THE SPIRIT WORLD

1. ANGELS.

A. Introduction.

Many are fascinated by angels and spirits today. That fascination has led to some wild ideas. I want you to understand and know that there is a difference between spirits and angels.

Spirits in the Bible are usually evil apart from the Holy Spirit.

Angels could be from God, but they could be the fallen angels sent by Satan to deceive.

It is absolutely important for you to be able to identify those angels and spirits as coming from God or as evil spirits. 1 John 4:1-2.

1 John 4:1–2 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:”

Here are two key key points as we get ready to start looking at the spirit world, and this is a mistake made by so many.

First, nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to worship angels.

As a matter of fact, even angels condemn the practice. Rev. 19:10, Rev. 22:8-9.

Revelation 19:10 “And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”

Revelation 22:8–9 “And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things. Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.”

Second, no angel is sent by God to give you a new revelation. Hebrews 1:1-2, Rev. 22:18-19.

Hebrews 1:1–2 “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”

Revelation 22:18–19 “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.”

If you hear anyone say he or she has received a new revelation from God, put an X on that person. Do not ever listen that new revelation lest you fall into temptation. Yes, God will illuminate His Word to you. Yes, God will speak to you through His Word and His Spirit, but God is not going to send anyone a new revelation because everything was completed in Christ which is why He shouted from the Cross, “IT IS FINISHED!”

Our next Wednesday night study over the next two or three weeks is going to be a study into the spirit world as we look at angels and evil spirits.

B. What does the Bible say about angels?

For this part of the study, we are going to define angels as those created beings that did not fall when Satan rebelled against God.

Satan’s fall as well as the fall of those created beings that followed after him is described in the Book of Revelation and in the Book of Isaiah.

Revelation 12:1–2 “And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.”

Revelation 12:3–4 “And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”

Isaiah 14:12–13 “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:”

Isaiah 14:14–15 “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

Let’s see what the Bible says about angels, both the fallen angels and those who remained obedient to God.

i. The number of angels is innumerable.

Hebrews 12:22 “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,”

The number of angels cannot be counted. They are spirit beings created by God. There are no more new angels. The number is set. When you hear a bell, that does not mean that someone is getting his or her wings. It means someone is ringing a bell.

When someone dies, he or she does not become an angel.

ii. Angels possess intelligence.

1 Peter 1:12 “Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.”

iii. Angels show emotion.

Luke 2:13 “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,”

James 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”

iv. Angels exercise will.

Jude 6 “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”

v. Angels are spirit beings without true physical bodies.

Hebrews 1:14 “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

More than likely, in your lifetime, you have sensed, felt, or experienced the ministering work of an angel, but you did not see that angel.

Even though angels are spirit beings, they still possess personality and can occasionally take on physical bodies, and that includes fallen angels and obedient angels.

Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

You possibly could have entertained an angel in your life and not even realize it. I believe I did. Now, some of you are going to think I have lost my mind and that I need Dena’s medicine, but one day in Covington, I felt overwhelmed to give a Mexican and his daughter enough money to eat. I have passed by many and thought nothing of it, but in this particular case, it was an overwhelming desire to give them money. I gave them a tract too. Were they angels? I don’t know. Could they have been angels? Yes!!!!

I am going to talk more about this later in our study, but if they were angels, they had taken the form of physical bodies. They were not familiar spirits with wings flapping everywhere and flapping every time a bell rang.

2 Corinthians 11:14–15 “And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.”

Genesis 6:1–2 “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.”

Genesis 6:4 “There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.”

Now, I believe this fallen spirit beings specifically led to the Flood. Here is what I think. I would not be dogmatic over it because the Scripture is not clear, but there is consistency throughout Scripture for the reason I believe the way I do.

Prior to the Flood, the fallen angels, the created beings (the sons of God see the Book of Job for the reference), were either having sex with earthly women/daughters or at the least possessing bodies and having sex, and the result was a race of giants that the Bible calls men of renown. Some call them the Nephilim.

Listen to how Jude described them.

Jude 6 “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”

The fallen angels before the Flood did not keep their first estate. Angels are supposed to serve God. They will not interact with man on their own unless God directs them to do so. These fallen angels before the Flood with their activities definitely were not acting under God’s direction. They had left their first estate.

vi. Angels ARE NOT all-knowing.

Angels are not all-knowing. Only God is all-knowing. The Creator is all-knowing. The Creation is not.

Angels, however, do seem to have a greater knowledge that human beings. Hebrews 2:6-9.

Hebrews 2:6–7 “But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:”

Hebrews 2:8–9 “Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

This is an incredible point.

Christ humbled Himself lower than the angels by becoming a man and living the life of a human being.

Christ had to become a man to die. Angels do not die. If you want to get technical, the eternal nature of angels is to what Jesus is referring when He says hell is created for the Devil and his angels. Hell is designed to be eternal for eternal beings. God has made it possible for man not to go to hell, but if man rejects the blood atonement for his sin, man will experience what God designed for the Devil and those fallen angels.

I cannot possibly describe how bad hell is going to be. I have no reference point. It is being created or has been created for the Devil and those fallen angels. If you go there, you go there at your own risk. Any person going to hell literally chooses to go. God did not even created hell for human beings, and to keep human beings from going He sent His precious Son into the world to pay the ransom required to keep humans out of hell. If man rejects what Christ did, God has no choice but to let them go to an eternal hell.

Pay attention to Hebrews 2:9 “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”

What does that phrase crowned with glory and honor mean? AMEN!!! It is incredible. Christ was obedient to death. As a result, the glory and honor first bestowed to Adam belongs to Christ.

Revelation 5:5–7 “And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne.”

Adam was given dominion of this planet by God at his creation. Adam, by sinning, legally gave it over to Satan, but Jesus Christ made Himself lower than the angels to reclaim what He created.

Colossians 1:15–17 “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

That just about sums up the entire Bible.

Jesus Christ is the image of the invisible God. It is Jesus Christ who makes God knowable. It is Jesus Christ who was and is the agent of Creation. Why do I say He is still the agent of Creation? 2 Corinthians 5:17.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”

On every occasion when someone is saved, Jesus Christ creates a new person. Colossians 1 says that all things were created by Him including thrones, dominions, principalities, powers, and all the angels and fallen angels including Lucifer, yet Jesus made Himself lower than what He created so that He could reclaim through the shedding of His blood what was His.

It is really absolutely incredible when look at it with your eyes open to what God wants you to understand.

C. What do angels do?

Well, let me begin by saying Angels do not win very many baseball games, especially since they stopped being called the California Angels and are now the Los Angeles Angels.

Seriously, what do angels do? It is no mystery. Their job description is clearly and plainly spelled out in Scripture. It is just a matter of how much you want to know about angels.

Specifically, angels do whatever God commands. The Bible lists many things that angels did at the behest of God.

i. Angels are sent by God to minister to believers.

Notice what I say. Angels are sent to minister to believers.

1 Kings 19:5–7 “And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baken on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.”

Luke 1:26–27 “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.”

Luke 1:28–30 “And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.”

Hebrews 1:13–14 “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”

As you can clearly see, angels are sent to see after or minister to believers. More than likely, you will never see them, but you can feel their ministering to you.

Remember, you will always have the Holy Spirit living in you too if you are saved. I have said many times that you and I are protected on earth as long as we are still completing on earth what God has for us to do. Have you ever been driving down the road in a different world lost to your thoughts, and you feel or sense something that tells you to pay attention or to look up? What do you think that was? It very well could have been an angel ministering to your needs because you had not completed what God had for you to do.

Let me give you another example, and some of you might not believe this, but I know it is true.

When Hope and I were at University Hospital in Memphis with Colin who was near death, on March 20, 2022, you guys had special prayer that morning for Colin and us. Hope and I felt those prayers in Memphis that day. I am telling you that it was a palpable feeling.

“Oh, Jimmy!” Believe me or not! Do you know why we could sense it and feel it?

(1) As the body of Christ, including Hope and me who were not physically present, you went to God in the Spirit invoking God’s power in our lives.

(2) God, because of your fervent prayers that day, sent an angel, a ministering spirit, to ease our minds.

I am telling you, and I cannot describe it, I have absolutely no doubt that was the case. Hebrews says that God sends forth ministering spirits to those who shall be heirs of salvation. Hope and I are both saved, and because you were praying so hard for us, God sent an angel or angels to minister to us, and you cannot convince me otherwise.

ii. Angels praise God.

Psalm 148:1–2 “Praise ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens: Praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels: Praise ye him, all his hosts.”

Revelation 5:11–12 “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.”

Luke 2:10–12 “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

Luke 2:13–14 “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, Good will toward men.”

iii. Angels worship God.

Hebrews 1:6 “And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.”

iv. Angels serve God.

Psalm 103:20 “Bless the Lord, ye his angels, That excel in strength, that do his commandments, Hearkening unto the voice of his word.”

The angels are totally zoned in on what God commands. There is a great philosophy in that verse if you will zero in on it. How much better off would we be if hearkened unto God being obedient to all that He commands?

v. Angels aid in winning people to Christ.

Now, do not dismiss what I am saying until you hear what the Bible says.

I am going to use Mitzie as an example. Mitzie has been raised in this church, and she has heard preacher after preacher proclaim the gospel to her. She has been exposed to much light. God is not going to send her an angel to aid her in accepting Christ.

If you are sitting here lost, I am telling you that you will die and go to hell if you wait on angel to come to you and tell you to get saved. Why? Because you have access to the gospel.

There are some, however, that do not. Let me give you two Scriptures that show how God uses angels to aid in winning people to Christ.

Acts 8:26 “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.”

In this passage, God sent an angel to Philip telling him where to go because the Ethiopian eunuch was on the verge of salvation, and God needed someone to go to him to confirm the gospel message. Acts 8:26.

I am telling you, and this is true whether you want to believe it or not. If you sense, feel, hear however you want to say it, that you need to go to witness to a particular person, I am telling you that God is at work either through the Holy Spirit or through an angel as in Philip’s case. God is wanting you to go to that person. That person is ready to be saved. God did not choose Philip randomly. God chose Philip specifically to witness to that Ethiopian as He sent an angel directly to Philip.

How many times have we missed those opportunities?

Hebrews 13:2 “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Let me give you another example.

Acts 10:3 “He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.”

Cornelius was an Italian soldier. The Bible describes him as a devout man, but he was not saved. Describing him as devout is God’s way of saying that Cornelius’s heart had been prepared to receive the gospel message. Acts 10.

Let me ask you a serious question.

You know, as I have said it often, that you and I live in the Church Age, also known as the Age of Grace. A person is saved today, wherever he or she lives in the world, by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ. If that is true, and it is, how many of you have ever questioned God about His fairness regarding that?

Say a person is born in Communist China with no access to the Gospel or in some Muslim country where the Gospel is strictly forbidden as well as internet access and Scripture access, is God being fair to him or her if he or she dies and goes to hell?

Whether you believe this or not, there are people in the world who have never heard the Gospel. There are people in the United States of America who have never heard the Gospel. Is it fair for those people to go to hell?

Before you answer, let me share a passage with you.

Romans 1:19–20 “Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:”

The Bible clearly says that in the Age of Grace that no one has an excuse whether they hear the gospel or not, and Paul, who wrote Romans under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, tells us why.

Every person’s conscience and the creation reveals who God is, and when a person is convicted of sin whether he or she is in the jungles of the Amazon, no excuse is available because God makes Himself known to all men through conscience and creation.

Do you remember when we talked about the Doctrine of Election? I said if you are elected by God, you are going to be saved. That just does not apply to people in the United States of America who have access to the Gospel, and it does not mean that someone is predestined to be saved. As we said at the time, God’s knowledge of your salvation is based on His foreknowledge not on predestination. Free will is not eliminated. A Communist in China or a Muslim in Afghanistan have to choose Christ.

Take a person in the Amazon jungles. They know God because of conscience and creation, but they are being convicted of sin and their need for God’s grace. How does God get the Gospel to them? Make no mistake about it. No one is saved apart from God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ.

How does God get the Gospel to that person? I believe as in the case of the Ethiopian and Cornelius that God involves angels in the process. God could send an angel in a physical body directly to that person to share the Gospel. How can God do that? I don’t know, but I do know that with God nothing is impossible.

If no one has an excuse, then you know that God somehow is going to reach those people who do not have access to the Gospel with the Gospel.

Have you ever heard of Helen Keller?

Helen Keller could not talk, hear, or speak. After she was taught Braille, a preacher visited Helen to tell her through Braille about Jesus Christ. Helen Keller had been left a mute because of a high fever at the age of 19 months.

She was an extremely troubled youth prone to fits of rage. Suddenly, Helen started calming down as her behavior got better. This preacher thought it was the perfect time to visit with Helen. The preacher did the best he could to tell Helen about Jesus through Braille. He told her what Jesus had done and about the peace He brings into the lives of all who accept them. Do you know how Helen responded?

“So, Jesus is His name. I have known Him for a long time.”

What happened? Helen could not hear the Gospel, but she knew who Jesus was and what He did for her. I believe that it is very possible that an angel visited Helen to confirm who Jesus was.

I do know this.

In the Book of Revelation, after the church has been raptured and the work of the Holy Spirit has been changed, angels are used by God to beg men to repent because of the imminence of final judgment.

a. Revelation 8:13.

b. Revelation 14:6-11.

Revelation 8:13 “And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!”

Revelation 14:6–8 “And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters. And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication.”

Revelation 14:9–11 “And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.”

vi. Angels are instruments of God’s judgment.

a. Revelation 8.

b. Genesis 19.

Revelation 8:2 “And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.”

Genesis 19:5–8 “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them. And Lot went out at the door unto them, and shut the door after him, And said, I pray you, brethren, do not so wickedly. Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof.”

Genesis 19:9–11 “And they said, Stand back. And they said again, This one fellow came in to sojourn, and he will needs be a judge: now will we deal worse with thee, than with them. And they pressed sore upon the man, even Lot, and came near to break the door. But the men put forth their hand, and pulled Lot into the house to them, and shut to the door. And they smote the men that were at the door of the house with blindness, both small and great: so that they wearied themselves to find the door.”

Genesis 19:12–13 “And the men said unto Lot, Hast thou here any besides? son in law, and thy sons, and thy daughters, and whatsoever thou hast in the city, bring them out of this place: For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.”

Clearly, God uses angels as instruments of judgment. Angels are completely obedient to God. Even fallen angels have no choice but to submit to God’s authority.

vii. Angels escort the righteous to Paradise/Heaven at the time of death.

Luke 16:22 “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;”

Lazarus, who had trusted in God’s grace, was escorted by angels at his death into Paradise. The rich man, Dives, was just buried, and while Lazarus has enjoyed Paradise for who knows how long. The rich man has been waiting in his holding cell awaiting final judgment without any ministering angels.

viii. Angels encourage in time of danger.

Acts 27:23–24 “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee.”

Acts 27 contains the account of Paul’s shipwreck. It was a dangerous time, yet God sent Paul an angel to encourage him, and guess what? He still does. Paul had the indwelling Holy Spirit. He lived during the Age of Grace, yet God sent Paul more encouragement by way of an angel.

There are many more tasks performed by angels throughout the Bible. It is a great study. Always remember, however, that only God is Supreme, and only He is worth of your worship. Even the angels, except for Satan and his crew, will tell you that.

D. Do we have guardian angels?

I believe every believer is protected by God until God’s purpose for that believer is complete.

Psalm 139:16 “Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; And in thy book all my members were written, Which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them.”

I believe on occasion that God uses angels for the purpose of protecting His sons and daughters. Whether or not particular angels are assigned permanently to a person, I cannot say.

As indicated in Luke 16, there were angels ready to escort Lazarus into Paradise. I believe one of these days that an angel will escort Debra Parham into Heaven unless the Rapture happens while Debra is still alive.

Let me give you two scriptural examples.

i. Daniel 6:20-23.

ii. 2 Kings 6:16-17.

Daniel 6:20–21 “And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living God, is thy God, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever.”

Daniel 6:22–23 “My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt. Then was the king exceeding glad for him, and commanded that they should take Daniel up out of the den. So Daniel was taken up out of the den, and no manner of hurt was found upon him, because he believed in his God.”

2 Kings 6:16–17 “And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.”

If our eyes were opened to the spirit realm around us, we would be shocked at what we would see. Shocked both at the good angels and the fallen angels and evil spirits that here tonight. It would scare us to death.

The Bible clearly teaches that nations have guardian angels and fallen angels that are “assigned” to them.

Daniel 10:10–11 “And, behold, an hand touched me, which set me upon my knees and upon the palms of my hands. And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling.”

Daniel 10:12–13 “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.”

Daniel 10:21 “But I will shew thee that which is noted in the scripture of truth: and there is none that holdeth with me in these things, but Michael your prince.”

In particular, Michael is the guardian prince/angel of Israel.

God assigns angels to the nation so that those angels can conduct God’s ordained purposes for the nations of the world. It is clear in the passage in Daniel that there are unseen forces, good and evil, at work in the world.

As a Christian, no evil force will or can destroy you until God is through with you. No evil force can kill you. I am very sincere when I say this. That is why I, personally, do not fear gun violence. It is my personal conviction that I am protected until God gets through with me.

We never need to lose sight of Revelation 1:18.

Revelation 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Literally, no one can die until God says so. That is what that little phrase the keys of hell and of death is saying. It is God who determines who lives and dies, and not the Untied States government or some punk with a gun, or some idiot behind the wheel.

Satan may want to kill you, and probably, that is the greatest compliment that a Christian could receive, but Satan cannot kill you unless Christ allows it. If you do not believe me, ask Job when you get to Heaven, and if it is time for us to die, as Luke says, we are going to have an angelic escort into Paradise.

Angels are an entirely different order of being than humans. Angels exist to serve the will of God and at God’s discretion. Human beings do not become angels when they we die. Only human beings are created in the image of God with a body, soul, and spirit.

What is the greatest lesson to be learned from angels? The greatest lesson that angels teach us is to be unquestionably obedient to God’s commands.

2. SATAN’S MINIONS.

Some of you might not believe this, but if God were to open your eyes to see the spirit realm around us in this very service, you would be scared to death.

Why would it be so terrifying? Because we would not just see angels, but we would also see the forces of Satan at work too.

If there are two or three of you here that are gathered here because of Christ, you better believe that Satan has forces here too. I call them the minions of Satan, and they are just as real as angels.

What I call minions, the Bible calls evil spirits, familiar spirits, demons, principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness. Regretfully, man Christians are dismissive of these forces, especially when it comes to things like familiar spirits. I am going to say this and hopefully, no one will get upset.

If these evil spirits were not a threat, God would not have addressed them so severely in His Law.

Deuteronomy 18:9–10 “When thou art come into the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee, thou shalt not learn to do after the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch,”

Deuteronomy 18:11–12 “Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”

Leviticus 20:6 “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”

Leviticus 20:27 “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.”

I might as well go ahead and say this.

The number one medium Satan uses to introduce these evil minions in society is through entertainment.

Satan is the master of entertainment. Why do you think movies about witchcraft are so popular?

Ezekiel 28:13 “Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.”

Too many Christians are dismissive of these forces, and as a result , many Christian testimonies are oppressed by evil forces.

I am telling you these forces are real, and if they were not real, John would not have told us to try or test the spirits. Let me be clear about this theological point.

If you are saved, you cannot be possessed by a demon because you have the indwelling Holy Spirit, but you can be oppressed, controlled, and led by those evil influences/beings.

To keep Christians from falling into the allurement of those evil beings, God gives us a little love tap or maybe even a trip to the woodshed. Hebrews 12:5-6.

Hebrews 12:5–6 “And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth.”

Sin in a Christian’s life opens the door to the Devil setting up residency in that Christian’s life until that sin is placed under the blood of Jesus. Eph. 4:25-27.

Ephesians 4:25–27 “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”

If you are honest and receptive to the Holy Spirit, you will examine yourself, listen to God, repent, and resist Satan and his minions. James 4:6-8.

James 4:6–8 “But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.”

We are going to examine how Satan and his minions work, mainly in attempting to oppress Christians but also his deception of the lost.

A. Do you understand who Satan is?

Briefly, I want to give you a brief explanation of who Satan is and what he does to influence you.

i. 2 Corinthians 4:4.

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Satan is the “god of this world.” Some translations say the “god of this age” which is probably a better translation. Notice why the Bible calls him the god of this world or age. Any person who does not accept Christ’s work of atonement has been blinded to that truth by whom? SATAN.

I do not care what kind of a good a person does. If he or she is lost and under the control of Satan.

ii. Ephesians 2:2-3.

Ephesians 2:2–3 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.”

Paul, in this passage, refers to Satan as the prince of the power of the air. He says that Satan works in the children of disobedience. Satan works in the lives of those who are lost, but Christians need to pay attention to verse 3 specifically.

Paul is saying when a Christian caves to the flesh that Christian is under the influence of the prince of the power of the air. When Paul says also we all had our conversation in times past, he is saying before you and I were saved, we were those children of disobedience. Paul is telling the Christians at Ephesus and us that since we are no longer children of disobedience that we should not be fulfilling the desires of the flesh.

iii. John 8:44.

John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

Oh Boy!!!! Do you realize the significance of what Jesus is saying?

Any lie that you and I tell, whether it is a little white lie or a downright, straight out lie, comes from who? SATAN.

With that being said, I want us to look back at some verses we just read.

Ephesians 4:25–27 “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”

When a Christian tells the most innocent of lies and does not ask forgiveness and repent of it instantly, who has that Christian allowed to take up residency in his or her life? The Devil.

Dear friend, that is how seriously God takes, in our eyes, the smallest of sins. When we lie, we give legal permission to the Devil for him to have a place in our lives. Do you understand how Satan eases his way into the lives of Christians? We cannot resist him and tell him to flee if we have given a place to him in our lives. That is why forgiveness and repentance are so critical to a Christian after salvation.

When you and I were saved, we trusted that Christ bore the punishment for our sin, but after we have been saved, to have fellowship with God and to be able to tell Satan to leave us alone, we must confess our sins and repent. 1 John 1:9-10.

1 John 1:9–10 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

We are going to take a look at three different types, but there are many more, of Satan’s minions at work today.

B. Deceiving Spirits.

Deceiving spirits influence the true church and the lost world the most.

1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing (deceiving) spirits, and doctrines of devils;”

We are all familiar with the work of the Holy Spirit even if we do not completely understand it.

It is the Holy Spirit who draws us to Christ and convicts us of sin, righteousness, and judgment. It is the Holy Spirit who leads the Christian to do the works God intends for that Christian to do.

However, we are not to be spirit-centered; we are to be Christ-centered as the Holy Spirit reveals to every believer everything that believer can know about Jesus Christ.

John 15:26 “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:”

The Holy Spirit, based upon John 15:26, is going to testify of or reveal Jesus Christ to the believer. Deceiving or seducing spirits focus or draw our attention to other things.

The New Testament contains several examples of those who were seduced by deceiving spirits.

Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5)

Those in the Church at Corinth who unworthily participated in the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 11:26-31)

Demas (2 Timothy 4:10)

John Mark (Acts 15:36-40)

Simon Peter (Luke 22:31-34)

Judas (Matthew 27:3-5)

I promise you that Satan’s minions will deceive you will seduce you if you allow it. I want you to understand this. I am going to repeat myself.

Deceiving or seducing spirits focus or draw our attention to other things, things or people other than Christ.

Before I show you how he does it to Christians in the church, can I just say this? How can you be so sure that people like Joel Osteen, Kenneth Copeland, and many others have fallen prey to deceiving spirits? Watch them briefly and see if their focus is on Christ or themselves. Joel Osteen said in a video, and I shared with our church page that he just could not believe God would send Jews or Muslims to Hell because they were so sincere in what they believed.

I do not care what you think about Joel Osteen, but he has been deceived, and the reason he has such a big church and a big following is because those people are receiving the kind of preaching they desire.

2 Timothy 4:3–4 “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”

If you are saved, I am telling you that God does not want you to listen to that nonsense. Any deceiving spirit will deceive if given the opportunity.

Let me show you some examples of deceiving spirits at work in the true church. Don’t hate the messenger. I am just the one delivering the message that I received from the Holy Spirit.

i. Contention or strife.

a. James 3:15-16.

James 3:15–16 “This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.”

b. Proverbs 13:10.

Proverbs 13:10 “Only by pride cometh contention: But with the well advised is wisdom.”

Do you know what words should never come from a Christian? “Marty, hurt my feelings.” If your feelings got hurt, you are focusing on you instead of Christ. Right or wrong?

If you care more about winning an argument or making a point or being right, you have been seduced by a deceiving spirit because your focus is not on Christ.

If you are more worried about being right than you are about how what you say or do affects this church, you have been seduced by a deceiving spirit.

Some Christians say awful about and to other Christians, and it is sin. I do not care what you say about it. I do not care how justified you think you are in what you have said or done. You are not justified, and you have been seduced by a deceiving spirit.

Do you know what makes it worse? Christians who give another Christian a piece of his or her mind ignore what the Holy Spirit tells them, and that Christian never confesses that sin and does not repent of it, and because of that the Christian has no fellowship with God or the other members of the church, but that Christian has been deceived thinking everything is okay.

You can get angry at another Christian without sinning. Do you think Jesus was angry when He threw the moneychangers out of the Temple?

Ephesians 4:26–27 “Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.”

If you read what is said here, getting angry is not the sin. It becomes sin when you lash out as you are deceived into thinking it is okay to lash out. As a result, you give a place to the Devil in your life because you do not confess and repent immediately, but more than likely, you are deceived into thinking that you are in good standing with God and the church.

ii. Distraction.

Did you know getting distracted during a church service is an indication that you are being influenced by a deceiving spirit?

Seriously, you are. It has been said about Baptist churches that when the clock strikes 12 the church gives up its dead. Now, I know that is not true about you guys. Let’s see what Jesus says about it.

Matthew 13:3–4 “And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:”

In this parable, the preacher is the sower. The wayside refers to the unplowed hard walk way around the field. The wayside is referring to the receptiveness of the hearer to the seed being sown. The seeds are the Word of God. The fowls are deceiving spirits/demons. (Rev. 18:2)

What is Jesus saying? Let me answer by asking you some questions.

Have you ever noticed how distracted you get at church? How sleepy you get at church? How hungry you get at church? How much you need to go to the bathroom at church? As you focus on the distraction, sleepiness, and hunger, are you focused on Christ?

If we stayed focused on Christ, a baby could scream to the top of his lungs, and we would not be distracted.

As soon as I sow the seed, a deceiving spirit comes and devours the seed which shifts your focus on how sleepy and hungry you are. Instead of focusing on the seed, you feel a desire to check Facebook, and you become so distracted that by the middle of the afternoon you will have completely forgotten the content of the message.

When you are distracted in a service, that distraction did not come from the Holy Spirit. It is a deceiving spirit, and because of that deception and distraction, you have given place to the Devil.

Can I say this? Before Billy says go ahead, I am going to warn you it is pretty bad.

If you are saved, getting distracted during the service is a sin, and for you to have fellowship with God and the other members of this church, you need to ask God to forgive you and repent of being distracted.

iii. Gossip.

Gossip is a deceiving spirit at work. Do you believe me?

Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:”

Proverbs 20:19 “He that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets: Therefore meddle not with him that flattereth with his lips.”

Does gossip come from the Holy Spirit? If not, guess what it is? SIN.

Gossip comes from a deceiving spirit because you are deceived into doing it regardless of how it assassinates or injures the character and reputation of someone else, especially someone who is a fellow member in the body of Christ.

Did you know gossip can destroy your testimony as Christian before lost people?

I want ask because I do not want you to compound gossiping by lying about it. All of us are guilty of gossip, but I will ask this.

Did you ask God to forgive you the last time that you shared some juicy gossip? If you did not, you gave the Devil a stronghold in your life from which he can launch an all-out attack on you.

I hope you are beginning to understand the workings of Satan’s minions. They will attack the Christian with the little things, the deception to believe that a little white lie is okay, the distraction of nodding off during service is okay, the deception of thinking it is okay to gossip and to listen to that gossip, but if we do those things are we Christ-centered or self-centered?

I hope you are beginning to understand the workings of Satan’s minions. They will attack the Christian with the little things, the deception to believe that a little white lie is okay, the distraction of nodding off during service is okay, the deception of thinking it is okay to gossip and to listen to that gossip, but if we do those things are we Christ-centered or self-centered?

Deceptive spirits are at work. They are at work in this service, and you are commanded not to be deceived.

1 Peter 2:1 “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings,”

Ephesians 5:6 “Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience.”

C. Familiar Spirits. (Uh-Oh!!)

I will go ahead and tell you that I am about to teach you something that some of you might not like, and it definitely is a slap in the face to many people because of their distorted views on angels and the spirit world.

Many people, even those who claim to be Christian, talk to the dead or so they claim. If that is you, I want you to know you are not talking to the dead, you are talking to what the Bible calls a familiar spirit, and all familiar spirits come from Satan.

You might talk to what you think is a dead person you once knew, but , in reality, it is a familiar spirit sent by Satan to deceive you.

How can I be so certain about this?

Because God’s Word strictly forbids it. God will not act contrary to His Law and Word. If you talk to a familiar spirit, that spirit that you think is Uncle John is a demon spirit that resembles Uncle John.

As a Christian, the importance of studying and knowing God’s Word cannot be overstated. Let me share the Scriptures with you and let you decide if you are talking to a long lost loved one.

i. Leviticus 19:31.

Leviticus 19:31 “Regard not them that have familiar spirits, neither seek after wizards, to be defiled by them: I am the Lord your God.”

“Well, Jimmy, that is the Old Testament. We do not live under the Law anymore.” That is a big negative.

God’s Law is set. His Law will always be the standard; however, we no longer have to bear the punishment the Law demands because Jesus Christ bore that punishment on Calvary.

His death on the Cross does not eliminate the Law. If God said in the Old Testament to avoid familiar spirits, guess what He means for you to do in this Age of Grace in which we live?

ii. Leviticus 20:6.

Leviticus 20:6 “And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people.”

God says He will cut off the person who seeks after familiar spirits.

iii. Leviticus 20:27.

Leviticus 20:27 “A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them.”

Seeking a familiar spirit was a capitol offense.

iv. Deuteronomy 18:10-12.

Deuteronomy 18:10–12 “There shall not be found among you any one that maketh his son or his daughter to pass through the fire, or that useth divination, or an observer of times, or an enchanter, or a witch, Or a charmer, or a consulter with familiar spirits, or a wizard, or a necromancer. For all that do these things are an abomination unto the Lord: and because of these abominations the Lord thy God doth drive them out from before thee.”

Consulting/talking with familiar spirits is an abomination unto the Lord.

v. Luke 16:26-31.

Luke 16:26–27 “And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house:”

Luke 16:28–29“For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.”

Luke 16:30–31 “And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.”

Jesus gives three reasons why familiar spirits will never come from God.

a. There is a great gulf fixed between the living and the dead.

b. God’s Word is sufficient. (v. 29)

c. A familiar spirit would not have any effect on a person accepting Christ. (vv. 30-31)

When God issues such a stern warning as He has in His Word concerning familiar spirits, you better absolutely believe, know, and understand that He is not going to send you one. If a familiar spirit, a ghostlike appearance of something in the form of a loved one, appears unto you, tell the Devil to flee from you, but you cannot if you have sin in your life because sin in your life gives the Devil permission to throw his entire arsenal at you.

Do not forget Satan’s end goal in your life is to deceive you and to damage your testimony.

Is it possible for you to see and talk to what you think is Uncle Pete? Yes, but it is not Uncle Pete. It is not Uncle Pete’s ghost. It is a familiar spirit disguised as Uncle Pete, and that spirit came from Satan. Uncle Pete does not have time to visit you because he is either enjoying what eternity in Heaven has to offer, or he is experiencing the agony that eternal judgment has to offer.

You know this because Jesus says there is a great gulf fixed between the living and the dead.

People say all kinds of nonsense about this subject, and none of it is biblical.

“Uncle Pete came to me as an angel and told me to got to Jackson.” No, Uncle Pete did not. An angel, if it comes to you, is sent by God, and God would never send an angel in the form and appearance of someone who has already died because it goes against His Law.

Let me tell you the real tragedy associated with familiar spirits. Many, if not most, Christians totally dismiss it as fake. We do not need to be dismissive regarding familiar spirits. We need to engage in the spiritual warfare involved so that we can gain the spiritual victory.

If you are a person who has been frequented by a familiar spirit, the next time that spirit shows up, can I tell you what to do?

1 John 4:1–2 “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:”

Just ask that spirit if Jesus Christ is the Son of God that came in the flesh. Just something simple that the Bible tells all Christians to do. If Christians did that, we would not be bombarded as we are with all kinds of nonsense from Satan.

Let me ask you a serious question.

Would God condemn and forbid seeking familiar spirits if they were not real and dangerous?

Familiar spirits cannot attack a person focused on God, a single-minded person. Familiar spirits can only attack the person who opens his body and mind to them. If you are one of these people who likes to clear your mind, you are playing with fire.

You do not need to be clear-minded. You need to be God-focused.

How do familiar spirits gain access to a person’s life?

Alcohol and drugs

Alcohol is not innocent. Casual drugs, such as marijuana, are not innocent. Both open the mind so that it becomes the playground of Satan. Anytime your mind is opened you have a serious confrontation with Satan coming.

Transcendental meditation/Eastern Mysticism/Yoga

New Age Visualization/Crystals

We are to avoid the practice of seeking familiar spirits including the activities that make us susceptible to those familiar spirits. Do as the Bible says.

1 Thessalonians 5:22 “Abstain from all appearance of evil.”

Conclusion:

Believe me when I say this. I have only scratched the surface of the spirit world. The Bible has much to say about both angels and Satan’s minions. Maybe this study will lead you to a personal journey through the Bible to learn more about what I have introduced, but never forget this critical point.

Only God is Sovereign. Only God is worthy of worship. As mortal beings, you and I can never fully understand God or His ways.

Isaiah 55:8–9 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts than your thoughts.”

God has promised us that He would never leave us nor forsake us, and He told us to test the spirits, and we must be on guard because Satan can deceive us turning himself into a spirit of light.