ANGELS
GENERAL THOUGHTS
A local business lady has an interest in so-called
angels of blessings: quite unconnected with biblical revelation and
Christ. They were not really angels,
but fictitious at best – or worse: occult and satanic. Be aware of this, and be ready with
answers, if you are asked about similar ideas. A related book was lent to a Church House Group member. Some “angels” may be real and from God, but
others satanic.
We are not to be too concerned with angels, and
certainly not to worship them.
Even an angel can deceive and teach heresy – this
would be a fallen angel of course. Do
not believe every angel!
SATAN IS A CREATED BEING, AND NOT FROM
ETERNITY. HE IS NOT IN THE SAME CLASS
AS GOD – NOT ALL-KNOWING, NOT ALL-PRESENT, AND NOT ALL-POWERFUL, NOT ALL-GOOD:
BUT HE IS ALL-EVIL, AND DESTINED FOR SEVERE JUDGEMENT. One Angel locks and seals Satan in the Abyss for
a thousand years (Revelation 20:1-3).
He is a fallen senior angel; unclean demons are probably the third of lesser angels that followed Satan’s revolt (Revelation 12:4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth). Satan is more on a par with the angels such as Gabriel and Michael.
He is a fallen senior angel; unclean demons are probably the third of lesser angels that followed Satan’s revolt (Revelation 12:4 His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth). Satan is more on a par with the angels such as Gabriel and Michael.
See: Isaiah 14:9-23, 2 Corinthians 11: 12-15.
Jane Williams, wife of the Archbishop of Canterbury
(2003-2012), has written an artistically beautiful book on angels.
A theologian, Crispin Fletcher-Louis, did his
doctoral thesis on angels, and later published it as a book, which costs £104!
All angels are created beings: created by Jesus.
He obviously has immensely far greater authority than they have. They are not everywhere, do not know
everything, and are not all-powerful, they are not “Divine”, but will live forever;
they can sin and will be judged by Christians in the Last Days.
We are created only a little lower than God and the
angels (Psalm 8) – not a little above the animals. [A cartoon of a chimpanzee and its keeper in a zoo: “Am I my
Keeper’s brother?” (Not, “Am I my brother’s keeper?)]
HOW DO THEY APPEAR?
Hebrews 13:2 “Do not forget to
entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels
without knowing it.”
People did not always know that the individual in
front of them was an angel – sometimes they thought it was an ordinary man.
In the early nineteenth century a
missionary couple found their home surrounded one night by shrieking roaring
cannibals: the very people they had come to share the Gospel with. The couple fell to their knees and
prayed. All night the cannibals
intimidated them, and the Scottish couple waited for what would be their
grizzly end. Just before sunrise, to
their amazement, they observed the natives slinking back into the forest;
leaving them unharmed. How they
rejoiced!
About a year later, the missionaries had seen some
fruit for their labours, and the Chief had become a Christian. Recalling the horror of that terrible night:
they asked the Chief why they had not been attacked. The man asked, “Who were those men with you?” The missionaries told that they had been
alone. “There were hundreds of tall men
in shining garments, with drawn swords, circling about your house; so we could
not attack you.”
Recorded by John G. Patten: missionary to the New
Hebrides in the South Pacific, where they had seen a spiritual awakening. (Told in a sermon by Canon David White, at
St Andrew’s, Chorleywood, c 2014)
In August 1950, he was in a deep sleep, when he was
suddenly awakened and saw three unknown men in civilian clothes. The one on the right pointed to the one in
the centre, and said, “This is Jesus.”
After this meeting, he heard a click that made him look up – the three
were walking through the granite wall.
Through telling this testimony around the World,
many have come to faith in Christ – including Irish terrorists.
Bruce Olsen, as an older teenager,
living in America, of Scandinavian stock, was called by God to dedicate his
life to the Motilone tribe in Venezuela.
God’s remarkable blessing on his courageous work,
over 40 years, saw these primitive, violent, Stone Age natives build hospitals
and schools, graduate from universities, and hold high office in their country.
At one time, Olsen was kidnapped by Rebels, and
cruelly treated. The Motilone Elders
prayed that an angel might be sent help him.
One day he looked up into a tree and saw a Motilone tribesman, he
thought, hovering high up against the leaves.
He was dressed in a loincloth and said in Motilone that the tribal
Elders had sent him to comfort, heal of internal bleeding and guarantee that he
would be unshackled – this happened the following day. Bruce taught the Rebels reading and writing. Over 200 were converted. He was placed in front of a firing squad –
someone had loaded blank rounds! The
angel returned to the tribe to say Bruce was OK. (The Motilone and Olson were well represented on Google –
Wikipedia, 12.09.12)
A young lady had just given birth by frightening Caesarean Section,
and was lying on the operating table with tubes and cables everywhere. In her great need, a man wearing a white
hospital coat came in – he looked rather like Dick Van Dyke in “Diagnosis
Murder”. He assured her: “You are fine and so is your little boy. He weighs eight pounds!” When the Midwife eventually came, she was
amazed that the new mother knew the weight of the baby already; and there was
no knowledge of this particular man in the white coat, in the hospital.
A column of light: a man I know well, as a boy, had been drawing a Burne-Jones type study of a winged angel at the Easter Tomb. One night, during the wartime blackout, he felt a presence as he prayed, and saw simply a column of light. In his mind a voice told him that the next day a long-awaited letter would arrive from his father – on military service. It came true [a chance of one in over three hundred, at least, he reckoned], and he knew that he could never be an honest atheist.
A winged, 1920’s sculptured figure with a drawn
sword, in the shapes of cumulus clouds, over a village
called Littleborough, in Lancashire, England.
An artist saw this vision and was terror-struck by it. For over a year he thought about its significance, and eventually committed it to canvas, which was shown in a local Gallery – with an explanation alongside (Cf end of these notes). It was seen as a severe warning that God was displeased with conditions in the locality, and that He was ready to send judgement. The artist felt that God’s anger was directed at the Church: where, as he knew, there was sinfulness, heresy, and a lack of orthodoxy (Cf 1 Chronicles 21 - the wrath of God apropos King David's sinful Census. The Painter later had second thoughts: is it a promise of defence and attack, working on behalf of the Church - local, regional, national, and worldwide. Thirdly: “Hosanna in the highest!” came to mean something special. The cry to God to save now - how can we understand what these words meant 2,000 years ago, in another culture: save us from the Roman Empire, from the false teaching of Pharisees and Sadducees, save us from judgment and sin, through a Saviour. Today we have our own cry to God to SAVE NOW: from the Pharisees and Sadducees in the Church, from unjust Government and Jurisprudence, but above all, from sin and judgment. Why “Hosanna in the highest”? It is in the domain of the heavenly powers, which influence life on Earth with great force. The angel in the vision was here to do battle for us!
He also noted:
Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the
LORD encamps around those who fear
him,
and he delivers
them”,
In later years, he saw that the angel might be his personal protector.
In later years, he saw that the angel might be his personal protector.
The Artist also noted apropos the story of King David’s Census: the anger of God was against ungodly activity – the Census was worldly, and not the Divine Will. (2 Samuel 24)
Finally, he thought in terms of the figure who stood to confront Joshua, as told in Joshua chapter 5: verses 13-15.
13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”
14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
15 The commander of the LORD'S army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the LORD I have now come.” Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord have for his servant?”
15 The commander of the LORD'S army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.
A workman in overalls
appeared to save disaster, as a tractor used to mow a steep meadow ran out of
control towards a car park and picnic area, at Lee Abbey, Devon UK – a conference,
retreat, and holiday centre. Several
people observed the incident: there was actually no one in the driving seat,
and it was taken to be the intervention of an angel.
A large circle of huge – giant-like, strong shining heavenly beings clothed in full armour, with gleaming gold breastplates.
Chrissie Dhapman wrote about her brave and fruitful medical work in Burundi. She experience great fear, as was to be expected, during the terrible genocide of the 1990s. Her Minister friend saw the angels standing shoulder to shoulder facing outwards, around the 400 metre perimeter wall of the medical compound; only when he laid hands on her and prayed did she see them. “The Night the Angels Came”, Monarch Books, UK, 2016
It would seem that the form chosen for angelic appearances is appropriate, suitable, unexpected, and obviously not self-generated. This is the very opposite of contemporary concepts of demons, and extra-terrestrials with UFO’s, and their sightings.
Rev Dr Billy Graham’s book on “Angels – God’s secret
agents”, now expanded with the help of friends, leaves no stone unturned.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF ANGELS
The Archangel Michael (15
matches in a Biblical word search)
Daniel 10:13, and 21,
Michael is “one of the chief Princes”,
“Your Prince” – the Angelic Prince of Israel
Daniel 12:1, Michael the Great Prince, who protects the Nation Israel
Here we see that the senior angels are concerned
with the fortunes of nations, and our prayers count
Revelation 12:7-10,
“And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in
heaven. The great dragon was hurled
down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world
astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God.’”
[In a war carried out in Heaven, Michael and his
Angels, fight against the Dragon and his Angels – that is the Devil, with a
third of the Angels who revolted against God – they are defeated by Michael’s
angelic forces and thrown out of Heaven.
In the context of the chapter, I think this has taken place – perhaps
during our Lord’s earthly lifetime.]
1 Thessalonians 4:16,
For the Lord himself
will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the
archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise
first.
Jude verse 9,
But even the archangel Michael, when he was
disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a
slanderous accusation against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
The Archangel Michael fights against the Devil, from
time to time
The Angel Gabriel – mentioned twice
in the Book of Daniel (8:16, 9:21), and twice in Luke’s Gospel: the appearance
to John the Baptist’s father, and the Annunciation to Mary (Luke 1:19 and
26). Daniel was terrified and fell to
the ground – this Angel brought him revelation about the future – this
appertains in all four references.
Gabriel is called an angel of God’s presence (cf Isaiah 63:9 b), and is mentioned in both Old and New Testament. He is not called an archangel.
In Islam he is important in the establishment of the religion and the giving of the Qur’an. The two Gabriels (Biblical and Qur’anic) give opposite messages; one must be a satanic fake! Which came first: the real £50 note, or the counterfeit?
In Islam he is important in the establishment of the religion and the giving of the Qur’an. The two Gabriels (Biblical and Qur’anic) give opposite messages; one must be a satanic fake! Which came first: the real £50 note, or the counterfeit?
Cherubim
Mentioned 73 times
Spectacular beings of high rank, demonstrating God’s
Glory: portrayed as basically human-like, but with four faces (of a man, lion,
ox and eagle), four wings, burnished calf-like feet, and with wheels covered in
eyes.
Mainly seen by Ezekiel the prophet (Ezekiel 1:1 ff,
10:1 ff), and John the apostle in The Revelation 4:7, “The first living creature
was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man,
the fourth was like a flying eagle.”
Similar to the description in Ezekiel, but not given this name.
One guarded the Garden of Eden after the Expulsion,
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”.
Golden models used in the Tabernacle and Temple –
over the Ark of the Covenant, and as carved decorations on walls and doors, and
embroidered on curtains
God is seen as dwelling between them, and riding on
them
Numbers 7:89, “When Moses entered the
Tent of Meeting to speak with the LORD,
he heard the voice speaking to him from between the two cherubim above the
atonement cover on the ark of the Testimony. And he spoke with him.”
Psalm 18:10 etc
Psalm 18:10 etc
Seraphim called Seraphs in NIV
Found in Isaiah chapter 6:1-9
In the year that King
Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train
of his robe filled the temple. 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. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is
the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is
full of his glory.”
At the sound of their
voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried.
“I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of
unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty.”
Then one of the
seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs
from the altar.
With it he touched my
mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and
your sin atoned for.”
Then I heard the
voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?”
And I said, “Here am
I. Send me!” ‘
He said, “Go …”
It is likely that celestial beings with wings are of
a senior rank. What do you think?
Angels, in General Mentioned 303 times in the Scriptures, the
plan here is to march through the books of the Sacred Text, but where a subject
has related passages, they are included
Some Old Testament occasions
Genesis 6:1-3,
4 “When men began to increase in number
on the earth and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the
daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. The
Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of
God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes
of old, men of renown.”
[“Sons of God” is
taken to be another term for angels.]
Angel of the LORD is
a common format: to identify which side he is on in the spiritual war
Genesis
To Abraham’s
slave-wife Hagar (Genesis 16:7 ff)
Telling Abraham not
to sacrifice Isaac (Genesis 22:11-12)
Generally guiding the
Patriarch
The three men
representing the Trinity – with two going on to Sodom (Genesis 18, 19:1 ff)
Jacob: found them
guiding and delivering, ascending to Heaven and speaking for God, he wrestled
with an angel at Peniel (Genesis 28:10 ff, 32:1; cf Hosea 12:4)
Exodus
Moses had help at the
Burning Bush, and Sinai – giving the Law and enforcing it (Exodus chapter 3:20; cf Acts 7:30,38)
The Ten Plagues were the work of Destroying Angels (Psalm 78:49), in the
final Plague when all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians were destroyed (Exodus
12:29)
Protecting and leading
the Israelites out of Egypt, and indeed always
Psalm 91:11, “For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.”
Manna was described (poetically?) as the bread of
angels (Psalm 78:25)
The Book of Numbers
There is the incident with Balaam’s ass – which saw
the angel with a drawn sword, blocking the path, before its master (Numbers
22:21 ff)
Judges
Speaks to Israelites (Judges 2:1 ff)
Commanded the people to curse the population of
Meros for not rallying in battle (Judges 5:23)
To Gideon and to Samson’s parents – they all took
some time to accept it was an angel (Judges 6:11 ff, and 13:3 ff)
2 Samuel
Angels are thought of as exemplifying wisdom
2 Samuel 14:20 “Your servant Joab did this to change the present situation.
My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that
happens in the land.”
They are very powerful, and often bring sensible
fear upon humans
2 Samuel 24:16 ff; 1 Chronicles 21:12 ff
Destroyed 70,000 of God’s People - King David saw
the destroying Angel with a drawn sword over Jerusalem, and he was afraid. The farmer who owned the land was terrified
and hid, along with his sons
God eventually ordered the angel to sheath the sword
1 Kings
Guiding Elijah (1 Kings 17 ff; 2 Kings 1:3 ff)
Angels act to punish God’s enemies
The Angel of the LORD wiped out 185,000 Assyrian
soldiers! (2 Kings 19:35 ff,
Isaiah 37:36, Cf Ezekiel 9:2-11, Acts 12:23)
Job
They present themselves before God – Satan has to be
there with them [this would be in the Third Heaven; not the Glory of God above
the Heavens - of Psalm 8:1] (Job 1:6 ff). Job 2:1 “On
another day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them to
present himself before him.”
Job hoped for angelic help; but God spoke to him
personally! Job 38:1-40:2
All will be judged
Job 4:18, “If God places no trust
in his servants, if he charges his angels with error
1 Corinthians 6:3 a
“Do you not know that we will judge angels?”
All shouted for joy at the Creation of the Earth
Job 38:7 “While the morning
stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?”
Psalms
They obey God in power
Psalm 103:20 “Praise the LORD, you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his bidding,
who obey his word.”
All are ordered to praise God
The title is parallel with “Heavenly Hosts”
They are created beings
They will exist forever
Psalms 148:2-6 edited
“Praise him, all his angels,
praise him, all his heavenly hosts.
5 Let them praise the name of the LORD,
for he commanded and they were created.
6 He set them in place for ever and ever;
he gave a decree that will never pass away.”
Christ created them, and they exist for Him; He is far higher in
authority, over the many ranks of angels
Colossians 1:16, 20-23,
“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth,
visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all
things were created by him and for him.”
“Which he exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated
him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, 21 far above all rule
and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only
in the present age but also in the one to come. 22 And God placed
all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the
church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills
everything in every way.”
Revelation 5:11-12 “Then I
looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands,
and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living
creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang:
‘Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!’” All the thousands of thousands worship the Lord Jesus Christ.
Hebrews 1:6 “And again, when God
brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’”
Colossians 2:15 “And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made
a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”
Angels help humans to understand mysteries
Daniel 7:16 “I approached one of
those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me
and gave me the interpretation of these things.”
Daniel 10:4-14 “On the
twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the
great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man
dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. 6
His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming
torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice
like the sound of a multitude.
7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not
see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves.
8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength
left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard
him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to
the ground.
10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees.
11 He said, ‘Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the
words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to
you.’ And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
12 Then he continued, ‘Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first
day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before
your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.
13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then
Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained
there with the king of Persia.
14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in
the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.’”
[This famous passage explains much about angels:
possible appearance, the effect on the godly and their associates, the part
played by our prayers, the ranks and their battles.]
The presence of angels saves God’s people, and they
note our suffering
Psalm 34:7
“The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.”
Psalm 91:11 “For he will command
his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.”
Daniel 6:22 “My God sent his
angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I
was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O
king.”
(Daniel 3:28; and many more passages)
Zechariah
A massive revelation about and by angels (chapters
1-6, and 12)
Some occasions in the New Testament
“The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament”,
known as “Kittel”, shows the word meaning: messenger and angel – decided by
context (in one Greek speaking location it is the name for postmen).
Occasionally the word means a human messenger:
Joshua’s spies, referred to in James 2:25, the Baptist’s messengers to Jesus,
men sent by Jesus to a Samaritan village, the Baptist himself (Luke 7:24, 9:52,
Matthew 11:10 and parallels)
Active throughout Jesus’s life: particularly at
crucial times
The Gospels
Joseph received revelation in dreams from “an angel
of the Lord” (Matthew chapters 1 and 2)
The Angel of the Lord is sometimes Gabriel:
appearing to Zechariah (Luke 1:13 ff), and to Mary (Luke 1:26 ff)
Appeared to the shepherds
of Bethlehem with the Glory of the Lord, and with a great company of the
Heavenly Host (Luke 2:8 ff)
Ministered to Jesus in the Wilderness
(Matthew 4:11)
The holiness of the good angels is implied in their
closeness to Jesus, in Heaven, and in some sense they are called “elect”
Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of
Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne
in heavenly glory.”
1 Timothy 5:21 a “I charge you,
in the sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels.”
Ministered to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane
Luke 22:43
“An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.”
An angel rolled the stone back to reveal the empty
Tomb – he then sat on it (Matthew 28:2-7)
3 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 angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that
you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified
(cf Luke 24:23; John 20:12)
Two angels were in attendance at the Ascension (Luke
24:50-53; Acts 1:9-11)
Children have their special attention – and are
represented by them before he Father
Matthew 18:10 “See that you do not look down on one
of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the
face of my Father in heaven.”
Angels do not marry
Luke 20:35-36
“But those who are
considered worthy of taking part in that age and in the resurrection from the
dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, and they can no longer die;
for they are like the angels.”
Like the Incarnate Jesus, angels do not know the
date or time of the Last Days Matthew 24:36, “No one knows about that
day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”
They have limited knowledge
1 Peter 1:12, “… the
things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you
by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these
things.”
Angels will handle affairs at the End of the World –
as an harvest, weeding out causes of sin – separate the good and the bad
people:
The Parable of the Weeds
Matthew 13:40-43, and 49-51,
“As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the
end of the age.
The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his
kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.
They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping
and gnashing of teeth.
Then the righteous will
shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him
hear.”
“This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and
separate the wicked from the righteous and
throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of
teeth. Have
you understood all these things?” Jesus asked.
They will accompany Christ when He returns in His
Father’s Glory
Matthew 24:30-31, "The sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all
the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the
clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will
gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the
other.”
Jesus will acknowledge faithful Christians before
the Angels of God – He will disown those who disown Him (cf text at the head of
the article)
They are aware of the Gospel and rejoice over one
repentant sinner – we have all had angels cheering over us!
Luke 15:10,
“In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the
angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Ephesians 3:10-11,
“His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God
should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our
Lord.”
1 Timothy 3:16 a,
“Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great:
He appeared in a body,
was vindicated by the Spirit,
was seen by angels.”
God’s faithful are helped into Heaven by angels
Luke 16:22,
“The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to
Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.”
The Sadducees did not believe that angels and
spiritual powers exist – there are still Sadducees about – in the Church?
Acts 23:8,
“The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are
neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.”
Jesus could have requested twelve legions of angels
to save Him the Cross – 36,000
Matthew 26:53, “Do you think I
cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than
twelve legions of angels?”
Acts of the Apostles
Led Peter and John out of prison
Acts 5:19, “But during the night
an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.”
Led Philip in the desert
Acts 8:26, Now an angel of the
Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from
Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Spoke to Cornelius the Centurion
Acts 10:3-6, One day at about three in the afternoon he
had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said,
“Cornelius!” 4 Cornelius stared at him in fear. “What is it, Lord?”
he asked. The angel answered, “Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as
a memorial offering before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa to bring
back a man named Simon who is called Peter. 6 He is staying with
Simon the tanner, whose house is by the sea.”
10:30 “a man in shining clothes”
Accompanied the apostles on their missions
Acts 27:23, “Last night an angel
of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside me.” Etc.
Set Peter free from the death cell
It is important to pray for their help It is important to pray for
their help Acts 12:5 “So
Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.”
Acts 12:7-11, “Suddenly an angel
of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on
the side and woke him up. ‘Quick, get up!’ he said, and the chains fell off
Peter’s wrists. 8 Then the angel said to him, ‘Put on your clothes
and sandals.’ And Peter did so. ‘Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,’ the
angel told him. 9 Peter
followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was
doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10
They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to
the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had
walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him. 11
Then Peter came to himself and said, ‘Now I know without a doubt that the Lord
sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the
Jewish people were anticipating.’”
Killed Herod Agrippa I
Acts 12:23, “Immediately, because
Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he
was eaten by worms and died.”
Comforted Paul before the shipwreck on Malta
Acts 27:23-24, (and preceding passage)
“Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I serve stood beside
me and said, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and
God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.’”
Romans
Angels,
demons and spiritual powers cannot separate us from the Love of God
Romans 8:38-39, “For I am convinced that neither death nor
life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any
powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be
able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Our lives may be displayed before angels, to God’s glory
1 Corinthians 4:9, “For it seems
to me that God has put us apostles on display at the end of the procession,
like men condemned to die in the arena. We have been made a spectacle to the
whole universe, to angels as well as to men.”
Because of angels, women should have a covering on
their heads
1 Corinthians 11:10, “For this
reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority
on her head.”
Speaking in tongues can be an angelic language
1 Corinthians 13:1, “If I speak
in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding
gong or a clanging cymbal.”
They must not be worshipped
Colossians 2:18 a, “Do not let
anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you
for the prize.”
Revelation 19:10 a, ‘At this I
fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a
fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of
Jesus. Worship God!’”
Revelation 22:9, But he said to
me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the
prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
The words they bring from God are authoritative
Hebrews 2:2, “For if the message
spoken by angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its
just punishment.”
In the Incarnation, Jesus became a little lower than
His angels!
Hebrews 2:7 and 9, “You made him
a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honour.” (Quoting
Psalm 8)
“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now
crowned with glory and honour because he suffered death, so that by the grace of
God he might taste death for everyone.”
There are thousands upon thousands of angels
Hebrews 12:22, “But you have come
to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have
come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.”
Revelation 5:11, “Then I looked
and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands.”
They are appointed to serve us
Psalm 34:7, The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Hebrews 1:14, Are not all angels
ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
1 Peter 1:12 a, “It was revealed
to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the
things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you
by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.”
Even an angel will not escape punishment, if it
distorts the Gospel – and they certainly have, to some people
Galatians 1:8, “But even if we or
an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to
you, let him be eternally condemned!”
Some have been imprisoned awaiting judgement
2 Peter 2:4, For if God did not
spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy
dungeons to be held for judgment.
Jude verse 6, And the angels who did
not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these he has
kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
The Good Angels ask God to rebuke the Wicked Angels
– revealing meekness
2 Peter 2:11, “Yet even angels,
although they are stronger and more powerful [than humans], do not bring
slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.”
Jude verse 9, “But even the archangel
Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not
dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke
you!’”
Revelation is the book of angels: both good and bad
The message came from the Father, through Jesus, by
angels
54 verses in the book mention angels
They have a special ministry to churches
Revelation 1:20, “The mystery of
the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and of the seven golden
lampstands is this: The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and
the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
They are especially active
at the End of the World
Matthew 16:27, “For the Son of
Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will
reward each person according to what he has done. “
Matthew 24:31, “And he will send
his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the
four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”
Etc
6. The
Devil and Fallen Angels Satan was
a senior Angel - one of the Guardian Cherubim associated with the Garden of Eden, but suffered Court Martial – was cast out of Heaven (Isaiah
14:12-15; Ezekiel 28:2-10; Revelation 12:7) The Ezekiel reference shows that the Devil also had a glorious
appearance. To Adam and Eve he may have been
a nondescript lizard or a kind of chameleon.
God may have limited his form, or he may have not wanted the pair to see
him as he really was.
The Devil drew a third of angels from worshipping
God.
So there are evil angels – senior “Kings” and
“Princes” of nations, which fight against the good angels such as Michael, the
Good Chief Prince of Israel (Daniel 10:13 and 20), probably the unclean, evil
spirits, demons, jinn (in Islam). If
they were so easily drawn away, they were not the best angels; and God has
twice as many numerically!
They make their appearance occasionally throughout the Scriptures
They will be thrown into eternal fire, along with
the unsaved
Revelation 12:7-10,
“And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the
dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in
heaven. The great dragon was hurled
down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world
astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:
‘Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God.’”
Matthew 25:41, “Then he will say
to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal
fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
If unclean spirits are fallen angels: they are
stronger than humans, but are subject to the Name of Jesus used by Believers:
Acts 19:13-17, Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke
the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say,
“In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.” Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest,
were doing this. One day the
evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are
you?”
Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them
and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the
house naked and bleeding. When this
became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus, they were all seized
with fear, and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honour.
DON’T TALK TO THE DEVIL TOO
MUCH
Should we talk to him at
all? Jesus did, and so do Senior
Angels. Satan speaks to us in times of
temptation.
As you watch a television
quiz, you feel you know the answer but not wishing to admit anything to friends
and family, in the room, you think the answer; and you are right. This voice of the mind is continually in use:
What needs to go on the Shopping List? Have I locked the door? Etc. The Holy Spirit speaks to us in the same
mental voice; but so do the Forces of Evil: to lead astray, to wreck lives, and
commit unbelievable atrocities. There is
no difference in sound: only revealing types of content.
We are told in the Bible what
to say, and what not to do. Don’t
argue. Jesus gives us this example and
more. In the famous three Temptations in
the Wilderness (Matthew 4:1 ff; Luke 4:1 ff) Our Lord had Scriptures ready to
answer with. A good stand-by Scripture
for us: “Be holy as I am holy, says God,” 1 Peter 1:16. This will really hurt the Devil, who fell
from Heaven’s Holy Heights, and lives in fear of God. Remember that, along with his minions, he
cannot be everywhere, know everything, or overpower the forces of Good. However, we should fear this devouring lion,
and resist with God-given strength.
“The God of peace will soon crush Satan under
your feet.
The
grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” Romans 16:20
“But
even the Archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the Devil about the body
of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said,
‘The Lord rebuke you!’” Jude 1:9
Do not be angry with the television
for not working, etc; ask God to rebuke Satan for interfering and tempting you.
It is not necessarily wrong to be tempted,
unless we court it. Each day we pray and confess our desire, not to be led into
temptation, and to be delivered from Satan. Jesus was tempted, yet without sin.
Human hypocrites
within the Church, take after Satan
2 Corinthians
11:13-15, “For such people are false
apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15
It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of
righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”
There is an evil Angel of the Abyss in Revelation –
Destruction/Destroyer Apollyon
Luke 8:31, “And they begged him
repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.”
Revelation 9:1,2,11, “The
fifth angel sounded his trumpet, and I saw a star that had fallen from the sky
to the earth. The star was given the key to the shaft of the Abyss. 2
When he opened the Abyss, smoke rose from it like the smoke from a gigantic
furnace. The sun and sky were darkened by the smoke from the Abyss.”
11 “They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew
is Abaddon, and in Greek, Apollyon.”
Revelation 11:7, “Now when they have finished their testimony (the two witnesses), the beast that comes up from the Abyss will attack them, and overpower and kill them.”
Revelation 17:8, “The beast, which you saw, once was, now is not, and will come up out of the Abyss and go to his destruction. The inhabitants of the earth whose names have not been written in the book of life from the creation of the world will be astonished when they see the beast, because he once was, now is not, and yet will come.”
Revelation 20:1 and 3, “And I saw an angel (of no particular rank) coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 3 He threw him(Satan) into the Abyss, and locked and sealed it over him, to keep him from deceiving the nations anymore until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be set free for a short time.” Satan’s final destination:
Revelation 20:7-10 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his
prison and will go out to deceive the
nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—to gather them for
battle. In number they are like the sand on the seashore. They marched across the breadth of the earth
and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down
from heaven and devoured them. And the
devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the
beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and
night for ever and ever.
A quotation from the
“New International Bible Dictionary”:
“As for the evil
angels, it is clear that their principal purpose is to oppose God and to try to
defeat his will and frustrate his plans. Evil angels endeavour to separate
believers from God (Rom 8:38). They oppose good angels in their work (Daniel 10:12-13). They hinder man’s temporal and eternal welfare by a limited control
over natural phenomena (Job 1:12-13, 19; 2:7), by inflicting disease (Luke
13:11, 16; Acts 10:38; 2 Corinthians 12:7), by tempting man to sin (Matt 4:3; John
13:27; 1 Peter 5:8), and by spreading false doctrine (1 Kings 22:21-23; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 1 Timothy 4:1). They cannot, however, exercise over people any moral power
independent of the human will, and whatever power they have is limited by the
permissive will of God. The word Satan means “adversary,” and Scripture
shows him to be the adversary of both God and man. All of his many other names
show his extremely wicked character.
Scripture shows that
good angels will continue in the service of God in the future age, whereas evil
angels will have their part in the eternal fire (Matthew 25:41).”
A lady Vicar did not believe there is such a being as Satan. She did not follow Christ and His Apostles, as they taught in the New Testament. Her opinion of the Lord was obviously low: her opinion of herself rather high. The Lord's Prayer actually contains, in corrected translation, "Deliver us from the Evil One": the Devil; so how could she honestly recite this part of the Liturgy?
TITLES OF SATAN: Abaddon, Accuser of our Brethren - day and night, Adversary, Apollyon, the angel of the Bottomless Pit (Abyss), Destroyer, Beelzebub - Ruler of Demons, Belial, the Devil, the Enemy, Murderer, Father of Lies, Great Red Dragon, the Serpent, Prince of the Power of the Air, the spirit working in the Children of Disobedience, the Tempter, the god of this World, and Evil - the Evil One.
A lady Vicar did not believe there is such a being as Satan. She did not follow Christ and His Apostles, as they taught in the New Testament. Her opinion of the Lord was obviously low: her opinion of herself rather high. The Lord's Prayer actually contains, in corrected translation, "Deliver us from the Evil One": the Devil; so how could she honestly recite this part of the Liturgy?
TITLES OF SATAN: Abaddon, Accuser of our Brethren - day and night, Adversary, Apollyon, the angel of the Bottomless Pit (Abyss), Destroyer, Beelzebub - Ruler of Demons, Belial, the Devil, the Enemy, Murderer, Father of Lies, Great Red Dragon, the Serpent, Prince of the Power of the Air, the spirit working in the Children of Disobedience, the Tempter, the god of this World, and Evil - the Evil One.
The Devil: is cursed, holds people in the Domain of
Darkness - blinds the Unbelieving, causes doubting of God’s Word, challenges
Jesus’s Divine Sonship, causes Illnesses and Demonization, inhibits and
misleads the Church with Doctrines of Demons, persecutes God's People, the
cause of all evil in History, is destined for the Eternal Lake of Fire, and is
the Cause of Evils we know nothing about.
We are shown to speak to Satan with such words as, "The LORD rebuke you Satan."
For all the evil you are responsible for
For being at war against YAHWEH, His holy Angels, and Archangels
For persecuting God's people - the Jews and Christians, and causing wars
For causing illness, and mental and emotional sickness, and demonization, in Humans and Animals
For holding people in blindness and darkness to the Truth of the Glorious Gospel
For misleading the Church: to add to, or subtract from the Scriptures, to sin, and to give heed to doctrines of Demons
SO WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN FOR US?
Angels may well be helping you, without your
knowledge: we have a lot of unseen help.
Children are given special attention.
They operate in answer to our prayers – we have
therefore a great responsibility to pray.
The senior angels deal with very big issues –
national, and large church concerns.
They will only be seen, if it is really essential.
If you are a lady, wear a hat, or something, on your
head!
| The Artist's Vision of an Angel with a Sword, Lancashire, UK |
