Are
Angels really all around us?
Probably the most intriguing Scripture reference to angels from a
human perspective is the one that says,
"Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have
entertained angels unawares." (Hebrews 13:2). Wow! Doesn't
that make you stop to think about how you treat people? Another fascinating
Scripture that causes me to pause in my daily helter-skelter activities and
give thanks is found in Psalm 91:11-12 "For He will give His angels
charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you
up, lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Friends, there are angels around us! Sometimes we see them and do not even realize it! At other times, we sense their presence. We just know they are there helping us, guiding us, watching over us. Then there are times when we think we desperately need them and they seem to be somewhere else! However, if we believe the Bible (and I certainly do!), we must believe that the angels are always there - the righteous angels doing what God tells them to do; the fallen angels working under the direction of Satan.
All angels were created as holy angels, but about a third of them
rebelled against God and fell from their sinless position (Revelation 12:9).
Satan, the leader of the "bad" or fallen angels, is a liar, a
murderer, and a thief. (John 10:10) He hates God and - - NEWS FLASH! He
passionately hates God's people. The Bible tells us that he prowls
around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We need
to remember that Satan and all the demons are supernaturally brilliant, and
Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor.
11:14). Masquerading as a holy angel, Satan and his demons are behind the current
angel craze in our culture. Under the covert operation of the master deceiver,
We must always be aware of the two kinds of angelic activity in the world: good and evil. Be very careful of the books you read or the seminars you attend. While there are a number of wonderful Christian books available, there are numerous publications filled with demonic deception of the ugliest kind! The Scriptures tell us to try (i.e. test) the spirits to see if they are from God. How do we know if they have "passed" the test? There are at least four criteria to identify God's angels:
·
A spirit from God always acknowledges that Jesus is the Christ who
came to the world to die for our sin and redeem us from Satan's bondage (1 John
4:1-6). An angel of God will always glorify God. Holy angels do not draw
attention to themselves. They work quietly, most often behind the scenes, then when the work is done, they leave.
·
An angel of God will not accept worship, but will tell you to
worship God (Rev. 2:18;
·
An angel of God does not come when we recite a mantra, or formula,
but at the command of God (Exodus 3:2; Luke
In Matthew 26:53 Jesus said, "Thinkest
thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more
than 12 legions of angels?" (a legion is between
4000 and 6000, which means at least 72,000 angels.) My question is to you is:
If Jesus found it necessary to pray the Father for angels to come to his aid,
why do some people believe they can command the angels directly?
Remember, when you start talking to angels, you end up dealing with
demons.
·
And finally, an angel from God will not give you instruction or
guidance that deviates from what God has already said in His Word (Galatians
1:8). When an angel begins to tell you things that change God's Word, you
know you are not speaking with a holy angel from God but a demon from hell.
Satan misquoted the Scripture to Jesus. He is still disguising himself as an
"angel of light" to deceive people (2 Cor.
Why do people find it so easy to believe in angels? Time's 1993 cover story on Angels, entitled "Angels Among Us," explains: "For those who choke too easily on God and His rules, theologians observe, angels are the handy compromise, all fluff and meringue, kind, non-judgmental. And they are available to everyone, like aspirin."
What do Angels look like, and how do they act?
To understand the differences in angelic beings, look around you. God likes variety,
it seems. Everything He created is different in some way. Even angels. Sometimes they have wings, sometimes they
are like fire. From reading many Scripture references, it appears that angels
are not confined to any specific form or shape, but assume various forms and
appearances according to the nature of the work they are required to perform
and the will of God. In many instances they behave and act just like we do.
They sit, stand, look like women, look like men, talk, eat and sing. In other instances,
the Bible describes them as being spirits, wind and fire. Take a look at the
descriptive information in the Bible.
They sit down: Judges
They stand: Isaiah 6:2 above it stood the seraphim’s
(Angelic creatures)
They look like women and have wind in their wings: Zechariah
5:9 then lifted I up mine eyes, and looked, and
behold there came out two women, and the wind was in their wings, for they had
wings like the wings of a stork...
They look like men; and eat: Genesis 18:2 and he lifted up
his eyes and looked, and lo three men stood by him.
They are spirits: Psalms 104:4; Hebrews 1:7
who maketh his angels spirits
They are like fire: Psalms 104:4 His ministers a
flaming fire
By definition, the word, angel is: Aggelos:
messenger, to bring a message, announce, proclaim. From this definition
and the Scriptures that talk of them, we can get an idea of their work on earth
on behalf of mankind. From the following Biblical references we find they do a
variety of things: Rescue, Guard, Keep, Protect, Bring
us messages from God, Fight our Battles, Carry out God's Desires.
They Serve Us: Hebrews 1:13-14 "But to what angel has
He ever said, 'Sit at my right hand, till I make their enemies a stool for thy
feet'? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake
of those who are to obtain salvation?"
A marvelous Scripture that tells us in a nutshell the whole purpose
of angels on earth: They are spiritual beings sent by God to minister to those
who will inherit salvation. That means they are here for everyone on earth,
because salvation is for everyone. God is so intent upon the salvation of
mankind he even sends angelic beings to work toward that end! I believe the
ultimate purpose of angelic activity in the life of an unbeliever is to point
that person toward Christ. To that end, they protect, defend, instruct and
guide us. After we have come to accept Christ as our personal Savior, their
work for us continues and increases to the extent we
trust in and rely on the Heavenly Father. The passage from Psalm 91
seems to substantiate this. The Psalm begins by identifying his audience: those
who trust in God. Take a moment to read the entire Psalm. When you trust in and
rely on our Heavenly Father, His holy angels defend and preserve you. Evil
cannot conquer them. When necessary, they will turn your steps out of the way
of danger.
They Feed Us: 1st Kings 19:5 "And as he lay
and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said
unto him, Arise and eat." I will never forget the time when I was
out of food, payday happened the next day and someone just invited me over for
dinner!
They Deliver Us: Acts
They Give us Warning of Impending Danger: Genesis
They Guard and Protect Us: Psalm 91:11-12 "For He will give His
angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will
bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone."
Psalm 34:7 "The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear
Him, and He delivers them"
They Go Ahead to Prepare our Way: Exodus 33:2 "And I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites."
They Deliver God's Message: Luke
They Direct Us: Acts
They Will be Instrumental in the Last Day Judgment of God: Matthew 13:41-42 "The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth."
Matthew 18:10 "Take heed that ye despise not one of
these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always
behold the face of my Father which is in Heaven."
It seems here that Jesus Christ himself is saying that every person has a guardian angel and that these angels always have access to God.
We see it happen that way on television and at the movies.
However, as entertaining and interesting as it is, it is nothing more than a
fantasy. A human being is always a human being. An angel is always an angel.
The Scripture tells us about man:
Psalms 8:5 "For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and has crowned him with glory and honor."
As long as we are on earth we are not as good or righteous as the holy angels. We still sin and go against the will of God. Angels, however, work directly for and with God, so they are "higher" than we are. However, notice that we are still crowned with glory and honor. Why else would Jesus have died on the cross for us?
Matthew 24:36 (Jesus is talking about the rapture) But of that
day and hour knoweth no man, no not the angels of
heaven, but my Father only.
There is nothing written in Scripture that indicates angels are omniscient. On the contrary, they know only what is revealed to them by God - and wonder of wonders - by observing God's working in and through His people! (See Ephesians 3:9,10)
Daniel
Revelation