Hebrews 1:7 “Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”
There is much to be said regarding angels in the Bible. With God and many of HIs interventions in the lives of mankind, His angels have maintained a consistent influence in executing His plans.
Since God is Spirit (John 4:24), angels have represented a consistently visible representation of God’s hand moving in the lives of people. Because angels have been given the ability to move from the realm of the unseen to the seen, people mistakenly place their hope in these ministering spirits instead of who these spirits represent.
Angelic Testament
Angels have spoken on many occasions in history, a brief summary of what they have related gives us a clue as to their intent.
* Angels have a leader and it is by His command they operate.
Psalm 91:11 “For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.”
An army doesn’t act apart from its general. The commander in chief is Jesus and each member of this angelic army takes its orders from the King of kings. Everything they say is representative of the King, all they do is by His command, they are ministering spirits and they administer God’s purposes in all they do.
*Angels are created beings.
They were made by the One who made us, who formed the Earth and the Heavens at His command.
Psalm 148:2-6 “Praise Him, all His angels;
Praise Him, all His hosts!
Praise Him, sun and moon;
Praise Him, all you stars of light!
Praise Him, you heavens of heavens,
And you waters above the heavens!
Let them praise the name of the Lord,
For He commanded and they were created.
He also established them forever and ever;
He made a decree which shall not pass away.
*Angels were made for God.
Colossians 1:16 “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”
*Angels have discernment
2 Samuel 14:17 “And now your servant says, ‘May the word of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. May the LORD your God be with you.’ ”
*Angels have been called to serve in the affairs of mankind
Hebrews 1:14 “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
*Angels can rebel and fall
Job 4:17-19 “Can a mortal be more righteous than God, or a man more pure than his Maker? If God puts no trust in His servants, and He charges His angels with error, how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundations are in the dust, who can be crushed like a moth!”
Isaiah 14:12 “How you have fallen from heaven, morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!”
Jude 1:6 “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”
*Angels don’t have absolute knowledge
1 Peter 1:12 “To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.”
*Angels eat the food of manna
Psalm 78:25 “Human beings ate the bread of angels; he sent them all the food they could eat.”
*Angels rejoice in that which God rejoices
Luke 15:10 “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
*Angels are obedient to God’s Word
Psalm 103:20 “Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word.”
*Angels advocate on behalf of the innocent
Matthew 18:10 “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”
Luke 4:10 “For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you to guard you carefully”
*Angels bring about God’s judgement
Psalm 78:49 “He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, Wrath, indignation, and trouble, By sending angels of destruction among them.”
*Angels bring about God’s reward
Matthew 16:27 “For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works.”
*Fallen angels must heed God’s command
2 Chronicles 18:22 “So you see, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours, and the LORD has pronounced disaster against you.”
Judges 9:23 “God sent a spirit of animosity between Abimelech and the leaders of Shechem and caused them to treat Abimelech deceitfully,”
2 Thessalonians 2:11 “For this reason God will send upon them a deluding influence so that they will believe what is false.”
1 Samuel 16:14 “After the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul, a spirit of distress from the LORD began to torment him.”
There is a reason God uses the enemy to accomplish His purposes. Sometimes is for wrath among the rebellious, at other times it is for trial among His people.
2 Corinthians 12:7-9 “And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”
A Right Understanding
It is important to understand God’s purposes for Angels and likewise understand the context by which they operate. There have been many false religions that arose from the belief in angelic manifestation.
Islam was founded by Mohammed who believed an angel gave a revelation regarding the Quran.
Mormonism was founded by the belief that Joseph Smith received an angelic revelation regarding the Book of Mormon.
Jehovah’s Witnesses formed by Charles Russell’s interpretation that relegated Jesus to a manifestation of the Angel Michael. Therefore all that Jesus taught was an angelic doctrine.
Hinduism believes in the Hindu guardian angels who are more like a type of god that combines two different spiritual forces: the devas and the atman. Although Hinduism worships over 300 million different god’s within their polytheistic faith, the Lord reminds us that they are all representative of demonic entities in form and doctrine.
Catholicism claims to ask angels such as Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael to represent them to God’s throne in hopes that their influence will somehow sway God to listen. In its form, catholics are praying to angels, just like they pray to saints of old, including Mary.
Our only Advocate with the Father is Jesus.
We can only come to the Father by the grace of God which Jesus afforded to those who believe. No angel in history has ever been able to shoulder this responsibility, no person that has ever lived can attest to the victory that Jesus alone has won.
1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you might not sin. And if anyone should sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous One.”
Consider angels within the light by which they were revealed, do not elevate them higher than they should be, they would reject this adulation because they know their place before the King.
When John received the revelation of things to come, he mistakenly bowed down before Gabriel and began to worship. Gabriel quickly rebuked him and reminded him of his place.
Revelation 19:9-10 “Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.” And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”
If Jesus was only Michael in disguise as Jehovah’s Witnesses attest, then He would have been guilty of allowing people to bow down and worship Him as a servant of God. (John 20:28)
Jesus made Himself equal with God as was His right, He allowed people to worship Him without rebuke because He was and is God incarnate.
Remember to keep doctrine biblical. Those who deviate away from the Word of God, error in their estimation of those things which are spiritual.
Angels are only servants of God, just as we have been called to serve. Angels are the winds of God blowing throughout the earth, we have been called to be the fire of God, manifest to this world by His Spirit that dwells within us.
We have a great calling, our King is Jesus and one day we will worship Jesus as King who will reign forever with the angels by our side. Nothing will ever take His rightful place, Jesus deserves all our praise today and forever more.
U.T. 