Legends, Fables and Biblical Origins - Selected Scriptures

Think about angels and humans you wish. God's word had just a little bit more to say, God has not told us everything about the unseen world of angels and demons and other flying creatures. He hasn't told us everything about them, but he has told us everything we need to know where to stay close to this book of divine origin.

We will not only discover the truth that we must know we will also be protected against all these sorts of legends and myths that are continually repackaged in our own generation, beginning with children as they are told them on through every age division. Humans have long substituted the worship of God for the worship of angels they try to solve the mysteries of the angelic world and become obsessed with it, but this infatuation is not biblical. God may not of told us everything we'd like to know about the unseen world. But he didn't tell us everything we need to know this is wisdom for the heart and today Stephen Davey continues through his series entitled angels, demons and other flying creatures in this series.

Stevens looking at what the Bible says about these mysterious creatures. The lesson you're going to hear today is called legends fables and biblical origins.

Grab your Bible and settle in for today's lesson. Human nature likes something that we can feel close to us, and perhaps even see. We know that God cannot be seen with more lies and and so often he doesn't seem so readily available to help in angels are the next best thing and we focus on them.

The apocryphal book of Tobit introduced one particular legend.

This one is about an angel named Rafael who called himself. One of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of the saints and enter into the presence of the glory of the holy one. These are written by the way not to be viewed as legend, but truth it was by the way, written 200 years before Christ by an unknown Jewish author. So it's gotta be good right it predates Jesus Christ by 200 years will only pause from the legend and just say something your old isn't necessarily right today we have nothing but the repackaging of old traditions and legends and just new forms and new methods and new beliefs, but they are old lies. This legend is a good example to get back to the book of Tobit which was where I was. Tobit was a Jew of exceptional piety, who lived among the exiles in Nineveh story says among his other labors of charity. Tobit took it upon himself to bury the body of any slain Jew, he happened to come upon one night his son Tobias told him that a fellow Jew had been strangled and left in the open marketplace. Tobit immediately went to take care of the situation. That night because of touching the corpse which made him unclean.

He slept outside at this point Tobit fell victim to a tragic turn of events when bird droppings fell into his eyes and he went blind in this. A great legend. Meanwhile, young Jewish woman in her neck.Tana names Sarah had troubles enough of her own seven times she had married and every time the jealous demon as notice had come and killed her new husband on their honeymoon. I just before they could consummate their marriage reputation was now in ruins.

She didn't know what to do so. In desperation, she prayed for deliverance from the Angels and the angel Raphael stepped in.

It just so happened that Tobit he is the blind man now had business and I thought Tana Tobias, his handsome young son was then sent there to collect the money on the way Rafael disguises a human volunteered to escort Tobias on the way to act, but Tana they can by the Tigris River and a fish jumped up from the river and try to swallow Tobias Rafael told Tobias to catch the man eating fish which he somehow accomplished raw failed and instructed him to cut out the heart, liver and gall and I thought Tana Rafael introduced Tobias into Sarah and told him she was just the girl for him. Tobias however had heard that she had been somewhat of a fatal attraction for severing other men and politely refused. But Rafael persuaded him that she really was a wonderful girl in the Tobias to deal with the jealous demon quite easily. All he needed to do is take some hot ashes of incense into the bridal chamber on their wedding night laid them on the heart and liver of the fish and the demon would flee so the marriage was arranged and sure enough as Modi is the jealous demon came down to do away with Tobias when he arrived.

However, he smelled the burning fish heart and liver and he fled to Egypt where an angel bound him. This delighted. Sarah's father, who had already dug grave number eight Tobias picked up the money he come for came back to Nineveh where using the fish gall on his father's eyes healed Tobit's blindness. Thus, Rafael earned the reputation as one of the angel grates that you have a new bedtime story for tonight just have to leave the lights on night after you're done by the third century A.D., the testament of Solomon was another legend that combine in sort of a convoluted form of mysticism and Judaism and Christianity Christian terms together and created a popular legend around the wisest man whoever lived who was Solomon story goes like this demon warning us was sucking on the farm of a little boy who was the son of a construction foreman over Solomon's temple construction project. This might not be a good bedtime story here by the but as the boy began to languish and lose weight. Basically, the demon was sucking the life out of this little boy Solomon prayed for help in the archangel Michael came to give them a ring that would allow him to bind all demon with the power of this rings Solomon trapped and interrogated the demon army us, he found out that Arnie is built in Aquarius he could transform himself into a man or a winged creature or into a lion and through his interrogation.

Solomon learned all the names and powers of the demons and also the names of the angels who could defeat them. Demons like on a scale us.

This is a female demon who strangles men, Solomon captured her and made her forever sitting to Weaver's shuttle and make things a demon named Dora Pell gives people sore throats, but flees when the angel Raphael is up and vote suitability is a demon who causes shivering and numbness, but retreats at the name of Rizzo L. Are you writing this down and his interesting character name Anna threat who goes around giving people gas.

I'm not making this up.

He will desist and leave you alone. However, if you repeat the words are rare rare rare rare. You might try that the next time event adjusted the legend ends with Solomon falling in love with Abishag the idolater and he sacrifices locus blood in order to win her love Doug gets upset. Solomon loses control over all the demons and they are loosed again in the world.

Fanciful in the days of the apostle Paul.

Current mixtures of paganism.

Judaism had concocted all sorts of these stories, even in his day, like the legend of metric ton to the ascendance spirit of the neck, who had since become an angel. He believed and was responsible for directing millions of angels. It's interesting that when they discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls they found among those scrolls, several that gave detailed teaching that was supposedly deeper teaching secret knowledge that involve sacred and special days on the calendar. It involved details about angels and spirit power.

Writers believe that the ultimate discovery for any human being was to find the way it appears the heavenly veil and if you can discover the secret to ascend. You could ascend to a higher level of consciousness.

In fact they viewed Jesus Christ as simply and ascended master who had broken the veil and now experienced full divinity.

It's interesting the 2000 years later in our generation. The New Age movement is basically espousing the same view of Jesus Christ in the same exact way. Just a few different term the same line Paul saw all of this as myths and empty philosophies. No such thing as a spirit aura and angel wisdom key that helps the soul ascend door causes the believer to bind the demon. The thing that troubles me is not so much that the world believes this, the church is buying a lot of this church is equally fallen into heresy called dualism. Dualism is the belief that everything about life and in the universe and our planet is nothing more than a battle between the good angels and the bad angels are the fallen. The demon and human beings are just unfortunately caught in the middle and hopefully maybe by praying for the angels will get enough to help and maybe the when the battle nothing of the sovereignty of God. Nothing of the of the decree of God over just sort of stuck here in demons are attached to everything evil and every illness you wonder has the sort of dualism swept into the church which is turn on the television and spend a few minutes watching a televangelist bind some invisible demon with some incantation or phrase using the name of Jesus watch him heal. Supposedly someone who has the demon of cancer.

I watch one program where the pastor gathered all the MasterCard and Visa balance sheets from people all around the country. They were piled up in his church at the front and the stack had to be at least 10 feet high in probably 15 or 20 feet long MasterCard and Visa and all kinds of credit card sheets.

The people in Senate and then he proceeded to bind the demon of debt and free. These people what is that mean and what I think of in the next month when the world doesn't go along with the demon is bound a lot of disillusionment to superstitious as the second century belief the demon calls in the just turn the Colossians to look quickly, there are a few verses will look at a lot of them have you turned this one, Paul exhorted the believers here in the city of Colossae chapter 2 verse six says, you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in him having been firmly rooted and now being built up in faith and established in your faith, just as you are instructed and overflowing with gratitude. See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the traditions of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ, for in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form and in him you have been made complete is the head over all rule and authority.

In other words, you don't need some sort of secret knowledge to be made complete in Christ. You don't need the help of angels, so to speak, to make it against demons through life. You don't need to be released from the demon of poverty in him you have been made. What complete the problem in the Christian life is not that we need a secret key to get more of Christ. Christ needs more of us. We have all of him by her stubbornness and pride. He doesn't have all of us.

That's a lifetime process where he conforms us to the image of himself. If we have a problem with MasterCard. It is in the demon.

It is materialism always blame going to demons is a wonderful way of letting us off the hook doesn't let's forge some biblical sense from the nonsense that start by going back to the time of creation. First of all, angels had a moment of origin. Psalm 148 David says. Praise him all his angels praise him all his hosts, praise him, the sun and moon praise him, all stars of light let them praise the name of the Lord, for he commanded, and they were created. In other words, the Fiat command of God created all of the angelic host who was the created agent within the triune God who gets responsibility, as it were for that. John one in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God all things came into being through him, and apart from him nothing came into being that is coming to being Colossians 14 by him. That is, Christ. All things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible weather and he gives these listings of angelic orders.

Many believe thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things and in him all things hold together. These passages inform us that all of the angels were created by Jesus Christ, we learn. Secondly, this from Job 3870 angels were created before anything else was. They solve the wonder of all the rest of creation as it occurred in Job 38 for we read where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth.

God is speaking to Job, tell me if you have understanding who said it's measurements since you know or who stretched the line on it on what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars, a reference to angels saying together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. This is a reference here to the fact that the angels were shouting for joy as Christ created all that we know so they predated the creation of the universe planet Earth.

I was asked one question as to whether or not angels have souls were not specifically told.

However, the angels do exhibit the activities of what we normally attribute to a soul give you the three of them mind, emotions, and will angels exhibit the attribute of mine or intelligence first Peter 112 were told that they are fascinated with the doctrines of our salvation and they desire. They long to look to learn about a redemption by the way, this lets us know that angels are brilliant but they are not omniscient.

They are incredibly brilliant.

Ezekiel 28 God told Satan.

Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your pride respond. They were created with great intellect.

The angels were created with emotions another property of the soul, they were filled with joy at God's creative acts.

They worship God with all law and humility. In Isaiah 6. Three. They recognize the deity of Christ and worship the Lamb. You know they ascribed to him, blessing and honor and glory and power. Revelation 5. They rejoice when a sinner comes to faith in Christ that are cognizant of the fact that this one was a lost unredeemed human being and now they come to faith in the Lamb they so worship and they are filled with inexpressible joy. They are not some sort of robotic being the do not have thought or feeling third and perhaps most importantly, angels were created with a will. They can choose from various courses of action and they seek to carry out an obedience. The actions God gives them or the fallen angels. Those actions of their leader Lucifer. They were created to know and to understand and to obey the will of God intelligently. In fact, when you look at the record of Lucifer's fall like you might want to turn to Isaiah 14, where Satan said I will I will I will I will I will start at verse 12 of Isaiah 14 God says how have you fallen from heaven, O Star of the morning sun of the Dawn you have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations why you said in your heart. Here they are to start underlining. I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God or the other angelic creatures. I will sit on the mount of the assembly in the recesses of the North. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will make myself like the most high. Nevertheless, you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. Yet the ability to choose, and on the basis of his pride, he chose to defect and millions of angels with him, their choice to defect. By the way, confirmed their judgment. Luke 20 verse 36 informs us that once created, both good and fallen angels are immortal. That is, they will never dive never ceased to exist within a demon or an angel be saved.

Angels you need to understand. Do not repent and are not redeemed. Hebrews 214 makes it clear that redemption is for humanity, not for the angelic beings the angels who chose to follow God at that moment chose to follow God. They were confirmed in their holy choice. Those who chose to rebel and defect were confirmed at that moment in their unholy joy. So there is any flipping back and for demons on become good angels and good angels.

At this point cannot become demon and when did this great rebellion occur or not told exactly but it's pulling other two clues number one angels were created before Genesis 1.

Job told us, so they had to of been created before Genesis 1 and then the second clue is that Satan was present in the garden of Eden to tempt Eve. That's Genesis chapter 3. Thus, angels either chose to follow or rebel against God.

Sometime between the six days of creation. And Genesis chapter 3, so it had to of occurred sometime during Genesis chapter 2 now will have the answer for this. If you know how long Genesis chapter 2 Takes Pl. you might be a little closer to the answer or to put it another way, how long did Adam and Eve live in the garden. The legend of V-neck. By the way I discovered has the answer to that.

It says that Adam and Eve were only able to hold onto the garden of Eden for five hours. That legend is fanciful, I believe, because according to Genesis chapter 2, Adam had enough time to name all of the animal species get enough time to realize he was missing his other half enough time to have major surgery in Aruba removed a wedding ceremony and a woman he named even then time left over to get talked into eating some fruit. He should have never all that would've taken more than five hours.

Sure had to of been more than five wealth we can say this with certainty. Angels made their choice. Prior to the fall of man know what can we learn from angels along a positive thing. We can learn that angels serve God with great passion, the fallen angels hate God with great passion that the angels had a mission statement would be serving God with passion angels number one serve him with privileges. Can you imagine what they see. Can you imagine what they know. Can you imagine being so close to the throne with angels wings they covered her eyes and her feet and all they can utter is one word holy and all they can do is repeat it holy, holy, holy. I think when we get into the presence of God. It will take his grace to allow us to utter anything other than that the angels secondly served with purpose give you three of them. First of all, angels exalt the character of God. Revelation 5 division of John's and then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders and the number of them was myriads of areas that is thousands 10,000×10,000, which is as we talked about on hundred million 100 million angels saying with a loud voice literally chanting worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing in every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them.

I heard say to him who sits on the throne, and unto the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever. And the four living creatures kept saying a mentor for little Baptist corner over there just repeating a man a man that exalt the character of our magnificent God. Second of all angels execute the will of God.

Third, angels enforce the judgment of God. A number of ways.

First, by chastising believers. Second, by punishing unbelievers by destroying according to the book of Revelation Earth's resources. The angels will be given delegated authority to destroy much of planet Earth during the tribulation. Finally, they cast unbelieving humanity. After the final judgment into the lake of fire angels by the hundreds of millions. The text tells us swoop down upon millions of unredeemed and they pick them up and they throw them into hell. These who have already hit their knees and said we believe that now that Jesus is Lord. They cry out we know now that he is angels swoop in, pick them up and throw them in.

There are three things that need to be remembered as we attempt to make some sense. From this number one to depend on the activity of angels is to dilute the power of God. The apostle Paul said I can do all things through my angel strengthens. All I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

He said to the Corinthian believers. This part of his own personal testimony and he said to me, that is, God said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, Paul for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly therefore then Paul says I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Second Corinthians 12 nine depend upon the activity of angels is to dilute the power of God as it were, at least our own minds we can do nothing to dilute his power, but we hinder that expression in our lives by looking to the wrong source of power over to to elevate the role of angels diminishes our relationship with Christ. The Bible says, looking on him to Jesus the author and what finisher third the believer's responsibility is not to determine which stories are true, but to rightly divide the word of truth, Dorthea McLean and her colleagues apparently had spectacular success with gardens in Scotland and they wrote a book about their alleged secrets and what it ended up being is communion with spirit beings sort of angels and gardening. Combine said this she would get centered on her higher self through meditation and then address the question of gardening to the angel of a particular species of plant, she found that quote the being behind the garden P held the design of all P plans in a sort of inner energy stream of divinity with the truth is, were not told to be expert students of legend.

We are told the study to show ourselves approved to God workman that never need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Second Timothy 215 in the next verse is so interesting.

Ladies and gentlemen, in light of this study, then next verse says this but avoid worldly and empty chatter, for it will lead to ungodliness, and this talking will spread like gangrene avoid empty chatter. The word literally means empty sounds interesting. It's fascinating and I had to share some of it with you because it is so interesting. However, he says, in its final analysis, it is empty. It is simply chatter. We are to stay close to this book of divine origin were to study it in so doing we will not only discover the truth that we must know we will also be protected against all these sorts of legends and myths that are continually repackaged in our own generation, beginning with children as they are taught them on through every age division.

God has not told us everything about the unseen world of angels and demons and other flying creatures. He hasn't told us everything about them, but he has told us everything we need to know so we stay close to this book. Can we find protection within the covers of this book as we continue through this study. In the days ahead will explore what God's word teaches about angels tomorrow Stevens going to take a closer look at how angels interact with human beings.

Please make sure you're with us for that. This is wisdom for the heart are Bible teacher Stephen Devi is the pastor of colonial Baptist Church in Cary, North Carolina.

You can learn more about Steven and our ministry@ourwebsitewisdomonline.org you can also access the many resources we have available to equip and encourage you in your walk with Christ. One of our listeners recently wrote to us to share the encouragement she receives from this daily time in God's word. Helen from here in North Carolina said I've been an amputee for 30 years now and not able to get out of my home much anymore. My church on Sunday mornings has been wisdom for the heart and my pastor Stephen Devi. I so appreciate the ability to have my spirit up lifted through the program while in the comfort of my home.

I support your ministry and I'm blessed to do it well, Helen. We were so grateful to hear from you. So thanks for writing to us if you'd like to send Stephen a note you can address an email to info@wisdom online.or or you can write to us at wisdom for the heart PO Box 37297 Raleigh, NC 27627 if you'd like to join Helen in partnering with us would be grateful for your financial support as well join us tomorrow for the next lesson in this series right here on wisdom for the heart