Angels

I thought it might be fun to take a look at angels for a bit.

The first thing I remember learning about angels is that they are often God's messengers and that they do not like or want us to bow down to them or pray to them. They serve the Lord just as we do and give Him the glory for everything. What I didn't know until recently was that the word "angel" actually translated from both Greek and Hebrew means "messenger". I thought that was interesting.

There are some people, especially Catholics who seem to have this false view that people turn into angels when they die, but that's totally wrong. God created angels before He created humans. We are a totally different species then angles are. One does not "turn into" the other, nor should we want to!

The Bible says that the angels were created to serve men. Isn't that neat that even before He created us, the Lord made angels who's main purpose would be to help us and serve us! This is one of the things that so galled Lucifer that he rebelled and was cast out of heaven. He just couldn't stand the thought of having to serve us puny, undeserving, sinful humans. I can't say as I really blame him...I sure wouldn't want to serve me either!

Well let's first take a quick look at some of the things God's Word says about angels ok?

Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Here we see that all angels are "ministering spirits" and the word "ministering" means serving as in a servant. Note too that the angels are sent to serve everyone that is or will be saved. One way in which they serve us is as our guardians:

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.

While we are here on the earth in our physical bodies the angels are actually above us since they don't have a sin nature.

Hebrews 2:7 You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor

Psalm 8:4-6 what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor. You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet:

But one we have received our new bodies and no longer have our sin nature to deal with, then we will be above the angels in a sense since they will still be our servants and we will judge them:

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

Angels don't have physical bodies like we do, instead they are totally spirit:

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Hebrews 1:14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

Apparently they can take on a physical form when they want to as is shown in many verses when they did so:

Genesis 18:2-3 Abraham looked up and saw three men standing nearby. When he saw them, he hurried from the entrance of his tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground. He said, “If I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not pass your servant by.

Luke 1:11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

Angels are intelligent, as we can see from the many verses in the Bible where they have carried on conversations with people. They have desires, emotions, wants etc. just like we do, except that theirs aren't corrupted from sin as ours are now:

1 Peter 1:12 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 angels long to look into these things.

There are different types and divisions of angels such as the cherubs:

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.

Cherubim guard the tree of life in the garden of Eden, God's throne and the Ark of the Covenant and mercy seat. (Exodus 25:18-22 and Exodus 37:7-9) One of my commentaries says:

The fullest description of cherubim is in Ezek. 10, where they are closely related to the glory of God and have a part in its presence and its withdrawal, moving at the Almighty’s direction.
Spirit filled life study Bible.

Of course we know about Archangels because of the verses concerning Archangel Michael which show him as being like a warrior angel and the special protector of Israel. The following verse gives us yet more information about the divisions of angels each of which has it's own assignments:

Colossians 1:16 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.

This goes along with this verse:

Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Again let me share what some of my commentaries says about this:

The Son’s Creation includes “all” things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible. These indicate the entire universe, both material and immaterial. The hierarchy of angelic beings—thrones (thronoi) or powers (kyriotētes) or rulers (archai) or authorities (exousiai)—indicate a highly organized dominion in the spirit world, a sphere in which the Colossians were engaged in the worship of angels (Col. 2:18) and over which Christ reigns supreme (cf. Eph. 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Phil. 2:9-10; Col. 2:10, 15).

The Bible knowledge commentary : An exposition of the scriptures

principalities, or powers—rather, “rules, or authorities”: the former are stronger than the latter (compare Note, see on Eph 1:21). The latter pair refer to offices in respect to God’s creatures: “thrones and dominions” express exalted relation to God, they being the chariots on which He rides displaying His glory (Ps 68:17). The existence of various orders of angels is established by this passage.

A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments.

21. Greek, “Far (or high) above all (Eph 4:10) principality (or rule, 1Co 15:24), and authority, and power (Mt 28:18), and dominion (or lordship).” Compare Php 2:9; Col 1:16; Heb 7:26; 1Pe 3:22. Evil spirits (who are similarly divided into various ranks, Eph 6:12), as well as angels of light, and earthly potentates, are included (compare Ro 8:38). .... Some philosophizing teachers of the school of Simon Magus, in Western Asia Minor, had, according to Irenaeus and Epiphanius, taught their hearers these names of various ranks of angels. Paul shows that the truest wisdom is to know Christ as reigning above them all. A commentary, critical and explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments.

The subject of angels is really fascinating to me so I think this will be a fun study to do! Of course one of the verses we're probably all familiar with is this one:

Hebrews 13:2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

We'll talk about that and others tomorrow though!

 

Join us for the Angels Study here!