Robert Roush's Blog, page 3

The Adversary

Last week we saw that as many as a third of the angels followed Satan in his rebellion against God. It is these fallen angels that oppose us, and all God’s created beings, in the unseen battle. I thought it would be appropriate today, as we remember that day thousand years ago—the day that was both the darkest in human history and the source of our one and only eternal hope—to look closely at our adversary in this battle.

We know that from humanity’s earliest days, Satan has sought to corrupt, deceive, and destroy God’s creation, most importantly His crowning creation, people. In Genesis chapter three we see Satan (referred to as the serpent) and his role in the downfall of humanity.

“No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (Genesis 3:4-6)

God had given specific commands to Adam and Eve not to eat the fruit of this tree. And yet here we find Satan deceiving and luring Eve, and Adam, into their first rebellion against God. A choice from which Satan knew there was no going back. And yet God had a plan—a plan to demonstrate His great grace and love for humanity. Thousands of years later, Satan attempted to once again tempt and deceive. Only this time he chose to face off against God Himself.

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. After He had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was hungry. Then the tempter approached Him and said, “If You are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

But He answered, “It is written: Man must not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

Then the Devil took Him to the holy city, had Him stand on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written: He will give His angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”

Jesus told him, “It is also written: Do not test the Lord your God.”

Again, the Devil took Him to a very high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. And he said to Him, “I will give You all these things if You will fall down and worship me.”

Then Jesus told him, “Go away, Satan! For it is written: Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him.” Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him. (Matthew 4:1-11)

We are told that Satan, and his fellow fallen angels, are actively involved in the battle—tempting, deceiving, accusing, and even blinding people to the truth of the Gospel. Their tools of attack have eternal consequences and we are called to be warriors in the unseen battle. Our tools are given in Ephesians chapter six—truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, God’s word, and finally, prayer. We are in a war, armor up!

No, Don't Do That!

Today I thought it might be good to offer a brief note of caution. We have seen that angels are powerful deliverers who often brought great news. If we aren’t careful it would be easy to become obsessed with them. Even to the point of worship. We human beings are created by God with a deep need to worship. Unfortunately, we so often are prone to worship the beauty and greatness God created rather than the Creator Himself. Here is the response of an angel in the book of Revelation when John fell down before him in worship.

Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers who have the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10)

Angels know their place. They are fellow creations, called to worship God (Psalm 148:2). As we see in this passage from Revelation, they will not accept our worship. So we need to be cautious. Basically, if you offer your worship to an angel, they will rebuke you. Or, if they don’t, they are not really an angel, but a fallen angel. So much the worse.

Here is an excerpt of this from In The Image of Man:

“Welcome, Chris, my friend.”

Chris fell to the ground in worship.

“No. No, my friend, you must not do that. I am just a messenger.”

Chris felt a presence approach.

“My name is Eran. I have been with you for six and a half years—since you began your walk with Jesus the Christ.”

Deliverance

Yesterday, we saw that the defining function of angels is to be God’s messengers. We even saw that they were often used to deliver the message of deliverance. However, at times they are also the means of deliverance.

Many of us heard the Sunday school lesson of Daniel in the lions’ den. But did you catch the means by which God delivered Daniel? You guessed it:

My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths. They haven't hurt me, for I was found innocent before Him. (Daniel 6:22)

And this isn’t just an Old Testament thing. In fact there are more examples of God’s deliverance in the New Testament. Like when some of the apostles were locked up in jail. We are told that:

An angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out . . . (Acts 5:19)

But my favorite story of an angel being used by God to provide deliverance is this one involving the apostle Peter, who is bound in prison and awaiting execution.

On the night before Herod was to bring him out for execution, Peter, bound with two chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while the sentries in front of the door guarded the prison. Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, “Quick, get up! ” Then the chains fell off his wrists. “Get dressed,” the angel told him, “and put on your sandals.” And he did so. “Wrap your cloak around you,” he told him, “and follow me.” So he went out and followed, and he did not know that what took place through the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. After they passed the first and second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened to them by itself. They went outside and passed one street, and immediately the angel left him. (Acts 12:6-10)

Whether I realized it or not, I often wonder how many times God’s angels have delivered me from either physical or spiritual harm. It shouldn’t surprise us that God’s angels are all about deliverance. They serve the one true Deliverer!

His Messengers

So far we’ve looked at what angels are not, and what they can’t do. It’s about time to look at what they are! First and foremost, angels are God’s messengers. In fact, the Greek word angelos, which is where we get our English word angel (I know—profound), means messenger from God.

In the first post of this series, I addressed the fact that many people in our modern-world don’t really believe in anything they can’t see, touch, hear, etc. However, angels play a crucial role in the Christian faith. It would be almost impossible to tell the Christmas Story without the involvement of these messengers of God. Here are just a few of the verses from Luke which highlight this.

An angel of the Lord appeared to him . . . the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zachariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.” . . . The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.” (Luke 1:11-13, 19)

In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” (Luke 1:26-28)

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. (Luke 2:8-11)

Throughout the book of Acts, we see examples of God’s messengers giving instruction and direction to members of the early church. Philip was instructed to travel a certain road, where he was able to witness to an Ethiopian (Acts 8:26). Cornelius was instructed to send for Peter, who witnessed to Cornelius and his household (Acts 10:3). Peter was assured that none of the men sailing with him would be lost to the storm that threatened the ship (Acts 27:23). These are just a few of the messages delivered by angels to God’s followers throughout the New Testament.

While there is no reason to believe that angels do not still speak to people when God so instructs, it is important to be cautious. Remember there are two sides to the unseen battle. The ultimate instruction we possess from God is the Bible. He will never have one of his messengers communicate anything that is counter to the scripture He has already given us.

Neither Marry nor Given In Marriage

Today I want to take a look at one of the more debated questions about angels. Do angels have gender?

There are multiple aspects of this question to look at, and I spent quite a bit of time with this question as I worked on the Unseen Dominion series. At first glance Jesus’ response to a question by the Sadducees (a religious group that didn’t believe in either the resurrection or the existence of angels) seems to address this question. Some Sadducees made up this funky scenario about a woman who was successively married to seven brothers, each after the prior brother’s death. Then they asked Jesus whose wife she would be in the resurrection. Here is Jesus’ response.

Jesus told them, "Are you not deceived because you don't know the Scriptures or the power of God? For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven. (Mark 12:24-25)

Jesus response goes directly to the heart of the Sadducees’ misbeliefs. When they rise from the dead—of course there is a resurrection. And, they are like angels in heaven—yes they exist. There is also an aspect of their disbelief in a final judgement that He addresses (Luke 20:34-36). But does Jesus answer our question about angel gender?

Not really. We can read this to instruct that angels do not marry. This does not, however, indicate that they are genderless, any more than we would interpret that people will no longer have gender in heaven. In fact, the wording neither marry nor are given in marriage reflects both genders, as this would have been viewed as men marrying, and women being given in marriage.

Beyond this passage, we are told very little about angels in regards to gender. All of the passages in the Bible that refer to angels use the masculine form (with the possible exception of Zechariah 5:9, which some believe refer to angels, though this is uncertain). Also, the three named angels in the Bible are masculine names: Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer (also known as Satan after his fall). However, we are never told that all angels are masculine.

In reality, we know almost nothing about the gender of angels. Angels are a unique creation, totally separate from humans and thus most descriptions of their appearance are more of a projection of humanity on them. This is why I felt the creative freedom to include angels that are feminine, at least in appearance. This was especially true in Restoration’s Journey where a feminine guardian of a young pre-teen felt more appropriate and maternal.

Here is one of many scenes that deals with this topic, from Restoration’s Journey.

The demon smiled. “Ah yes, you remember.” The demon took a couple steps toward Adiya and then rested his hand gently on the hilt of his saber. “For old times’ sake, we will let you leave now. Without messing up that pretty little face of yours.”

Though neither angels nor demons possess gender as humans do, it always fell to the demons of lust to draw attention to Adiya’s feminine form. “For too long you have hung out with this human, if you believe my appearance makes me any less of a warrior.” More memories of worshiping next to this former angel of heaven flooded her mind. How could anyone who experienced the loving presence of the Creator ever rebel against Him? – Restoration’s Journey

Unseen Limitations - Part 3

Today will be our final day talking about the limitations of angels and demons. We’ve seen that these spiritual beings are powerful, but not absolute in their power. They are subservient to the will of God. They are also limited in both time and space. So jumping in, take a look at this verse from the book of Mark.

"Now concerning that day or hour no one knows—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son—except the Father.” (Mark 13:32)

Angels and demons are limited in their knowledge. Unlike God, who is omniscient (all-knowing), the extent of knowledge possessed by these created beings is finite. This passage tells us that even the angels don’t know the day when Jesus will return. (It is important to note here that Jesus is speaking. So when He says that even the Son doesn’t know the day or hour, it means that God had not revealed it to Him in his physical form. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are all God, and as such are equally all-knowing. However, when Jesus came to earth, he chose to function in the limited knowledge of a human.)

So, we see here that angels and demons do not know the future. Likewise, consider the implications of this passage from Daniel on the ability of demons (the power behind mediums, diviners and such) to read someone’s mind. Daniel’s is addressing the king of Babylon’s demand that his advisors tell him both what he had dreamt and what it meant.

Daniel answered the king: "No wise man, medium, diviner-priest, or astrologer is able to make known to the king the mystery he asked about. But there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries, and He has let King Nebuchadnezzar know what will happen in the last days. Your dream and the visions that came into your mind as you lay in bed were these: (Daniel 2:27-28)

Daniel told the king that no created power could read the king’s mind to discover the contents of his dream. However, God, who knows our thoughts (Ps. 94:11), was more than capable of revealing to Daniel both what the king had dreamt and the future it foretold.

It is important to note that while angels and demons are not all-knowing and can’t foresee the future, they have been around for millennia and have observed humanity for just about as long. There are people who are very skilled in reading other people. They can give the perception of mind-reading. How much more so beings who have had thousands of years to study people. Be aware that the enemy is most capable in deception whether in making highly educated guesses about what someone is thinking, or in predicting the future and then acting to bring about that future.

Here is an example from In The Image of Man where a demon gives his charge, Mayor Trenton Richards, awareness of things the mayor should have no way of knowing.

“Oh, I know a lot of things—more than you might think,” Trenton said. “Perhaps you have not realized, Sergeant Davis—I am a psychic. I know all kinds of things I should have no way of knowing.” He bobbed his head. “I mean sure, I know about your attraction to Sarah and your friendship with Daryl. The real reason you are looking for someone to blame. But Marge down at the diner knows these things.” Trenton shook his head. “No, this is not the type of knowledge that proves I’m psychic.” He picked up his pen and tapped on the pad of paper. “Now, knowing that Fred Johanus was having an affair with Mrs. Freeman, and leaking it to the press, just in time to ensure I got elected Mayor, that is a different story. Or perhaps closer to home, how about knowing you were ready to ditch your sweet relationship with Ms. McIntyre for a spicy dish from your past—Leilah at Francisco’s?”

Chris’ stomach tightened.

“Ah, I see you are beginning to understand.”

Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord. The words from Deuteronomy echoed in Chris’ spirit. – In The Image of Man

Unseen Limitations - Part 2

Yesterday, we learned that angels and demons are limited in time and space. They are created beings, in no way equal to God the Creator. So what else do we know about these unseen beings?

Second Peter chapter two tells us that angels, and thus demons also, are greater in power and might than people. How much greater? In order to get a glimpse of the type of power the demonic forces we battle against can wield, we need look no further than the story of Job. We are told that Satan, who led the fallen angels in their rebellion, approached God and challenged His assertion that Job was a God-fearing man. God, in His profound and mysterious wisdom, offers to pull back His hedge of protection from Job. He gives Satan permission to bring his power against Job in ways that none of us would want in our own life.

"Very well," the LORD told Satan, "everything he owns is in your power. However, you must not lay a hand on Job himself." So Satan left the LORD's presence.  Job 1:12

Satan’s vengeance against Job’s family included invading armies, fire (perhaps lightning) from heaven, powerful winds, and collapsing houses. Then when Job continued to praise God, Satan got renewed permission to inflict Job with boils from head to toe. The power of these invisible forces is indeed great.

However, even as we have already seen here in Job, God’s unlimited power is more than sufficient to hold them in check. It was only with His allowance that this destruction was wrought. As followers of Jesus Christ, we need not fear the dark forces of evil.

Therefore, submit to God. But resist the Devil, and he will flee from you. (James 4:7)

It is through submission to God that we are able to resist, and even send the enemy packing. This ultimate power and sovereignty of God is regularly included in the storyline of the Unseen Dominion series. Here is an excerpt from Restoration’s Journey that incorporates some of the destruction observed in the book of Job. Observe the spiritual showdown between Mael, a demon prince, and an angelic warrior known as Eldwyn.
​
Mael switched his sword to his off hand and pointed it at the kneeling Eitan. He raised his right hand toward the sky and curled his claws into a fist. The lightning stopped hopping across the clouds and the mass of supernatural-swirling-darkness began to glow an electric blue.

“Dear Lord, protect us.” The aroma of sweet cedar rose from the car beneath Eldwyn.
 
Mael’s raised fist swung toward the sedan. The sky exploded with a thunderous blast.
 
Eldwyn lifted his staff over his head. The end of the staff glowed with fire.
 
Blue lightning burst from the clouds. The air buzzed as electricity arced toward the car. Bluish energy flowed into the flaming staff. It began to glow a snow-pure white. ​– Restoration’s Journey

Unseen Limitations - Part 1

We have seen that angels, and thus demons likewise, are created beings that really exist and at times may even be seen by people, as God chooses. Now it is time to begin discussing what we know, and perhaps don’t know, about these unique spiritual beings. When writing a fictional series on angels and demons, like the Unseen Dominion series, it is important to be true to what is known about the spiritual world, while allowing for creativity and speculation in what is unknown.

In my books, I have speculated on what the interaction and warfare between angels, demons, humans, and even God, may look like. Is what I’ve portrayed accurate? Most probably not. But hopefully, as we look at what is known, you will develop an appreciation for what I’ve presented as at least feasible. For example, we already saw on Tuesday, with Elisha’s servant, that the angelic host appeared with horses and chariots of fire covering the mountain. This has a humanish feel to it. Their battle, at least as seen by this servant, looked much like a human battle. So, I chose to have my battle scenes portrayed this way as well.

One aspect that I struggled with was the movement of angels and demons in space. How fast can angels move? Can they instantaneously teleport themselves from one location to another? Why, for instance, would it take an army from Denver days to march to Arrow Springs in Missouri? This had me wondering if my story line from In The Image of Man was believable. Perhaps you have wondered the same thing. But, look at this passage from the book of Daniel.

Don't be afraid, Daniel," he said to me, "for from the first day that you purposed to understand and to humble yourself before your God, your prayers were heard. I have come because of your prayers. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia. (Daniel 10:12-13)

This angel took twenty-some days to reach Daniel. We are told earlier that Daniel was at the Tigris River. Today, it would take roughly a day or two to drive from anywhere in what was the Persian Empire to the Tigris. So, regardless of the speed at which angels can move, it is certainly feasible to portray them as taking time to travel from one location to another. Unlike God, angels are not omnipresent. It would seem they are limited to being in a single location at any given time. Now, how this relates to traveling from Heaven to locations on Earth that is a wholly different subject. One I am not going to even attempt to speculate on at this moment.

Another, very famous, passage which also communicates this limitation of angels is found in the first chapter of Luke:

In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth. (Luke 1:26)

Notice that Gabriel, the only other named angel in the Bible besides Michael, was sent by God to Nazareth. Wherever Gabriel was when God told him to go to Nazareth, he had to change locations to be in Nazareth, where he shared the world-altering news of the coming Christ-child with Mary.

Check out how what we’ve learned so far, about the heavenly host, plays into this excerpt from In The Image of Man.

Ladan led his battalion of angelic warriors east across the states of Colorado and Kansas. They reached the Missouri River at Atchison. Atop his steed, in a small amphitheater paying tribute to the veterans of past American wars, he gazed north at the flawless formation of angelic warriors ready to give themselves for the cause of their Creator. – In The Image of Man

The Angel

So far, we’ve learned about the existence of angels and demons, as presented in the Bible. Over the next several days we’ll explore many of the characteristics we are given regarding these supernatural beings. Today, however, I want to take a quick detour to point out an important consideration when examining the Bible’s treatment of angels and demons.

To our modern-world mindset it can be quite surprising to see just how often scripture talks about angels. They’re role throughout the Bible is significant. However, when you come across verses that speak of “the Angel of the LORD,” rather than “an” angel of the Lord, it is typically not referring to these created beings, but rather to what is known in theology as a theophany—a visible appearance of God to a person. It is important to recognize this distinction so as not to attribute certain attributes, such as being worthy of worship, to the created angels. Exodus chapter three provides one of the more obvious cases of “the Angel of the LORD” referring to God.

Then the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed. . . . Then He continued, "I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:2, 6)

Here we see that “the Angel of the LORD” appears to Moses in a burning bush. Then as He continues speaking to Moses, He makes the clear statement that He is God. Throughout scripture it is reaffirmed that God spoke to Moses in the burning bush.

As you read your Bible, take note of situations where “the Angel of the LORD” appears to people in contrast to when an angel of the Lord speaks.

The Dark Side

We saw yesterday that Elisha’s servant saw that the hills were covered with horses and chariots of fire, angels who were there to protect them. This should be a huge encouragement to us. But, what about our battle, you know, the one that is not with flesh and blood? With all these angels around, who are we battling?

We are told in the Bible that as many as a third of the angels, rebelled against God. They followed Satan, who was one of the highest ranking angels that God created, when his arrogance drove him to rebel and to seek equality with God. Perhaps the most descriptive, though somewhat symbolic, passages regarding the fall of these angels is found in the book of Isaiah.

Shining morning star, how you have fallen from the heavens! You destroyer of nations, you have been cut down to the ground. You said to yourself:" I will ascend to the heavens; I will set up my throne above the stars of God. I will sit on the mount of the gods' assembly, in the remotest parts of the North. I will ascend above the highest clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." (Isaiah 14:12-14)

These fallen angels are what we call demons. When Ephesians refers to “rulers, authorities, powers of darkness, and spiritual forces of evil,” it is speaking of these fallen angels. As a result of their rebellion, God has condemned them to a final judgement, which has not yet occurred.

He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, the angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling. (Jude 1:6)

Whether this passage refers to all demons, which are somehow eternally chained, but still have influence and impact on our world today, or if this refers to a specific set of demons who committed some uniquely heinous crimes, and are thus being held over until judgement seems unclear. Regardless, their arrogance and opposition to their Creator has left them without hope of redemption and merciless in their hatred for humanity, whom God chose to offer redemption through His only Son, Jesus Christ.

This is why, I have attempted to portray the demons bewilderment and rage at God’s offer of grace to humanity. Here is an excerpt from Restoration’s Journey that illustrates this tension.

The demon snorted, cursed, and limped to the car. “He does not care about you, Adiya. He only cares about His precious humans. They reject Him at every turn.” He pointed in the direction of the trees where Ima hid. “Yet he still offers them hope. Such forgiveness—He will never show you.” – Restoration’s Journey