Are angels and Satan a reality?

Interviewee: Father Octavian Moşin

Interviewer: Deliu Ludmila

D.L. It is already known that evil spirits are evil angels, Satan with his servants, and good spirits are the angels we imagine in white robes with wings that protect us. What is the origin of good and evil angels?

F.O. The fact that there are two dimensions has always been a reality of existence, a reality of the universe. There has always been the positive, beneficial, fortifying side and there has been the evil, destructive side. The Bible presents the seen and unseen world very well. Unfortunately, in the contemporary world there is no spiritual progress, on the contrary it goes backwards. Besides the fact that we are created in the “image and likeness of God” we have in us a particle of divinity, therefore an immortal soul. The Bible says that God is Spirit, so we also have a particle of spirit in us that is eternal. There has always been a battle between good and evil in our lives, and the battlefield is precisely our soul.

D.L. The Bible says that God is the creator of the world, did He create good and evil angels?

F.O. Both the seen and the unseen world were created by God, and He very well presents the place, time, and purpose of creation. At the same time, we see the first achievements, but also the first failures of creation, when the creature wants to be God. Lucifer was the first of the angels, the brightest and most beautiful, but he fell from glory to disobedience and pride. By wanting to be like God, he was brought down to the depths of the earth. He became Satan because he did not keep in touch with the Creator, he was not satisfied with that glory that God gave him, so he fell lower than he had been. He is the one who does not give glory to God, but is an enemy to Him and to men. Second, man, Adam, and Eve were placed by God in the Garden of Eden. They had a special perfection, and God gave them one commandment, which they violated out of a desire to know more, to be like the Lord.

D.L. What role do angels play in people’s lives?

F.O. First of all, the angels are the ones who proclaim, the ones who transmit the message and the will of God, but at the same time each of us receives a guardian angel at his birth. The guardian angel is our companion in the spiritual struggle between good and evil.

D.L. We humans often say that two voices ring in our ears: one that tells us to do good, another that tells us to do evil. Can you explain this to us?

F.O. The devil is the one who opposes any spiritual effort, because he would like everyone to give in to his mastery. There is also the good force that resists Satan’s will so that it will not be realized. The more you put in the effort, the harder this struggle becomes, and by this we mean that the spiritual life is not easy.

At the same time, there are people who are possessed by evil spirits and who serve Satan, for example those who deal with occultism, witchcraft. Fortune tellers are those who try to foretell the future by the power of the evil one.

D.L. Can man be victorious over Satan and his servants?

F.O. Our only weapon is faith in God. Our lives need to be lived in spirit and in truth, in the spirit of godliness, goodness, and the Spirit of God. He who has the Spirit of God cannot do evil. Yet God allows evil, that is, allows temptation in the world, so that we humans may become stronger in the faith. You cannot become a good athlete without effort and training, just as you cannot become a good Christian without spiritual effort, without prayer and trials that strengthen you in the faith.

D.L. Have you said that God allows temptation, does God have power over Satan, does He limit it in certain actions?

F.O. The Lord allows temptation as far as we can go. Job in the Holy Scriptures was tempted by losing everything around him, but he did not murmur and then it all returned to him a hundredfold. Important is our desire to resist temptation that can lead us to sin, but we must always be victorious.

D.L. Satan or the angels of God come to send us a message. I once heard a case when an angel came to a man and told him to commit suicide. Then someone interpreted this case and told me that the angel of God could not bring such a message, and even the Bible itself says that Satan can transform himself into an angel of light, to deceive people.

How can we Christians recognize whether the message received from an angel is from God but not from Satan?

F.O. Through sincere prayer to God we can receive that answer whether the revelation received is divine or evil. The revelation that comes from God is for spiritual growth, and if it is for conceit, for the loss of the soul, then it cannot be from the Most High.

D.L. During the Easter holidays we all watch the movie “The Life of Jesus,” and a sequence in the movie shows how Satan tried to tempt Jesus to make Him give up His plan to save mankind from sin. Did God prepare a certain plan for man as well, for example to glorify him, to listen, to serve God, but does Satan want to tempt us not to fulfill God’s plan?

F.O. Yes, God has his plan with each of us, and Satan is the one who puts obstacles in its way. At the same time, we ourselves are not deprived of the will to choose good or evil, that is, God does not intervene in our freedom.

D.L. What is important for a Christian to do so that he will not be led by Satan or influenced by him?

F.O. To choose to serve God, not to obey the force of evil.

D.L. It is obvious that there is a lot of evil in the country, corruption, murders, envy, quarrels, and at the same time people want to be good. From this we can conclude that the power of evil dominates more than the power of good. How can we change this situation?

F.O. We must promote healthy inner growth, but unfortunately this has not started. We have each planted in ourselves the faith, but it must be grown, but if the generation is not raised in the fear of the Lord then we reap the fruits we have: people alienated and far from holy things, who do nothing but serve Him. Satan through their actions.

The Priest’s Advice – Moldova Crestina Newspaper

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Translated by Didina Vicliuc