*And there was war in heaven.* Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Lucifer: I've had no need to influence humanity for many millennium idea. I simply introduced sin. Men is the one who has spreaded it like a disease; cultivating it, empowering it. "".......You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world.""......who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.""Rev 12:9 (NIV) The great dragon was hurled down--that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray...""Satan has deceived the whole world and much of the world doesn‘t even know he exists (Rev. 12:9)."

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.”

When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child. The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent’s reach.

Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent. But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth. Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring—those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus. (Revelations 12 1-17)

Chapter 7 to 9, *And there was war in heaven* refers to the events prior to the creation of Adam. We find this in Genesis 2: 9, where God warns about two trees in the middle of the Garden of Eden, the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Cast down before the creation of Adam, Lucifer, referred to as the serpent is already on the earth. The two trees with either eternal life or eternal death were there before the creation of Adam, and so God did not tempt Adam with the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil as many might think, but simply warned Adam of the danger and consequence already present.

Later in Luke 10: 17 - 20, the seventy-two disciples return from a mission with joy and said to Jesus, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven."

Jesus referred to the war in heaven because he was there. Jesus is the Word Incarnate; the Word that created all things, including Lucifer and it is against Jesus, the Word; truth, that Lucifer rebelled, and that war continues to this very day.

Again, in Revelations 22: 1-6, we find the end of the story regarding the triumph of the Tree of Life and its consequence for us if we accept Jesus. Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, as clear as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb down the middle of the great street of the city. On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations. No longer will there be any curse. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and his servants will serve him. They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. There will be no more night. They will not need the light of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God will give them light. And they will reign for ever and ever. The angel said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, sent his angel to show his servants the things that must soon take place."

Scripture also refers to Lucifer by many other names all of which describe his "fallen nature." These names are, "Beelzebub", "Prince of Darkness", "King of Tyre", "Father of Lies". "Day Star", "The Thief", "god of this world" (cosmos: Gr. world system) but, never Lucifer again. He is no longer entitled to that name which described his original nature and ministry. Perhaps this would be a good time to put Satan in his proper place and perspective because in these days he is being worshipped as a god by many people around the world.

It becomes clear; Satan is not an equal and opposite of God as claimed by many!

Just like all the other angels he was created by God and therefore by definition, he is not God. Satan is a creature and therefore he is subject to God like all else in heaven and earth and he has no more rights or power than God allows.

Popular (New Age) thought adopts the concept of Yin and Yang and believe this to be perfect balance and harmony. However, it is self evident that this is erroneous thinking; even the law of physics testifies to this in that darkness is merely and absence of light, and therefore, unlike light dispelling darkness, darkness cannot enter light nor extinguish it. The only outcome of the war between good and evil in this thinking is perpetual war due to the neutralizing of this equality. Hence there will never be peace with a Yin and Yang concept or any other New Age or occult philosophy, but, it does keep us entertained and Hollywood in business.

Demons manifest and shriek as Catholic Evangelist, Eddie Russell FMI preaches at a conference in Uganda. Not for the faint hearted.



The beginning chapters of the Book of Job show the true inequality very clearly (Job 1:6-12 - Job 2:1-7) and even though Satan has the effrontery to enter God's presence with the other angels (sons) he does so to "accuse" God's people. However, you will notice that Satan can do no more than God allows him to do. "And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power, only do not lay a hand upon his person" (Job 1:12) and of course Satan did not because he could not!

These are comforting thoughts when we are faced with such evils as we see in the world today, but because of the "New Covenant" in the Blood of Christ each Christian is given authority by God over all the "works" of the adversary. In fact we are "commissioned" by God to "announce" the Good News of the Kingdom, and to bring the captives out of darkness into His wonderful light and so in Mark 16:17, we read, "In my name (Jesus) they will expel demons."

The authority that the Father gave to Jesus is now transferred to His Church. Unfortunately, just like all the good angels, the evil ones and the Devil himself have also been relegated to the area of myth by many Christians whilst the non-believers are very much aware of his reality.

Satan worship is on the increase.

Hiding in myth is a good trick if he can get away with it. It suits his purpose when the only ones who do not believe that he exists are the only ones who can dislodge him from his strongholds. His "new look" is called the "New Age." This is just new packaging for a very old thing: Sorcery. It's selling well at the moment and it has even got through to Christians who have lowered their defences against a subtle sales pitch aimed at a spiritual void.

One of the most nefarious examples today is the message of Marilyn Manson's "Anti Christ Superstar." This album solicits acceptance of Manson as a saviour. It calls young people to kill their parents and whoever else they see as their enemy and then kill themselves. According to Manson, this is how they get saved and set free.

In addition, The Church of Satan is well established under law in the USA and possibly elsewhere too. Television proliferates these beliefs through such programmes as Charmed, Ghost Whisperer, Supernatural and many other witchcraft programmes that are very popular with our youth.

We are able to call on the angelic to assist us when we need help.

Along with the Word of God, the Power, and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit working on our behalf, we also have countless millions of angels at our disposal in the same way that Jesus did when he was arrested in Gethsemane.... "do you not suppose that I can call on my Father to provide at a moment's notice more than twelve legions of angels" (Mat 26:53).

Psalm 91 is worth reading and studying because it refers to the protection the Father provides for all His children who find themselves in dangerous circumstances. It informs us that by remaining in a close relationship with God. He promises to rescue us from: the snare of the Fowler, the destroying pestilence, the terror by night, the arrow by day, and from plagues, the wicked, evil, and affliction.

Then, in verse 11, it says, "for to His angels He has given command about you, that they guard you in all your ways." And again in verse 13, it says: "you shall tread upon the asp and the viper; you shall trample down the lion and the dragon." Notice that it says, "you will". It is "we" who do it! By what power? By the power of God, of course. That is "our" authority and, let's face it, "if God is for us, who can be against us?" (Rom 8:31) It stands to reason that if God is for us everything that is of God is for us too. We are never alone as much as we may think that we are. God's angels are ever present to help us in all that we do.

Angels are countless in number. (Rev.5:11)

"Their cavalry troops whose count I heard were two hundred million in number." (Rev 9:16) Angels are immortal Celestial Spirits created by God. They are created to represent Him and to guard His interests (Ps.148: 5-6). Angels were created before God created the world (Job.1:6,).

Angels do not have corporal bodies but they can manifest themselves in human form. An example of this is seen in the account of Lot regarding Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen.19, Acts.10:30, Tobit 12:11-22).

I recommend that you read the whole book of Tobit where you will see the wonderful deeds of the Archangel Raphael on his behalf. Raphael is one of the seven spirits before the Throne of God. He seems to be the angel who protects the family. In this account, you will see how he saves Raguel from the wicked demon, Asmodeus (Arabic: "the destroyer") who has killed seven of her husbands before they could consummate the marriage and how he heals Tobit of his blindness and helps Tobit's son Tobias to successfully marry Raguel. Then in the ending chapters he reveals a truth about his angelic nature.

(Although non Catholics do not accept this book as Canon of Scripture, the book of Tobit is a magnificent insight into the role of Angels that was richly expressed in Hebrew Angelology and belief. The Catholic Church accepts Tobit as part of the Canon of Scripture).

Celestial Beauty.

Occasionally angels will appear in all their celestial beauty and glory (Matt 28:3, Dan.10:5-6). In Daniel 10: 12-14, and verses 20-21, you will see Gabrielle and Michael in their role of bringing an answer to prayer and how they deal with the demonic angel of the kingdom of Persia.

Angels do not marry.

They are pure spirit beings and are referred to as a 'company' rather than a 'race'. They are always referred to in the masculine gender. (Matt.22:30, Luke 20: 34-36). St. Thomas Aguinas tells us that because angels are referred to as a company and not a race they cannot procreate; they are pure spirit beings with no need of a body or its attributes. In wahtever body they might have appeared are only apparant bodies for our comfort when encountering them.

Angels have different functions.

Angels have different functions and are created for specific tasks and they have various levels of authority which include: "Thrones", "Dominions", "Seraphim", "Cherubim", "Angels", "Archangels", and "Guardian Angels" (Col. 1:16, Jude 9.). Guardian Angels are given to children when they are born and are there to minister to them throughout their life (Matt. 18; 10).

Angelic worship.

Angels worship before the Throne of God and serve Him day and night (Ps. 148: 2, Tobit 12:15, Heb. 1:6, Rev. 4: 5-8). The angels celebrate before the Throne of God every time a sinner repents and turns to God. (Luke 15; 10,) Just think how much Heaven will rejoice when we really get moving with Evangelisation!

Angels escort Christians to heaven when they die (Luke 16:22)

The angels record our deeds, good and bad, in a book that will be opened at the final Judgement (Mal.3:16, Rev.20:12). Angels have the authority to execute God's Judgement on Cities, Nations and People (Eccl. 5:6, Ezek. 9:1-6, Ps. 33:4-6, Kings 19:35, Acts 12:23).

Angels are Messengers of God not ascended masters.

Angels are messengers of God to His people (Zech. 1: 9, 13-14, 19 Luke 1:11-20, Luke. 1:26-38) and it is this encounter that dominates our Christmas celebration. However, appearances of the angels are usually brief and formal. They are aimed at improving our relationship with the Lord rather than attracting attention to themselves (Revelation 22: 8-9)

We will judge the Angels.

Until we enter the fullness of our redemption the angels enjoy a superior position to us, but they will then serve under us as the Bride of Christ when we become the elite of all God's creation (Rev. 21: 9-14, 2Tim.2:12). We will even judge the angels (1Cor.6:3).

However, because angels are so magnificent, people have fallen into the sin of angel-worship. To us they may seem like God Himself, but to God they are as far away from His perfection as your dog is to you. We must always remember that the angels, good and bad, are creatures, they are not gods. Saint Thomas Aquinas points out that the angels are not supernatural simply because the condition of an angel as a created being is natural to his state. God and God alone is the only supernatural being. So the Bible warns us not to worship angels (Col. 1:18, - Rev. 19: 10). No holy angel of God will accept homage or worship from humans. If one ever does, it is a clear sign that it is a demon in disguise.

God's Holy Angels are ever present to help us.

It is comforting to know whom and what you have working on your side. Angels and Christians are partners and allies in the spiritual warfare in which we find ourselves. They assist us to dislodge Satan from his stronghold in the world. When Intercessors come together and prayer prevails it brings powerful angels to aid and assist us to hinder the workings of Satan (Hebrews 1:4, Daniel 10:12-13).

We must not confuse the works of the angels with the role of the Holy Spirit.

The role of the angels and the role of the Holy Spirit are very different even though they are companion roles in our lives by assisting us to build the Church and in establishing the Kingdom of God where we live. The difference lies in that the role of the angels is to administer material affairs. The role of the Holy Spirit is to reveal the mind of God and to make Jesus known. Matthew 4:11 shows this distinction clearly; Jesus was "led" by the Spirit, "taught" by the Spirit, and "filled" with the Spirit, but He was "defended" and 'fed' by the angels.

Angels are also territorial spirits and are assigned to particular earthly territories.

The Archangel Michael is the Guardian Angel of Israel (and ours too). The Bible shows us that cities are under angelic guardianship (Dan. 12:1, Ezek. 9:1, Acts.16:9, Acts.10:30). When we read Revelations Chapters 2 and 3, we can see this clearly: "To the presiding spirit of the Church in Ephesus". The "presiding spirit" = literally; angels. (NAB footnotes). Angels were thought of as being in charge of whole communities and individuals alike. (Matt. 18:10, Acts 12:15).

"Only God is home for the love of the angels, just as he is for us. The angels must make their way home, for love's fire is the Divine Flame, or there is no warmth." (St Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologica / Hebrews. 1:7).

It was love's flame that warmed the heart of a young virgin when the Archangel Gabrielle came to announce the good news that a saviour was to be born. It is Gabrielle that God sends to announce "Good News."

Every major proclamation of God was announced by Gabrielle and considering that Mary would have been well acquainted with the angelic tradition of her faith such as we have looked at here. It's not so surprising that she was a little afraid when she was confronted with such a being as Gabrielle although her fear was that of respect rather than that born of a lack of faith. It was her faith to say yes that brought about the greatest miracle of God in all of history, past, present and future.

When the time came for the Saviour to enter into the world, angels appeared to shepherds and proclaimed the "good news" of a Saviour born. The Glory of God shone around them with an angelic multitude of the Heavenly Host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and peace to those on whom His favour rests" (Luke.2:9-14). The Shepherds saw that Glory on that first Christmas night and Mary treasured these things in her heart (Luke 2:19).



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As you go about your duties next Christmas Season, and you happen to notice a little plastic angel on your Christmas tree, stop a while, and ponder in your heart the Glory that surrounds you and your family. You have powerful friends in high places and perhaps your Christmas Carols might come to mean a little more to you than you may have previously thought.

We are indeed surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, and there is nothing plastic about that.


Between GOOD and EVIL
The sole purpose of the Bible is to point to God's purpose, which is to reconcile sinful man to God through Jesus Christ, His Son. God's plan is to restore all things as it was in the beginning, before the fall of Adam and Eve ~ God dwelling with man and man, while subject to God. ruling over His New Earth (Rev 21:7).

Why do we need to be reconciled? Reconciliation is that of owing a debt and having it paid in full. Jesus paid that debt for us; He came to draw us back to Him because sin entered the world through the first man and woman, who were deceived by and obeyed Satan in the Garden of Eden. This is not an easy task, for there is a battle going on...a battle for your soul.

How did this battle begin? There was a rebellion in heaven. In Revelation 12:1-3 the dragon, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, waged war against Michael, God's Archangel, and his angels and LOST. In vs. 4 we see a third of the stars (angels) of heaven thrown down to the earth by the dragon's tail. In vs. 9 we are told the great dragon, the serpent of old, who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world, was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." At that point, they went after the woman (Jews) who was about to give birth to a male son (Jesus), and also against her offspring, the children of God saved through Jesus (vs. 17), called Christians (Acts 11:25-26). Thus began the spiritual warfare we read about throughout the Bible. Have you ever been in the middle of a war? There are only two involved: GOOD and EVIL.

God created Man to rule over the earth. When Satan was cast out of heaven to the earth, he tempted Eve. Understand that being tempted is not a sin, for Jesus was also tempted and did not fail. Adam and Eve did fail. Because of this, they gave their authority over the earth to Satan, who then became the "god of this world" (2 Cor 4:4). When Jesus Christ died on the cross and overcame death, He took back all authority, in order to give it back to those who follow Him. Once the last enemy is destroyed, death, and believers are resurrected, they will once again rule over the earth with God as the Head, forever...as it was in the beginning. In the meantime, this battle will rage on. Just as Adam and Eve were tempted to sin, the Spirit of God now draws us back to giving Lordship to Jesus Christ in our lives. God created Man to respond to temptation (by Satan) or the drawing of the Spirit (God). We have a choice to obey GOOD or EVIL.

GOOD is a master and EVIL is a master. The Word says in Matthew 6:24 that “No man can serve two masters; either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.” Believe it or not, because of Adam and Eve we are born on the side of EVIL (Psalm 51:5; Romans 5:12-14) and God's Spirit (GOOD) draws all men unto Himself (since Christ was lifted up from the earth - John 12:32).

The Word also states in Ephesians 6:12, “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.” This warfare happens on earth as well as in heaven. Check out Jude 1:9 where the Archangel Michael disputes with the devil over the body of Moses. Satan is alive and well, and is at war (while he has time) to keep people deceived. 2 Corinthians 4:4 tells us "the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God."

When God created man, God’s words were not physically written anywhere. God spoke to Adam and Eve directly. He told them what they could and could not do. Because Adam and Eve were deceived by Satan into disobeying God’s command, God sentenced the serpent, Adam and Eve with a curse of judgment. What does that mean?

We can only assume Adam and Eve were never supposed to see death, but because they rebelled like Satan did, their sin was subject to God’s law; that is “the wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23). Surely, all mankind dies, but because we are sinful, our own death does not forgive our sin. When the nations of Adam and Eve repented by doing their best to serve God, they were saved by faith (Hebrews 11), yet were still enslaved to sinning (Romans 6:17), even as it is today.

When Israel was enslaved in Egypt, God sent a final plague, an angel of death to take the lives of every first-born Egyptian male. In order for Israel to be spared, they had to brush the blood of a lamb on their doorposts, causing the angel of death to "pass over" (sanctify/set apart) them. Every year since, Israel sacrificed the very best lamb they had at a time they called Passover (Exodus 12:6). This lamb would "pass over" their sins from that year to the next. This practice was symbolic of the coming of the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29). That Lamb was Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

After Israel was delivered from Egypt, they fell into rampant sin. God then gave Moses the 10 Commandments, written by His Own finger (Deuteronomy 9:10/Luke 11:20). When man could physically write the words of God, these writings were called “scriptures”, now known as “The Holy Bible”. The original language of the first scriptures was Hebrew/Chaldea. After Jesus Christ came into the world as the Lamb of God and fulfilled the Old Testament laws and prophesies (Matthew 5:17), the New Testament was then written in Greek. The English translations since printed have caused many to err in doctrinal understanding. This is why it is imperative we research questionable English wording by finding the applicable definition in the original languages.

The Bible says we are slaves to sin (John 8:34). So, even though God gave His laws to Israel, they couldn't keep them! Satan's purpose is to keep us enslaved! The Bible says the Law is against us! (Colossians 2:14). This is WHY God made THE WAY to deliver everyone from sin and its consequences (Romans 8:21). We can choose to remain slaves to sin and ignore the Way God has made for us, or we can choose the Way, the Truth and the Life, which sets us free from the law of sin and death (John 14:6; John 8:1, 32). You belong to one or the other based on your choice. You don't have the choice NOT to choose, people.

What is the Way, the Truth and the Life? Well, this brings us back to the purpose of Jesus Christ. He is the only WAY to reconcile mankind back to God (Romans 5:6-11). Jesus paid for our sin IN FULL by His death on the cross (Luke 23:46); however, we must deny (repent) one master (Satan) and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord (our Master). However, if we don’t believe or receive Jesus Christ, we have denied His payment. If we do this, we are still under the law of sin and death (ensnared in the dragon's trap). Again, no one can serve two masters! No one can serve NO master either!

Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?"
When you give your heart to Jesus Christ, God empowers you to overcome Satan (Luke 10:17-20). As I stated before, mankind can not pay for his own sin or be righteous enough for God. Because Jesus was sinless, He alone was worthy to pay for our sin; believers are blameless through Him and are worthy (because of the Lamb) to receive the Spirit of God/Spirit of Christ within (Romans 8:9), and live in the kingdom of God for all eternity! (Philippians 2:15). We are set free from the dragon's clenches, both here on earth, in death and in heaven. However, the battle for your soul will continue. It is possible for a believer to yet turn away from the truth (Hebrews 6:4). In other words, just because the Seed (the gospel) is sown in you, one can still be at risk of turning away from the truth (Mat 13:3-23; Mk 4:2-20; Lk 8:4-15; Rom 11:19-21).

We must CHOOSE this day whom we will serve (Joshua 14:15). To reject the One (Jesus Christ) is to serve the other, which is EVIL (Satan). Because we are sinful and have no sacrifice for sin when we reject Jesus Christ, those who physically die without Him will also experience eternity apart from God with Satan (Rev 20:10, 15). Rather than focus on EVIL and what God has in store for them, let’s focus on the GOOD and what lies in store for those who love God and are called according to His purpose, that purpose being salvation through Jesus Christ (Romans 8:28).

So how do we become saved? It's explained in my hub Come to JESUS: Salvation.


"What are cherubim? Are cherubs angels?"

Answer: Cherubim/cherubs are angelic beings involved in the worship and praise of God. The cherubim are first mentioned in the Bible in Genesis 3:24 , “After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.”“And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. [23] And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.”"For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive." Prior to his rebellion, Satan was a cherub (Ezekiel 28:12-15 ). The tabernacle and temple along with their articles contained many representations of cherubim (Exodus 25:17-22 ; 26:1 , 31 ; 36:8 ; 1 Kings 6:23-35 ; 7:29-36 ; 8:6-7 ; 1 Chronicles 28:18 ; 2 Chronicles 3:7-14 ; 2 Chronicles 3:10-13 ; 5:7-8 ; Hebrews 9:5 ).

Chapters 1 and 10 of the book of Ezekiel describe the “four living creatures” (Ezekiel 1:5 ) as the same beings as the cherubim (Ezekiel 10). Each had four faces—that of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle (Ezekiel 1:10 ; also 10:14)—and each had four wings. In their appearance, the cherubim “had the likeness of a man” (Ezekiel 1:5 ). These cherubim used two of their wings for flying and the other two for covering their bodies (Ezekiel 1:6 , 11 , 23 ). Under their wings the cherubim appeared to have the form, or likeness, of a man's hand (Ezekiel 1:8 ; 10:7-8 , 21 ).

The imagery of Revelation 4:6-9  also seems to be describing cherubim. The cherubim serve the purpose of magnifying the holiness and power of God. This is one of their main responsibilities throughout the Bible. In addition to singing God's praises, they also serve as a visible reminder of the majesty and glory of God and His abiding presence with His people.