Excerpt
Angels


Angels are a higher life form than humans and thus have wisdom and powers beyond human understanding. When Jesus entered the world as a baby, the Bible says that he was made a little lower than the angels. Angels are called God’s mighty ones who do his bidding. An angel shut the mouths of lions so that they would not harm Daniel. One hundred and eighty-five thousand Assyrian soldiers were killed in one night by an angel. These are some examples of why angels are much more powerful than humans.
It appears that all angels were created at one time and no new angels are being added to the number. Angels are not subject to death or any form of extinction; therefore they do not decrease in number. Angels in the Bible never appear as cute, chubby infants. They are always full-grown adults. The response of people who see angels as told in the Bible is typically fear and awe.
There are different ranks or levels of authority and duties among angels. Those called seraphs attend the throne of God and lead in praise and worship. Another rank or type of angel is the cherub, whose members also surround the throne of God. The Bible mentions angels of commander rank called archangels, who lead other angels. Revelation 12:7 describes a war between the archangel Michael leading the angels of heaven, and the devil and his fallen angels or demons. Michael the archangel is called one of the chief princes of God’s faithful angels.
Angels are associated with churches, places, and people, perhaps related to their rank and power. Revelation 1:20 speaks of the seven angels assigned to the Christian churches named in chapters 2 and 3. Michael the archangel is associated with Israel, while an evil angel who opposes him in Daniel 10:21, is called the Prince of Persia (modern-day Iran).
God’s angels perform many acts of service. They will separate mankind into good and evil groups destined for heaven or hell. Revelation chapter 16 says that angels shall dispense the wrath and judgments of God upon unbelievers during the tribulation. The angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced that she would be the mother of Jesus. A multitude of angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds. Angels carried messages from God to man in the dreams of Joseph, warning him of Herod’s plans to kill the infant Jesus. An angel was present at the tomb of Jesus and announced his resurrection. The Israelites were guided by an angel from Egypt to the Promised Land. Angels at-tended Jesus after his encounter with the devil in the de-sert.
Angels act as commanded by God and their actions are sometimes in response to the prayers of believers. Peter was freed from prison by an angel. This angel suddenly ap-peared between two guards in the cell where Peter was in chains. God apparently gave this angel orders in response to believers’ prayers for Peter. In Daniel 10:12-13, an angel is sent by God to Daniel in response to his prayers and fasting. However, the appearance of the angel to Daniel with God’s message was delayed because one or more evil angels op-posed him.
According to the Bible, angels are assigned to those who will become believers from the time they are infants. An-gels protect those they are assigned to. After death, angels accompany and guide those God has forgiven of their sins.
Angels are primarily spirit beings but sometimes take hu-man form. Genesis 19 records the visit of two angels in the form of men to the city of Sodom. Also, in Genesis chapter 18, three angels in the form of men visited Abraham and Sa-rah in their old age to announce the birth of Isaac. The Greek and Hebrew words for angel are masculine in gender, but sex in the human sense is not associated with angels.
In the Old Testament, the term “Angel of the Lord” refers to God in many cases where he spoke or appeared to different prophets and leaders. In Genesis 22:15, the Angel of the Lord calls to Abraham from heaven. In Exodus 3:2, the Angel of the Lord speaks to Moses from the burning bush. The Angel of the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt to the Promised Land.
Evil angels or demons are those who chose to follow the cherub Lucifer in rebelling against God. One-third of the angels chose to rebel against God, lost their places in heaven and were cast to the earth. Some of these fallen angels are bound in darkness awaiting judgment. Others are able to roam the earth with the devil until the final judgment, when they will be cast into hell.

Discussion Questions

1. The Bible warns against becoming too pre-occupied about angels. Why do you think there is a natural fascination about angels?

2. Have you ever had an experience that you would attribute to guardian angels?

3. Have you ever seen, sensed or experienced the presence of angels or demons?

4. Did you know that born again Christians will someday judge angels? Read 1 Corinthians 6:3.

5. When you think of angels, what images come to mind? Why? Are these images Biblical? How do these images com-pare with the seraphs described in Isaiah 6:1-3?

6. Angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the Old Testa-ment and 165 times in the New Testament. Does this tell you anything about the presence of angels in our world?___________________________