What The Bible Says About Angels

(Text: Hebrews 1:14)
By: Barry L. Cameron


* According to a Time Magazine/CNN poll, 69% of American adults believe in the existence of angels.
- 46% believe they have their own Guardian Angel.
- 32% say they have, at one time or another, personally felt an angelic presence in their life.

* Hollywood has produced a number of movies portraying angels as mere people who come back with special powers or special assignments.
- "Heaven Can Wait" - Warren Beatty comes back after an accident to be a star football player and to catch his wife involved in all kinds of shenanigans.
- "Always" - Richard Dreyfuss dies in a fiery plane crash only to come back and save his girlfriend's life and give her permission to get a new boyfriend.
- "The Preacher's Wife" - Denzel Washington comes back to help a struggling pastor in his little church. He also gets to dance with Whitney Houston, gets kissed by Whitney and then gets to become the ornament on the top of their family Christmas tree.

- Bookstores are full of books dealing with angels, supernatural powers and the spirit world.
- Several years ago, Billy Graham wrote a bestseller called: "Angels: God's Secret Agents"
- One of the most popular television programs today is "Touched by an Angel"

* Amy Grant made popular a song called: "Angels"
"Angels watching over me, every move I make,
Angels watching over me!
Angels watching over me, every step I take,
Angels watching over me!

God only knows the times my life was threatened just today.
A reckless car ran out of gas before it ran my way.
Near misses all around me, accidents unknown,
Though I never see with human eyes
The hands that lead me home.

But I know they're all around me
All day and through the night.
When the enemy is closing in,
I know sometimes they fight
To keep my feet from falling,
I'll never turn away.

If you're asking what's protecting me
Then you're gonna hear me say:
Got His angels watching over me, every move I make,
Angels watching over me!
Angels watching over me, every step I take,
Angels watching over me..."

* In the comic strip: "Family Circus," Billy comes into the house all tattered and torn. He looks like he's been in a wreck, then a fight, then dragged for a mile or two by a team of runaway horses. He asks, "Do guardian angels take days off?"

* There's an incredible interest in angels, the supernatural and the spirit world today.
- There's also a tremendous amount of confusion and speculation and even false teaching.

Six Benefits of Studying About Angels:
1. Understanding the nature and activities of the spirit world will increase our appreciation of a sovereign God.
2. We will gain a better appreciation of what's literally going on around us.
3. This study will help us appreciate God's holiness and righteousness.
4. This study will magnify the grace of God.
5. This study will challenge our Christian living.
6. The truth of God's angelic ministry will encourage us.

What does the Bible say?
1. Angels were created by God. (Psalm 148:2-5)
2. They were created to glorify God. (Revelation 4:6-11)
3. The term "angel" is derived from the Greek word angelos which means "messenger."
4. In 34 of the Bible's 66 books there are specific references to angels. (17 in the OT, 17 in the NT)
5. The word for "angel" is used 108 times in the OT and 165 in the NT.
6. Angels were not originally created as men. They were created as angels. (Colossians 1:16)
7. The exact time of their creation is not exact, but they sang at the creation of the earth. (Job 38:4-7)
8. Lucifer (Satan), an angelic creature, appears on the scene in Genesis 3:1.
9. All angels were created good and holy.
a. They enjoyed God's presence (Matthew 18:10) and Heaven's environment (Mark 13:32)
b. There are two moral classes of angels in the Bible:
1. The "elect" angels who remained faithful to God (I Timothy 5:21)
2. The "evil" angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God (Matthew 25:41)

* These two supernatural forces (angelic armies) engage in constant warfare that far exceeds human thought and affects the course of nations and the world.

c. Satan fell from his original holy state when he tragically rebelled against God (I Timothy 3:6)
d. He convinced a third of the angels to defect with him (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:4)
e. The reason for the fall was PRIDE (Ezekiel 28:12-19; Isaiah 14:12-17)

10. Angels cannot reproduce angels (Matthew 22:28-30)
11. Angels are referred to as the "sons of God" (Job 1:6; 2:1)
12. Somehow, fallen angels were able to produce a perverted race of beings that precipitated the flood (Genesis 6:4-7; II Peter 2:4-5)

Five Kinds of Angels:
1. Worshipping Angels (Isaiah 6:1-4; Revelation 4:6-11)
2. Warring Angels (II Kings 6:16-17; II Kings 19:35)
3. Watching Angels (Matthew 18:10; Daniel 6:21-22)
4. Working Angels (Matthew 4:11; I Kings 19:5-7; Hebrews 1:7)
5. Wonders Angels (Revelation 8:2; 14:18-20; 20:1-3)

* Only two angels are named in the Scriptures: Michael and Gabriel.
- Michael is the protector, Gabriel is the proclaimer.
- Michael is referred to as an archangel (Jude 9), but he is also called one of the chief princes in Daniel 10:13, so he would not be the only one.

Two Important Groups of Angels:
1. Cherubim (the highest order or rank) created with indescribable powers and beauty
- First appearance, Genesis 3:24, guarding the gate to the garden of Eden with flaming swords.
- The dwelling place of God in the tabernacle. (Golden images upon the mercy seat, over the ark of the covenant - Exodus 25:17-22)
- The four living creatures of Daniel were Cherubim.

2. Seraphim (means "burning ones" - reference to their consuming devotion to God rather than their outward ministry)
- They have more of a priestly service before the Lord. (Isaiah 6:1-4)
- The four living creatures of Revelation 4, 5, 7 and 19 are seraphim.

* The Bible is full of examples concerning the ministry of ANGELS.
a. Angels were present at Creation. (Job 38:4-7)
b. The Law was given by the disposition of angels. (Galatians 3:19; Acts 7:38 and 53; Hebrews 2:2)
c. Major events that pertained to Christ involved angels:

1. His Birth (Luke 2:8-15)
2. His Temptation (Ministered to by angels - Matthew 4:11)
3. His agonizing in the garden (Strengthened by an angel - Luke 22:43)
4. His arrest and crucifixion ("I could call 12 legions of angels" - Matthew 26:53)
5. His Resurrection (Matthew 28:2-7; Mark 16:5-8; Luke 24:3-7)
6. His Ascension (Acts 1:11)
7. His Return (Matthew 25:31)
a. Predicted His return (Acts 1:11)
b. Will accompany His return (Matthew 25:31)
c. Will worship Him at His return (Hebrews 1:6)
d. Will gather groups of men at His return (Matthew 24:31)
d. Their primary ministry is worship. (Isaiah 6:1-3)
- Revelation 4:6-11. Four angelic creatures around God's throne. They ascribe to God: Holiness, Worthiness and Omnipotence.
e. They are ministers of service. (Genuine worship always leads to genuine service.)

1. Priestly Ministers (Hebrews 1:7)
2. Personal Messengers (Psalm 103:20)
f. They serve as agents of God's government:

1. In controlling nature:
a. The winds (Revelation 7:1)
b. The seas (Revelation 16:3)
c. The heat of the sun (Revelation 16:8-9)
2. In controlling nations:
a. God's angels battle the angels of Satan (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1)
b. II Kings 6:17. Elisha and the Arameans
g. They execute God's judgments.

1. Angels were involved in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19:1, 12-13)
2. Angels were involved in the plagues on Egypt (Exodus 12:13, 23)
3. One angel destroyed 185,000 Assyrians in answer to one prayer by Hezekiah (II Kings 19:35)
4. Angels will administrate God's wrath and judgment during the Great Tribulation (Revelation 6:1ff; 8:1-6; 14:17-18; 15:1; 16:1-21)

h. They protect God's people.
1. They are sent to serve us (Hebrews 1:14)
2. They will deliver us from trouble (Psalm 34:7)
3. They will fight against our enemies (Psalm 35:4-6)
4. They will guard and protect us (Psalm 91:9-16)
5. Our prayers dispatch God's angels on our behalf (Daniel 9:20-23; 10:12)
6. Our angels have to do battle with the devil's angels (Daniel 10:13, 20-21)
* Our angels can be detained, but they can't be defeated (Daniel 10:13 - twenty-one days; Daniel 12:1 - "your people will be delivered.")

Jack Graham: "Believers can expect God's holy angels to accompany them through life's journey. These powerful beings are working on our behalf today. I personally believe that because we are facing the final hours of human history, there is an increase in angelic activity just as there is an increase in demonic activity. As sin and violence and demonic activity increase during times of tribulation, God will send His angels to execute His plan and purpose for mankind. The angels who minister in the last days shall have power over the elements and power over the environment as they do God's will."

ILL: John G. Paton, missionary to the New Hebrides Islands Began his missionary work with his pregnant wife by landing on the beach and setting up a lean-to. He didn't know anyone, see anyone, didn't know the language of the natives on the island. But every night when it became dark, Paton and his wife could see the whites of the eyes of natives staring at them from the brush and trees up from the beach.

In the first few weeks they were there, John tried to make contact with the natives but to no avail. His wife gave birth to their child and they both died. Paton said he buried them on the beach and slept on top of their graves so the natives wouldn't dig them up and eat them.

After a number of weeks had passed, Paton was able to find a way to communicate with one of the natives and then another and after a while they became Christians. Finally the chief of the tribe became a Christian and the revival that began on the island resulted in a host of believers and the beginning of a number of churches.

Several years later as Paton was boarding a boat to leave the island, he said "I came to the sound of war drums, I leave to the sound of church bells."

As he got into the boat the chief asked him, "Mr. Paton, could I ask you one question before you leave?" "Sure," John responded, "what is it?"

"When you first came to our island, who were those large men in shining garments carrying swords?"

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