The Bible Doctrine Of Angels
Hebrews 1:6
One man said his wife was an angel. "She's stays up in the air about something all day and she's always harping on something." Bookstores have devoted entire sections to books about angels. Frank Peretti has written two very good novels entitled This Present Darkness and Piercing The Darkness & both describe the warfare between angels and demons and how humans are caught in between. Hollywood has discovered angels. Angels helped major league outfielders catch fly balls in the movie Angels In The Outfield. CBS has a hit TV series called Touched By An Angel. Angels In America was a Pulitzer-prize winning Broadway play which appeared in NY city only a few yrs. ago and featured an angel who ministered to a man diagnosed with AIDS. The rage for angels is widespread. There are angel newsletters, angel seminars, even angel-only boutiques where you can buy angel figurines, angel-sweaters, and angel jewelry. Time magazine reported that the nation's former first lady, Hillary Rodham Clinton wore a pair of gold angel wings on days she needed a little extra help.
Historians say that we are in a "third historical wave" of interest in angels. The first wave of interest was in ancient times when there was a movement to worship angels. The Greeks, the Egyptians, the Hindus, and even the Assyrians taught the existence of angels. Angel worship was so popular in the 1st century that the Colossian church had those who claimed to see angels and receive guidance from them. Colossian 2:18 calls these people arrogant & warns us not to worship angels.
The 2nd wave of historical interest in angels was in the Middle Ages and can be especially seen in the arts. John Milton in Paradise Lost & Paradise Regained delved into the wonder of fallen angels. Renaissance artists like Michelangelo, Angelico, and Raphael painted angels in their masterpieces. Handel claimed to have communicated with an angel while composing the Messiah.
What is an angel? Edwin Myers of Harding University in his book A Study Of Angels defines angels: "(angels are) spiritual beings which God created higher than man, some of whom remained obedient to God & carry out his will, & others of whom disobeyed, lost their holy condition, & oppose & hinder His work." p. 4
Angels are servants & messengers. There are more than 380 Biblical references to angels. The term angel has been applied to men, to Malachi & Haggai the prophets (Malachi means angel), in Malachi 2:7 the word angel was applied to the priests of Israel. In Isaiah 42:7 Israel is called God's messenger or angel. Malachi called John the Baptist the angel/messenger of Christ.
Characteristics of Angels:
They are spiritual beings. Two Biblical passages, one in the OT and the other in the New teaches that men are a little lower than angels (Psa. 8:5; HB 2:7). If angels are a little higher than man, how are they different from men? They are creatures of a higher order over men yet they are spirits who serve men who inherit salvation (HB 1:14). Angels do not marry nor can they begat children (Matthew 22:30). Jesus' statement helps us to understand Genesis 6:2 "the sons of God saw the daughters of men who were beautiful and took wives..." v. 4 reference to giants. Some interpret the sons of God as angels who intermarried with men and produced a race of giants. But Jesus shows us that angels are genderless, being neither male nor female. Gender is something which is a temporary aspect of time but in eternity will not exist. While angels do not have sexual distinctions, they can eat food. Abraham and Sarah prepared a meal of veal cutlet, bread and butter and milk and served it to angels who appeared in human form (GN 18:8). In GN 19 Lot, the nephew of Abraham fed 2 men who were really angels. In Psalm 78:25 the manna which fell from heaven is called angels food. This may mean the food which angels eat or the food which angels delivered.
Angels have supernatural powers but do not have all powers as God does. They have a language but it is different from the languages man speaks. Paul said if he could speak with the tongues of angels but had not love it was profitable for nothing (1 Corinthians 13:1). Angels have great knowledge & intelligence. A woman told king David in 2 Samuel 14:20 that he was as wise as an angel. Peter said in 1 Peter 1:12 that God has revealed the Gospel to us and even angels had a great desire to look into the things which pertained to salvation. Angels probably know things about us that we do not know. But they use this knowledge not to exploit us but to help us serve God, even if their help comes in ways we do not know. There are some things they do not know. Jesus said in Matthew 24:36 that angels do not know when the end of time will be. Angels have the power to be both invisible or invisible as Balaam would learn (Numbers 22:31). The donkey saw him but the prophet did not. They can cover vast distances instantaneously by flying—faster than speed of sound or light, they travel at the speed of thought: (Exod. 12:29-30 angel of Passover; Judges 6:21 angel disappeared from Joshua; Judges 13:20 angel disappeared into the flame of burnt offering; Lk. 2:13 angelic multitude instantly appeared & praised God in shepherd’s hearing; Daniel 9:21 angel Gabriel ordered as Daniel began praying to give message, & he flew quickly before Daniel finished prayer). Angels do not age, get sick, or die. They are immortal (Lk. 20:27-36). They have power to appear in several different forms: men (Gen. 18:2), horses (2 Kings 6:14-17), flames of fire (Heb. 1:7). Angels are powerful. They are greater than men in power & might (2 Pet. 2:11). They excel in strength (Psa. 103:20) & are mighty (2 Thess. 1:7). They protected the saints from fire (Dan. 3:24-28), closed mouths of hungry lions (Dan. 6:22), killed 185,000 Assyrians who came to attack Jerusalem (2 Kg. 19:35), & rolled away the stone where Jesus had been buried (Matt. 28:3).
Angels are moral beings. They may be divided into 2 moral categories. There are wicked angels who serve the god of this world, Satan. There are righteous angels who serve the God of the universe. 2 Peter 2:4 mentions angels who sinned were thrown out of Heaven into Hell. Peter uses a participle form of Tartarus, God Tartarized or Hellified them into chains of darkness. Sin implies that angels have a Heavenly law that can be obeyed or disobeyed.
Angels are holy creatures meaning they are separate from the rebellious universe. Jesus said in Matthew 25:31 that at the end of time, He will bring all the holy angels with him. Daniel 4:17 “this matter is by the decree of the watchers, and the demand by the word of the holy ones…” Note the 2 names for angels: watchers & holy ones.
Angels are organized. Each one was given abilities, talents, & responsibilities. Jude 6 & 2 Peter 2:4 shows that some were not content with the position or station God gave them & they rebelled in pride. In James 5:4 God is called the Lord of the Sabaoth. Do not confuse this word for the word "Sabbath" which means rest. Sabaoth means armies or military camps. Angels are organized into military type structures for the purpose of service. Their roles are clearly defined and they have corresponding authority to carry out their roles. Paul in Colossians 1:16 said that Jesus created things invisible and visible, thrones, Dominions, rulers, & authorities. These terms describe the angelic powers. But the chief of all angels is Michael. There are many angels but there is only one archangel. Arch means chief. Michael then is the prime minister over all of God's affairs. No one ranks higher over Michael except the members of the Godhead. The archangel wages war (Rev. 12:7), rebukes Satan (Jude 9), determines rise & fall of superpowers like Persia & Greece (Daniel 10:1-14), & will fight for us at the end of time (Dan. 12:1). He along with Gabriel will co-announce the end of the world (1 Thess. 4:16).
There are also 2 special categories of angels: Cherubs & Seraphs. There are 4 cherubim that have 4 faces & 4 wings apiece (Ezekiel 1:6-8). Ezekiel 10:15,20 show they escort the throne of God. 2 golden cherubs were placed on the table top of the ark of the covenant. Gen. 3:24 shows they guarded Eden’s entrance with a sword that flashed in every direction. The seraphs (seraphim) are mentioned in Isaiah 6:1-8 & Rev. 4:6-8. They have 6 wings instead of 4. They speak in God’s behalf & lead worship in Heaven. In Jewish art, Seraphs were always red & cherubs were bluish-white.
Angels have several names: sons of God & stars of heaven (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7), holy ones & watchers (Dan. 4:17), mighty ones (Psa. 103:21), messengers (Dan. 4:13), council of holy ones (Psa. 89:7), heavenly host (Lk. 2:13), heavenly beings (Psa. 89:6).
According to Daniel 10:20-21; 11:1; and 12:1, the service of angels impacts political affairs. According to Dan 9:2, Daniel had determined that it was time for God to bring the people of God home from Babylonian captivity. He prayed, mourned, fasted, and pleaded with God to fulfill His word. Gabriel the angel appeared unto him and told him things about the future. Two years later another angel appeared to Daniel. Daniel had been mourning, praying and fasting for 3 weeks. This angel had been trying to influence the political affairs of Persia in regard to Israel. Note v. 13, "but the prince of the king of Persia withstood me for 21 days..." Who is the prince of the king of Persia? The "prince" was an evil angel. He was one of the "principalities" mentioned in Eph 6 & one of the thrones mentioned in Col. 1:16. The prince was trying to influence the Persian emperor against Israel and God's angel was opposing "the prince." How long had God's angel and Satan's prince been fighting? 21 days, the same length of time that Daniel had fasted and prayed. Our prayers cause God to dispatch angels to change world events. So strong was this prince that Michael the archangel had to come and defeat this prince. See v. 20 before the angel left Daniel he said that he would have to return to keep fighting the prince of Persia. And the prince of Greece was also about to come. Is there a prince of USA? I'm almost certain of it! In fact, if I was Satan, I would have my forces stationed in Hollywood & NY, the media centers of USA, and in Washington, the political center of the USA. Our prayers can change world events. We know from the history this outcome of politics. The Persian kings looked with favor on the Jews and allowed them to go home and even gave them tax money to finance their trip. Newspaper headlines might have read, "Emperor Allows Jews To Go Home!" But you and I know that angels were working behind the scenes.
There are other things angels do for mankind: They guard obedient saints (Psalm 91:11). God will give His angels charge concerning us to guard us in all of God's ways. On 2 occasions, angels were involved in getting the evangelist and the searching sinner together (Acts 8:26; 10:7). Angels had a part in delivering the law of Moses (Acts 7:53). Angels carry the souls of departed saints to Abraham's bosom (Luke 16:22). Angels are executors of God's justice. An angel freed Peter & John who had been placed in prison (Acts 5:19), and later freed him again in Acts 12:7 from chains and made the prison door open automatically, 12:10. An angel killed the same King Herod who had executed the apostle James and imprisoned Peter by striking him with a stomach infestation of parasitic worms (Acts 12:23).
The Muslim people believe that every man has 2 angels; one to write down the good and the other to write down the evil we do. The Bible does teach that angels serve and even guard those who will inherit salvation (HB 1:14). In Matthew 18:10 Jesus warned us against causing someone else to quit the Lord. If we place stumbling blocks in someone's paths, it would be better for us to be drowned in the oceans. v.10 "see that you do not despise one of these little ones for THEIR angels continually behold the face of my Father..." When Peter was released from prison by the angel in Acts 12, he knocked on the gate of John Mark's home and Rhoda the servant answered the door. She was so shocked that she left Peter at the gate and ran in to tell others who had been praying for Peter. "Your crazy!" they said. But when she kept on insisting, some said that she had seen his angel (Acts 12:15). The prevailing belief in NT times was that angels served and protected the Saints. But nowhere does the Bible teach that we have guardian angels. In fact, those who insist it does teach are faced with several difficulties:
If guardian angels exist, what do they protect us from? Death, injury, illness. When James the apostle was beheaded, where was his guardian angel? When Eutychus fell out the 3rd story window, why didn't his guardian angel keep him from falling? Many of the Lord's servants have suffered many things including violent death. Where were their guardian angels? Do guardian angels lead us as some say? Do they implant thoughts? If so, how can we be sure that they have implanted God's thoughts and not their own? One woman hesitated about being baptized. She was in her flower garden one day and felt something brush against her. When she turned to look, nothing was there. She concluded that it was an angel sent to tell her she was OK as she was. I suspect that those who claim the leading of guardian angels are really using that as a pretense for doing their own will and not God's will. I am not doubting their sincerity. But there is a case of self-deception. Jeremiah 17:9 "the heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, who can understand it?" That the Bible teaches how angels guard & serve saints is without question, but the Bible nowhere teaches that there are guardian angels.
Are angels created beings or are they eternal? Psalm 148:2-5 shows that God created all in order to praise. The word "host" in v. 2 means an army and refers to all angels. In addition to angels, the Psalmist mentions celestial bodies like the sun, moon, and stars & he mentions the waters high in the stratosphere. Notice v. 5, "Let THEM praise...for He commanded, and THEY were created." This shows that angels fall into the category of created beings. They are not eternal like God is. The book of Colossians shows that angels are not to be worshipped, instead Jesus is (Col. 2:18). 1:16 also shows that Jesus created all things. The extent of His creative work is described: heaven & earth; visible & invisible (what would invisible things include?); then Paul mentions 4 categories of angels: thrones, Dominions, rulers, & authorities. That God created angels is beyond dispute. But when did he create them? Ex. 20:8,11 The command to keep the Sabbath holy is rooted in God's work. God Himself worked 6 days & rested on the Sabbath from His creative work. v. 11 "For in 6 days the Lord made the the heavens, the earth, and the sea and all that in them is." Angels clearly were made during the creative week of Genesis although their creation is not specified. But Job 38:7 gives a detail about when the angels were created. God is the Speaker and Job is listening. God asks Job, Where were you when I laid the foundation for the earth? or when I measured it? or When I sunk the bases for the foundation for the continents? or When the morning stars sung together and the sons of God shouted for joy? When they saw God bring about the dry land, they gave God a standing ovation. Now when did God make the dry land appear? Day 4, Wednesday. So the angels were already there on day 4, so they had to have been created somewhere prior to this day. In Nehemiah’s prayer, he said “Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.”
In Ephesians 3:14 Paul reminded the Christians that he bowed in prayer to the Father, "from whom every family in heaven and on earth derived its name..." This shows that God 1) has a family 2) God has a family on earth and another one in heaven. 3) God is the Father of both families. He has a relationship with them. He is guide and protector of His family. 4) Both derive their name from God, i.e. their character comes from god. Who is God's family in heaven? the angels, the sons of God. How many angels are there? Jesus told Peter in Matthew 26:53 to put up his sword because Jesus could call for 12 legions of angels to deliver Him from the earth. A legion is 6,000. Therefore, all Jesus had to do was say the word, and 72,000 angels would have obeyed Him. But in Daniel 7:10 we are given a predictive prophecy of the coronation of king Jesus. He is called the Ancient of Days in v. 9. Thousands upon thousands of angels served Jesus. But in Revelation 5:12 John saw God's throne and 10,000 times 10,000= 100 million angels. But HB. 12:22 says that Christians have come to Mt. Zion to a company of innumerable angels. No human can count angels. We can count the population of the USA and of Russia and of practically every country. The planet numbers nearly 7 billion people. But no one can count the number of the angels which would indicate a number which even staggers our imagination. Although there are uncountable numbers of angels, only 3 of them are named in the Bible (Gabriel, Michael, and Satan).
Conclusion:
LK 12:8-9 Jesus will confess name of faithful men before the angels