Austin Bible Church
Throughout Scripture we find that both fallen and elect angels observe mankind. Elect angels rejoice when one sinner repents. You don’t “repent” as an unbeliever of your sins, but the object of the verb is Jesus Christ. Luke 15:7; Luke 15:10.
““I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7, NASB)
““In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”“ (Luke 15:10, NASB)
Angels observed Jesus Christ during the entire course of His incarnation. They observed Jesus Christ at His physical birth as the God-man – undiminished deity and sinless man in one person. Jesus Christ had to appear to go to the Cross to pay for the sins of all mankind. The Cross would be the only means to resolve the Angelic Conflict. Luke 2:13.
"And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying," (Luke 2:13, NASB)
At the temptation of Jesus Christ, angels came to minister to Him. Matt. 4:11.
"Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him." (Matthew 4:11, NASB)
At the resurrection of Jesus Christ, angels were present. The angel didn’t move the stone to open the door. Christ went through the stone in His resurrection body. Later, the stone was moved to let people in to observe that the body of Jesus Christ was no longer present. Matt. 28:2.
"And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it." (Matthew 28:2, NASB)
His human spirit went into the presence of God the Father. His soul went into a place called Paradise in Sheol or Hades where the souls of the Old Testament saints were located. His body went into the grave. At the ascension of Jesus Christ in Acts 1:9-10, angels were very definitely present.
"And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them." (Acts 1:9-10, NASB)
Angels will be present at the Second Advent. Matt. 13:37-43; Matt. 24:31; 2 Thess. 1:7.
""And He will send forth His angels with A GREAT TRUMPET and THEY WILL GATHER TOGETHER His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other." (Matthew 24:31, NASB)
"and to give relief to you who are afflicted and to us as well when the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire," (2 Thessalonians 1:7, NASB)
Fallen angels organize to resist believers and to do so they must observe believers. Job 1:6; Job 2:1-3; Eph. 6:12.
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them." (Job 1:6, NASB)
"Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them to present himself before the LORD. The LORD said to Satan, "Where have you come from?" Then Satan answered the LORD and said, "From roaming about on the earth and walking around on it." The LORD said to Satan, "Have you considered My servant Job? For there is no one like him on the earth, a blameless and upright man fearing God and turning away from evil. And he still holds fast his integrity, although you incited Me against him to ruin him without cause."" (Job 2:1-3, NASB)
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 6:12, NASB)
Angels have believers under constant observation. 1 Peter 1:12; 1 Cor. 4:9; 1 Cor. 6:3; 1 Cor. 11:10; Eph. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5:21.
"It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look." (1 Peter 1:12, NASB)
"Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?" (1 Corinthians 6:3, NASB)
"so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places." (Ephesians 3:10, NASB)
"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality." (1 Timothy 5:21, NASB)
Through the fall of man, Satan gained control of the earth, but not necessarily control of man on the earth. Why? Man has free will and man on the earth can operate totally independently of Satan. Man can and does demonstrate that even in Satan’s kingdom there are people who chose to live independently of and in opposition to Satan. This again resolves the Angelic Conflict.
From L.S. Chafer’s Systematic Theology, Vol. 2, page 100. “Next to the lie itself, the greatest delusion Satan imposes - reaching to all unsaved and to a large proportion of Christians - is the supposition that only such things as society considers evil could originate with the devil - if, indeed, there be any devil to originate anything. It is not the reason of man, but the revelation of God, which points out that governments, morals, education, art, commercialism, vast enterprises and organizations, and much of religious activity are included in the cosmos diabolicus. That is, the system which Satan has constructed includes all the good which he can incorporate into it and be consistent in the thing he aims to accomplish.”
Morality is not spirituality, neither is immorality spirituality. Being moral is not being spiritual. The average believer thinks that if they are moral, then they are great Christians. The only way to operate independently of Satan is to walk in fellowship with God and have epignosis Bible doctrine in your soul.
Many people think Socialism is a good thing. It is not. Religious ritual is not spirituality either. Satan must have an international organization to use for his plan to oppose Jesus Christ. What about mission boards that have gone international? Natives in Christ are used from many countries of the world. Satan neutralizes volition via Socialism, for example. Kill, enslave with one or two people in control. The only way to have maximum freedom is to know maximum Bible doctrine.
The Angelic Conflict explains why God permits, but does not author sin in humanity. The Angelic Conflict also explains why God permits suffering of the life of the believer. This explains “why sin, why man, why suffering.” Utilizing the grace of God is the answer and resolves the Angelic Conflict while demonstrating to Satan that people can operate independently of him and as such God is perfectly just.