Top Ten Truths About Angels (Part 2)

What is your image of angels? Many of us would like to believe they have sweet faces and gentle spirits but the Bible really doesn’t paint angels in that way. When angels, in their natural form, visited humans, many times they opened up conversation with the words, “Do not be afraid.” In Matthew 1:12 it says the priest Zechariah was gripped with fear when the angel of the Lord appeared to him. When the prophet, Balaam, after missing a holy roadblock three times, finally saw the Angel of the Lord in front of him, he collapsed to the ground. Angels must have an overwhelming presence. So do you want to know more?  Here are the next three truths about angels:

#7 Angels are Warriors- They make up God’s heavenly army. God is referred to as “The Lord of Hosts” over 200 times in the Bible, which means “The Lord of Heavenly Armies” In Daniel 10, Daniel was visited by either the angel Gabriel or the pre-incarnate Christ. In that conversation, he said he was delayed because of a battle with the “prince of Persia.” This was not an earthly prince, it was a battle of good versus evil in the heavenlies. This particular angel was only able to leave because the archangel, Michael, a great warrior, came alongside him in the battle. Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” When Jesus was arrested and Peter cut off the ear of one of the soldiers, he told Peter to put his sword away and said, “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” About 5,000 men made up a Roman legion, so Jesus is saying he could call on 60,000 angels to fight his oppressors. When we ask the Lord, through prayer, to fight spiritual battles for us, he commissions his warrior angels to fight the battle on our behalf. That is powerful!

#6 Angels are Messengers- The Greek word for angel is “anhelos” which means “messenger.” In Matthew 2:12 an angel warns the wise men who visited Jesus not to go back to King Herod after their visit, so they returned to their country by another route. In the very next verse, an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream, where he was told to escape to Egypt with baby Jesus and Mary since Herod was seeking to kill Jesus. Then in Acts 1:10-11, after the resurrected Christ ascended into Heaven, an angel appeared to the disciples announcing Jesus would return again. But do angels still bring us messages today? A friend of mine told me the story about her dad, who was the first of twelve siblings to pass away. When the oldest brother died, her dad appeared at the foot of another brother’s bed and told him, “Everything will be fine. Gilbert is with me now.” This living brother did not yet know that his brother had passed away, but he found out when he woke up. Was this an angel in the likeness of my friend’s dad? I believe angels can change their appearance when they visit the earth. That’s why we don’t know when they are in our midst. Always be kind to strangers!

#5 Angels Have a Higher Status than Humans in God’s Kingdom- This fact is made clear in Psalm 8:4-5 when King David says, “What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor.” In Hebrews, 2:9, it says even Jesus was made lower than the angels, but after he suffered death and was resurrected, God’s angels worshipped him. Surprisingly, despite our status on God’s organizational chart below angels, in 1 Corinthians 6:3, the Apostle Paul says we will one day judge angels. Angels apparently have a will because, according to Scripture, one-third of God’s Heavenly Host opted to follow Satan in his rebellion. At the end of time, I believe we will judge the third who were rebellious and fell.

Still curious? On Tuesday, we’ll conclude this series and finally answer the question: “Do we have all have guardian angels?”