How To Discern An Angel From A Demon by Pastor Dolapo Lawal: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

Why the Book of Tobit Is Not Scripture

The book of Tobit is part of what is called the Apocrypha — Jewish writings written between the Old and New Testaments during the 430 years of silence before the coming of Christ. They have some historical and moral value, but they are not inspired by God. The book has clear historical and doctrinal errors. It claims that Tobit lived during the time of Jeroboam, which is around 930 BC, and also during the Assyrian captivity, which is around 722 BC — 200 years apart. The timeline does not work. Scripture is consistent in its record, but this book is not.

It also teaches things that contradict the gospel. In Tobit 12:9 it says, "Almsgiving delivers from death and will purge away every sin." The Bible teaches that only the blood of Jesus cleanses sin, not giving money or doing good works. Hebrews 9:22, Ephesians 2:8-9. When a book starts teaching salvation by works, it is no longer in the spirit of the gospel.

Further, it presents angelic behaviour that does not match scripture. The angel Raphael in the book tells a lie about his identity and gives magic-like instructions — burning a fish's heart to drive away demons. No angel of God in scripture lies or uses charms. That is a clear red flag that the spirit behind the story is not the Holy Spirit.

The Danger of an Unhealthy Obsession with Power

There is a very thin line between taking your spiritual life seriously and spiritism. When people have an unhealthy obsession with power, there is a very high chance they will enter the spirit of error — because a spirit will meet them. That spirit will start giving instructions. From the moment a person begins doing those things and getting results — because what the devil understands is how to manipulate things — it will be very hard for them to understand they have digressed, because they will still be using the Bible. There will be a hard mixture. But they have entered the spirit of error.

Some people started a genuine spiritual walk but just met the wrong spirits. When the Bible says "the wealth of the Gentiles shall come to you," it does not mean God will collect money from Gentile bank accounts and hand it to believers. The wealth of the Gentiles becomes the wealth of God's kingdom when they submit to the lordship of Jesus in salvation. Their money is not used for the world's agenda — it is used for the gospel, and because the gospel is our gospel, it is our wealth in that sense.

How Angels Behave in Scripture

When the devil tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he came after forty days of dry fasting. Watch what people say after serious fasting encounters. If someone finishes a major fast and comes out not strong in exploits but receiving strange new instructions — check the spirit behind it.

Daniel 11:32 says those who know their God shall be strong. The context is resistance. Their strength is to resist what the enemy is offering to them. People who keep moving from place to place spiritually can never be rooted in anything and are vulnerable to carrying strange spirits.

The devil will not appear with horns. 2 Corinthians 11:14 — even the devil appears as an angel of light. His form is angelic. Just because something appeared to you with bright lights does not mean it was an angel of God. You only know an angel by the message they bring.

Angels in scripture came as men. They did not announce themselves. When three men appeared to Abraham, he saw them, noticed they looked tired, and invited them in. They began eating. Then they said, "According to the time of life, by this time your wife will give birth." That is how you know an angel — they come to execute the word of God. They are not the ones who gave Abraham the promise; they came to execute it. They only perform God's word.

What Angels Do and Do Not Do

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Pastor Dolapo Lawal
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• Angels worship God — they do not receive worship. Revelation 7:11. If something appears to you and accepts or invites worship, it is not of God.
• Angels deliver messages from God. Luke 1:26-38. That message will have its premise in scripture. When Gabriel went to Mary and said, "The Holy Spirit shall overshadow you and you shall conceive," he was fulfilling the word of God in Isaiah. They do not come to give new independent revelations; they come to execute God's word.
• Angels explain and illuminate scripture. Daniel 10. Daniel had been reading the book of Jeremiah when the angel came to give him understanding of what he had read. That angel came because of the word, to explain the word.
• Angels have departments and assignments. Gabriel is a revelatory minister. Michael is the prince assigned to the people of Israel. They are not all doing the same thing.
• Angels can be delayed in transit through spiritual resistance. Daniel 10:13. The angel sent to Daniel was held up for twenty-one days by the prince of Persia before Michael came and gave authorization. The spiritual realm is a real and complex economy.
• Angels protect God's people. Psalm 91:11.
• Angels minister to believers. Hebrews 1:14.
• Angels execute God's judgment. Genesis 19:13.
• Angels strengthen and comfort. Luke 22:43.
• Angels rejoice over repentance. Luke 15:10.
• Angels fight spiritual battles. Daniel 10:13.
• Angels bear witness of the resurrection. Matthew 28:5-7. Note: they bore witness — they did not preach the gospel. In Acts 10, an angel could not preach the gospel; instead he said, "Send for Peter — he will show you the way of salvation."
• Angels will appear with Jesus at the second coming. Acts 1:10-11.
• Angels restrain and release judgments. Revelation 7:1-3.
• Angels stand before God's throne. Isaiah 6.
• Angels punish the wicked. Acts 12:23.
• Angels serve in the presence of God continually. Matthew 18:10.
• Angels refuse worship from humans. Revelation 22:8-9.
• Angels will never possess a human being. No angel of God possesses a human body. Only demons do this — because they are rebel spirits. They know the body of a human being is only for God.
• Angels deliver from danger. Acts 12:7-10.

You Cannot Command Angels

No human being has the authority to command an angel. Hebrews 1:14 says they are ministering spirits sent to minister for those who inherit salvation — but only God can release angels.

Matthew 26:53. Jesus himself said: "Do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels?" He said he would ask the Father. He did not say he would call the angels himself. Angels are messengers of God, not of man. They excel in strength in performing the word of God. They will not perform the word of man.

So do not send angels to bring customers, to fight on your behalf, or to execute anything outside of what God has said. They only perform God's word.

Power That Is Not Checked Is Poison

Samson used his own power with his own hand to kill himself. What was the problem with Samson? No mentor. No father who could speak to him. He used his own power to destroy himself. Once power is not checked, it will corrupt and destroy the powerful.

God does not perform continuous open miracles because faith would become unnecessary. If every sick person was always healed immediately, no one would need to believe — they would believe the miracle, not God. Jesus said the Jews seek a sign. But Christ is both the wisdom and the power of God unto salvation. His power is in his message. If you believe without the revelation of scripture, you believe in the sign — not in him.

The risen Jesus walked with the disciples on the road to Emmaus and showed himself to them through the scriptures. And the moment they could have recognized him by sight, he vanished. He was saying: you must believe in me by the revelation of scripture, not by observation. We receive him through scripture. That is the foundation.