You asked for it: Angels, demons, and nephilim overview

Angels 

• The word “angel” means “messenger” 
• Angels also called “sons of God” because God created them as powerful, intelligent beings who would do his will
• Psalm 103:20 – “Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!” 
• Job 38:4-7 – “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? . . . when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” 
• God has “innumerable angels” (Heb. 12:22) who worship and obey him, and God uses them for many purposes, like delivering messages (Luke 1:19) or protecting his people (2 Kings 6)
• We do not turn into angels when we die

Demons

• Angels who rebelled against God, and were cast down to earth (Rev. 12:9)
• Demons tempt humans, teach lies, can oppress and possess humans, and want worship and sacrifices: 
• Deuteronomy 32:17 – “They sacrificed to demons that were not God, to gods they had never known, to new gods that had come recently.” 
• Justin Martyr explained this was what the Greek ‘gods’ were:
• “not knowing that these were demons, they called them gods, and gave to each the name which each of the demons chose for himself.” 
• Satan is called the “prince of demons” (Matt. 9:34), and the “god of this world” (2 Cor. 4:4), and “the tempter” (1 Thess. 3:5), and “murderer” and “father of lies” (John 8:44), and “deceiver of the whole world” (Rev. 12:9) 
• It is Satan who tempts Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden (Gen. 3; Rev. 12:9) 

Nephilim 

• In the Old Testament, some of the demonic “sons of God” intermarried with human women, and their offspring are called “nephilim”
• Gen. 6:4 – “The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.” 
• The nephilim were giants (Num. 13:33), and there were other giant clans, called Rephaim, Anakim, Emim, and Zamzummim
• The nephilim and other giants were defeated by Joshua and King David and his warriors
• 2 Samuel 21:22 – “These four were descended from the giants in Gath, and they fell by the hand of David and by the hand of his servants.” 

Why do we need to know this? 

The Bible tells us: 

• Not to worship angels or demons (false ‘gods’) 
• Not to be led astray by the lies and false teachings of demons: 
• 2 Corinthians 11:3 – “But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

Therefore we should:

• Worship God alone
• Pray for God’s protection (“deliver us from the evil one” Matt. 6:13)
• Pray against Satan’s schemes (“stand against the devil’s schemes” Eph. 6:11) 
• Study God’s Word to be able to discern truth from lies: 
• 1 Thess. 5:21 – “test everything; hold fast what is good.”