How Powerful Are Angels and Devils?

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How powerful are angels and demons, and what is their purpose? Pastor Cam Porter and Pastor Jim Butler explore what Scripture actually says about these created spirits, and why the popular pictures of wings and horns miss the mark. Transcript The Question Wim Kerkhoff: How powerful are the angels? I put this question in because we don't talk about it much, and I think we actually underestimate their power, their purpose, and how many there are. There are millions of them. Recommended Resources on Angels Pastor Jim Butler: Dr. James Dolezal did a podcast on angels that I've heard was fantastic, and my son has said it would be good for his mother and me to listen to. Pastor Cam Porter: IRBS, the seminary we support as a church, has introduced an elective course on the doctrine of angels that Dr. Dolezal taught, pulling it out of the larger doctrine of creation to treat separately. Very good, and Dr. Dolezal is excellent on this topic. What Angels Are For Pastor Cam Porter: The Bible speaks about angels, so Christians ought to know something about them, though there can be an unhealthy obsession with them in popular culture. They've been created for the glory of God. Their ultimate purpose is to attend the throne and sing the glories of the triune God, as in Isaiah 6: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God of hosts, the whole earth is filled with his glory." They also have a particular ministerial purpose. Hebrews 1:14 says they are ministering spirits sent to those who will inherit salvation. Pastor Jim Butler: The same goes for demonic spirits. You don't want to get preoccupied, but there are principalities and powers we wrestle against. There's a little book by Carl Trueman on Martin Luther, who as a medieval monk saw a demon behind every bush. I don't always think that way myself, but they're out there, opposers of truth and Christ, probably more at our church services than anywhere else, wanting to pick at the seed like the birds of the air, so that people don't hear it, believe, and be saved. Mindful, not consumed, is probably the better way to be. How Powerful Are Angels? Pastor Cam Porter: The Bible narrates some exciting things about angels in the history of Israel. In 2 Kings, repeated in Isaiah, a single angel slays 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night. Are angels powerful? Yes, more powerful than men, though obviously not as powerful as God. They're created spirits, unbounded by the corporality we have. There's a quote from Turretin, good for any head of theology but especially this one: it's better to be ignorant without crime than to search with peril. What we do know from Scripture is an exciting picture: they're strange, mighty, servants of God, and ministers to those who will inherit salvation. Wim Kerkhoff: Luke 2:13, at the birth of Jesus, suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God. Pastor Cam Porter: That's their ultimate purpose again: to attend the throne and praise God. They're instructive for us, exemplars of what creation is fundamentally about, the triune God showing forth his glory in creation, providence, and the salvation of sinners. Devils Are Fallen Angels Wim Kerkhoff: C.S. Lewis's Screwtape Letters is helpful here, how a senior demon would communicate to a junior one. It provokes thought and shows there are things going on behind the scenes. Lewis was apparently going to write a book on angels too, but couldn't, because you can imagine what devils do, since that's in our own heart, sin and rebellion. Pastor Jim Butler: There's some connection there. I don't know what a perfectly holy being can do, and neither can anyone else. These are two separate questions on the list, but they go together, since devils are fallen angels. Do They Really Have Wings and Horns? Wim Kerkhoff: We picture angels with wings and devils with horns and a pitchfork. Neither is accurate. Pastor Cam Porter: They're spirit beings, created spirits. Scripture does say angels instrumentally use material things to manifest themselves and communicate, under God's sovereignty. When angels are depicted with wings, I think it's indicative of their swiftness, the speed by which they move, unconstrained by the materiality humans are bound by. Pastor Jim Butler: And they don't get sore lower backs. Al Martin has material for ministers on burnout: you're not a disembodied spirit, you're not an angel, you need rest, good food, exercise. There's a distinction between a created spirit being and a created spirit-body being. We're not angels, and they're not us. It's intrigued me that it seems smart to use angels to preach the gospel, since they never get it wrong and are smarter and have more energy. But God in his infinite wisdom put that gospel treasure in earthenware vessels to communicate truth to others. That's his purpose and plan. The Medieval Caricature of the Devil Pastor Jim Butler: The horns and pitchfork caricature was, as I understand it, medieval, a way of picking at the devil, a being that's proud and arrogant, making him look foolish. I don't think for a moment he's got a pitchfork, horns, and a cape. Wim Kerkhoff: But they show up in people, even in pulpits, looking polished, charismatic, and friendly, while the doctrine is bad. Pastor Jim Butler: It's tough to know, though. There are just a lot of dumb or evil men out there, and it may not be a demon, he may just be a wretch. That part's always hard for me to parse: is this an actual demon, is he demon-filled while espousing heresy, or is he just a moron? It would take a lot for me to say to somebody that I think they're under demonic possession. Wim Kerkhoff: Some people have such strong unbelief, beyond normal, so much bitterness and offense at the gospel, that there's a text about a spirit of unbelief, almost a demon of its own that can fill somebody. Pastor Jim Butler: Back to that Luther thing, a demon behind every bush can be overdone too. I've met people from charismatic backgrounds who'll blame a demon of rainy days, and it gets bizarre. If you give a sinner the chance to blame something, he usually will. No, it's you, you're a wretch, you need to repent and forsake your sin. And if I ever did meet somebody demon-possessed, the answer is always the same: believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. "Resist the Devil and He Will Flee" Wim Kerkhoff: There's a witchcraft shop in town, and one step in, you can tell it's dark and wicked. Wim Kerkhoff: These devils are powerful, but James says, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Full stop. Pastor Jim Butler: That's it. A simple strategy.

Ask FGBC 78: How Powerful Are Angels and Devils?

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Recommended Resources on Angels

What Angels Are For