Why Did God Create Angels?
by Ernest L. Martin, Ph.D.
Read the accompanying Newsletter for November 2000
There is a question that we must first ask that will help clear the air in regard to the study of angels — to realize what are their responsibilities and characteristics. That question is: Why did God CREATE all the things on earth and in the universe? What is the purpose of creation in the first place? Specifically, why are human beings on earth in the fashion that we are? Additional to this query, we can also ask why there are magnificent support systems for humans such as billions of animal-life creatures, billions of plant-life specimens, we are told in the Bible that there are myriads upon myriads of angels that God has created and somehow uses to sustain this vast complexity that we call the cosmos.
All of this created marvel of extraordinary proportions that surrounds us, and that we are a part of, seems to be in existence solely to support the existence of human beings who individually live a mere seventy, eighty, ninety or a hundred years on earth before returning to the soil, from which they appear to have emerged. So, why is it that God created anything? This is where the Holy Scriptures come into the issue. The reason for God’s creation of humans is found to be the central thread of the teachings of the Bible. This knowledge of why God CREATED all other things in the universe will also help us in a rational manner to comprehend why God CREATED angels — the subject of our inquiry. The Bible also reveals what God expects of the angelic community in the overall scope of history and salvation.
To understand why God created angels, we have to back up and look at the matter of CREATION in general. We need to be aware of the type of creation that God has brought into existence and which He sustains. There is a central teaching in the Holy Scriptures that explains the essence of the primordial creation of the universe and how God involved Himself (and still involves Himself) in CREATING special and intelligent beings, and things below human intelligence here on earth and also in the heavens.
The Bible shows that God’s object of creation involves a positive outcome in scope that is buttressed with an equal amount of negative outcome in scope, and that both the positive and the negative aspects work together in a harmonious manner to balance one another in the final design and purpose of God. These two aspects are direct opposites to one another, but when you find one in existence, you must also find the other (and it appears that they counter each other precisely to balance all factors of the physical universe, and also that they work (from all outward appearances) in equal disagreements of force with an exact harmony that brings precise structure and form within the cosmos.
There are verses in the Bible that describe this principle of which I am writing about. The prime teaching is in Isaiah 45:5—7. This positive/negative balance in nature is most important in understanding how God operates with His creative genius. What we discover is that there are balances within the positive and negative aspects of all spiritual and material things. Let us read what the prophet Isaiah had to say.
"I am YHWH and there is none else, there is no God [Elohim, plural] beside me… I am YHWH and there is none else. I form the light, and CREATE darkness: I make peace, and CREATE evil: I YHWH do all these things."
Isaiah 45:5—7
The singular God (who has plural aspects) is shown to be the originator (indeed, the very Creator) of darkness as well as light, and also that He is the perpetrator (indeed, the very Creator) of evil as well as peace and goodness. As a matter of fact, the control He manages over both the positive and negative aspects that we see in abundance in CREATION is what makes God to be God. This matter involves not only the created things that we see in the animal world (the fauna), but also in the vegetable realm (the flora) and in the inanimate material substances that have no discoverable "life" associated with them.
The influence does not stop with the material universe. It also embraces all spiritual beings and forces. It is definitely demonstrated in all aspects of human life of which we are personally familiar, and the Bible shows that it reaches out to include even the angelic world. In a word, ALL things have both positive and negative aspects with them that seem to balance each other within the creative force that we call the energy of creation that issues from God (even the Spirit of God).
The Bible shows that evil (not to be confused with the term "sin") is as much a part of God’s creation as is LIGHT and PEACE. Note some scriptures that show this in relation to human beings. Some are positive in focus and others are negative. God denotes His power by demonstrating His control over opposite themes that even seem to diametrically contradict each other even in extreme ways. Note this important Bible teaching that is so neglected today in the churches, synagogues, and major denominations.
"The Lord kills and makes alive: he brings down to the grave, and brings up. The Lord makes poor, and makes rich: he brings low, and lifts up. He raises up the poor out of the dust, and lifts up the beggar from the dung hill, to set them among princes, 1 and to make them inherit the throne of glory."
1 Samuel 2:6,7
"See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive: I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand."
Deuteronomy 32:39
"I have created the waster to destroy."
Isaiah 54:16
This Isaiah verse shows a clear NEGATIVE creative power.
"The Lord has made all things for himself: yes, even the wicked for the day of evil."
Proverbs 16:4
"Who is he that says, and it comes to pass, when the Lord commands it not? Out of the mouth of the most High proceeds not evil and good?"
Lamentations 3:37—38
"All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he does according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, what do you?"
Daniel 4:35
"There is one lawgiver, which is able to save and to destroy."
James 4:12
And what about the evil and the wickedness that we see in the world today? We are given a definitive answer that is succinct and powerful. It was given by the first head of the Jerusalem Christian community, James.
"Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world."
Acts 15:18
The biblical student should take a concordance and check all the words in the Bible in which the word "evil" is used, and one will be amazed to find that most often it is God who uses "evil" (as well as "good") to accomplish His purposes on earth. After all, the fact of God being God means that He has complete control over all things on earth and in the universe (both positive aspects as well as negative ones), and this necessarily means that God controls and uses "evil" as consistently as He does "good." Again, the preachers and priests are wrong who say that God can only create and perform "good." God is as active in performing "evil" as He is "good." What makes God to be God is the fact that He can do as He pleases — and He does!
Indeed, we are most assuredly informed that God has designed periods of time when births will take place, and then He conversely ordains seasons when deaths will prevail. This principle of God’s control over everything on earth and in the heavens is summed up tersely but thoroughly by the person the Bible calls the wisest man who ever lived — Solomon, King of Israel and son of David. Notice what he taught (which is instruction that is divinely inspired).
"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.
What profit has he that works in that wherein he labors?
I have seen the travail, which God has given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.
He has made every thing beautiful in his time: also he has set the world 2 in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end."
Ecclesiastes 3:1—11, emphasis mine
Look at that last section of the above biblical quote. As for us humans, the Bible confidently states: "No man can find out the work that God makes from the beginning to the end." In a word, God often seems to do strange things from our human point of view. This is certainly true. We humans will often continue to be oblivious to the reasons (or manner) of why God performs the works that He does and in the way that He does them. God works in mysterious ways and we are not given the privilege to know the divine secrets of God regarding the manner in which He sustains and governs the earth and the universe through God’s use of "good" and "evil."
As a matter of fact, there is one thing we can be assured of (and there is utter dogmatism on God’s part in regard to this principle). We humans (as long as we are humans in this fleshly life) will NEVER be given the privilege to use "evil" as God does (or to use any of its associated collaterals) in our relationship to other humans or within our material environment that exists among us at the present time. God reserves to Himself (and ONLY to Himself) the privilege of activating "evil" or to sustain "evil" (or even to promote "good" through "evil" actions) any time that God pleases. 3
As for us humans, when we are all resurrected from the dead and have entered into the very Family of God (alongside and within the powers that the Father now gives to Christ Jesus), we will then be able to use both "evil" and "good" as God now does with complete assurance that the outcome will be perfect and within the will of God our heavenly Father. With certainty, in matters dealing with God, any activity that God initiates will succeed abundantly for the benefit of mankind and the Family of God even if the activity is secured and promoted within an environment of "evil." This is the positive aspect of the whole question to the meaning of life and to answer the matter of "why we humans have been placed on earth" in the first place. Common sense demands this conclusion. What we are here on earth to learn and to appreciate is the fact that God is always the sovereign power and authority in all circumstances that are prescribed by God to occur on earth or within the universe.
Remember, God has told us humans NOT to practice any form of "evil" in any so-called ordained manner as though we are merely carrying out the wishes of God. God has provided us with no avenue of conduct that involves the use of "evil" in the way that God uses in a widespread sense. As a matter of fact, forgive me for being repetitive on this subject, but the matter is so misunderstood by religious teachers (even those who claim to follow the Holy Scriptures as their only guide), that my emphasis represents teaching that is in dire need in this world to correct such misinterpretations.
We Christians should have the positive belief that God the Father and Christ Jesus know full well what they are doing (for our good) and we can take faith in the inspired outcome of their wishes. This does not mean that we sit idly by and countenance the evil actions of mankind against each other. In no way. Remember, Christ taught: "Blessed are the peace makers, because they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:9).
One of my contributions (and this includes all of you too who support my efforts) to a peaceful end to negotiations in the Middle East over Jerusalem is to show the people in that area the real history and geography of early Jerusalem. The only side I take in the issue is that of PEACE between the present combatants. I feel the same way about other "hot spots" in the world. Christians must actively promote such efforts to PEACE with everyone in the end being the winner.
In summation, God knows how to utilize "evil" in a manner that will eventually bring "good" out of it, but none of us humans is capable of using "evil" to gain the slightest benefaction — either for ourselves or for others. For the present (and in this human form) we are not powerful enough (nor smart enough) to know how to exercise the use of "evil" in any constructive manner that will develop into any "good." Every indication in the Bible in regard to "evil" is a consistent command that we humans should NOT ENGAGE in evil or wrong doing, especially in any outbursts of emotional response to the actions and irrational absurdities of other human beings. Simply put, we who are Christians are commanded to avoid the use of "evil." In fact, we are told: "Recompense to no man evil for evil" (Romans 12:17).
Let us not be deceived about the role of angels. Though God has allowed various "evil" angels to teach their wrong doctrines to people at this time, this is only a temporary affair. God has decreed that during this age the world will promote and engage in the "evil" ways of certain powerful angelic groups. They will prevail in a temporary environment. But they will only prevail for a short time. God will intervene with His true teachings at the very End of the Age. There is no doubt that the truth of God will succeed in establishing itself within the full sovereignty of God’s divine government in the final outcome of God’s creative plan that He devised from the very beginning of creation. This is a fact beyond any constraint. The divine truth of God will prevail above all objections that mankind may present at the bar of God during this End-Time period.
The reason I am commenced this research study with a brief discussion about the creative forces that God both used in the past and presently sustains (both the positive and the negative ones) is because they also apply to angels, as well as to human beings and every other created thing in the universe. What I intend to do first is to concentrate on the negative side of the characteristics and purposes of angels. In human experience this is mostly neglected because we almost always want to associate angels with "righteousness" and "goodness," and not the evil side of the angelic realm. But in the Holy Scriptures, all of the verses of the Bible that describe the actions of angels (no matter what type of angelic creatures are being discussed: cherubs, archangels and other distinctions), the negative attributes of angels are emphasized far and away more in the Bible than their righteous characteristics.
After all, we are told in no uncertain terms that Satan (who is described as appearing like a powerful angel in 2 Corinthians 11:14) is shown to have been created by God to be "a murderer from the beginning" — that is, from the very commencement of his creation he was already reckoned by God to be a murderer (John 8:44). Furthermore, he is called "a liar and the father of it [lying]" (also John 8:44). The last part of the verse means that Jesus considered Satan as the first one ever to tell a lie — that is, he was a lying murderer from the beginning of his existence. What we must realize is the fact that Satan can do no more than God has determined for that angelic power to perform. Satan is completely dominated by (and even governed by) the will and commands of God the Father. Even though Satan is evil and is a murderer and liar, Satan can do no more that God allows him, or that God tells him to do (as in Job 1:6—12 and 2:1—6). And even if, on some occasions God does let Satan touch our lives with evil, the outcome will always be to our benefit. The inspired Scriptures teach:
"All things work together for good to them that love God, to them that are the called according to His purpose."
Romans 8:28
We will always be the winners in the end, no matter what!
It is pure nonsense and decidedly anti-biblical to state (or even to believe) that Satan was at first a righteous angel that somehow fell from grace after his creation. This false doctrine is normally taught by some theologians and preachers because they erroneously declare that Satan is the anointed cherub who covered the Mercy Seat in the heavenly House of God as described in Ezekiel 28:11—19. That "King of Tyre" was another angelic personality altogether. The truth is, Satan was created and ordained to do his role as a murderer and to be the father of liars from his first spark of his life. That is the clear teaching of the Bible. This evil role of Satan fits into the same category as those evil men that Jude spoke about in the New Testament when he said:
"There were certain men crept in unawares, who were BEFORE [that is, before they were born, and back in the initial phase of God’s creative plan for mankind] ORDAINED [that is, commissioned by God Himself] to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."
Jude verse 4
Note carefully that Jude in the New Testament taught that God ORDAINED these evil men to accomplish the job He wanted them to perform. And as for Satan, there can be no doubt from the scriptural point of view that Satan was created to be an evil being from the beginning. There is no use in criticizing God in the fact of His ordination. Come on folks, we need to realize that this is God’s way of showing He is "God" and that He does as He pleases in the universe.
The truth is, God is involved throughout history as much in negative acts as He is in positive ones. We should recognize that God Himself called Nebuchadnezzar (King of Babylon) to perform his "evil" upon the nation of Judah in the 6th century before Christ. God even called Nebuchadnezzar "my servant" (Jeremiah 25:9; 27:6; 43:10). God prophesied that the "Babylonian phase" in the history of the world (which lasts from the time of Nebuchadnezzar until the Second Advent of Christ) was ordained of God. When Nebuchadnezzar underwent his seven years of "insanity," the prophet Daniel was put in charge of the Babylonian Phase at its very beginning (Daniel 2:49). This was the time when Jeremiah the prophet (with Daniel) was ordained "to plant and to build" a new government with Babylon at its head (Jeremiah 1:10). 4
The truth is, it is God who is running all affairs on earth and in the universe (Acts 15:18). He even uses Satan at times to figure into His plan for the redemption of the human race to Himself. We humans have a glorious future ahead of us. We are destined to become members of the very Family of God. I will have more to say on this important concept that is taught in the Bible because it is much neglected today. See my book The Essentials of New Testament Doctrine for more information on this important matter of our destiny as being members of the Family of God.
As far as other angels are concerned, the Holy Scriptures inform us that Satan has under his control in heaven a whole army of angels who are capable of warring against the archangel Michael (and Gabriel) with those non-rebellious cohort of angels on their side (Revelation 12:7). These "righteous" angels are different personalities from Satan and his angels in the sense that God created them from the beginning to be loyal to God in the main and not to be continuously at loggerheads with God and His divine ways.
Even here, and among those who are reckoned to be "righteous" angels, we must recognize that the Scriptures indicate that God "puts no trust in His servants [in heaven], and His angels He charged with folly" (Job 4:18). Like human beings who Paul said were all sinners by nature and from our very births are reckoned by God to be sinners (Romans 3:23; 5:12 and God even charges infants and babies with sin because they are flesh, (Romans 7:18), so angels (even the most "righteous") are still charged with folly in their actions toward God.
This is why we are told that even the heavens need purifying of the evil that inhabits that area of the universe. The evil angels will remain in heaven (and they have access to the earth, even now) until the Second Advent of Christ when He cleanses the heavens of their corruptions (Hebrew 9:23). True, the angelic forces of Michael in the account in the Book of Revelation prove to be of superior force in the end, but in the meantime we are told that Satan and his angels journey around earth (and in the heavens) "as a roaring lion, walking about, seeing whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8). There are even principalities and powers in the heavenlies who exercise great powers of wickedness and God allows them to pursue their evil activities for His own purpose until the Second Advent of Christ will stop their influence (Ephesians 6:11—19).
All of these evil angelic powers were ordained by God to perform their evil acts in this period before Christ Jesus introduces the Kingdom of God on this earth. And let me tell you a fact, those evil angels are very astute and successful in their actions of deceiving the world that God has presently put in their charge. 5
All the prophecies of God recorded in the Bible that deal with judgments and the condemnations of God are almost universally filled with God performing the negative actions of "evil" upon rebellious people, or even upon the erring angelic hosts. Note the prophesied arrival of the Kingdom of the Antichrist. We must carefully note that it is God who is the One who informs us about its arrival and it is God who gives details on what will develop during its period of existence. In short, it is all prophesied in God’s Holy Word.
The Bible predicts that an Antichrist will arrive on the scene (just prior to Christ’s Second Advent) who will rule the world and that the people of the world will believe that this evil Antichrist is actually the true Christ Jesus returned from heaven (Matthew 24:24). The point that I would like to call to your attention is the fact that this prophesied evil is actually ordained of God to occur (indeed, how could God prophesy centuries before it arrives unless God had determined the whole evil scenario within the scope of His divine plan from the beginning?). As James rightly said: "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18).
So, all the evil that God is going to dispense on the world (which the Bible calls the wrath of the Father and Christ Jesus in Revelation 6:16—17) will be done at the behest of God Himself. This is God using "evil" to correct people who have not embraced "good," and the punishment is a pre-determined one (Jude 4). That’s right! As I have continually stated in this Doctrinal Report, God can and does use "evil" if He so desires. Remember, at the period called the Time of the End, the apostle Paul stated dogmatically: "for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie [actually, "the lie"]" (2 Thessalonians 2:11). All of this evil promoted by God Himself (called "God’s wrath") will take place unless for some reason God decides to change His mind on the matter (I see nothing in the Bible at this juncture that would suggest that God will have an alteration of mind from what He has ordained from before the foundation of the world). So, let us look at this evil world kingdom that God prophesies will soon occur.
The Antichristian empire that is prophesied to develop over the entire world in the period just prior to the Second Advent of Christ is characterized by an identifying sign or mark. It is called in the Book of Revelation the "Mark of the Beast." This beast represents the final world kingdom of mankind, which will exist through the auspices of Satan the Devil, but with the full approbation of God the Father and Jesus Christ. All people should know the telltale signs (or the central mark) that will be the standard of identification for this end-time empire. Christians especially need to understand what the Mark of the Beast entails. See my Prophetic Report on the subject of the "Discovering the Mark of the Beast" (at http://www.askelm.com/prophecy/p900501.htm) that will provide the essential keys of identification.
What God says will happen on earth is a great counterfeit system that will resemble the prophesied Kingdom of God under the authority of Jesus Christ. It is destined to be a world power on the political scene and Satan the Devil and all the "evil" angels that Satan has under his immediate authority will head it. This false Satanic kingdom will mimic so closely the millennial kingdom of Jesus Christ that people on earth will come to appraise it erroneously as the very Kingdom of Jesus Christ and that the person heading it is no less than Christ himself returned to earth. These "evil" angels will be mistakenly believed to be Christ Jesus and His "righteous" angels returned from heaven. What a shock will be in store for all people in the world when they finally discover that this end-time empire is really that of Satan the Devil himself. This is why we need to be careful when any of us feel that it is to our benefit to engage angels in our service and comfort.
Let us understand some of the main characteristics of Satan the Devil that many people in the world know nothing about. They imagine Satan as looking like the very epitome of a monstrous person with a forked tail, horns on his head, red all over, showing the evil eye, pitchfork in hand, a goatee beard and uttering forth a continual stream of obscenities and blasphemies from his mouth. This is the normal depiction of Satan that has been foisted off on the world since the time of Constantine the Great in the 4th century. But such a description is as far off as anyone could get from the truth. Indeed, this is the very type of image that Satan himself wishes all people to imagine how he looks. In no way is such a description correct.
The Bible makes it clear that Satan the Devil appears to mankind as being the very essence of righteousness and goodness, but the apostle Paul under divine inspiration from Christ said that Satan falsely appears with his ministers as righteous and holy people.
"For Satan himself is transformed 6 into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers [servants] also be transformed as the ministers [servants] of righteousness."
2 Corinthians 11:14—15
The Bible reveals that Satan is really an "old serpent" (very wise and cagey) who is "called the Devil, and Satan, which deceives the whole world" (Revelation 12:9). He has misled the totality of this world into believing that he is an evil looking personality that represents an individual of utter repugnance and horror to all human beings no matter who they are in the world. As a matter of fact, all human societies throughout the various ages of the world have described some kind of supreme evil person who causes harm and destruction to humans and they almost always depict him as looking like a hideous personality that all humans would naturally abhor.
It is this "evil looking" Satan that Satan has wanted people to imagine that the great slanderer and adversary of mankind looks like. The reason for this is to deceive mankind into accepting his teachings and manner of life. In no way does Satan constitute an appearance of being an evil personality with horrendous characteristics. He actually appears, as the apostle Paul said, as an angel of light. He looks so good, so wonderful, so resplendent, and so righteous on the surface that people would be so enamored that they would bow down before him and acknowledge his divine origin.
Our first mother Eve was quite attracted to the teachings and appearance of the "serpent" who instructed her in the Garden of Eden. Eve was even able to equate him and his authority with that of God. He appeared to Eve as a being that could compete with God and one who had the appearance of an equal authority and wisdom with God. Eve was deceived into believing that Satan was actually a representative of heaven itself and one who possessed the wisdom of the Almighty.
In summation, the Bible describes Satan and his servants (angels or men) as appearing "righteous." People would think them as "true beings of God." Note that the "spirit personality" called the "King of Tyre" (who is someone like Satan) was
"full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. You have been in Eden the Garden of God; every precious stone was your covering... You are the anointed cherub that covers."
Ezekiel 28:12—15
The cherub's symbolic wings covered the Mercy Seat over the Ark of the Covenant.
If such an evil personality appeared to a human who was not theologically aware of such a manifestation, the person would probably think that he (as did Joseph Smith of the Mormons) would think he was in contact with the real God of heaven and earth. Let me tell you a fact, Satan is very well and active and he is out to deceive the very elect into believing such teachings. 7
Let us get back to reality. The truth is, when people would see Satan in vision or through some other kind of manifestation (or his angelic cohorts), they would be witnessing resplendent beings who to most people would show righteousness, beauty, and a Godly authority. Some might even mistake them for Christ Jesus or the Father because of their actions and beauty. Most people today (who imagine Satan as a repugnant appearing individual) would not think that an appearance of Satan in vision or through some spiritual manifestation was actually Satan. They would be prone to believe that he was a divine and sanctified being who must be equal in status to Christ or the Father.
Indeed, Satan could very well appear to people as though he were Christ Jesus (or perhaps the Father). Is this possible? Without a doubt this is true. This is because Satan was called by Christ Jesus as a spiritual being who did not abide "in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (John 8:44). Satan is quite prone to lie to people and to tell them he is Christ or the Father. Sadly, many people who receive such revelations are so full of pride with such manifestations that they do not question the validity of the angelic or visionary personalities dispensing them.
The apostle John warned early Christians not to believe every manifestation of a spirit being (in vision or whatever) because many of them are telling falsehoods in the name of God. "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try [test] the spirits whether they are of God [as most spirits say they are]: because many false prophets [lying prophets] are gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). Notice that the apostle John did not say a few false prophets had entered the world to deceive people, but there were "many false prophets." Visionaries are often such "prophets." People who place visionary experiences above the authority of the Bible are false prophets.
These false prophets inspired by lying spirits (among whom Satan is the father) can even come in the name of Jesus Christ claiming to be Christ's representatives. Christ Jesus warned his people about these individuals.
"And Jesus answered and said unto them. Take heed that no man deceive you. For many [note that Christ did not say the FEW, but he said the MANY] shall come in my name saying [even admitting and confessing] I am the Christ; and shall deceive many [not the few]."
Matthew 24:5
The majority of people [the MANY, as Christ described them] who come in the very name and authority of Christ Jesus will deceive most in the world that they are teachers of the truth and they will all look so good and righteous on the surface.
Since the apostle Paul recognized that Satan himself appears as an angel of light, Paul felt that Satan's ministers would also display themselves in the same deceptive way. Paul said that Satan's cohorts would "also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11:15). Christ Jesus also warned us of people who claim to be "Christians" (and they give lip service that Jesus is indeed the Christ of God), but they do not perform the characteristics that are associated with normal Christians who abide by the principles of love and grace as recommended by God the Father. Jesus said:
"Not every one that says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that does the will of my father which is in heaven. Many [again note, MANY] will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? and in your name have cast out devils? and in your name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, you that work iniquity."
Matthew 7:21—23
The fact is Christians must discriminate when it comes to dealings with angels — and I mean with ANY of the angels. They are not all benign. And even those who are reckoned to be within the realm of righteousness are still insufficient in knowledge (1 Peter 1:12) and they are all charged at times with folly (Job 4:18).
What must be clearly understood by Christians (and all people today) regarding the nature and characteristics of angels is the fact that they are to be reckoned by Christians in a very different manner than most professing church denominations teach today. With the television media so impacted with stories about angelic encounters (and almost all of them appear to be benign and favorable toward the angelic hosts), this is a prelude to the great Satanic invasion of deception on earth that will take place during the reign of the Antichrist.
False and evil angels (who in many cases were created to be in the positions they are by God Himself) look on their outside appearance and in their dialogues to be benign creatures from God. They will gladly inform persons who cater to them that this is the case. The truth is, Christians are told in no uncertain terms that our association with God the Father is to be through the auspices and authority of Christ Jesus Himself (and only through the mediatorial office of Christ) (see 1 Timothy 2:4—6). No angel is ever to be trusted as we do Christ Jesus. They are in a far inferior status to God the Father and Christ.
True, there is a positive side to angelic creatures. Not all angels are evil (many of them have good intentions and perform worthwhile works for the benefit of mankind under the umbrella of God’s goodness), but we humans have not been given the necessary wisdom in all cases to differentiate between the various classes of angels. This is the prime reason why we should not try to evoke or petition any angel to perform any services for us. We should not try to engage the service of any angel. God and Christ may (of themselves) send angels to help us in our times of need, but that is their prerogative, not ours. Our prayers should be directed to God the Father through the authority of Jesus Christ and NEVER through the auspices of ANY angel (no matter how righteous or high in authority). We are the very Children of God and we are even now reckoned to be a part of the Divine Family of God (Ephesians 2:6). This privilege gives us the right to speak personally and privately (if we wish) to no less than God the Father Himself (through Christ). Never forget this fact.
In this Doctrinal Report I have emphasized the NEGATIVE side of angels. There is, however (thankfully) a very definite POSITIVE side to the role of angels in relation to their usefulness to humanity, and also to all us who are Christians. 8 I do not want to give the impression that all angels are inherently evil and with only malice in their hearts. This is NOT the case. But even with good and benign angels, we must adopt a particular stance and demeanor that will exalt our divine position in the eyes of God the Father and of that to our Elder Brother, Jesus Christ. There are POSITIVE aspects of the angelic throng, and how we can rejoice in them and what they do for the benefit of mankind (and for us who are Christians).
Because of the overplay of angels in the media today with almost a universally wrong appraisal, I thought it best to rehearse the NEGATIVE aspects of the angels first. I believe I am right in doing this. However, do not give up hope. There is a clear POSITIVE aspect to the role of angels in our lives and I will show those POSITIVE attributes in which we can rejoice. Hang in there, dear brethren, God is about to show each of us "great and mighty things which we know not" (Jeremiah 33:3). God speed that day.
Ernest L. Martin
1 Barak Obama was raised from poverty and a broken home to become the current President of the United States in 2009. DWS
2 This mistranslation of “world” is actually the word olam which is a Hebrew word denoting “age.” Olam is an indeterminate period of time (not space). Therefore, Ecclesiastes 3:11 tells us that God has set “the age” or time within our hearts to hide God’s intention. Only God’s revelation can tell us what is “the work that God makes from the beginning to the end.” DWS
3 There is a vast difference between interpreting what is "evil" from what is "sin." In order to differentiate between the two, please read the whole of my book: The Essentials of New Testament Doctrine, that explains the matter thoroughly. ELM
4 My brother in Christ, Charlie Corder of Jenison, Michigan, was the first to suggest this fact to me, and it makes sense. I hope that all of you will share your thoughts with me regarding your various studies of the Scriptures. ELM
5 See my book The Essentials of New Testament Doctrine (available complete online at http://www.askelm.com/essentials/index.asp) to understand the reason behind these negative allowances that God has ordained for this period of time. No book in the world today other than Essentials can give you more understanding of the reason for these mysterious and necessary actions by God the Father in the redemption of all humanity to Himself by the efforts of His firstborn Son Jesus Christ. ELM
6 The Concordant Version has “Satan himself is being transfigured into a messenger of light” while the New American Standard translates this verse as “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.” DWS
7 The teachings of Joseph Smith among our Mormon friends were received from a false rebellious angelic spirit named Moroni. Let us not blame the Mormons for believing such false teachings of Moroni. They are simply deceived. Let us teach them that they are wrong in their understanding. ELM
8 See Dr. Martin’s articles “The Positive Good that Angels Do” at http://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d010101.htm, and “How God Uses Angels to Govern the Universe” at http://www.askelm.com/doctrine/d010201.htm. DWS
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