ANGELS
Any minister of the Gospel who has been privileged to serve Jesus at Life-Line Ministries
must know about one of the most interesting and controversial subjects of the Bible. God has miracul-
ously preserved in His Word the many teachings on the subject of Angels. Man is bias against anything supernatural and will rule out in his mind the existence of angels. But on the other hand there seems to be far too many activities that cannot be explained rationally by man. Beyond a doubt, these are activities that must demand the existence of angels. So then, why do you suppose that God would want us to know about angels? I believe in my heart that God has revealed His creation of angelic beings in the Bible to be a testimony of His deity and that this divine information has been revealed to many who may come to the saving knowledge of His Son. Therefore as ministers of the Gospel our knowledge of angels should be used to glorify God and be used as a tool to witness to the lost.
The word “Angel” is the translation of the Greek word “angelos” and is the word used in
many cases to Translate the Hebrew word “malak”. The basic meaning of both words is “messenger.”
These angels are sent as messengers either by God, by man, or by Satan. They are also guardians or representatives (Rev. 1:20; Matt. 18:10; Acts 12:15.
References to angels can be found approximately three hundred times in Scripture and are mentioned in
almost every Book of the Bible. These include the books of Ruth, Nehemiah, Esther, John’s epistles, and
James. The Bible is the only reliable source of accurate information about angels. If you believe in God’s
Word, then you must also believe that angels are real.
Satan’s angels are disguised as “Angels of light” and his apostles and prophets come as
messengers of God (2 Corinthians 11: 13-15). They are finite spirit beings (immaterial and incorporeal).
Angels are created beings (Psalm 148:5) and are lesser than Christ in essence and in position (Hebrews 2:7). They are creatures and servants. Man is a little lower than angels in that he is weaker and subject to death. However, believers in Christ are positionally above angels since they are “In Christ.” In the glory of resurrection, believers shall rule over angels with Christ.
The Personalities of Angels
Intelligence:
1. The apostle Paul feared that the Corinthians, like Eve, would fall prey to satanic lies (2 Corinthians 11:3)
2. Angels are curios about human salvation (1 Peter 1:12).
3. Even the demons not only recognized the deity of Jesus, but also knew that there was a divinely appointed time for their judgment and that He would be their judge. (Matthew 8:29).
Emotions:
Angels bring a message of peace and goodwill (Luke 2:13-14).
Even the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19).
Satan will reveal his frustration and rage against every follower of the Lamb (Revelation 12:17).
Will:Demons can posses and take us captive (Luke 8: 28-31) ; 2 Timothy 2:26; Jude 6).
God uses angels to minister to us (Hebrews 1: 14), but He also warns us regarding sin
and deception. He warns us about false prophets and the angels of the devil. We need to take warning and be on guard. Angels are spiritual beings sent forth to minister to God’s children. In about 860 B.C. the prophet Elijah was in the desert, hungry and without water, an angel appeared and said: “Arise and eat.” And Elijah was strengthened and refreshed by the food and water given him by the angel (1Kings 16:29-19:8).
God also uses angels as personal messengers, to minister to Him, in controlling nature (Revelation 7:1, the winds), (Revelation 16:3, the seas), (Revelation 16: 8-9, the heat of the sun),
as well as, in controlling nations, to protect God’s people, and to execute God’s judgments.
Angels have appeared on the earth as soldiers (Joshua 5: 13-15), and also as a cook, administering to Elijah in the wilderness (1 Kings 19: 5-6).
If we follow the popular “seeking for contact” with angels instead of following God’s
Word, we will reap the consequences of embracing the lie authored by the one whom the Lord Jesus called the father of lies, Satan (John 8:44) Understanding the nature and activities of the spirit world will increase our appreciation of a sovereign God whose creative ability, control of the universe, and interventions on our behalf assures His glory and our good.
The Bible classifies angels as either good or evil. The good are termed “chosen”
(1 Timothy5:21) and “Holy” (Matthew 25:31) they worship God and serve him with unswerving allegiance.
The evil angels include Satan, their leader (Matthew 25:41), and demons (Matthew 12: 26-28). They oppose God and His servants, human and angelic. Evil angels cannot live in God’s presence. These two armies engage in a great warfare that exceeds human thought and affects the course of nations and the world.
The division of elect and evil angels came as the result of a rebellion. We read of conflict between the good and evil angels as they battle the scenes of human governments and the course of world events (Daniel 10:13; 12:1; Isaiah 14: 4-17; Ezekiel 28: 12-19).
There is some confusion in the teaching of demons in Genesis 6: 1-7.
“The sons of God, identified elsewhere in the Old Testament exclusively as angels (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7), saw and took wives of the human race. This produced an unnatural union, which violated the God-ordained order of human marriage and procreation (Genesis 2:24).
Some have argued that the “sons of God” were the sons of Seth who cohabited with daughters of Cain; others suggest that they were perhaps human kings wanting to build harems. But the passage puts strong emphasis on the angelic contrast.
This view is also supported in the New Testament and places this accounting in the sequence with other Genesis events and identifies it as involving fallen angels who indwelt men.
Jude 6: “And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”
2 Peter 2: 4: “For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment…”
Matthew 22:30 does not necessarily negate the possibility that angels are capable of procreation, but that they do not marry. To procreate physically, the fallen angels would have had to possess human, male bodies.
Some demons are bound now in the abyss (Genesis 6:1-7), some in the river
(on the earth), Euphrates, and some in Tartarus, but all will be bound forever in the lake of fire.
The “abyss” is a place of temporary confinement for certain wicked angels and for Satan during the future kingdom for one thousand years (Rev. 11:7; 17:8; 20: 1-3).
These angels in general are called “the sons of God” (bene elohim), but never “the sons of Jehovah.”
In Psalm 38:7 These same angels are referred to as morning stars and “sons of God.”
Even though these angels are fallen, they are beings of great intelligence and strength.
They may also be quite capable of great juggling of the world’s natural processes and thus able to accomplish true providential miracles (See Miracles of Angels) below. But such demonic miracles are counterfeit as far as their intended testimonial value is concerned; the apostle Paul called them “lying wonders” (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
The word angel appears 32 times in the writings of Moses. Hagar was comforted by the
Angel of Jehovah (Genesis 16:21) Abraham conversed and ate with angels, and 2 angels delivered Lot and his family from Sodom before the fire fell (Genesis 16: 18-19).
We know that angels are allowed to ascend and descend between heaven and earth. Jacob dreamed of angels ascending and descending upon a ladder to heaven (Genesis 28:12). Jacob also wrestled with an angel and was crippled. In exodus, Moses was called by the Angel of Jehovah to deliver Israel from Egypt(3: 2, 10), and an angel led Moses and the Israelites through the wilderness journeys (14:19, 23:20).
Angels are classified as Cherubim (From the Hebrew word Cherub) and is described in earthly terms by Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1:1-28) as follows:
Four faces: man, lion, bull, eagle.
Four wings
Hands of a man under their wings.
Appearance of polished bronze and bright coals of fire.
They moved like flashes of lightening.
Seraphim: From the Hebrew word “seraphim” and means “burning ones.”
They are an order of angelic creatures who bear a similarity to the 4 living creatures of (Revelation 4:6, which in turn resemble the cherubim of (Ezekiel 10:1).
They have 6 wings:
2 to cover their faces to indicate that even the most exalted spirits cannot bear the full vision of the Divine glory.
2 to cover their feet: to symbolize their reverence of Holy ground.
2 to fly and express the swiftnss to execute Divine commands.
In (Isaiah 6:3) the seraphs were speaking to each other in antiphonal praise. Holy, holy, holy. Antiphon” is an anthem in which alternate lines or verses are alternately sung by two choirs. This cry
is to signify the 3-fold repletion of God’s holiness to emphasize God’s separateness from His fallen creation and to imply that God is three persons (Revelation 4:8).
Fallen man has nevertheless refused to glorify Him as God (Romans 1:23).
Michael and Gabriel are the only angels, besides Satan, identified by personal names.
Michael is the only designated archangel and has the responsibility of defending the Nation Israel. The word arch means “chief,” which confirms that there are indeed, classes or ranks of angelic beings. The word archangel is used only twice in Scripture and is found in the New Testament. Gabriel is God’s special messenger to reveal truth about Messiah and His kingdom (Daniel 8: 16-17). “Gabriel,” means “strong man of God.” (Luke 1:19, 26, 27). He also appeared in (Daniel 9:21& 22).
Scripture implies that the angels were all created (Psalm 148: 1-2, 5) at or near the
same time. The Greek tense (aorist) of the word translated “created” (Colossians 1:16) may indicate an act or a culmination of a series of acts completed in time past. Angels are not eternal as is God alone. They certainly did notevolve, nor were they formerly men, for they were created as angels. Each angel is a direct creation from God, for they do not procreate, as do humans (Matthew 22: 28-30).
They are without sex but are generally referred to as masculine. Perhaps this is why they are sometimes called “the sons of God” (Job 1:6;2:1). The word “sons” seems to indicate a direct creation of God, as Adam is the son of God (Luke 3:38).All angels were created good and holy. All creatures, including angels and men, were made to serve God.
What Else Do We Know about Angels?
1. Angels are immortal and not subject to death (Luke 20:36)
2. Angels are normally invisible (Colossians 1:16) but they do have the ability to appear on occasion. This freedom to appear is, of course, subject to the will of God but evidently operative at the will of the angel (Luke 1: 11-13, 26-29)
3. They have appeared in dreams (Matthew 1:20: Geneses 31:11).
4. They have appeared in visions (Isaiah 6: 1-8)
God granted Elisha the gift of supernatural vision to see the normally invisible angelic army that were surrounding and protecting them (2 Kings 6:17)
5. They generally appear in the form of men (Genesis 18: 108; Mark 16:5; Luke 24:4; Acts1:10).
The angel that rolled back the stone from Christ’s tomb had the appearance of lightning, and his garment was as white as snow (Matthew 28:3).
6. Angels have all 3 attributes or elements of personality:
- Intelligence, as evidenced by their desire to learn of our great salvation in Christ (I Peter 1:12) and by their ability to communicate intelligently in speech (Matthew 28:5). Most of what angels know is from observation and investigation.
- Angels have emotions and were created in the image of God.
- Will. Some willed to follow Satan, and can make willful decisions (Isaiah 14: 12-13).
7. We have reason to believe that angels eat food (Psalm 78:25).
8. They wear cloths: (John 20:12).
9. They can see things on earth: (1 Corinthians 4:9), (2 Samuel 14:20).
10. And they can speak (1 Corinthians 13:1).
11. They can fly (Psalm 18:11: Isaiah 6: 1-2: Revelation 8:13).
12. Angels have strength (Psalm 103:20).
13. They knew when Christ was born (Luke 1: 30-32), and when He was resurrected (Matthew 28: 2-7).
14. Angels are under the authority of Jesus Christ (1 Peter 3: 21, 22).
15. Angels never rest (Revelation 4:8).
16. Angels did not evolve and do not procreate (Matthew 22:30).
17. They do not know all things as God does (Matthew 24:36).
The Power of Angels
The power of angels is very great. It originated and is limited by God. They recognize
God as the source of their beings and powers when they cry, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God, the Almighty…” Their power is dependent and derived from God and must be exercised in accordance with the laws of the material and spiritual world. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 say “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.”
God uses angels to execute human judgment and to chastise His own people on the occ-
asion of some great sin (2 Samuel 24: 13-16). They may inflict bodily sickness and even death upon those who oppose God’s people. See the death of Herod in (Acts 12:23) or the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah(Genesis 19: 1, 13, 24-25) and also the vengeance taken upon the ungodly (Joshua : 13-14: 2 Thessalonians 1: 7-8). As believers, we need to understand what angels do, because they are sent to the “heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14), to those who belong to God through faith in Jesus Christ.
Miracles and Angels
There are 90 “Creation Miracles,” and 90 Providence Miracles in the Bible. There is also mention of 32 Satanic and Demonic Miracles. Scriptures suggest that angels may be involved, at least on many occasions, as agents of God that intervene in natural processes. For example, the ministry of angels in the destruction of Sodom (Genesus 19:1, 13), the protection of Daniel from the lions (Daniel 6:22), the deliverance of the apostles from prison (Acts 5: 19; 12:7), the host surrounding Elisha and smiting his enemies (2 Kings 6: 17-18), and many others.
As mentioned before in the beginning of this document, God has created an “innumeral company of angels” (Hebrews 12:22), who are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). They “excel in strength” and “do his commandments” (Psalm 103:20). Angels possess all the necessary power and wisdom to constrain natural agents that influence natural processes and modify them as may be needed at a particular time and place to do the will of God and to answer the prayers of His people. The book of Revelation especially describes angels as capable, under God, of unleashing terrific phenomena-hail, fire, meteorites, or other heavenly bodies, even of controlling the rate of nuclear processes on the sun (Revelation 8:7-12; 16:8), as well as physical plagues on human flesh (Revelation 16: 2, 10).
What Angels do for the believer?
Man is a little lower than angels in that he is weaker and subject to death. However,
believers in Christ are position ally above angels since they are “in Christ.” In the glory of resurrection, believers shall rule over angels with Christ. In fact, angels will be judged by the believer (1 Corinthians 6:3). Angels keep watch over believers (Daniel 4: 13-17). They protect believers (Daniel 6:22) and remind the believer of God’s love (Daniel 10: 10-11). They keep the believer informed (Luke 1: 13-20) and they rejoice when a person is saved (Luke 15:10).
Angels deliver us to heaven (Luke 16:22), communicate God’s instruction (Acts 8:26) and strengthen the believer (Luke 22:43). They minister specifically to the believer (Hebrews 1:7; 13-14), and also reveal things to the believer (Revelation 22:8).
Lucifer, the fallen angel was a beautiful being, corrupted in wisdom and filled with violence. He defiled God’s sanctuaries with his iniquities. God cast him out of heaven to the earth for future judgment. Evil angels are:
- Sinful and rebellious (Job 4:18; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6).
- Evil angels can be sent by God, and they must obey Him (Psalm 78:49).
- Evil angels will be punished (Jude 6-7).
- And are doomed to eternity in the Lake of Fire (Matthew 25:41).
- They oppose the believer (Romans 8: 38-39; Ephesians 6: 10-12).
- They are organized and structured (Colossians 1:16: Ephesians 1: 20-21; 3:10; 6: 11-12).
Things to Come:
In the latter time, angels will prophesy in the Great Tribulation (Daniel 8: 23-27), and
will also come forth to separate the wicked from the righteous (Matthew 13: 49-50). They will gather God’s elect at the great sound of the trumpet (Matthew 24: 30-31) and will also accompany Jesus at His second coming (Matthew 25:31). When Jesus returns, an archangel’s voice will make the announcement of His arrival (1 Thessalonians 4:16).