Paul has something very curious to say about the unseen powers of darkness who affect our everyday lives, and who are looking to erode the work of the Kingdom of God in our church community:
Eph. 6:
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 12 For our[b] struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
In the book of Daniel we are told that there are angels assigned by God Himself to the nations of the earth and that these angelic beings war with one another:
Daniel 10:
13 But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me twenty-one days. So Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, and I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia,[a] 14 and have come to help you understand what is to happen to your people at the end of days. For there is a further vision for those days.”
In addition, both the Book of Job and the Psalms talk about a “heavenly court” appearing before Yahweh (the Covenant name of the Lord in Hebrew) likely containing angelic beings (both evil and faithful) with assignments and limitations given to them by the Lord God:
Job 1:
6 One day the heavenly beings[a] came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan[b] also came among them. 7 The Lord said to Satan,[c] “Where have you come from?” Satan[d] answered the Lord, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking up and down on it.”
Psalm 82:
1 God has taken his place in the divine council;
in the midst of the gods (likely, angelic beings here) he holds judgment:
2 “How long will you judge unjustly
and show partiality to the wicked?
3 Give justice to the weak and the orphan;
maintain the right of the lowly and the destitute.
4 Rescue the weak and the needy;
deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
While it is not clear that we each have a “guardian angel”, it is clear that there are angels who are tasked with the aid and protection of God’s Covenant People:
Heb 1:14
14 Are not all angels[f] spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
Psalm 34:7
7 The angel of the Lord encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them
It is easy to react or overreact to the above-mentioned scriptures. Some see the work of the spirit-world with every rustling of fallen leaves, while others take such a rational approach that only what can be proven by the scientific method is worth considering. Neither approach is even slightly Biblical.
The truth is that the physical and visible worlds are interconnected and a part of the created order in which we “live, move and have our being”. Whether we like it or not, “Satan (the symbolic term used for the ruler of all the evil and unseen spirits) is roaming around, seeking who he can devour” - in regards to the world around us and the Covenant People of God, His church. Our political and municipal leaders, the religious and non-religious people we know, and we Christians ourselves are influenced and sometimes directly empowered by unseen forces of which we (or they) are unaware.
We are neither to dwell or fret on this reality NOR are we to ignore or neglect it. What we are to do is to put our hope in the Lord who has called and redeemed us to “pray constantly in the Spirit” putting on the “whole armor of God”. We look to stay “watchful” and “diligent” for our protection and the avoidance of temptation. When we take this approach, we will by definition be engaging the spiritual disciplines of communal-sacramental worship, personal prayer and meditation, and the constant soaking of ourselves in the Holy Scriptures.
In the end, we defeat evil and grow in holiness when we remember the words of Jesus that “greater is He that is in you, than He who is in the world”. In Christ, through the indwelling and empowering of the Holy Spirit, we will truly be “more than conquerors”.
Father Tom
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