Do angels and demons appear to people today?

Sincerely,
Keeping My Eyes Peeled

Dear Keeping My Eyes Peeled,

There is absolutely no way of knowing whether or not angels and demons appear to people today, but we do know that they don’t make themselves evident by demon possession or angels coming with new messages from God.  Gal 1:8 says that angels have no new message to provide us with, and therefore, there is no need to visit people in the unmasked fashion they once did.  In the days of the Old Testament, God spoke to mankind in various forms, including through angels, but now we only need to listen to His Son (Heb 1:1-2).

How do you cast out demons?

Sincerely,
Demon Deterrent

Dear Demon Deterrent,

Evil spirits are real, but they were cast out and their powers greatly reduced by Christ and the apostles.  Demon possession ended not long after the days of Christ.  Jesus made it clear that one of His jobs was to bind the devil and take His strength away by casting out his demons (Matt 12:28-29).  When Jesus’ disciples had come back from their evangelism trips and related to Him that they had cast out many demons, Jesus told them that they were defeating Satan by getting rid of Satan’s demonic minions (Lk 10:17-18).  When Jesus and His disciples cast out demons, they did it permanently (Lk 8:30-33) and bound Satan by their acts.  We no longer have to deal with such overt attacks by the devil because he has been bound by Christ’s sacrifice (Rev. 20:2).  Demon possession no longer exists; the devil must use subtler methods to deceive us now.

     Where in the bible does it tell of the devil and his demons being fallen angels?

Sincerely,
Scripture Please

Dear Scripture Please,

The Bible doesn’t give us much information on the devil’s origins, and since the Bible is vague, we must also be vague.  The Bible says that certain angels sinned against God and were cast down and reserved for judgment (1 Pet 2:4).  The Bible never specifically mentions the devil as part of that crew of angels, but this may refer to him as well.  The Bible says that the devil is the father of lies and murder (Jhn 8:44).  The devil was cast out of heaven by God because the devil rebelled against God and sinned.  Beyond that, we have very little information.  We know that Jesus bound Satan when Jesus came to earth (Mk 3:22-27), and Jesus’ sacrifice cast him out of heaven (Rev 12:7-11).  We also know that the devil will eventually be cast into the fires of hell with his angels (Matt 25:41).

     I have a friend who, back in January, was possessed by a demon; she growled on the phone with me once, I hung up, I got a message from ‘her’, and I get scared from the memory!  I pray to God every night, and my faith is true.  I ask Him to keep my family, friends, and I safe forever; will He?  I just want a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ because I don’t want to be attacked by a demon.

Sincerely,
On The Defensive

Dear On The Defensive,

Evil spirits are real, but they were cast out and their powers greatly reduced by Christ and the apostles.  Demon possession ended not long after the days of Christ.  Jesus made it clear that one of His jobs was to bind the devil and take His strength away by casting out his demons (Matt 12:28-29).  When Jesus’ disciples had come back from their evangelism trips and related to Him that they had cast out many demons, Jesus told them that they were defeating Satan by getting rid of Satan’s demonic minions (Lk 10:17-18).  When Jesus and His disciples cast out demons, they did it permanently (Lk 8:30-33) and bound Satan by their acts.  We no longer have to deal with such overt attacks by the devil because he has been bound by Christ’s sacrifice (Rev. 20:2).  Demon possession no longer exists; the devil must use subtler methods to deceive us now.

Does Satan live somewhere?  If God lives in heaven, does Satan have somewhere to dwell… like in hell?

Sincerely,
Looking For An Address

Dear Looking For An Address,

Satan roams to and fro on the Earth (Job 1:7).  Satan spends his entire existence seeking souls that he can devour and destroy (1 Pet 5:8).  When Jesus died on the cross, Satan was cast down from the heavens (Rev 12:9-11).  Satan is called the prince of this world (Jhn 12:31), and he secretly roams amongst men until God casts him into the lake of fire reserved for him (Matt 25:41).

     There’s a gal at work who is praying for Satan’s salvation.  I told her that this is a lost cause; however, I could not provide biblical reference to his eternal fallen nature.  Will you please provide me with a biblical reference to study and pray over to help her in this area?  Thanks and God Bless!

Sincerely,
Rootin’ For The Good Guys

Dear Rootin’ For The Good Guys,

The Bible makes it clear that the devil’s fate is already sealed.  Matt 25:41 says that the eternal fires of hell are prepared for the devil and his angels… which humans join them is still up for grabs (Matt 7:13-14).  Rev 20:10 says the same thing.  Satan has already chosen his path, and he either has no opportunity or no desire to change course.