The role of angels and demons? ...(relevant to our lives)

[bluebirdiemama]

I am so curious. I just started reading The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis and I have no Biblical knowledge of this stuff to base any opinions on. What do you believe is the role of angels and demons, as far as if they affect us at all, and how? What do you base your thoughts on? Just your own theories, or books (which ones?), the Bible (which passages?), or other religious writtings (which ones?) ?

Thanks in advance for sharing!

[Magelet]

I don't really beleive in angels or demons much at all, I think. that said, I'm sort of interested lately in the archangels, less as... beings and more... as energies. That perhaps each of them represents certain... elements, atributes, etc and you can call on them to draw that into your life. I don't really know at all, I'm still exploring, and indeed just starting to think about this

[cappuccinosmom]

I believe they exist.

I think in general, those who have not experienced them are left to guess at what their presence is like.

Biblically, angels are God's messengers. They come with "news" of some sort, and do not allow any obsequience themselves. Almost always they have to preface what they say with "Do not be afraid". That leads me to believe that they are not pretty, flitty, flower-fairy like beings, as they're sometimes represented.
About.com has a good list of Scriptures describing angels and what they do.

The same site has a denominational comparison of beliefs about demons. I'd fall in line with what are described as Assemblies of God and Baptist beliefs.

[Bluegoat]

I guess I understand demons to be fallen angels. Both are created spirits with free will, but no bodies, that are eternal and exist outside of time. Both may have dealings with humans, angels to help bring us to God in some way (for example by acting as his messengers) and demons by trying to draw us away from him.

I don't know if this kind of interference is a rare thing, or if it is something that is going on constantly, as the story in The Screwtape Letters describes.

I know many theologians have thought that all of our encounters with God the Father are through angels in some way - so Moses in this view was actually talking to the Father via an angelic messenger, because in this view talking to the Father directly would cause the top of your head to explode or some such thing. (I suspect one might be less likely to encounter this vie in the Eastern Church.)

Also, many have interpreted the passage where God creates the light to refer to the angels, and think that the angels assisted in creation, and even that they have relationships with the forces and laws that govern the created universe. Perhaps every created thing has a relationship with an angel and that is what guardian angels are?

I heard a man interviewed on the program Tapestry who could see angels - though see isn't quite the right word. I am usually a skeptical person, but he was actually very credible - he described sensing an angelic guardian in a building, as the building being within the interest of the angel or the angel having a kind of awareness of the building.

Most of this stuff is speculation though.

Also

[CherryBomb]

Well, I believe every individual has a personal guardian angel. I also believe in the various choirs of angels (each choir having a different role).

I believe in demons, and I believe they actively seek our spiritual destruction.

[mommaklo]

I have read "This Present Darkness" and Piercing the Darkness" both fictional books by Frank Peretti and have a completely different outlook on angels and demons in our lives and affecting our lives since reading them. Also, "The Oath" by same author is REALLY INTRIGUING. I believe these books will give you perspective. It makes me think Frank Peretti read the screwtape letters and after letting it marinade in his mind came up with Piercing and Present darkness books. Note: they are meant to be read kind of in sequence, present first and peirceing second. The oath is completely separate. Hope you enjoy.....

mom :to ds 3/10

[umsami]

I "The Screwtape Letters" (as well as other works by C.S. Lewis). I also really really enjoyed Frank Peretti's books back in the mid-90s. I do think that both opened my eyes up to the possibility of spiritual warfare (for lack of a better word) that could be going on--without most people's knowledge.

As a Muslim, angels and demons (also known as Jinn...but they can be both bad or good) are very much a part of the theology. Actually, belief in Angels is one of the articles of faith. For example, it is believed that every person has two angels with him at all times. The angel on one's right shoulder records all of one's good deed...and the angel on the left shoulder, records all of one's bad deeds. Then, on the Day of Judgment, God presents this record to the person. God's mercy can make one good deed equal to a thousand good deeds... and even not doing something bad that one is tempted to do earns a good deed... but each bad deed may only count for one bad deed. There are guardian angels... known as protectors, etc. There are angels that question you upon death to find out what you believe.

[mamabadger]

In Christian tradition (according to my own church) angels are intelligent beings created in the image of God, like humans. There are many kinds of angels, "species" of angels you might say, each type as different from each other as we are from each of the angels. We know very little about them, although we believe we will all know each other in Heaven; but Scripture describes a few occasions when specific angels were assigned to act in some way that affected people. Knowing a lot of details about angels is generally not considered too important to our spiritual development. We are only told that other Children of God exist, and that the fallen ones will sometimes try to negatively influence our spiritual lives or our faith in God. Many early Christian writers discussed ways to prevent or cope with this influence, but mostly for practical purposes, not in order to find out more about the nature of these beings.

[ThomasL]

I don't believe there are devils or demons. We live in a reality in which there are negative and positives which is the true reality of our earthly existance. It is all for the purpose of having experiences in which there are all kinds both good and bad and sometimes it is that bad that brings forth the greatest growth. There really are only angels and no demons as God set everything up in perfection and everything belongs to God because God is all there really is and we exist as pieces of God having are own experiences which is God's greatest gift to us. If there are such things as devils or demon then they are nothing more than thought forms of our own creation and because we are God like at the core we can create anything we want whether it is good or bad.

[soxthecatrules]

BBL to thoroughly read through these posts.

I have a relative that believes one of my children is an incarnated angel.

[Shami]

Hi bluebirdiemama, I haven't been here in a while...great question. I enjoyed doing a search after seeing your post.

I see angels as servants and ministers.
Here are two verses in Hebrews 1:
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said, a"Sit at My right hand until I set Your enemies as a footstool for Your feet''?

14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth for service for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

In my word search I found a lot of verses on angels in Revelation. They seem to perform many services in Rev. Also, in Acts I found many verses that said, and an angel appeared...

I wonder why angels were so prevalent in the early church life in Acts. Was there more of a need for angels to appear to the disciples? Why doesn't that happen now among believers? I mostly hear about psychics seeing/experiencing angels.

As for Satan and his demons, I believe that they are continually seeking our destruction in all three categories: physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Lucifer was God's top most beautiful angel and when he became full of pride declared that he would be the Most High. He was cast out of heaven and down to the earth and he took one third of the angels with him. I believe that these one third angels are now the demons (Isa.)

I think that God is letting Satan, the god of this age, do all kinds of things to either destroy or distract people from seeking God. In Job, God and Satan had a conversation about what Satan was allowed to do to Job. Basically God said that Satan could do anything except take Job's life. So, Satan began to systematically strip Job of every thing. He lost his family, his wealth, and his health. In the end, Job saw God. He appreciated God.

I think God uses Satan and his demons as tools. In Job's case, every time Satan did something he probably thought aha! gottcha this time. But Job glorified God in the end. God used a terrible situation to turn Job to Him and Job was humbled.

How is this relevant to our life? I have been trying (not doing a great job, I admit) to praise the Lord even for negative things in my life. I have been trying to accept the fact that God is over everything and allows things to happen to keep my heart turning to Him. At the same time, I also pray binding prayers to bind the enemy and all of his tactics.

Ephesians 6 speaks of the spiritual warfare and that we are not fighting flesh and blood but the evil spirits in the air. And somewhere in the gospels it says that the demons live in the water. It's in that passage when demons were cast out of a person and the demons went into the hogs. The hogs ran off a cliff into the water....something like that.

I think the whole earth is Satan's playground and he's trying to do as much as he can because he knows his time is limited. In the end, God will be glorified and Satan will finally be exposed. Satan has many people fooled into thinking he is a fictional character with a little red cape and horns. At least that is what I used to think, but now I know he is very real.