Text: Hebrews 1:7, 14
What does the Bible say about angels? People have different theories (guardian angels, angels among us, the dead become angels, etc.). The Bible describes them as “ministering spirits” (they do the will of God). But what are angels? What role did God give to them? We will discuss these in our lesson. This will not be an exhaustive study, but an introduction or overview of the topic.
Origin
- Angels were created by God (Psalm 148:1-6) – on or before the first day of creation (Job 38:4-7); the “sons of God” were angels (Job 1:6)
- Angels are eternal (Luke 20:36) – they also do not marry or procreate (Luke 20:35); it is implied that God has not continued creating them (Genesis 2:1-3); therefore, the angels He made at the beginning are the same angels that continue to exist
Nature
- They are spiritual beings (Hebrews 1:7, 14)
- Like the Holy Spirit, they are persons, not some mystical force – they have movement (Revelation 14:6); they have an appearance, even in the spiritual realm (Revelation 7:11; 10:1-2)
- At times, they have taken human form (Genesis 19:1, 12; Matthew 28:5-6)
Place
- Between God and man – lower than the Father as His servants (Hebrews 1:7, 14) and worshipping Him (Revelation 7:11-12); lower than Christ as they worship Him (Revelation 5:11-12) and are recognized as being lower (Hebrews 1:3-6, 13); higher than man (Hebrews 2:6-7; 2 Peter 2:11), though they are fellow servants (Revelation 22:9)
- Therefore, because angels are lower than God, certain things must also be true – they are unworthy of worship (Revelation 22:8-9); they are fallible (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6); they are subject to divine judgment (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Matthew 25:41); they have limited knowledge (Matthew 24:36), but are interested in God’s will and plan for man (1 Peter 1:10-12)
Role
- Angels are God’s messengers (angelos) – primarily verbal; also of physical deliverance and judgment
- Examples of angels carrying out their role – warned of the destruction of Sodom (Genesis 19:1, 12-13); acted as God’s messengers of death (Genesis 19:13; 2 Samuel 24:15-16; Acts 12:23); ordained the Old Law (Galatians 3:19; cf. Acts 7:53; Hebrews 2:2); strengthened Jesus for His work (Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43); freed Peter from prison (Acts 12:6-11); showed John the revelation (Revelation 1:1)
Today
- What are angels doing today? – whatever God’s will is (Psalm 103:20); remember their role as messengers; God’s message has been fully revealed (1 Corinthians 13:8-10; Jude 3); angels’ primary function as it relates to man is accomplished; what they might do beyond that is unknown (cf. Deuteronomy 29:29)
- Do they take physical form today? – some believe they do based on Hebrews 13:2; but that referred to Abraham and Lot (Genesis 18:1-5; 19:1-3), not to anyone they knew personally
- They are not to reveal any new information from above (Galatians 1:8) – even if an angel were to speak to us, if the message differed from the New Testament, we must reject it
- The New Testament describes angels carrying the spirits of the faithful to paradise (Luke 16:22) – the dead are accompanied by angels; they do not become angels themselves
Future
- Angels will accompany the Lord when He comes in judgment (Matthew 25:31-33) – they will help in dealing out retribution (2 Thessalonians 1:7-8; cf. Matthew 13:49-50)
- After judgment, they will return to heaven with the faithful to be with the Lord for eternity (1 Thessalonians 4:16-18)
- Those angels who rebelled against God will face eternal punishment (Matthew 25:41)
Conclusion
- One thing that angels and man have in common is that we will face divine judgment – the righteous will be with the Lord in heaven; the wicked will face punishment in hell
- We need to be faithful to God by following His word – not any other message, even if it is from an angel
