angels

2. Ongoing Interest
• There is no indication that our world’s fascination
with angels and demons is in decline.
• Rarely does a day pass that we don’t hear of
someone’s alleged encounter with either a holy
angel or a fallen demon.
• Together with news that a new TV show or film on
Netflix will feature either or both of these species
of spiritual beings.
• Sadly, though, there is a lot of confusion about
angels and demons and certain myths that simply
won’t die. Here are five of them.1

3. Myth #1: Angels and demons are eternal and uncreated.
• This runs counter to numerous biblical texts.
• The psalmist includes all God’s “angels” and heavenly “hosts” among those
whom he “created” (Psalm 148:2-5).
• The Apostle Paul clearly asserts that “thrones” and “dominions” and “rulers”
and “authorities,” standard language for angelic and demonic beings, were
created by the Son of God (Col. 1:16).
• Each angel is a direct creation, that is, they did not descend from an original pair
as we did; they do not procreate as we do (Matt. 22:28-30).
• We don’t know when angels were created but it is likely this happened before
the events of Genesis 1:1ff (see Job 38:4-7).
• Satan, being himself a fallen angel, is not eternal.
• He is a finite creature. He is, therefore, God’s Devil.
• Satan is not the equal and opposite power of God (contra dualism).
• His power is not infinite.
• He does not possess divine attributes.
• In sum, he is no match for God!
• At most, Satan is the equal and opposite power of the archangel Michael.

4. Myth #2: Angels and demons are all-powerful.
• Make no mistake, they are powerful!
• But only God is omnipotent.
• All angelic power is subject to God’s power and
purpose (Ps. 103:20; 2 Pet. 2:11).
• In Genesis 19:12-16, angels are used by God to destroy
Sodom and Gomorrah.
• In 2 Kings 19:35, one angel is empowered to kill
185,000 Assyrians.
• According to Matthew 28:2, an angel moved the stone
from Christ’s tomb.
• In Acts 12, an angel entered a locked prison and
released Peter.
• In Acts 12:23, we read that an angel killed Herod in a
most gruesome way.
• Angels appear in the book of Revelation ( Rev. 7:2-3) to
influence the phenomena of nature.

5. • Demons can infuse their victims with super-human strength
(Acts 19:16; Mark 5:3)
• The holy angels, can move swiftly through space (Dan. 9:21-23; 10:10-14).
• Normal physical barriers do not restrict their activity (a “legion” [6,000] of
demons inhabited one man and later 2,000 pigs).
• Demons can also physically assault someone and/or cause physical affliction.
(Luke 9:39). Matthew 17:15 speaks of a demon seizing a young boy.
• He is thrown to the ground or into fire or water, together with other violent
symptoms.
• In Matthew 9:32-34, a man’s inability to speak is attributed to a demon (cf.
12:22-24; Luke 11:14-15).
• Note there are several cases in the gospels of blindness or the inability to speak
which Jesus heals that are not attributed to demonic influence
• (Matt. 9:27-31; 20:29-34; Mark 7:31-37; 8:22-26; 10:46-52; Luke 18:35-43; John
9:1-7).

6. Myth #3: Angels and demons are omnipresent.
• We know that angels are spirit beings in that they
are immaterial or incorporeal. They have no flesh
or blood or bones. They are, as Hebrews
1:14 declares, “ministering spirits”. However,
although they are spirits, they have spatial
limitations. In other words, angels are not
omnipresent (see Dan. 9:21-23; 10:10-14 where
we find both spatial movement and temporal
limitations). They are always in only one place at
any one time.
• There is a sense in which as spirit beings they also
have form or shape. That is to say, they are
spatially confined (their being is not distributed
throughout space). They are localized.

7. Do angels have literal “wings”?
• The seraphim are portrayed as having wings in Isaiah 6:2,
6 (see also Ezek. 1:5-8).
• Gabriel is portrayed as flying to Daniel’s side (Dan. 9:21;
cf. Rev. 14:6-7).
• Whether or not all angels are winged is simply impossible to
say.
• Angels do not have gender (see Matt. 22:28-30); hence they
do not procreate. however, that they are always described in
the masculine gender (but see Zech. 5:9).
• It’s important to remember that although he is powerful and
resourceful, Satan can only be in one place at any one time.
• He may well dispatch his demonic hosts to do his will, but
Satan cannot be tempting one believer in Bangladesh and
simultaneously be attacking another in Berlin.
• Satan is surely active in the earth, but he is always in one place
in space at any one time.

8. Myth #4: Guardian angels aren’t necessarily biblical.
• Is the notion of guardian angels a “myth” or is it true? That’s a difficult
question to answer. Some argue that the “angel” of each of the seven
churches in Revelation 2-3 is the guardian angel of that local congregation.
• Angels are described as “ministers” (leitourgos), a word that suggests a
priestly service (Heb. 1:7, 14; cf. Ps. 103:19-21).
• They provide
• Guidance and direction for God’s people (Gen. 24:7,40; Ex. 14:19; Ex.
23:20; Num. 20:16; Acts 5:17-20; 8:26; 10:3-7, 22; 16:9),
• Comfort and encouragement (Matt. 4:11; Luke 22:43; Acts 27:22-24).
• Guard and protect the children of God, as is clear from Psalms 34:7; 78:23-25;
91:11; 1 Kings 19:5-7; Dan. 6:20-23; and 12:1.
• We read in Acts 12:15 of believers who mistook Peter himself for “his angel.”
• It’s possible that Luke is only describing their belief without himself endorsing
it.
• Others argue that he intends to teach that each of us not only has a guardian
angel but also that the latter may assume our physical characteristics.
• Yes, it seems odd, but why else would they have concluded that the “person”
at the door was Peter’s angel and not someone or something else?

9. • In Matthew 18:10, Jesus warns against the neglect of little
children and reminds his disciples that “their angels always
see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”
• An ancient custom prevailed in eastern court settings
according to which those who stood “before the king” or
were allowed to “see his face” were officers who enjoyed
the king’s special favor and were privileged to enjoy the
closest possible fellowship.
• The implication may be that the highest ranking angels are
assigned and commissioned by God to watch over with
loving care his “little ones”.
• Thus Jesus is saying, “Don’t despise my ’little ones,’ for they
are so highly regarded that God has appointed his most
illustrious angels to keep watch over them.”
• Their constant presence before him may be so that they
can quickly respond to whatever tasks God may assign
them in their ministry to us.

10. Myth #5: Either or both of Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-19 describe
Satan’s original fall.
• As Sydney Page points out, each of these passages “is part
of a funeral dirge lamenting the death of a pagan king. In
both, the king is portrayed as having come to ruin because
he exalted himself beyond what was appropriate.
• Although the form of the two texts is that of a funeral dirge,
the sorrow at the passing of the monarch is not genuine.
Both passages virtually drip with sarcasm. In reality, the
tyrant’s death is welcomed.”2
• The question is, “Do these laments allude to Satan and his
primordial rebellion?”
• Isaiah 14:12-15 appears in a passage that is specifically
identified as a taunt of judgment against the king of
Babylon (vv. 3-4). The taunt may be directed at one
particular king (most likely Sennacherib) or perhaps “at the
whole Babylonian monarchy personified as a single
individual.”3

11. • Clearly, though, the mocking lament portrays (indeed,
celebrates) the demise of an earthly power that both
opposes and oppresses the people of God.
• The language used in vv. 12-14 is certainly compatible
with what we know of Satan’s character, but may well
be a use of poetic language to describe an earthly king.
• Many of the terms used here (“morning star”, “dawn”,
and “sacred mountain”) have been found in texts
dealing with ancient pagan mythology.
• Page notes that “the mythology was probably rooted in
the observation of the brilliant rise of the planet Venus
(the ’morning star’) in the early morning sky and its
rapid fading with the rise of the sun.”4
• If this is true, Isaiah would be utilizing (without
endorsing) motifs common in pagan mythology to
describe the downfall of an earthly ruler.

12. • Others argue that whereas all this may be true, we can still see in this
description of an earthly opponent of God (the Babylonian king) his model
and heavenly inspiration (Satan).
• But is that what Isaiah had in mind when he wrote it?
• The figure “Lucifer”, lit., “shining one” or “star of the morning” (v. 12), is called
a “man” in v. 16 and is compared with other earthly kings in v. 18.
• “Lucifer” was first used in the Latin vulgate to translate the Hebrew word
(helel) and eventually made its way into the King James Version.
• According to Boyd, “Isaiah is simply comparing the king of Babylon to the
planet Venus, the morning star. It rises bright at dawn and climbs to the
highest point in the sky, only to be quickly extinguished by the brightness of
the rising sun.
• Thus, Isaiah says, shall be the career of the presently shining king of Babylon.
• He appears on the stage of world history as the brightest star, ascending
higher and higher. But in the end he shall quickly disappear in the light of the
sun.”5
• So what about Ezekiel 28:11-19? Again, vv. 1-11 refer to the “prince” or
“ruler” of Tyre (a Phoenecian port city about 125 miles northwest of
Jerusalem).
• Vv. 2 ,9-10 clearly indicate that he is human, not angelic.
• The historical setting is the siege of Tyre by Nebuchadnezzar from 587 to 574
B.C. The king of Tyre during this period was Ithobaal II.

13. • Vv. 12-19 refer to the “king” of Tyre, suggesting to some that vv. 12-19
refer to a supernatural power behind the human ruler of vv. 1-11.
• However, this word (“king”) is used elsewhere in Ezekiel of earthly rulers
(17:12; 19:9; 21:19; 24:2; 26:7; 29:2-3, 18; 30:10, 21; 31:2; 32:2, 11),
leading most to believe that the “prince” of vv. 1-11 and the “king” of vv.
12-19 are one and the same (“prince” and “king” being synonymous).
• On the other hand, the “king” of vv. 12-19 seems to be portrayed in terms
that go beyond what is true of any earthly king (e.g., “perfection,” “in
Eden,” “created,” “cherub,” “holy mountain of God,” “blameless”).
• The identification of this king as an “anointed cherub who covers (guards)”
in v. 14 is considered the strongest evidence that the reference is to Satan.
Others have pointed out, however, that the Hebrew text may just as easily
be translated, “with a cherub.”
• Also, it is difficult to understand how dishonest or unrighteous trade and
the desecration of sanctuaries (v. 18) could have been involved in the fall
of Satan.
• How, then, are we to understand the reference to the garden of “Eden” in
v. 13? Most believe that that the king of Tyre is being compared with
Adam.
• In summary, we will have to settle for a measure of uncertainty as to
whether either of these texts actually describes Satan’s fall.