In our
secularized culture, there is a lot of mythology surrounding Satan, angels,
demons, and so on. This is nothing new when it comes to movies (e.g., Little
Nicky, Dear Santa, etc.), books, and TV. Even popular television series like Supernatural, portray these characters
in an unbiblical light, and sadly, this is the place that many people get their
theology.[1]
For example,
the show Supernatural portrays angels as having no feelings, lacking joy, being
strictly bound to follow orders or be in rebellion (i.e., fallen angels). In
the series, demons are seen as bad, but some are trying to be “good.”
Although
there is a sprinkling of the Bible throughout the show, God is portrayed more
like a distant, deistic “god” closer to the Hindu “Brahman” Or when this
supernatural understanding of “god” does “appear” or “manifest”, he’s a bit odd—definitely
not the God of the Bible. Oh, and God has a sister named Darkness in this
series.
At any rate,
the Bible reveals a loving God who came down to save mankind from the mess of
sin we brought upon ourselves. Was Satan relevant—of course. But Satan is not
in a position to punish our sins for all eternity—God is. It is God’s infinite
and eternal wrath that one should fear.
So why is
this so pertinent? I had a question come up in an interview about Lucifer, his fallen angels, demons, and [godly]
angels. The person asked if these beings have feelings like joy or mercy and so
on. I quickly picked up hints of the type of theology that is being promoted on
shows like Supernatural.
My “off the
cuff” answer was based on some of the research I used to answer the question
for the book The Fall of
Satan: “Were Satan and the angels
(or other heavenly host) created in the ‘image of God’?” I pointed out that
the Bible reveals that angels sang for joy at creation (Job 38:7) and have joy
when people become believers (Luke 15:10).
Luke 8:29–36
describes Christ’s encounter with Legion (called this because many demons had possessed
the man).They begged Jesus not to send them into the abyss. These demons
clearly displayed the emotion of fear, since they did not want to be tormented
“before the time” (Matthew 8:29).
For a short
interview, these examples were enough to show that angels and demons do have emotions. Of course, there is
more on this in the chapter of the
book. Angels can worship (Hebrews 1:6) and have desires (1 Peter 1:12), and
so does Satan (John 8:44; Revelation 12:2).
One thing we
must never forget to do is look to the Scriptures to find these answers, rather
than to movies and TV shows. The Bible is the only reliable source of
information on Satan, demons, angels, etc., so one would be unwise to neglect
it.
We need to
be aware that people are being influenced by what they read and watch. We see
people in this next generation being blown “to and fro” by every wind of
doctrine (Ephesians 4:14). This is because they have failed to trust in God and
His Word as the previous generation did. They have turned to themselves to develop doctrines on Satan, angels, demons, life,
salvation, marriage, and a multitude of other subjects—many times being
influenced by “Hollywood” or other humanistic philosophies that often appear in
the classroom, like evolution and millions of years.
It is time to put God and His Word first in every area of your life so that you may be able to discern the world’s teachings and know how to refute them biblically. Let the Bible be the authority.
Originally here: https://answersingenesis.org/angels-and-demons/satan/can-satan-demons-and-angels-still-show-mercy-and-have-feelings/; Updated; Republished by permission.
[1] These
comments should not be seen as an endorsement for the Supernatural series or any other movies/TV series that address
these topics. In fact, many Christians rightly stray away from the series
because to the graphic nature of the show and inaccuracies regarding the
biblical text. And even though the writers are clever in their use of these
topics and themes, as well as the special effects and acting, I want to know
what the world is teaching. This helps me discern how demons and angels are
incorrectly portrayed so that I know what this next generation thinks about
these topics and how to respond appropriately.
