SS Angels

What does the Bible say about….Angels?

Up to now we’ve talked about who Christ is, who God the Father is, who the Holy Spirit is, some specifics about Salvation & what the Church is & isn’t. Now we’re on to IMO true but less important things. The biggest error one can make in regards to “angels” is to make them not important at all in your mind or too important.

So how would you define what an Angel is?

Specially created spiritual beings (or creatures) with moral judgment & high intelligence, but w/o physical bodies.  

Quote – St Augustine – It was pride that changed the angels into devils; its humility that makes men as angels.”

Some facts:

A host or great # (no specific #), they worship God, they are created not eternal, carryout some of God’s plan, only in 1 place @ 1 time, **spiritual not corporeal

Other names: holy ones, watchers, powers

Types:

Cherubim – God dwelt with Israel over 2 golden angels on top of the Ark of the Covenant (Raiders of the Lost Ark) 

Seraphim – worship God continually

Living Creatures – odd reference in Revelation of beings similar to hybrids of angels & animals or animals & people often seen as representative – Wild Beasts, domesticated animals, humans & birds (but I’m not sold on this cause there’s no sea-life representative)

Who are the 2 named angels in Scripture? Michael & Peter Gabriel from the band Genesis (no, just Gabriel)

What do Angels, electrons & bacteria have in common? They remind us of the reality of unseen worlds that affect our daily lives

Interesting stories with Angels in them:

Job 1 - beings with a Heavenly assembly with God & Satan in attendance with other Heavenly hosts

Gabriel announcing Jesus’ birth, Angels at the tomb instead of Jesus @ the resurrection

Elisha opening the eyes of his servant to see angels in 2 Kings 6  

Because they are created beings, their knowledge is limited. This means they do not know all things as God does (Matthew 24:36). They do seem to have greater knowledge than humans, however, which may be due to three things. First, angels were created as an order of creatures higher than humans. Therefore, they innately possess greater knowledge. Second, angels study the Bible and the world more thoroughly than humans do and gain knowledge from it (James 2:19; Revelation 12:12). Third, angels gain knowledge through long observation of human activities. Unlike humans, angels do not have to study the past; they have experienced it. Therefore, they know how others have acted and reacted in situations and can predict with a greater degree of accuracy how we may act in similar circumstances.

Though they have wills, angels, like all creatures, are subject to the will of God. Good angels are sent by God to help believers (Hebrews 1:14). Here are some activities the Bible ascribes to angels:

They praise God (Psalm 148:1-2; Isaiah 6:3). They worship God (Hebrews 1:6; Revelation 5:8-13). They rejoice in what God does (Job 38:6-7). They serve God (Psalm 103:20; Revelation 22:9). They appear before God (Job 1:6; 2:1). They are instruments of God's judgments (Revelation 7:1; 8:2). They bring answers to prayer (Acts 12:5-10). They aid in winning people to Christ (Acts 8:26; 10:3). They observe Christian order, work, and suffering (1 Corinthians 4:9; 11:10; Ephesians 3:10; 1 Peter 1:12). They encourage in times of danger (Acts 27:23-24). They care for the righteous at the time of death (Luke 16:22).

Angels are an entirely different order of being than humans. Human beings do not become angels after they die. Angels will never become, and never were, human beings. God created the angels, just as He created humanity. The Bible nowhere states that angels are created in the image and likeness of God, as humans are (Genesis 1:26). Angels are spiritual beings that can, to a certain degree, take on physical form. Humans are primarily physical beings, but with a spiritual aspect. The greatest thing we can learn from the holy angels is their instant, unquestioning obedience to God’s commands.