The Cup of Demons

Posted on by korgrocker

“What am I trying to say? Am I saying that food offered to idols has some significance, or that idols are real gods? No, not at all. I am saying that these sacrifices are offered to demons, not to God. And I don’t want you to participate with demons. You cannot drink from the cup of the Lord and from the cup of demons, too. You cannot eat at the Lord’s Table and at the table of demons, too. What? Do we dare to rouse the Lord’s jealousy? Do you think we are stronger than he is?”
1 Corinthians 10:19-22 NLT

It is one thing to think that the food we are eating is acceptable because it was offered to an idol, a lump of stone or metal, and totally inanimate. But if the same food had been offered to a demon, then we would be in a totally different ballpark. Well, Paul was very clear when he wrote our verses today about the association between idols and demons. 

The Bible records much about demons. Jesus walked around Israel, casting out demons from people, people who were oppressed and possessed by these malign beings. In Matthew 8:28, we read, “When Jesus arrived on the other side of the lake, in the region of the Gadarenes, two men who were possessed by demons met him. They came out of the tombs and were so violent that no one could go through that area”. The rest of this account can be found in the following verses. Jesus, being the Son of God, had authority over these beings and was able to cast them out, and there are many other examples recorded in His ministry.

But what is, or was, a demon? The Biblical definition is found in Revelation 12:9 “This 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”. So a demon was an angel who had chosen to rebel against God, along with satan, and was excluded from Heaven. They then had to live somewhere, and Earth with its inhabitants became the obvious choice. In general terms, a demon is typically described as a malevolent supernatural being or evil spirit.

In Paul’s time, idol worship was common, and people generally would not have made the association between what they were worshipping and the force or influence behind it. Paul observed that there has to be a distinction between anything related to demons and a believer’s life in Christ. Demons, as spirit beings, have the ability to take possession of a physical body. This cannot happen to a child of God, since the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of the believer in Christ. 

When Paul referred to the “cup of the Lord” and “the cup of demons”, he wasn’t literally alluding to drinking cups of something supplied by either. He was instead building on the picture he was referring to in a previous verse in 1 Corinthians, “When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? …” (1 Corinthians 10:16a). The message is clear. It isn’t possible to be a believer in Christ and a follower of the devil or one of his demons at the same time. 

So, what does all this matter to us pilgrims today? It matters a great deal because demons didn’t all disappear at the end of the First Century. They are still with us today, and we need to be aware of their malign influence. They may not be able to possess a child of God, but they can still do much harm by leading them into sin. In Colossians 2:15, we read, “In this way, he disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross”. Paul warned the Ephesians, “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” (Ephesians 6:12). These evil rulers, authorities and spirits are demons. We need to be aware of them, discern their presence, and resist their influence. Paul gave the Ephesians a defence plan, based on the individual items worn by a Roman soldier, and when in place, there is no demon that has any power over us. 

Dear Heavenly Father. We pray “deliver us from evil”, and we pray that again this morning and every morning as we go about our mission as Your children. We pray for Your Spirit to be with us and protect us every step we take. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Supernatural Beings

Posted on by korgrocker

“He is especially hard on those who follow their own twisted sexual desire, and who despise authority. These people are proud and arrogant, daring even to scoff at supernatural beings without so much as trembling. But the angels, who are far greater in power and strength, do not dare to bring from the Lord a charge of blasphemy against those supernatural beings.”
2 Peter 2:10-11 NLT

We pilgrims have all met them. People who “scoff at supernatural beings” denying that anything spiritual actually exists. They deny there is such a thing as God or the devil. And they certainly deny angels exist. Their office bravado is delivered to impress their fellow workers with their boldness and courage. While they are at it, they deny the existence of anything ghostly or unexplained. The word “scoff” is a good one, as it captures their behaviour exactly. 

But the “supernatural beings” referred to by Peter seem to be fallen angels, or demons, because if they were the angels in Heaven, Peter would have said so. The evil angels are being held in a place called Tartarus, as we read in 2 Peter 2:4, “For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell [Tartarus], in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment“. Perhaps some of these fallen angels have been incarcerated, but others are still free to roam, as demons. But the meaning of 2 Peter 2:11 is not very clear, although there are several theories around.

Practically, however, what do we pilgrims think of angels and demons? Relevant to our everyday lives, or myths from a by-gone and more superstitious age? Because they are not in our faces every day, we perhaps neglect to consider them too seriously, but in days gone by the impact of the supernatural, and in particular, evil forces, had a negative impact on society. If something strange, or even tragic happened to someone in those days, then the blame game would have started, with spells and curses from malevolent spirits coming into the picture. The Bible is clear, however, and Paul wrote in Ephesians 6:12, “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“. The picture emerges of an unseen and powerful enemy who is out to get anyone who sides with God. 

We know from Revelation 12:7-9 that demons originated in Heaven, “Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This 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“. Because there can be no sin in Heaven, the spiritual beings of angelic origin could no longer live there, so the only other place they could find was on earth, to the detriment of the human race. Peter warned us, “Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8). 

We “scoff at spiritual beings” at our peril. There’s nothing the devil likes more than to find the people he  wants to destroy in denial. People who don’t think there is a devil or demons, are adopting a dangerous strategy. We are very familiar with God’s armour, as we read in Ephesians 6. We are well equipped for every demonic eventuality, and in the end we follow Peter’s advice, “Stand firm against him, and be strong in your faith. … ” (1 Peter 5:9). Great advice to follow in this sad and bad world.

We pray to our Heavenly Father. He loves us. He cares for us. He wants the best for us. But the devil and his minions want the opposite. However, we have no reason to buckle under the enemy’s attack. We read in 1 John 4:4 “But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world“. Victory is ours and when we find ourselves oppressed and struck down, we remember that we’re on the winning side, even if the circumstances around us say differently.

Dear Father God. We pray for Your love and presence to surround us like a cloak. Close to You there is nothing to be afraid of. Amen.

Sinning Angels

Posted on by korgrocker

“For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment.”
2 Peter 2:4 NLT

Peter told his readers that even angels are not immune from God’s righteousness and justice. The graphic language of this verse stimulates imaginations into all sorts of pictures. But we never think of angels as being sinners, that is until we read Genesis 6. “Then the people began to multiply on the earth, and daughters were born to them. The sons of God saw the beautiful women and took any they wanted as their wives” (Genesis 6:1-2). Theologians widely interpret the phrase “sons of God” as meaning angels in the context, and it is believed that the rebellious satan tried the strategy of mixing heavenly and earthly beings in a sexual relationship. And we find out later in this chapter in Genesis that giants resulted from the union. “In those days, and for some time after, giant Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the sons of God had intercourse with women, they gave birth to children who became the heroes and famous warriors of ancient times” (Genesis 6:4).

We pilgrims know of course that God desires justice. He is perfectly righteous in all His ways, as we read in Psalm 145:17, “The Lord is righteous in everything he does; he is filled with kindness“. We read in Psalm 7:11, “God is a righteous judge, a God who displays his wrath every day“. So Peter wrote in our verse today that “God did not spare even the angels who sinned”. It is widely thought that demons are fallen angels, angels who have sinned, so the timing of their incarceration in “hell” (actually in the Greek this place is called Tartarus, a holding area just for these rebellious and sinful angels). We don’t know when these angels were thrown into Tartarus, but it is probably still some time in the future. What we do know is that God didn’t “spare” them, even though they were angels. The use of this word “spare” reminds us of what Paul wrote in Romans 8:32, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else“? This word “spare” means not holding back. It implies a necessary, but painful, act, perhaps irrevocable. So we might give away our “spare” change into a donation box, or take a “spare” item to a charity shop. But what God refused to “spare” was precious and dear to Him. It was an act of incredible and amazing love and kindness that He even gave up His Son for us. God spared Him.

There are consequences to sin. It has to be judged and dealt with, and the spirit realm is full of the spirits of sinful angels and people, waiting for that time when they are judged for what they have done in their life. Angels are immortal beings but they, like humans, have the ability to make choices. Satan, who, from what we can see in the Bible, was also called Lucifer, was the senior angel, a worship leader in Heaven. Yet he made a choice to rebel against God and suffered the consequences, being thrown out of Heaven along with a large number of angels who sided with him. And Peter reminded his readers that they would one day come to a miserable end in a holding place called Tartarus. 

Is all this of any relevance to us pilgrims? After all, have we ever seen an angel? And aren’t they responsible for their own actions, just as we are? For me, this verse in 2 Peter that we are considering today is a warning that one day the sinful universe in which we live will be rebalanced. Sin will be no more, and all those who have made right choices in wanting to live God’s way through Jesus will find themselves living with Him forever. But all those who reject God will find out that He has rejected them. God has done everything possible to make available eternal life for all those who desire it. He of course could have created a race of robots, zombies unable to make choices for themselves, but instead He created mankind in His image (Genesis 1:27), taking a risk that they would want to live with Him forever. We know what happened, as the Genesis story unfolded. But God had a plan for the future of His creation, involving His very own Son, through whom everything was created (John 1:3). And, for that plan, we will be eternally grateful.

Father God. Once again we praise and thank You for Your grace and mercy. Through Jesus You have accepted us as righteous in Your sight. We are a truly privileged people. Amen.