Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12 that we are not struggling against a flesh and blood enemy that we can see. We are struggling, Paul says, against principalities, powers, rulers of the "darkness of this age" and against hosts of wickedness in Heavenly places. We fight against these forces not with physical weapons but with the armor of God that He has provided to us (Ephesians 6: 10-18). We fight darkness by putting on the "armor of light" (Romans 13:12) But how did these spiritual enemies come to be?
Rebellion in Heaven
Revelation 12: 7-12 tells of a rebellion in Heaven. The Archangel Michael threw Satan and his rebellious angels down to earth. These rebellious angels we call demons. There is debate among Bible scholars as to the exact timing of these events. We know that in Job, Satan appears before God to accuse Job. Satan told God that he had been roaming back and forth through the Earth. Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:12-17 described Satan as the most beautiful of God's creations. This beautiful angel fell because of the sin of pride. He wanted to BE God.
Angel Gabriel
In the book of Daniel we are told about two of God's special angels - Gabriel and Michael, the archangel. Gabriel's name means "warrior of God" and Michael's name means "Who is like God". Names are significant in the Bible. In Daniel 8:15-16 Gabriel interprets a vision of Daniel for him. In Daniel 9:21 he again explains to Daniel so he can understand a vision he was given. Gabriel appears again in the Nativity stories in Luke 1:26.
Archangel Michael
Michael appears in Daniel 10: 2-21. In these verses Michael is described as a chief prince (of Israel). We are told that a messenger was sent to Daniel to explain a vision but he was delayed by the demonic "prince of Persia" for 21 days until Michael came and helped the messenger. The messenger then tells Daniel that he will have to go and continue his fight against the prince of Persia but that after him will come another prince, the "prince of Greece". We know historically that after the defeat of Persia the nation of Greece will defeat the Persians and will attack Israel. Michael is described in Daniel 12:1 as, "The great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people;". Michael is mentioned again in the New Testament in Jude 1:9 and once more in the book of Revelation as described above.
Unseen Angels
This unseen angelic realm is allowed to be seen in 2 Kings 6:17 when Elisha asks God to open the eyes of his servant so that he would be able to see the great hosts of angelic armies that were on the side of Israel and that he need not fear. Angels are created by God and they serve Him. One of their missions is to defend His people.
Strangers As Angels
Angels have appeared to people several times as physical beings. The story of Abraham entertaining three visitors in Genesis 18 is one example. In Genesis 19:1 two angels appeared to Lot to warn him. They appeared in human form. Hebrews 13:2 reminds us to be hospitable to strangers because sometimes they are angels.
Fallen Angels
Demonic angels, fallen angels, that serve Satan are busy in the world working to destroy the people of God. They can quite literally possess people causing them physical and spiritual harm (Matthew 12:22; Mark 5; Luke 22: 3-4). They can influence Christians but not possess them because Christians are filled with the Holy Spirit. They can blind the minds of unbelievers to the light of the gospel (2 Corinthians 4:4). They can deceive people because they can disguise themselves as "servants of righteousness" (2 Corinthians 11: 14-15). They promote false doctrines (I Timothy 4:1). They can perform signs to deceive humans (Revelation 16:14). They can even torment believers (2 Corinthians 12:7).
Pride Is Our Weakness
Demons and even Satan himself are not all knowing, they are not all present, they are not all powerful. These are attributes of God only. They are however very clever in their understanding of humans and what "makes us tick", as the expression goes. They know, that just as Satan rebelled because of pride, pride is our huge weakness.
Prowling Lion
Satan, according to Peter in l Peter 5:8, prowls the world seeking those whom he can devour and destroy. The lie of sin is that if we ignore God and His will and put ourselves in God's place, we will be happy. Satan whispers to us, just like he did to Eve in the beginning, "did God really say that?" (Genesis 3:1). He plants doubt in our minds that God loves us. He makes us question if God is truly faithful to us.
Fighting Darkness With Light
Satan knows he is defeated already. So why does he continue to battle God? Perhaps he is deluded by his own pride. Or perhaps he just wants others to be as miserable as he is. He knows his time is short to take as many as he can with him to Hell. He knows this because he is very aware of the scriptures. What Satan doesn't know is when Christ will return. As Christians we need to remember that this physical world we live in, is only a part of reality. We may not see the battles going on between darkness and light but they are happening.
Keep Us From The Evil One
When Jesus is tempted in the desert by Satan, He defeats Satan by quoting scripture. Knowledge of God and of His word is essential in our walk as Christians to successfully defeat the attacks from Satan that we all face. In 2 Corinthians 10:3-4 Paul reminds us that we are not waging war according to the flesh. Our weapons are "mighty in God" he tells us. We are fighting darkness with light. This is a war between darkness and light. In John 17:15 Jesus prayed for us to God that He would keep us from the evil one. And to this we say Amen and Amen!
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