Fallen: The Fall of Angels

By Dr. Ronnie Edwards

Presently, there is a growing fascination with angels. They have captured the attention of people and raised their curiosity. Many people disbelieve in the reality of angels. However, angels are real; they are not just imaginary figures as confirmed by the Bible. America has been inundated with a fascination for angels. Every year, there are conferences, seminars, and college courses on angels. Angels have become so popular that the networks are making movies about them, for example, Ghost, Touched by an Angel, just to name a few. Today Satan is working through his unholy angels to destroy the child of God and to thwart the plan of God. However, through Christs death on the cross, Satan and his demons are defeated and are waiting for their final judgment. Yet in the meantime, they are doing all they can to destroy as many as possible.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 17, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543457209

Dr. Ronnie Edwards

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dr. Ronnie L. Edwards, Sr. holds four earned academic degrees in Theology, including a Doctorate from Conservative Theological University. Dr. Edwards is an adjunct Professor at Conservative Theological University. Dr. Edwards has studied and taught many of the major doctrine of the faith. Dr. Edwards is a highly qualified writer and highly sought after speaker for seminars and lectures. Dr. Edwards is married to Nicole Edwards. They have three children Ciera, Ronnie Jr., and Nicolas and two grandsons Jailyn and Jordyn. Dr. Edwards is the Founder/Pastor of Blessed Hope Missionary Baptist Church in Jacksonville, FL.

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Copyright © 2017 by Dr. Ronnie Edwards.

Library of Congress Control Number:       2017915395

ISBN:                   Hardcover                     978-1-5434-5718-6

                            Softcover                       978-1-5434-5719-3

                            eBook                           978-1-5434-5720-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

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KJV

Scripture quotations marked KJV are from the Holy Bible, King James Version (Authorized Version). First published in 1611. Quoted from the KJV Classic Reference Bible, Copyright © 1983 by The Zondervan Corporation.

Rev. date: 10/17/2017

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CONTENTS

Preface

Introduction

The Debut of Satan

The Deception of Satan

The Designations of Satan

The Demeanor of Satan

The Deeds of Satan

Satan’s Response to the Preached Word

The Doctrine of Satan

The Delusion of Demons

The Decline of Demons

The Dynamics of Demon Possession

The Defense from Satan and Demons

The Defeat of Satan & Demons

The Destiny of Satan & Demons

Conclusion

Bibliography

This book is

dedicated my grandmother Essie Mae Davis who has been an inspiration in my life. Thanks grandma

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PREFACE

T HIS HAS BEEN an extraordinary journey. I was trying to balance life, work, church, family, God, and the completion of my first book. I want to personally thank my wife Nicole Edwards for her continued support and encouragement. This was a very difficult journey, but without her it would have been imposs ible.

Thanks

Sweetie

INTRODUCTION

M ANY PEOPLE DISBELIEVE the reality of angels. However, angels are real; they are not just imaginary figures as confirmed by the Bible. Yet, the creation of angel has always been a question in the minds of many theologians. Today, there are many schools of thought as to the origin of angels. The Bible does not give us a clear-cut answer as to the exact time, but the Bible does give us a point of refer ence.

Presently, there is a growing fascination with angels. They have captured the attention of people and raised their curiosity. America has been inundated with a fascination for angels. Every year there are conferences, seminars, and college courses on angels. John Ankerburg stated in his book The Facts on Angels, This fast growing fascination has contributed to a rise in book sales.¹ Angels have become so popular that the networks are making movies about them; for example, Ghost, and Touched by an angel, just to name a few.

The New Age Movement and cults are now seeking to commune with angels in an inappropriate way. Today, there are spiritual advisors that communicate with the dead in order to receive answers to unknown questions. It is the mindset of the world that angels are good and they contribute to the good of the world.

Angels are God’s created beings created before the world began. He created them for His praise and glory. All angels were created with a will, mind, and emotion. Lucifer, one of God’s anointed cherubs, was created with perfect beauty, and wisdom. He was appointed as one of the highest ranking angels. Although lifted up with pride, he sinned and rebelled against God. In his rebellion, a third of the angels followed him. These angels are referred to as unholy or fallen angels. What we must understand is that there are two powers in the world today, the holy and the unholy. Today, Satan is working through his unholy angels to destroy the child of God, and to thwart the plan of God.

However, through Christ’s death on the cross, Satan and his demons are defeated and waiting their final judgment. Yet, in the meantime, they are doing all that they can to destroy as many as possible.

THE DEBUT OF SATAN

O NE OF THE many questions people ask is, Where did Satan come from, or why did God create the devil? Since the beginning of time, biblical scholars have wrestled with this question only to find themselves reverting back to the answer that can only be found in the Word of God. That is, in Ezekiel 28: 1-19, the prophet of God answers the questions. In verses 1-10, the Bible tells the story about the Prince of Tyre, who was a wicked ruler. Because of his wickedness, Ezekiel was told to preach to him. He was very prideful and he felt that, because of his wisdom and riches, he should be worshipped as God. During this period, many Kings felt like they were equal to God. Ezek 28:4-6 states that: With thy wisdom and with thine understanding thou hast gotten thee riches, and hast gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: By thy great wisdom and by thy traffick hast thou increased thy riches, and thine heart is lifted up because of thy riches: herefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God.

In verses 11-19, Ezekiel looked to man to find the real power that motivated him. That power was from Satan himself working through the Prince to further his wicked plans. It can be seen throughout the Bible how Satan has used leaders of the world to carry out his plans. Satan desired to destroy Israel so that Jesus could not come and bless the world. Ezekiel was commanded to speak a Word of judgment to the one who is in control of these wicked men. A question that should be pondered; did God create the devil? Many people believe that God created the devil as the devil. God did not create the devil. He created a perfect angel of the highest class. Ezek 28:12, Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Before he became Satan, he was called Lucifer, which means the light bearer. This verse describes his perfection before his fall. He was created with absolute beauty and wisdom. One thing that one must keep in mind that he was a created being. Verse 15, "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. There is only one eternal being and that is God. There has never been a time that God has not existed, but there was a time that Satan did not exist. Dwight Pentecost stated in his book, Your Adversary the Devil that, God alone is eternal. God alone possesses eternal, uncreated life. All else that lives, lives because God created it."² God’s creation began with the creation of angels, in which Lucifer was one of them. Satan was not created as the devil, he was created perfect. He became the devil when he fell from heaven.

Satan was perfect in all his ways, wise and beautiful. This can be found in verse 12 which says, …Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. He was the wisest of all created beings, he handled the governmental affairs of God. He had great authority and power; he resided in the throne room of God. In verse 14, Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth. We can plainly see his position at creation. He was one of the highest class of angels that could look upon the throne of God. He possessed the highest position of all of God’s created beings. His position and privilege placed him in the abode of God, in the very throne room of God. Although some people are not taking Satan at face value, the realization is that Satan is a powerful adversary. This adversary can only be overcome by the power of God. He was not only created with wisdom but also with beauty. His beauty is revealed as precious stones. Verse 13, "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Satan’s beauty surpassed all of God’s created beings. His beauty was not his; it was a reflection of the holiness of God. Pentecost stated, When God created Lucifer, God created him with the capacity to reflect the glory of God to a greater degree than any other created being."³ A stone has no light of or in itself, but when an outside light shines on it you can see the brilliant color it displays. His beauty may be blemished, but the Bible says that he is an angel of light. That is, according to 2 Cor. 11:14-15 which states that, "And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works."

Satan was also compared to an instrument which is found in verse 13. According to this verse thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. This does not mean that he is an instrument, but he was designed to give instrumental worship. He was created with the ability to praise and worship God. Some people feel that Satan hates worship but in fact he loves it. He was designed for worship and his fall was because he wanted to sit on God’s throne and be worshipped as God; such as when Jesus was in the wilderness and Satan wanted to be worshipped. Satan says in Matt 4:9, And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. It is not surprising to me if we find Satan and/or his demons in the pulpits of America parading as angels of light deceiving the world.

Satan was created perfect until sin was found in him. Ezek 28:17: Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness Satan no longer viewed himself as the creature and God the creator. It was at the very hand of God that he was created. Pride and wanting to be worshipped as God corrupted his being. The wisdom that was given to him is now perverted. His wisdom that was perfect is now twisted with sin. How can someone as beautiful and smart as I am not be worshipped as God? Satan feels that he is co-equal with God. He feels that he is just as much God as God is God. His wisdom is perverted into thinking that the creature is no longer in subjection to the Creator. It is mind blowing that Satan would really think that he could overthrow God. God is God and there is no opposite; He stands alone. God is an all knowing God. Although, He could have stopped Satan, He did not. Therefore the question becomes, why didn’t He? And, for those who asks the question, there may not be an answer; but it’s all a part of God’s divine plan. He will get the victory and the glory, because He and only He is worthy to be praised.

When God created Satan, He created no devil but an angel of the highest class. He was created perfect until pride led to his fall and judgment. Ezek 28:17-19: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. Here it appears that the fall happened as a single act, but in fact it happened in stages. Satan was cast from God’s government in heaven, but he still has access to God. We can clearly see in the following verse his presence in heaven. Job 1: 6-7: Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them. And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said, from going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. 1 Pet 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Many people including some theologians believe that Satan is in hell. Based on Scripture, we can understand that he is free to roam the earth as well as the abode of God. In the tribulation, Satan will be cast from heaven and restricted to earth.

Rev 12:7-13 "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the Word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the man child."

Satan will be cast from the presence of God forever. He will be cast down to earth to make war with God’s people who remain on earth. At the conclusion of the tribulation period prior to the beginning of the Millennium, he will be placed into the bottomless pit.