Do Angels and Demons really perch on your shoulders? (And other such questions)

There is a lot of talk today about the supernatural. Only twenty years ago, anything spiritual was considered the realm of nutcases and religious fanatics. But nowadays, there has been a strong revival of interest in the “unseen world.” Part of this is a shift in our culture from the modern era to the postmodern era. The modern era can be best summarized by the popular advertisement phrase, “4 out of five dentists recommend....” In other words, science was hailed as the basis of reality. The postmodern era can be best summarized by the statement, “Whatever.”  The universe is no longer viewed as a closed system, there are a wide arrays of possibilities that science alone cannot explain.

There has also been a tremendous revival of interest in angels and demons. I am at times puzzled by the seemingly endless fascination Christians have with these beings. Very often, I will spend a whole Bible study hour answering questions about them.

Mark 3:7-12
“Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the lake, and a large crowd from Galilee followed. 8 When they heard all he was doing, many people came to him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon. 9 Because of the crowd he told his disciples to have a small boat ready for him, to keep the people from crowding him. 10 For he had healed many, so that those with diseases were pushing forward to touch him. 11 Whenever the evil spirits saw him, they fell down before him and cried out, "You are the Son of God." 12 But he gave them strict orders not to tell who he was.” 

The only reaction the demons ever have when they encounter Jesus is terror. They are terrified to be in the presence of the one who can and will destroy them. They beg and plead for Jesus not to torment them, cast them into the Abyss, and other horrible punishments. While we as human beings remain fascinated by the supernatural world, it is good advice to consider the following when evaluating how much time the spiritual world should occupy our minds.

1. As Christians, we are already claimed by the Holy Spirit. Therefore we have nothing to fear from demonic forces. They are terrified at what we might do if we actually lived with God completely in control of our lives.

2. We should pay the same amount of attention to the spiritual world as the New Testament does. Of the 22 books of the New Testament, only about two full pages front and back talk about demons, angels, Satan, etc. So we should devote about the same amount of attention to it, and keep the main things the main thing.