Bible Study
Study Topic: Are Angels for real?

Roderick C. Meredith (1930-2017)

There is an angel craze now extant among multitudes of religious people. Do angels really exist?

Is there a spirit world occupied by countless millions of angels? And what about fallen angels—or demons? How can we know for sure about these things? What should our relationship be to this spirit world?

Millions of people read about various claims of spiritual manifestations and honestly do not know what to make of them. But there is only one bona fide source of revealed Truth about such matters. It is the inspired Word of God—the Holy Bible. Yet many people—even professing Christians—give credence to the strange ideas of many self-proclaimed experts on the spirit world who plainly contradict what the Bible says.

In a recent book entitled, Ask Your Angels, the authors discuss how they got to know angels—talking with them and, in effect, praying to them. The book suggests its readers would be benefited if they would do the same thing. Notice this revealing quote:

Our angels have made it dear to us that they wanted three different people with three different voices to collaborate on the delicate business of writing Ask Your Angels. This was both to demonstrate the skill of angelically assisted work, and also to make sure that no single view prevailed. There are many ways to talk with angels, and seeking their friendship is not limited to any one belief system. Connecting with them is the next step in our evolution as a species of conscious beings. In fact, as Abigrael [one of the "angels"] tells us, it is also the next step in angelic evolution as well (Alma Daniel, Timothy Wyllie and Andrew Ramer, Ask Your Angels, Ballantine Books, 1992, p. 7).

Note the many subtle messages in just this one paragraph: their angels "wanted" to influence the writing of the book. There are "many ways to talk with angels." Seeking their friendship is "not limited to any one belief system." Interacting with them is the "next step in our evolution," and so on. Wow, this is wild stuff’.

A Warning About Fallen Angels

The Bible clearly warns us, as we shall see, that there are millions of fallen angels—demons! The authors of Ask Your Angels gullibly believe that the "angels" influencing their writing must be "good" angels. Then they assume that people from any belief system may become friends with these "good" angels. They next draw the exceedingly wild conclusion that connecting with the (angels) is a further step in our evolution as a species of conscious beings.

Later on in this book, one of the authors tells us that her guardian angel is named "LNO." She goes on to state:

LNO is now a valuable colleague and trusted friend. When I work with a client, I call upon her and invoke the presence of the other person’s guardian angel, too, to align the body, mind, and emotions. LNO assists by helping me to get my ego, my little mind, out of the way. When I feel her presence or hear her voice, I move into Higher Self. Joining in her vibrations prepares me to be a clear channel for cosmic intelligence (p. 64).

The author then describes how this clear channel works:

The brain-wave frequency shifts from beta [normal waking consciousness] to alpha, and sometimes theta, which characterize meditative and trance states. The client’s consciousness shifts, too, so we are resonating on the same frequency.

In this state, I frequently hear the responses of my client’s angel before he or she does. It comes in words that I hear, just as I hear the voice of my angel in words. Usually within a few seconds, or less than a minute, the client speaks the words that I heard. I have found this to be a much more effective way of serving. When people open to their angels, they become empowered to access the information they need on their own—making connection with their own highest source (pp. 64–65).

So now we are introduced to "vibrations," a certain type of "brainwave frequency" and "trance states." The readers of this book are encouraged to be "open" to their angels. At this point, we need to ask, "What if they are opening up to demons instead?" The Bible commands us, "And when they say to you, ‘Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,’ should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them" (Isaiah 8:19–20).

We had better be mighty sure that whatever any professing "angel" tells us is consistent with God’s instruction in the Bible! Jesus Christ said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God" (Luke 4:4). And we read in 2 Timothy 3:16–17, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

God clearly states in the above passage that a godly person may be "complete" and "thoroughly equipped" through the instruction of the Bible. So any books or any articles about the spirit world had better be solidly based on the inspired Word of God. Otherwise, they are probably wrong here and there in their reasoning. Also, Jesus said, "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35). Therefore, any teaching that contradicts God’s inspired Word—no matter how interesting—is just plain wrong.

Notice what the Apostle John was inspired to write: "Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). So we are commanded to test the spirits that may come along. Any godly spirit will acknowledge that Jesus Christ came fully in the flesh, that He was tempted in all points like as we are, yet did not sin (Hebrews 4:15), and that Jesus is to literally live His sinless, obedient life in the true Christian with the power of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 2:20).

Again, you had better be absolutely sure what kind of "angel" you are dealing with before you start talking to or becoming a familiar friend with an invisible spirit being!

Who Created the Angels?

Referring to Jesus Christ, the Gospel of John tells us, "All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made" (1:3). Also, in a passage about our spiritual Redeemer, the Apostle Paul was inspired to write, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him" (Colossians 1:15–16). So, probably millions of years ago, God the Father created the angelic hosts through the One who later became His Son, Jesus Christ!

Angels are called "God’s sons" by virtue of the fact that He created them (Job 1:6). Many of them "shouted for joy" when they saw the beautiful earth God had created (Job 38:4–7). Yet, God shows that even the angels are to worship His Son, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:6).

What is the purpose of these angelic beings? Hebrews 1:14 tells us, "Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?"

God’s faithful angels are created beings sent to minister to God. They also serve those of us now being called to salvation. The Bible tells us, "The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them" (Psalm 34:7).

So God’s angels are to protect and help. They are often used to deliver His people from troubles or difficulties of many kinds. They are also God’s messengers (cf. Dan. 10:11; Luke 1:11–13). Notice the account in Acts 5:17–20: "Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, and laid their hands on the Apostles and put them in the common prison. But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, ‘Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.’"

Note in the above account that the angel not only delivered the Apostles from prison but also told them to go into the temple and preach the Truth! But, we might ask, how did the Apostles know that this was a righteous angel and NOT a demon?

First, the original Apostles who had personally witnessed Jesus Christ’s dealings with the demons had a great deal of experience and spiritual discernment. Secondly, the angel had manifested supernatural power in letting them out of prison—a good thing in this case. Thirdly, the angel’s instruction to go to preach the Gospel was also right on target— the exact instruction Jesus had already given them!

Today, however, there are millions of professing Christians who, frankly, have virtually no discernment of spirits whatsoever! These people often could not even name the four Gospels—let alone live by every word of God (cf. Luke 4:4). Too many have never even read all of the Bible—let alone studied it. Such people definitely do not have the "mind of Christ" (cf. Philippians 2:5), or His wisdom in dealing with the spirit world. Therefore, many are easily deceived into various forms of experimentation with the occult, astrology and sometimes even devil worship!

So all of you who read this need to be exceedingly careful in all your dealings with the spirit world! You need to concentrate on getting to know God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. This, however, when compared to tampering with the occult, often sounds boring to the modern world. Why? Because most people have never understood the real meaning and the real power of true Christianity in the first place.

The Apostle Paul warns us: "Let no one defraud you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase which is from God" (Colossians 2:18–19). The "Head" is the true Jesus Christ who rose from the dead and is soon going to come streaking through the sky to return as King of kings and rule over this confused, chaotic and suffering world (Revelation 11:15).

If we come to really know Jesus Christ as our Savior, our personal Lord and our Living High Priest, we will never be tempted to worship the angels who are greatly inferior in power, wisdom and glory.

Where Did Demons Come From?

In the book of Isaiah the prophet, the Bible reveals that a powerful angel named "Lucifer" rebelled against God. He said, "I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God... I will be like the Most High" (Isaiah 14:13–14).

So Lucifer—meaning, "light bringer"—attempted a heavenly coup-d’etat! He attempted to replace God! But he was cast back down to earth in disgrace.

In Revelation 12:3–9, Lucifer, now called Satan or the "adversary," is revealed to have taken one-third of the entire angelic host with him in this cosmic rebellion! ("Stars" are often used to symbolize angels in the Bible as in Revelation 1:20.) And since the total number of angels is greater than 100 million (Revelation 5:11), Satan must have deceived tens of millions of angels who have now become demons! The Bible reveals more about the origin of Satan in Ezekiel 28. The first 10 verses describe the human ruler of the ancient city-state of Tyre. This prince had great riches and was "wiser than Daniel" (v. 3). Then, beginning with verse 11, God inspired Ezekiel to reveal the real "power behind the throne" of this famous, but thoroughly pagan, city.

God says: "You were in Eden, the garden of God." Later, "the workmanship of your timbrels and pipes [musical instruments] was prepared for you in the day you were created" (v. 13). These verses reveal that as a created being Satan was placed on the earth to serve God. But sometime after he rebelled, he sought to frustrate God’s plan by showing up in Eden to deceive the newly created man and woman. Originally, Lucifer was the "anointed cherub" (v. 14) who had been established with a "throne" (Isaiah 14:13) in the "mountain" or Kingdom of God on earth.

Lucifer was an awesomely beautiful and highly intelligent being. He was a "cherub"—apparently of the highest rank or class of angels along with Michael and Gabriel. But it "went to his head," as we say. He became puffed up in his own conceit and rebelled against his Creator.

Therefore, Satan was "cast out" of the Kingdom of God (Ezekiel .28:16). Now, he is the enemy of the righteous. Jesus described him as the spiritual "father" of those who rebel against God, and a "murderer" who is the "father of lies!" (John 8:44).

Satan Has a Kingdom

Satan has a spiritual dominion filled with evil spirits When being accused of casting out demons by "Beelzebub, the ruler of spirits," Jesus answered, "If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then will his [Satan’s] kingdom stand?" (Matthew 12:26).

The Apostle Paul called Satan "the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:2). Satan uses this earth’s atmosphere. By analogy, Satan is like a radio or TV transmitter. He broadcasts or beams his own wrong attitudes out on the ‘‘airwaves.’’ He sends out attitudes of vanity, jealousy, lust and greed. He sends out a spirit of self-will, hate and rebellion.

Billions of mixed-up human beings unknowingly "tune in" to Satan’s broadcasts. This satanic attitude influences our media, our music, our leaders and educators— everybody. That is why the Apostle Paul was inspired to write: "Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:11–12).

Although most people are totally unaware of it, there is a real "Star Wars" going on. It is a battle for the control of your mind—your attitude. Will you "tune in" to the God of Creation and do what He says. Or will you "channel surf’ through Satan’s Broadcasting System, which offers "many ways" for entrapment? Satan offers an enormous variety of belief and unbelief systems designed to seduce just about everyone. Will we unwittingly go along with false ideas and concepts, which the invisible Satan so desperately wants us to swallow?

The Apostle James exhorts those who wish to see good prevail in their own lives, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). Each of us has to learn to seek God in earnest Bible study and prayer. Then we need to act on what God tells us in His Word. If we will do that, we will not be seduced by Satan! But we must be alert and zealous. We must test the spirits as we have discussed. And we must fully realize that we are in a battle with a powerful adversary: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world" (1 Peter 5:8–9).

The Father of Spirits Promises Help

This is a tough and dangerous world, yet God promises that He will always help, guide and deliver those who trust Him and obey Him. "For He Himself has said, ‘I will NEVER leave you nor forsake you"’ (Hebrews 13:5).

But Jesus cautions us that we must be wholly committed to Him: "Whoever confesses Me before men, him the Son of Man also will confess before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God" (Luke 12:8–9).

So to have the protection and help of God’s angels, we need to truly believe in Jesus Christ and do what He commands! For Jesus also said, "But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46).

God’s angels are aware of our actions and our attitudes: "Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). And these mighty spirit beings are no doubt intrigued by the process of full conversion God is putting us all through—fashioning and molding us and gradually building within us His Holy, righteous character so that we may someday even rule over the angels themselves (1 Corinthians 6:3). Describing the ultimate salvation of human beings, Peter reveals that these are "things which angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:12).

The Bible reveals God’s protective concern even for the newest or youngest "child of God." For Jesus said, "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 18:10).

We should deeply realize that there is a spirit world all around us. It is inhabited by God’s angels and archangels—and also by Satan and his demons! We should be mentally and spiritually alert. We should regularly study God’s inspired revelation—the Holy Bible. Then we can have God’s mind—His understanding and attitude in dealing with the unseen spirit world. We should also drop to our knees each day and pray fervently to the "Father of spirits" so that we may have a correct understanding of the Truth. Then we will have God guiding us into eternal life as spirit beings (Hebrews 12:9).

There are true guardian angels close to God’s people. We should deeply appreciate any help they give us and thank God for it! But, as we have seen, we should not ever in any way pray to them or worship them (Colossians 2:18; Revelation 22:8–9).

All true Christians should recognize that God is preparing us for exciting and awesome experiences and responsibilities in the World Ahead. If we are faithful, we will literally join Jesus Christ, the resurrected saints and a whole company of obedient angels, in the soon-coming Kingdom of God.

The author of Hebrews tells us, "But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven" (Hebrews 12:22–25).

Again, the Apostle Paul wrote, "Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?" (1 Corinthians 6:2–3).

Let each of us so live a life of faith and obedience that we may be accounted worthy of ruling—under Jesus Christ’s personal direction— the whole world and of even judging or managing the angelic hosts who will assist us face-to-face then just as they now serve us invisibly.