Sunday, 21 November 2010
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Angels and Demons
Many Christians don't like to think about them - angels or demons. From what I understand it's because to acknowledge angels, means that they would have to acknowledge demons too. This strikes me as weird, because I think it's awesome that there are angels, and ok, maybe awesome isn't quite the right word to describe my feelings on demons, but I just remember that for every demon there are 2 angels, so they're less powerful and outnumbered. That seems pretty awesome to me. I was talking to a few friends of mine, and apparently my views on this are challenging for them, not because they think I'm wrong, but because I'm so sure about it, and they haven't really thought about it at all. Upon reflection, they're like "well yeah, of course they exist, they're in the Bible" but for them to stop and consider what that means, scares them.
That also makes me wonder. I mean, yeah I'm scared of demons, but at the same time I'm not. I know that God has already decided what's going to happen to them, and that they don't really have a say in the matter - unfortunately for them.
Talking to my parents about it, they say that living in Asia has also made it very tangible for me. I can feel the demons when walking past various religious sites, I can feel their oppression and it used to terrify me. And then I realized that God is in control, and that every spiritual being already knows where they're going after the last battle.
What do you think about Angels and Demons? Have you really put any thought into it?
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Comments (35)
Remember...Not all angels are pure. -Grin-
Angels are those who followed the plan God put forth in the beginning. The devils (demons) are those that opposed the plan and were cast out with no further chance of being with God. Angels and devils are both here, but they only have power over us as we let them. Satan has no power to take away our freedom of choice. Even though he has great knowledge, he can only try to tempt and seduce and deceive us. Angels want to be with us, and to strengthen and encourage and bless us, but their greatest power comes to us only as we seek the Lord and obey His commandments.
As we receive the Holy Spirit, we have the love and light of God in our lives. Satan cannot tolerate the things of God. The more we become one with Jesus, the further we are from the devil. Thus we are given the counsel to feast upon the scriptures and pray always. We have to live in the world for now, but we don't need to be worldly. We are the children of the living God, and we can live up to our divinely given potential.
A lot of people who believe in angels/demons are afraid because they do not have the security we have in God. Few religions have a completely sovereign and loving God that cares about them to the same extent our God cares about us. I actually can't think of any other religion right now, but I'll just avoid over-generalizing.
you just don't know the truth
If you are a Christian, you believe in the Bible. If you believe in the Bible, you believe in God. But if you truly and knowledgeably believe in the Bible, you also acknowledge the existence of Hell, demons and Angels. The Bible explicitly refers to all three of these things numerous times. To claim that either of these are nonexistent is contrariwise to the Bible.
Haha, I have had demons cast out of me, and I think that experience was more than enough proof for me that they are real. And of course I believe in angels as well. I think spiritual warfare is a pretty important aspect of Christianity that the majority of Christians are pretty blind to.
@caroliiineee@xanga - What did you do to get possessed by demons?
Without a doubt there are both God's angels, and Satan's angels (demons) but although Satan's angels can attempt to disrupt our happiness, our lives, they can never be victorious over us.
@musterion99@xanga - It's kind of a complicated subject, but people can have demons without being possessed by them. Christians can have them, too. A lot of times people will have demons of lust, depression, rejection, fear, addictions, etc. that oppress them, but it doesn't necessarily mean that they are totally possessed. You can give them legal right in your life by opening spiritual doors through watching demonic movies/listening to demonic music, doing hallucinogens, watching porn, etc.
I had watched a lot of those asian horror films at probably age 10, and I literally had been terrified of the dark ever since (I never attributed it to anything spiritual, though.). Up until I got deliverance this year I would seriously run from my car into my house at night because I couldn't handle being in the dark. I got saved this year in June, and I would want to go outside and pray and look at the stars and I would try to make myself have a mind-over-matter attitude because I knew God was much bigger than anything that could be in the dark, and I would be able to be outside for a little longer than I could before, but I still just felt an evil presence overwhelm me when I was in the dark that I couldn't get rid of no matter how much I focused on God. Then at a retreat I got deliverance, and it was pretty crazy because it literally caused my body to throw up when she cast the demon of fear out of me and I felt a huge weight lift off of me. The next night I was able to go on a walk through my neighborhood (which has no streetlights, by the way) in the middle of the night without even feeling scared in the slightest. That was something I NEVER would have been able to do before. I always had just thought that being scared was part of my personality, and so it was so amazing to finally be free from it.
I'm aware that many people are probably skeptical of this view, but some of my closest friends have been freed from meth addictions, alcohol addictions, extreme depression, etc. because they had spiritual forces that were attacking them that they were freed from. You can't fake being freed from a meth addiction. I don't know, I just think that most people (especially Americans) are pretty oblivious to what goes on in the spiritual realm.
I'm currently writing a book, and its focus is the angelic and demonic. No, it's nothing like the pop fluff that Dan Brown published.
I've been doing some serious homework on the subject, and it's fascinating!
Do I believe?
Yes.
@caroliiineee@xanga - Thanks for sharing. Glad to hear you're better.
Interesting post. I whole heartedly agree that there are indeed angels and demons out there. It would be difficult for me to accept the testimony of the Bible and somehow rationalize angels and demons out of the equation.
I do not fear demons, as you mentioned, but I am also very careful not to 'revile' angelic majesties (including Satan and the demons) based on the warning in 2 Peter 2:10. I am aware of their cunning and simply rely more fully on God to protect me.
I am curious, though. You made a statement that there are twice as many angels as demons. I am unaware of such a teaching in the Bible or history of the Church (which doesn't mean it doesn't exist! lol). Can you explain why you think that?
I'm not sure that I agree with some of the comments that confuse the sins of lust or depression (etc) with demons. James 1:14 actually says that we are carried away and tempted by our own lust. So if we're being tempted, the source is our hearts lust which perhaps sometimes a demon can manipulate to tempt us.
Certainly a very interesting topic!
btw, where in Asia are you (if you don't mind saying on Revelife)?
If god has the power to banish evil, why doesn't he do it already? Unless god isn't all that powerful or isn't willing. In which case, why call him god?
@caroliiineee@xanga - Amazing story. Thanks for telling it.
I've SEEN several demons to be totally frank. :P
My sister believes that the existence of demons is significant and would credit events to them when there was clearly a natural explanation. Like we were talking during a windstorm and the front door popped open. She was screaming and I didn't even want to
bring up the notion that the wind had blown the door open.I went with her to my parents bedroom and my father gave her a blessing. She was sure that fallen angels had opened the door and entered her body in order for my father to cast them out. I think the belief in and fear of evil spirits is much more harmful than these spectral influences themselves.
I think that there is a great capacity for evil in human beings, men largely, but women can be enabling to the point of culpability and act completely innocent of responsibility.I think we use devils to justify our own atrocities and the harm we ourselves do to other living beings. These events are hard to understand, even, afterwards, by their perpetrators.
I think this is the issue we need to focus on, not, as my writing mentor used to do, on how many angels good or evil, can dance on the head of a pin. None? An infinite number?
@caroliiineee@xanga - I really enjoyed your comments. Thanks for sharing. If you don't mind I would like to quote you in a post of my own.
@PervyPenguin@xanga - I can assure you that depression is indeed a demon. And a rather powerful one at that. I have seen first hand the kind of ravages it can cause. I've even seen two of it's victims were even driven to suicide. If you don't believe me, then go meet someone who suffers from it. You can very visibly see the physical toll this creature takes out of a person. J K Rowling suffered from it. Later when she wrote her books she described it as the dementors. One of the most clever descriptions I've ever seen of depression.
@TravelingStranger@xanga - My other comment was meant for you, and not@PervyPenguin@xanga -
Sorry, I clicked the wrong reply.
@nidan@xanga - go for it!
@nidan@xanga - Funnily enough, I suffer from depression. LOL.
@PervyPenguin@xanga - I've never seen anything funny about depression. I'll keep you in my prayers.
@caroliiineee@xanga - Thank you!
@TravelingStranger@xanga -
Revelation 12:4. His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that he might devour her child the moment it was born.
Some commentators feel the stars rever to th angels; hence 1/3 of the angels are fallen. It’s not a setteled issue, BTW.
http://bible.cc/revelation/12-4.htm
@wrybreadspread@xanga - Thank you for the reference and resource! I had forgotten about that passage and it's various interpretations. Thank you for clearing it up for me!