Episode 22--Angels and Demons
The notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod's Podcast
Release Date: 03/19/2021
The notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod's Podcast
'I truly believe the key to keeping your heart in the right place is to have a repentant heart, not a haughty ‘well they deserved it’ heart, even if they did deserve it.'
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info_outline Episode 22--Angels and DemonsThe notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod's Podcast
Episode Title: Angels and Demons--How the church feels about the unseen.
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info_outlineEpisode Title: Angels and Demons--How the church feels about the unseen.
Episode intro:
Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 22 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal:
I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience!
Body of episode:
Soooo, I may lose some of you almost immediately. I really hope not, but well some of us opt not to partake in any aspect of the spirit world subject-matter. The moment someone brings up angels and or demons, which by the way is the title of this episode, folks opt out. And honestly, I get it. The whole thing can seem a little scary especially if you did not grow up hearing conversation about such matters. In some cases, it may even sound a little cultish the way it is discussed in some quarters.
Some Believers toss around the words angels and demons the way non-believers toss around curse words. In both cases, making some listeners uncomfortable.
So I get it. But stick with me.
There was a time in my life when I watched all things Dracula on TV or at the movies. And just about anything having to do with angels and demons. I was intrigued. There was a TV show a few years ago and I believe it was actually called Angels and Demons. There was always some type of hand-to-hand combat between a particular angel and demon. If I remember the premise correctly, the two of them were somehow related.
But as I matured in my faith, and dare I say my gifts, more on that in a moment, I stopped watching said movies and shows. I felt like shows and movies having to do with this subject matter for lack of a better term, disrupted my spirit. It felt like I was giving the devil an open door to my spirit and I DID NOT WANT THAT.
So, I no longer watch anything that will disrupt my spirit. You may have felt a disruption in your spirit and not realized what it was.
Let me give you an example: you watch a movie, a TV show, or you listen to a song or certain music, and afterward, you feel angry or upset, or even afraid. Maybe you listen to certain musical artists on a regular basis and you always feel angry, like always, after listening to them.
You probably never wondered why, not putting two and two together and realizing you get along with the world in general, but after your commute to or from work, and listening to these certain songs, you just felt angry with your co-workers, with people in traffic, etc.
You are basically allowing these artists--musical, certain movies, videos, discussions, etc., to speak into your spirit. Chances are you are not even thinking that what they may be singing or saying is that bad. I mean it’s just a song, right? It’s just a movie? You are just letting it all in.
Look, the spirit world is real, whether you believe in it or not. And this is what I want to talk to you about today.
‘A spiritual stronghold is a habitual pattern of thought, built into one's thought life. Satan and his minions want to capture the minds of people: the mind is the citadel of the soul. He who controls the mind controls a very strategic place!’--Pulling down Strongholds: Strategies from Ancient and Modern Israel, Messiah conference 2000.
‘For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience to Messiah.’--2 Corinthians 10:4-5.
‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’--1 Peter 5:8.
‘When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.
16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.’--2 Kings 6:16-17.
‘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.’--Ephesians 6:12.
There is a spirit world. We can’t take everything for granted and at face value.
The quote and the verses above, if you notice; make mention of angels, demons, and the spirit world. Things many people, even some Believers, do not believe in.
Look, some Believers pick through the Bible choosing what they like and leaving what they do not like or cannot explain; like they’re at a buffet.
The Bible is all you can eat, but you have to eat it all. Not in one sitting of course, but you get the idea. We are supposed to consume it in its entirety, as often as we can.
But let’s be honest, It’s not an easy read. Some portions of it have to be re-read, and even then, you need help understanding it.
And ‘all of it’ is where many people, Christians, and non-Christians, get tripped up or confused. Because the next question is does consuming the entire Bible mean that we have to still believe in stoning entire families, that women have no voice, or that slavery is Biblical?
These are just a few examples of where the Bible has been taken out of context for hundreds of years.
Number one: And I am trying my very best not to go down a rabbit hole here. Cause you know I’m good for that. Stoning people was a law of that time. It is not a law in the time in which we currently live. And of course, one would hope such a law would never be reimplemented.
Number two: Women had a voice back then. Do you want to know how I knew this? Because Jesus spoke to them, healed them, protected them, encouraged them, wherever He went. It was the men and the laws they created and implemented that silenced women and treated them like chattel. Jesus NEVER mistreated women.
This is another way for us ALL to know, that the way women were treated then, and even today, was and is man’s idea. They took certain commands from the Bible and completely twisted them into knots, for hundreds, thousands, of years.
Number Three: see number two. And, slavery was a thing back then, and even in more recent times, as we all know; but Jesus never said it was right or good. The Bible talks about how to behave toward your master if you were enslaved, it never said slavery was good.
“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!”--Romans 8:15.
Remember, God made all of us. Every human, He created us. Man decided it was OK for one man to enslave another. That was man’s doing, not God's.
I heard this from Pastor Justin, one of the assistant pastors at my church, and whom by the way I interviewed for this podcast, link in the show notes; in a recent sermon, and I thought it was the explanation I have been searching for the longest time.
He said something to the effect that ‘the Bible doesn’t condone the behavior of these people. God uses people in the midst of their system.’
You see, this is what is so cool about the Bible, and the reason as I tried so hard to explain in episode 21, that it was written thousands of years ago, but is still relevant to this day. God, Jesus, never messed with the time-space continuum. He worked within the confines of it. Wow, I never thought I would use a Star Trek term in my podcast! Wow!
Allow me to give just one more example before we move on: Do they do things now, in 2021, the way they were done in 1951? What are some things that are no longer done? What is being done now that would be frowned on in 1951? Do you get the idea?
Oh, and please do not confuse the way things are done in certain time periods with the fundamentals, the foundation, of the Bible. The Bible, the Word, does not change based on when it is. ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’--John 3:16. is a fundamental of the Bible. Fundamentals do not change whether it is 2021 or 49 AD. There is nothing Biblically fundamental about stoning entire families or treating women like chattel or enslaving another human being. I hope this makes sense.
Angels and demons:
So, angels and demons. The spirit world. The unseen. The unknown, really. And what do angels and demons have to do with anything I just said?
Well, there are some things in this world, that whether you believe in them or not, they are true. As I mentioned before. Chances are if you are listening to this podcast, you are intelligent enough to believe that America did go to the moon. The earth is round. There was a holocaust of the Jews. Millions of Africans were stolen from their homeland and endured more than 400 years of slavery.
Unfortunately, there are people that are alive and well and comfortable right now, who do not believe some or any of these things. It’s really tragic.
And there are people as I mentioned earlier, who do not believe in angels or in demons.
There are Believers who choose to believe in some parts of the Bible while opting not to believe in other parts of the Bible. There are some Believers today who do not believe miracles still happen. There are some who do not believe there is a spirit world.
I’ve put a link to an article from Christianity Today, titled ‘The Truth About Angels and Demons is Staring Us In The Face’. The author discusses a book by author and professor Michael Heiser. But here is a clip from the article that I believe pertains to this discussion:
‘In his 2018 book Angels: What the Bible Really Says About God’s Heavenly Host, Heiser explains that message-bearing (what the word angel means in Greek) marks only one of the many functions performed by the supernatural, non-physical beings that God created. Angels also act as ministers of God’s will, watchers who are ever vigilant, soldiers in God’s heavenly host (or army), interpreters to men of God’s messages, protectors of God’s holiness, executors of God’s divine judgment, and members of God’s council who participate in and bear witness to God’s sovereign decisions and decrees.’
This explanation may make angels seem a little less woo-hoo than imagining beings floating around scaring people right?
Remember, I believe in the whole Bible and did not want to end this podcast without discussing these beings, this subject matter.
So, if you have read the Bible, and read any stories about angels, you have read about different visits angels made to humans right? And the angels we are most familiar with are Michael and Gabriel.
NOTE:
‘Michael the Archangel, in the Bible and in the Qurʾān (as Mīkāl), one of the archangels. He is repeatedly depicted as the “great captain,” the leader of the heavenly hosts, and the warrior helping the children of Israel.’
More angel sightings:
Genesis 18--three men approached Abram as he sat in the doorway of his tent in the heat of the day according to Genesis 18:1. One was thought to be God in human form, the other two were believed to be angels. They told Abram that his wife Sara would have a baby ‘according to the time of life’, verse 10. Of course, as the story goes she laughed to herself as she was quite old. And although she was in another part of the tent, the angel knew she laughed. Woah! Be sure to read Genesis 18 if you are not familiar with the story.
So, about Lucifer, the devil:
The first time the devil appeared in the Bible? You guessed it: The book of Genesis, in the Garden of Eden. He appeared as the snake who tempted Eve.
Story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness:
Now, as far as the other side of things, there was the story in Luke 4:1-11, where the devil attempted to tempt Jesus so that he could ultimately control Jesus, but of course, Christ knew what the devil was up to, so each time Jesus responded to the devil’s temptations with a word from the Word!
The devil wanted Jesus to turn stones into bread as Jesus was hungry after just coming off of a 40 day fast. Jesus responded that “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”--verse 4.
The devil then tempted him a second time, telling him to throw himself from a high mountain, even quoting scripture to Jesus! The devil knows scripture. Please know scripture as well so that you can respond properly. Anyway, Jesus’s response was: “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”--verse 7.
And then the third and final time, the devil told Jesus that if he bowed to him he would give Jesus the entire earth. Really? But Jesus responded: ‘Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”--verse 10.
I mean, please know your scriptures so you know how to respond to negativity in all of its forms.
The devil’s back story:
So, speaking of the devil here is a little bit about his back story:
‘Lucifer was a senior angel who rebelled against God and was ejected from his presence. He is more commonly known as Satan or the devil. Other angels joined his rebellion and suffered the same fate. The Bible has a few references to this confrontation.’--Christianity.org.uk.
Basically, when Lucifer fell, he took a third of the angels with him, those angels becoming demons.
‘When Satan fell, he did not fall alone. Scripture tells us that he took one-third of the angels (see Revelation 12:4). Considering that the angelic host numbers more than 10,000 x 10,000 (see Revelation 5:11), that is a sizable group. They account for the fallen angels, or demons, that now do his bidding. As a result, Satan is a fallen, but powerful, spirit-being with a well-organized network of demon powers to help him accomplish his purposes. Those purposes, according to Jesus, are to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10).
That’s the bad news. The good news is that two-thirds of the angels are on our side! As the prophet Elisha said to his servant, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16).’--Harvest.org.
So as you can see, the Bible discusses, talks about, angels and demons quite extensively. But of course, you would have to believe and believe in The Bible for its content to make sense. And I cannot convince you, I can only show you what the Bible, the unadulterated word of God says. You have to decide if what you are reading in the Bible is true.
As you know by now, I believe it is true. I would also like to say that I believe in angels and in demons because the Bible discusses them and their work quite extensively.
Recall earlier that I mentioned the term spiritual gifts in relation to why I stopped watching movies and TV shows with content related to angels and demons? Well, here is the scripture and the explanation:
‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gift of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous power, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.’--1Corinthians 12:7-11.
Note: the spirit mentioned here is not a ghost, it is The Holy Spirit, you know, one of the three parts of the Holy Trinity.
I am not of the belief that when you, for lack of a better word, possess any of these gifts that you should also be watching certain movies and shows. That’s what I meant when I said ‘disrupt my spirit.’ You can’t carry light and dark at the same time. Some things you have to choose between and this is one of those things. I made the choice to stop watching those shows and movies.
You know, I believe that no matter how strong we are in our Christian journey, and maybe despite the fact that we are strong, we have to exercise common sense. And this choice was me exercising my common sense.
My story:
My dad was my pastor for the first 40 or so years of my life. Wow, that makes me sound old. Anyway, there was a time when there had been a rash of church burglaries, and we were having our mid-week Bible study upstairs in his office. I recall asking him before we went upstairs if I should lock the front door. He said no. I did not agree with that decision, but I said nothing. We all went upstairs and as we read the book he had asked us all to purchase and read along with the Bible, the door downstairs was opened. We all heard it because we all, except for my dad, looked at each other.
Just then, I heard marching! I was like what in the world!? Then I saw them, walking two by two, they were dressed in light, spears in their right hands, laced up sandals, looking straight ahead. I could not believe what I was seeing! I looked around to see if anyone else in the Bible study was seeing what I was seeing but it did not appear so. My dad was talking, and everyone was looking in their books. Except me! I watched them walk right through our circle, walk past my dad’s left shoulder, and through the wall. And as they did that the marching subsided until I did not hear it anymore.
No one ever came up the stairs. We finished our Bible study, and I asked my mom if she saw them. I told her what happened and she said no. She had not seen or heard anything. She said I should have told them. As I think back now, she probably wanted me to tell them so that their hearts would be put at ease because we had all heard the door open downstairs. I was in too much shock!
I assumed that whoever opened the door downstairs probably heard the same thing. This is not the only incident I could tell of, but it is the only one I will tell here.
You see, I believe in them. And I would believe even if I never saw them because I believe in The Bible. I just feel fortunate that I also got to see. I can’t mix the gifts and what I saw, with the movies and shows I used to watch. It would cause havoc in my spirit. Life is difficult enough without that.
Remember, I am not trying to convince you that angels and demons exist. I just want you to know that the Bible says they do. You know, angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible.’ That’s a lot not to believe.
Remember in episode 21 where I tried my best to explain to you why I believe the Bible is real and is NOT a book of fairy tales? I found this C.S. Lewis quote that sums it up nicely: Why I believe the Bible is real, and thus why Angels are real. Because really why would you want to believe in a book that is real but not believe in some of the contents. That in my opinion would be an absolute waste of time.
Anyway, here’s that quote:
‘I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.’--C.S. Lewis.
By the sun you see everything else. By the sun you see the light. By the Bible, you will see the light.
Episode Research Links:
https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/are-you-fighting-a-spiritual-war-priscilla-shirer-armor-of-god
https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2020/spiritual-warfare-in-a-pandemic
https://cbcalbany.com/new-blog/2020/5/25/spiritual-warfaresatan-demons-and-angels
https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_8.cfm
https://christianity.org.uk/article/do-angels-exist
https://harvest.org/know-god-article/the-origin-and-fall-of-the-devil/
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12&version=KJV
According to the Blue Letter Bible, the word ‘ "angels"--occurs 94 times in 92 verses in the KJV, including 92 exact phrases…’ Blueletterbible.org
Another search, Google, says that ‘Angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible.’--Jul 2, 2020.
Episode Takeaways:
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-gye6a-dcbf2e
https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-faiw7-f86eea
Closing commentary:
Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question:
‘Who is God?’
Episode outro:
Well, thank you for tuning in. Let me know via social media https://www.facebook.com/relpolpod, @relpolpod on Instagram; or by email, if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you!
You may email me at [email protected]. Please give me 24to 48 hours to respond.
And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time!
Episode quote:
‘I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.’--C.S. Lewis.