November 19, 2017 – Bible Doctrine # 12 – Angels and Demons

Survey of Bible Doctrine, Week 12 – The Nature and Work of Angels and Demons

OUTLINE OF THE LESSON:

I.      The Origin and Nature of Angels and Demons

• All Angelic Beings were Created by God and are Supernatural, Spiritual Creatures – Genesis 2:1; Colossians 1:16
• Lucifer Rebelled Against God and Led a Third of the Angels to Follow Him. These Fallen Angels are Now Known as Demons – Isaiah 14:12-15; Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9

II.    The Work of Angels and Demons

• Angels Obey God and Minister to Christians – Hebrews 1:14; Psalm 91:11
• Demons Oppose God and Try to Harm Christians – 1 Timothy 4:1; Ephesians 6:11-12
• Christians are Involved in Spiritual Warfare – 1 Peter 5:8; James 4:7; Ephesians 6:13-18

Lesson Date: November 19, 2017

Focal Scripture Passage: Genesis 2:1; Psalm 91:11; Isaiah 14:12-15; Ephesians 6:11-18; Colossians 1:16; 1 Timothy 4:1; Hebrews 1:14; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9

AIM: To lead students to understand the work of angels and demons, and to accept the responsibility God has given them for resisting the devil and his demons.

Before class: Get enough copies of the lesson outline handout for your anticipated attendance.

INTRODUCTION (Create Learning Readiness): Read Luke 1:26-33 to the class. Tell the class that Christmas is just a month away. The verses you just read are from the very familiar passage in which the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and told her she was going to be the mother of Jesus Christ. Note that at Christmas time more than any other time of the year we hear about and talk about angels. We know that angels appeared to the shepherds. Every church which has a children’s Christmas program will include at least one “angel” in the program. Many books have been written about angels in recent years. Angel figurines are available in gift shops and Christian bookstores. People are intrigued by angels.

Ask the following rhetorical questions: “What do we really know about angels and demons? Are they for real? If so, where did they come from? What are angels and demons like? What makes angels and demons different? Are they still active today, or was their activity limited to Bible times? If they are active today, what do they do? What relationship do angels and demons have to human beings?”

Tell the students you hope they will discover answers to those and some other questions through today’s Sunday School lesson. Read the lesson aim to the class. Give each student a copy of the lesson outline handout.

HEART OF THE LESSON (Central Truth):

1. Review.
   • Remind the students that we are in a study of a “Survey of Bible Doctrine.”
   • Review the first ten lessons by reading the lesson titles found on page 3 of the Sunday School Member Quarterly.
   • Ask: “What was last week’s lesson about?” (the church’s nature and work).
2. Where Did Angels and Demons Come From?
   • Ask one volunteer to read Genesis 2:1 and another to read Colossians 1:16.
   • Tell the class since God created everything, that means all angelic beings were created by Him.
   • Explain that there was a time when there were no angelic beings – there was only God. At some point in His creative process, God created a very large multitude of spirit beings, often referred to as the “host.”
3. What are Angels and Demons Like?
   • Answer that question through the following brief lecture:
     • Angels and demons are spiritual, supernatural beings. They are not confined to a physical body, but may manifest themselves in human form if they so desire (as Gabriel did to Mary).
     • They do not marry, have children, age, or die (see 22:30).
     • Angels and demons are very powerful, but they are not as powerful as God. Unlike God, they are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent. They do not know the future, except as it has been revealed to them through God’s Word. Unlike God, they cannot be in all places at once.
4. Why Are There Demons and Where Did They Come From?
   • Read Isaiah 14:12-15.
   • Tell the class the origin of demons is bound up in the rebellion of Lucifer.
   • We believe that Lucifer, along with Gabriel and Michael was one of three archangels.
   • At some point prior to the fall of man, Lucifer became puffed up with pride and arrogance and decided he would challenge God. Lucifer wanted to be
   • The result of Lucifer’s rebellion was a war in heaven.
   • Read Revelation 12:3-4 and 7-9.
   • Since God is all-powerful, the outcome of that war was never in question. Lucifer’s rebellion was put down and he was defeated.
   • Lucifer and a third of the angels were cast out of heaven to the earth.
   • Lucifer became known as the devil or Satan and the fallen angelic beings became what we know as demons or evil spirits.
5. What Do Angels Do?
   • Ask a volunteer to read Hebrews 1:14.
   • Ask: “What does the Bible say angels are assigned to do?” (“minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation”).
   • Angels are God’s servants or ministers; much of what they do is minister to Christians.
   • Read Psalm 91:11.
   • Angels watch over us, help us in times of trouble, encourage us, protect us, and sometimes they have even revealed God’s will and plans to men (Acts 27:23).
   • Angels also minister to God by worshiping around His throne (Isa. 6:1-3; Rev. 5:11-12).
6. What Do Demons Do?
   • Read 1 Timothy 4:1.
   • Explain that when we find the word devils (plural) in the Bible it refers to demons. There is only one devil, but there are many, many demons.
   • Tell the class that demons try to deceive people with false doctrine. This is the reason there are so many false religions and false beliefs in our world. False doctrine comes from demons, not from sincere but misguided men.
   • Ask a volunteer to read Ephesians 6:11-12.
   • Point out that the words principalities, powers, rulers, and high places refer to some type of hierarchy among the demon spirits.
   • Ask: “Against whom do we wrestle and fight?” (demons spirits, not human beings).
   • Tell the class demons oppose God and try their best to harm Christians. They can oppress people physically or emotionally and actually possess (inhabit, control) unsaved persons.
   • Tell the class the ultimate destiny of all demons is eternal torment (see Matt. 25:41).
7. What Can We Do About Demons?
   • Tell the class this is the question that is most relevant to us.
   • Ask volunteers to look up and read the following verses to the class 1 Peter 5:8; James 4:7; and Ephesians 6:13-18.
   • Lecture briefly on our responsibility, using the following outline:
     • The first thing we must do is realize that we are involved in a war. The Bible tells us we have an adversary (the devil) who wants to destroy us. He has many helpers – his demons.
     • Satan’s forces are many and powerful, but all is not lost: the Bible clearly tells us God gives Christians power to resist the attacks of Satan and his demons. We are simply told to resist the devil and he will flee from us.
   • God has provided spiritual armor for the Christian to use in resisting the enemy’s attacks. Ephesians 6:11-18 tells us that WE must put on the whole armor of God and WE must resist the devil’s attacks. That is OUR

PERSONAL APPLICATION: Tell the class you hope they believe in the reality of angels and demons. If they don’t, they are questioning the truthfulness of the Bible. The Bible is God’s Word and it is completely true. The Bible makes it clear there are angels and demons, and that we are involved in spiritual warfare.

Tell the students the first thing they must do to apply the truths of this lesson to their lives is to accept the reality of spiritual beings and the warfare in which they are involved. The second thing they must do is accept the responsibility God has given them to take on the armor and resist the attacks of the enemy.

Stress the fact that we are in a spiritual war. If a soldier in combat denies the existence of the enemy or refuses to carry his weapon, that does not remove him from the conflict or keep him safe from enemy fire. The same is true for us. Denying the reality of spiritual warfare and refusing to take on the armor of God does not remove us from the battleground or keep us safe; it simply makes us targets rather than warriors.

Ask everyone to bow their head and close their eyes. Urge them to tell God they accept the reality of spirit beings and spiritual warfare. Urge them to tell God they accept the responsibility He has given them for their spiritual welfare and warfare. Tell them to ask God for His help in waging spiritual warfare. Voice a closing prayer.

CONCLUSION: Encourage everyone to read Ephesians 6:11-18 and claim their spiritual armor every day this week. Ask them to memorize Ephesians 6:12. Tell the class next week is our final lesson about Bible doctrine. It is about the Doctrine of Last Things. Give everyone a copy of the Sunday School Member Quarterly for the winter quarter study of 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus.