The demons of the fallen angels?

Angels are pure and holy spiritual beings who love God and serve him by helping people, right? Usually it is. Of course, the angels that people celebrate in popular culture are faithful angels who do a good job in the world. But there is another type of angel that doesn't get the same attention: the fallen angels. Fallen angels (which are also commonly known as demons) work for evil purposes that lead to destruction in the world, in contrast to the good intentions of the missions that faithful angels accomplish.

Angels fallen from grace
Jews and Christians believe that God originally created all angels to be holy, but that one of the most beautiful angels, Lucifer (now known as Satan or the devil), did not return the love of God and chose to rebel against God because he wanted to try to be as powerful as his creator. Isaiah 14:12 of the Torah and the Bible describe the fall of Lucifer: “How you fell from heaven, morning star, son of dawn! You have been thrown to earth, you who once overthrew the nations! ".

Some of the angels that God made fall prey to Lucifer's proud deception that they could be like God if they rebelled, Jews and Christians believe. Revelation 12: 7-8 of the Bible describes the war taking place in heaven as a result: “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon [Satan] and the dragon and his angels reacted. But he wasn't strong enough and they lost their place in heaven. "

The rebellion of the fallen angels separated them from God, causing them to fall from grace and get caught in sin. The destructive choices that these fallen angels made distorted their character, which led them to become evil. The "Catechism of the Catholic Church" says in paragraph 393: "It is the irrevocable character of their choice, and not a defect in the infinite divine mercy, which makes the sin of angels unforgivable".

Fewer fallen angels than faithful
There are not as many fallen angels as there are faithful angels, according to Jewish and Christian tradition, according to which about a third of the vast amount of angels that God created rebelled and fell into sin. Saint Thomas Aquinas, a well-known Catholic theologian, in his book "Summa Theologica" said: "" The faithful angels are a greater multitude than the fallen angels. Because sin is contrary to natural order. Now, what opposes the natural order occurs less frequently, or in less cases, than what agrees with the natural order. "

Bad natures
Hindus believe that angelic beings in the universe can be good (deva) or bad (asura) because the creator god, Brahma, created both "cruel and gentle creatures, dharma and adharma, truth and lies", according to the Hindus scriptures ”Markandeya Purana“, verse 45:40.

Asuras are often revered for the power they exercise to destroy because god Shiva and goddess Kali destroy what was created as part of the natural order of the universe. In Hindu Veda scriptures, the hymns addressed to the god Indra show fallen angelic beings who personify evil at work.

Only faithful, not fallen
People of some other religions who believe in faithful angels do not believe that fallen angels exist. In Islam, for example, all angels are considered to be obedient to God's will. The Qur'an says in chapter 66 (Al Tahrim), verse 6 that even the angels that God has appointed to watch over the souls of people in hell " they do not flinch (from execution) of the commands they receive from God, but do (precisely) what they are commanded to do. "

The most famous of all the fallen angels in popular culture - Satan - is not an angel at all, according to Islam, but instead is a jinn (another type of spirit that has free will and that God made from fire as the opposite in the light from which God created angels).

People who practice New Age spirituality and occult rituals also tend to regard all angels as good and none as bad. Therefore, they often try to summon angels to ask angels for help in getting what they want in life, without worrying that any of the angels they summon can lead them astray.

By enticing people to sin
Those who believe in fallen angels say that those angels tempt people to sin to try to lure them away from God. Chapter 3 of the Torah and the Genesis Bible tells the most famous story of a fallen angel who tempts people to sin: describes Satan, the head of the fallen angels, who looks like a snake and tells the first humans (Adam and Eve) that they can be "like God" (verse 5) if they eat fruit from a tree from which God had told them to stay wide for your protection. After Satan tempted them and disobeyed God, sin entering the world damages every part of it.

Deceiving people
Fallen angels sometimes pretend to be holy angels to induce people to follow their lead, the Bible warns. 2 Corinthians 11: 14-15 of the Bible warns: “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, therefore, that even his servants disguise themselves as servants of justice. Their end will be what their actions deserve. "

People who fall prey to the deception of the fallen angels can even abandon their faith. In 1 Timothy 4: 1, the Bible says that some people "will abandon the faith and follow the deceptive spirits and things taught by demons."

Afflict people with problems
Some of the problems people experience are the direct result of the fallen angels affecting their lives, say some believers. The Bible mentions many cases of fallen angels that cause mental anguish for people and even physical anguish (for example, Mark 1:26 describes a fallen angel who violently shakes a person). In extreme cases, people can be possessed by a demon, damaging the health of their bodies, minds and spirits.

In the Hindu tradition, asuras derive happiness from hurting and even killing people. For example, an asura named Mahishasura who sometimes appears as a human being and sometimes as a buffalo loves to terrify people both on Earth and in heaven.

Trying to interfere with God's work
Interfering with God's work whenever possible is also part of the evil work of the fallen angels. The Torah and the Bible report in Daniel chapter 10 that a fallen angel delayed a faithful angel by 21 days, fighting him in the spiritual realm while the faithful angel was trying to come to Earth to deliver an important message from God to the prophet Daniel. The faithful angel reveals in verse 12 that God immediately listened to Daniel's prayers and assigned the holy angel to answer those prayers. However, the fallen angel who was trying to interfere with God's faithful angel's mission proved so powerful to an enemy that verse 13 says that Archangel Michael had to come to help fight the battle. Only after that spiritual battle could the faithful angel complete his mission.

Directed for destruction
Fallen angels will not torment people forever, says Jesus Christ. In Matthew 25:41 of the Bible, Jesus says that when the end of the world comes, the fallen angels will have to go to an "eternal fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."