This series of three teaching is about spiritual warfare.

God normally works through Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bible and the Christians of the Church. But in special circumstances, God also works through his angels (teaching 3). Not everybody is happy with Gods work. The devil (teaching 1) and his demons (teaching 2) oppose God and his work and try to destroy it. Also many evil people in the world reject Jesus Christ and oppose God and his work.
www.dota.net - taken from the webpage http://www.dota.net/english/workbooks.html

Contents
1. Satan and spiritual warfare ...................................................................................................................... 1 2. Evil spirits and spiritual warfare ............................................................................................................ 10 3. Angels and spiritual warfare .................................................................................................................. 21

1. Satan and spiritual warfare

In this first teaching we will learn what the Bible teaches about Satan and his fall, his goal and strategy, and his limitation. Finally we will learn what Christians should do in the spiritual warfare against Satan. The Bible clearly teaches that Satan has already been bound and his demons have been disarmed during the first coming of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago. The binding of Satan or putting a limitation on him is clearly taught in the Gospels in Matthew 12:28-30, Luke 10:17-20 and John 12:31-32 and also in the Letters in Colossians 1:13, Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14 and 1 John 3:8. The book of Revelation describes this binding of Satan in apocalyptic pictures in Revelation 12:7-9 and Revelation 20:1-3.

SATAN AND HIS FALL

Who is Satan? (Revelation 12:1-9)
The Bible does not tell us everything we would like to know. In Revelation 12, Satan is described in the picture of an enormous red dragon. He is very strong. He is the ancient deceiver in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:1-5). He is called the devil, which means slanderer of God and Gods people. He is also called Satan, which means adversary of God and Gods people. His purpose is twofold. In verse 4-5, he is pictured as trying to hinder the coming of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ, from the beginning of history (Genesis 3:15) up to the time he came and was snatched up to God and his throne (Acts 1:9). In verse 9, Satan is described as the one who leads the whole world astray. That is, not the Christians, but the whole evil world that opposes God and his Messiah.

The fall of Satan

How Satan fell (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-14; 1 Timothy 3:6) The Bible does not directly relate the fall of Satan. It only describes the fall of two mighty kings in history in terms of the fall of Satan. In Isaiah 14:12-14 the fall of the wicked king of Babylon is described in terms of the fall of Satan. Babylon was the capitol of a mighty empire, which is situated in modern Iraq. For centuries the kings of Babylon had great aspirations to rule the whole world. The fall of the king of Babylon and his empire is described in terms of what the prophet Isaiah knew about the of Satan.
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Like the king of Babylon, Satan was called Morningstar, because this star shines so beautifully in the morning and attracts the attention of everybody. However, he arrogantly desired to be enthroned in heaven over everybody on earth and make himself like the Almighty God. Because of his self-deification and desire to grab and possess what belonged to God alone, God cast him out of the highest heaven onto the earth. The wicked king of Babylon followed in the footsteps of Satan. He was humiliated and fell from his throne. The wicked king of Babylon also became a type or illustration of the future Antichrist. In Ezekiel 28:11-19 the fall of the wicked king of Tyre is described in terms of the fall of Satan. Tyre was for centuries the most renowned merchant city of the Phoenicians, which is situated in modern Lebanon. It was built on several islands and well fortified. It had a great fleet of merchant ships. The final fall of the king of Tyre and his kingdom is described in terms of what the prophet Ezekiel knew about the fall of Satan. Tyre fell because of its corruption in commerce and its violence in war. The king of Tyre fell because he became proud and corrupted his wisdom. Like the king of Tyre, Satan was originally created by God to be a guardian angel. He was wise and very beautiful. He dwelt in the presence of God and was also present in the Garden of Eden. He was blameless in his ways until wickedness was found in him. He became proud on account of his beauty and corrupted his wisdom on account of his splendour. In 1 Timothy 3:6 we read that the devil fell under Gods judgement because he became conceited. God opposes the proud (1 Peter 5:5) and drove him in disgrace out of his presence. He expelled him from being an angel in the highest heaven and threw him to the earth.

When Satan fell (Genesis 1:31; 3:1) At the end of Genesis 1, we read that God saw all that he had made and it was very good. However, in Genesis 3, before the fall of the man and the woman into sin, we read that Satan appeared to them as a snake and tempted them to distrust and disobey God. At that time Satan was already a fallen creature and opposed to God and his work. Therefore we must conclude that the fall of Satan must have happened somewhere between the completion of creation and the temptation of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. More than this we do not know about the origin and fall of Satan.

THE GOAL AND STRATEGY OF SATAN

Satan opposes God and his people
Satan opposes God (Genesis 3:1-5) Satan is the adversary of God and Gods people. Satan accused God of being a liar. His purpose was that Adam and Eve would not trust and obey God any longer. Satan opposes Jesus Christ (Luke 4:1-13) Satan tempted Jesus in his human nature to turn his back on God. Satan is very real and very cunning. In his first temptation, Satan tempted Jesus to distrust God. He tempted Jesus in the area of basic human needs, namely food. After 40 days of fasting, Jesus was hungry. Satan tempted Jesus to distrust God and no longer have confidence in Gods plan and ability to sustain him when he was hungry. He tried to tempt Jesus to take matters into his own hands, turn some stones into bread and thus quickly satisfy his material needs. He tried to tempt Jesus to act independently from God. But Jesus overcame this temptation. In his second temptation, Satan tempted Jesus to by-pass God and trust Satan. He tempted Jesus in the area of power. Probably through a vision, he showed Jesus all the kingdoms of the world. Satan claimed that he owned and ruled all the kingdoms on earth and that if Jesus worshipped him, he would make Jesus the owner and ruler of all these kingdoms and Jesus would quickly be acknowledged as the king of this world. Satan is a liar (John 8:44), because he did not own or rule this world at any time (Psalm 2:1-12; Isaiah 14:24-27). God owns and rules this world from beginning to end. By offering all the kingdoms of the world to Jesus, to have authority over them and to enjoy their splendour, Satan tried to tempt Jesus in his human nature to obtain the crown without enduring the cross. Satan tried to tempt Jesus to take a short-cut and bypass Gods plan. Gods plan was to destroy the work of Satan (1 John 3:8), to save the world (John 3:17) and to become the King of kings (Matthew 28:18; Revelation 1:5). But Jesus also overcame this temptation.
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In his third temptation, Satan tempted Jesus to have a false trust in God and his Word. He tempted Jesus in the area of the super-natural. He tried to tempt Jesus to do something spectacular and sensational, namely to jump off a high building. Satan even quoted a passage from the Bible (Psalm 91:11-12), but completely out of context, in order to persuade Jesus to have a misplaced trust in God. He tried to tempt Jesus to substitute presumption for faith and shameless arrogance for submission to Gods guidance. He wanted Jesus to make an experiment with respect to God and test God to see whether God really was God and whether Gods Word really could be trusted. Satan argued that by jumping off a high building, Jesus would prove that God existed and did what he promised in his Word. He tried to tempt Jesus to have a misplaced confidence in God. But Jesus also overcame this temptation. Matthew closes this passage with the remark that Satan left Jesus, but kept waiting for another opportunity to tempt Jesus.

Satan opposes all people (Luke 8:11-12) In the parable of the sower in Luke 8:11-12, Jesus Christ describes the main goal of Satan. He says, The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Satans main purpose is to keep all the words of the Bible away from the people in this world! Satan does not want the people in this world to believe in the Bible and thus to be saved. He does not want them to be born again and become the best people they could be. He does not want them to serve and glorify the God of the Bible! Satan will work together with every science, philosophy and religion in the world that opposes the Bible! He will do everything in his power to destroy the Bible or to keep people from hearing, reading, studying and obeying the Bible! He will inspire false prophets to twist the Bible and to discredit the Bible. He will inspire evil leaders to prohibit the possession of a Bible or to confiscate the Bible. Why does Satan hate the Bible? Because the Bible exposes who Satan really is and foretells his final condemnation! Therefore, when you read, study and obey the Bible in spite of every political and religious opposition, you oppose Satan and are very pleasing to the Living God!

Satan attacks the mind and heart of people

Satans strategy is to attack the inward being and outward circumstances of people. According to Ephesians 6:16, his flaming arrows are his attacks on the body, mind and spirit of Christians. According to 2 Timothy 2:26, he sets all kinds of traps, into which people can fall if they are not careful. Satan is a liar (John 8:44) Satan is a liar and the father of all the lies in the world. He attacks the mind of people. Satan is behind every single lie that people tell or believe in this world! Think of the many lies that are propagated through educational books, through the mass media and through certain political leaders and lawyers. The only way to counter lies is by knowing the truth and by submitting yourself to the truth (John 8:31-36; 17:17). Satan is a tempter (Genesis 3:1-7) Satan is a tempter. He attacks the will of people. Satan undermines obedience to Gods will and tempts people to disobey God and his Word, which is the Bible. Once people open their minds to the false suggestions of Satan, they become vulnerable in their will to make the wrong decision or choice. The only way to counter the temptations of Satan is to submit yourself to God (James 4:7) and his Word and to answer Satans false suggestions with the truth of Gods Word as recorded in the Bible (Matthew 4:1-11). Satan is an accuser (Revelation 12:10) Satan is an accuser. He attacks the conscience of people. The strategy of Satan is to first tempt people to sin and then to immediately turn against them and accuse them before God. Because Jesus died for all the sins of true Christians, Satans accusation against them are no longer valid (Hebrews 8:12). Nevertheless, Satan will continue to accuse true Christians, because he wants them to be plagued by a sense of false guilt or the fear of punishment. The only way to resist Satans false accusations is to re-affirm that Jesus died for your sins and to continue to serve Jesus Christ with your testimony and your life (Revelation 12:11). Satan is a slave-master (Hebrews 2:14-15) Satan is a slave-master. He attacks the emotions of people. He holds the people in this world in slavery by their fear of death. Because many peoples hearts are filled with the fear of death and of
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dead people, they begin to worship the spirits of dead people, conduct all kinds of ceremonies at graves or make pilgrimages to the graves of their dead spiritual leaders. Only perfect love for Jesus Christ drives away fear (1 John 4:17-18). Satan is immoral (1 Corinthians 7:5) Satan is immoral. He attacks the moral values of people. He tries to tempt people to commit sexual immorality, especially when they lack self-control. Sexual immorality always begins in the mind. The only way to counter sexual immorality is to immediately cut off the immoral thoughts in your mind and to allow Jesus Christ to take captive every thought in your mind and make it obedient to himself and his moral values in the Bible (2 Corinthians 10:5). Satan is a deceiver (2 Corinthians 4:3-4; 11:3-4; 1 Timothy 4:1-3) Satan is a deceiver. He attacks the faith of Christians. He tries very hard to keep the nonChristians away from the Christian faith. And he tries to lead the minds of Christians astray from sincere and pure devotion to Jesus Christ. He tries to seduce them to accept a different Jesus, a different Holy Spirit and a different gospel. He is the author of false teachings and false religions. He spreads his false teachings and lies everywhere, causing some people, who originally sided with Christians, to abandon the true faith and causing many other people to follow the false teachings in the philosophies and religions of the world. In all these above mentioned ways, Satan attacks especially the mind of people with lies, false accusations, fear of death, immoral thoughts and false teachings. Although Satan is the instigator of much evil, every human being remains responsible how he reacts towards Satans attacks. Besides Satan, the evil world and the sinful nature inside man are other instigators of evil. Christians are not exempt from the attacks of Satan, the evil world or their own sinful nature!

Satan attacks people through outward circumstances

Satan makes use of different methods to attack people. Satan sets traps (1 Timothy 3:7; 2 Timothy 2:23-26) Satan sets traps so that people my fall into his traps, that is, into his power. If a young and immature Christian is appointed to become an elder, he might get proud, conceited and even think that he can get away with his immature or even wrong conduct. Satan also sets traps especially in the area of science, philosophy and religion in order to capture people to do his evil will. Satan counterfeits miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10; Revelation 13:13) Satan counterfeits miracles in order to deceive the unbelievers to believe his lies. He enables some false prophets and prophetesses to perform counterfeit miracles. In this way he keeps many nonChristians away from Jesus Christ and they perish. Satan pretends to be an angel (2 Corinthians 11:13-15) Satan masquerades as an angel of light and pretends to be a servant of righteousness. It is therefore not surprising that his servants (false prophets of false religions) also masquerade as servants of righteousness and do good works to prove to people that they do not need Jesus Christ. Satan infiltrates the Christian Church (Matthew 13:37-41) Satan infiltrates the Christian Church. He plants counterfeit Christians as well as people who do evil among the Christians in the Church. The judgement day will clearly show who were genuine Christians and who were false Christians. Satan hinders Christian workers (1 Thessalonians 2:17-18; 3:5) Satan hinders the true messengers of Jesus Christ for some length of time from entering certain countries in order to proclaim the gospel. But ultimately Satan cannot keep Christians out of any place on earth to proclaim the gospel! Satan also tries to make the efforts of Christian workers useless. He either instigates people to persecute Christians and force them to give up their faith in Jesus Christ. Or he instigates political and religious leaders to bribe people with luxurious gifts to stay away from the Christian Church and join their religion. Satan persecutes Christians (Luke 22:31-32; Revelation 2:10) Satan persecutes Christians. He subjects some Christians to severe trials or throws them into prison in order to try to cause them to fall away from the Christian faith.
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Satan instigates lawlessness (John 8:44; 2 Thessalonians 2:9) Satan opposes peace and order in every society in the world by introducing, promoting and forcing lawlessness. He is called a murderer, because he delights in setting people up to hate and murder each other. He instigates every kind of lawlessness among political leaders, lawyers, judges, the police and other leaders in society. And he causes parents and social workers to depart from Gods laws in the Bible. He will make every effort to wipe the Ten Commandments from the memories of people. Satan opposes Gods moral laws, which he revealed in the Bible, because these laws are against lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for murderers, adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers and for whatever else is contrary to the sound Christian doctrine that is revealed in the gospel and in the Bible (1 Timothy 1:8-11). Satan looks for opportunities to attack and destroy (1 Peter 5:8; Ephesians 6:16) These passages summarise Satans strategy. Satan always prowls around Christians looking for an opportunity to attack and destroy them. Like a coward, he especially attacks Christians who are not yet firm in their faith or who are not self-controlled or alert. Satan constantly fires flaming arrows at all Christians. These flaming arrows represent persecutions and all kinds of destruction from the outside, but especially all kinds of attacks on the soul of Christians. These burning arrows represent all kinds of negative thoughts and feelings, like doubts, anguish and self-accusation on the one hand and all kinds of evil thoughts and feelings, like lust, greed, vanity, pride and envy on the other hand. Paul therefore urges Christians to put on the full armour of God so that they can stand against Satans schemes and attacks. Every Christian remains responsible how he responds to Satans flaming arrows!

THE LIMITATIONS OF SATAN

Satan is limited
Satan is a created being and is therefore completely under the authority and power of God! Satan is limited to what he has been permitted to do (Job 1:6-22; 2:1-10) During the whole Old Testament period, Satan was always limited in power to what the sovereign God of the Bible permitted him to do. For example, in the book of Job, Satan was permitted to have power to incite people to kill Jobs children and servants and to destroy all his possessions. In this way, Satans real intentions and character was very clearly revealed to all people. Satan is a murderer and destroyer. But Satan could never do more harm than God permitted him to do. At the First Coming of Christ 2000 years ago, Satan was bound so that he could no longer deceive the nations. He will remain bound until just before the Second Coming of Christ. Satan is limited to what he possesses and influences (Genesis 3:15; Psalm 2; Matthew 11:27; 28:18; Ephesians 1:20-23) On the basis of Luke 4:5-6 and 1 John 5:19, some people say that Satan is the possessor of this whole present world and that he controls it to such an extent that he can offer it to anyone he wishes. Although Satan claims that he is the rightful owner of this world and the ruler over everything in this world, Jesus says that he is a liar (John 8:44). Such Bible references certainly do not prove that Satan is the ultimate owner and ruler of the nations, with the right and the might to dispose of them and of their wealth as he pleases, so that Jesus Christ himself, at least during this present period of time, would have to take a back seat to him. The contrary is the truth, as is proved abundantly by the Bible. Not Satan, but Jesus Christ is the real Owner and Ruler of this world! Satan is limited in power (Matthew 8:16; Acts 16:16-18; Romans 16:20; Revelation 12:7-9; 20:1-3) Although Satan still exercises a very powerful influence for evil over the lives of all those wicked people and spirits who acknowledge him as their master, he is not omnipotent. His demons are continually driven out by Christ and Christians. The Bible says that he has already been driven out of heaven by the archangel Michael. He has already been bound on earth by an angel so that he can no longer deceive the nations. Therefore, the direct opposite of Satan is never the God who revealed himself in Jesus Christ, but only the archangel Michael. God is completely different to Satan. He is incomparably higher than Satan. While God is omniscient, omnipotent and omnipresent, Satan is not. Furthermore, Satans stranglehold on the nations on earth has been broken by Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13). But, although Satan is already a
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beaten enemy in principle, it is clear that God has not yet removed him from the earthly scene. Satan still exercises a very powerful influence for evil. He will only be removed from the earthly scene on the Final Judgement Day at the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

Satan is bound
Jesus Christ began to bind Satan by his incarnation at his First Coming 2000 years ago Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 3:8; Matthew 12:28 The reason Jesus Christ appeared on earth in his human nature was to destroy Satan, who holds the power of death and to destroy Satans work! To destroy means to reduce to impotence. During the whole period that Jesus Christ lived as a human being among people on earth (his incarnation), he had authority over all the power of Satan and his demons and he drove out demons by the Spirit of God. Satan was able to do no more than Christ suffered him to do. Luke 10:18-20 Jesus also gave that authority to his workers. In Luke 10:18-20, Jesus says, I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority () to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven. Jesus meant that while the disciples were casting out demons from people, Christ saw their master, Satan, fall from his position of power within this world. Satans fall was like lightning, sudden and startling, because the disciples had not expected this victory and perhaps even Satan had not anticipated his defeat. What began to happen at the incarnation of Jesus Christ will continue until the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, when Satan will be finally defeated in hell. Jesus Christ completed the binding of Satan by his death, resurrection and enthronement Revelation 12:1-9 John describes the triumph of Jesus Christ over Satan in apocalyptic language. Throughout the Old Testament period, Satan had tried to destroy the messianic line and thus prevent the birth of the Messiah (Revelation 12:1-4). When the Messiah, Jesus Christ was finally born, he was snatched up to God and to his throne (Revelation 12:5). This snatching up is an apocalyptic picture of the death, resurrection, ascension and enthronement in heaven at the end of the First Coming of Jesus Christ. In the apocalyptic picture, the dragon and his army of evil angels stormed after him towards heaven in order to grab him, but the archangel, Michael and the army of good angels attacked them and hurled them out of heaven (Revelation 12:7-9). This war between the angels and the demons took place in heaven, that is, not in the heaven where God dwells, but high in the sky or atmosphere. Since there can be more than one heaven (2 Corinthians 12:2), angels dwell in the highest heaven, where God dwells (cf. Matthew 22:30; Revelation 18:1), and demons dwell in the lowest heaven, in the sky or atmosphere around the earth (cf. Luke 10:18; 1 Corinthians 8:5; Ephesians 2:2; 6:12). Nevertheless, this battle in heaven and the hurling down of the dragon and his demons are not to be understood literally, but figuratively. Satan literally lost his place in heaven as the accuser of the Christians (cf. Job 1:6-12). Because the sins of Christians have been atoned for and Christians have been redeemed from the dominion of Satan (Colossians 1:13), Satan has lost every semblance of justice for his accusations against Christians. Although he continues to accuse Christians, he is no longer able to point to the unaccomplished work of Jesus Christ! Revelation 20:1-3 This passage describes the same event as in Revelation 12:7-9 as a binding of Satan. The exact same Greek word for binding (tying up) is used in Matthew 12:29. The binding of Satan is not reducing Satan to a state of total impotence, but to a state in which Satan is no longer able to deceive the nations, that is, Satan is no longer able to keep people of the Gentile nations from hearing the gospel and turning to Christ! Satan is also not able to gather the nations for battle against Gods people! Figures of speech are often used in the apocalyptic language of the book of Revelation. The binding of Satan is also a figure of speech describing the literal limiting or curtailment of Satan in his sphere of influence. It does not imply that Satan is absolutely unable to harm people, because the rest of the New Testament (after Matthew 12:29) shows that he still has great evil influence. For example, Revelation chapters 13 and 17 (after Revelation 12:7-9) show that Satan still has great influence of evil through his agents, the Antichrist, the false prophet and the great prostitute. Satan remains bound, the gospel is spread throughout the earth (cf. Matthew 24:14) and all Christians, who have died, reign together with Jesus Christ in heaven (Revelation 20:4-6) during the whole period between the First and the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Just before the Second Coming of Christ, Satan
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will be released from his prison. After the final battle (Revelation 16:14,16; 17:14; 19:17-21; 20:7-10) between Christ and Satan at Christs Second Coming, Satan will be hurled into hell, where he will be tormented forever (Revelation 20:7-10).

Satan remains bound

Jesus Christ continually applies the tying up of Satan by the missionary and evangelistic work of Christians Matthew 12:29-30 Jesus Christ says, How can anyone enter a strong mans house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can rob his house. Jesus views Satan as the strong man. Jesus Christ not only refers to his own work of binding Satan, but also to his continuing work of tying up Satan through his Christian co-workers. By their prayers, preaching of the gospel and teaching (2 Timothy 2:24-26), Christians are continually tying up Satan and robbing him of people that he previously controlled. In this struggle between Christ and Satan, neutrality is impossible. All Christians who gather people through missionary and evangelistic work into the kingdom of God are with Christ. And all people who leave others in their lost condition as an easy prey for Satan are against Christ (Matthew 12:30). John 12:31-32 Jesus says, Now is the time for judgement on this world; now the prince of this world will be driven out. But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself. Jesus views Satan as the prince of this world. The world in this passage does not refer to the whole earth together with every single individual on it, but only to the whole society of evil people, who are alienated from God and who opposed, rejected, betrayed and condemned Jesus Christ (John 15:18-25). The prince implies that Satan exercises certain power, but because he is not the King of kings, his power is limited to those evil people and evil spirits who give their allegiance to him. When Jesus speaks of his being lifted up, he is referring to the historic events of his crucifixion on the cross, his resurrection from the dead, his ascension into heaven and his enthronement at the right hand of God the Father in heaven. In Revelation 12:5 this lifting up is pictured as a snatching up. Revelation 12:10-17 Jesus views Satan as the dragon. Satan pursues the woman, which is a picture of the Christian Church, but the Church is protected from his most direct and deadly attacks Revelation 12:6,13-14). Satan tries to engulf the Church with his never ending stream of lies, but the Church is not fooled and Christ helps the Church (Revelation 12:15-16). Therefore Satan concentrates his attacks on the offspring of the woman, that is, on the individual Christians (Revelation 12:17). But these individual Christians overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb. That is, they believe that on the one hand Christs death and resurrection bound Satan and on the other hand set them completely free from sin and Satans control. Christians overcome Satan by the word of their testimony. That is, they overcome him by their missionary and evangelistic work, which robs Satan of people that he previously controlled (Colossians 1:13). And Christians overcome Satan by the fact that they do not fear to die for the cause of Christ (Revelation 12:11). The death, resurrection, ascension and enthronement of Jesus Christ are historic events. First they result in the judgement of the evil world over which Satan rules. Secondly they result in driving out of Satan as the prince of this world. The relative high position Satan might have had before the First Coming of Christ is forever lost. Satan has been driven out of his grip on the nations of the world by the completed salvation work of Jesus Christ and by the witnessing of the Christians. That is why the drawing of people from all the nations in the world towards Christ (John 12:32) is at the same time the way in which Satan is driven out of his grip on these nations (John 12:31)! Jesus Christ will finally remove Satan from the earthly scene (Revelation 20:7-15) Although Satan is already a beaten enemy in principle, it is clear that God has not yet removed him from the earthly scene. Revelation 20:7-15 says that this will happen on the Final Judgement Day at the Second Coming of Christ. Then Jesus Christ will throw Satan forever in hell.

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THE WARFARE AGAINST SATAN (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Christians fight a spiritual warfare
Spiritual warfare is not fought against people The Bible says that the struggle of Christians is not against people of flesh and blood, but really against evil spiritual forces (Ephesians 6:12). Christians do not fight holy wars against people, but spiritual wars against evil spirits. The rulers, authorities and powers are different kinds of evil spirits who are under the control of Satan and who work through evil people in this world. Like Satan himself, these evil spirits are fallen angels. That is why Satan and his evil spirits oppose the living God and try to destroy his work in people today. That is also why the evil political forces in the world often cooperate with other religions, while they remain very hostile to the Christian faith. Jesus said, My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place (John 18:36). That is why true Christians never fight holy wars against people. Spiritual warfare is not fought with human weapons Spiritual warfare is to actively fight against the schemes and activities of Satan and his evil spirits (2 Corinthians 2:11). Spiritual warfare can never be fought with human weapons, but only with spiritual weapons. The Bible teaches, For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ (2 Corinthians 10:3-5)! Christians fight spiritual warfare by putting on the spiritual armour (Ephesians 6:10-18). Spiritual warfare is not fought in reliance on people Spiritual warfare can never be fought by relying on the power, money and schemes of some evil leaders, but can only be fought by relying completely on the God of the Bible, who revealed himself in Jesus Christ. The aim of spiritual warfare is never to conquer more territory or control on this earth, but always to remain standing after the attacks of Satan and his evil spirits (Ephesians 6:13). The aim of spiritual warfare is also to snatch people away from the control of Satan, evil spirits and evil people (Colossians 1:13; 2 Timothy 2:26).

Christians must prepare well for this spiritual warfare

The belt of truth It is the soldiers sincere determination to fight spiritual warfare. It represents his sincerity with regard to spiritual warfare and Gods truth with which he counters lies. The Christian says, I am sincerely determined to fight spiritual battles against Satan and his demons. And he says, I am determined to fight against his lies and deceit with Gods truth. Like Gideon and his three hundred soldiers, a sincere person is far more likely to influence other people than a hypocrite. The breastplate of righteousness It is the soldiers ability to fight spiritual warfare. It represents his effectiveness in spiritual warfare. The Christian says, I am determined to live a righteous life that will enable me to effectively engage in spiritual warfare. To be righteous means to stand in the right relationship with God and to live in the right way, that is, to live according to the way God revealed in the Bible. Only a righteous person can have lasting good influence. Like Noah, a righteous person continues to walk with God amidst an evil generation. The shoes of readiness They are the soldiers ability to act immediately in spiritual warfare. They represent his preparedness and readiness for spiritual warfare. The Christian says, I am completely prepared and immediately ready to fight battles in spiritual warfare. He is determined not to be caught sleeping. Like the faithful and wise manager whom the master put in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time, his master finds him doing so when he returns (Luke 12:42-43).

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The shield of faith It is the soldiers ability to defend himself in spiritual warfare. It represents his faith in Gods promises when he is engaged in spiritual warfare. The Christian says, I am determined to defend myself against Satans attacks. Satans flaming arrows represent his persecutions and troubles and they are designed to cause doubt, suspicion, fear, anguish, greed, vanity, envy or lust in the minds and hearts of Christians. The Christians faith in action trusts that Gods words and promises are true and he acts on the basis of this assurance. The helmet of salvation It is the soldiers ability to protect his thoughts and feelings in spiritual warfare. It represents his assurance of Gods salvation in spiritual warfare and his assurance of the final victory. The Christian says, I am determined to protect my mind and thoughts with Gods promises against Satans attacks. The knowledge that God himself is fighting for him (Exodus 14:14), that God will be with him when he passes through water and fire (Isaiah 43:2) and that God will rescue him from persecutions and sufferings (2 Timothy 3:11), makes the Christian soldier strong enough to continue the fight. The assurance that God who began a good work in the Christian, will carry it on to completion (Philippians 1:6), makes him strong to persevere in the fight. The sword of the Spirit It is the soldiers means to conquer the temptations and traps of Satan during spiritual warfare. It represents his power to conquer in spiritual warfare. The sword of the Spirit is the words of the Bible as they are used in the various situations of life. The Christian says, I am determined to use Gods words in all my battles in spiritual warfare. As long as the Christian uses Gods words correctly, the Holy Spirit will use the Bible words to expose peoples sin (Ephesians 5:11), to convict them of guilt (John 16:8), to refute their arguments against the truth (Titus 1:9), to convince them of Gods truth (Acts 17:2-4), to dispel their doubts (John 20:27-31), to drive away their fears (Matthew 14:27-30), to put Satan to flight (Matthew 4:1-11) and to light up the path in which they should walk (Psalm 119:105). Prayer is a part of spiritual warfare Prayer is the soldiers ability to stay in direct contact with God during spiritual warfare. It represents his dependence on God throughout spiritual warfare. The Christian says, I am determined to remain dependent on God throughout spiritual warfare. Through prayer, God turns mans problems into Gods opportunities!

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2. Evil spirits and spiritual warfare

This second teaching about spiritual warfare is about evil spirits and spiritual warfare. We will learn what the Bible teaches about evil spirits and their fall, their aims to destroy, and their disarmament by Christ. Finally we will learn what Christians ought to do in their spiritual warfare against the evil spirits. The Bible clearly teaches that Satan has already been bound and his demons have been disarmed during the first coming of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago. The binding of Satan or putting a limitation on him is clearly taught in the Gospels in Matthew 12:28-30, Luke 10:17-20 and John 12:31-32 and also in the Letters in Colossians 1:13, Colossians 2:15, Hebrews 2:14 and 1 John 3:8. The book of Revelation describes this binding of Satan in apocalyptic pictures in Revelation 12:7-9 and Revelation 20:1-3. Cf. teaching 1.

EVIL SPIRITS AND THEIR FALL

The creation of angels (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:14) When God created the universe, he also created different kinds of angels, called powers and authorities. These powers and authorities were originally created by Christ and for Christ, that is, they must contribute glory to Jesus Christ and serve his purpose. Angels are ministering spirits that are sent by God to serve those people who will inherit salvation. There are many accounts of non-Christians that have been visited by an angel in a dream or a vision and have turned to Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. The fall of the evil angels (Revelation 12:4,9) When the archangel Satan fell, he swept many other angels into sin together with him. (Revelation 12:4). Since then these fallen angels are called Satans angels (Revelation 12:9), or demons or evil spirits (Matthew 12:22-28,43-45). False teachers of many religions are constantly referring to these fallen angelic beings or evil spirits as gods (1 Corinthians 8:4-5) and even worship them as their gods (1 Corinthians 10:20). The good and the evil angels 1 Timothy 5:21; Ephesians 1:21-22; 6:12; 1 Peter 3:22 The apostles Paul and Peter do not deny the existence of good or elect angels and their ability to exert influence for good. They also do not deny the existence of evil angels and their ability to exert influence for evil. However, they emphasise that no angel has power apart from Jesus Christ. All these powers are in complete submission to Jesus Christ! Colossians 2:9-10; Romans 8:35-39 The good angels cannot add anything to what Christians already have in Jesus Christ and the evil angels can never separate Christians from the love of God! Galatians 1:3-9 Some fallen angels preach another religious message as if it comes from God, but they are eternally condemned. 1 Corinthians 15:24-25; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6 The evil angels are approaching the day when even their ability to do harm in Gods universe and in the hearts and lives of people will be ended once and for all! The fallen angels or evil spirits cannot be saved and will certainly be judged on the Final Judgement Day.

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DIFFERENT PURPOSES OF EVIL SPIRITS

Satan tries to claim the whole world
Satan is only the prince of the evil world (Luke 4:5-6; John 8:44; John 12:31; 1 John 5:19; Ephesians 2:2) Satan claims that all the kingdoms of the world and all their authority and splendour has been given to him and that he can give it to anyone he wants (Luke 4:5-6). John warns that the whole world is under the control of the evil one (1 John 5:19). Paul says that Satan is the ruler of the kingdom of the air (Ephesians 2:2). Do these three Bible passages teach that Satan possesses all the countries in the world and controls all the people on earth? Do they teach that Satan and his evil spirits are most powerful in the world? No! Satan does not possess or control the whole world and its people! When John speaks of the world, then he means only the evil world, that is, the whole society of evil people, who are alienated from God or who oppose God in the world (John 15:18-25). The Christians in this world do not belong to that evil world and are not under the power of its evil ruler, but are rather in the kingdom of Jesus Christ in this world and under the sovereign power of the King of kings (cf. Matthew 13:37-39; John 18:36; 17:14-15; Colossians 1:13). When Paul speaks of Satans kingdom of the air, then he means that Satan is able to carry on his destructive work through his evil angels only within the society of evil people on earth and its surrounding atmosphere. Satan is only the limited prince of this evil world (John 12:31). Satan and his evil spirits can only act within the limits of Gods sovereign power and permission. Therefore, when Satan claims that he owns and rules the nations and that he has the right and might to dispose of them and of their wealth as he pleases, then he is a liar (John 8:44)! Jesus Christ is the King of the whole universe (Matthew 28:18; Ephesians 1:21-22; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 1:5; 17:14; 19:16) During this present age and in the age to come, Jesus Christ is above every rule and authority, power and dominion. God has placed all things under his feet and appointed him head over everything. Jesus Christ has authority over everything in the universe and over everyone on earth! It is not Jesus Christ who takes a back-seat in this present world, but Satan and his evil spirits. The only thing the above mentioned Bible verses say is that Satan still exercises a powerful influence for evil in the lives of all those wicked people and evil spirits who acknowledge Satan as their master.

Satans evil spirits try to control certain territories on earth

The Bible relates how people sometimes believe in territorial spirits. They believe that the whole world is divided into many territories and that each territory is controlled by certain evil spirits and their demon prince. In order to appease these evil spirits and their demon princes, non-Christians believe that they have to worship each spirit in its own territory. Possible territories in which evil spirits are active Evil spirits in empires and countries (Daniel 10:11-14,20-21) The Old Testament relates that before the First Coming of Jesus Christ, the earthly kingdoms or empires of Persia and Greece had their spiritual representatives among the demon princes. From these passages it seems that evil spirits and their demon princes had a great interest in specific countries of the world. Evil spirits in cities and towns (2 Kings 17:29-31; Revelation 2:13) When people from different nations were resettled in Samaria, each national group worshipped and served its own gods in the towns where they settled. Each idol had its own shrine and priests. The Samaritans seemed to believe that certain spirits controlled certain territories and needed to be worshipped in that territory through the means of their territorial idols and territorial shrines. The New Testament relates that at a certain time, Satan had his throne in the city of Pergamum. This city was an old royal city and at that time the seat of the Roman government of the province of Asia. In that city there was much idolatry, including the worship of the Roman Emperor. Thus, in that city, Satan had almost unimpeded power and he exercised his evil work with a vengeance. Yet, Jesus Christ assured the Christians who lived there that he was fighting against these idol worshippers with the sword of his mouth! He said that just by speaking his words, he would judge the unrepentant people and strike down their false
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teachers (Revelation 1:16; 2:12,16; 19:15). From these passages it seems that evil spirits have a great interest in particular cities and towns. Evil spirits in human cultures (Revelation 18:2; 19:20; 20:10) The city of Babylon is an apocalyptic picture of Satans anti-Christian immoral power expressed in human culture. The city is described as the great prostitute (Revelation 17:1-5). When this city falls, it is described as a home for demons and a haunt for every evil spirit. This does not mean that those evil spirits or demons would still be active after the fall of the city. This passage is an announcement that the future fall of Babylon is so certain that it is depicted as if it had already happened! So quickly and so certain will its fall and desolation be at the Second Coming of Christ, that even the evil spirits will not be able to escape! The evil spirits will, as it were, get imprisoned or trapped in the ruins of Babylon! The Bible teaches that the evil spirits will be judged and punished together with Satan and his demon princes at the Final Judgement! From these passages it seems that evil spirits have a great interest in the human cultures of nations. Evil spirits as territorial spirits Today, many tribes believe in their own territorial spirits. Nomads never make camp outside their own territory unless they have first secured permission from the spirit owner of that place. The nomads do not conceive themselves as owning that land, but they believe that they are only using it with the permission of its true spirit owners. They also believe that these territorial spirits in a sense adopt them while they live in their territory.

The New Testament does not picture these evil spirits as actually in control of any territories. It only describes these demons as active in many places on earth. Their major purpose is to try to prevent the spread of the gospel and the glorification of God in all these places. However, these evil spirits cannot prevent Christians from entering any place on earth. Whenever Christ ties up these evil spirits or demons through the prayers and the missionary work of Christians, then these demons loosen their grip and finally lose their grip on people and Gods kingdom takes hold (Matthew 12:29)! All territories are under sovereign control of Jesus Christ (Isaiah 14:24,27; Daniel 10:11-14, 20-21) God sovereignly controls every territory on earth Although it seems that evil spirits and their demon princes have tried to control certain territories (cf. Isaiah 14:13-14), the Bible clearly teaches that they never actually controlled whole territories, like for example the whole empire of Babylon, of Persia or of Greece. They never controlled everything that happened in those countries! For example, Daniel lived and served in the empires of Babylon and Persia and he was never under the control of evil spirits! Although many non-Christians and even some Christians believe that their territory is controlled by evil spirits and their demon-princes and not by God, the Bible clearly teaches that God in Jesus Christ is sovereignly in control of every territory on earth and in the whole universe (Matthew 28:18)! God sovereignly controls the historic events on earth Non-Christians often believe in a hierarchy of demons who control the historic events on earth. For example, in the Old Testament times, they believed that strong countries like the empires of Persia and Greece had demon princes who were stronger than the spiritual powers of the weaker countries like the small country of Israel. But the Bible clearly teaches that the hierarchy of demons in the air is not a replica of the hierarchy of kings on the earth! Although Israel was an insignificant nation and Persia and Greece were great world empires, Michael, the angel prince of Israel, was much stronger than the demon princes of Persia and Greece! It was not these demon princes of Persia and Greece, but our sovereign God who controlled the historic events of Persia, Greece and Israel! The Bible consistently teaches that it is God who sovereignly binds and destroys evil spirits and their demon princes. For example, we read that the Assyrian king of the mighty Assyrian Empire boasted that the gods of other nations could not deliver their nations from his mighty army. However, when king Hezekiah and the prophet Isaiah cried out in prayer to God, God sent just one angel who completely annihilated the mighty Assyrian army (2 Chronicles 32:121)! God sovereignly reveals the future historical events on earth God revealed to Daniel that the spiritual warfare in the air was going to be directed against Persia first and then against Greece, because each of these countries would for a limited time have power over Israel, who was regarded as Gods people in exile. Although Gods people seemed defenceless, they had God and Gods angels on their side! Although the conflict on earth would be such as to cause doubt as to whether Gods people could survive, Gods vision
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to Daniel was intended to give Daniel the unshakeable assurance that however desperate the situation on earth might be, God is always in control of all the events on earth. The outcome of the spiritual war in the air had already been determined!

Evil spirits try to destroy people by attaching themselves to certain things related to people
Evil spirits try to destroy the bodies and spirits of people Matthew 4:23-24; 12:22; Luke 11:14; 13:11,16. Sometimes evil spirits cause physical disabilities. Although not all sicknesses and physical disabilities are caused by evil spirits (cf. John 9:1-3), some evil spirits have the power to make some people blind (Matthew 12:22), deaf and mute (Luke 11:14) or cripple (Luke 13:11,16). Luke 8:27-29,35; Mark 9:20-22. Sometimes evil spirits cause spiritual disabilities. Some evil spirits have the power to make some people mad (Luke 8:27-29,35) or to drive them to commit suicide (Mark 9:20-22). However, we must make it very clear that not all sicknesses, pains, physical disabilities and mental diseases are caused by evil spirits, because the Bible clearly distinguishes between these in Matthew 4:23-24! Matthew 12:43-45; Luke 8:2,30. Sometimes evil spirits possess people. Some evil spirits sometimes enter the bodies of nonChristians, that is, of people who do not have the Holy Spirit living in them. Such people are then called demon-possessed. Although evil spirits attack born-again Christians (Ephesians 6:10,16), they can never possess a born-again Christian, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world (1 John 4:4; cf. Matthew 12:43-45; cf. John 10:28; 14:16-17). Evil spirits try to destroy the minds and spirits of people Deuteronomy 32:16-17; Psalm 106:34-39; 1 Corinthians 10:18-21. Evil spirits use especially idolatry to destroy the minds and spirits of people! Evil spirits attach themselves to idols and to the sacrifices made to these idols. Thus, idolatry is really a worship of evil spirits! 1 Timothy 4:1-3; 1 John 4:1-6; 2 John 7-11. Evil spirits attach themselves to false teachers and their false teachings in order to destroy the minds and spirits of people! Evil spirits are certainly involved in the false teachings of the religions, the philosophies and the ideologies of the world. Evil spirits are certainly involved in the lies and slander that are often spread by the mass media (John 8:44). Evil spirits are probably also involved in the deliberate false assumptions, which are sometimes made by scientists. Leviticus 19:26,31; 20:6,27; Deuteronomy 18:9-13. Evil spirits attach themselves to every kind of occultism in order to destroy people! Evil spirits control occultism, like sacrificing people in the fire, divination, sorcery, interpreting omens, witchcraft, casting spells, mediums and spiritists, consulting the dead and the other detestable ways of the nations that do not know the God of the Bible. Satanism is the worship of Satan, usually through all kinds of revolting practices, like occultism, sexual immorality and violent murder. Evil spirits try to destroy Gods people by political persecution, religious perversion and moral seduction (Revelation 16:13-14; 17:1-6) John describes three evil spirits (literally: three unclean spirits) who come out of the mouths of the dragon, the beast and the false prophet. They perform miracles in order to deceive the leaders of the nations and turn them against God. These evil spirits look like frogs in order to indicate their abominable, loathsome and repulsive characters. These evil or unclean spirits represent the satanic, hellish ideas, plans, projects, methods and enterprises, which are born in hell and are introduced into the minds of people through Satan himself and his two agents, the beast and the false prophet. Satans third agent is the great prostitute. The beast out of the sea represents Satans antichristian governments and its persecutions (Revelation 13:1-10), especially in the great world empires (the nations as political units)(Daniel 7:17) with their kings (all rulers) (Daniel 7:24) that follow one another throughout the period from the First to the Second Coming of Christ, symbolised by 42 months (Revelation 13:5-7). This 3 years period symbolises a demarcated period of time that begins with the First Coming of Christ (Revelation 12:5-6) and ends with the Second Coming of Christ (Revelation 11:2-12). Coming from the sea indicates the nations of the world that rage and roar
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(Psalm 65:7; Isaiah 17:12; Revelation 17:15). This beast is Satans antichristian political persecutor throughout this present New Testament period. The beast out of the earth or false prophet represents Satans antichristian knowledge, its misleading and its advocates (Revelation 13:11-18), especially in the religions, ideologies, philosophies and sciences of the world with their advocates throughout the period from the First to the Second Coming of Christ. Coming from the earth indicates lacking heavenly nature and significance (Philippians 3:19) and being unspiritual, devilish (James 3:14-15). The beast out of the earth represents all people and institutions, which advocate antichristian religions, ideologies, philosophies and sciences, which persecute Christians throughout the period from the First to the Second Coming of Christ, symbolised by the 42 months of the reign of the beast out of the sea (Revelation 13:5,12-13). The number 2 indicates witnessing or advocating (Deuteronomy 17:6; Matthew 18:16; Luke 10:1). The false prophet is Satans antichristian religious corrupter throughout this present New Testament period. The great prostitute or Babylon represents Satans antichristian world and its seductions, especially in industry and commerce, education and justice, luxuries and pleasures, art and sports, etc. (cf. Revelation 18:2-3,20,22). In short, it is a symbol of Satans antichristian culture connected to the world empires throughout the period from the First coming to the Second Coming of Christ. By means of all these seductions, she seeks to entice and seduce people, to infatuate and blind people, in order to turn them away from God (cf. Revelation 19:2). Babylon represents the world viewed as the centre of luxury, glamour and vice, as the embodiment of the cravings of sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does, the world and its desires that pass away (1 John 2:16-17). Babylon, the great prostitute is Satans antichristian moral seducer throughout this present New Testament period.

During the first century A.D., the temptation to become worldly and to deny Christ came from three directions: From the side of antichristian persecution, like the sword, the wild beasts, the stake, imprisonment and the constant accusations before the Roman courts (Revelation 2:9-10,13; 3:9). From the side of antichristian religion, like the emperor worship, Gnosticism and the Mystery religions (Revelation 2:6,13-15). From the side of antichristian morality, like the temptations of the flesh. People were constantly invited to join in the immoral feasts of the heathen, in order to make their social position secure and to enjoy the pleasures of the world. In every age, Christians must consider who and what represents antichristian persecution, antichristian religion and antichristian morality in their own society! In the vision of John, these evil spirits go out to the nations of the whole world, thus also to your nation, in order to deceive them and to stir them up against God and Gods people, that is, against the Christians! The closer we come to the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the more active the antichristian persecution, antichristian religion and the antichristian morality will become! The activity of these three antichristian spirits will increase during the last days just before the Second Coming of Christ! The evil spirits are often called unclean, because not only in a religious sense, but especially in a moral sense, they pervert people. It is therefore possible that many evil spirits have a strong influence on the sexual moral corruption among people, like pornography, adultery, prostitution, homosexuality and any other kinds of sexual immorality. The activities of the third antichristian spirit, called Babylon, the great prostitute, point in the direction of enormous moral perversion. Again we must make it very clear that not all evil originates from Satan or his demons, because the Bible says that the greatest problem is not Satan or evil spirits or even the evil world. The Bible says that the greatest problem is the sinful heart of man (Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 8:5-8)! Conclusion. Evil spirits or demons like to attach themselves to some political rulers of nations, to idolaters and false teachers of antichristian religions and to sexual immoral people.

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DISARMAMENT OF THE EVIL SPIRITS

Jesus Christ disarmed all evil spirits (Colossians 2:14-15)
The written code with its regulations is here especially the Old Testament ceremonial law. By his death on the cross, Jesus Christ not only fulfilled the law, but also cancelled the law once for all time. The law had functioned as the impersonal accuser of people, because everybody transgressed the law and nobody could keep the law! Because Jesus Christ fulfilled the law as Gods just requirement for justification, he could also cancel this law. Christians are set free from the Old Testament Law and every other law as a means of gaining justification or salvation! Christians are also no longer under the obligation to observe the ceremonial laws and the civil laws of the Old Testament! The powers and authorities refer to the evil spirits in the atmosphere around the earth and to the evil authorities on the earth. By his death on the cross, Jesus Christ not only bound Satan, but also disarmed all the evil spirits once for all time. These evil spirits had functioned as the personal accusers of people, because Jesus Christ had not yet been crucified and therefore their sins had not yet been atoned (Romans 8:33; Revelation 12:10). By the great redemptive acts of Jesus Christ, which are his death, resurrection, ascension and enthronement (Colossians 2:15; Revelation 12:10; Ephesians 1:20-23), God disarmed these evil spirits and publicly exposed them to disgrace by leading them as captives during his triumph, chained as it were, to his triumphal chariot! God did these three things once and for all time at the First Coming of Jesus Christ 2000 years ago. Through the triumphant Jesus Christ, God has achieved victory over Satan and all his evil angels once and for all time (Romans 8:37-39)! Jesus Christ bound Satan (Matthew 12:29; Revelation 20:3) and disarmed all his evil spirits (Colossians 2:15). This does not mean that Jesus Christ bound or disarmed them in every respect, because other passages in the Bible teach that Satan and his evil spirits still exercise very powerful influence for evil over the lives of all those people who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord. And although Satan is bound and his evil spirits are disarmed, even Christians still need to put on the full armour of God and resist their attacks (Ephesians 6:10-18). Christians are able to resist Satan and his evil spirits only because Satan has been bound and his evil spirits have been disarmed! Christians, who neglect to put on the whole spiritual armour, can experience severe defeats in their personal Christian life and will have to face the judgement of Christ (Revelation 2:14-16).

Jesus Christ rescued Christians from the dominion of evil spirits (Colossians 1:13-14)
The dominion of darkness refers to the control of Satan and his evil spirits. Colossians 1:13 says that God rescued Christians from the dominion of darkness once for all time and brought them into his kingdom. He did this through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, which brought redemption and forgiveness to all people who believe in Jesus Christ. Colossians 2:10 says that from now on Jesus Christ is the head over every power and authority that exists.

Jesus Christ causes Christians to escape from the trap of evil spirits (2 Timothy 2:25-26)
God causes people to escape once for all time from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. God rescues these people from Satan and his evil agents by granting believers repentance that leads them to the knowledge of the truth and a coming to their senses. Every Christian, who remains in Jesus Christ and continues to depend on him, need not fear Satan or any of his evil spirits. Satan has been bound and his evil spirits have been disarmed. They cannot harm Christians unless Christians become disobedient to God and thus allow these evil spirits to harm them!

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WARFARE AGAINST SATAN AND HIS EVIL SPIRITS

Christians should resist evil spirits
Christians should resist the attacks of evil spirits. Although Satan and his evil spirits have been conquered and their absolute power over people has been bound, the Bible still teaches that Christians should be watchful and should wage spiritual warfare against them! Christians need not fear these evil spirits or demons. They were disarmed and they were bound by Jesus Christ at his First Coming. However, the spiritual war against them will have to continue until the Second Coming of Christ, because these evil spirits or demons still do great harm to people without Jesus Christ and they still try to hurt people belonging to Jesus Christ. a. First submit to God. Then resist the devil (James 4:7-8) James urges Christians to first come near to God, to purify their hearts before God and to submit to God. Then they should resist the devil. God promises that the devil will flee from them! b. First be self-controlled, alert and stand firm in the Christian faith. Then resist the devil (1 Peter 5:8-9) The apostle Peter warns that Satan prowls around Christians, all the time looking for an opportunity to attack them. Christians should therefore first live a self-controlled life, be alert against the devils attacks and stand firm in their Christian faith. Then they should resist the attacks of the devil and his evil spirits. Christians should know that other Christians throughout the world undergo this same kind of sufferings. c. First get rid of bitterness and anger. Then do not give the devil a foothold (Ephesians 4:26-27,31) The apostle Paul urges Christians to get rid of bitterness and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. To do such things is to give the devil a foothold in your life. Other things that would give the devil and evil spirits a foothold in your life are entertaining a forbidden relationship, getting involved in an evil activity or going to a questionable place. d. First be very assured that the Holy Spirit lives in you. Then test the spirits to see whether they are from God (1 John 4:1-6; 2 John 7-11) The apostle John urges Christians to believe that the Holy Spirit living in them is the Spirit of the truth. Therefore Christians should not believe the lying spirits within people, who do not acknowledge that Jesus Christ is God that took on the human nature (John 1:1,14) or who do not continue to live according to the teachings of Jesus Christ. Many false teachers have gone out into the world. Christians should test them and refuse to believe their lies. While God has given to some Christians the gift of distinguishing between spirits (1 Corinthians 12:10), he has given the Bible to all Christians to know and discern the truth (John 17:17; 2 Timothy 3:16-17)! Christians should resist false teachers, because they are the false agents of evil spirits. They should resist them by refusing to listen to them or to their false teachings. They should especially refuse to read their false books! And they should refuse to welcome them into their homes.

Christians should wage war against evil spirits

a. Use the spiritual armour to extinguish flaming arrows and to counter attacks (Ephesians 6:1618) It says, Take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. () Take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions. Christians should especially use faith, specific Bible verses and prayer to wage spiritual warfare against the devil and his evil spirits. The flaming arrows of Satan are his attacks on the body, mind and spirit of Christians, for example, his lies and false accusations. However, Christ has given to Christians faith in his promises as a shield to extinguish these flaming arrows. The Christian believes that Gods words and promises are true and he acts on the basis of this assurance. The Christian also uses specific Bible verses that meet the attack as the sword of the Spirit to attack and conquer the devils attacks. And the Christian prays in complete dependence on Jesus Christ, who through his Spirit lives in the Christian. Therefore Christians should not try to counter the attacks of the evil spirits without relying completely on Jesus Christ and his words in

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the Bible. The purpose of Christians in spiritual warfare is to remain standing in the Christian faith and in victory over every kind of evil (Ephesians 6:13). b. Use spiritual weapons to demolish strongholds and to rescue captives (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) It says, Though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. Christians should use the wisdom, truths and arguments of the Bible to wage spiritual warfare against the devil and his evil spirits. The first purpose of Christians in spiritual warfare is to demolish the strongholds of the evil spirits. These strongholds of evil spirits are their false arguments, pretensions and thoughts. The second purpose of Christians in spiritual warfare is to rescue the people in the world, who have been taken captive by these evil spirits (2 Timothy 2:25-26).

Christians should break the power of evil spirits

a. Break the power of evil spirits under the leadership of the church. Christ continues to use Christians to set people free from captivity and to rob them from the dominion of darkness (Matthew 12:29-30; John 12:31-32; Colossians 1:13-14; 2 Timothy 2:25-26) Christians should not only resist Satan, but should attack his territories or strongholds. They should allow Christ to continue to tie up (bind) the evil spirits in people and in communities through their prayers and the proclamation of the gospel. Thus, Christians become Christs instruments to set people free from Satans captivity and to rob people out of Satans dark domain and bring them into Gods kingdom. As people turn to Jesus Christ and are set free from Satans oppression, then according to Luke 10:18-20, Satan continues to be hurled out of the air and smacked to the ground! Christ gives authority and power to cast out evil spirits especially to his apostles (Matthew 10:1,8, apostles; Mark 16:9-20, Christs disciples; Luke 10:18-20, Christs disciples; Acts 5:16, apostles; 8:7 (evangelist Philip); 13:6-12, apostle Paul; 16:18, apostle Paul; 26:17-18, apostle Paul; 2 Corinthians 12:12, apostles; Hebrews 2:3-4, Christs disciples) All Christians should be involved in opening peoples eyes for the truths in the Bible, including the truth about the destructive work of Satan and his evil spirits. All Christians should be involved in proclaiming the gospel and in praying and thus robbing people out of Satans dominion of darkness. But only to some Christians Christ gave his authority to break the power of Satan and his evil spirits that possess certain people. In the Gospels, Jesus Christ had given this authority and power only to his twelve disciples (apostles) and to a wider group of his disciples (the seventy two). In the book of Acts, Jesus Christ had given this authority and power only to his apostles, the apostle Paul and the evangelist Philip. Like Jesus Christ, they rebuked the evil spirits in the name of Jesus Christ and the evil spirits left the people. In the New Testament Letters it is taught that Jesus Christ gave this authority and power to his apostles as the characteristic mark of being an apostle of Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 12:12; Hebrews 2:3-4). In the light of the context of the Gospel of Mark and the teachings of the rest of the Bible, Mark 16:17-20 refers to the direct disciples of Jesus Christ. It was they, who first did not believe (Mark 16:11,14). But when they believed, the Lord confirmed the word that they preached by the signs that accompanied their preaching (Mark 16:17,20; Matthew 10:1,8; Luke 10:18-20; 2 Corinthians 12:12, and compare Acts 19:13-16). Moreover, Mark 16:9-20 was not a part of the original Gospel of Mark. The oldest and most reliable manuscripts in Greek, Latin and Syriac show that the Gospel of Mark ended with Mark 16:8. We do not know if Mark ever finished his Gospel. If not, we do not know why not. And if he did, we do not know what happened to his concluding lines. A later writer added Mark 16:9-20 as an appropriate ending to the Gospel. Mark 16:9-20 is an interesting summary account gathered from the other Gospels and relates some of the appearances of Jesus after his resurrection, of his ascension and of his continued work through the apostles. Mark 16:9-11 is a summary of John 20:11-18, the appearance of Jesus to Mary Magdalene. Mark 16:12-13 is a summary of Luke 24:13-35, the appearance of Jesus to two people going to Emmaus. Mark 16:14-18 is a summary of Matthew 28:16-20, the appearance of Jesus to the Eleven on a mountain in Galilee. And Mark 16:19-20 is a summary of Acts 1:9-11, the ascension of Jesus and his continued work through the disciples. Mark 16:9-20 is binding for faith and practice only to the extent in which its teachings are definitely supported by Scripture in general. Because the picking up of poisonous snakes and the drinking of deadly poison (Mark 16:18) is not supported by any other passages in the Bible, they should not be considered as Scripture, but rather as apocryphal material, that is, mateSpiritual warfare, three teachings taken from DOTA Church Workbook 4 Page 17 of 29

rial of doubtful authenticity that was invented by a later writer to resemble the words of the Bible. In order to avoid abuse of the ministry of breaking the power of evil spirits by casting them out, this ministry should best be done only under the leadership of the elders of the church and in association with them. Christ invades the territories and strongholds of evil through the prayers and missionary work of his people (Luke 8:12; Matthew 12:29-30) According to Luke 8:12, the major purpose of evil spirits wherever they are in the world, that is, whatever territory or stronghold they defend, is to try to prevent the spread of the gospel and the glorification of the God of the Bible. However, according to Matthew 12:29-30, when Jesus Christ ties up these evil spirits through the prayers and the missionary work of Christians, these evil spirits loosen their grip on people and finally lose their grip on people. Then Gods kingdom takes hold of them instead!

b. Break the power of evil spirits by prayer and faith. The Bible does not teach that the tying up of evil spirits (Matthew 12:29-30) should be done by means of any specific method. Nevertheless, there are some Christians who advocate that the binding of evil spirits take place in a particular method, called strategic prayer. They describe the method as follows. Firstly, the names and aims of these evil spirits should be identified. Secondly, the evil spirits should be bound and exorcised in the name of Jesus Christ. Thirdly, this strategic prayer should preferably be done in exactly the place where these so-called territorial spirits operate. This view over-estimates the power of evil spirits and under-estimates the completed triumph of Jesus Christ over Satan and his evil spirits everywhere in the world. Moreover, the Bible does not advocate this view and does not teach this method of strategic prayer. Not the prayer of Daniel, but the sovereign action of God dealt with the evil spirits (Daniel 9:1-3; 10:1,12-14) From the book of Jeremiah, Daniel had understood that Israel would suffer exile for seventy years. Daniel had humbled himself before God and had prayed concerning the plight of Israel. He confessed the sins of Israel and acknowledged that Gods punishment of Israels sins was just. He pleaded with God to be merciful towards Israel and Jerusalem. God had sovereignly answered his prayer and through a vision had revealed to him what would happen to Israel in the near future. Daniels prayer was not about the binding of demon princes, but it was about understanding Israels plight. The angel who explained to Daniel what would happen to Israel in the near future, told him about the spiritual war in the air and its definite outcome. It was not Daniels prayer or anything the believing Jews did that bound or conquered these evil spirits and their demon princes in their territories. It was the sovereign God who sent his angel prince, Michael, to bind and conquer these demon princes and in this way fulfil his sovereign plan with his people! Although the conflict on earth would be such as to cause doubt as to whether Gods people could survive, Gods vision to Daniel was intended to encourage Daniel. God gave Daniel unshakeable assurance that however desperate the situation on earth might be, God was always in control of the events on earth and the outcome of the spiritual war in the air was already determined! The purpose of Daniel chapter 9 and 10 is not to teach Christians what they must do in the spiritual warfare, but is to encourage Christians what God has done and will do in the spiritual warfare! Of course, Christians may follow Daniels good example when he humbled himself, prayed and confessed the known sins of his people, but this passage does not teach the so-called method of strategic prayer against so-called territorial spirits. Not the prayers of Christians, but the sovereign action of Jesus Christ opens closed doors (Revelation 3:7-9; Isaiah 14:24,27; Matthew 28:18) The One who opens and closes doors is Jesus Christ and not Christians through their prayers. The following notions are not biblical: Some people believe in the idea that, because no one opposes the evil spirits, these territorial spirits are free to do as they please. The Bible does not warrant believe in such a notion. Some people believe in the idea that until Christians bind these evil spirits through their prayers, nothing spiritual like evangelistic or missionary work can be done in that territory. The Bible does not support this view. Some people believe that the sin of a particular country causes that country to be cursed in a particular way and that therefore that country needs to be set free by the prayers of Christians before the gospel will be accepted in that country. There is no justification in the Bible to believe this.

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Some people believe that Christians should first identify a particular evil spirit or demon and its foothold in that country before they can pray against it. Such a notion cannot be deduced from the Bible. The above-mentioned views with regard to evil spirits and their demon princes over-estimate the power of evil spirits and under-estimate the sovereignty of God! They also over-estimate the responsibility and prayers of Christians and under-estimate the completed and continued work of Jesus Christ! The Bible teaches that, not evil spirits and their demon princes, but our sovereign God through Jesus Christ is in control of all places on earth, of all events in history and of all people on earth (Isaiah 14:24,27; Matthew 28:18). The Bible teaches that it is not Christians through their prayers that open up territories or countries for the preaching of the gospel, but that it is Jesus Christ who holds the keys and that it is he who sovereignly opens all the doors to closed places in the world and to opportunities to proclaim the gospel! Not prayers, but Gods answers to the prayers of Christians break the power of evil spirits (Colossians 4:2-4; Ephesians 6:10-11; Matthew 12:29; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5) What is the place of prayer? The Bible teaches that we Christians should devote ourselves to prayer, so that our sovereign God may open doors of opportunity everywhere for our preaching of the gospel! Prayer is not the means of opening doors, but it is the means of asking God to open doors, if he wishes to open them! Prayer is not a human power that automatically moves the hand of the sovereign God. Such a notion is arrogance and would make man more powerful than God. Prayer is rather the open hand of man that receives from the sovereign God whatever he is pleased to give! The Bible teaches that we Christians must put on the full armour of God so that we can stand against the devils schemes when we pray and when we do missionary work in any territory on earth! And it teaches that due to Christs completed salvation work on the cross, Christ will sovereignly continue to bind the evil spirits and their demon princes and draw people to himself (John 12:31-32). He will do this in answer to the prayers of Christians and through the missionary work of Christians! God is even able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20)! Faith in Gods promises causes Christians to pray with confidence and to wait with trust (Matthew 6:9-10; 18:19; Luke 22:42; John 14:13; James 4:15) What is the place of faith in relation to prayer? In Matthew 18:19 Jesus promises, If two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you. And in John 14:13 he promises, I will do whatever you ask in my name. Such promises are intended to bring Christians with confidence into the place of prayer. Christians need courage and encouragement when they pray for open doors of opportunity or against evil spirits. These promises speak of a God who hears all our prayers, who is able to do all things, and who is so generous that he will withhold nothing from us that is good! But the one thing these promises do not encourage or allow, is that we should pray with a stubborn insistence that we know what is right and that our will must be done! Gods promises do not intend to promote human arrogance. The essence of faith in prayer is to pray with confidence and then to rest in Gods sovereign will with trust. James 4:15 teaches that the essence of life and of prayer is, Not my will, but your will be done (Luke 22:42). Jesus teaches that this attitude is essential in all our prayers. He teaches, This is how you should pray, Hallowed be your name; Your kingdom come; Your will be done (Matthew 6:9-10)! Therefore, in the prayer of faith, our faith is not that we believe that God will automatically do what we have asked or what he has promised, but that we rest trustfully in the will of our sovereign, faithful and loving God. It is for this reason that Christians must say in all their prayers Your will be done! Whenever we Christians pray, Your will be done!, we remove all human limitations from our prayers! Our knowledge of the real situation of any territory or country, person or group of people is always limited! Our proposed solutions and our understanding of Gods sovereign will are always limited! Sometimes we impose a limitation on our prayers by our knowledge of what needs to be done. Sometimes we impose a limitation on our prayers by our proposals of what will meet the needs. And sometimes we impose a limitation on our prayers by our sense of what is the best for a particular situation. To pray, Your will be done is not a sign of weakness or doubt, but rather a sign of strength and faith! Whenever we Christians pray, Your will be done, we do not impose any restriction on our prayer, but rather lift our prayer above all human limitations and earthly restrictions! The petition, Your will be done, places the situaPage 19 of 29

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tion, the territory, the individual or the group of people unreservedly into the hands of God and his infinite wisdom, love and power. There is no safer place to leave a person or a group of people than to place them in the hands of God. And there is no solution to any problem that is more fitting, more beneficial and more glorious than the solution that God has in mind for that person, that group of people or their country! Revelation 8:3-5 teaches that our limited and imperfect prayers on earth are mixed with the incense of Christs perfect prayer in heaven for us (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25). Thus our limited and imperfect prayers reach the throne of God in absolute perfect form! He always gives mercy and grace to help us exactly at the time we need it (Hebrews 4:16). God always answers our prayers, but not by doing what our imperfect prayers suggest, but by doing what his perfect will has planned!

Christ will finally judge the devil and all his evil spirits (Revelation 16:13-16 and 20:7-10)
Just before the Second Coming of Christ, during the Great Tribulation, Satan and his demons will be the driving force of rebellion against God. However, at the Second Coming, Jesus Christ will throw them all into hell, from where they will never escape and where they will be tormented day and night for ever and ever!

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3. Angels and spiritual warfare

God normally works through Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Bible and the Christians of the Church! But in special circumstances, God also works through his angels. In this third teaching about spiritual warfare we will learn who the angels are, how they relate to Jesus Christ and what their functions are with regard to Christians and non-Christians.

ANGELS
The nature of angels
Angels are mentioned 108 times in 17 books of the Old Testament and 165 times in 17 books of the New Testament. The word angel (Hebrew: malak, Greek: angelos) means one sent, messenger, or envoy. When God created the universe, he also created the different kinds of angels. Angels were created by Christ and for Christ, that is, for the realisation of Christs purposes (Colossians 1:16; Hebrews 1:14). Angels are also called sons of God, because they were created by God, just as believers are called sons of God, because they are being recreated by God (Job 1:6; Rom 8:9-16). However, in Genesis 6:2, the term sons of God does not refer to angels, but to believers, while the term daughters of men refers to unbelievers. Angels are higher than people in the order of creation, but lower than people in the order of grace (Hebrew 2:7,16). Angels are spiritual beings and have no flesh and bone (Hebrews 1:14; Luke 24:39). They are persons, because they can reason, speak, choose and act. They do not marry and are therefore neither male nor female (Mark 12:25).

The number of angels

The LORD is often called the LORD of hosts (NIV: Lord Almighty)(Hebrew: JaHWeH Tsebaot)(Isaiah 1:9). The hosts refer to the uncountable number of angels around his throne, who form part of his council (1 Kings 22:19; Job 1:6; 15:8; Jeremiah 23:18,22), sing his praises (Job 38:7; Psalm 148:2; Luke 2:13) and do his will (Psalm 103:20-21). The Lord has a mighty army of angels. The chariots of God are tens of thousands (Psalm 68:17). They are well equipped and are divided into companies (Luke 2:13). Jesus Christ could ask his Father for help and immediately have more than 12 legions of angels ready to act on his behalf (a legion is about 4000-6000)(Matthew 26:52-53; cf. 2 Kings 6:17)! When Daniel and John speak of ten thousand times ten thousands of angels, they are saying that Gods angels are uncountable (Daniel 7:10; Revelation 5:11).

The abilities of angels

Angels possess a moral nature, because they could choose to obey or disobey God (2 Peter 2:4). They have intelligence, but are not omniscient (all-knowing), because they did not know about Gods plan of salvation, nor do they know the time of Christs Second Coming (2 Samuel 14:17; 1 Peter 1:11-12; Matthew 24:36). They can sing with joy, praise and worship God (Isaiah 6:3; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 5:11-14). Some angels are depicted as having wings and they can fly (Psalm 18:10; Revelation 14:6). They can move with the speed of the wind and can serve God with the strength of fire (Ezekiel 1:14; Hebrews 1:7). However, they are not omnipresent (present everywhere), because they can only be at one place at one time (Daniel 9:21-23). They are stronger than the arrogant people in the world (2 Peter 2:11), stronger than the demon-princes of countries (Daniel 10:13) and stronger than Satan himself (Revelation 20:1-3). However, they are not omnipotent (all-powerful), because they can be resisted for some time by the evil forces (Daniel 10:12-14).
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Angels see the face of God (Matthew 18:10) and are examples of absolute obedience to God (Psalm 103:20-21; Matthew 6:10).

The appearance of angels

Angels are usually invisible (Colossians 1:16), but they can become visible and appear to people (Luke 1:11). Sometimes they appear like ordinary men (Genesis 18:1), sometimes in their appearance they are dressed in white or shining clothes (Luke 24:4; Acts 1:10) and sometimes their appearance is simply awesome and terrifying (Daniel 10:5-11,15-19). Angels can appear in dreams (Matthew 1:20), in visions (Zechariah 1:8-11) and in real life (Genesis 18:1 19:22). Angels can still appear to people today (Hebrews 13:2)!

The kinds of angels

There are two kinds of angels, Gods angels and the devils angels. Gods angels are called the elect angels because God elected them not to fall (1 Timothy 5:21). They are holy angels (Mark 8:38) and angels of light (2 Corinthians 11:14). They are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14). The devils angels are angels who have rebelled against God or sinned against God (Revelation 12:7-9; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6). The evil angels form an army of the devil (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:4,9). They are liars (John 8:44) and continually do sin (cf. 1 John 3:8-10). Some of the devils angels are territorial spirits, exercising influence over a whole country (Daniel 10:12-14,20).

The orders of angels

When Christ created the angels, he created them as visible and invisible thrones, powers, rulers, authorities and dominions. These words describe the different orders of angels (Colossians 1:16). All these orders of angels are now in submission to the resurrected and ascended Christ and have no power apart from Jesus Christ (Ephesians 1:21; 1 Peter 3:22). The Bible describes some of these orders of angels. The cherubim are angels, who reveal the power, majesty and glory of God and who guard Gods holiness in heaven (Psalm 99:1; Ezekiel 10:1-22), in his descent to the earth (Psalm 18:10), in the Garden in Eden (Genesis 3:24), in the tabernacle (Exodus 25:18-22) and in the temple (1 Kings 6:27-29). The seraphim are angels around Gods throne, who extol his character and prepare people for their proper approach to God (Isaiah 6:1-8). The archangels are very important angels, who fight against the devil and his angels, like Michael (Daniel 10:13; Revelation 12:7-9). Individual angels. Sometimes God brought a special message from God to Daniel, Zechariah and Mary through an individual angel, like Gabriel (Daniel 9:20-23; Luke 1:11-38). But not a single angel knows Gods eternal plan of salvation. The prophets knew more than the angels. But although the prophets knew something about Jesus Christ, the full and complete revelation only came through Jesus Christ and his apostles (Hebrews 1:1-2; 1 Peter 1:10-12)! The fallen angels. See supplement 1 in this workbook. Satan was originally a guardian cherub (Ezekiel 28:15-17). When Satan fell, he swept many other angels into sin together with him (Revelation 12:4). Since then these fallen angels are called Satans angels (Revelation 12:9), or demons or evil spirits (Matthew 12:22-28,43-45). Some fallen angels have preached and still preach another religion as if it comes from God, but they and the people who preach their message are eternally condemned! False teachers of many religions believe that an angel brought the right message of God to them, but they have been misled by evil angels and are eternally condemned (Galatians 1:8)! False religions refer to these fallen angels or evil spirits as gods (1 Corinthians 8:4-5) or even worship them as their gods (1 Corinthians 10:20).

The service of angels

The most important task of angels is to exalt God. They are depicted as being around Gods throne, praising God day and night (Daniel 7:9-10; Revelation 5:11-14). Their second task is to obey Gods word and to do whatever he commands them to do (Psalm 103:20-21; Matthew 6:10). The ordinary service of angels. Angels are Gods instruments to carry out Gods providential care of the world. According to Hebrews 2:5, up to the exaltation of Jesus Christ, God had entrusted the administration of the
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world to angels. In Deuteronomy 32:8 in the original language of the Bible is written, When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance, when he divided all mankind, he set up boundaries for the peoples according to the number of the angels of God. The administration of the various nations had been parcelled out among a corresponding number of angelic powers. After the fall of Satan and many of his evil angels, some of these evil angelic governors of countries are portrayed as hostile principalities and powers (Daniel 10:12-14,20; cf. Daniel 10:21; 12:1). The apostle Paul calls them the powers of this dark world (Ephesians 6:12). Before the First Coming of Christ the angels present themselves before God when they are called to give an account of their service (Job 1:6). The extraordinary service of angels. Angels are Gods instruments to carry out Gods salvation of his people. They are sent to serve believers, that is, those who will inherit salvation in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:14). They watch what is happening with believers, talk to believers, protect believers, rescue believers, care for believers, guide believers, strengthen believers, fight on behalf of the believers and carry believers after death into Gods presence. They are present in the Church and learn from the Church about the wisdom of Gods plan. They mediate some special messages of God to certain people, communicate blessings to Gods people and execute judgements upon Gods enemies. The activity of angels was most prominent in the great turning points of the history of salvation. Angels were prominent in the days of the patriarchs (Abraham), during the time of lawgiving (Moses) and during the period of exile and restoration of Israel (Ezekiel). They were prominent at the birth (Mary), resurrection (Matthew 28:1-7) and ascension (Acts 1:9-11) of Jesus Christ and during the ministry of the apostles (Acts 5:19). They will again be prominent at the Second Coming of Christ (Matthew 24:30-31). There are many accounts of non-Christians from the other world-religions that have been visited by an angel in a dream or in a vision and have thereafter turned to Jesus Christ as their Saviour and Lord.

ANGELS AND JESUS CHRIST

Who is the Angel of the LORD?
In some passages of the Bible, the Angel of the LORD is identified directly with the LORD (JaHWeH) himself, while in other passages he is distinguished from the LORD. The angel of the LORD is the Revelation of the LORD. In Exodus 3:2-15, the Angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in flames of fire from within a bush. Then he identified himself as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and revealed his name as I am who I am. This name means that it is impossible to express the being of God in any name. It also expresses Gods faithfulness to his covenant. Here the Angel of the LORD is the Revelation of the LORD. Read John 1:18 and 17:6. Compare the Angel of the LORD that revealed God to people in the Old Testament with Jesus Christ that revealed God to people in the New Testament. The angel of the LORD is the Presence of the LORD. In Exodus 23:20-23, the LORD promised Moses and Israel to send the angel who bears his name ahead of them, in order to guard them along the way and to bring them to the place he had prepared for them. In verse 22, the angel of the LORD and the LORD himself are interchangeable personalities, because it says, Listen carefully to what the angel says and do all that I say. Moreover, the angel of the LORD can forgive sins. This is something only God can do. The name of the LORD is in him, that is, the LORD, who reveals himself in this angel, is really present. In Exodus 33:2,14, the LORD promised that his angel would go before them and explained to them that in this way the LORDs presence is going with them. Here the angel of the LORD is the Presence of the LORD with his people. Read Matthew 1:23 and Mark 2:5-7. Compare the angel of the LORD with Jesus Christ, who is called Immanuel, which means, God with us and who forgives sins as God does. The angel of the LORD is the Protector and Deliverer from the LORD. In Psalm 34:7 and 35:4-7, the angel of the LORD encamps around those people who fear the LORD and he drives their persecutors away. Here the angel of the LORD is the Protector and Deliverer from the LORD. Read John 10:9-10. Compare the angel of the LORD with Jesus Christ, who saves and protects his sheep.
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The angel of the LORD is the Judge from the LORD. In 1 Chronicles 21:15-19,27, the LORD sent the angel of the LORD to destroy a part of Jerusalem as a judgement of king Davids sin. Here the angel of the LORD is the Judge from the LORD. Read Revelation 19:11-16. Compare the angel with the LORD with Jesus Christ, who will judge the unrepentant nations. The angel of the LORD is the Mediator between the LORD and his servants. In Zechariah 1:8-11, the LORD sent a group of riders on horses to go throughout the earth in order to survey it. When they returned, they reported to the angel of the LORD. Here the angel of the LORD is the Mediator between the LORD and his servants. Read 1 Timothy 2:5. Compare the angel of the LORD with Jesus Christ, who is the Mediator between God and men. The angel of the LORD is the Intercessor for others with God. In Zechariah 1:12-13, the angel of the LORD addressed the LORD Almighty, pleading for mercy for Jerusalem and the towns of Judah. Here the angel of the Lord is the Intercessor for others with God. Read Hebrews 7:25. Compare the angel of the LORD with Jesus Christ, who always lives to intercede for us. The angel of the LORD is the Advocate, who speaks to the LORD in anothers defence. In Zechariah 3:1-7, the high priest Joshua stands before the angel of the LORD while he is accused by Satan. The angel of the LORD, who is called the LORD in verse 2, defended him and took away his sins. Here the angel of the LORD is the Advocate, who speaks to the LORD in another persons defence. Read 1 John 2:1-2. Compare the angel of the LORD with Jesus Christ, who speaks to the Father in our defence. The angel of the LORD is the Mediator of the covenant. In Malachi 3:1-5, the angel of the LORD is called the Lord (Adonai) as an indication of his majesty as King and Judge and he is called the angel or messenger of the covenant, because he is the Mediator of the covenant (cf. Hebrews 8:6). Here the angel of the LORD is the Mediator of the covenant in both the Old and New Testaments. In verse 5 he is identified with the LORD himself, who comes to refine and purify as well as to judge. Compare the angel of the LORD with Jesus Christ, who is the Mediator between God and men, who came to purify Israel and the Gentiles and who will come again to judge everybody. Conclusion. It is clear that the angel of the LORD is not a created angel. The angel of the LORD is the visible revelation of the LORD (JaHWeH) himself in the Old Testament. He is to be identified with the Lord Jesus Christ before he took on a human body. Like the angel of the LORD in the Old Testament, the second Person of the Trinity, the Son of God in the New Testament, was the visible manifestation of the invisible God (Colossians 1:15). After the incarnation of Jesus Christ, the angel of the LORD does not appear again. Both the angel of the LORD and Jesus Christ were sent by God and had similar ministries, namely, revealing, mediating, interceding, leading, protecting, saving and judging. The angel of the LORD is distinct from the Father and the Holy Spirit, because they never take a visible form as he does. (See also Genesis 16:7-14; 22:11-18; 31:11-13).

Angels in comparison with Jesus Christ

In Hebrews chapters 1-2, Jesus Christ is compared to the angels. In Hebrews 1:1-3, seven facts are stated about Jesus Christ, the Son of God, which bring out his greatness and show why the revelation given to him is the highest revelation God can give. The comparative adjective better is used 13 times in the book of Hebrews to contrast Jesus Christ and his new order with what went before his incarnation and exaltation. Because God has no greater Messenger than his Son (cf. Matthew 22:33-44; Luke 2:34), he has no further message beyond the gospel. God speaks his final word in and through Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:1-2)! Jesus Christ is clearly the last and final prophet that God promised in the Old Testament (Deuteronomy 18:18-19). He is the One through whom God will restore everything. He is the One through whom God will bless all peoples on earth. Anyone from every religious background that does not listen to Jesus Christ will be completely cut off from among Gods people. Jesus Christ was sent to turn you from your wicked ways (Acts 3:21-26)!

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The position and title of Jesus Christ is superior to that of the angels. In Hebrews 1:4-14, facts are stated about Jesus Christ, which show that he is superior to all the angels. Jesus Christ was exalted to the right hand of God and he inherited the title Son of God as he inherits all things (Hebrews 1:2), by the eternal appointment of God the Father. The various Old Testament quotations firstly show that the final message of God, which was communicated by the Son, is safeguarded by even more majestic sanctions than those that attended the law, which was communicated by angels (Hebrews 2:2). And secondly it shows that the new world over which the Son reigns as Mediator far surpasses the old world in which various nations were assigned to angels for administration (Hebrews 2:5). This emphasis of Christs superiority to angels was probably given to avoid the Hebrews from being carried away by all kinds of strange teachings (Hebrews 13:9). Remember, a false doctrine of worshipping angels had also been introduced among the Colossian Christians (Colossians 2:18). Angels worship Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 1:6 we read that angels, who are called to worship the LORD (JaHWeH) in the Old Testament, are in the New Testament called to worship Jesus Christ. They are called to do this from the time of his introduction to the world as the Son of God, that is, at his exaltation and enthronement as sovereign ruler of the inhabited universe (Hebrews 2:5; Ephesians 1:20-21; 1 Peter 3:22; Revelation 5:6-14). Angels serve Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 1:7-8 we read that angels, although they have a high place in the divine administration of the universe, are far inferior to the supreme position given to Jesus Christ. While in the Old Testament (Psalm 104:4), the natural elements, wind and fire, fulfilled the commands of God, in the New Testament the angels execute Gods commands with the swiftness of wind and the strength of fire. In contrast to the servant function of angels, Jesus Christ is addressed as God. And in contrast to the temporariness of angels, the divine rule of Jesus Christ will last forever. In Hebrews 1:13-14 we read that, while the most exalted angels may stand in the presence of God (Daniel 7:10; Luke 1:19; Revelation 8:2), none of them has ever been invited to sit in the unique place of honour at Gods right hand as Jesus Christ has. Their posture of standing is a sign of their promptness to execute the commands of him who is seated on the throne. Their service is especially performed for the benefit of a favoured group of people, namely, the Christians. Angels mediated the law, while Jesus Christ mediated the gospel. In Hebrews 2:1-4 we read that the superiority of Jesus Christ to angels is based on the fact that, while the Old Testament ceremonial law was communicated by angelic intermediaries to prophets (Deuteronomy 33:2; Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19), the New Testament gospel was mediated by Jesus Christ. Angels administrated the old world-order, while Jesus Christ administrates the new worldorder. In Hebrews 2:5 we read that, while angels executed the administration of the universe before the incarnation of Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ inaugurated his reign over the new world-order from the time of his exaltation and enthronement and he will complete it at his Second Coming (Acts 3:21). This new world-order of realities far surpasses the old world-order of shadows (Hebrews 8:5-8,13; 10:1). Jesus Christ reduced the fallen angels to impotence and came to save people. Angels cannot save anyone. In Hebrews 2:7 we read that by his incarnation Jesus Christ was made a little lower than the angels. Jesus Christ fulfilled the words of Psalm 8, by becoming the true representative of the human race. He humbled himself to a state lower than that of the angels and took on the state of sinful and lost man. In Hebrews 2:14-16 we read that by his death and resurrection, Jesus Christ reduced the devil, who is a fallen angel, to impotence. For people who recognise death as the penalty of sin, death is the greatest terror. And the devil uses this fear of death as a means of intimidation, compelling people to do his will. However, for people who believe in Jesus Christ, the meaning of death has been transformed from being a judgement for sin and a terrible bondage to being a blessing and the final liberation from the suffering in this world. When their death comes, it will take the character of the death and resurrection of Jesus

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Christ! Death can never separate them from the love of God (Romans 8:38-39)! Jesus Christ was incarnated, not to help and deliver angels, but people who believe in him!

Angels in the life of Jesus Christ

Angels announced the coming of Jesus Christ. In 539 BC, the angel Gabriel announced the coming of Jesus Christ to Daniel (Daniel 9:24-27). Later he announced to Zechariah the birth of the forerunner of Jesus Christ, John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25). He also announced to Mary the birth and divine nature of Jesus Christ (Luke 1:26-38). Later an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and announced the virgin birth of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:18-25). Angels during the incarnation of Jesus Christ. When he was born, an angel announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds and a great company of angels appeared and praised God (Luke 2). A little later, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, ordering him to flee with Mary and Jesus to Egypt, because king Herod planned to kill him (Matthew 2:13-18). Later an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, ordering him to return to the land of Israel (Matthew 2:19-23). When Jesus began his public ministry, after he was tempted by the devil, angels came and served him (Matthew 4:11). Three years later, when Jesus prayed in Gethsemane on the night before his crucifixion, an angel appeared and strengthened him (Luke 22:43-44). When a large crowd armed with swords and clubs arrested Jesus, Jesus said to Peter that he could call on his Father and more than twelve legions of angels would at once be put at his disposal. However, Jesus chose not to call in their help in order to fulfil the Scriptures and die to save sinners (Matthew 26:52-56). Angels during the exaltation of Jesus Christ. Angels were present at the resurrection of Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:1-7, Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:10-13). An angel rolled the stone of the tomb away, not to let Jesus out, but to let people into the tomb to see that he was resurrected. This angels appearance was awesome and the guards were terrified of him. Several angels moved about the tomb when the women came to see what happened. The angels said, Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here; he has risen! Forty days later, when Jesus ascended to heaven, two angels stood beside his disciples and announced the Second Coming of Jesus (Acts 1:10-11). In 1 Peter 3:22 and Ephesians 1:21 we read that Christ now sits at Gods right hand, with angels, authorities and powers submitting themselves to him. In Ephesians 1:22 and Hebrews 2:5 we read that from now on the world was no more subjected to angels, but that God placed all things under the feet of Jesus Christ and appointed him to be head over everything. In Revelation 5:11-12 we read that uncountable number of angels worship Jesus Christ in heaven and in loud voices sing praise to him, saying, Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and praise! Angels during the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 24:30-31 and 25:31-32 we read that all the nations will see Jesus Christ return with power and great glory. Jesus Christ will send his angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather Christs elect from everywhere and separate people one from another in the final judgement. In Matthew 13:24-43 and 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10 we read that Jesus Christ will send his angels to weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. Angels will be present when Jesus Christ punishes them with everlasting destruction and shut them out of his presence. The angels will be present when Jesus Christ acknowledges those who belong to him, because they acknowledged Jesus Christ among the people on earth (Luke 12:8-9). And the angels will be present when Jesus Christ rewards each person according to what he has done (Matthew 16:27).

ANGELS AND BELIEVERS

Angels watch Christians
Angels are very interested in Gods work through the Christian Church. The Church does not exist for itself, but for God and Gods glory! God makes his manifold wisdom known to people through Jesus Christ and his apostles (Hebrews 1:1-2; 1 Peter 1:10-12a), but to angels through the Christian Church (Ephesians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:12b). The Church is a mirror in which Gods manifold excellenSpiritual warfare, three teachings taken from DOTA Church Workbook 4 Page 26 of 29

cies are reflected and the angels are very interested in the progress of the Church. Gods wisdom reconciles seeming irreconcilables: God in Jesus Christ produces life by means of death and reconciles Jews and non-Jews (Gentiles), who believe in Jesus Christ. Angels see and rejoice when sinners from any religious or secular background come to repentance (Luke 15:10). Angels continuously watch to see whether Christians live their Christian life according to the biblical instructions and if they serve God without partiality (1 Timothy 5:21). Angels watch and they see how Christians are persecuted for their faith in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 4:9). Nevertheless, God has forbidden his angels to act as a freedom army (cf. Matthew 26:52-53), because the moment of definite victory over the forces of evil has not yet arrived. God has also forbidden Christians to fight so-called holy wars! Angels were present at the creation of woman from man and they are still watching today to see whether women are continuing to recognise Gods creation ordinance or not (1 Corinthians 11:10). Gods creation ordinance is that Christian women should recognize that they were created for man and for the glory of man and that therefore they should recognize that God made man the head of the woman (Genesis 2:18; 1 Corinthians 11:2,7,9). This means that women should be subject to men in the Christian marriage (Ephesians 5:22-25; Colossians 3:18-19) and in the functions in the Christian Church (1 Corinthians 14:33-38; 1 Timothy 2:11-14; 3:2). Knowing that the angels of God are constantly watching her should make it easier for a woman to be subject to her husband in marriage and to the elders in the church.

Angels talk to Christians

The angel Gabriel explained visions to Daniel (Daniel 8:15-19; 9:20-23). This same angel announced the birth and nature of Jesus Christ to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). An angel warned Joseph about impending danger and guided him to safety (Matthew 2:13-19). An angel instructed the apostles to preach the gospel openly (Acts 5:17-20). An angel instructed the evangelist Philip what to do in order to ensure that an Ethiopian government official hears the gospel (Acts 8:26). Sometimes angels urge Christians to act by saying, Quick, get up! because lost time never returns (Acts 12:7).

Angels promote the proclamation of the gospel

Angels do not proclaim the gospel, but God uses his angels to make the proclamation of the gospel by Christians possible. An angel instructed the apostles to proclaim the gospel publicly in the temple (Acts 5:17-20). An angel instructed the evangelist Philip where to go in order to proclaim the gospel to a government official (Acts 8:26). An angel led the military officer Cornelius to the apostle Peter, in order that he and his relatives and friends might hear the gospel (Acts 10:1-8,22,30-33). An angel rescued Peter from prison in order to ensure that this great apostle proclaimed the gospel far and wide (Acts 12:5-11). An angel appeared to Paul, in order to ensure that the apostle would not die during the shipwreck and that the mightiest ruler on earth, Caesar himself, would hear the gospel message (Acts 27:22-25).

Angels act on behalf of Christians

Angels protect Gods people. Angels encamp around and deliver those people who fear God and depend on Gods ways (Psalm 34:7; 91:1,11-12). Gods angels appeared as horses and chariots of fire all around the prophet Elisha and his servant to defend them against a whole army of enemy soldiers who came to capture the prophet (2 Kings 6:14-17). When Daniels three friends were persecuted for their faith in the living God, they were tied up and thrown into a blazing furnace. However, an angel came within the blazing oven, untied them and protected them from the flames. Nothing was even scorched and not even the smell of fire was on them (Daniel 3:25-29). Later Daniel himself was persecuted for his faithfulness to the living God and he was thrown into a den of hungry lions. However, an angel came within the den of lions and shut the mouths of the lions. They did not hurt Daniel and no wound was found on Daniel (Daniel 6:22-23). With regard to children that were brought to Jesus, Jesus said, See to it that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven (Matthew 18:10). Jesus warned his disciples not to regard children or people like children as unimportant. God regards them so highly that he appointed even his most illustrious angels to keep watch over them. The phrase angels who see the face of God is not limited to a certain class of angels, but includes all the angels, even the highest ranking angels. And the phrase their angels is not limited to the angels of little children, but also includes the angels of all those who become like little children, that is, the true Christians. This
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verse does not teach that every individual Christian has his own individual guardian angel, but it does teach that all the angels in heaven watch over all the Christians in the world. These angels are also not mediators between people and God and they do not speak to God on behalf of these people. Angels only take care of Gods people and are deeply interested in the salvation and progress of Christians (1 Peter 1:12). During the tribulation of Christians between the First and Second Coming of Jesus Christ, angels put the seal of the living God on the foreheads of the servants of God, that is, on all Christians (Revelation 7:1-4; cf. 22:3). This is a figurative sign that God protects them from harm, probably so that they can live for God and serve God and that they will not fall under Gods present judgements on the earth (cf. Ezekiel 9:3-6; Revelation 9:4). Angels rescue Gods people. An angel rescued the apostles from prison in order to ensure the continuous proclamation of the gospel (Acts 5:17-20). An angel rescued Peter from prison, breaking the chains around his wrists, opening the doors and shutting the eyes of the prison guards, in order that Peter could continue to preach the gospel (Acts 12:5-11)! Angels provide Gods people with basic needs. The angel of the LORD provided the tired, hungry and despondent prophet Elijah with water and food. He touched him and strengthened him so that he could travel a very long and difficult journey (1 Kings 19:1-19). Angels guide Gods people. An angel guided the journey of Abrahams servant and helped him to find a suitable wife for Isaac (Genesis 24:7,40). Angels strengthen Gods people amidst their trials. An angel strengthened Jesus Christ during his prayer on the night before he was crucified (Luke 22:40-44). An angel encouraged Paul when he was caught in a violent storm at sea and was being shipwrecked (Acts 27:21-26). Angels are present when a believer dies. They carried a dead believer directly into the presence of God (Luke 16:22). Angels fight on behalf of Gods people. The angels of God fight against the angels of the devil (Daniel 10:12-14,20-21). Although the earthly empires of Persia and Greece had great power over Gods people in exile, their corresponding evil angelic princes were conquered by the holy angelic prince of Gods people. God is in complete control of people and events on earth and announces ahead of time that Gods people will be completely victorious (Daniel 10:12-14,20-21; Romans 8:37-39; Revelation 17:14).

ANGELS AND UNBELIEVERS

Angels throughout history are occupied with exercising Gods administration over the inhabited universe. They execute Gods providential care of believers and unbelievers on earth. They are instruments when God saves believers on earth. They are also instruments when God executes his judgements over the disobedient nations and people. At the end of history, when Jesus Christ returns to this earth, the angels will execute Gods final judgement over those who reject his love and his salvation in Jesus Christ.

The Angel of the LORD judged king David

The Angel of the LORD punished king David because he had disobeyed God (1 Chronicles 21:1430).

The Angel of the LORD judged a complete army of enemy soldiers

The Angel of the LORD killed 185 000 soldiers of the mighty Assyrian army in one night, because their commander had insulted the living God (2 Kings 19:9-19).

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An angel judged Satan by binding him

In the form of an apocalyptic picture, a single angel bound the dragon. He reduced Satan to impotence to the extent that Satan can no longer keep the proclamation of the gospel away from any nation on earth (Revelation 20:1-3). This happened at the first coming of Jesus Christ, 2000 years ago (cf. Matthew 12:29-30; 24:14; John 12:31-32)!

An angel of the Lord judged an arrogant political leader

King Herod not only opposed the work of Jesus Christ by murdering his servants (Acts 12:1-2) and by putting his servants in prison (Acts 12:3-18), but also arrogantly allowed the crowds of people to elevate him to the position of a god! An angel of the Lord struck him down and he was eaten alive by worms until he died (Acts 12:19-24). This is a serious warning to all political and religious leaders when they persecute Christians and set themselves up as great political or religious leaders in their countries.

An angel judges the wickedness on this present earth

An angel symbolically mixes the imperfect prayers of Gods people with the perfect prayers of Jesus Christ. When the limited and imperfect prayers of Christians go up to Gods throne, they are made completely acceptable and perfect by Jesus Christ and his prayers for Christians. In answer to the prayers of Christians that are involved in spiritual warfare and suffering on earth God through his angel symbolically hurls fire from heaven onto the earth, accompanied by thunder, lightning and an earthquake. The imperfect prayers of Christians that are made perfect by the incense of Christs intercessions result in Gods present judgements upon the wicked earth (Revelation 8:3-5).

Angels execute Gods warning judgements throughout history

Angels execute Gods warning judgements throughout history in this world. Their judgements affect great parts of the earth, sea, rivers and universe through natural calamities (Revelation 7:1; 8:6-13; cf. Ezekiel 14:21), affect the soul or spirit of people through the activities of evil spirits (Revelation 9:1-12) and affect the physical, social and economic welfare of people through the terrible wars that rage between the nations (Revelation 9:13-19). Jesus Christ reveals that all these calamities are warnings of the coming final judgement and at the same time they are present judgements that call all the people on earth to repent now from their continuing transgressions against Jesus Christ and the Ten Commandments (Revelation 9:20-21; cf. Exodus 20:1-17).

Angels execute Gods final judgement at the end of history

Angels execute Gods final judgement of the whole earth at the end of history (Revelation 9:15,18; 15:1; 16:1-21; 19:17-18). At the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, the angels will first gather Gods elect people, that is, all Christians, to welcome Jesus Christ in the air and to marvel at him (Matthew 3:12a; 24:40a,41a; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17; 2 Thessalonians 1:10). Later on that same last day (Matthew 25:31-33; John 5:28-29; Acts 24:15), the angels will drive the unbelievers and wicked people before Christs judgement throne (Matthew 3:12b; 24:40b,41b). While all the Christians will not be condemned (John 5:24; 10:28; Romans 8:1), but their works will be judged (Matthew 25:34-40; 1 Corinthians 15:12-15), the non-Christians will be condemned and judged. They and all their evil practices will be thrown into the fire of hell, which is the place prepared for the devil and his angels. There they will weep and gnash their teeth forever (2 Thessalonians 1:6-9; Matthew 3:12b; 13:36-43; 25:41-46; Revelation 20:11-15).

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