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Real Battle Though-out History

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Eph 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

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• Battle continues today • Rather than ignore that this battle exists, or to neglect our study of this biblical wonder, why not study and learn all we can about these creatures so we are better prepared in regard to victory and defeat.

• Is the world correct in what it says • We will search the scriptures for evidence and truth

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What are

• Hebrew from MALAK – 213 times meaning messenger in the Old Testament • Greek from ANGELOS – 186 times meaning messenger • At times messengers were sent by men and God • 2 Sam 2:5 And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him.

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Luke 7:22 Then Jesus answering said unto them, Go your way, and tell John what things ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gospel is preached.

24 And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, Hag 1:13 Then spake Haggai the Lord's messenger in the Lord's message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith the Lord.

Matt 11:8 For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.

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There are also divine messengers Celestial or spirit beings from Heaven Gen 32:1-2 And Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.

Luke 2:13-15 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

15 And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

Today we will focus on the messengers from Heaven 6

Nature of Angels – “Spirit Beings”

• Like God, angels are spirits – do not have physical bodies • Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

• John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

• Luke 24:39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

• But they could see Angels – Could they see Jesus here

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Angels like God could appear in bodily form 1 Tim 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

Ezek 9:1 He cried also in mine ears with a loud voice, saying, Cause them that have charge over the city to draw near, even every man with his destroying weapon in his hand. 2 And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer's inkhorn by his side: and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. 3 And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer's inkhorn by his side; 8

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4 And the Lord said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. 5 And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: 6 Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house. 7 And he said unto them, Defile the house, and fill the courts with the slain: go ye forth. And they went forth, and slew in the city. 8 And it came to pass, while they were slaying them, and I was left, that I fell upon my face, and cried, and said, Ah Lord God! wilt thou destroy all the residue of Israel in thy pouring out of thy fury upon Jerusalem?

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9 Then said he unto me, The iniquity of the house of Israel and Judah is exceeding great, and the land is full of blood, and the city full of perverseness: for they say, The Lord hath forsaken the earth, and the Lord seeth not. 10 And as for me also, mine eye shall not spare, neither will I have pity, but I will recompense their way upon their head. 11 And, behold, the man clothed with linen, which had the inkhorn by his side, reported the matter, saying, I have done as thou hast commanded me.

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God Had Angels Visit Men

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Gen 18:2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground, ( angels ate bread, Jesus fish ) Luke 24:4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: 23 And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.

John 20:12 And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

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Angels were “Holy Beings”

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Pure, blameless, upright, sinless Matt 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, Mark 8:38 Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.

Called, saints Deut 33:2, sons of God Job 1:6, 2:1 and holy ones Dan 4:13, 23.

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Angels were unlike God in this ..

God cannot be tempted James 1:13 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: Angels can be tempted 2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; 13

Angels in Scripture Were Always….

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Men

- never women, not even once • Remember the first slide, portraying an Angel as a woman, as in many things that man does, it is incorrect. In every Bible instance, an Angel is a man

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Angels in Scripture Were Always….

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Immortal

- Angels cannot die • Luke 20:36 Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.

• Angels are ageless and immortal • They are not corruptible or subject to decay • 1 Cor 15:49-50 And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. 50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.

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Angels in Scripture Were Always….

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Innumerable –

great number, 10,000, 12 Legions or 72,000, Daniel & John witnessed 10,000 X 10,000 = 100 million Angels • Heb 12:22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, • no baby angels – no marriages- all males, no need, host already present – very powerful host Psa 68:17

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Angels in Scripture Were Always…

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Powerful –

they destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah • Gen 19:13 For we will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxen great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord hath sent us to destroy it.

• Killed 185,000 Assyrians – • 2 Kings 19:35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.

• Angel delivered Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego from the fiery furnace (Dan 3) and deliver Daniel from the mouths of the Lions (Dan 6) and freed Peter from prison (Acts 12 & 16).

• They will come with Jesus in Flaming Fire at Judgment (2Thess 1)

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Angels in Scripture Were Always….

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Supersonic –

very, very fast • Their appearance and disappearance before men was sudden and unexpected • Judg 6:12 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. (Gideon) • Judg 13:3 And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. (Sampson’s Mother) • Dan 9:21 Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

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• Even though swift, nothing in the Bible proves that Angels had wings save the Cherubim and Sepharim • Ezek 1 & 10 Isa 6:2, Rev 4:8 • Angels are not omnipresent like God Psa 139:7, Jer 23:24, their abilities are limited • Dan 10 talks of Michael your prince, appeared to him in a vision during his fast to give him strength vs 1-21 • Intelligent with a free will

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• Jude 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

• The majority of Angels love and obey God • Ps 103:20-22 Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. 21 Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure. 22 Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion: bless the Lord, O my soul.

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What is a

• Three words in Hebrew (OT) referring to demons • SHEDIM - Deut 32:17 They sacrificed to demons, not to God, To gods they did not know, To new gods, new arrivals That your fathers did not fear. • SAYIR – Harry Goat Demon - Lev 17:7 They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons, after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations."' • 2 Chron 11:15 Then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the demons, and the calf idols which he had made.

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What is a

• Three words in Hebrew (OT) referring to demons • LILITH – Night Monster – A female goddess known as a night demon who haunts the desolate places of Edom - Isa 34:14 The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the wild beasts of the island, and the satyr shall cry to his fellow; the screech owl also shall rest there, and find for herself a place of rest.

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What is a

• In the Greek (NT) - 3 words that refer to demonic spirits • DAIMON – 5X – DAIMONION- 60X Supernatural spirit of a bad nature Matt 8:31 So the demons begged Him, saying, "If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine." • Matt 9:32-33 As they went out, behold, they brought to Him a man, mute and demon-possessed. 33 And when the demon was cast out, the mute spoke. And the multitudes marveled, saying, "It was never seen like this in Israel!"

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What is a

• PONEROS – 77X Evil, wicked, bad • Luke 7:21 And that very hour He cured many of infirmities, afflictions, and evil spirits; and to many blind He gave sight. • Luke 8:2 and certain women who had been healed of evil spirits and infirmities — Mary called Magdalene, out of whom had come seven demons, • Acts 19:12-13 So that from his body were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons, and the diseases departed from them, and the evil spirits went out of them. 13 Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth

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What is a

• AKATHARTOS – 33X - Unclean or impure – • Matt 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out • Matt 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.

• Luke 4:33 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice,

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While the Devil is a demon, there is only one devil who is

Satan

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Rev 20:2 And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

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What is a

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Not – disembodied spirits of dead people (spirits of wicked people), those who died untimely deaths or committed suicide. Not– disembodied spirits of a pre Adamic race corrupted by Satan. This theory not biblical truth, of a former creation before our earth (based on the gap theory) of another creation occurring between Gen 1:2 and Gen 1:2 Not – from the offspring of angels and earthly women. The theory is “sons of God” (Angels) that married earthly women and bore giants and they died in the flood whose wicked spirits live on .

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What is a Best Scriptural Explanation –

Demons are fallen Angels –

2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

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What is a SATAN’S ANGELS –

The Devil departed from the truth and other angels, evidently following his lead also sinned.

John 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

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• Rev 12:7-11 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.

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• The Devil is portrayed as being the evil one in command of these fallen angels for they are called “his angels”. • Matt 25:41 Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: • Rev 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

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• He is “prince of demons” • Matt 12:24 But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils.

• Luke 11:15 But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons.“ • Demons and the angels of Satan are one in the same: – both are under Satans rule – both angels and demons are spirits Heb 1:14, Lk 4:33 – both are dedicated to practicing evil Rev 12:7-9 Lk 7:21

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The Nature of

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Spiritual beings

– evil spirits and demons – used interchangeably • Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

• Often called evil spirits or unclean spirits • Mark 3:11 And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.

• Luke 4:33-34 And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, 34 Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God.

• A spirit does not have flesh and bones Lk 24:39

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The Nature of

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Unholy beings

angels – opposite of angels – or unholy • Unclean in a moral sense – unclean in thought or life • Matt 10:1 And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.

• They are sinister in nature, responsible for the evils of sorcery, idolatry, witchcraft and the spiritual destruction of mankind .

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The Character of

Since they are unholy angels or fallen angels they have many of the same characteristics Males, immortal, powerful, fast, intelligent Demons are not said to be innumerable as angels It is probable that only one-third fell away Even though Satan’s demons are powerful, they are no match for the Lord and his angels.

Rev 12:7-8 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven .

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Rev 12:1-4 And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: 2 And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. 3 And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon , having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. 4 And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven soon as it was born.

, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as 36

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The Character of

Demons have a strong desire to harm and even destroy man. In Jesus time on the earth, demons had an insatiable desire to inhabit the bodies of people and afflict them and destroy them.

Matt 12:43-45 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none. 44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished. 45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

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The Character of

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Demon possession leads people to commit sin, in particular acts of violence Matt 8:28 And when he was come to the other side into the country of the Gergesenes, there met him two possessed with devils, coming out of the tombs, exceeding fierce, so that no man might pass by that way.

Acts 19:16 And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

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Demonic influence is especially great through false doctrines and religions that deceive most of the world 1 Tim 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 1 Cor 10:20-21 But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. 21 Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord's table, and of the table of devils.

Satan and his demons lead us into sin and destroy our faith causing us to be lost. I Pet 5:8, Eph 6:11-12.

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Let Us Always Keep

A Biblical Perspective

of the reality of &

It will better equip us for the

Spiritual Battle that we’ll be fighting each day

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