Angels

(This article provides excerpts from the book “Journey Through the Bible and Your Story” which will be available on Amazon books later in the summer.)

Our culture takes angels seriously, if not accurately. A number of popular magazines have carried articles about angels including Time, Newsweek, Ladies Home Journal, Redbook and others. ABC aired a two-hour special titled “Angels: The Mysterious Messengers”. The bookstores abound with books on angels. A television series entitled “Touched by an Angel” was so popular that it lasted 9 seasons with 211 episodes. All of these illustrate our fascination with the topic of angels.

What we “truly” know about angels comes directly from the Bible. Psalms 148:2 and 148:5, state that God created angels, “Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts…Let them praise the name of the LORD! For He commanded and they were created." Angels are eternal beings; they are not mortal and do not die, unlike humans. When humans die, they do NOT become angels.

The Bible tells us that the angels were witnesses to the creation of the world, which indicates they were created long before that great event. God asked Job, “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation …and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4,7)

The important thing is why God created them. The Bible tells us that the angels were created for one reason: to do God’s will. They were created to be God’s instruments or agents to carry out His work. (In fact, the word “angel” actually means “messenger” or “agent”.) The Bible says, “Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.” (Psalm 103:20).

Two of their duties include their use by the Lord in their role as His messengers and being servant-warriors of God (2 Kings 6:14-18; Daniel 10).

Angels, while given an approach to God, are not perfect beings, for only God is perfect. As created beings, angels are subject to some of the same temptations and flaws as humans. Pride is a character trait one will never find in our holy God, only in created, imperfect beings who have intelligence. In the next article we will sadly see how pride can be so destructive to created beings.

Angels, because of their fundamental nature as spiritual beings, differ from humans, animals, and others of God's living creation who are physical or material. Therefore, unless God directs a circumstance where they are seen, angels are invisible to the naked eye (Genesis 18; 28:12; 2 Kings 6:8-16). Despite the myriad artful and benign depictions of angels, angels, when seen, must present a frightful manifestation when given a bodily form in the presence of humans. No fanciful, childlike, cherubic rendition would garner fear. Each time Scripture records an angelic being in communication with a mortal, the angel utters, "Fear not."

Remembering angels stand in the presence of God (Luke 1:19), they must reflect a spectacular radiance from being in God's glorious presence. It's no wonder the appearance of an angel evokes fear. An angel greeted shepherds in the field near Bethlehem, astounding them as more angels appeared: “And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear" (Luke 2:9-10, 13-14).

Just as the angels are largely unseen by us, so also is their work. I am convinced that when we get to heaven we will be amazed when we discover all the things God did through His angels—including their protection over us in times of danger. (This includes not only physical danger, but moral and spiritual danger, as well.) The Bible says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” (Psalm 91:11)