Are angels real?
We live in an amazing Cosmos that allows us to reside in a natural existence while interacting in a spiritual realm that evolves around us. Scripture vividly demonstrates the spiritual realm while living in a natural environment. For example, the Savior constantly interacted with unclean spirits or demons (fallen angels) from the spiritual realm when He walked the earth naturally. The Scriptures exhibited a unique interaction with demons when the Savior had face-to-face contact with demon-possessed individuals. Notice how they (demons) recognized His royalty by giving Him adoration. They even admitted His authority by pleading for freedom of torment. Mainly, they acknowledged His status as the Son of God.
6 But when he saw Jesus afar off, he ran and worshipped him,
7 And cried with a loud voice, and said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the most high God? I adjure thee by God, that thou torments me not. (Mark 5:6-7)
Mark reminds his readers of these constant interactions with Jesus and the spiritual realm as noted below:
23 And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. Mark 1:23-24 KJV
And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, "You are the Son of God." But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known. Mark 3:11-12 NKJV
In the spiritual realm, like our natural realm, you have identifiable characters with individualized events that alert one to the memory of past dealings. In the natural realm, when we see an old friend or someone who opposed us from the past, we experience certain feelings, whether negative or positive these feelings are based on the last encounter with that person. Different emotions exhibit comforting or discomforting, joy or fear as we greet that friend or foe. Likewise, when the Savior confronts these fallen angels, they respond with an extra level of anxiety because of Jesus' authority. In Mark 5, the demons or fallen angels identify themselves as Legion, meaning many. Legion immediately requested that the Savior refrain from tormenting them, which gives us the assumption of past dealings.
Yet, it is hard to believe that one human can possess many unclean spirits. As for this scenario, the demons' count equated to 2000 because when these demons requested that they enter the swine nearby, it was 2000 swine who committed suicide. I assumed that each demon occupied an individual swine who decided to run off a cliff and drown in the sea instead of tolerating their existence with demons or unclean spirits. (Mark 5:1-13)
These demons, like Legion, provide a colorful insight into the spiritual realm of reality. First, fallen angels are real, and their habitation consists of this earth because of their defeat in the heavenly realm. Second, scriptures reveal that Michael and his angels defeated Satan and his angels, and after their defeat, they left heaven to live on earth. (Revelation 12:7-8).
7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7-9 KJV)
When the Seventy explained to Jesus that even the fallen angels are subject unto us through your name, Jesus reminded them, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." (Luke 10:17-18)
Thirdly, God created humans in His image, "So God created man in his own image." (Genesis 1:8) Therefore, You must grasp the totality of this momentous statement because you will then understand why fallen angels or demons engage with humans in warfare. Since humans reflect God's image, demons continue fighting with God on earth through their interaction with humans. Remember, God disrupted the fallen angels' earthly kingdom by creating another creature that reflects His image and likeness. Originally, Satan and his fallen angels had dominion within the earth. When God created humans, He gave them authority over the fallen angels' habitation. What a fantastic plan of God! Remember God's angels defeated Satan and his angels in the heavenly realm. Now God allows a lesser creature (humans) to continue the same war but in another domain when He gave humans dominion over the earth.
Although, Satan temporarily defeated man with their first encounter by luring man and woman (Adam and Eve) to disobey the Creator in the Garden of Eden. After that, God sent His Son to the same realm with a simple weapon of offense for humans to defeat Satan. Through genuine faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus to redeem humanity, we as humans can engage and win in the same heavenly war right here on earth through this Redemptive Plan. This heavenly war continues with new soldiers created lesser than angels, yet the Son of God armed these soldiers with a new heavenly weapon. When these soldiers become knowledgeable of their dominating power in the earthly realm, like Michael and the heavenly angels, they too can have victory over Satan and his fallen angels. How is such possible?
Understandable, Satan is a deceiver, and he uses the More Syndrome technique to deceive you. For instance, if you give more money to the church, attend church more, and volunteer your service more, maybe God will provide you with more. However, following the More Syndrome technique shifts the focus off of God's Redemption Plan and emphasizes you and your efforts. Consequently, your physical location is irrelevant when you want a solution to your problems. In other words, facing a demonic problem, you will need an angelic solution located in the heavenly realm.
In Luke 12, Jesus reminds his disciples about hypocrisy. Then He states, 8 Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God: 9 But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.
We as humans do not command angels, but the Son of Man, our Savior Jesus, does command them. Remember when Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Satan referenced the protection of angels as he quoted, from Psalms 91:11-12:
If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:
He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. (Matthew 4:6 KJV)
The writer of Hebrew states it perfectly, "are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.” In other words, angels aid the ones who demonstrate the necessary faith in Jesus as Savior. So, the question that I ponder is if you cannot stand with Christ in your everyday affairs, will He discharge his angels in the time of your calamity or problems? Yet, when we interact with the demonic forces in the spiritual realm, remember what the Apostle Paul says in II Corinthians 10:4 (KJV), For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds.
The Apostle Paul reminds the church at Ephesus that our resolutions to earthy problems are in the heavenly places. Since Jesus resides in heaven and commands the heavenly angels, we must understand the rules of engagement against demonic forces from a heavenly perspective. We should learn and apply this knowledge to function and operate effectively in heavenly places. After all, we are in a war on earth, but our weaponry works only in heavenly places. Notice how Paul explains the functionality in Ephesians:
9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God. (Ephesians 3:8-10 KJV)
Yes, angels are real, whether fallen angels or heavenly angels, since powers and principalities signify angels. So Paul indicates that even the angels are amazed about God's Redemption Plan. Remember, heavenly angels, are ministering spirits who aid us as we fulfill our Kingdom mission for the Savior. So as we encounter these fallen angels, who have already lost one battle, their continued defeat becomes easy by believers standing faithful in Jesus Christ.
This story from the book entitled Victory in Spiritual Warfare fits these encounters with fallen angels.
A father and his son were traveling across the Wild West in a wagon one day when a prairie fire broke out. The father and his son tried to outrun the wildfire in their wagon, but they quickly realized that it wasn't going to work. The fire was coming too fast, and unless they tried something else, it would catch up to them and consume them.
Much to the confusion of the son, the father turned the horse and wagon around and rushed directly back toward the fire. He took them to a spot that had already been burned and yelled to his son, "Jump out and stand here. Don't move!"
They both jumped out, but the boy became afraid as he saw the fire raging and moving toward them. He wanted to run, but his father grabbed his hand and said, "Don't move, son. Stand firm!"
"But the fire is almost here," the son cried, his voice shaking with fear. "I don't understand!" This spot has already been burned," his dad replied. "There is nothing left for the fire to grab. The fire will come near, but it cannot burn again what has already been burned once before." The boy was safe because he stayed with his father in a place that the fire could not reach. (Tony Evans, Victory in Spiritual Warfare, Harvest House Publishers, Eugene, Oregon. 2011)
Remember, as Satan battles us with his fallen angels, his goal is for us to step away from the battleground conquered by the Cross. Jesus' crucifixion, death, and resurrection secure the believers’ victory. So demons or fallen angels are unable to touch believers without permission from Jesus. Success is prevalent if you stand firm in the center of the safest location - the Cross.
