The Problem of Angelic Inhabitation, Part 1

A question popped into my head that I thought deserved a blog post.

How many angels inhabited people?

I know, it sounds weird, so I’ll explain.

I was contemplating the differences between God’s angels and those of the devil. Yes, the devil has a few.

“Then He will say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’” – Matthew 25:41

“The great dragon was hurled down–that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” – Revelation 12:9

And of course, God has His own. I could quote a bunch of verses to back this up, but here’s a couple to prove the point:

“He [Jacob] had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” – Genesis 28:12

“I tell you, whoever publicly acknowledges Me before others, the Son of Man will also acknowledge before the angels of God.” – Luke 12:8

The devil knows all about God’s angels. He even tried to involve them when tempting Jesus.

“‘If You are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw Yourself down. For it is written: “He will command His angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”’” – Matthew 4:6

Jesus didn’t take the bait, but He knew angels could and would look out for Him if He’d ask them to. He said as much when He got arrested:

“Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” – Matthew 26:53

The Bible asserts the reality of angels. Good and bad, they take part in the story of Scripture.

Of course, the distinction between the two groups is obvious. One set serves God; the other rebels against Him. 

But the question I referred to at the beginning of the post stemmed from an observation. On many occasions in the gospels, Jesus cast demons out of people. For example:

“When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to Him, and He drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick.” – Matthew 8:16

The demons dwelt inside troubled people; Jesus kicked them out. And He had no difficulty doing it. A single word or simple command was all it took!

Verses like this sparked my question. Demons inhabited people, and even spoke through them. Once, Jesus talked with the leader of a horde of demons who were destroying a disturbed man. Christ kept the conversation short and set this poor soul free (Mark 5:1-20).

Now the Bible records several instances of angels speaking to people.

Here’s one from the Old Testament:

“Then the angel who was speaking to me said, ‘Proclaim this word: This is what the LORD Almighty says: “I am very jealous for Jerusalem and Zion”’” – Zechariah 1:14

And one from the New Testament:

“But the angel said to him: ‘Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John.’” – Luke 1:13

But I don’t know of any references to angels speaking through people. When Gabriel told Mary she would become the mother of Jesus, he did so face-to-face (Luke 1:26-38). They had an actual conversation.

It’s true that one angel spoke to Joseph in dreams three times (Matthew 1:20; 2:13, 19-20). But again, the Bible gives no hint this angel entered Joseph’s soul. Rather, he addressed the mind of Mary’s husband-to-be when it was silent and still.

But demons are different; they invade people and can speak through them. 

What drives demons to inhabit people?

I’ve given you the background; we’ll work through a response next week!

In the meantime, remember that no spiritual being is greater than Jesus! He is Lord of all!

“Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” – Philippians 2:9-11