Are angels and demons real, and why should I care?

Aug 31

This is part of a series giving an overview of theology and Neighborhood Church’s doctrinal statement. (Introduction, The One True God, The Lord Jesus Christ, The Holy Spirit, The Bible, Humanity, Salvation, Church, Christian Life, Angels, Satan, Demons, Future Life)

Picture this: a red carpet lined with photographers, a black limousine pulling up, and movie stars stepping out for a big awards ceremony. We celebrate the directors who tell everyone where to go, the lead actors who steal the show, and even the supporting actors. But who's missing from all the awards? The camera crew - the people actually pushing the record button and making sure everything gets captured.

That's similar to what angels and demons are like in the Bible. They're the camera crew of creation - always in the background of everything that happens, but rarely the main focus of the story. When they do appear in the frame, they're not the main character. We're looking at a different story, and they just happen to be there.

This makes talking about angels and demons really challenging. There's no single passage in the Bible that gives us a complete biography of these spiritual beings. But what we do find throughout Scripture is a consistent picture of who they are and what they're trying to do.

The Fabric of Reality

When we think about creation, we usually picture stuff - rocks, mountains, animals, food - but the Bible teaches us that creation isn't just material things. Reality is made up of both spiritual and material realms, woven together like fabric.

Think of it this way: fabric isn't just a pile of string. It becomes fabric when those strings are organized into a pattern with threads going both directions. Similarly, the fabric of reality has both spiritual and physical dimensions that are interconnected and influence each other.

Both realms are under God's rule, and both have their own native creatures. Animals are native to the physical world. Angels are native to the spiritual world. What makes humans unique is that we are both - we have bodies and spirits, which makes us pretty special in creation.

What We Actually Know About Angels

From what the Bible tells us, angels are created spiritual beings who serve God's purposes throughout all creation. Here's what we can know for certain:

They're Created Beings: Job 38:4-7 describes how when God was creating the world, "the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy." Angels were there cheering God on as He made everything.

They Don't Change Sides: Unlike humans who can turn to God throughout their lives, angels made their choice once and are locked in. When some angels rebelled against God (about one-third of them), they became demons. The rest remained faithful to God. There are no neutral angels and no angels can “switch teams.”

They're Not Former Humans: This might surprise some people, but you will not become an angel when you die. Angels and humans are completely different types of creatures. Angels belong to the spiritual realm, while humans are a unique combination of both spiritual and physical.

They're Organized: Scripture suggests angels have different ranks of power and authority, though we don't know the details of their hierarchy.

The leader of the rebellious angels is Satan (also called the Devil). His name Lucifer is actually a Latin translation of a descriptive word, not his real name. Satan and the other fallen angels - demons - are responsible for some evil in the world, but not all of it. Most of the time when someone says “the Devil made me do it,” he doesn't have to help you too much. You did a whole lot of evil by yourself.

Why This Matters for Your Life

You might be wondering why any of this matters. Here are three reasons this should encourage you:

You're Not Alone: Whatever you're walking into this week, you don't walk alone. Both angels and demons observe what we do, and how they watch us relate to God actually informs how they give God glory. Angels watch, they help (ever barely avoid an accident and wonder how?), and they celebrate. The biggest party angels ever throw is when a human decides to turn from sin and embrace the salvation Jesus offers.

Our Allies Outnumber Our Enemies: There are twice as many good angels still serving God as there are demons. That's encouraging math.

Our Adversary Is Not God's Equal: This is huge. Satan wants you to believe he's equal to God, but he's not even close. God is uncreated and all-powerful. Satan is a created being rebelling against his Creator. There's no competition between good and evil where evil might win, because the “power” of darkness is only ever the absence of light.

The Enemy's Playbook

The good news is that Satan's strategy is completely laid out for us in the Bible, especially in Genesis 3. His playbook never changes:

He takes a disguise - He never shows up as he really is
He starts a dialogue - He wants to have a conversation with you
He seeds doubt - Not helpful doubt that strengthens faith, but doubt meant to make you deny what God has said
His goal is death - He wants you to be so captivated by doubt that you ultimately die

The enemy's target is always trying to twist our hearts away from God, and he gets there by reshaping our thoughts. It's not insignificant that our culture is obsessed with mental health right now, while our enemy's primary plan of attack is to change how we think about God.

He will make you question: "Did God really say that? Can you really trust what He meant?" He'll try to discredit God's people by pointing to Christians who have fallen away. His goal is to lead you to depression and discouragement, making you wonder why you'd want to be on God's team at all.

[Note: Material in this paragraph is adapted from another author.]

Standing Firm in Truth

So what do we do? Ephesians 6:10-18 gives us the answer: "Our fight is against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness." But notice what our role is - we're told to "stand firm" in God's truth.

The passage describes putting on spiritual armor, and it starts with "the belt of truth." Our unseen spiritual battle is to stand anchored on Jesus' truth and His work. We don't fight by trying to see invisible enemies or by dramatic spiritual warfare. We fight by standing firm in what Jesus has said and what Jesus has done.

Here's the amazing news: Colossians 2:13-15 tells us that through His crucifixion, Jesus "disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them." The spiritual authorities are running into battle without swords. Any wounds we take are ones we allow ourselves to receive.

The Mystery That Angels Wonder About

One author makes an incredible observation: God created two groups of intelligent moral beings - angels (native to the spiritual realm) and humans (who are both spiritual and physical). Among the angels, many sinned, but God decided to redeem none of them. Among humans, all have sinned, but God decided to save some.

The angels watch what Jesus is doing in us with astonishment. They don't have the same opportunity for redemption that we do. If you were a creature who had one moment of decision long ago and couldn't change it, wouldn't you wonder at a God who patiently calls out to rebels, saying "I will forgive you" over and over again?

Through the church, God is showing the spiritual realm His amazing grace. The angels are confused and amazed by the mystery being revealed - that the God of heaven would redeem those who've rebelled against Him.

Your Next Step

So here's the question: Are you trusting Jesus to redeem you? Are you trusting Him to bring you into His victory over your true enemies?

If you've never made that decision, or if you're not sure where you stand with God, we'd love to talk with you. The same God who amazes angels with His patience and grace is calling out to you today.

And if you're already following Jesus, remember that your unseen spiritual battle is simply to stand anchored on His truth and His work. You don't need to see your enemies to defeat them. You just need to stand firm in what Jesus has already accomplished.

The last chapter has already been written, and Jesus wins.