![]() ![]() Other evil spirits will be used to gather world rulers and their armies together for the Battle of Armageddon (Rev 16:13-14 cf. These four angels will kill one third of mankind during the Great Tribulation. Four unnamed, but very dangerous angels, are said to be bound under the River Euphrates (Rev 9:13-16). And some very destructive angels (described as metal-like locusts) are now kept in the Abyss-a temporary spiritual prison-and will be released and led by a powerful angel whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek Apollyon (Rev 9:1-12). Some angels who were once free, are now kept in “eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day” and appear to have forfeited their freedom altogether due to some unnamed sinful violation (Jude 1:6), perhaps the account described in Genesis 6:1-5. God used an evil spirit to bring about the military defeat and death of King Ahab (2 Chron 18:18-22). This resulted in the disciplined person experiencing mental madness and murderous behavior (1 Sam 18:10-12 cf. When rulers turned away from God, He would use evil spirits to discipline them (Judg 9:23 1 Sam 16:14-15). However, when God’s people mingled with them, they learned their idolatrous practices (1 Ki 11:1-8), and even created their own idols (1 Ki 12:26-33), which eventuated in human sacrifice (2 Ki 17:7-23 Psa 106:35-38 cf. Demons generally led the pagan nations into idolatry, which God’s people were not to practice (Deut 18:9-14). The worship of idols is the worship of demons (Lev 17:7 Deut 32:17 1 Cor 10:19-21). Negative volition leads to idolatry, and idolatry leads to immorality (Rom 1:18-32), both individually and nationally. The person who operates by negative volition aligns himself with Satan and his forces. Those who accept Jesus as Savior are forgiven all their sins (Eph 1:7 Heb 10:10-14), given eternal life (John 3:16 10:28), and will spend forever in heaven (John 14:1-3).įallen angels are involved in the affairs of mankind. ![]() Those who reject Christ as Savior will join Satan in the Lake of Fire (Rev 20:11-15). The final destiny of Satan and demons will be the Lake of Fire, which God created as a special place of punishment for them (Matt 25:41). God sometimes uses fallen angels to accomplish His sovereign purposes (1 Sam 16:14-16 2 Cor 12:7-10), just as He sometimes uses sinful people to bring about His will (Acts 2:23-24 4:27-28). Demons can possess the bodies of men (Luke 11:24-26), animals (Gen 3:1-5 Mark 5:11-13 2 Cor 11:3), and sometimes cause physical and mental illness (Matt 9:32-33 Luke 8:27).ĭemons have some freedom, but not beyond the boundaries God has established (Job 1:1-21). These no doubt function as Satan’s emissaries to promote his purposes, and are part of a larger group that Paul called the forces of darkness (Eph 6:12). One fallen angel is called “the prince of Persia” and the other “the prince of Greece” (Dan 10:20). Both Michael and Gabriel are recorded in Scripture as battling fallen angels who appear as commanders of regions of the world (Dan 10:12-13, 21). Gabriel is a messenger angel who was sent to deliver important messages to God’s people (Dan 8:16 9:21-22 Luke 1:19 26-38). Michael is called an archangel (Jude 1:9), a chief prince (Dan 10:13), and is assigned the task of guarding Israel (Dan 12:1). These have been operating for millennia trying to frustrate the purposes of God.Īll angels, whether good or bad, are organized for service and effectiveness. Rev 12:7, 9), which Scripture designates as evil spirits (1 Sam 16:14 Luke 7:21), demons (Matt 8:31), and unclean spirits (Mark 5:1-4). Satan is the leader of all fallen angels (Matt 25:41 cf. The former retain their holy state and service to God and are called elect angels (1 Tim 5:21), whereas the latter have defected from their original state and continue in constant rebellion against God. Angels are basically classified as either righteous or evil. ![]()
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