The Social Lives of Angels and Demons and Maverick Spirits

IMO, the undistributed middle is by far the most common logical error in interpreting; it confuses truth with whole truth. It reasons, “since all women are people, all people are women.” This reasoning seems to prevail when it comes to angels and demons.

While reading comments on my poll about apparitions (ghosts), something hit me. Most of us assume angels exist to serve as God’s messengers or host, and demons exist to support Satan’s cause of rebellion against God.

Yet few of us consider that both angels and demons are PERSONS. That means they have intellect, emotion, will, a spiritual nature, and can be creative.

I have a number of friends who serve in the military. They might be fighting the enemy in Iraq or Afghanistan, but that is not ALL they do. They make friends with their comrades and they have some interests that occupy them when they have free time.

Why do we seem to assume that angels and demons are only and always involved in strategic work? Just because we tend to meet them in that capacity in Scripture does not mean their only function or behavior is directly strategic.

If you think about demons, for example , they could be compared to criminals. They could give their superiors “hard times” and sometimes go AWOL. If you agree that the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 were angels, as perhaps implied in Jude 1:6-7, that is not the same as saying that Satan ordered this event.

Why did a legion of demons possess an unknown man? Would it not have been more strategic to spread the demons around and occupy them with keeping people from following the Lord? Might not demons haunt a house or appear as aliens for their own fun, without a direct strategic element? Might their allegiance to Satan’s strategy be fickle? If you look at the demon-possessed herd of swine (deviled ham), they rush to destruction. Why? Probably because demons are so lustful to destroy, they would do so even to their own detriment or inconvenience.

The demon cast out of a man heads for the dessert where he socializes with other demons and brings them along (Matt. 12:43ff).

If sinful people are not wholly dedicated to any cause every moment, why should we assume evil spirits are? And do not unfallen angels exist to glorify God in all they do, as do humans? If we can eat and drink to the glory of God, why can’t they explore the stars to the glory of God (for want of an example)?

Because they are “ministering spirits” does not necessary mean that they are “ONLY” ministering spirits. That is one of their functions.

Discussion

this is tangential, but maybe somehow related. i was reading 1 Thess today, and in 2:18 paul writes that “satan thwarted us.”

OK, so how did he know it was satan? like we’re having govt trouble to get a building for a ministry. how do you know if it’s God’s will for us not to get it? or if satan is thwarting us?

so how can you know the intents or motives or logic of spiritual beings?

[Anne Sokol] this is tangential, but maybe somehow related. i was reading 1 Thess today, and in 2:18 paul writes that “satan thwarted us.”

OK, so how did he know it was satan? like we’re having govt trouble to get a building for a ministry. how do you know if it’s God’s will for us not to get it? or if satan is thwarting us?

so how can you know the intents or motives or logic of spiritual beings?
It helps if you happen to be an apostle :)

I think we typically suspect. Yet, if a whole lot of unlikely things come up at once and keep us from doing ministry, our suspicion becomes more of a “I’m pretty sure.” But it is tough for us to talk as assuredly as Paul unless we see something clearly supernatural.

"The Midrash Detective"