GOD’S PLAN IN DETAIL – THE STUDY GUIDE

Angels and the Spirit World

Angels as God’s Helpers

The angels are servants that God has created and sent to care for those he is working with. Hebrews 1:14 NLTBut angels are only servants. They are spirits sent from God to care for those who will receive salvation.. And yet they are about as far away as you can imagine from the cute winged cherub illustrations that they are typically portrayed as. The prophet Daniel fell on his face in terror when an angel sent by God appeared before him. The angel’s appearance and voice was terrifying. Daniel 10:4-11 NLTOn April 23, as I was standing beside the great Tigris River, I looked up and saw a man dressed in linen clothing, with a belt of pure gold around his waist. His body looked like a dazzling gem. From his face came flashes like lightning, and his eyes were like flaming torches. His arms and feet shone like polished bronze, and his voice was like the roaring of a vast multitude of people.

I, Daniel, am the only one who saw this vision. The men with me saw nothing, but they were suddenly terrified and ran away to hide. So I was left there all alone to watch this amazing vision. My strength left me, my face grew deathly pale, and I felt very weak. When I heard him speak, I fainted and lay there with my face to the ground.

Just then a hand touched me and lifted me, still trembling, to my hands and knees. And the man said to me, "O Daniel, greatly loved of God, listen carefully to what I have to say to you. Stand up, for I have been sent to you." When he said this to me, I stood up, still trembling with fear..

And yet we will ultimately be given the job of judging the angels as one of our responsibilities in God’s Kingdom. 1 Corinthians 6:3 NLTDon't you realize that we Christians will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disagreements here on earth..

God has assigned angels to protect whole nations, Daniel 12:1 NLTAt that time Michael, the archangel who stands guard over your nation, will arise..., and even provides angels to guard and protect young children. Matthew 18:10 NLT"Beware that you don't despise a single one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels are always in the presence of my heavenly Father..

There are many other descriptions of angels in Scripture. They are created servants of God and do whatever God commands – ‘swift as the wind and made of flaming fire’. Hebrews 1:6-7 NLTAnd then, when he presented his honored Son to the world, God said, "Let all the angels of God worship him." God calls his angels "messengers swift as the wind, and servants made of flaming fire.". They are very real.

Lucifer Unmasked

Just as with the angels, we have trivialised the fallen angels. The cutesy pictures of a red devil with horns are all totally wrong.

The apostle Peter summed up men’s attitudes when he said that ‘These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at the glorious ones without so much as trembling… They laugh at the terrifying powers they know so little about’. 2 Peter 2:10-12 NLTHe is especially hard on those who follow their own evil, lustful desires and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at the glorious ones without so much as trembling.

But the angels, even though they are far greater in power and strength than these false teachers, never speak out disrespectfully against the glorious ones.

These false teachers are like unthinking animals, creatures of instinct, who are born to be caught and killed. They laugh at the terrifying powers they know so little about, and they will be destroyed along with them.. Also Jude 1:8-10 NLTYet these false teachers, who claim authority from their dreams, live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at the power of the glorious ones. But even Michael, one of the mightiest of the angels, did not dare accuse Satan of blasphemy, but simply said, "The Lord rebuke you." (This took place when Michael was arguing with Satan about Moses' body.)

But these people mock and curse the things they do not understand. Like animals, they do whatever their instincts tell them, and they bring about their own destruction..

Satan rules the present world and has enormous power – power that God has not yet taken from him. Luke 4:5-8 CEVThen the devil led Jesus up to a high place and quickly showed him all the nations on earth. The devil said, "I will give all this power and glory to you. It has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. Just worship me, and you can have it all."

Jesus answered, "The Scriptures say: `Worship the Lord your God and serve only him!'", 2 Corinthians 4:4 CEVThe god who rules this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers. They cannot see the light, which is the good news about our glorious Christ, who shows what God is like., Ephesians 2:2 NLTYou used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.. He controls everything that happens in the world subject only to the limitations that God has placed on him. Thankfully, for Christians, Yeshua overcame Satan and is able to protect us.

Satan wanted to test the apostles, but was not allowed to do so. Luke 22:31 CEVJesus said, "Simon, listen to me! Satan has demanded the right to test each one of you, as a farmer does when he separates wheat from the husks. . We can also have the same protection, but we have to be vigilant and stay close to God. Ephesians 6:10-18 NLTA final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms.

Use every piece of God's armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body armor of God's righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News, so that you will be fully prepared. In every battle you will need faith as your shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at you by Satan. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

Pray at all times and on every occasion in the power of the Holy Spirit. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all Christians everywhere.. Our real battle is with these evil spirit rulers of our world. Ephesians 6:12 NLT For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places..

Satan, and the demons that follow him, are far more powerful than humans. Even God’s angels struggle to control them. Daniel 10:12-14 NLTThen he said, "Don't be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day you began to pray for understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your request has been heard in heaven. I have come in answer to your prayer.

But for twenty-one days the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia blocked my way. Then Michael, one of the archangels, came to help me, and I left him there with the spirit prince of the kingdom of Persia.

Now I am here to explain what will happen to your people in the future, for this vision concerns a time yet to come.". 

Satan is the ultimate con-man, 2 Corinthians 11:14 NLTBut I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light., and can do amazing counterfeit miracles. 2 Thessalonians 2:9 NLTThis evil man will come to do the work of Satan with counterfeit power and signs and miracles.. He will ultimately succeed in deceiving the whole world, Revelation 12:9 NLTThis great dragon - the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world - was thrown down to the earth with all his angels., and even some Christians will be deceived. 1 Timothy 5:15 NLTFor I am afraid that some of them have already gone astray and now follow Satan..

However, we don’t need to fear Satan if we first of all fear and obey God - because we are then guaranteed God’s full protection. Ephesians 6:16 CEVLet your faith be like a shield, and you will be able to stop all the flaming arrows of the evil one..

Satan was thrown out of Heaven when he first rebelled against God, Luke 10:18 CEVJesus told them: I saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning., and he will finally be cast out from his role as ruler of this present world at the end of this age when Yeshua returns. John 12:30-33 NLTThen Jesus told them, "The voice was for your benefit, not mine. The time of judgment for the world has come, when the prince of this world will be cast out. And when I am lifted up on the cross, I will draw everyone to myself." He said this to indicate how he was going to die., Revelation 12:9 NLTThis great dragon - the ancient serpent called the Devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world - was thrown down to the earth with all his angels., Revelation 20:2-3 NLTHe seized the dragon - that old serpent, the Devil, Satan - and bound him in chains for a thousand years. The angel threw him into the bottomless pit, which he then shut and locked so Satan could not deceive the nations anymore until the thousand years were finished. Afterward he would be released again for a little while..

Until then, Satan and his demons influence everything that is happening, limited only by what God allows. Ephesians 2:2 NLTYou used to live just like the rest of the world, full of sin, obeying Satan, the mighty prince of the power of the air. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God., Ephesians 6:10-12 NLTA final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power. Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms..

The early church was only just taking root when Satan began sowing counterfeit churches to deceive and create confusion. Matthew 13:24-30 NIVJesus told them another parable: "The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

The owner's servants came to him and said, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?'

'An enemy did this,' he replied.

The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?'

'No,' he answered, 'because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.' . Yeshua warned his disciples that this would happen in Matthew 24:3-14 CEVLater, as Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him in private and asked, "When will this happen? What will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the world?"

Jesus answered: Don't let anyone fool you. Many will come and claim to be me. They will say that they are the Messiah, and they will fool many people.

You will soon hear about wars and threats of wars, but don't be afraid. These things will have to happen first, but that isn't the end. Nations and kingdoms will go to war against each other. People will starve to death, and in some places there will be earthquakes. But this is just the beginning of troubles.

You will be arrested, punished, and even killed. Because of me, you will be hated by people of all nations. Many will give up and will betray and hate each other. Many false prophets will come and fool a lot of people. Evil will spread and cause many people to stop loving others. But if you keep on being faithful right to the end, you will be saved.

When the good news about the kingdom has been preached all over the world and told to all nations, the end will come.. And it did. 2 Peter 2:1-3 NLTBut there were also false prophets in Israel, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will cleverly teach their destructive heresies about God and even turn against their Master who bought them.

Theirs will be a swift and terrible end. Many will follow their evil teaching and shameful immorality. And because of them, Christ and his true way will be slandered.

In their greed they will make up clever lies to get hold of your money. But God condemned them long ago, and their destruction is on the way.
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Satan has been so successful at this that the members of God’s true church have literally disappeared from view – hidden among a multitude of false churches that claim to follow Yeshua, but don’t teach or obey what he taught.

This will build up in intensity until just before Yeshua returns when Satan will stir up intense persecution against the members of God’s true church that will last for 3½ years. Revelation 12:13-17 NIVWhen 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., Daniel 7:23-25 NIVHe gave me this explanation: 'The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.

The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.

He will speak against the Most High and oppress his saints and try to change the set times and the laws. The saints will be handed over to him for a time, times and half a time., Daniel 11:33-35 NLTThose who are wise will give instruction to many. But for a time many of these teachers will die by fire and sword, or they will be jailed and robbed.

While all these persecutions are going on, a little help will arrive, though many who join them will not be sincere. And some who are wise will fall victim to persecution.

In this way, they will be refined and cleansed and made pure until the time of the end, for the appointed time is still to come., Daniel 12:5-7 NLTThen I, Daniel, looked and saw two others standing on opposite banks of the river. One of them asked the man dressed in linen, who was now standing above the river, "How long will it be until these shocking events happen?"

The man dressed in linen, who was standing above the river, raised both his hands toward heaven and took this solemn oath by the one who lives forever: "It will go on for a time, times, and half a time. When the shattering of the holy people has finally come to an end, all these things will have happened..

At the end of this time the seventh angel will sound its trumpet and Yeshua will finally return in full power to take control of our world. Revelation 11:15 NIVThe seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

"The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever." .

Satan, and all the fallen angels who rule our world, will then be chained in prison until God is ready to judge them. Isaiah 24:21-22 NLTIn that day the LORD will punish the fallen angels in the heavens and the proud rulers of the nations on earth. They will be rounded up and put in prison until they are tried and condemned. .

The prophets, Isaiah and Ezekiel, were both inspired to describe Satan’s former glory, how he tried to overthrow God, and how he will finally be reduced to nothing. Isaiah 14:12-17 NLT"How you are fallen from heaven, O shining star, son of the morning! You have been thrown down to the earth, you who destroyed the nations of the world. For you said to yourself, `I will ascend to heaven and set my throne above God's stars. I will preside on the mountain of the gods far away in the north. I will climb to the highest heavens and be like the Most High.'

But instead, you will be brought down to the place of the dead, down to its lowest depths. Everyone there will stare at you and ask, `Can this be the one who shook the earth and the kingdoms of the world? Is this the one who destroyed the world and made it into a wilderness? Is this the king who demolished the world's greatest cities and had no mercy on his prisoners?' and Ezekiel 28:12-19 NLT"Son of man, weep for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD:

You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone - red carnelian, chrysolite, white moonstone, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald - all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.

"You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.

Your great wealth filled you with violence, and you sinned. So I banished you from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.

Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire from within you, and it consumed you. I let it burn you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you are no more.".

Lucifer’s Role in Prehistory

Lucifer, now called Satan, the Adversary, is the present spirit ruler of our world. However, he was originally created as the one of the most powerful of the angels and was perfect in all his ways until fault was found in him. Ezekiel 28:12-19 NLT"Son of man, weep for the king of Tyre. Give him this message from the Sovereign LORD:

You were the perfection of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God. Your clothing was adorned with every precious stone - red carnelian, chrysolite, white moonstone, beryl, onyx, jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald - all beautifully crafted for you and set in the finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I ordained and anointed you as the mighty angelic guardian. You had access to the holy mountain of God and walked among the stones of fire.

"You were blameless in all you did from the day you were created until the day evil was found in you.

Your great wealth filled you with violence, and you sinned. So I banished you from the mountain of God. I expelled you, O mighty guardian, from your place among the stones of fire.

Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty. You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth and exposed you to the curious gaze of kings. You defiled your sanctuaries with your many sins and your dishonest trade. So I brought fire from within you, and it consumed you. I let it burn you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. All who knew you are appalled at your fate. You have come to a terrible end, and you are no more.". He rebelled against his creator and was cast back down to the earth. Luke 10:18 CEVJesus told them: I saw Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning..

His rebellion must have already happened before Adam and Eve were created because it was Satan who tempted them to sin.

While the Genesis account doesn’t say how long it was after they were created before Satan tempted them, they hadn’t yet eaten any fruit from the Tree of Life, which was located right in the centre of the garden.

This then raises the question of how Satan could have been cast back to earth before the earth was even created. It also raises questions about what Lucifer was originally assigned to do on the earth before he rebelled against the God who created him.

Why was he given dominion over the earth? Was it only after Adam and Eve sinned, or had he already been assigned that role?

The fossils of massive and violent creatures that roamed the earth for millions of years is powerful evidence that the earth is much older than just 6,000 years as implied in the Creation account. Physicists have studied the visible universe and have reached the astonishing conclusion that the universe began in a ‘Big Bang’ some 14.7 billion years ago.

The Bible doesn’t spell out in detail what actually happened, but it does hint at the amazing story of how we got here today.

The first thing to know is that our Father created all things, including the angels, through his son, Yeshua.

The angels were created for a purpose. They were to be ministering spirits, helpers to God in achieving his plans. And the most powerful of all those angelic creations was Lucifer, perfect in all his ways until fault was found in him.

But why was Lucifer created? What was he given to do?

While he had direct access to God’s throne, he appears to have been based the earth, with headquarters in Eden. When he rebelled, he was cast back to the earth, which Yeshua saw happen.

To understand what was going on during this time, you only have to look at what God’s plan for this physical universe is. God plans to increase his family. The physical universe, our planet, the earth, and all life on it, has only one purpose – to add more children into God’s family. When that is done, this physical universe will be discarded and replaced with a much better one.

God lives in eternity. Time is of no concern to him. We don’t know how long he and Yeshua spent planning all of this, but there is no reason to doubt that the universe came into being in a ‘big bang’ 14.7 billion years ago. There is no reason to doubt that the earth itself was formed as a planet, revolving around our sun, 4.5 billion years ago. But that does raise the question of what the first few chapters of Genesis are really saying.