestion: “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” The question was designed to get her focused on the sole thing restricted to her & Adam and thus to doubt God’s goodness. The Enemy insinuated doubt concerning God’s will — His Word — to mislead her to the supposed true interpretation, which was a lie. And she believed it because of the innocuous way Satan approached her, masquerading as a harmless, beautiful creature, which she received as a credible messenger due to the devil’s cunning.

Beware: The kingdom of darkness will use these same tactics today to mislead you away from God and His will. In order for the Enemy to not outwit you, you must be aware of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11).

The Consequences of Sin

The consequence of eating the forbidden fruit was death. God warned Adam “when you eat of it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17). The original text contains the Hebrew word for ‘death’ twice and so it should be rendered “in dying you will die.” * In other words, Adam & Eve would die spiritually when they transgressed, which would eventually lead to physically death and, ultimately, eternal death, unless they were redeemed at some point. As such, they lost their eternal life.

* See Young’s Literal Translation.

The condition of spiritual death, by the way, does not mean that the human spirit is dead, but rather that it’s dead to God because it lacks the eternal life necessary to function properly. In short, spiritual death kills the human capacity to know the Creator. This can be observed in the fact that Adam & Eve hid from the LORD immediately after suffering spiritual death. It robbed humanity of guilt-free access into the presence of God and the precious communion thereof.

Something else devastating happened: Since Adam & Eve willingly believed and obeyed the word of Satan over the Word of God they became slaves to a new master through the acquisition of a sinful nature, which is the satanic nature.

Moreover, they gave their God-given power-of-attorney over to their new spiritual master. In essence, Satan acquired the legal right to govern the Earth & Universe, including the legal control of all people born from Adam’s seed, meaning humanity was now in bondage to the Enemy.

Somehow a lawful transfer of power from Adam to Satan occurred. But why wouldn’t the Sovereign LORD simply take this control back from the devil? Because God is perfectly just and it would be unjust to take away authority that Satan legally obtained. A lawful means of reversing this legal transference would have to be implemented and this is what the gospel of Christ is all about, which is why it’s the “good news.”

All of this explains why the Bible says “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” who “leads the whole world astray” (1 John 5:19 & Revelation 12:9). It’s because Satan possesses legal authority over physical creation. How else would he be able to tempt Christ with the offer of “all the kingdoms of the world” if they weren’t legally his to give? See Matthew 4:8-9.

The English Standard Version translates 1 John 5:19 as “the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.” The word ‘world’ in the Greek refers to the Earth and Universe but, more literally, “an ordered system, like the universe and creation.” In short, the devil is legally in control of physical creation and therefore calls the shots, which is why God’s Word refers to him as “the god of this world” who is able to blind the minds of those who don’t believe (2 Corinthians 4:4). See Chapter 17 and 18 of my ANGELS book for enlightening details on how exactly the kingdom of darkness blinds people’s minds.

The Ramifications of Satan’s Rule

The fact that Satan is the god of this world can be observed every day all over the planet—war, crime, disease, suffering, immorality, corruption, injustice, abuse, perversion, slander, lies, etc.

One of the favorite arguments of atheists against the idea of an Almighty Creator is that, if there was an all-righteous God, why does He allow all these horrible things to happen? Why doesn’t He stop it? God’s Word tells us precisely why: An evil spiritual being usurped authority from our primeval parents and he’s been running the show ever since, with the assistance of his filthy underlings.

Thankfully, the LORD in his ingeniousness devised a legal way to take control back from Satan. This transfer of power is already in motion and will culminate with “a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13). When this takes place, God’s dwelling will be with the redeemed “and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away” (Revelation 21:3-4).

So, for anyone who’s upset about the world being so messed up, the LORD’s on top of it. His awesome plan of redemption for humanity, and all creation, is in motion. In fact, he foreknew we were going to fall and already had a plan of action (Ephesians 1:4-5).

What is this plan and how can people make sure they’re on board? See this article.

Related Topics:

ANGELS — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

Evil Spirits (Demons) — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

This article was edited from Chapter 11 of…

• ANGELS is available here for a special low-price (345 pages).
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EVIL SPIRITS (Demons) — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

Fallen angels refer to the angels that fell from Heaven after their failed coup. These disgraced angels are one-and-the-same as evil spirits, which are demons, as witnessed here:

…Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God. The Twelve were with him, ² and also some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out; ³ Joanna the wife of Chuza, the manager of Herod’s household; Susanna; and many others.

Luke 8:1-3

As you can see, fallen angels are described as evil spirits. The Greek word for “evil” is ponéros (pon-ay-ROSS), meaning “bad, wicked, malicious.” This shows that evil spirits are the opposite of heavenly angels, which are good spirits. The latter function in submission to the LORD and therefore serve people (Hebrews 1:14) whereas evil spirits are “bad” and so do the precise opposite—they seek to hurt people one way or another. This is in line with their leader’s mandate “to kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10).

Speaking of their leader, Satan is the “father of lies” (John 8:44) and so his wicked minions constantly try to deceive people. Take ‘ghosts,’ for example, which are supposedly the disembodied souls of the dead stuck on this plane and haunting a particular environment. Isn’t it possible or even likely that this type of paranormal phenomena is the deceptive activity of demons?

Unclean (Filthy) Spirits

Evil spirits are also referred to as unclean or impure spirits:

Jesus called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out impure spirits and to heal every disease and sickness.

Matthew 10:1

The Greek word for “impure” here is akathartos (ak-ATH-ar-tos), which simply means unclean or impure. It reveals that evil spirits are filthy. This makes sense in light of the fact that ‘holy’ refers to absolute purity, the natural result of being separated unto God. The LORD is absolutely pure—holy—and so anyone consecrated unto Him must be pure. Thus anyone who rejects the Almighty and is cast from his presence becomes the opposite—unholy, impure. Since you can’t get further from God than the irredeemable fallen angels, they’re utterly unholy—unclean, impure, filthy.

Being filthy, there’s a stench to unclean spirits in the spirit realm. This explains why one spiritually-sensitive minister said he could always recognize someone who was walking in sexual perversion, like homosexuality, when they came up for prayer at his meetings. He said there was a foul odor in the spirit.

One of my relatives married a wicked witch (seriously) and she wasted no time in getting her new husband to totally separate from his family. My nephew met her when he was a child and he kept curiously asking “What’s that smell? Something stinks!” He was just a little kid at the time and said the odor smelled like vomit. No one present knew what he was talking about, so he was obviously picking something up in the spirit. Children are more sensitive to the spiritual realm and are therefore apt to pick up things that hardened adults can no longer perceive. Consider the typical scenario where kids think there’s a “monster” under the bed or in the closet. Is it simply their imagination or are they picking up an evil spirit in the vicinity?

All this explains why the Bible instructs us:

Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

James 1:21

While believers are born holy in their spirits when they receive spiritual regeneration (Titus 3:5), practical holiness only occurs as you learn to put off your flesh—the “old self ”—and live according to your new righteous nature—the “new self ”—with the help of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:22-24). This is what theologians refer to as the process of sanctification—purification—and part of this process includes doing what James instructed: “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent.”

How does this tie-in to our topic? Simple: Impure spirits are naturally attracted to that which is morally impure. Just as flies are attracted to dog doo-doo and rats are drawn to garbage, so filthy spirits are attracted to that which is morally filthy. So get rid of all moral filth and you’ll stop attracting filthy spirits! It’s just common sense.

Getting back to Luke 8:1-3, notice what verse 2 says:

…some women who had been cured of evil spirits and diseases: Mary (called Magdalene) from whom seven demons had come out;                                                          

Luke 8:2

Some women were cured of evils spirits through Christ’s ministry and one of these was Mary Magdalene, who was exorcized of seven demons. This shows that…

Evil Spirits Are Demons

Evil spirits are one-and-the-same as demons. We see this above and also in Jesus’ encounter with the demon-possessed man in the region of Gerasenes (JAIR-ah-seens). The man is described in Scripture as being possessed by multiple evil spirits that spoke to Jesus through him:

The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” ¹³ He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs.

Mark 5:12-13

This is further evidence that demons are synonymous with filthy spirits.

I said earlier that evil spirits are fallen angels. While I think this is obvious, some people have brought this into question with highly creative (to be nice) alternative views. In order to prove that evils spirits are fallen angels let’s first establish that…

Satan Was a “Cherub” Who Fell From Heaven

Jesus said he “saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). This monumental event is chronicled in the Old Testament using the kings of Babylon and Tyre as types (Isaiah 14:12 & Ezekiel 28:12-17). The passage in Ezekiel shows that Satan was once a “cherub,” an angel (28:14,16).

The New Testament offers a fascinating flashback to Satan’s fall from Heaven:

Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. ⁴ Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth…

⁷ Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.                                       

Revelation 12:3-4,7-9

This prophecy is actually a double reference and therefore has two applications: It refers to the devil’s last gasp attempt to conquer Heaven during the mid-point of the future seven-year Tribulation (Revelation 6-19), but it’s also a flashback to his original fall. Verse 4 figuratively indicates that a third of the angels fell with the devil—the “red dragon”—to the Earth. Keep in mind that “stars” are a metaphorical reference to angels (Job 38:7).

The notion that this passage is a “double reference” is in line with the law of double reference, which is the tendency of biblical prophecies to have two applications—one relevant to the general time of the prophecy and another far-flung, whether the distant future or past.

By the way, the fact that the devil & his filthy spirits again attempt to conquer Heaven shows that they’re hopelessly incorrigible. They never learn from their mistakes. It’s reminiscent of the saying: “Insanity is doing the same thing over & over again expecting different results.” If this is accurate, Satan & his minions are decidedly insane.

The Devil & His Angels Dwell in the Underworld

So Satan is described as a cherub—an angel—who was kicked out of Heaven, along with a third of the subordinate angels who rebelled with him.

Jesus said that the lake of fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matthew 25:41) as their eternal tormenting prison, but they currently roam the Earth, not in the physical realm, but the spiritual:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

The “spiritual forces of evil” dwell in “the heavenly realms.” This refers to the Underworld, which is the dark spiritual dimension that underpins the Earth & Universe (Philippians 2:9-11 & Revelation 5:2-3). This is where the devil & his fallen angels operate. They don’t dwell in hell because the lake of fire is hell and no one has been cast there yet. They inhabit the dark realm of the Underworld and operate from this plane—“roaming the earth, going back and forth in it,” as Satan put it (Job 1:7 & 2:2). This explains something Peter said:

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

1 Peter 5:8

All this biblical data helps us conclude with confidence that demons or evil spirits are fallen angels.

Addressing an Alternative View

Some people have challenged this by suggesting that evil spirits are the spirits of a mysterious “pre-Adamic” race who were wiped out in a worldwide flood that occurred sometime between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2.

The reason such people argue that demons aren’t  fallen angels is because of two New Testament verses which show that fallen angels are imprisoned in tartaroó (tar-tar-OH), awaiting judgment from God (2 Peter 2:4 & Jude 1:6). However, these passages don’t refer to all fallen angels because, after all, the chief fallen angel, Satan, is still roaming about (1 Peter 5:8).

The idea that demons are the spirits of some ambiguous “pre-Adamic race” is creative, to be nice. The small number of people who embrace this odd theory are gap theorists who suggest that Satan ruled nations of a pre-Adamic race—a race that they won’t call human because the Bible clearly refers to Adam as the “first man” (1 Corinthians 15:45,47). If they weren’t actually human, then what exactly were they? Sasquatches maybe? Cha-Ka’s cousins perhaps? (I’m being humorous, of course). Whatever the case, this issue is addressed here (scroll down to the section A Pre-Adamic Race?).

Hierarchies and Territories of Evil Spirits

Returning to Ephesians 6:12, notice what the text says about fallen angels:

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Ephesians 6:12

The “spiritual forces of evil” are comprised of three different categories—“the rulers,” “the authorities” and “the powers.” This reveals a hierarchy in the spiritual realm with the devil as the wicked despot of his dark kingdom with “rulers,” “authorities” and “powers” under his command.

These demonic authorities are assigned regions on Earth in which they negatively influence political powers and the corresponding populace. For instance, in Daniel we observe “the prince of Persia” and “the prince of Greece,” both demonic authorities consigned to these areas (Daniel 10:13,20). Additional evidence can be observed when a conglomerate of demons named “Legion” begged the Mighty Christ not to send them out of the region (Mark 5:10). Why? Obviously because it was their assigned territory, their ‘home.’ Also, the glorified Lord said Pergamum was where Satan’s throne was located (Revelation 2:13).

This data corresponds to the fact that the devil is “the god of this world” and thus “the whole world is under the control” of the kingdom of darkness to one degree or another (2 Corinthians 4:4 & 1 John 5:19). Some places, like Pergamum in the 1^st century, are subject to greater satanic control than others. San Francisco, Hollywood and New York City are prime examples in modern America.

Why Do Demons Desire to Possess People (and Sometimes Even Animals)?

Evil spirits seek to possess men & women in order to operate more concretely in the physical realm. Being spiritual in nature, they’re limited to the spiritual plane and only operate in the physical realm in an indirect manner, unless they can totally take possession of a person, which they can only do with the person’s consent, conscious or subconscious (we’ll address this shortly). This explains why they seek to possess people.

The afore-cited Mark 5:12-13 shows that demons sometimes even seek to possess animals, but they can only do this with authorization from the Sovereign LORD. Why do they need Christ’s permission? Obviously because animals lack the ability to grant or reject consent.

That said, Genesis 6:1-4 shows that demons have the power to operate in the physical realm in a more direct manner. On this occasion fallen angels—the “sons of God”—copulated with women, which gave birth to people with demonically tainted DNA. God considered this a great transgression and so imprisoned these evil spirits in tartaroó to be held for judgment (2 Peter 2:4 & Jude 1:6). As such, the rest of the fallen angels presumably have never again sinned in this manner and, therefore, the height of their manifestation in the physical realm is through possession of a person or animal.

For more on the nature of these “sons of God” from Genesis 6:1-4 and their earthly offspring, as well as why some fallen angels were imprisoned in tartaroó go here.

Keep in mind that evil spirits naturally hate human beings because:

1. People are created in the image of God.
2. Angels lack the privilege and position granted redeemed people; that is, being co-heirs with Christ and thus seated with Him at the right hand of the Father in a positional sense (Romans 8:17, Hebrews 1:13 & Ephesians 2:6).
3. Unlike them, people are redeemable. (Fallen angels are irredeemable because they had full knowledge of the consequences of their rebellion whereas Adam & Eve did not. This is covered in this article and this one).
4. Angels are commissioned to serve people, and since arrogant angels didn’t want to do this they rebelled, which resulted in their ouster from Heaven.

The Prime Directive of Evil Spirits

As noted earlier, Christ encountered a man in the area of the Gerasenes:

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes. ² When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. ³ This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. ⁴ For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. ⁵ Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

⁶ When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him. ⁷ He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” ⁸ For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

⁹ Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” ¹⁰ And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

Mark 5:1-10

This demon-possessed man* had great strength, to the point that no one could subdue him. People in the area were understandably scared of him. Yet notice that the spirits who possessed him were terrified of the Mighty Christ (more on this here).

* Luke’s account of these events also records only one demon-possessed man (Luke 8:26-39) whereas Matthew’s rendition cites two possessed men (Matthew 8:28-34). How do we explain this seeming discrepancy? Obviously one of the demoniacs was much more prominent, likely due to the myriad demons possessing him, and so Mark & Luke simply disregarded the secondary man in their accounts.

The man’s great strength can be attributed to the numerous wicked spirits that possessed him. They interestingly referred to themselves in a composite sense as “Legion,” which is a Latin word for a division of the Roman army, 5120 infantry with additional cavalry at the time of Christ. In general terms, the word refers to a very large number and so we can assume that there were hundreds or even thousands of demons in this man. Think of it in terms of a snake pit where hundreds of snakes writhe together. The name of this group of demons—“Legion”—is akin to the names delinquent gangs adopt, like The Bloods, The Warriors or The Mecca Knights.

Notice what these evil spirits compelled the man to do—he wandered amongst the tombs and hills crying out in torment day & night, regularly cutting himself with stones. Today we call this type of behavior self-harm or self-injury. People who do this are being harassed by demonic spirits. They may not necessarily be possessed (yet), but they’re definitely being oppressed to the point of harming themselves. Anytime you come across people bent on self-destruction you can be sure that evil spirits are involved.

A good example of this is this Swedish band that promotes suicide and self-harm in all its forms. The vocalist nonchalantly informed that there have been several cases of fans committing suicide or, at least, trying to commit suicide upon digesting the group’s music. He testified in an interview to his own struggles with depression & torment, including frequent stays at mental health facilities. Needless to say, evil spirits are attracted to this band like snakes to a snake pit; and they use this man & his music to spread mental illness and self-destruction to anyone attracted to the group.

The mass-murderer Richard Speck, who slew eight nursing students at a Chicago dorm in July, 1966, tried to commit suicide in his hotel room two days later. His senseless murder spree was obviously inspired by the kingdom of darkness. You see, wicked spirits use people to carry out their prime directive—destroy life—and then lose them, inspiring them to destroy their very selves.

Demons revel in the destruction of people because they hate us for the four reasons cited above. They’re gravely envious and mad as hell, literally, because fallen people are redeemable whereas they’re irredeemable. Thus demons do the very opposite of heavenly angels. Angels serve people (Hebrews 1:14) whereas evil spirits harass and destroy.

In fact, wicked spirits are hell-bent on destroying life period. This explains why the three Hebrew letters of Satan’s very name—shin/tet/nun—define his prime directive: the destruction of anything that contains life and any continuation of it.

The fact that filthy spirits are obsessed with destroying life can be observed by this conglomerate of demons—“Legion”—who begged Christ to allow them to possess a herd of pigs nearby, which he allowed. Thus the spirits left the man and went into the roughly 2000 swine wherein the herd promptly rushed down the steep bank and into the lake where they drowned (Mark 5:11-13). Why on Earth would they drive the pigs to do this? Because demons are hell-bent on the destruction of life in any form. They thrive on it.

How Do You Prevent Demonic Oppression or Possession?

How did this man get possessed by so many demons? (I’m not talking about cases where people are afflicted by “spirits of infirmities,” which we’ll look at momentarily). Was he just innocently walking along one day and an evil spirit suddenly possessed him and proceeded to invite his buddies to join in? No. As noted earlier, demons are impure or filthy spirits and so they’re naturally attracted to that which is morally filthy. If a person yields to fleshly thoughts and starts to dwell on them to the point of obsession and the corresponding evil behavior it’ll attract demonic spirits, which leads to oppression and, ultimately, possession. Once a person is possessed, additional demons are attracted to the wicked “party.”

This is one of the reasons why the aforementioned James 1:21 instructs us to “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent” and, instead, feed on the Word of God (Matthew 4:4). It’s why Paul encouraged believers to get in the habit of meditating on what is true, noble, right, pure, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy; he even stressed that this attracts the peace of God (Philippians 4:8-9). Do you want the peace of God in your life or the torment of wicked spirits? Obviously the former. Then “be careful what you think, because your thoughts run your life” (Proverbs 4:23 NCV).

This is what the Bible calls renewing the mind (Romans 12:2 & Ephesians 4:22-24). It’s simply changing your thought life from the bad and destructive to the good and productive. If we truly knew the power and life that is available to us through using our imagination for the positive we’d be so full of dynamic power we’d jump up & down with enthusiasm!

All this is linked to what theologians call the process of sanctification. ‘Sanctification’ is one of those big words of which few know the meaning. It simply refers to purification, which starts with spiritual rebirth (Titus 3:5) and continues throughout the believer’s life as you’re “transformed by the renewing of your mind.” This not only saves believers from flawed ideologies and poisonous mindsets, it protects us from demonic oppression or, worse, possession. Poisonous mindsets, by the way, are noémas (noh-AY-mahs), which are mental strongholds that develop over time and by-and-large determine a person’s actions. There are whole ideologies that are demonic in nature, like communism.

As important as it is to “get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent” and feed on God’s Word (James 1:21), it’s just as vital to cultivate a relationship with the LORD by drawing near to Him:

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ⁸ Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. ⁹ Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. ¹⁰ Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

James 4:7-10

Verse 7 says to “resist the devil and he will flee from you.” This is not solely referring to Satan himself, but rather to the kingdom of darkness in general and specifically the evils spirits that are attacking the believer. How do I know? Because James was addressing multitudes of believers scattered amongst many nations, which includes us today (James 1:1), and the devil’s not omnipresent, like the Almighty (i.e. everywhere at the same time). As such, Satan can only attack one believer or a group of believers at a point in time, like he did with his temptation of Christ in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). To attack numerous believers across the globe he has to use the network of demonic powers under him (Ephesians 6:12). Think about it in terms of one nation attacking another. We say, for instance, that “Bush invaded Iraq” when, in fact, Bush was half a planet away. It’s the same thing in the kingdom of darkness. The devil may be assaulting you, but it’s not Satan himself, but rather wicked spirits working under his perverse command.

With this understanding, notice what this passage says about deflecting the kingdom of darkness: The key to accomplishing this is to simply draw near to God, which automatically results in God drawing near to you. Coming near to the LORD includes repenting of immorality and feeding on His Word, but it’s also a matter of fostering a close relationship. This sends evil spirits fleeing!

That said, spirits of infirmities are a different issue. These types of evil spirits induce a mental or physical malady in those they assault, such as muteness/deafness (Mark 9:17-29) or a crippling condition (Luke 13:10-16). The victims of these spirits are not necessarily involved in moral filth, but rather are people who are spiritually feeble and ignorant, particularly in regards to spiritual warfare. In other words, spirits of infirmities take advantage of ignorance. Thankfully, knowledge and wisdom empower people and will protect you from such spirits (Proverbs 24:5), which is why this book exists. Spirits of infirmities are explained in this article and spiritual warfare here & here.

Evil Spirits Are Attracted to “Dry Places”

Christ taught that impure spirits naturally seek “arid places,” which means dry, waterless areas (Matthew 12:43). This isn’t referring to places that are physically dry, like deserts, but rather spaces that are spiritually dry; that is, places where God is absent. You see, the LORD is likened to Living Water in the Bible—He’s The Fountain of Life who gushes forth life (Psalm 36:9). This corresponds to what Christ said about Himself and the Holy Spirit:

…Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” ³⁹ By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive.     

John 7:37-39

The Lord encourages those who are spiritually thirsty—spiritually dry—to come to Him and drink. He then points out that those who receive the Holy Spirit will have “rivers of living water” flowing within them.

The key to repelling demonic spirits is to stay well-watered by cultivating a relationship with the LORD. Saturate yourself with the things of God: prayer, simple communion, Scripture reading & meditation, praise & worship, fellowship with genuine believers, mutual submission (Ephesians 5:21), etc. As you do this, you automatically stave off wicked spirits. How so? Because demons seek dry places—waterless spaces absent of God’s presence.

This reveals the danger in becoming spiritually dry. When a pastor & his assembly become spiritually arid it attracts evil spirits, who’ll start “whispering in their ears.” Spiritually-dry people are naturally susceptible to “doctrines of demons,” which gets them off track if embraced (1 Timothy 4:1). “Doctrines” refers to teachings or instructions; so “doctrines of demons” simply means teachings or instructions of demons. Take, for example, white or black fellowships that embrace racist ideology: Members of the KKK typically profess to be Christians, with some members even being church leaders. Then you have Jeremiah Wright’s hateful, crackpot false gospel. How can people of God—even fulltime ministers—go so far astray? Because they allowed themselves to become spiritually dry, which attracted evil spirits; and out of desperation they gave ear to doctrines of demons.

The “Put Off” / “Put On” Principle

Let’s read the full passage where Jesus said demonic spirits seek dry places:

“When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. ⁴⁴ Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. ⁴⁵ Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first.                                                   

Matthew 12:43-45

When a filthy spirit leaves a person it naturally seeks rest in arid places—spaces absent of God and the living waters thereof. The presence of God torments wicked spirits and so they seek succor where He’s absent. If the demon can’t find such a place it will simply go back to the “house” it left—if it can, that is.

But why wouldn’t a demon be able to find a waterless place—a space lacking God and the things of God? We can only conjecture based on the scriptural evidence. We know that evil spirits are territorial; that is, they’re assigned specific areas (Daniel 10:13,20). We also know that they’re lazy. In Jesus’ hypothetical example the demon couldn’t find anywhere in its immediate territory for rest so it lazily goes back to the person it left and finds him “swept clean and put in order” yet “unoccupied.” This reveals that the person had enough discipline to get his life in order and “cleaned up his act,” but he wasn’t occupied with God and the corresponding things of God. It was an outward change lacking inward reality. So the demon acquires seven other spirits more malevolent than itself and returns to the unoccupied “house.” Needless to say, the end state of the man is worse than before.

This is a spur to seek more than mere superficial change based on self-discipline. You can’t just “quit a habit” or “break a habit” without filling the vacuum with something positive. And God—who is The Fountain of Life (Psalm 36:9)—is the most positive ‘thing’ to fill yourself. That’s why the Bible teaches the principle of “putting off” and “putting on” (Ephesians 4:22-24). Right patterns must replace wrong ones. Good behaviors must replace sinful activities. Productive thoughts must displace destructive ones.

On a side note, this passage shows that some demons are more malevolent than others.

Evil Spirits Getting Attached to Kids or Youths

Demons can get attached to people when they’re kids or youths if they’re regularly in an unhealthy environment where there’s significant demonic activity. For instance, if a child grows up in a household where there’s substantial immoral activity (including pharisaical religiosity) or one of the parents is demon-possessed or if they get involved with libertine gangs or groups.

The reason demons are able to attach themselves to children or youths in such situations is because—being young and influence-able—they’re vulnerable. Parents and guardians have a responsibility to protect kids under their authority, not just physically, but spiritually. Why do you think Jesus took the time to bless the children (Matthew 19:13)? Yet, even in these cases, evil spirits have to have the permission of the individual—conscious or subconscious—to increasingly oppress them and ultimately possess them.

Related Topics:

Satan (the Devil) — Liar, Slanderer, Thief, Murderer

ANGELS — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

This article was edited from chapter 9 of…

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THE Angel of the LORD — Mighty Angel or Pre-Incarnate Christ?

The Bible refers to “The Angel of the LORD” several times, but it’s clear that this is no ordinary angel and he should be differentiated from references to an angel of the LORD (e.g. Luke 1:11). In fact, it’s obvious that The Angel of the LORD is deity—the Mighty pre-incarnate Christ. Let’s look at the scriptural evidence for this powerful revelation.

The First Appearance of The Angel of the LORD

“The Angel of the LORD” first appears in Genesis 16 when the slave Hagar ran away from her home with Abram and Sarai (who are renamed Abraham and Sarah in the following chapter). The Angel of the LORD appears to Hagar at a spring and instructs her to go back home and submit to her mistress; he then encourages her about her soon-to-be-birthed son, Ishmael, and their countless descendants (verses 7-12).

But how do we know the Angel of the LORD is deity in this passage? Verse 13 makes it clear:

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.”

Genesis 16:13

We are told point blank that this “angel” is the LORD. Secondly, Hagar dubs him “the-God-Who-Sees-Me” and, furthermore, testifies that she had now seen the-God-who-sees-her.

Someone might argue that no one has ever seen God based on a few clear passages, such as when Moses requested to see God’s Glory and the LORD responded: “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live” (Exodus 33:20). Another example is 1 Timothy 6:16 where Paul describes God as “whom no one has seen or can see.”

Here’s another passage:

No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

John 1:18

If no one has ever seen God then how do we explain Hagar seeing the LORD in Genesis 16 above? The answer lies within the second part of this verse: No one has ever seen God, the Father, but the Son—who also is God—has made Him known. How did the Son make God known? Two ways:

1. Christ made the Father known through His incarnation, which is confirmed by Jesus’ statements: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), “whoever sees me sees him who sent me” (John 12:45 ESV) and “If you knew me, you would know my Father also” (John 8:19).
2. Christ also made the Father known in Old Testament times before his incarnation, as illustrated above when Hagar saw God via The Angel of the LORD.

There are several other appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ—aka “the Angel of the LORD”—in the Old Testament…

The Angel of the LORD Appears to Moses in the Burning Bush

Notice what the Bible says about The Angel of the LORD in the account of the burning bush:

Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. ² There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. ³ So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

⁴ When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

And Moses said, “Here I am.”

⁵ “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” ⁶ Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

⁷ The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey”

Exodus 3:1-8

As you can see, The Angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fiery flames from within the bush. When The Angel of the LORD speaks, he testifies to being God and Moses was understandably “afraid to look at God.” Then this celestial being is referred to as the “LORD” in verse 7, which is the Tetragrammaton—YHWH—the name for God, which we’ll look at shortly.

Clearly The Angel of the LORD is God, albeit not the Father, but rather the Son, who is the One who reveals the Father.

The Angel of the LORD Appears to Gideon

Here’s another occasion where the Angel of the LORD appears:

The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. ¹² When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”

¹³ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”

¹⁴ The LORD turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”

¹⁵ “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”

¹⁶ The LORD answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.”

Judges 6:11-16

“The Angel of the LORD” appears to Gideon in verses 11-12 and the following verses confirm him to be the LORD, aka Yahweh (verses 14 & 16).

The Angel of the LORD Appears to the Parents of Samson

In Judges 13 The Angel of the LORD appears to the parents of Samson to announce the prophet’s birth wherein ‘The Angel’ gives them instructions on how the child is to be raised consecrated to the LORD. He is referred to as “the Angel of the LORD” several times in this chapter and “the Angel of God” as well (verse 9).

He’s also referred to as a “man” a few times (verses 6, 10 & 11), which simply shows that The Angel of the LORD appeared as a man to Manoah and his wife. Of course, they could tell that he was no ordinary person because Manoah’s wife described him as a “man of God” who “looked like an angel of God, very awesome” (verse 6).

When Manoah asked The Angel’s name he responded: “Why do you ask my name? It is beyond understanding” (verse 18) or, as the New Living Translation puts it, “It is too wonderful for you to understand.” Clearly, this was a messenger of God far greater than mighty archangels like Michael and Gabriel, who had understandable names.

Who exactly “the Angel of the LORD” is in Judges 13 is cleared up at the close when he ascends to Heaven in the flames of Manoah’s offering (verse 20). To which Manoah cries: “We are all doomed to die! We have seen God!” (verse 22).

Yes, they saw God, but not God, the Father, since He “lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see” (1 Timothy 6:16). Rather they saw God, the Son; the One who reveals the Father.

Jacob Wrestles with God

With everything we now know about The Angel of the LORD—that he is God, the Son, who reveals Father God—let’s look at the incredible account of Jacob who wrestled with a “man” all night that turned out to be God:

That night Jacob got up and took his two wives, his two female servants and his eleven sons and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. ²³ After he had sent them across the stream, he sent over all his possessions. ²⁴ So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. ²⁵ When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.”

But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

²⁷ The man asked him, “What is your name?”

“Jacob,” he answered.

²⁸ Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel, because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

²⁹ Jacob said, “Please tell me your name.”

But he replied, “Why do you ask my name?” Then he blessed him there.

³⁰ So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “It is because I saw God face to face, and yet my life was spared.”

³¹ The sun rose above him as he passed Peniel, and he was limping because of his hip.

Genesis 32:22-31

While there are a lot of potent truths you can pull from this amazing account we want to focus on the simple fact that Jacob wrestled with someone all night that appeared to be a “man” and this man turned out to be God. As Jacob exclaims at the end: “I saw God face to face.”

We know from the rest of Scripture that Jacob didn’t see Father God because no one can see the Father and live. He saw the pre-incarnate Son whose job is to reveal Father God. While this passage doesn’t refer to the Son as The Angel of the LORD, that’s who it is. Notice that Jacob asks for his name and he responds similarly to the way The Angel of the LORD did to Manoah, as shown in the previous section (Judges 13:18). Moreover, notice what the prophet Hosea says when he references the account of Jacob wrestling with this “man”:

³ In the womb he [Jacob] grasped his brother’s heel;      

as a man he struggled with God.

⁴  He struggled with the angel and overcame him;      

he wept and begged for his favor.

Hosea 12:3-4

Hosea refers to the “man” Jacob wrestled all night as God and “the angel,” meaning The Angel of the LORD, i.e. the pre-incarnate Christ. Scripture interprets Scripture.

The Commander of the Army of the LORD

The Son makes another pre-incarnate appearance before the sack of Jericho where he’s not identified as The Angel of the LORD, but rather as the Commander of the Army of the LORD:

Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

¹⁴ “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”

¹⁵ The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

¹Now the gates of Jericho were securely barred because of the Israelites. No one went out and no one came in.

² Then the LORD said to Joshua, “See, I have delivered Jericho into your hands, along with its king and its fighting men.”

Joshua 5:13-6:2

It doesn’t take long for Joshua to realize that this mysterious man with a drawn sword isn’t merely a “man” because Joshua falls facedown to the ground in worship. Keep in mind that both the Hebrew and Greek words for ‘worship’ literally mean to prostrate oneself in adoration or reverence. This was Abraham’s response to the LORD, as observed in Genesis 17:3 and 18:1-2, which document two other appearances of the pre-incarnate Christ.

Joshua then proceeds to call this curious man “Lord” and refers to himself as his “servant” (verse 14).

Further evidence that this Commander of the Army of the LORD is deity can be observed in that he immediately commands Joshua to remove his sandals because he was standing on holy ground. This recalls what The Angel of the LORD instructed Moses at the burning bush (Exodus 3:5).

Lastly, the Commander of the LORD’s Army is identified at the end of the passage simply as “the LORD” (verse 2) wherein He supplies Joshua with the strategy he needed to conquer the pagan city. Keep in mind that there were no chapter divisions in the original manuscripts; these were added 2600 years after the book of Joshua was written.

So the Commander of the Army of the LORD is the pre-incarnate Christ.

Now, let me ask you: Does this Commander come across as a milksop or does he strike you as a mighty warrior that commands respect and awe? Notice what he says when Joshua asks him if he’s on Israel’s side or Jericho’s side: “Neither, but as commander of the army of the LORD I have come.” This response is simple and succinct, but it’s potent and speaks volumes: Jesus Christ is so magnificent, so great—so incredibly awesome—he’s above the mundane conflicts of this world and the politics thereof. Bringing this home for us today: The Mighty Christ is above the perpetual squabbling of the left-wing and right-wing factions of our governments. Enough said.

Understanding God’s Name—YHWH

All these passages reveal that The Angel of the LORD is God, with several identifying him as the “LORD,” which is YHWH in the Hebrew. This is the Tetragrammaton (teh-truh-GRAM-uh-tawn), which is the actual name of God in the Bible. YHWH is typically rendered “LORD” in English versions of Holy Scripture (all capitals).

From the 2^nd or 3^rd century BC The Name was considered too holy to speak in Jewish culture and therefore substitute words for YHWH were used, like Adonai (ah-doh-NAHY) and Elohim (eh-LOH-him or EL-oh-HEEM). Adonai is a title of reverence for God and Elohim simply means “God.”

Since YHWH became ineffable, the actual pronunciation was lost over time, although YAH-way is the likely pronunciation (or YAH-hoo-way for devout Hebrews). “Jehovah” is merely the English form of the Tetragrammaton (JHVH) with the vowels of Adonai inserted.

Basically, when God told Moses “I AM WHO I AM,” he was giving the translation of what Yahweh means (Exodus 3:13-14). “I AM WHO I AM” is Ehyeh Asher Ehyeh in Hebrew. He was saying in effect, “My name is the fact that I exist.”

Now, isn’t that a perfectly fitting name for the Almighty?

In response to this fascinating information someone wrote me quoting Romans 10:13, which says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” She understandably asked:

So what name exactly? Since the one mentioned is too holy and we don’t really know the correct pronunciation (and probably for the best in light of the third commandment).

To answer, let’s read Romans 10:13 with the surrounding verses:

Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: “The person who does these things will live by them.” ⁶ But the righteousness that is by faith says: “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) ⁷ “or ‘Who will descend into the deep?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). ⁸ But what does it say? “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: ⁹ If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. ¹¹ As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” ¹² For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, ¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

Romans 10:5-15

Paul was quoting the prophet Joel in verse 13 and the Hebrew word translated as “LORD” in that Old Testament passage is YHWH. Hence, we are to call upon the name of YHWH. But the very next verse—Romans 10:14—implies that Paul was talking about calling upon the name of the Lord Jesus and believing in Him. “Jesus” is the Greek rendition of the Hebrew Yeshua (or Joshua), which means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation.”

Jesus Christ is the topic of this section of Scripture, as verified by verses 6, 7 and 9; and Jesus is even referred to as “Lord” in verse 9. This is the Greek word kurios (KOO-ree-os), which is the very same word used to translate the Hebrew YHWH from Joel 2:32 in verse 13!  In other words, the same Greek word for “Lord”—kurios—is used to translate the Hebrew YHWH and is also used as a reference to Jesus Christ in the same context. So, whether Yahweh or Yeshua it’s all good. Keep in mind what Jesus said: “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father” and “I and the Father are ONE” (John 14:9 & John 10:30).

I suggest keeping this data in mind for the next time a Jehovah’s False Witness tries to scam you about the Father and the Son who, as you can plainly see, are both YHWH. Romans 10:5-15 above is strategic in proving this.

Speaking of the Jehovah’s Witnesses, they make this big deal about referring to God by his proper name YaHWeH, which they pronounce as “Jehovah.” The problem with this is threefold:

1. YHWH is actually pronounced Yahweh (YAH-way), not Jehovah, as explained above.
2. The Tetragrammaton—YHWH—actually does not appear in the New Testament, at least not in any extant text. As noted above, the Greek word kurios is used to translation it (Joel 2:32 & Romans 10:13). Kurios, by the way, means “Lord, master, sir.”
3. When Jesus Christ instructed us how to pray he said we are to address Yahweh as our “heavenly Father” or our “Father in heaven” (Matthew 6:9-13). This corresponds to familial relation where we’re Yahweh’s children through spiritual rebirth (1 John 3:9, 1 Peter 1:23 & Titus 3:5). As such, we are to naturally refer to Yahweh as “abba Father” (Romans 8:15 ). The Aramaic abba is a term of tender endearment by a beloved child for his/her father; it’s an affectionate, dependent word akin to “Daddy” or “Papa.” Think about your relationship with your earthly father. Do you call him by his proper name or do you use a term of endearment, like “Daddy,” “Dad,” “Pa,” “Pops” or “Father”? This is why Christ said we are to address YHWH as “Father” when we commune, which isn’t to say we can’t refer to him as Yahweh (more on this in a moment).

As to the pronunciation of YHWH, as noted above YAH–way (or YAH-hoo-way to devout Jews) is the accepted pronunciation, but proper pronunciation has nothing to do with the third Old Testament commandment—“You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God” (Exodus 20:7)—especially in light of varying dialects. For instance, people of northern and southern Israel pronounced Adonai and Elohim differently, with the accent on different syllables. The idea that the LORD would reject someone merely because he or she put the accent on a different syllable than someone else is silly. God looks to the heart not to whether or not they pronounce a word perfectly (1 Samuel 16:7).

As far as YHWH becoming ineffable, that didn’t happen until the Hellenistic period which coincided with the inter-testamental period (i.e. “between testaments”—approximately 400 BC to the time of Christ). And it’s actually unbiblical in light of David—“a man after God’s own heart”—utilizing YHWH frequently in his prayer time, as seen throughout the Psalms, which shows that God approves of people using YHWH in our communion with Him. To exclusively use substitute names and titles on the grounds that we might severely offend God by mispronouncing YHWH is unbiblical.

Taking the LORD’s name in vain refers to the wrongful use of The Name, not mispronunciation based on one’s dialect or whatever; unless, of course, someone were to intentionally mispronounce it in a mocking sense.

If Christ is “The Angel of the LORD” Is He an Angel?

The answer to this question is an emphatic “No” for several reasons:

• • The Angel of the LORD is constantly identified as the LORD—Yahweh—albeit the Son, not the Father. We’ve seen several examples of this (e.g. Exodus 3:1-12 & Judges 6:11-22).
  • “The Angel of the LORD” is a title of the Son, Yeshua, not a name. The Hebrew word for “angel” is malak (mal-AWK), which simply means “a messenger, supernatural or human.” The word appears 213 times in the Old Testament and typically refers to supernatural messengers (Genesis 19:1) but often refers to human messengers as well (Genesis 32:3,6). Just as the “envoys” to Egypt in Isaiah 30:4 aren’t conventional angels, neither is The Angel of the LORD a conventional angel.

Why did the Father give the Son this title? Two reasons: Yeshua is called The Angel of the LORD—The Messenger of the LORD—because that’s what he does: He reveals God to people because the Father dwells in unapproachable light and no one can see Him (1 Timothy 6:16). Since no one can see Him we can’t receive from Him directly. Thus the Son is The Messenger of the LORD. The second reason is…

• • “The Angel of the LORD” is likely the Father’s term of endearment for the Son, such as a man calling his wife or daughter his “angel.” This is akin to “abba Father,” which is how believers refer to Father God by the Spirit (Romans 8:15). As noted in the previous section, the Aramaic abba is a term of tender endearment of a child for his/her beloved father; it’s an affectionate word denoting dependence, similar to “daddy.”
  • God has provided for us an entire chapter of the Bible—Hebrews 1—to prove that Jesus is not a conventional angel in the manner of Michael, Gabriel or lesser angels. If you’re not familiar with it, I encourage you to read this chapter; let’s look at some of its key statements…

Father God Speaks to People through the Son, who Created all Things!

Observe the opening two verses of the first chapter of Hebrews:

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, ² but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom also he made the universe.

Hebrews 1:1-2

In Old Testament times God spoke to people through prophets, like Moses and Isaiah, but in these “last days”—which means the time spanning from the Messiah’s arrival to His return*—the heavenly Father speaks through His Son, Jesus Christ. This doesn’t just include the actual words of Christ, as chronicled in the four Gospels, but also to those who “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” since the Holy Spirit is the “Spirit of Christ” (2 Peter 1:21 & Romans 8:9).

* See Acts 2:17, James 5:3, 1 Peter 1:20, 2 Peter 3:3-4.

The fact that Father God speaks to people through the incarnated Son is a general truth and does not mean that Father God didn’t occasionally speak to people via the pre-incarnate Christ, as shown earlier. Remember the hermeneutical rule: Scripture interprets Scripture.

In any case, verse 2 verifies the main point of this chapter—that Jesus Christ is The Messenger of the LORD who speaks for the Father because the Father cannot have direct contact with people, lest they perish. This is why Yeshua has the title The Angel of the LORD—The Messenger of the LORD.

Notice in the second part of verse 2 that Jesus is designated as “the heir of all things… through whom he [Father God] made the universe.” All things in Heaven and Earth where made through Christ (John 1:3); this includes all angels:

For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.                                

Colossians 1:16

“Powers,” “rulers” and “authorities” comprise supernatural hierarchies, including the devil and his ranks of fallen angels (Ephesians 6:12). This isn’t to say, of course, that Christ created these disgraced spirits in their fallen state—He created them in a perfect condition and they later foolishly rebelled, which we’ll look at further in Chapter 9 and 11.

So Christ is superior to angels because he created them!

All I can say about this is: Wow! Jesus ain’t no conventional angel!

Jesus Christ: Superior to Angels

Let’s look at the next two verses of Hebrews 1:

The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. ⁴ So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Hebrews 1:3-4

The fact that Christ sat down at the right hand of Father God in Heaven distinguishes Him from angels, like Michael and Gabriel who, at most, merely stand in the presence of God (Luke 1:19). This is further emphasized several verses later:

To which of the angels did God ever say,

“Sit at my right hand                 

until I make your enemies                 

a footstool for your feet”?

Hebrews 1:13

The quote is from the opening verse of this Psalm:

The LORD says to my Lord:

 “Sit at my right hand                 

until I make your enemies                 

a footstool for your feet.”

Psalm 110:1

Father God is speaking to the Son here. The former is referred to by the Hebrew Tetragrammaton—YHWH—which is rendered “LORD” (all capitals) whereas the latter is a different Hebrew word for “Lord.” When Christ quotes this verse in the New Testament both words are the same Greek word, kurios (KOO-ree-os), which is the Greek word for YHWH, noted earlier (Matthew 22:44). My Point? Jesus is YHWH, albeit the Son, not the Father.

Now let’s revisit verse 4:

So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.

Hebrews 1:4

Here it is emphasized in plain language that Yeshua is superior to angels. The Greek verb translated as “became” refers to a change of state and not a change of existence because we know that the Son has existed from eternity, just as the Father:

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made…

¹⁴ The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-3,14

This explains why both Father and Son refer to themselves as “I Am” (Exodus 3:14, John 8:58 & 18:6) and as “the first and the last” (Isaiah 44:6 & Revelation 22:13).

The reason Hebrews 1:4 says that Jesus “became” superior to angels is simply because he “was made lower than the angels for a little while” when he was incarnated (Hebrews 2:9). Notice what the Bible says about this:

…Christ Jesus:

 ⁶ Who, being in very nature God,         

did not consider equality with God  

         something to be used to his own advantage;     

⁷ rather, he made himself nothing         

by taking the very nature of a servant,         

being made in human likeness.     

⁸ And being found in appearance as a man,         

he humbled himself         

by becoming obedient to death—             

even death on a cross!

          ⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place       

and gave him the name that is above every name,    

¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,       

in heaven and on earth and under the earth,    

¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,       

to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6-11

As you can see, before Christ’s incarnation he was “in very nature God” but “made himself nothing” by “being made in human likeness.” This is when he became lower than the angels for a little while (Hebrews 2:9) and it explains why Hebrews 1:4 says that he “became” superior to the angels when he ascended to the Father and “sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven” (Hebrews 1:3).

What Does it Mean that Jesus is God’s “Firstborn”

Let’s consider another verse from Hebrews 1:

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,

 “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

Hebrews 1:6

As you can see, the Son is referred to as God’s “firstborn.” This is observed in other passages as well:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Colossians 1:15

Cults like the Jehovah’s False Witnesses use these texts to support their belief that Jesus was the first created being of the LORD; and then God used Jesus to create everything else. However, Scripture interprets Scripture and we know from other passages examined in this chapter that Jesus is Yahweh (YHWH), albeit the Son, not the Father.

So what do these verses mean by describing Yeshua as the “firstborn.” The apostles, like Paul, borrowed this term from their Hebraic upbringing where “firstborn” meant especially honored. For instance, the nation of Israel was referred to as God’s “firstborn,” but this obviously didn’t mean Israel was the first nation that ever existed (Exodus 4:22). Similarly, God referred to David as His “firstborn” when he was hardly the first male God created, not to mention David was the youngest of Jesse’s eight sons (Psalm 89:20,27). Furthermore, David was the second king of Israel. In light of all this, when Christ is referred to as the “firstborn” it simply means that the Son has a place of honor before the Father, shared by no one else; as well as a place of honor over all creation.

There are several other reasons for rejecting the idea that Christ was God’s first created being. Here are two obvious ones:

• 1. Jesus cannot be both “first created” and “one and only Son” (John 1:14 &18, 3:16 & 18, 1 John 4:9). Think about it.
  2. John 1:3 (above) says that “Through him [Christ] all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.” If Yeshua is the Creator of all things he cannot also be the first created. It’s simple logic.

Angels Worship Jesus

Now let’s consider the second part of verse 6:

            “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

Hebrews 1:6

This is further evidence of Christ’s superiority to angels—angels worship Him. As such, if Jesus was an angel he’d have to worship himself!

Why do angels worship Yeshua? Because he’s their Creator, as shown earlier in Colossians 1:16. Furthermore, all authority in Heaven and on Earth has been given to Him (Matthew 28:18) and notice who’s submitted to Him:

Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand — with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

1 Peter 3:22

Also, the Word of God forbids the worship of angels and advocates the worship of God alone (Revelation 19:10 & 22:9); and the Messiah is clearly worshipped by people and angels alike (Matthew 2:11, 14:33, 21:9 & 28:9).

You can study the rest of Hebrews 1 for yourself. I just wanted to show that there’s an entire chapter in God’s Word that proves Jesus Christ is superior to angels.

‘Wouldn’t Calling Jesus “The Angel of the LORD” Mislead Some People?’

Some folks have been misled into concluding that Christ was merely a mighty angel in the manner of Michael, with some even believing he is Michael. All I can say is: They must not know how to read in light of the clear scriptural data that shows Yeshua is the LORD—Yahweh—albeit the Son and not the Father. Seriously, how much clearer could God be in his Word that Christ is superior to angels?

The fact that some people fall into error because Jesus is “The Angel of the LORD” (etcetera) reveals why it’s important to “rightly divide” the Scriptures, as encouraged in the Bible:

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

Who is God’s “worker who does not need to be ashamed”? Answer: The one who correctly handles the written Word. It’s only the person who incorrectly handles God’s Word that should be ashamed because he or she wrongly interpreted it. This, of course, spreads error, which naturally puts people into bondage since only the truth can set them free, not error (John 8:31-32).

In order to “rightly divide” the Scriptures we must make sure that we’re adhering to the four common-sense rules of hermeneutics, that is, Bible interpretation:

1. Context is king: Meaning the surrounding text reveals the obvious meaning of each passage.
2. Scripture interprets Scripture: Meaning every passage must be interpreted in light of the larger context of the entire Bible and thus the Bible itself is the best interpreter of a passage. In other words, one’s interpretation of a passage must gel with what the rest of Scripture teaches on the topic in question; the more overt and detailed passages obviously expand our understanding of the more sketchy and ambiguous ones. 
3. Take the Bible literally unless it’s clear that figurative language is being used: In which case you look for the literal truth that the symbolism intends to convey.
4. If the plain sense makes sense—and is in harmony with the rest of Scripture—don’t look for any other sense lest you end up with nonsense: This includes the “plain sense” of the whole of Scripture on any given topic. In other words, if an individual or group comes up with an interpretation that is opposed to the plain-sense meaning that all the passages in the Bible obviously point to on a subject then it must be rejected. This fourth rule is essentially the other three combined.

These “rules” are really just common-sense guidelines for discovering truth and being set free from error, whether secular or religious. Although the Bible is simple enough that the simplest of persons can receive from it and be blessed, it’s also deep and complex, which means that as believers grow in the Lord they naturally grow in knowledge, understanding and wisdom.

Anyone who unbiasedly adheres to these four hermeneutical rules will be able to discern the truth on any given topic. The ‘truth’ is simply “the way it really is.” But we have to be honest with the Scriptures and free from the bias of sectarianism* in order to discern it.

* Sectarianism is faction-ism, which is actually cited as a work of the flesh in the Bible (Galatians 5:19-21). In the Greek it’s hairesis (HAH-ee-res-is), meaning “a religious or philosophical sect” and the resulting division it causes. As such, some translations render the word as “divisions.” It’s a “self-chosen opinion” rooted in sectarian loyalty—i.e. based on the beliefs of one’s favored sect—rather than a viewpoint rooted in the rightly-divided Word of God. The Pharisees and Sadducees were strict sectarians and their faction-ism prevented them from seeing obvious truths in Scripture, even though they diligently studied them (John 5:39-40). Sectarian ministers are essentially “yes men” to their sect (party) whereas more independent ministers who focus on God’s Word are naturally more reliable. This does not mean, by the way, that if you belong to a sect—like Baptists—you’re automatically guilty of sectarianism. You can read more on this topic here.  

Something else to consider is the fact that—believe it or not—the LORD and godly characters in the Bible have been known to set out “stumbling blocks” to intentionally discombobulate proud fools, whether legalists or libertines. See, for example, Ezekiel 3:20, Romans 11:9 and Psalm 69:22.

Frankly, people who teach that Yeshua isn’t the LORD, but rather a created angel are fools who have fallen prey to this stumbling block due to their sectarianism and superficial “studies.” They should be ashamed for spreading such blatant error; and they’ll be held accountable for it when they stand before the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:10-11, Romans 14:10,12 & James 3:1).

The Angel of the LORD in the New Testament

The book of Revelation contains over 300 references to Old Testament passages, far more than any other New Testament book. Is it any wonder that The Angel of the LORD appears in it:

Then I [John] saw another mighty angel coming down from heaven. He was robed in a cloud, with a rainbow above his head; his face was like the sun, and his legs were like fiery pillars. ² He was holding a little scroll, which lay open in his hand. He planted his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land, ³ and he gave a loud shout like the roar of a lion. When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke.

Revelation 10:1-3

Several things point to this being The Angel of the LORD—i.e. the Mighty Christ—and not just another angel:

1. The Greek word for ‘another’ in “I saw another mighty angel” is allos (AL-os), which can mean “different” as well as another of the same kind (Strong 10). And it’s clear that this angel—i.e. messenger of the LORD—is vastly different than the angels that appeared up to this point in John’s vision.
2. This angel’s shout is likened to a roar of a lion and Jesus Christ is the Lion of Judah (Revelation 5:5).
3. Speaking of whom, the “scroll” that this angel holds presumably refers to the scroll of Revelation 5, which only the Lion of Judah—that is, Jesus Christ, the “Lamb, who was slain”—could take from Father God and open! After all, what other scroll would it refer to? Scripture interprets Scripture.
4. The context of both Revelation 5 (where only the Son could take the scroll from the Father and open it) and Revelation 10 (where the Angel holds the scroll as he descends from Heaven, planting one foot on land, one foot in the ocean and shouting a victory cry) shows that the scroll must be the title deed to the Earth. Only Christ can hold it because A. He’s the Creator of Heaven and Earth (Colossians 1:16), B. He’s “the King of kings and Lord of lords” (Revelation 17:14 & 19:16) who C. possesses “all authority in heaven and earth” (Matthew 28:18).
5. The description John gives of the Angel is akin to other stunning descriptions of Deity in the Bible (Ezekiel 1:26-28 & Revelation 1:13-18):

• “a rainbow above his head” (Ezekiel 1:28).
• “his face was like the sun” (Revelation 1:16 & Ezekiel 1:27).
• “his legs were like fiery pillars” (Revelation 1:15 & Ezekiel 1:27).
• His legs being like fiery pillars, by the way, is symbolic of judgment and only the Son has authority to judge the Earth (John 5: 22).
• “When he shouted, the voices of the seven thunders spoke” (Revelation 1:15).

The evidence leads me to believe that this angel is The Angel of the LORD—i.e. Jesus Christ—and not any ol’ strong angel. For anyone who disagrees, that’s fine; it’s not something worth arguing over.

We’ll look at another interesting reference to The Angel of the LORD in the New Testament next chapter.

The Angel of the LORD distinguished from an Angel of the LORD

The Angel of the LORD understandably does not appear during Christ’s incarnation on Earth because this “Angel” is Christ. Keep in mind that the Son is the living “Word of God” because He’s everything the Father wants to say to humanity (John 1:1-3 & Hebrews 1:1-2). The Hebrew & Greek words for ‘angel’ mean “messenger.” Thus Christ—the Word of God—is The Angel of the LORD, The Messenger of the LORD. The Father conveys the “message of reconciliation” through the Son and all those born of his seed (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

Obviously it’s imperative to distinguish The Angel of the LORD from an angel of the LORD in the Scriptures. The former is Deity whereas the latter is not. For instance, Luke 1:11 shows “an angel of the Lord” appearing to Zechariah, the husband of Elizabeth and father of John the Baptist. Several verses later this angel is identified as Gabriel (19 & 26) and is undoubtedly the same angel who appeared to the shepherds immediately following Christ’s birth, as chronicled in the following chapter (Luke 2:7-15). Scripture interprets Scripture.

It should be noted that in the original Hebrew and Greek text there’s no article in front of the words for “angel” (malak and angelos respectively) and so English translators must determine if a text refers to The Angel of the LORD or an angel of the LORD and render it accordingly. In the passages from Luke 1-2 above translators rightly rendered it “an angel of the Lord” because the context reveals the angel to be Gabriel.

Unfortunately, in the King James Version of Matthew 28:2 the translators wrongly rendered the text as “the angel of the LORD” in reference to an angel who appears to some women at Christ’s tomb. However, we know this angel is not The Angel of the LORD—God, the Son—because he informs the women that Jesus wasn’t there, but that He had risen and, in fact, had gone ahead of them to Galilee where they would find Him (verses 5-7). As they say, “Context is King.”

Incidentally, the Luke account of these events reveals that there were actually two angels at Christ’s tomb whereas the Matthew and Mark accounts only mention one. Why? Obviously because the latter two accounts focus on the angel that spoke to the women. This is further evidence that the angel was not The Angel of the LORD.

Jesus Christ—Mighty LORD, Not Milksop

No doubt this article has given you a more balanced view of Jesus Christ. The image that the world and religion offers of Jesus is that of a wimpy milksop, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Sterile religion and worldly culture has fostered this false image to the point that it’s the general perception of most people, spoken or unspoken. As such, when the average person thinks of Jesus Christ they think of “gentle Jesus meek and mild” rather than the awesome Lion of Judah or the stunning Angel of the LORD. I’m not saying that Jesus doesn’t have a gentle side—He does for those humble folks who warrant it (Matthew 11:28-30)—but how about some balance?!

Even when Jesus was on Earth and ministered for 3½ years he was anything but some effeminate weakling. Consider the proof: He was brilliant in argumentation (Matthew 22:15-22); He astonished and silenced his enemies (Luke 20:26) to the point that “no one dared ask him anymore questions” (Mark 12:34). Does this sound like an impotent milksop?

Furthermore, Christ was dynamic during his earthly ministry—full of energy, power, passion and life. He had an aura of pizzazz, not stultifying dullness. Want evidence?

• Jesus said he was life and could therefore offer abundant life to any humble soul who chose to follow him (John 14:6 & 10:10).
• Because Christ possessed abundant life he had a vibrant spirit of joy; he was not always ultra-solemn and sorrowful; and he certainly wasn’t boring.
• Yeshua had wholehearted conviction about what he knew—he truly believed what he preached and his air of authority was palpable (Matthew 7:28-29).

Jesus was incredibly bold, outspoken and had no qualms about offending pompous fools deserving of correction:

• He was invited to a dinner party with some Pharisees and immediately began insulting the host and honored guests, not because he was abusive but because they needed rebuked (Luke 11:37-54). This is tough love.
• Christ was forthright and honest—he got straight to the point when necessary and didn’t beat around the bush with overly diplomatic discourse (Matthew 15:1-20 & 18:7).

One of the most amazing examples of Jesus’ incredible boldness & power can be observed when he cleared the Temple of ungodly fools:

On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, ¹⁶  and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. ¹⁷ And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations, but you have made it a den of robbers.’ ”

¹⁸ The Chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

Mark 11:15-18

Notice that Christ radically threw over tables and benches and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the Temple courts. Does this sound like “gentle Jesus meek and mild” or the bold Lion of Judah? Can you imagine Jesus not allowing anyone to carry goods into the Temple? And no one dared defy him! A soft pushover wouldn’t be able to do this. Of course, it wasn’t a case of Christ intimidating people with fleshly brawn & bluster, but rather his potent spiritual passion, anointing and boldness.

Believe it or not, Jesus cleared the Temple in this manner twice during his earthly ministry. This account took place near the end of his public service, but he also cleared the Temple near the beginning—three years earlier—as detailed in John 2:13-17. On this earlier occasion he made a whip and utilized it in driving out the animals, yelling and scattering coins! Why did the Messiah have to clear the Temple a second time? Obviously because the ‘snakes’ withered back in over the course of the next three years.

Now notice the response of the sterile legalists in Mark 11:18: They feared Christ! They feared him so much that they decided to kill him and remove him from the scene altogether. Let me tell you something, impotent milksops don’t inspire fear and they certainly don’t provoke VIPs to plot murder. Also, note how the people who witnessed his clearing of the Temple responded: They were amazed! Dull sissies don’t inspire amazement, but people who are dynamic, courageous and authoritative do! (And by “authoritative” I don’t mean authoritarian, which is abusive. ‘Abuse’ is the misuse of power).

All over the gospel accounts we see evidence of Christ being courageous, astonishing, amazing, authoritative and even frightening! For verification, just look up these passages: Matthew 7:28-29, 14:26, Mark 1:27, 2:10-12, 4:37-41, 7:37, Luke 5:8-11, 7:14-16, 20:20-26, 20:40 and the aforementioned John 2:13-17. Needless to say, people who insinuate that Jesus was some effeminate weakling obviously don’t know how to read!

Is it any wonder that the Bible encourages us to not provoke the Son?

This article was edited from Chapter 7 of ANGELS, available here for a special low-price (345 pages). Or pick up the eBook version for only $2.99!

Related Topics:

Christ: “The Anointed One” — What Does it Mean? What Does “Jesus” Mean?

Seven Proofs that JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

Demons Vs. Jesus Christ — No Contest!

ANGELS — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

Evil Spirits (Demons) — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

Satan (the Devil) — Liar, Slanderer, Thief, Murderer

Trinity — Father/Son/Holy Spirit — Yes or No?

What is Oneness theology—aka “Jesus Only”—and is it Biblical?

Is the Holy Spirit God or a Divine Force?

Does God have a Feminine side?

Islam and Christianity: A Side-by-Side Comparison

This is a very informative article honestly comparing Islam with Christianity and Muhammad with Christ:

Islam and Christianity: A Side-by-Side Comparison

Related Topics:

Islamic Terrorists — Why Do They Do It?

ANGELS — What Are They? What’s Their Purpose?

This article could also be called Angels: The Basics because we’re going to establish the basics about these spiritual beings—good and evil ones.

The first thing we need to do is define the term. The word ‘angel’ is angelos (ANG-el-os) in the biblical Greek* and malak (mal-AWK) in Hebrew, both of which simply mean “a messenger.” While the messenger in question could be human (1 Kings 19:2), it typically refers to a supernatural courier conveying news or directives from God to people.

* Biblical Greek is koiné Greek, meaning “the common dialect” of the Greek language in the 1^st century. (Koiné is pronounced KOY-nay).

Further insight can be observed in this fundamental description of angels:

Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Hebrews 1:14

As you can see, angels are defined as “ministering spirits.” They are not people, nor are they people who have become angels; they are spiritual beings distinct from humanity.

Angels are described as “ministering spirits,” which means they are given to serve. Whom do they serve? Their Creator first and foremost, but the verse specifies that they are “sent [by God] to serve those who will inherit salvation.” This means people because we’re the ones who are to inherit salvation. As such, angels are serving spirits who serve the LORD and are commissioned to minister to people, whether by conveying news and instructions or helping us in some other manner, like provision in time of need (1 Kings 19:5-7), ministry when we physically expire (Luke 16:22), fighting demonic spirits on our behalf (Daniel 10:12-13) and, of course, protection.

A good example of the latter can be observed in this psalm:

¹¹ For he [God] will command his angels

    concerning you

       to guard you in all your ways;

¹² they will lift you up in their hands,

       so that you will not strike your foot

       against a stone.

¹³ You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

       you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

Psalm 91:11-13

So angels are supernatural servants of the LORD whose purpose is to serve God by serving people. With this understanding, let’s briefly consider…

Fallen Angels

The fact that angels are ministering spirits sent to serve people shows why Satan & his fallen angels do the precise opposite—they constantly try to hinder & oppress people, especially God’s people. One of their main objectives, of course, is to keep those who are lost from eternal salvation.

The rebellion and fall from Heaven of Satan & his filthy angels occurred sometime after the creation of the Universe and human beings, yet before the devil’s temptation of Eve, which means sometime between Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1.* This time period could involve many years, plenty of time for Satan’s harebrained coup attempt and their subsequent ousting from Heaven (Luke 10:18 ).

* This is the young Earth perspective, which I believe is the most biblically faithful position on the age of the Earth/Universe. Gap theorists, who embrace the old Earth model, place the fall of Lucifer & his angels sometime between Genesis 1:1 and 1:2. The topic is explored in detail here.

The reason this is important to our topic is because it shows Satan’s rebellion occurring relatively soon after the creation of human beings. Could it be that one of the main reasons these angels rebelled was because they were jealous of God’s new creation—people—the only physical beings created in God’s image? Could it be that they didn’t want to spend their lives serving humans, as angels were mandated? Is it likely that their envy was further stirred when they caught wind of the fact that people were expressly created to be co-heirs with Christ, seated with Him at the right hand of the Father?* Does two plus two equal four?

* See Romans 8:17, Hebrews 1:13 and Ephesians 2:6.

The bottom line is: There are angels who work for us and fallen angels—demons—who work against us. Evil spirits are not ministering for you; they’re ministering against you.

Satan’s rebellion, by the way, shows that angels possess freewill, just as people do.

For more about fallen angels see this article.

The Difference Between the Holy Spirit and Angelic Spirits

The Holy Spirit is God* who indwells the spiritually reborn believer. This makes every genuine Christian a “temple” of God (1 Corinthians 6:19). The Holy Spirit’s function is to help, counsel, teach, comfort and lead believers (John 14:26 & 16:13).

* See this article for glaring scriptural proof; and this article for more details.

Angels, by contrast, do not dwell in you or lead you. They are here to minister for you, that is, serve you in one capacity or another.

It is the Holy Spirit’s job to “guide you into all truth” (John 16:13), which is why Romans 8:14 says “those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” Notice that it does not say “those who are led by angels are the children of God.” Why? Because angels aren’t here to lead us, the Holy Spirit is. Angels are here to serve us.

Their service includes conveying divine messages, which is why angels are also called “messengers.” However, angels do not teach us spiritual truth (reality) as the Holy Spirit does. It’s the Holy Spirit—God—who provides revelation knowledge.

You could say that the Holy Spirit ministers to believers whereas angels minister for us. If I lay hands on you and pray I’m ministering to you whereas if I catch you when you fall I’m ministering for you. Just the same, when the Holy Spirit gives you a revelation He’s ministering to you whereas when angels help you escape a trap they’re ministering for you, like when an angel helped Peter escape from prison (Acts 12:5-10).

A pastor gave a testimony of how the LORD saved him from certain death while serving as a missionary. He was about to put his luggage on a plane at a small airport in the bush when he discerned a voice telling him not to do it. He obeyed and the plane crashed on takeoff. In his testimony he wrongly attributed this voice to his guardian angel. No, it was the Holy Spirit, who indwelt him and guided him. If he had entered the plane and was miraculously saved when it crashed then that could be attributed to guardian angels. Do you see the difference?

Be Aware of Angels and Partake of Their Services, but DON’T Worship Them

Because angels are supernatural beings they’re fascinating creatures and we should appreciate them and take advantage of their services, but we must not entertain any temptation to worship them. ‘Worship’ is proskuneó (pros-koo-NAY-oh) in the Greek, which literally means “to acknowledge and adore by kissing the ground in prostration.” The apostle John was tempted to do this twice with an angel while he was receiving the revelation of Jesus Christ imprisoned on the Island of Patmos. Notice what this angel says to John on these occasions:

So I fell at his feet to worship to him. But he told me, “Do not do that! I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers who rely on the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!”                            

Revelation 19:10

But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your fellow prophets and with all who keep the words of this scroll. Worship God!”

Revelation 22:9

It’s important to understand this because the Bible warns us that the worship of angels stems from an “unspiritual mind” and it is a key element of those who try to mislead believers (Colossians 2:18). Cults thus put undue emphasis on either heavenly angels or fallen spirits. Do not be misled by these false teachers. Let your worship be reserved for God alone, as this particular angel instructed John.

These verses, by the way, explain why angels so seldom make themselves visible to people and, when they do, they often masquerade as humans (Hebrews 13:2). This also might explain the rather generic descriptions of angels in the Bible, at least “common angels” anyway. It’s just too tempting for us in our current state to be so awed by celestial beings that we naturally respond with worship, as John does above. If this great apostle was inclined to worship an angel who appeared to him, how much more so believers of lower stature?

The angel’s responses show that these spiritual beings are adamant about our attention being focused on the Lord, their ‘employer,’ not them. They prefer to stay in the background and let the Mighty Christ have the throne. As created beings, they know their rightful place and their purpose: To worship and serve the Creator, not be worshipped themselves.

Lastly, notice how this heavenly angel described himself in each of his responses to John: He said “I am a fellow servant with you”. We must get ahold of this fact: Angels are “ministering spirits”—serving spirits—sent by God (their ‘Boss’) to serve people. People, by contrast, do not serve angels; they serve us. In fact, we are mandated to judge angels one day, which we’ll address at the end of this article.

Angels Are Created Beings Who Witnessed the Creation of the Earth

Scripture shows that angels were created by Christ:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

Colossians 1:15-16

It was implied earlier that angels were present when God created the Heavens and the Earth. We see evidence of this in the LORD’s humbling response to Job:

³ Brace yourself like a man;     

      I will question you,     

      and you shall answer me.

⁴ “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation?     

      Tell me, if you understand.

⁵ Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!     

      Who stretched a measuring line across it?

⁶ On what were its footings set,     

       or who laid its cornerstone—

⁷ while the morning stars sang together     

      and all the angels shouted for joy?          

Job 38:3-7

This is a form of Hebrew poetry called synonymous parallelism where the second part of the verse restates the same thought as the first in different words. With this understanding, notice that verse 7 refers to angels as “morning stars.” Keep this in mind for future reference.

The point is that angels already existed when the LORD created the Earth and Universe. They celebrated God’s awe-inspiring work with great joy—singing and shouting.

Angels Are Watchers

Angels not only observed the formation of the physical Universe and all things in it, they’ve been watching events on Earth ever since; at least some of them anyway. This is akin to sports fans at a big game or spectators in an ancient Roman arena. The apostle Paul put it like this: “For it seems to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession, like those condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to human beings” (1 Corinthians 4:9).

Our cats like to gaze out our windows and so Carol & I dub the windows “cat TV.” You could say that the Earth is “angel TV.” Angels are watching us and seem to be fascinated by us; Christ pointed out that they celebrate when someone turns from sin to God (Luke 15:7,10).

The fact that at least some angels are watchers can be observed in Daniel 4 where the Chaldean Aramaic word iyr (eer) is used to describe them; the word means “a watcher; i.e. an angel as guardian” (verses 13, 17 & 23). This doesn’t mean watcher in a merely passive sense, as iyr stems from an action-oriented Hebrew word that means “on the watch.” One of their jobs is likely to record events, including our words. A minister testified that she was able to see in the spiritual realm on one occasion and saw an angel nearby chronicling the conversations. Why would an angel chronicle words? Because Christ said we’ll be acquitted or condemned by them (Matthew 12:37) and this can’t happen if they’re not somehow recorded.

Later this article we’ll observe how cherubim and “living creatures” are described as being “covered with eyes.” This is likely a figurative statement which perhaps suggests that watcher angels are of the cherub and living creature variety.

Lastly, while watcher angels observe and document what’s unfolding on Earth and take action to the degree that we allow them (more on this below), they’re not God and therefore they don’t know everything that’s going to happen; for instance, they don’t know the specific day or hour of Christ’s return (Matthew 24:35-36).

How Do Angels “Take Action as We Allow Them”?

Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve the people they’re assigned to (Matthew 18:10 & Psalm 91:11), but what is it they respond to? Observe:

Praise the Lord, you his angels,

    you mighty ones who do his bidding,

    who obey his word.

Psalm 103:20

Angels don’t just obey the bidding of the LORD, they obey His word period. Here’s a more literal translation of the verse:

Bless the LORD, you His angels,

    Mighty in strength, who perform His word,

    Obeying the voice of His word!

Psalm 103:20 (NASB)

The purpose of angels is to perform God’s Word. You could say that their occupation is obeying the voice of God’s Word. The Hebrew word for ‘voice’ is qol (kohl), which means “sound, voice.” That’s what angels obey—the sound or voice of the Word of God. But does your Bible make any sounds of itself? Does any passage make a sound when you read it or study it? No, it only makes sound if you speak it! That’s why it’s so important that you get the power of your tongue into play and start speaking the Word of God in faith (Proverbs 18:21), particularly the promises of God that apply to the New Testament believer. And, remember, all the promises of God are “yes” in Christ (2 Corinthians 1:20). This means that, if you’re in covenant with God through Christ—i.e. you are “in Christ”—you can claim by faith any general promise of God you find in the Scriptures that strikes a chord in your spirit!

Take the promises of Divine protection from Psalm 34. When facing some type of human attack, you can claim by faith verses 7, 17, 19-20 & 22, all of which promise God’s deliverance when suffering severe persecution.

Why is it that speaking God’s Word in faith is so powerful, unleashing angels to perform it? Simple: people are the only beings created in God’s likeness and called to be co-heirs with Christ:

So God created mankind in his own image,

    in the image of God he created them;

    male and female he created them.

Genesis 1:27

The LORD created the Heavens and the Earth simply by speaking them into existence (Genesis 1). People are created in God’s image and thus have this power as well. Of course, our words only have power corresponding to our faith, as Christ pointed out:

“Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.”

Mark 11:22-23

The Douay-Rheims Bible translates it as “Have the faith of God.” We need to walk in faith as the LORD walks in faith. We are God’s duplicates on Earth, created in our Creator’s likeness…

Therefore, be imitators of God, as dearly loved children.

Ephesians 5:1

You are called to imitate God! And you can do it because you’re a child of God, born of God’s seed; just learn how to live out of your new nature.

In Mark 11 above, Yeshua goes on to say: “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them” (verse 23). He says “if anyone says.” He doesn’t even specify that the person has to be a Christian. This applies to anyone created in God’s likeness, how much more so those born-anew of the seed of Christ?

He continues: “if anyone says to this mountain.” There was a mountain nearby and the Lord used it to illustrate His point. “If anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them.” This is an example of hyperbole, which is exaggeration for effect. The “mountain” is figurative, not literal. If there is, say, an obstacle in your way you can utilize the power of words spoken in faith and remove that obstacle. But—and this is an important “but”—you have to believe that what you say will happen and not doubt in your heart.

The Messiah doesn’t go into the mechanics of how this works, just that it does. But, in view of the other passages we’ve examined, it’s safe to say that the angels appointed to you respond to your words spoken in faith because 1. they are assigned to you, 2. it’s their very purpose to serve you, and 3. you are created in the likeness of God and are a co-heir with Christ. Thus they are released to help you in your situation… or they’re released to not help you in the event that you speak words of unbelief and act accordingly.

The Population of Angels

The Bible doesn’t provide an exact count of these celestial beings, although in John’s heavenly vision he saw “many angels numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand” encircling God’s throne (Revelation 5:11). This coincides with a vision Daniel had (Daniel 7:10). That’s over 100 million angels! Of course, this indefinite figure doesn’t take into account the billions of angels assigned to minister to people on Earth nor the fallen angels who fell from Heaven with Satan nor the angels elsewhere in Heaven. It’s simply a testimony of the myriad angels functioning around God’s throne in Heaven.

In any case, the passage offers a magnificent picture of the activity in God’s presence and suggests the number of angels to be incomprehensible. But, while the population of angels may be incredibly vast, it is a definite number; we just don’t know what it is.

Angels Are Praise & Worshipers

Speaking of Revelation 5:11, the passage goes on to show the multitudes of angels praising & worshiping the Almighty (verse 12). The “four living creatures” that John saw around the throne are a form of angel and they’re also depicted worshiping God (Revelation 4:8); not to mention many other angels (Revelation 7:11-12).

Someone might ask: Why are these angels praising the LORD so much? Why would God need or want so much adulation? Actually, it’s not a matter of the Almighty being insecure and needing praise in a fleshly sense; rather, worship is simply the natural response to God’s stunning magnificence. Think about it in terms of watching great musicians, athletes or artists: We are so marveled by their talents we react with enthusiastic applause or shouts, sometimes even jumping up & down. You can times this to the nth degree when encountering the Most High. After all, who’s greater—the created or the Creator?

When Christ was born in a stable in Bethlehem an angel appeared to some shepherds in a field nearby to inform them of this awesome event (Luke 2:8-15). They were terrified by the sighting, as is usual in Scripture, but the angel encouraged them not to be afraid and told them where to find the amazing baby. Then this happened: “Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host [angels] appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests’ ” (verses 13-14).

Praising God is obviously a priority for angels and one of their favorite activities. It’s healthy to celebrate & adulate the LORD, not just for angels, but all creation (Psalm 103:20-22 & Psalm 148).*

* For more on the importance of praise & worship see this article.

Angels Don’t Procreate

Christ pointed out in Luke 20:34-36 that angels don’t marry, which means they don’t copulate and therefore don’t procreate. So their population is a set figure, unless God were to create more.

This doesn’t necessarily mean, however, that angels can’t copulate; just that they don’t marry and therefore don’t have sex. This doesn’t necessarily apply to the fallen angels, of course, as they are in rebellion against the Creator. In fact, a group of them manifested in the physical realm for the very purpose of having sexual relations with women and procreating, which gave birth to the giant Nephilim (NEF-ah-lim), as detailed in Genesis 6. This fascinating topic is covered here.

By the way, Jesus said that angels don’t marry; he didn’t say that there are only male angels nor did he say that angels are asexual. Whether or not there are female angels is tackled in Appendix A of ANGELS.

Neither do the Scriptures ever say that “all of the angels were created simultaneously,” as I read a couple ministers teach. While this may be likely, it’s not specifically stated. What we do know is that angels already existed when the Earth & Universe were created. We also know they possess intrinsic immortality, which means they can’t die, even if they’re fallen (Luke 20:34-36). Such immortality is only available to people who are redeemed (2 Timothy 1:10 & Romans 2:7). See this article for details.

What Is an Archangel?

The prefix ‘arch’ is a Greek term meaning “of the first order, chief.” So an archangel is a ruling angel. This word only appears twice in Scripture:

But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Jude 1:9

 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.

1 Thessalonians 4:16

The first passage shows that Michael is the ruling angel in the LORD’s service. While the second passage doesn’t mention Michael by name, we can safely conclude that it refers to Michael because the verse is addressing the resurrection of the dead and other passages cite Michael as the chief angel in charge of this endeavor (Jude 1:9 & Daniel 12:1-3). Scripture interprets Scripture.

Although it’s possible that Michael is the only ruling angel, a couple of things point to the likelihood of more archangels subordinate to Michael. For one, notice how an angel speaking to Daniel describes Michael in this passage:

“Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. ¹³ But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.

Daniel 10:12-13

This anonymous angel informs Daniel that he came in response to his prayers immediately but was detained for 21 days because the “prince of the Persian kingdom” resisted him. This “prince” was obviously a high-ranking evil spirit that ruled over Persia at the time. The messenger angel was only able to break free from this wicked spirit with the assistance of Michael. This shows that Michael is mightier than common angels, as well as fallen angels who rule over whole nations, which is befitting a chief angel or archangel.

Anyway, notice that the nameless angel describes Michael as “one of the chief princes,” which means one of the ruling angels.

Jewish tradition says that there are seven archangels, and this passage implies it:

And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.

Revelation 8:2

It stands to reason that these seven angels are chief angels—archangels—in light of the fact that they’re standing before God. Think of it in terms of top generals who get direct instructions from their king or president.

I’m not going to list the names of the seven archangels from Hebraic tradition because it’s irrelevant in a study based purely on Scripture. However, the top two archangels on this list are cited in the Bible—Michael and Gabriel. Being the only two heavenly angels cited by name in the Bible, we know this marks Michael and Gabriel as special. In light of this, plus the fact that Michael is called an archangel—a ruling angel—and “one of the chief princes,” it’s safe to conclude that Gabriel is also a chief angel.

The only other angel cited by name is Lucifer, but he foolishly rebelled against God due to pride and was thus banished from Heaven.

Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer

Being the only three angels cited by name in Scripture, let’s consider each of them and their heavenly duties:

Michael

As noted above, Michael is an archangel—the only angel specifically referred to as such—and is described by a subordinate angel as “one of the chief princes.” ‘Chief ’ in the Hebrew is rishon (ree-SHOHN), which means “first.” And ‘prince’ is sar (SAR), meaning chieftain, ruler, official, captain, prince. So “chief prince” (rishon sar) can be defined as first ruler or top official. Furthermore, Michael is also described in Daniel as a “great prince” (Daniel 12:1). ‘Prince’ is the same Hebrew word as above whereas ‘great’ is gadol (gaw-DOHL), which simply means “great.” Thus Michael isn’t just a ruling angel, he’s a great ruling angel—the top one. So, while there may likely be seven archangels, Michael is the top one.

Is it any wonder, then, that Michael will lead the fight against Satan and his angels when they strike one last time against the Almighty?

Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. ⁸ But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. ⁹ The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.                                            

Revelation 12:7-9

This prophetic passage is actually a double reference. There are often double references in Bible prophecy, which simply means that the prophecy has both a more immediate application and a far-flung one, whether past or future. The context of this particular prophecy in the book of Revelation shows that it refers to the devil’s last ditch effort against his Creator during the mid-point of the future seven-year Tribulation, which fails. However, this is also a flashback to the devil’s original rebellion in Heaven and his embarrassing ouster, along with “his angels” who joined his harebrained scheme. For details on the prophetic “law of double reference” see this article.

In any case, Michael is listed as the top heavenly angel in command of fighting and defeating the enemy. “The dragon” (i.e. the devil) and his loser angels are “not strong enough” and thus lose “their place in heaven” and are “hurled to the earth.”

This, plus the fact that Michael helped an unnamed angel get a message to Daniel by defeating the demonic “king of Persia” (Daniel 10:13) shows that Michael is a warrior angel—the top one, in fact. You could say that he’s the 5 Star General of angels.

He’s also in charge of the resurrection of the dead, as pointed out earlier.

Michael’s name, by the way, means “Who is like God?” which fittingly honors the LORD.

Speaking of which, Michael is decidedly submitted to the LORD (Jude 1:9), but this doesn’t negate Michael’s mightiness in the least, as testified by the above passages. This is important to grasp because wives are instructed to submit to their husbands in Scripture (Ephesians 5:22), which is interestingly related to the hierarchal ranks of angels and their submission to authority:

That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.

1 Corinthians 11:10

As such, a wife submitting to her husband does not negate her greatness or glory in the least. Chew on that.

Gabriel

This angel’s name literally means “God is my strength” (literally “God is my strong man”), but could also be rendered “devoted to God” or “hero of God.” All are fitting for this mighty angel. In the Bible Gabriel is shown delivering important messages to three different individuals:

1. Daniel (Daniel 8:15-17 & 9:21-23)
2. Zechariah (Luke 1:8-20)
3. Mary, the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:26–38)

On the latter two occasions he announces the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. As such, Gabriel is the angel of annunciation—God’s angel who announces special events or messages. He’s therefore likely the angel who will proclaim the gospel of Christ during the Tribulation, as shown here:

Then I saw another angel flying in midair, and he had the eternal gospel to proclaim to those who live on the earth—to every nation, tribe, language and people. ⁷ He said in a loud voice, “Fear God and give him glory, because the hour of his judgment has come. Worship him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”

Revelation 14:6-7

The angel is described as “flying in midair,” which shows that he has the power of flight and therefore perhaps wings of some sort.

When Gabriel came to Zechariah to proclaim the pregnancy of his wife, Elizabeth, and the forthcoming birth of John, Zechariah foolishly responded with unbelief. Notice Gabriel’s stern response:

“I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. ²⁰ And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”                              

Luke 1:19-20

Gabriel describes himself as one who stands in the very presence of God. Is this not reminiscent of the seven angels standing before God in John’s vision (Revelation 8:2)? This suggests that Gabriel is a chief angel—an archangel—although Michael is the top ruling angel.

Lucifer

This is the angel who pompously rebelled in Heaven and thus lost his position, falling to the Earth in defeat. Technically he fell to the “underworld,” which is the spiritual dimension that undergirds the Earth and Universe. He was fittingly renamed Satan, which means “adversary” or “the enemy,” as well as devil, which means “slanderer.”

‘Lucifer,’ by contrast, means “shining one” or “light-bearer.” He was a top cherub in Heaven, obviously an archangel and presumably in charge of worship. But he rebelled when people were created because he was envious of their nature as the only beings created in God’s image intended to be co-heirs with Christ. Not to mention he didn’t want to serve them, as angels are commissioned to do. Then there’s his utter arrogance in craving a position above the Almighty.

I say Lucifer was “obviously an archangel” because he misled a third of the angels in his imprudent revolt and they fell from Heaven with him. You can’t mislead others unless you’re leading them in the first place, which shows that Lucifer was a leading angel; and a leading angel is an archangel.

Here’s something to consider: There are only three angels named in Scripture and one of these, Lucifer, misled a third of the angels and they were kicked out of Heaven with him. Who leads the other two-thirds who weren’t banished from Heaven? Who else but Michael and Gabriel, the only other two angels cited by name?

For those who cite Abaddon, aka Apollyon, as a fourth angel named in Scripture in Revelation 9:11, since this particular angel is 1. the king over the tormenting ‘locusts’ of verses 2-11, 2. his name means “destroyer” and 3. he’s called “the angel of the Abyss, it’s likely just a pseudonym for Satan who, in verse 1, is the fallen “star… given the key to the shaft of the Abyss.”

For more details on the devil see this article.

One last thing about archangels: This verse suggests that archangels periodically report to God, including Satan:

One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.

Job 1:6

Which angels came to report to the LORD? Obviously not every angel in existence and unlikely common angels. So this must refer to the ruling angels—the archangels—presenting themselves to God to give account. Job 2:1 shows this happening again, which suggests that it’s a periodic obligation, much like supervisors reporting to managers.

These verses illustrate the sovereignty of God: Even Satan, the fallen “god of this world” has to give account to the Almighty. The passages could thus be read as such: “the ruling angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and even the disgraced archangel Satan came with them.”

Angelic Hierarchies

The fact that there are archangels—ruling angels—shows that there are angelic hierarchies, just as there are hierarchies in the natural, such as in families, businesses, companies, governments, militaries, assemblies and sects. With this understanding, let’s take another look at a passage, which suggests the hierarchy of angels:

The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. ¹⁶ For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

Colossians 1:15-16

This reveals that there are subordinate authorities under Christ, and they are hierarchal in nature. Hierarchies are leadership divisions. Think of it in terms of militaries where there’s a chain of command. The chain starts with 5 Star generals, then subordinate officers (lower generals, colonels, majors, captains, lieutenants), and, finally, non-commissioned officers.

While hierarchies sometimes have a negative connotation they’re necessary for order in any group. It doesn’t mean that those in the group aren’t equal in the sense of intrinsic worth as living beings; it just means that some in the group are in leadership positions and therefore have more power and thus more responsibility, which makes them more important.

Angelic Varieties

The Bible also shows that there are varieties of angels. Here are the types cited:

Seraphim

Isaiah 6:1-7 describes one of Isaiah’s visions where seraphim (SAIR-ah-fim) flew above the throne of God. This is different from cherubim, who dwell around it. Seraphim (or seraphs) are described as having six wings, two of which are used for flying. The other two sets are used to cover their faces and feet. Their faces were likely covered to protect them from God’s glory since they were so close to the throne. Their feet were probably covered because feet were considered unclean in Hebrew culture.

In any case, a seraph (SAIR-uhf) is depicted in the prophet’s vision holding a live coal with tongs, taken from the heavenly altar, which the angel uses to touch Isaiah’s lips for purification. We observe that the seraph has hands.

Seraphim are only depicted by name this one time in Scripture. The Hebrew word means “fiery ones,” likely an allusion to their burning love, readily willing to minister to the LORD or whomever. As such, they’re sometimes called the “ones of love” because their name may be derived from the Hebrew root for “love.” All this points to the idea that they’re personal attendants of God. The Hebrew saraph (saw-RAWF) is ironically used five other times in the Old Testament in reference to “fiery serpents” or “flying serpents.”

The seraphim in Isaiah’s vision are shown constantly glorifying and praising God, saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” Using the same word three times to describe someone or something in Hebrew culture meant that the person or thing was utterly like the word. As such, the LORD is intrinsically holy; that is, absolutely pure, unlike fallen angels, which are unclean, impure or filthy.

Cherubim

In modern culture cherubs are typically depicted as pudgy children with wings, akin to Cupid in classical mythology. Scripture, however, describes them much differently. Cherubim (CHAIR-ah-bim) are an order of mighty angelic beings. The Hebrew term is probably related to the Akkadian karabu, meaning “great, powerful, mighty.” They are first mentioned in the Bible as angels whom the LORD assigns to guard the Garden of Eden after Adam & Eve fell and were expelled (Genesis 3:24).

Cherubim are associated with God’s holy presence and thus the LORD’s glory. God instructed that the pure gold cover of the Ark of the Covenant be made with two cherubim facing each other, their wings spread upward overshadowing the Ark (Exodus 25:17-22). It was between these gold-sculptured cherubs that the LORD’s very presence would dwell on Earth during the Old Covenant period (Psalm 80:1 & 99:1). While this refers to the earthly Ark, it was a reflection of the heavenly reality: The LORD is enthroned in Heaven guarded by mighty cherubim on either side.

What’s more, David described the LORD as mounting cherubim and flying to help him in a life-threatening situation (Psalm 18:10 & 2 Samuel 22:11). “LORD” in this context refers to the pre-incarnate Christ, also known as The Angel of the LORD, which is addressed here. While David may have been speaking somewhat figuratively, it nevertheless shows the Mighty Christ utilizing the services of cherubim to save his servant.

Ezekiel had an incredible vision that explains how the LORD “mounted the cherubim and flew”: God sat on a throne which rested on a huge platform that looked like sparkling ice. Underneath the platform were four living creatures—cherubim—who propelled the platform with the aid of four giant wheels within intersecting wheels (Ezekiel 1). While the passage doesn’t identify these “living creatures” as cherubim, the prophet does so in another vision in Ezekiel 10 (see verses 15 & 20 in particular). If you Google “Ezekiel’s vision” you can view several awe-inspiring depictions of this Divine craft from different artists. This is how the LORD travels by “mounting the cherubim.”

Speaking of these two visions, Ezekiel provides the most detailed description of cherubim: Unlike the seraphim, they only have four wings—two covering their bodies and two for flying. They have the form of human beings with the appearance of burning coals or torches; and they’re said to be covered with eyes (Ezekiel 1:18 & 10:12). They have arms & hands, but their feet are likened to hooves. Curiously, they have four different faces on each side of their heads—like that of a man on the front, a lion on the right, an ox on the left, and also an eagle. God gave them four faces perhaps to represent supremacy over the Earth and atmosphere: Humankind is declared the ruler over creation (Genesis 1:26); the lion is the proverbial “king of beasts”; the ox is the most powerful & useful domesticated animal; and the eagle rules the skies.

While Ezekiel’s description seems to change a bit in his later vision with the ox-like face switching to that of a cherub (Ezekiel 10:14), verse 22 verifies that he was simply referring to one of the four faces of the cherub, which his earlier vision confirmed as looking like an ox. In any case, just as humans, lions, oxen and eagles represent the greatest of their respective domain in the earthly realm, so the cherub is the greatest of angels in the celestial realm.

I should add that there’s no reason to think that every cherub looks like the ones Ezekiel described. After all, there’s a wide range of appearance in the varieties of people, right? Not all Caucasians, Africans, Asians and Australoids look alike; nor do all cherubim. The gold-sculptured ones on the Ark of the Covenant, for instance, only had one face and, evidently, two wings rather than four (Exodus 25:17-20).

Let’s also remember that Ezekiel was describing amazing otherworldly things from a 6^th century BC mindset. It would be akin to a primitive native from the remotest parts of the Earth seeing a modern city for the first time and trying to describe skyscrapers and the like.

Also keep in mind that, with visions, the line between the literal and the symbolic is sometimes blurred. For instance, are the cherubs that Ezekiel saw literally covered with eyes or is this simply figurative of the fact that they’re “watchers,” as denoted earlier? Do they really have four different faces or is this also emblematic? Could they perhaps be wearing helmets with decorated faces on each side?

The hermeneutical rule is to take the Scriptures literally wherein at all possible and only figuratively when symbolism is apparent or highly suspected for one reason or another; in which case we should look for the obvious truth the symbolism intends to convey.

Living Creatures

John chronicles “four living creatures” around God’s throne in Heaven that share characteristics of both the seraphim and cherubim (Revelation 4:6-9). Interestingly, Ezekiel described the four cherubim he saw as “four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:5,13) and, like them, the living creatures in John’s vision are said to have faces reminiscent of a man, lion, ox and eagle, except that they only have one face each, as opposed to four. Is this how they really appear or are they wearing symbolic helmets of some sort? They are also covered with eyes, which suggests they are watchers, like cherubim. But, like the seraphim in Isaiah’s vision, they have six wings and constantly say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty.” So the four living creatures are modified versions of seraphim and cherubim.

Since the four faces of the living creatures are analogous to earthly beings that are the greatest in their category—human, lion, ox and eagle—it is thought that the four living creatures represent creation worshiping the Creator.

Common Angels

When heavenly angels are cited in Scripture they are most often referred to simply as angels and are not designated as seraphs, cherubs or living creatures. While they may be one of these, the Bible doesn’t distinguish this. Furthermore, they are typically described in terms of young men with shining faces wearing white, gleaming garments (e.g. Matthew 28:2-3, Mark 16:5, Luke 24:4 & Daniel 10:5-6). You’ll note that there is no reference to wings in such passages, which supports the idea that not all angels have wings. While this may mean that these angels didn’t have wings, it could also simply mean that their wings weren’t mentioned, just as their hands & feet aren’t cited. Or perhaps the way common angels appear to fallen humans isn’t exactly as they look in the spiritual realm.

In any case, are these angels a fourth classification? Whether they are or not, it’s only appropriate that we distinguish them, which is why I dub them “common angels.”

And what of archangels, that is, ruling angels? Are they a separate species of angel or are they just angels that have acquired leadership status—whether seraphim, cherubim, living creatures or (maybe) common angels? I would say the latter in light of the fact that Lucifer was referred to as a cherub before his fall. Speaking of which, it could be argued that all archangels are cherubim since, as noted above, cherubim are the “great, powerful, mighty” angels associated with God’s presence. This is not to say, of course, that all cherubim are archangels.

Consider human rulers throughout history, whether monarchs, dictators, presidents or prime ministers—are they a wholly different type of human being or are they simply people of varying races and socio-economic levels who attained ruling status one way or another? This is why I didn’t list archangels as one of the varieties of angels, but rather distinguished them as chiefs in the hierarchy of angels.

How Exactly Will We “Judge Angels”?

It was pointed out earlier that we don’t serve angels; rather they are commissioned to serve us. In fact, we’re called to judge angels. This can be observed in a rhetorical question that Paul asked the believers at Corinth:

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

1 Corinthians 6:3

What does it mean that we will judge angels? Answer: Since believers are co-heirs with Christ and we “will reign for ever and ever” with Him (Romans 8:17 & Revelation 22:5), we will have the authority to judge angels. This makes sense in light of the fact that the job of these celestial beings is to serve us. It should be added that judging angels would include governing them since the Greek word for ‘judge’ can mean “to rule or govern.” As such, angels will serve us in the eternal age of the new Heavens and new Earth as we govern them (2 Peter 3:13).

An alternative interpretation is that we shall judge fallen angels, but this is unlikely since their judgment is already set (Matthew 25:41).

Other Facts or Insights About Angels

• Since angels are spiritual beings they are not ordinarily visible to the human eye.
• If they are seen, it’s allowed by God for a particular purpose (Luke 2:8-15). In such cases they either reveal themselves to certain people with God’s permission or the LORD allows them to be seen.
• When this occurs, they often appear simply as normal human beings (Hebrews 13:2). This obviously isn’t their real appearance because when people see angels in their true form (presumably as they appear in the spirit realm) they are either awed by them or terrified (Revelation 19:10 & Luke 1:11-12).
• Unlike God, angels are neither omniscient (know everything) nor omnipresent (present everywhere at the same time).
• The scriptural description of seraphim, cherubim and living creatures shows that they have wings. Since Lucifer was a cherub before his fall we assume that he also had wings, which suggests Satan has them. The scant evidence also points to Gabriel having wings, as noted earlier. While Michael is never described as having wings we assume that he does since he’s the chief angel. How could he be the top angel if he didn’t at least have the talents of his subordinates? While common angels aren’t said to have wings, it doesn’t say they don’t either. Yet, here’s an alternative possibility: Perhaps angels described as having “wings” is mere symbolism for the fact that they possess the power of flight.
• Jacob had a dream where he saw a stairway (or ladder) going up to Heaven with angels ascending and descending. This illustrates the incessant activity of angels going back-and-forth from Heaven to Earth in the LORD’s service (Genesis 28:12).
• Someone argued that angels don’t need wings if they can use this stairway. No, all it means is that they utilize this traveling convenience to go back-and-forth from one realm to another. It doesn’t mean they don’t have wings or cannot fly.
• Angels going back & forth from Heaven to Earth obviously refers to angels delivering messages or carrying out other services and then returning (Daniel 10:12). Perhaps angels relieve those on Earth so they can go back to the presence of God and “recharge” before returning to duty. Remember, God is the Fountain of Life (Psalm 36:9).

This article was edited from ANGELS, which is available for a low price here (345 pages). Or pick up the eBook version for just $2.99!

IMMORTALITY — Only Available Through the Gospel

The Bible plainly declares that immortality and eternal life are only available through the gospel of Christ

but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

2 Timothy 1:10

Immortality is something we’re called to seek and not something we intrinsically possess apart from Christ, as shown here:

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life.

Romans 2:7

Furthermore, nowhere does the Bible state that the human soul, once created, is immortal and can never die. The Hebrew word for “soul,” nephesh, appears over 750 times in the Old Testament and the Greek word for “soul,” psuche, appears over 100 times in the New Testament. These over 850 references should tell us all we need to know about the soul, yet none say anything about it being immortal by nature. If the immortal soul doctrine is true, why did God inspire hundreds of references to the soul without mentioning anything about it being inherently immortal?

On the contrary, God plainly informed Adam, who was a “living soul,” that he would “surely die” if he sinned (Genesis 2:7,17). He also pointed out in Ezekiel 18:4,20 that “the soul (nephesh) who sins… will die.” And, furthermore, Jesus plainly declared that God would “destroy both soul (psuche) and body in hell” (Matthew 10:28). A usual knee-jerk, but hollow, response is to argue that these Scriptures “are taken out of context.” I would like to use this same argument and point out that biblical references to the immortal soul are taken out of context, but I can’t because no such passages exist.

Where Did the Idea of an “Immortal Soul” Apart From Christ Originate?

From the devil, the “father of lies,” as Christ called him (John 8:44). Remember what God said to Adam and Eve would be the consequence of disobedience? He warned them that they would “surely die” (Genesis 2:17). You see, the LORD made it perfectly clear way back in the beginning that going the wrong way—the way of selfishness and rebellion—would lead to death. This is in harmony with the biblical fact that “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23).

Yet when “the father of lies” tempted Eve to sin in Genesis 3:4, he contradicted what God said by saying that she would “not surely die” if she sinned. This is the very first lie recorded in the Bible. The devil was saying in essence, “What God said is a lie, you will not surely die—you have an immortal soul.” Unfortunately people have been believing this lie about the so-called immortal soul ever since; this false doctrine infiltrated Christianity early on and has gone on to become the “orthodox” view even though the Bible does not teach it, thus proving the power of religious tradition and sectarian allegiance. This long-lasting mass deception explains why I refer to the doctrine of the immortal soul as The Great Lie.

After the unfortunate fall of Adam and Eve, notice what the LORD said to Himself:

And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”

Genesis 3:22

God would not have said this if Adam already possessed an immortal soul (i.e. unconditional immortality). Secondly, this statement makes it clear that human beings can obtain unconditional immortality if they eat of the tree of life. The obvious reason God did not want Adam to eat of the tree of life is because he was unredeemed. If Adam ate of the tree of life in his unredeemed condition he would have attained unconditional immortality and thus would have condemned himself and his descendants to live forever in a fallen, ungodly state (like the devil and his angels). The LORD is just, righteous and merciful and didn’t want such a horrible tragedy to befall humanity so he immediately banished Adam & Eve from the garden and was sure to guard the way to the tree of life (verses 23-24).

The LORD would have to redeem humankind before allowing us to eat “from the tree of life and live forever.” That’s what the gospel of Christ is all about. And this explains Jesus’ statement in Revelation 2:7: “To him who overcomes I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God.” Notice clearly that only those who are born of God and overcome the world by faith (1 John 5:4) have the right to eat of the tree of life and live forever. That’s because eternal life and immortality are only available through the gospel (2 Timothy 1:10).

Related Topics:

Death — Does it Mean “Separation” as Religionists Claim? (No)

Hell (Human Damnation) — Questions and Answers

Eternal Life — What will it be Like?

Eternal Life: Questions & Answers

RESTORATION OF ALL THINGS

Peter spoke of “the period of restoration of all things” when preaching to a crowd after the miraculous healing of a lame beggar (Acts 3:21 NASB). God’s great restoration of creation takes place in four stages:

1. Spiritual rebirth of people who accept the gospel.
2. The redemption of our bodies, which is when we’ll receive glorified bodies and (primarily) takes place at the Rapture.
3. Christ’s millennial reign on Earth after the seven-year Tribulation.
4. The establishment of the new Heavens and new Earth, the eternal home of righteousness.

Let’s go over each stage and the scriptural support for each.

STAGE ONE: Spiritual Regeneration through the Gospel

The Messiah noted the restoration of all things here:

Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” 

Matthew 19:28

The Greek word for ‘renewal’ in this verse is paliggenesia (pal-ing-hen-es-EE-ah), which means “new birth, regeneration or renewal.” It’s only used twice in Scripture. The other occasion is Titus 3:5, where it refers to the regeneration of the human spirit. This occurs, of course, when a believer accepts the gospel through repentance and faith (John 3:3,6 & Acts 20:21).

Spiritual regeneration is the first stage of God’s “renewal of all things.” You see, the restoration of all things is jump-started in our current age through the spiritual rebirth of believers. When a person experiences spiritual regeneration they are transferred from the dominion of Satan to the kingdom of God (Acts 26:18). In terms of physical appearance it doesn’t look like anything has changed, although their new attitude about life undoubtedly changes their demeanor. This is because, spiritually, they’ve swapped kingdoms and are no longer slaves to Satan, which naturally has an impact on one’s disposition.

Think about it in terms of those sci-fi flicks based on Jack Finney’s book The Body Snatchers; the first two were called Invasion of the Body Snatchers. The same basic principle is at play except that the extraterrestrials are wholly good because they’re God—Father, Son & Holy Spirit—who want to snatch people from Satan’s dominion. The way they do this is through inward regeneration.

STAGE TWO: The Rapture

Spiritual rebirth culminates with Christ’s return for His Church, which is the second stage of the restoration of all things. All believers are promised this blessing providing they persevere in faith (Colossians 1:22-23 & 1 Corinthians 15:2).*

* This is just common sense; after all, if it takes faith to be saved, a person can no longer be saved if they give-up at some point and no longer believe.

This second stage concerns Jesus’ return for his Church where believers’ bodies are finally redeemed:

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. ²³ Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.

Romans 8:22-23

The “redemption of our bodies” occurs when Christ snatches up His Church, as detailed in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. When this Rapture takes place, living believers will be translated to Heaven with new, glorified bodies while believers who physically died previously will be bodily resurrected with the same kinds of awesome bodies. How awesome will these bodies be? The Bible describes them as imperishable, glorified, powerful and spiritual in nature (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). Chew on that.

While some claim that the word ‘Rapture’ isn’t biblical, it is. It refers to a phrase used in the main passage that details this event:

After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:17

‘Caught up’ in the Greek is harpazó (har-PAD-zoh), which means to “snatch up” or “obtain by robbery.” It’s translated in Latin as “rapio” in the Vulgate, which is where we get the English “Rapture.” With this understanding, when the Bridegroom, Jesus, comes for His bride, the Church, He’s going to obtain us by robbing us off the Earth!

STAGE THREE: Christ’s Millennial Reign on Earth

The restoration of all things continues after the seven-year Tribulation when Christ returns to Earth and establishes his millennial kingdom, which is what Jesus was specifically referring to in Matthew 19:28 (quoted above). This is the third stage of the restoration of all things at which time Old Testament saints will be resurrected while Tribulation martyrs will be bodily resurrected. Both will receive their immortal bodies at this juncture. As for the mortal humans Christ allows to enter the Millennium after The Judgement of Living Nations (aka The Sheep and Goat Judgment—Matthew 25:31-46), their lifespans will return to the lengthy lifespans of people before the flood of Genesis 6.

Glorified believers will be priests of God and will reign with Christ during the Millennium. Such believers will not be able to propagate because, as Jesus taught, “they will neither marry nor be given in marriage… for they are like the angels” (Luke 20:34-36). This doesn’t mean, by the way, that we’ll be angels; simply that we’ll be like angels in the sense of not marrying and that we’ll attain intrinsic immortality, which we don’t currently possess (Romans 2:7 & 2 Timothy 1:10).

Isaiah 11:6-9 shows what life will be like during the Millennium: Carnivorous animals will become herbivorous and therefore wolves will live with lambs and leopards will lie together with goats; calves and lions will ‘hang out’ and be led by little children. Cows and bears will feed together and formerly carnivorous beasts, like the lion, will eat straw like an ox. Furthermore, children will play by the cobra’s den and the viper’s nest without fear because poisonous creatures will no longer be poisonous.

At the end of the Millennium Satan is released and immediately deceives the nations, inciting a mass attack on the righteous government of Christ in Jerusalem. This rebellion is easily defeated and the devil is cast into the lake of fire forever. Revelation 20:1-10 details these events.

God’s Purpose for the Millennium

The Millennium is basically a transitional phase between this present evil age (Galatians 1:4) and the eternal righteous age-to-come (Luke 18:29-30). But what exactly is God’s purpose for the Millennium? It’s simple when you think about it:

The Millennium is the LORD’s irrefutable proof to humanity that the religion of secular humanism is a lie. As you may or may not know, secular humanism is atheistic in nature and therefore anti-God. To those who embrace this godless religion there’s no sin problem because there’s no God for whom to sin against. To them, the problem of evil isn’t humanity’s sin nature and the corresponding alienation from our Creator, but rather a negative environment. As such, they believe evil, crime, poverty, war and other ailments will largely be eradicated when the right government is in place and every person is provided an education, a decent job, a nice living environment, protection from crime, and so on. While these things are good, they don’t actually remedy the sin problem or reconcile people to their Creator. They cannot set us free from Satan’s dominion and the slavery thereof. After all, a white collar man living in a rich suburb is still perfectly able to commit fraud due to a greedy heart, not to mention be a drunkard, drug addict, wife-beater, slanderer, hypocrite, adulterer, murderer, blowhard, oppressor, porn addict or practicing homosexual.

In the Millennium the LORD is going to provide the perfect government and environment for nations of mortals. It will be a veritable worldwide utopia. Since Jesus will be the King over all the Earth and his assistants will be glorified believers who don’t have a sin nature there will be zero corruption in the government (imagine that!). Yet, as the population increases over the course of the thousand years, many of the offspring of the original “sheep”—the mortals whom Christ allows to enter into the Millennium (Matthew 25:31-46)—will just go through the motions of being faithful to the Lord while their hearts aren’t in it. This is legalism—putting on the airs of godliness without the heart of godliness. Because legalism is an “outward job” it’s decidedly inauthentic. As such, when the devil is unleashed at the end of the thousand years these covert rebels will naturally embrace the lies of the kingdom of darkness and unite for war in a harebrained attempt to take over the completely righteous government of Christ! (This shows that Satan is thoroughly incorrigible; he never learns from his mistakes).

Of course the rebellion is quickly quelled and, after the Great White Throne Judgment, the eternal age of the new Heavens and new Earth will manifest (Revelation 20:9-15 & Revelation 21-22).

So the Millennium is the Most High’s eternal showcase in disproving the religion of secular humanism.

STAGE FOUR: The Eternal New Heavens and New Earth

As wonderful as the thousand-year reign of Christ will be, it’s just another stage in the “restoration of all things.” The fourth and final stage takes place when God wholly renovates the Earth & Universe and the heavenly city, the new Jerusalem, comes “down out of heaven from God” to rest on the new Earth (Revelation 21:1-4). Thus the renewal of all things climaxes with the renewing of the Earth & Universe. This is the new Heavens and new Earth, the eternal “home of righteousness” (2 Peter 3:13).

The Greek word for ‘restoration’ in the phrase “the final restoration of all things” is apokatastasis (ah-pok-ah-TAS-tah-sis), which appears only once in the Bible:

For he [Jesus] must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration (apokatastasis) of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets.

Acts 3:21

The root word for apokatastasis is apokathistémi (ah-pok-ath-IS-tay-mee), which means “to set up again” and “restore to its original position or condition.” That’s what the “restoration of all things” is about—restoring the Earth and Universe to its original condition before the fall, which is the way God originally intended it to be.

Creation Itself “Waits in Eager Expectation”

The Bible stresses that creation itself yearns for the redemption provided in the restoration of all things:

For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God to be revealed.

Romans 8:19

What does creation “wait in eager expectation” for? Answer: The children of God to be revealed, which is part of the restoration of all things, as detailed earlier.

What exactly is “the creation” in this verse? It refers to the Earth and Universe and all living things thereof, including the animal kingdom and even the plant kingdom. They will all be partakers in this redemption of the physical Universe. Why else would all creation “wait in eager expectation” for this great restoration if they were not included in it? Of course, animals and trees aren’t literally yearning for this renewal, but they yearn for it in a figurative sense because they’re included in it.

Consider something interesting, noted by David Reagan: When the high priest sprinkled animal blood on the cover of the Ark of the Covenant once a year to atone for the sins of the Hebrews, this blood covered God’s Law, which was represented in the Ark via the tablets of the Ten Commandments. This ritual resulted in God’s mercy year to year, covering the Israelites’ sins. But the blood of animals could only temporarily cover sin, not cleanse it away forever (Hebrews 10:1-4).

The good news is that Jesus Christ, who is the believer’s High Priest, offered his own blood when he went to the Most Holy Place in Heaven, not merely the blood of animals (Hebrews 9:23-28). Reagan points out that Leviticus 16:15 shows the high priest sprinkling blood on the ground in front of the Ark after sprinkling it on the cover. At the time, the Ark was housed in the tent Tabernacle and so the blood was literally poured on the ground. Why is this significant? Because the entire ceremony pointed to Christ’s blood atonement in Heaven and the high priest didn’t just sprinkle blood on the lid of the Ark for the redemption of humanity, but also on the ground for the restoration of all physical creation.

So “the final restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21) refers to the LORD restoring everything in creation to the condition it was originally intended. The Greek word for ‘all things’ is pas (pass), which means “all, the whole, every kind of.” So God is going to restore all creation to its initial condition, as He originally intended it to be before Satan duped Adam & Eve and usurped power-of-attorney over physical creation. Revelation 21:5 adds an interesting insight in that God will be “making everything new” and not making new things. There’s a difference.

Of course, the LORD won’t restore those condemned to the lake of fire. This includes damned human beings, the devil & his filthy angels or anything else cast into the lake of fire, such as death and Hades (Revelation 20:10-15 & Matthew 25:41). The lake of fire is basically God’s garbage dump. The good news of the gospel of Christ is all about escaping this eternal condemnation and partaking of “the restoration of all things.”

Needless to say, make sure YOU are a partaker and do everything in your power to get those linked to you to be partakers as well. As “Christ’s ambassador,” YOU are a “minister of reconciliation” called to share the “message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-20).

Here’s a diagram of the restoration of all things to help you visualize the four stages (click to enlarge):

This article was edited from Chapters 13 of ANGELS, which is available here for a special low price (345 pages). Or pick up the eBook version for just $2.99!

Related Topics:

REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation

Second Coming of Christ — Rapture and Return to Earth

Millennial Reign of Christ — Why?

Eternal Life — What will it be Like?

REDEMPTION — God’s Plan of Liberation for Humanity & Creation

The Bible is all about 1. the LORD creating the Heavens & Earth and all living things, 2. the rebellion and expulsion from Heaven of Satan & his foul underlings, 3. humanity’s fall, 4. Satan’s usurpation of authority over creation and, most of all, 5. God’s brilliant, loving plan of redemption. In this article we’re going to focus on this fifth element—the LORD’s awesome plan of redemption.

If you want to “reign in life” (Romans 5:17) you’re going to have to thoroughly know your redemption.

“All the World’s a Stage”

The fascinating events of Genesis 3 are drama of the highest order and bring to mind Shakespeare’s famous verse:

All the world’s a stage,

                   And all the men and women merely players;

• The stage in Genesis 3 is a beautiful garden roughly the size of California or Iraq (according to dimensions specified in Genesis) on a planet called Earth in a solar system in one galaxy of an estimated 200 billion galaxies in the Universe (!).
• The players are: 1. The Almighty Creator, 2. His nemesis who was kicked out of Heaven and dwells in the dark spiritual dimension that parallels the Earth and Universe, 3. Adam & Eve (and the human race in their loins), the only beings created in the likeness of God and called to be co-heirs with Christ, and 4. a harmless, beautiful animal that Satan uses to dupe Adam & Eve and usurp their authority over the Earth and Universe.
• The prop is a tree with the forbidden fruit thereof.
• The suspense concerns whose word Adam & Eve will believe—God’s or Satan’s—which will determine their destiny and the destiny of the human race.
• The tragedy is their fall, the cursing of creation and the ensuing pathos of life in a fallen world.
• The challenge is how the Creator can possibly set things aright without compromising His perfect justice.
• The story contains elements of all great dramas—a noble hero, a wicked villain (or foil), protagonists, deceit, the testing of character, tragedy and potential redemption, which brings us to…

God’s Plan of Redemption for Humanity

To ‘redeem’ means “to liberate through payment of ransom” or “to clear of debt through proper payment.” In the 1^st century nearly half the people on Earth were slaves in one form or another. The Greek word for ‘redeem’ was used back then in reference to purchasing freedom for a slave.

While slavery still exists today, it’s much less widespread. However, spiritual slavery is rampant because everyone born from Adam is a slave to sin and captive to the kingdom of darkness. The awesome news is that God has purchased our freedom from this spiritual slavery through the precious blood of Christ.

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, ¹⁹ but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect.

1 Peter 1:18-19

We’ve been liberated through the death and resurrection of Christ, which is the gospel (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). Peter summarizes what we’ve been freed from as “the empty way of life” handed down to us from our ancestors. This refers to people’s empty existence separate from God as slaves to sin with Satan as slave master. Such bondage was handed down to us by our ancestors, Adam & Eve.

Some will understandably reason that it’s unfair for sin and spiritual slavery to be passed from our primordial parents to the rest of us. Answer: This is what theologians refer to as federal headship, which simply means that Adam was the human race’s spiritual, moral and physical fountainhead, our lone representative. The entire race was in his loins when he deliberately sinned and thus sin was passed on to all descendants (Romans 5:12). Think about it in terms of genetics: We naturally inherit characteristics of our fore-parents, such as facial features and skin color; the same principle is at play in a spiritual sense.

To be set free from this generational curse of sin we’d have to be born of a new Adam—a second Adam—one who doesn’t transfer sin and death, but rather life, because he was not born of the seed of Adam, but of the seed of God. Believe it or not, this is the core message of the gospel. Christ is the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45-49). Let me explain…

Our freedom was purchased through the precious blood of Yeshua:

For He has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:13-14

God has rescued us—liberated us—from bondage to the kingdom of darkness through Christ. We’re no longer slaves to Satan, as long as you’ve accepted the awesome gospel.

This great salvation corresponds to the LORD’s prophecy after the fall of Adam & Eve:

“And I [God] will put enmity

    between you [Satan] and the woman,

    and between your offspring and hers [Christ];

he [Christ] will crush your head,

    and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:15

The offspring of the woman—Christ—would eventually deal Satan a fatal blow. The best the devil could do to circumvent this was to try to thwart the birth of the Messiah—which he repeatedly tried to do, but failed. The satanic attempt to pollute the bloodline through the “sons of God” copulating with women was one such attempt (Genesis 6:1-4), as covered here. Once Yeshua was born, the devil naturally manipulated his puppets in the Roman/Hebrew governments to have Jesus unjustly captured, tortured and executed, which amounted to “striking his heal.” Of course this played into God’s genius plan as the death and resurrection of Christ were key to our redemption.

The First Adam and the Great Wall

Adam’s sin and the passing of a sin nature to his descendants built an impenetrable wall between God and the human race. Yet, Hallelujah, the ministry of the second Adam—Jesus Christ—tore that wall down so that we can reconcile with our Creator.

This “great wall” is a barrier consisting of four figurative blocks:

1. The holy character of God.
2. The debt of sin.
3. Slavery to Satan.
4. Spiritual death.

Let’s look at all four:

The holy character of God. Have you ever known people who were so ‘good’ that you felt uncomfortable being around them, perhaps inferior? This is magnified when you know they’re aware of some of your more hideous “skeletons in the closet.” The reason you felt uncomfortable is because their moral standards were so high that you assumed they’d be judgmental of you, which created a sense of alienation.

Now relate this to the human race and God. All humanity is born of Adam’s seed and therefore has an inherent sin nature, which stands in stark contrast to the LORD’s flawlessness—His absolute purity, righteousness, justice, love, immutableness (unchangeableness), and veracity. Thus God’s holy character became a barrier after the fall. Is it any wonder that the Bible says “all our righteous acts are like filthy rags” (Isaiah 64:6)? Notice it doesn’t say that our bad deeds are like filthy rags, but rather our righteous acts! God is so holy—so absolutely perfect—that even what we would consider good works by human standards are offensive by comparison. In short, there’s an infinite gap between fallen humanity and the LORD due to God’s holy character.

The debt of sin. Back in the 1^st century Roman Empire when criminals were judged they were given a Certificate of Debt, which was placed on the door of their cells. This document cited how they failed to live according to the law of Caesar and denoted the corresponding sentence. When the penalty was fulfilled their Certificate of Debt was stamped “Paid in Full” so that they would not be punished again for their crimes. Of course, if the penalty was death this was irrelevant, but if the consequence was time it was valuable: If someone tried to accuse them of a past offense all they had to do was show their canceled Certificate of Debt. Until that debt was paid, however, it stood between them and freedom.

Now let’s relate this to the human race and the perfect moral Law of God, summed up in the Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount. All of us have sinned against God’s Law because the infection of sin passed from our Federal Headship to us. We’re all infected with a sinful nature and have missed it one way or another; actually we’ve transgressed innumerable ways, not just “one,” particularly when you consider the so-called “little sins,” like arrogance, envy, jealousy, rivalry, greed, carnal lust and the like. Since the “wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23) we’ve all been assigned a Certificate of Debt, which cites the penalty of our offenses as death (Colossians 2:14). This is why the Bible says “whoever does not believe stands condemned already” (John 3:18).

Humanity’s debt of sin means that we’re in a state of criminality apart from Christ, the second Adam. We’re thus “objects of [God’s] wrath” (Ephesians 2:3). It’s an impassable barrier between us and God and can only be removed if a qualified individual paid the penalty of death in our place.

Slavery to Satan. This third block in the great wall that separates God and humanity refers to Satan apprehending power-of-attorney over physical creation and hence becoming the “god of this age” (2 Corinthians 4:4) or, as Christ called him, “the prince of this world” (John 12:31, John 14:30 & John 16:11). ‘Prince’ in the Greek is archon (AR-kohn), which means “ruler, governor, leader.” The devil is the spiritual ruler of this planet and thus the world is one big slave market where everyone born of the seed of Adam is legally a slave to Satan, whether they know it or not. This explains why the Messiah said the conservative religious leaders of Israel where children of the devil, to their astonishment (John 8:33-44). It’s why the New Testament proclaims in no uncertain terms that “the whole world is under the control of the evil one” “who leads the whole world astray” (1 John 5:19 & Revelation 12:9). It explains Christ’s commission to Paul to turn people “from the dominion of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). It explains why Satan is referred to as “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient” (Ephesians 2:2).

Unredeemed humanity may be God’s creation, but they’re not God’s children. They lawfully belong to their cruel slave master, the devil. The only person born into this world that was not born in subjugation to Satan is our Mighty Savior, Jesus Christ, because he was not born of the seed (sperm) of a human father and therefore was not tainted with Adam’s sin infection (Luke 1:34-35). To be set free of slavery to Satan a person has to be born of God’s seed and thus become a child of God (1 John 3:2,9 & 5:1).

Spiritual death. God warned Adam & Eve not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because “in the day” that they did so they would “surely die” (Genesis 2:17). The Hebrew word for ‘death’—muwth (mooth)—is actually used twice in this statement and therefore could be rendered “in dying you will die.” In short, something died in Adam & Eve the moment they sinned, which led to their eventual physical decease. Theologians refer to this as spiritual death, which doesn’t mean that their spirit ceased to exist, but rather that their spirit became dead to God because Adam & Eve lost their spiritual life or eternal life. Their relationship with their Creator was thus short-circuited; it died. This condition was unfortunately passed on to everyone born into this world ever since.

Of course, God does not hold children accountable until they reach the “age of accountability,” which refers to the age that youths are held responsible for their sins. Theologians typically place this age at 13 based on the Jewish custom that a child becomes an adult at 13, but the Bible doesn’t actually say this. Interestingly, God only held Israelites 20 years-old and older accountable for serious sins of unbelief committed during the Hebrews’ desert journey to the Promised Land (Numbers 14:29-30). No doubt the age of accountability varies according to the maturity level of the individual and the severity of the sin in question. In any case, before the age of accountability children are spiritually alive; after the age of accountability they’re spiritually dead (Paul implied this in Romans 7:9). Yet all people inevitably sin—assuming they mature—and therefore they spiritually die due to the sin infection passed from Adam.

Because of this condition of spiritual death there’s a great wall between God and humanity. It’s impossible for unredeemed people to do anything to change this condition and reconcile to the LORD by their own efforts. As such, no human-made religion can reconcile people to their Creator and grant forgiveness of sins or eternal life. This explains a statement Jesus made to his disciples when they asked him who could be saved. He responded:

“With people it is impossible, but not with God; for all things are possible with God.”

Mark 10:27

Eternal salvation and everything that goes with it—reconciliation with the LORD, the forgiveness of sins and acquisition of eternal life—are only available through God and not human-made religion, including religious “Christianity,” which isn’t actual Christianity. These wonderful things are available exclusively from God through the gospel, which explains why ‘gospel’ literally means “good news.”

Paul said that God gives “all men life” (Acts 17:25). The word ‘life’ here is the Greek word zoe (ZOH-ay), which in this context refers to the temporal life (zoe) that God grants all people and is acquired simply by being born of the perishable seed of Adam. Consequently, everyone born into this world has temporal life (zoe). To receive eternal life (zoe) people must be born-again of the imperishable seed of Christ, the second Adam (see 1 John 3:9, 1 Peter 1:23, Romans 5:16-17 and 1 Corinthians 15:45). This is what the gospel of Christ is all about and it’s all summed up nicely in the Bible’s most famous passage:

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

John 3:16

This is the gospel in a nutshell. Speaking of which…

The Second Adam Demolishes the Great Wall

Summing up, the “great wall” that separates God and fallen humanity consists of four impenetrable blocks—1. God’s holy character, 2. our debt of sin, 3. slavery to Satan and 4. spiritual death—and no amount of human effort, religion or philosophy can bring it down. We can’t even get over the wall with God’s aid; the barrier must be destroyed.

This is precisely what Jesus Christ—the second Adam—did. To explain, consider this little parable: An entomologist lived by some woods where he studied the various insects. There was a huge ant hill of which he was particularly fond. When news came that the nearby road was going to be extended through the woods and it was on a collision course with the ant hill the entomologist longed to save his beloved ants, but it was impossible to communicate the dangers to them. The only way he could do so would be to become an ant!

I’m sure you see the parallel to God’s concern for the human race. Yet there’s one huge difference: God didn’t just become a human being to warn us to repent or perish (Luke 13:1-9), the Creator sacrificed himself for us by dying in our place.

Let’s look at the four works the Mighty Christ did that demolished the great wall between God and humanity:

Propitiation. This somewhat intimidating theological term simply means that Yeshua’s sacrifice turned away God’s wrath by satisfying violated justice. In other words, propitiation appeased the offense to God’s holy character and rendered us favorable to the LORD—reconciling the wrongdoer with the affronted. Thus the Messiah’s act of propitiation—his atoning sacrifice—demolished the block of God’s offended character. We observe this here:

He is the atoning sacrifice [aka propitiation] for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 John 2:2

Christ is the “atoning sacrifice” for our transgressions. These two words are one word in the Greek: hilasmos (hil-as-MOSS), which means “a propitiation” or “atoning sacrifice.” You’ll usually see hilasmos translated as one or the other in English Bibles. To atone means to make amends or reparations for an offense or a crime. That’s what the Messiah did for us. Praise God!

Redemption. This is the work of Christ that 1. canceled our debt of sin and 2. freed us from slavery to Satan. In other words, redemption demolished the next two blocks of the great wall that separates God and humanity.

Concerning canceling our debt of sin, when Yeshua was nailed to the huge cross darkness fell upon the land for three hours whereupon Christ bore the sins of the world. It was at this time that the Son was utterly forsaken by the Father (Matthew 27:45-46). The Father perhaps allowed the pitch blackness so that no one could see the horror of what happened to the Son as he was engulfed by divine wrath when the sins of humanity were put on him.

For the first time Christ experienced the aloneness of being wholly separated from the Father & Holy Spirit with the corresponding sense of emptiness and meaninglessness.

Right before he died Jesus cried out a single, potent word, teleó (tel-AY-o), which means “It is finished” or “Paid in full” (Matthew 27:50 & John 19:30). This was the same Greek word stamped on a Roman prisoner’s Certificate of Debt when his or her sentence was completed. In other words, the price was paid for our sins and thus our Certificate of Debt was essentially stamped “Paid in Full.”

Concerning freeing us from satanic slavery, this passage best details our redemption through Christ’s sacrifice:

For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave himself as a ransom for all people.

1 Timothy 2:5-6

As noted earlier, to ‘redeem’ means “to liberate through payment of ransom; to clear of debt through proper payment.” We’ve been liberated from slavery to the kingdom of darkness through the sacrifice of the Creator. Jesus was qualified to do this because 1. He wasn’t himself a slave to Satan since he wasn’t born of Adam’s seed, but rather God’s seed (Luke 1:35); and 2. He was a willing redeemer. You see, a slave doesn’t have the clout to order someone to pay for his or her ransom. The liberator had to do so voluntarily, which explains why Christ emphasized this (John 10:17-18).

Yet what was his motivation? Love. Love sent the Lord to the cross to cancel our debt of sin and liberate us from slavery to the devil (John 3:16).

Substitutionary death. Whereas propitiation concerns God and appeasing his offended character; and redemption concerns sin and paying our debt of sin, as well as liberating us from Satan’s slave market; substitutionary death concerns the penalty of death, which is “the wages of sin” (Romans 6:23). All “substitutionary death” means is that Christ died in our place, the innocent for the guilty, which we observe in this potent verse:

But we do see Jesus, who was made lower than the angels for a little while, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone.

Hebrews 2:9

By dying in our place, Christ removed the barrier of spiritual death and all that goes with it—being dead to God, the loss of eternal life, physical death and, ultimately, the dreaded second death (Revelation 20:11-15).

Because death is the wages of sin, substitutionary animal sacrifice was implemented immediately by God to reestablish fellowship after Adam & Eve’s fall. Thus an innocent animal had to die when the LORD killed a mammal to cover their nakedness (Genesis 3:21). This established the principle that a guiltless substitute had to perish in order for sin to be forgiven or, at least, temporarily covered.

This blood sacrifice at the beginning of human history was prototypical and therefore cultures in ensuing generations utilized the concept, some staying close to the pattern and others devolving into perverse variations.

It’s interesting to observe in Scripture how substitutionary sacrifice applied to 1. one lamb for one person (Genesis 4:4 & Leviticus 4:32), 2. one lamb for one family (Exodus 12:3-14), 3. one lamb (or bull) for a nation (Leviticus 16) and 4. one “lamb” for the world, which refers to Christ and explains why John the Baptist exclaimed: “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). The Lord’s great sacrifice fulfilled the need for one lamb for one person, one lamb for one family and one lamb for one nation.

It was no coincidence, by the way, that Christ’s crucifixion took place on the Day of Passover because he was the world’s Passover lamb. Just as the blood of a lamb placed on the doorframes of the homes of the Hebrews would allow the death angel to “pass over” their abodes (Exodus 12:7,12-13), so the blood of Christ sprinkled on the doorposts of our hearts prompts God to “pass over” us, as far as the damning judgment of eternal death goes.

I want to stress again the Lord’s motivation for dying for us. Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends” (John 15:13). Christ died in our place because He loved us!

While the Messiah’s propitiation, redemption and substitutionary death demolished the four blocks of the great wall which alienated God from humanity, a final work was necessary to unite us by reestablishing relationship:

Reconciliation. To ‘reconcile’ means to change from a state of enmity to friendship. Reconciliation therefore neutralized hostility between God and humanity and this explains something Paul said:

Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation— ²³ if you continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel.

Colossians 1:21-23

At its core the gospel is about reconciling to our Creator, which is why the “good news” is also referred to as “the message of reconciliation”:

All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20

The conditions for reconciling with God are repentance and faith (Acts 20:21). Repentance seems to have a negative connotation today, but it simply means to change your mind for the positive, which therefore changes your direction. It means turning from rebellion to compliance, from dark to light, from destructivity to productivity. While it’s possible to repent and not believe, it’s not possible to truly believe and not repent.

A person’s embracing of the message of reconciliation is the first stage of what Christ called the “restoration of all things,” which refers to the liberation of the Earth and all creation from Satan’s dominion and the bondage to decay (i.e. entropy). You can read about the restoration of all things here.

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Number 40 — What’s the Significance in the Bible?

The number 40 is the biblical number of perfection in testing or judgment. Here are several examples:

• It rained on the Earth 40 days (Genesis 7:12).
• Moses fled to the desert to attend flocks for 40 years (Acts 7:30).
• Moses was on Mt. Sinai with God for 40 days (Exodus 24:18).
• Moses fasted & prayed for the Israelites for 40 days (Deuteronomy 9:18,25).
• The maximum lashes for a crime was 40 lashes (Deuteronomy 25:3).
• The 12 Hebrews reconnoitered the Promised Land for 40 days (Numbers 13:25).
• The Israelites wandered in the desert wilderness for 40 years (Deuteronomy 8:2-5).
• The Israelites suffered under the oppression of the Philistines for 40 years before God raised up Samson (Judges 13:1).
• Goliath balked at Saul’s army for 40 days before David miraculously slew him (1 Samuel 17:16).
• Elijah fled from Jezebel for 40 days to Mt. Horeb (1 Kings 19:8).

Here’s a recent personal example: My wife & I underwent a serious attack last Fall, but I had peace of mind about the trial and therefore had the grace to endure the ramifications of the assault. When it was finally over I was curious to see how long it lasted and so got out the calendar and discovered that it lasted exactly 40 days.

Sabbath — What is it? Should Believers Observe It?

The first question we need to address here is: What is the Sabbath? Then we’ll consider if New Covenant believers are obligated to observe it. And, if so, how?

There are some misconceptions about the Sabbath, so let’s read God’s specific instructions to the Israelites on this issue:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

Exodus 20:8-11

The root word for Sabbath is shabath (shaw-BATH), which means to “cease” or “desist from labor.” The Sabbath was a day of rest from one’s labor, that’s it. Although it’s presumed that a person celebrating the Sabbath will naturally worship the LORD there’s nothing in this ceremonial command that says people have to meet on that day to worship together. Yes, Hebrew people have traditionally met to worship on the Sabbath and that’s fitting, but — as you can see from this passage — meeting with other people and worshipping together is not the essence of the command, resting from one’s labors is.

The LORD commanded the Israelites to observe the Sabbath for all generations as a sign of the lasting covenant between God and them (Exodus 31:16-17). It was meant to be a blessing to the Israelites — a day to rest and refresh — but by the time of Christ sourpuss legalists had largely turned it into a burden. These religionists became so technical about defining what “work” was and wasn’t that they came up with myriad rules, like the “Sabbath Day’s journey,” which was less than half-a-mile, the distance Israelites were allowed to travel on the Sabbath without violating it (Acts 1:12).

The Pharisees are the quintessential example of legalism in the Bible and they objected to Jesus’ mere intention of healing a man’s deformed hand on the Sabbath, as shown here:

Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. ² Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. ³ Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, “Stand up in front of everyone.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

⁵ He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. ⁶ Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Mark 3:1-6

The Pharisees were so ridiculously detailed and rigid with their rules concerning  “working” on the Sabbath that they objected to Jesus doing any type of healing “work” on that day. Christ was so disgusted by their stubbornness that he shot them all a glance of anger, as shown in verse 5. This was righteous anger, of course, but anger nevertheless. He then proceeded to heal the man despite their legalistic objections. This was a wordless reprimand to the legalists; and they were so offended that they decided to murder him!

Can you imagine people being so blinded by legalistic zeal that they object to an incredible healing? Make no mistake, this is what the poison of legalism does when people are seriously infected. Those who are not contaminated, by contrast, are ever ready to praise God when people are miraculously healed and set free. Take, for instance, the occasion when blind Bartimaeus received his sight through faith and he immediately glorified God. The passage goes on to say, “And all the people, when they saw it, gave praise to God” (Luke 18:43 NKJV). This is how normal people react to incredible healings and life-changing miracles. Not so with legalists. They’re so corrupted by rule-ism they can’t see the forest for the trees!

On another occasion Jesus and his disciples were walking through the fields on the Sabbath and picked some heads of grain to quell their hunger. Since it was the Sabbath the Pharisees argued that the disciples were guilty of working because they plucked the grain and rubbed it in their hands before eating. To their legalistic way of thinking this was equal to reaping and threshing. God’s law did forbid working on the Sabbath but it was intended to be a blessing, not a burden. The Sabbath was supposed to be a welcomed rest and celebration of God after a 6-day work week, not a joyless ritual observing man-made technicalities. Jesus’ simple-yet-brilliant response says it all:

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.”

Mark 2:27

NOTE: You can compare the three accounts of this occasion as shown in Matthew 12:1-8, Mark 2:23-28 and Luke 6:1-5.

God’s Commands Are NOT Burdensome

God is always interested in blessing people by setting them free while religionists are intent on burdening others and putting them into spiritual bondage. Notice what Jesus said of the teachers of the law and the Pharisees: “They tie up heavy loads and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to lift a finger to move them” (Matthew 23:4). By contrast, the Bible says:

This is love for God: to obey his commands. And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.

1 John 5:3-4

All of God’s moral laws in the Old Testament can be condensed into two basic commands with three applications: Love God and love people as you love yourself. That’s it. And these commands are not burdensome because believers are born of God and have the spiritual nature to fulfill them with joy. The only believers who can’t do this are those who fail to put off the flesh and are therefore flesh-ruled. As such, the “law of sin and death” is at work in their lives and this is no fun because sin’s reward is death. But those who walk in the Spirit are spirit-controlled and therefore the “law of the Spirit of life” is in motion, which is a higher law than the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).

Did you ever marvel at how huge aircrafts are able to defy the law of gravity and soar above the landscape? How do they do this? It’s simple: They activate a higher law, the law of lift and propulsion, which neutralizes the law of gravity. As long as the higher law is in motion the lower law is rendered powerless. Just as the physical law of lift and propulsion enables people to conquer gravity and fly, so the law of the Spirit of life deactivates the law of sin and death when it is in motion. This is “walking in the spirit” or “participating in the divine nature.” Such a law is not burdensome, but man-made religion is. See the video How to Walk FREE of the Flesh for details.

Observe what Jesus said about God’s commands not being burdensome in the kingdom of God:

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30

Yes, there is a yoke and burden to serving the Lord, but unlike the yoke of the flesh or the burden of religion Jesus’ yoke is easy and his burden is light. How so? Because that’s the nature of the law of love, and love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10).

The Sabbath and the Believer’s Freedom

Getting back to the issue of the Sabbath, someone might argue, “If loving God is to obey God’s commands according to 1 John 5:3, then we should love God by obeying his Sabbath command.” Answer: The ten commandments were just ten of over 600 Old Testament laws and a lot of important moral commands are missing from the ten commandments, like do not fornicate, do not commit homosexuality, do not attempt to contact the dead, do not be a drunkard, do not engage in witchcraft, and so on. God’s instruction to rest on the seventh day wasn’t a moral command, but rather a ceremonial one, and believer’s are not required to follow the ceremonial & dietary laws of the Old Testament. Notice what the New Testament says about this:

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Colossians 2:16-17 

The Sabbath was a shadow of what was to come — Jesus Christ! The dietary laws, feast days and holy days that God commanded in the Old Testament – including the Sabbath — pictured the person and work of the coming Messiah. Jesus carried out all these types through his ministry. Thus the need to observe them has ceased.

For the believer there is freedom on the issue, notice:

One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. ⁶ Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord.

Romans 14:5-6

Paul goes on to say: “Therefore let us stop passing judgment on one another. Instead, make up your mind not to put any stumbling block or obstacle in the way of a brother or sister” (Romans 14:13) and earlier he said, “Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To their own master, servants stand or fall” (Romans 14:4). As you can see, believers have freedom on the issue, but some are more conscious of their freedom than others and, as such, we need to be sensitive and respectful so as not to harm our brother and sister in the Lord.

In the early days of the church believers were predominantly Jewish. Antioch was nearly 500 miles north of Jerusalem (in what is now Turkey) and was the location of the first non-Jewish church, which included some Hebrew believers; there were more Gentile fellowships in Syria and Cilicia. The Jerusalem church faced a dilemma, what aspects of the Mosaic law would the Jewish believers impose on the Gentile believers? Notice what they decided:

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God. ²⁰ Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood.”

Acts 15:19-20 

Notice that there was no instruction for the Gentiles to keep the Sabbath or follow the Jewish festivals or celebrate the New Moon, nor to follow the Old Testament dietary laws. These Messianic Jewish leaders decided it wasn’t right to impose Old Testament ceremonial & dietary laws on Gentile believers.

It should be emphasized that this four-item list had nothing to do with God’s grace of salvation, which the council had already settled came through faith alone (Acts 15:6-11). However, the list had everything to do with how the Gentile believers could live and worship with Jewish believers who were particularly offended by these four types of behaviors and, as such, were intended to maintain peace and unity in the Gentile churches. Because the Greek and Roman world was filled with pagan religions the council’s instructions were focused on helping the Gentile believers to break from their pagan past and ease the consciences of sensitive Hebrew believers in their midst. Hence, the instructions were about the Gentiles cutting themselves off from anything related to pagan worship. They were therefore encouraged not to eat food sacrificed to idols or to participate in pagan festivals, which were marked by all-around sensual revelry, including sexual immorality. Antioch was located in a pagan nation where sexual immorality was rampant.

Several years after this occasion Paul declared eating meat sacrificed to idols acceptable for believers with strong consciences — i.e. mature believers — but he stressed that such believers should remain sensitive to their brothers and sisters with weak consciences who felt eating such meat was intrinsically wrong (1 Corinthians 8). This instruction revealed both the believer’s freedom and responsibility. Believers have the liberty to eat such meat but they were also responsible to make sure that the practice of their freedom didn’t harm someone with a weak conscience. This is true today with many issues, like drinking alcohol (which is different than being a drunkard) or watching movies. Paul stressed, “Be careful… that the exercise of your rights does not become a stumbling block to the weak” (1 Corinthians 8:9).

The point is that the Jerusalem council did not require Gentile churches to keep the Sabbath.

So when did early Christians meet and worship together? Read what the Bible says:

Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. 

Acts 2:46-47  

They met together every day at the temple courts and in their homes. If there was a day that Christians met regularly it was the first day of the week, which is our Sunday (Acts 20:7 & 1 Corinthians 16:2). This was in honor of Christ’s resurrection on Sunday and should not be viewed as a “Christian Sabbath” but simply as a day to especially worship Jesus Christ. Notice what the Bible instructs about New Testament believers meeting together:

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:24-25

Notice that nothing is said about meeting and worshipping on a certain day. Why? Because it’s not important. What was important was that they met together. True worship is a lifestyle and a heart attitude; Jesus said we must worship “in spirit and truth” (John 4:24). As such, we should practice the presence of Christ 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Not only is there no correct day to worship the Lord, we should worship every day!

Again, Sabbath means “rest” or to “cease from labor.” In the New Testament age of grace we are to cease from working for righteousness. Jesus said that we are to come to him because he is our rest, our Sabbath (Matthew 11:28-30). Through Christ we are born righteous in our spirits and, as such, we are already righteous and in-right-standing with God. Of course genuine faith produces works (James 2:14-16), but these works are a result of being righteous and not an attempt to become righteous. Are you following?

The Church Is to Rest in Christ’s Already Accomplished Work of Salvation

Why did New Testament believers — the church (literally the “called-out ones”) — gather on the first day of the week as shown in Acts 20:7 and 1 Corinthians 16:2? Because the body of Christ is a new creation, and it’s very existence was birthed via resting in Christ’s already accomplished work of salvation:

for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works, just as God did from his.

Hebrews 4:10

New Covenant believers cease performing our own works and the works of the Law, including the ten commandments (rather we fulfill the moral law by the spirit; more on this momentarily). Instead of working toward victory we work from Christ’s already accomplished victory. Let’s revisit a key passage with the addition of the preceding two verses:

¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

¹⁶Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Colossians 2:14-17

“A shadow” means a foreshadow, testifying to the reality to come. The real thing, however, is not the shadow. Notice what verse 18 goes on to say:

Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you. Such a person also goes into great detail about what they have seen; they are puffed up with idle notions by their unspiritual mind.

Colossians 2:18

Those who walk in the shadow of things to come rather than the reality of Christ have an “unspiritual mind,” which means fleshly. This includes strict Sabbath-keepers. They’re still trying to serve God from the perspective of the flesh no matter what staunch religious airs they put on. Of course most of them do it out of ignorance, which is why this article exists.

The Physical Principle of the Sabbath

Although the Sabbath was a shadow that was fulfilled in Christ, the purely physical principle of the Sabbath — a day to cease from labor — remains true and applicable, but the believer has the freedom to pick that day or time slot. What  I mean is that God set the example of working six days and resting one full day — completely taking a break from work, both mentally and naturally. This principle is necessary and healthy and is a wise principle to live by. For example, I’m one of those people Paul spoke of who “considers every day alike” (Romans 14:5) and am not moved by national or religious holidays, which doesn’t mean I won’t celebrate them to some degree. But, whether I do or not, I’m free. It’s the believer’s choice, as led of the Holy Spirit. In regards to the Sabbath — a day to cease from physical and mental toil — I celebrate Sabbaths once a week or as the need arises, as led of the Holy Spirit. For instance, just the other day I had finished a string of days of voluminous ministry work and I suddenly realized I was tired and needed a break. So I took a day off where I rested and didn’t think of ministry work — or any other type of work — at all. Once refreshed, I was inspired and psyched to finish the current project and tackle the next.

Are there examples of this in the New Testament? Yes. When Jesus sent out the twelve disciples to minister from village to village in Israel they drove out demons, cured diseases, preached the truths of God’s kingdom and healed the sick (wouldn’t it be awesome if more Christians did this today?). When they returned and gave a good report of their activities they all “withdrew by themselves” to the town of Bethsaida (Luke 9:10). Why is this significant? Because Jesus recognized the need for ministers to retreat for rest and refreshing after significant ministry endeavors, which naturally protects ministers from burnout.

This, of course applies to any type of work and not just ministry. It’s the principle of the Sabbath — to rest from one’s work and refresh. And this doesn’t have to be a full day either; you can (and should) have mini-Sabbaths every day. As Solomon said, there’s “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance” (Ecclesiastes 3:4). Even work can become an idol — and unhealthy — if it’s done without moderation.

New Covenant Believers Are Free of the Ceremonial and Dietary Laws of the Old Covenant

I’d like to close by stressing that the New Testament believer is free of the ceremonial and dietary laws of the old covenant and are only obligated to fulfill the moral law, which they do by walking in the spirit — i.e. “participating in the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4) — and not by putting themselves under the law. Believers are not under the Law:

But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Galatians 5:18

For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

Romans 6:14

…we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code.

Romans 7:6

That believers are required to fulfill the moral law but not the ceremonial & dietary laws can be observed by the fact that Old Testament moral laws are cited in the New Testament (e.g. Luke 4:8 & Acts 23:5), but never the ceremonial or dietary laws, including Sabbath-keeping. As a matter of fact, notice (again) what the Word of God blatantly says on the matter:

When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross. ¹⁵ And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

¹⁶ Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Colossians 2:13-17

Christ came to fulfill the righteous requirements of the Law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17) and, in fact, he is the “culmination of the law” — the “end of the law” – “so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4). “Everyone who believes” attain righteousness through spiritual rebirth (2 Corinthians 5:21) and learning to live out of his or her spirit with the help of the Holy Spirit. The reason this works is because the believer’s born-again spirit is the “new self,” which is “created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness” (Ephesians 4:22-24). As such, learning to put off the flesh — the sin nature — and put on the new self — our godly nature — is the key to fulfilling the moral law. Those who are led of the Spirit in this manner “are not under the law” (Galatians 5:18).

This material is mandatory for believers to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). Master this material and you will walk free of the flesh and legal-ism; you’ll soar in the spirit!

Notice again what God’s Word says:

Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. ¹⁷ These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.

Colossians 2:16-17

The passage is addressing the dietary and ceremonial laws of the Old Testament: “what you eat or drink” refers to dietary laws and the others refer to ceremonial laws. We are not to allow legalists — like people from the Hebrew Roots Movement — to judge us negatively by these things.  In fact, all of them — dietary laws, the Jewish festivals, the New Moon celebration and the Sabbath day — are a mere shadow of what was to come, meaning Jesus Christ, the Anointed One. “The reality is found in Christ” and if you’re a believer YOU are “in Christ.” Are you following? Everything in the law and prophets from Genesis to Malachi were types and shadows of the true reality, which is Christ and the spiritual rebirth (1 John 3:9) that comes through his seed (sperm) and the power of the Holy Spirit. More than 600 laws were given to the Hebrews in the Old Testament and Jesus fulfilled every one of them; he completed or stopped every one of them, including the Sabbath.

Answering Various Questions/Arguments on the Sabbath

Let’s wrap-up by considering various questions or arguments concerning the Sabbath…

‘Is Sunday the “Christian Sabbath”?’

No, the first day of the week — Sunday — was referred to by early Christians as “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10) and they gathered, ate and worshipped together on Sunday for two scriptural reasons:

1. Sunday was the day it was discovered that Christ’s tomb was empty and he had risen from the dead (Matthew 28:1-7, Mark 16:1-16 & Luke 24:1-7). All three of these passages plainly state that these events occurred on “the first day of the week.”
2. There are seven references in Scripture of the Lord appearing to the disciples before his ascension and five of these times God’s Word indicates that Jesus met them on the first day of the week (e.g. John 20:19). The other two times the specific day is not noted. During these encounters Christ was honored and he taught from the Scriptures, ate with the disciples, breathed the Holy Spirit on them and commissioned them (see, for example, Luke 24:13-49 and John 20:19-29). These items sure sounds like a Christian service to me!

As far as extra-biblical testimony goes, Ignatius of Antioch (circa 35-107 AD) was a disciple of the apostle John and he referred to the “the Lord’s day” as the day that Jesus rose from the dead: “If, therefore, those who were brought up in the ancient order of things have come to the possession of a new hope, no longer observing the Sabbath, but living in the observance of the Lord’s Day, on which also our life has sprung up again by Him and by His death” (Magnesians 9:1).

‘Didn’t Roman Emperor Constantine the Great issue an edict in 321 AD making Sunday an official day of rest?’

Yes, he did, so what? What politicians did three centuries after Christ had no bearing on the scriptural facts or the beliefs/practices of the early believers, as detailed earlier.

For further proof, the 2^nd century Christian apologist, Justin Martyr (100-165), said: “But Sunday is the day on which we all hold our common assembly, because it is the first day on which God, having wrought a change in the darkness and matter, made the world; and Jesus Christ our Savior on the same day rose from the dead.” * This was over 150 years before Constantine issued his edict.

* 1 Apol. LXVII in Ante-Nicene Fathers: The Apostolic Fathers with Justin Martyr and Irenaeus, Vol. 1, Ed. A. Cleveland Coxe (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 186.

‘Isn’t meeting on Sunday pagan since the name “Sunday” stems from Hellenistic astrology?’

All seven of our days of the week were named after the planets of Hellenistic astrology, including Saturday, which was named after the Roman god Saturn. So, by this line of reasoning, worshipping on any of these days is “pagan.” Needless to say, this argument is silly.

‘The Old Testament says that the Sabbath is a “lasting covenant” and is a sign between God and the Israelites “forever”.’

This argument is based on what is said in Exodus 31:16-17. The root Hebrew word for “lasting” and “forever” in this passage is olam (oh-LAWM), which means “long duration” or “lasting,” but not necessarily never-ending in the absolute sense. So in the context of Exodus 31:16-17 (remember: “Context is king”) it means lasting as long as the Israelite’s covenant was in operation. This turned out to be about 1500 years, which is when Christ came.

In support of this conclusion, olam is also used in reference to circumcision, (Genesis 17:10-14), but physical circumcision is not relevant in the New Covenant; it was only relevant to the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosaic Covenant (Galatians 5:2-6). Believers are circumcised inwardly through spiritual regeneration (Romans 2:29 & Titus 3:5). Numerous other New Testament passages teach against the practice of circumcision for believers in relation to the Mosaic Law, including: Acts 15, 1 Corinthians 7:17-20, Galatians 2:1-3, Galatians 6:12-16, Philippians 3:2-3, Colossians 2:11, 3:11 and Titus 1:10.

Olam is also used in reference to animal sacrifices (Leviticus 7:36-38) and yet the need to sacrifice animals ceased with the spilling of Christ’s blood (Hebrews 9:23-10:12).

Similarly, the Levitical priesthood was said to be a “lasting” (olam) ordinance in Exodus 29:7-9, but the New Testament clearly shows that it ended with the Mighty Christ, a priest in the order of Melchizedek, not Aaron (Hebrews 7:11-12).

I could go on and on here, but I think you can see that the Hebrew word olam used in reference to Sabbath-observance meant “lasting” only as long as the Mosaic covenant was in operation.

As for the phrase in Exodus 31:16: “The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting (olam) covenant,” this simply means that Sabbath-observance was to be practiced for the many generations to come as long as their olam covenant was in effect. However, this long-lasting covenant is no longer in effect ever since Christ came.

‘Observing the Sabbath appears to be practiced during eternity, so why would it be removed during the Church Age?’

This question is addressed at the end of this article, along with a similar question about the Millennium.

For more details see the article Law (Torah) and the Believer; or, for even more details, pick up a copy of…

THE LAW and the Believer (150 pages) is available here for only $6.99; or you can get the eBook for a mere 99 cents!

Related Topics:

Nonkosher Foods — Are Believers Free to Eat Them?

Holidays—Which Ones Should Christians Observe or Not Observe?

The Issue of CIRCUMCISION