The article explores the supernatural realm, emphasizing its presence in everyday life. It discusses Thomas Jefferson’s rationalist beliefs and the journey of souls after death, highlighting angelic warfare and God’s sovereignty. I encourages readers to recognize, even if we cannot see, the continuous supernatural activities guided by divine oversight that influence human history and spiritual existence.
It’s High Summer here in the US now. It’s vacation week for many people, and there’s a holiday coming up. I’m going to re-post some angel essays I’ve done in the past. So, it’s Angel week here on the blog!
Chris Koelle, illustrator The Angel speaking with John on Patmos
Angels figure very, very prominently in the NT. People don’t really know this, or they overlook angels in the Bible. But once you see how often they are out and about, you can’t unsee it. At the other end of the scale, some are so preoccupied with angels they nearly fall into angel worship.
Once you start studying angels, you realize how frequently they are mentioned in the New Testament. And as for the nativity story, make many appearances! So let’s get to know these incredible beings better.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2 KJV)
From the Bible, we know that God created angels. (Colossians 1:16-17). We know that angels interact with humans at the behest of God. (Luke 1:26-38). They deliver messages. (Daniel 9:20-23). They fight for territory. (Daniel 10:20). They guard humans (Matthew 18:10) and report to God on the actions of children, anyway (Matt. 18:1-14) and perhaps to individually minister to adult Christians also (Hebrews 1:14).
cherubim, mosaic, Mont Sainte-Odile, Alsace, France
Angels are divided into hierarchies and troops, including both good and evil angels, and special categories such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel. They are invisible. (2 Kings 6:17). They look like men sometimes, (Genesis 18:1-2) and other times they look like glory (Matthew 28:2-4) and other times they look like metal and lightning (Daniel 10:5-6) and still there are other angels who look completely unusual and beyond description (Revelation 4:6-8). [For the record, with one debatable exception, angels are not biblically described as having any wings]
Surely, it is a blessing that there is a class of created being whom God uses for His glory and for our help. It is a blessing also to think that we may entertain one of them at some point in our lives!
It is not well for us to miss the opportunity of the presence, the conversation, and the prayers of the good. The influence of such guests in a family is worth more than it costs to entertain them. ~Barnes’ Notes
But do not forget, there is another class of angels. There was a rebellion in heaven, and the highest angel, one created to guard the throne itself, tried to vault himself above God and was kicked out of heaven for it. His name is Lucifer, whose title is now the devil, adversary, satan. And even though a third of the multitudes of angels lived with God, and saw His glory and knew His heart, Lucifer was apparently so convincing that they sided with him against God, and so they were kicked out too. (Revelation 12:3-4,9)
Not everything supernatural is from God! If you entertain angels unawares, it may be a good angel sent to minister to you. Or it may be a fallen angel, sent by satan to thwart you, deceive you, or hinder you. (also 1 Tim 4:1-3; 2 Cor.11:13-15) “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
In this we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Barnes’ Notes again:
If there is danger that we may sometimes receive those of an opposite character. yet it is not wise on account of such possible danger, to lose the opportunity of entertaining those whose presence would be a blessing.
If you are reading this whether you are a Christian or a non-believer, be aware that deceit comes in a guise wrapped in a beautiful package. Fallen angels would look just like the glorious angels, as stated above in the Corinthians verse. If you are a Christian, you should be praying daily to receive wisdom, and it will be given to you without reproach.
You should be in the Word daily so that you will know the truth from a lie. Without His help, you are at the mercy of an adversary who can and does ‘appear to us unawares’ and always for the purpose of destroying us!
NOT EVERYTHING SUPERNATURAL IS FROM GOD!
Angels might surround you unawares, and it surely would be a blessing to discover in the hereafter that you’d entertained a Holy Angel!
Angels figure very, very prominently in the NT. People don’t really know this, or they overlook angels in the created order. At the other end of the scale, some are so preoccupied with angels they nearly fall into angel worship.
Once you start studying angels, you realize how frequently they are mentioned in the New Testament. And as for the nativity story, they figure prominently, making many appearances! So let’s get to know these incredible beings better.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (Hebrews 13:2 KJV)
From the Bible, we know that God created angels. (Colossians 1:16-17) We know that angels interact with humans at the behest of God. (Luke 1:26-38) They deliver messages. (Daniel 9:20-23). They fight for territory. (Daniel 10:20). They guard humans (Matthew 18:10) and report to God on the actions of children, anyway (Matt. 18:1-14) and perhaps to individually minister to adult Christians also (Hebrews 1:14).
Angels are divided into hierarchies and troops, including both good and evil angels, and special categories such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel. They are invisible. (2 Kings 6:17). They look like men sometimes, (Gen 18:1-2) and other times they look like glory (Matthew 28:2-4) and other times they look like metal and lightning (Daniel 10:5-6) and still there are other angels who look completely unusual and beyond description (Revelation 4:6-8). [For the record, with one debatable exception, angels are not biblically described as having any wings]
Surely, it is a blessing that there is a class of created being whom God uses for His glory and for our help. It is a blessing also to think that we may entertain one of them at some point in our lives!
It is not well for us to miss the opportunity of the presence, the conversation, and the prayers of the good. The influence of such guests in a family is worth more than it costs to entertain them. ~Barnes’ Notes
But do not forget, there is another class of angels. There was a rebellion in heaven, and the highest angel, one created to guard the throne itself, tried to vault himself above God and was kicked out of heaven for it. His name is Lucifer, whose title is now the devil, adversary, satan. And even though a third of the multitudes of angels lived with God, and saw His glory and knew His heart, Lucifer was apparently so convincing that they sided with him against God, and so they were kicked out too. (Revelation 12:3-4,9)
Not everything supernatural is from God! If you entertain angels unawares, it may be a good angel sent to minister to you. Or it may be a fallen angel, sent by satan to thwart you, deceive you, or hinder you. ( also 1 Tim.4:1-3; 2 Cor.11:13-15) “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.” (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
In this we must be wise as serpents and innocent as doves. Banres’ Notes again:
If there is danger that we may sometimes receive those of an opposite character. yet it is not wise on account of such possible danger, to lose the opportunity of entertaining those whose presence would be a blessing.
If you are reading this whether you are a Christian or a non-believer, be aware that deceit comes in a guise wrapped in a beautiful package. Fallen angels would look just like the glorious angels, as stated above in the Corinthians verse. If you are a Christian, you should be praying daily to receive wisdom, and it will be given to you without reproach.
You should be in the Word daily so that you will know the truth from a lie. If you are a non-believer reading this after the rapture, know that your odds of learning the truth have diminished but you can pray to Jesus to forgive you of your sins (if you are truly sorry for your bad acts and thoughts, that is) and He will forgive you. He will send the Holy Spirit to you to help you discern the truth from a lie. Without His help, you are at the mercy of an adversary who can and does ‘appear to us unawares’ and always for the purpose of destroying us!
NOT EVERYTHING SUPERNATURAL IS FROM GOD! “The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with the work of Satan displayed in all kinds of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders,” (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
Angels might surround you unawares, and it surely would be a blessing to entertain a Holy Angel, but YOU should not be unaware of satan and his angels’ counterfeiting abilities!
Angels figure very, very prominently in the NT. People don’t really know this, or they overlook angels in the created order. At the other end of the scale, some are so preoccupied with angels they nearly fall into angel worship.
Once you start studying angels, you realize how frequently they are mentioned in the New Testament. And as for the nativity story, they figure prominently, making many appearances! So let’s get to know these incredible beings better.
The Bible shows that there is another life form among us. God created the world with animals, sea creatures, flying animals. He then created humans. But before that, and we don’t know how long before, He created angels.
Like the world and like the humans, at first it was very good. The angels were holy and worshipful. They shouted in praise when God made the world (Job 38:7).
Some of the angels chose to follow Satan (probably Lucifer) in his rebellion, and they became unholy.
But whether holy or unholy, angels are among us. The holy angels obey God by performing tasks He sets out for them to do. The unholy angels perform tasks their leader satan sets out for them to do, which is whatever opposes God.
The two innocent-looking cherubs seem harmless. They’re from an excerpt of the larger piece called Sistine Madonna by Raphael. Angels are not cherubic babies. But satan and his demonic horde would like you to think so.
The Bible is rife with angel activity. They do a lot. Yet Renaissance art shows them as babies with wings, diminishing their august beauty and power. Since they are among us unawares, people tend to forget they exist. Yet the Bible shows them doing a myriad of things for God and on behalf of humans.
Angels. They exist. They were created by God and they serve God. There are multitudes and multitudes of them. (Hebrews 12:22).
The Bible shows us that angels appear on earth as men, sometimes looking like ordinary men (Joshua 5:13-14; Mark 16:5), and at other times looking like something other-worldly. So other-worldly they looked, that the people gazing upon them were gripped with fear, as in Matthew 28:3, who looked like this, “his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow”
And the keepers of Jesus’ tomb were so frightened, they ‘became as dead men when they saw an angel of the Lord’ (Matthew 28:4).
In these appearances, the first thing the angel says is “Fear not.”
When they appear to people on the earth sometimes they take on human form like in Genesis 18:1-19. Jesus and two angels appeared as men and actually ate a meal with Abraham. Later two of the angels went on to Sodom and slept overnight at Lot’s house. So we know they can incarnate, appear as men, and spend a period of time on earth.
No. Just no. Raphael’s depiction of putti (common in Renaissance art) at the bottom of the Sistine Chapels Madonna painting does not depict angels accurately. They are powerful and fearsome.
We know that some angels fell, meaning, they sided with Satan in the angelic rebellion and were cast from their places in heaven. Satan’s fall is described in Isaiah:
“How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” (Isaiah 14:12)
A third of the angels fell with satan:
“Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth.” (Revelation 12:3-4).
Though satan lost his high position as the covering cherub of God, he is god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4) at the permission of God. Therefore, being cast out doesn’t interfere with his intent to deceive us. He still pretends to be on God’s side when interacting in human activity, as seen here. “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
Note the word ‘masquerades’ and ‘light’. Masquerade means “An involved scheme; a charade; as in wearing a mask or disguise”. Of course he would pretend he is one of the good guys to an unsuspecting unbeliever, or even to a Christian. His underlings pretend to be on the good side, too. His servants are the fellow angels that followed satan in the war against God and also pretend to be one of the good angels. But they only want to deceive.
“It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness.” (2 Corinthians 11:15).
Hebrews 13:2 says we sometimes entertain angels unawares.
So the point is, if you were beset by an angel of light, how would you know he is one of the good guys, or one of the bad guys? There is a 1 in 3 chance he is one of the bad ones. How would you know? Would you be so gripped with fear that you just accept what the angel says? Would you be so filled with pride that one of these beings was sent to you that you would accept what he said without question? Would you be so entranced by their light that you unquestioningly accept they are from God?
The only way to know is to know the Word of God. John and Peter both warned of false teachers, and Jesus said they may come to us in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15; 1 John. 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1). John said our duty is to “test the spirits,” and Paul said: “Test everything. Hold on to the good.” (1 Thessalonians 5:21).
Not all angels come in peace. Some are your enemy. Be watchful and test all things!
But what do the holy angels do? More on those powerful created beings next time!
Further Reading
There is a lot of interest in angels. There is actually a study of them in systematic theology called Angelology. But the modern day books and studies are full of error and speculation. Here are some credible teachings about angels.
Martyn Lloyd Jones did a sermon on Good Angels, here. Though MLJ’s companion sermon sermon for about the unholy angels (demons), called The Devil and Fallen Angels is lost, the transcription of that sermon is below.
Demons are unholy angels. These are the ones who followed satan into rebellion. This occurred sometime between Genesis 1:31 when God declared everything “very good”, and Genesis 3:1 when the serpent was not very good but was the most crafty beast of the field. His fall is described in Isaiah 14:12–14 and Ezekiel 28:12–18. The ones who didn’t follow satan and remained as God’s servants are the holy angels.
Unholy angels, AKA demons, don’t just destroy humans and oppose God, they also oppose the holy angels. We learn in Jude 1:9 that Michael the archangel was disputing with the devil, arguing about the body of Moses. (Jude 1:9).
Holy angels and unholy angels war with each other too. An angel was dispatched to bring a message to Daniel, but an unholy angel stood in his way for 21 days. He was only overcome when archangel Michael was sent to help, so the holy angel could go on his way.
So we have seen the unholy angels inciting war in heaven (Revelation 12:7), messing with the activity of the second heaven, and they trouble the earth. They really exist everywhere.
The passage in Matthew 8 is always astonishing when I read it. The passage I’m talking about is about the Gadarene demoniac. Our church elders are preaching through Matthew and we got to the Demoniac passage in Matthew 8:28-34.
Two men were demon possessed, or in biblical terms, “demonized.” That means, as we can see from the text, a demon or demons were literally inside their body. Their biology responded to the demons to the extent that the man screamed, cut his own skin, and broke chains they used to try and bind him. Humans do not have the strength to break iron chains regularly, and they don’t have the desire to live naked among the tombs. This kind of living is what the demons desire, to destroy a man and/or make him unfit for human association.
Not all demons are obviously wild and untamable. Some are seemingly calmer but do their evil through words. We know the demon-possessed slave girl with a spirit of Divination, could speak and think. She earned her master much money. She followed Paul around saying, “These men are slaves of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” (Acts 16:17b).
In another case, we learn that a “lying spirit” offered to go into the prophet(s) and entice them-
And Yahweh said, ‘Who will entice Ahab so that he will go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said this while another said that. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before Yahweh and said, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 And Yahweh said to him, ‘How?’ And he said, ‘I will go out and be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.’ Then He said, ‘You shall entice him and also prevail. Go out and do so.’ (1 Kings 22:20-22).
As a side note, this is why we CANNOT tolerate a confirmed false teacher. They are either demonized (their very body hosting the evil entity) or demon-influenced (externally troubled by a demon, as Paul was), and thus, they are full of lies about God and His people. There is no “eating the meat and spitting the bones.” You’re eating lies and poison.
So demons have various methods they employ. Their total aim and goal is to thwart God’s plans and to destroy God’s people. They also enjoy destroying unsaved people. We know all this because John 10:10 says
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
So far we know that
Demons exist
Demons used to be holy angels but chose to sin with satan
Demons employ various methods to try and thwart God (violent possession, harassing, lying, etc…)
Demons can enter a person or even an animal (the pigs)
Can a Christian be demon-possessed? NO. We have the Holy Spirit inside us, and we are sealed with Him as the guarantee. (2 Corinthians 1:22). Satan or his minion demons can influence us, tempt us like satan did to Jesus in the desert, but they cannot enter us.
Here, Tom Pennington answers that question, posed by David Knight of Exposit the Word:
There is so much more to say about demons, of course. This is was just a short introductory piece. Unholy angels are fascinating, the unseen realms, and their doings. But we keep our focus on Jesus. The demons obey Him. They know who He is – they called him Son of God in Matthew 28:29). They know their ultimate destination. (Luke 8:31). But Jesus is King. He is in control of heaven, the second heaven (the air), and earth. Someday those evil demons will receive their just punishment. Until then, pray to Jesus alone, but be aware they are in the world attempting to sway you from your walk.
Further resources:
Martyn Lloyd-Jones preached about The Devil and the Fallen Angels. It was a part 2 to a previous sermon called “Good Angels”, and part of his Great Doctrines series. Sadly the recording to “The Devil and the Fallen Angels” is lost. It was synopsized here in an essay, and here in Power Points
Ligonier.org 6-min explanation about demons, or read its transcription.
The Bible shows that there is another life form among us. God created the world with animals, sea creatures, flying animals. He then created humans. But before that, and we don’t know how long before, He created angels.
Like the world and like the humans, at first it was very good. The angels were holy and worshipful. They shouted in praise when God made the world (Job 38:7).
Some of the angels chose to follow Satan (probably Lucifer) in his rebellion, and they became unholy.
But whether holy or unholy, angels are among us. The holy angels obey God by performing tasks He sets out for them to do. The unholy angels perform tasks their leader satan sets out for them to do, which is whatever opposes God.
The two innocent-looking cherubs seem harmless. They’re from an excerpt of the larger piece called Sistine Madonna by Raphael. Angels are not cherubic babies. But satan and his demonic horde would like you to think so.
The Bible is rife with angel activity. They do a lot. Yet Renaissance art shows them as babies with wings, diminishing their august beauty and power. Since they are among us unawares, people tend to forget they exist. Yet the Bible shows them doing a myriad of things for God and on behalf of humans. Let’s take a look.
Did you ever stop to consider the supernatural in your everyday life?
I’d like to write something that will hopefully open your mind to the teeming activity in the supernatural realms which our current eyes cannot see. However the bustling activity is all around us on earth and extends into the second and third heaven.
151,600 people on earth die each day. Each death releases a soul that had formerly been imprisoned in a body. Upon death, this soul is immediately catapulted into the supernatural realms. The soul either goes up or goes down. So if the 6,316 people die each hour, there is a lot of traffic going up and down. (2 Corinthians 5:8).
Satan is the prince of the power of the air, Ephesians 2:1-2 reminds us, as does Ephesians 6:12 which says there are “spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” In 2 Kings 6:17 Prophet Elisha’s servant was cowed by the impressive number of enemy men encircling the camp. They were severely outnumbered. However Elisha prayed, ‘O LORD, open his eyes so he may see’. Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. The air was filled with blazing angels at attention and ready to fight for God against the human armies.
Daniel also was given heavenly insight into the supernatural realms, specifically the second heaven. He prayed to God and God immediately dispatched an angel with a response. However one of the chief unholy angels of the nation of Persia caused a delay in the holy angels’ progress and there was a fight. Michael the archangel had to eventually be sent to help the angel burst through the opposition in order to reach Daniel. (Daniel 10:12-14). Angel wars not only occur in the second heaven of the air, but they go on in heaven, also. (Revelation 12:7)
In another case, Daniel was visited by a mighty angel on earth, which only Daniel could see, but the men with him felt the presence of heavenly glory and trembled. Some just ran away. (Daniel 10:7). The same thing happened with Saul when he was knocked down on the road to Damascus. (Acts 9:3-7).
Revelation 5:8 and 8:3 give us a hint of the prayers rising from the saints’ lips to the throne room of God, where much activity is performed regarding these prayers.
God sends His ministering angels from heaven to His people with tasks, messages, comfort, and other ministry. (Genesis 19:1, Hebrews 13:2 & etc.)
So we have recently released souls departing for their final destination, demons zooming around in the air, angel wars, chariots abounding, angels coming and going, and prayers rising…that is a lot of activity. We can’t see any of it. But it’s there.
When I sailed on the ocean, we were guided in navigation by a nautical chart. Cargo ships, cruise ships, pleasure boats…all adhered to the rules of the road. This what it’s actually called, the rules of the road. The chart lays out the comings and goings of ships so they won’t crash into each other, especially as they near the busy port. They are called shipping lanes. Every mark on the chart means something and ships obey them if they don’t want to crash. It’s all highly managed. It looks like this:
Chart mapping San Pedro Channel; Dana Pt. Harbor, Catalina Island, SoCal
The real sea in that area looks like this.
It’s much the same with the supernatural comings and goings.
Consider the supernatural. To that end, my exhortation here today is:
1. Revisit the amazing supernatural life that you have in Christ. Every breath, every moment, is driven by a series of continuing supernatural events in us and around us that propel us forward into the Kingdom of Light, and;
2. God is completely sovereign. His omnipotence extends from heaven to earth and every area, realm visible and invisible in between. He is directing an expansive and magnificent plan that will culminate in His glory shown through a renewed universe and a multitude of redeemed humanity, all in obeisance and worship of Him.
the-end-time.org 