Lesson 12 Flashcards
A visible manifestation of God
Theophanies
If the angel does things that only God does or exercises the prerogatives of deity, if he is identified by a divine title or accepts worship, we may conclude that it is a theophany
Since Scripture states that only the Son makes God known, the implication to conservative scholars is that the angel of the Lord of the OT was the
preincarnate Christ.
OT reference to angels
- Indicate they were evident and active in the kingdom period
- Provide fascinating insights into the origin, operation, and ministry of angels through the prophetic writers
- Indicate that God sovereignly used angels to lead His people, to project them from danger, and to encourage them .
This segment of the NT gives teaching about the position and operation of angels in God’s Economy. And describes the nature and weapons of spiritual warfare and states that Christ has already won the victory over evil powers through the cross.
The Epistels
This portion of the NT shows that the coming of Christ initiated the greatest spiritual conflict of the ages and evil spirits recognized Christ as the Son of God and reacted to him, but He exercised authority over them.
The Gospels
This literature records the activity of holy angels and demons during the first generation of the church
Acts
Mentions angels more than any other part
Revelation
Period in which scholars asserted that while the Bible reported what people believed about angels, it did not endorse this belief and a period in which reason was exalted and revelation was rejected
17th and 18th centuries
Period in which guardian angels became popular
Middle Ages
Period in which there was general biblical knowledge of angels, even though some viewed them as special sons of God and others worshipped them.
Early Church
Period in which reverence for angels developed into worship of angels
4th Century
Period characterized by renewed belief in the supernatural or paranormal
Modern Age
Period during which the biblical teaching about angels was reaffirmed
Reformation
The primary teaching today on territorial spirits is that
Evil spirits influence governments and nations and that territorial spirits dominate geographical areas.
Evil Angels and spiritual forces
- Evil angels exist and they seek to influence people and rulers to do evil
- The influence of evil agencies on human government is not recognized because it is invisible
- Human history is more than an account of the activities of people since it is influenced by spiritual forces.
While some assert that evil spirits control the affairs of people, this assertion contradicts what biblical teaching?
Doctrine of free will
Although Dan. 10:10-21 seems to support the idea of territorial spirits, Romans 13:1-7 indicates clearly that
God establishes governing authorities and He controls all human governments
Scripture teaches that world rulers are influenced
By the Holy Spirit, by evil spirits, and by their own human spirits
We have seen that the attempt to link territorial spirits to idols, the names of pagan gods, and even a magician in Scripture
Violates the principles of biblical interpretation and cannot be sustained in the contexts cited.
Discuss the reality of territorial spirits in the world and what role they play according to God’s Word
While the scriptures do reveal the existence of these spirits, they do not give a clear indication of the extent and specific role they play in the collective affairs of people and nations.
The biblical model for dealing with Satan and his angels reveals clearly that the authority is God’s and not
the believer’s
Preoccupation with territorial spirits tends to make one focus on Satan’s power rather than
on Christ who disarmed satanic forces by His victory on the cross
