What About Angels?

What About Angels? Angels seem to be everywhere these days. The television series “Touched By An Angel” is one of the most popular in the United States, telling stories of ordinary people whose lives are blessed by the intervention of another seemingly ordinary individual who is really an angel sent from God. It is all fiction, of course. Yet this and other TV shows are joined by a flood of books and magazine articles that feed what is almost becoming an angel cult. I don’t want to appear negative and alarmist, but I’m afraid more attention is focused on angels than on the God they serve. For instance, in my community of nearly 800 homes I notice that among the numerous displays during the Christmas season, manger scenes can be counted on one hand while angels are everywhere, along with plenty of pagan symbols of the season. There is, of course, much written material on angels that is solidly biblical. So, why am I adding my thoughts to angel mania? Because I do believe in angels, and I believe a brief biblical perspective on so important a subject is needed to help us avoid the error of “worshiping” angels, which Paul warns us about in Colossians 2:18. What are they?
An interesting quote in Psalm 104:4 says that God “makes winds his messengers.” Consider that the word “angel” in both Hebrew (Old Testament) and Greek (New Testament) means “messenger,” and the word translated “wind” is the same word that is also translated “spirit.” Thus, God’s angels are his spirit-messengers - they can go anywhere anytime with no need for technological or other help from human ingenuity. They are there quicker than you can think it. As “wind” of course, they are also invisible. One historical angelic visit
While Abraham enjoyed his noon break in the shade of his Bedouin tent one day, three “men” visited him. Later two of those visitors showed up as “angels” at the home of Abraham’s morally-compromised nephew Lot in Sodom. Seems that angels came to the man of God, Abraham, more or less on equal ground (as men). Though they are seen as “angels” against the background of morally devastated Sodom, Sodom’s homosexual male population took them for men and planned to rape them (Gen. 18:1-19:5). A few others by name
The first angel we read about in the Bible is Satan, though we only see a slippery serpent, because he is a master of disguises and not limited to human manifestations (Gen. 3:1-7). The Bible tells of Satan’s ouster from heavenly prestige and position because of his Brutus-like ambition and his coup attempt against God (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-17; Lk. 10:17-18; Rev. 12:7-12). So this first appearance on earth is his next step to subvert God’s favorite creatures, humans. Sadly, he was more successful this time, and to this day he still has millions of loyal fans and willing slaves. But angels often have happy assignments. Gabriel, one of the few angels named in the Bible (Michael and Satan are two others), foretold John the Baptist’s birth and announced Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph (Lk. 1:11-38; Mt. 1:18-25). Angels encouraged Jesus when He faced Satan in person in His desert temptations (Mt. 4:11; Mk. 1:12-13), and stood ready in legions to defend or rescue Him from arrest and even the cross had the Father so ordered (Mt. 26:53). Who’s better than an angel?
Personally, I’m thankful for the perspective on angels in the Epistle to the Hebrews. From the outset we are introduced to God’s Son as His ultimate, definitive message to humanity. He is supreme, equal to God Himself, and “as much superior to the angels as the name He has inherited is superior to theirs.” It’s a family thing. Jesus is God’s Son, absolutely God in nature. Angels may be spectacular, wonderful, high and mighty, but they are creatures, not creator. So, “Let all God’s angels worship Him (the Son).” The passage goes on to show, in several Old Testament quotations, the ultimate, infinite superiority of the Son, concluding with this exciting rhetorical question: “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:6,14). Guardian angels to God’s children
Wow! All angels are God’s servants, but they are sent to serve God’s children. They are not our personal valets. We can’t treat them as our servants. They are God’s servants, and they take orders only from Him. Encounters with angels in Bible times were usually awesome and terrifying, even when their visits brought peace and good news, because they were messengers from God, and God is awesome. By contrast, humans were considered unworthy and defiled - a perspective largely lost among us today (Jud. 6:22-23; 13:3,20-22). It’s an inestimable comfort to know that not only is my God all-powerful, but He has also assigned His supernatural agents to watch over me as one of His saved ones. So “saved” takes on a right-now realistic dimension. In addition to saving me eternally, He also takes care of me now, day by day, in the three-dimensional “real” world - saving me from accidents and from the insidious attacks of that mighty (but not almighty) fallen angel, who wants to get to me as a way of getting back at my God who deposed him. I have additional comfort and strength in that Jesus, my Savior, also prayed to His/my Father this way: “Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name ... my prayer is not that You take them out of the world, but that You protect them from the evil one” (Jn. 17:11-15). And the Father would never deny His Son Jesus any request. He came down to lift us up
The dynamic that has brought about all this wonderful reality is amazing. Jesus Christ - eternal Son of God, Creator of angels and worshiped by them - was Himself “made a little lower than the angels.” He came down to our level in order to “taste death” for us (Heb. 2:9), and elevate us to His level as children of God, above the angels who now serve Him by serving us who trust Him as our Savior! So, go ahead, put an angel on top of your Christmas tree if you want to. But be sure to put the Son into your heart. Trust Him. By Bill Van Ryn