Angels


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What are Angels?[edit]

These are God's (or more specifically Jesus') created spiritual beings (Hebrews 1:14) that do His will. They were created before us humans (Job 38:4-7) at a level a little higher than us humans (Hebrews 2:5-8). In relation to us humans God uses them primarily as messengers and teachers (Hebrews 1:14 "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"), but has also used them for other tasks such as guarding the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24), the Angel of Death to kill the first born (Exodus 12:12), weeding out the saved from the unsaved at the end of the age (Matthew 13:41), etc....

Mahanaim, or Hosts of Angels by Spurgeon

Worshipping them seems far out of the question; the truth lies rather the other way, for they do us suit and service: "are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them that are the heirs of salvation?" Hebrews 1:14. They serve God's servants. "Unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my son" Hebrews 1:5? But this He has said, first to the Only-Begotten, and then to every believer in Christ. We are the sons and daughters of the Lord God Almighty, and these ministering ones have a charge concerning us: as it is written, "they shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone" Psalms 91:12.

(from Spurgeon's Sermons, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

Mahanaim, or Hosts of Angels by Spurgeon

I have shown you that believers are compassed about with an innumerable company of angels, great in multitude, strong in power, exact in order, punctual in their personal attention to the children of God. Are ye not well cared for, oh ye sons of the Most High!

(from Spurgeon's Sermons, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1997 by Biblesoft)

Angels in the book of Revelations

The revelations of Scripture concerning angels are few, but nevertheless have great value:

1. They furnish a necessary safeguard against narrowness of thought as to the extent and variety of the creations of God.

2. They help us in acquiring the proper conception of Christ, who is above the angels, and the object of angelic worship.

3. They give a wonderful attractiveness to our conception of that unseen world to which we are hastening.

4. They set before us an example of joyous and perfect fulfillment of God's will. "Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven," i.e., by the angels.

5. They put to shame the horrible indifference of multitudes of mankind with respect to the great work of conversion. "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents" (Luke 15:10).

6. They broaden our view of the manifold mercies of God, whose angels are "sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation" (Heb 1:14; cf. 12:22).

7. They remind us of our high rank as human beings, and our exalted destiny as Christians. We, who are made but "a little lower than the angels" (KJV, Ps 8:5; NASB, "lower than God") may become "like angels in heaven" (Matt 22:30).

(from The New Unger's Bible Dictionary. Originally published by Moody Press of Chicago, Illinois. Copyright (c) 1988.)

The different orders of Angels:[edit]

God's Word, for the most part, doesn't categorize the Angels except in specific cases:

  1. First, we have the Archangels Michael and Gabriel. Michael has the special task of caring for Israel, and Gabriel communicates special messages to God's servants.
  2. There is also, in the Old Testament, the "Angel of the LORD". This Angel is depicted as a visible manifestation of God Himself, or Theophany. He has powers and characteristics that belong only to God, such as the power to forgive sins (Exodus 23:20-21 "... he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.").
  3. Angel of the LORD

    A mysterious messenger of God, sometimes described as the Lord Himself, but at other times as one sent by God. The Lord used this messenger to appear to human beings who otherwise would not be able to see Him and live (Exodus 33:20).

    The Angel of the Lord performed actions associated with God, such as revelation, deliverance, and destruction; but he can be spoken of as distinct from God (2 Samuel 24:16; Zechariah 1:12). This special relationship is a mystery similar to that between Jesus and God in the New Testament.

    (from Nelson's Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 1986 by Thomas Nelson Publishers, pg 48)

    Angels

    The word angel signifies a messenger, a bearer of tidings, and as such the name is sometimes applied to Christ (Zechariah 1:12; Revelation 10:1) the great Messenger from heaven, the Mediator between God and man; to prophets and preachers (Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, etc.), who as God's messengers have done so much to carry His message to a lost world; and to the intelligent and immaterial heavenly beings whom God uses as His ministers to execute the orders of His providences (Heb. 1:14; Rev. 22:8, 9), to whom the name is most frequently applied, and who are the subjects under consideration in this chapter.

    (Doctrines of the Bible, pp 190, Daniel Kauffman, Editor, Copyright 1928 by Mennonite Publishing House)

  4. Cherubim, Seraphim and living creatures (or living beings) are usually the Angels found in God's presence, guarding the Garden of Eden, or portrayed on the Ark of the Covenant and in God's Holy Temple. Note that at one time, prior to his rebellion, Lucifer was a Cherub.
  5. Destroying Angels described in Psalms 78:49 "He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility--a band of destroying angels." Plus at the Passover in Exodus 12:23 "... he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down."
  6. Finally, there is the "angel of the Abyss" as described in Revelation Revelation 9:11 whose name in Hebrew is "Abaddon" and in Greek is "Apollyon". There are 2 schools of thought regarding this particular angel. Either he is not fallen or, as some believe, he is a fallen angel. Whatever the case, obviously his duties are very unique.

What do Angels look like?[edit]

As to their general appearance, there is no description other than that they are spiritual beings, yet there are specific examples:

  1. The first one we will look at is the Cherubim guarding the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3:24 "After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." Which actually doesn't describe the look, but more the power and ability.
  2. In Genesis 19:1-5 we find that 2 Angels took on human form. They looked like men and must have been very good looking "... all the men from every part of the city of Sodom--both young and old--surrounded the house. 5 They called to Lot, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us so that we can have sex with them."
  3. Then there is the instructions regarding the design of the Cherubim at both ends of the Ark of the Covenant in Exodus 25:20 "The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. ..."
  4. The Angel at Jesus' tomb Matthew 28:3-4 "His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men"
  5. The Seraphim in Isaiah 6:2 "Above him were seraphs, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying."
  6. Finally, we have a general description in Judges 13:6 "... He looked like an angel of God, very awesome."

How many Angels are there?[edit]

God's Word doesn't give us a specific number, but in Psalms 68:17 "... tens of thousands and thousands of thousands..." we are impressed with the idea that there are a lot of Angels. Plus, David's account is given after 1/3 of all the Angels rebelled.

The Angels that rebelled:[edit]

In Revelation 12:3-9 we learn that there was "... war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, ..." and that "His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. ..." For more detail [refer to "Fallen Angels"]

Angel of the Theophany:[edit]

The word "Theophany" is a theological word that means any direct, visual manifestation of the presence of God.

ANGEL

The Angel of the Theophany: This angel is spoken of as "the angel of Yahweh," and "the angel of the presence (or face) of Yahweh." The following passages contain references to this angel: Gen. 16:7; Gen. 18; Gen. 22:11; Gen. 24:7,40; Gen. 31:11; Gen. 32:24; Gen. 48:15; Ex. 3; Ex. 13:21; 14:19; Ex. 23:20; Ex. 32:34-33:17; Josh. 5:13-6:2; Judges 2:1-5; Judges 6:11.

Who is theophanic angel? To this many answers have been given, of which the following may be mentioned:

1. This angel is simply an angel with a special commission;

2. He may be a momentary descent of God into visibility;

3. He may be the Logos, a kind of temporary preincarnation of the second person of the Trinity.

Each has its difficulties, but the last is certainly the most tempting to the mind. Yet it must be remembered that at best these are only conjectures that touch on a great mystery. It is certain that from the beginning God used angels in human form, with human voices, in order to communicate with man; and the appearances of the angel of the Lord, with his special redemptive relation to God's people, show the working of that Divine mode of self-revelation which culminated in the coming of the Saviour, and are thus a fore-shadowing of, and a preparation for, the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Further than this, it is not safe to go.

(from International Standard Bible Encyclopaedia, Electronic Database Copyright (c)1996 by Biblesoft)

Testing for Biblical Angelic Authenticity:[edit]

God's Word tells us in Hebrews 13:2 "... some people have entertained angels without knowing it." So, as a Born again Christian, we should be aware whether an entity is from God or not from God. Below is a simple 2 question test:

  1. Did the entity or occurrence maintain Biblical soundness? Or, in other words, God's Word was not contradicted.
  2. Were the actions or occurrence of a Godly nature?

Humans judging Angels:[edit]

In 1 Corinthians 6:3 Paul is describing a future aspect of our relationship with Angels: "Do you not know that we will judge angels?..." It is thought that since us humans, unlike the Angels, were given "the sin nature" [refer to "Sin Nature"] at birth, but more importantly given the ability to freely choose to rebel against God utilizing an adversary, God holds us humans in higher esteem above the Angels. This might be the reason that Satan (Lucifer) [refer to "Satan"] and his fallen angels [refer to "Fallen Angels"] rebelled against God.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on Judging Angels

By judging the world and angels, some think, is to be understood, their being assessors to Christ in the great judgment-day; it being said of our Saviour's disciples that they should at that day sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel, Matt 19:28. And elsewhere we read of our Lord's coming with ten thousand of his saints to execute judgment on all, etc., Jude 14-15. He will come to judgment with all his saints, 1 Thess 3:13.

(from Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.)

Non-Biblical References:[edit]

The secular world seems to be more interested in the fallen angels rather than of God's personal Angels. And when an occurrence or appearance of an entity of unknown origin occurs, only then the secular world will jump to the conclusion that it was some sort of angel. As for other religions, angels are very predominant and also perform all sorts of tasks. So, be careful when speaking to others about angels that you clarify which angels are being discussed.

Overview:[edit]

We are told that Angels are God's ministering tools for those that know Him. God created a lot of Angels, how many is not revealed, and they do not pro-create. Unfortunately, through selfish pride, a third of the Angels rebelled against God and were banished from God's presence [refer to "Fallen Angels"]. So, however many thousands upon thousands of Angels exist, we know a few things about them. They are God's personal servants doing his will. Their name "angel" means messenger. Angels were present at the creation of the world [refer to "Creation"], they delight in praising God, they rejoice every time a person becomes a part of God's personal family [refer to "Salvation"], they are always available to help, guide and protect all of us Born again Christians, they meet a wide variety of human needs such as relieving human hunger and thirst, they sometimes deliver the people of God from danger, they sometimes are God's agents for destruction and judgment of evil, plus many other tasks as desired by God.

As a side note, Angels of God in the Bible usually interact only with good people.

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