What Baptists Believe About Satan and the Angels
Memory Verses: 1Pet. 5:8; Heb. 1:14; 13:2
Prayer: That we might understand the deception of Satan’s wiles and be thankful for the ministry of the holy angels.
Verses: Jude 6; Rev. 12:9-10; Jn. 8:44; Isa. 14:12-20; Ez. 28:12-17; Gen. 19:1-22; Luke 2:9-10; Luke 16:22; Ex. 23:20.
The passage in Genesis 19 not only shows us something of the ministry of the angels, but is one of the greatest passages on what God thinks of the sin of homosexuality (v 13). Hence carnal copulation among men is called sodomy to this day, and until recent times has been unlawful in the United States.
No believer in the inspiration of the Scriptures can doubt the existence of a personal devil. Revelation in regard to Satan begins with that dateless period between the original creation of the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1), and the desolating judgment which ended the period when the earth became waste and empty (Gen. 1:2; Isa. 24:1; Jer. 4:23-26). One passage, Ez. 28:11-19, deals at length with Satan and his relation to that age. He was perfect in beauty, he was the “anointed cherub that covereth.” Satan was apparently created as a guard or protector to the throne of the Most High (Ps. 48:1; Isa. 2:2). This was a position of great authority; a position from which he fell, drawing with him a host of spiritual beings over whom he had governing influence and power.
Ezekiel 28:13-15. It is important to notice both that Satan was created, and that he was created perfect. Since he was created, he is not self-existent, and can never be free from his dependence upon the Creator. Satan was a free moral agent that chose evil to his own condemnation (Jn. 8:44). The crime of Satan is partly revealed in Ex. 28:17 and Isa. 14:12-14. Satan fell through pride (Prov. 16:18). Satan has not been cast out of heaven yet and still has access to the presence of God (Job. 1:6,2:3-5). Satan is our enemy and although we have a spiritual warfare we can get help (Eph. 6:11-13; 1Peter 5:8 9).
Due to Satan’s fall he introduced sin into the world. Satan’s secret purpose has always been to gain a kingdom and subjects that he might become an object of worship. He said, “I will be like the Most High” (Isa. 14:14). To accomplish this, his first act was in deceiving Eve by telling her that instead of dying as a result of eating the forbidden fruit, they would become “as gods, knowing good and evil.” Man lost his God-likeness and dominion over the earth at this point and the world has been given into the hand of Satan temporarily; and Satan dominates it, subject to such limitations as God is pleased to impose (Ps. 76:10). This earthly scepter Satan held, seemingly without challenge from Jehovah, until the advent of the last Adam. He met the Lord Jesus in the wilderness, offering Him all he had gained from the first Adam, if only he might receive the obedient worship of the Last Adam - the Son of God. However victorious Satan may have been over the first Adam, it is certain that he met a complete and final judgment in the last Adam (Gen. 3:15; Jn. 12:31, 16:11; Col. 2:13-15). Although sentence has been pronounced against Satan, its execution is yet future (Rev. 12:7-12, 20:1-10).
God has been pleased not to deny the presumptuous claims of Satan for the souls of men, but to put man through a series of tests; that every mouth may be stopped, and the entire universe of beings will finally see the folly of following Satan and his ways. These tests, or “probationary” periods in the world’s history is what we call a “Dispensation,” each one ends in man’s failure.
1. The Edenic: Extends from the creation of Adam to their expulsion from the Garden. It was very short - also called The Dispensation of Innocence.
2. The Ante-Diluvian: “Ante,” meaning before - hence, before the deluge or flood. From the “Fall” to the “Flood.” - The Dispensation of Conscience. Conscience may produce fear and remorse, but it will not keep men from doing wrong. Cain killed Abel in a religious dispute.
3. The Post-Diluvian: “Post,” meaning after - hence, after the flood. From the “Flood” to Abraham. The Dispensation of Government. Started with aged experienced men. The Tower of Babel was built during this time, revealing the proud and rebellious spirit of the people - and God scattered them.
4. The Patriarchal: From the “Call of Abraham” to the “Exodus”. The Dispensation of the Family. It ended with all of Abraham’s descendants working as slaves in the brickyards of Egypt.
5. The Legal: Extends from the “Exodus” to the birth of Christ. The Dispensation of Law. The law was given and God ruled men through His representatives. The Jews rejected the promised Messiah and crucified the Son of God.
6. The Ecclesiastical: Extends from “Pentecost” to the “Rapture of the believers.” The Dispensation of Grace. God is calling out a “people for His name.” There is a blindness in part to the Jews. Most people will continue to reject God and His way. This dispensation, as with the previous five, is going to end in man’s failure. “Churches” all around us are becoming more and more pagan, and are returning to Rome.
7. The Messianic: The 1000 year reign of Christ. The Dispensation of the Millennium. Christ will rule as King. At the end Satan is released for a period and man is put to the last test before God gives him up as hopelessly, incurable, incorrigibly God-hating and disobedient, as he follows Satan to his final doom.
God has also created other intelligent, moral spiritual beings called Angels (Ps. 148:1-5). The word of God clearly reveals the existence, and presence with man, of personal beings of another sphere, through whom God communicates to him, aids, and protects him; as well as of other angels whose influence is for evil. Note these scriptures:
· Gen. 16:7-14 Hagar and Ishmael (in the wilderness)
· Judges 13:2-21 Samson (Manoah and his wife)
· Luke 1:5-20 John the Baptist (Elizabeth and Zacharias)
· Luke 1:26-38 Jesus (Mary and Joseph)
· Matt. 28:1-7 At the tomb of Jesus (Mary Magdelene, Mary the mother of James,
Salome, and Joanna)
Angels do not possess physical bodies as a part of their being; even though they may assume bodies for the execution of God’s will (Gen. 19). Angels are pure spirits. In Heb. 1:14, they are called ministering spirits. Angels are higher and greater than man (Heb. 2:7; 2Pet. 2:11). Luke 20:36 declares that angels cannot die, which means they cannot cease to exist. Angels are not sexless winged beings with long blonde hair like women, as most Catholic and Protestant commentators state. Every angel in the Bible is a young man - male, not sexless (Gen. 18:1-2,22,33; 19:1,5,10,15,16; Judges 13:3,6,8,9,10,11; Gal. 4:14). These male angels are “sons of God” in the O.T. (Job 1,2) and they are going to show up again - as men (Luke 17:26). The reason they “neither marry nor are given in marriage” is because they are all male; not because they are “sexless.” This again shows us what sin homosexuality is.
In Job 1:6 and 2:1 we find the “sons of God.” These are angels. Look at Genesis 6:2-4. Some say that these were sons of Cain and daughters of Seth. I believe that they were angels having taken on the form of man. That is why their offspring were giants, mighty men, men of renown. Look at Jude 6. This tells us that some angels did not keep their first estate. I believe these are those who left the angelic state to become as men and co-habit with women. And that is why God has reserved them in chains. I don’t know what else it could mean, for it certainly doesn’t mean Satan and his followers, since they are roaming the Earth with relative freedom right now. Satan himself even has access to the Throne of God.
What are some of the work or offices of angels? The Ho1y angels praise the Lord and do His commandments (Ps. 103:20, 148:2). They minister to the heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14; 1Ki. 19:5-8; Da. 6:22; Acts 12:8-11). They protect us, I think, until we are saved, and probably after that. They execute God’s purposes (2Sam. 24:16; 2Chron. 32:21; Matt. 13:41,49,50; Rev. 7:1-2). They will accompany Christ at His second coming (Matt. 25:31-32; 2Thess. 1:7-8). They are present at church services (1Cor. 11:10). They take a great interest in divine truth and learn through the church (1Pet. 1:12; Eph. 3:10).
Although there is an innumerable company of holy angels there is also a great company of those angels who followed Satan in his fall. The belief of evil spirits has been almost universal in the world. In the time of Christ evil spirits, demons or devils were especially active (Luke 6:17-18; Matt. 12:43-45; Mark 1:32,34, 9:18; Matt. 8:31-32). Jesus even chose Judas as a disciple whom he called a devil (Jn. 6:70-71). Demons or evil Spirits cannot predict the future although they deceive many into thinking that they can (Acts 16:16-18). There are many things in the world today that are controlled by evil spirits that the child of God should flee and have nothing to do with: e.g. horoscopes - astrology - ouija boards - mediums - witches - cults - drugs – the New Age movement, etc.