What Are Angels, Satan, and Demons?

What Are Angels, Satan, and Demons?

Up to this point, when discussing God’s creation, we have limited our discussion to the physical realm. But there are also spiritual creatures God has created called angels and demons. Satan, a demon himself, is considered the head of the demons.

Angels

Angels are created spiritual beings with moral judgment and high intelligence but without physical bodies. They are God’s warriors and as a group are often referred to as the host (or armies) of heaven. They have not always existed; they are part of the universe God created. Ezra affirms this when he says of God, “You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host” (Neh. 9:6).

Since angels are “spirits” (Heb. 1:14), they do not have physical bodies, for as Jesus says, “A spirit does not have flesh and bones” (Luke 24:39). Therefore, angels cannot ordinarily be seen unless the Lord opens our eyes (as he did with Balaam in Numbers 22:31) or they take on bodily form to appear to us (as happened at Jesus’ tomb in Matthew 28:5). Normally, though, angels are invisible as they perform their ordinary activities of guarding us in all our ways (Ps. 91:11) and joining us in our worship of God (Heb. 12:22). Angels demonstrated moral judgment when “they sinned” and were cast out of heaven (2 Peter 2:4). They demonstrate their intelligence through speaking to humans (see Matt. 28:5, for example) and singing praise to God (see Rev. 4:11, for example).