Angels (2)

	Angels.  Who are they? Where do they come from?  What do they do?  Are we receiving an accurate picture of angels from our movies, television programs and books?
	As we saw in the first lesson, God made angels along with the rest of the creation.  They are not dead humans who are sent back to earth on some mission.
	Some angels are identified by name or by category.  Michael, the archangel, takes a lead in combating the devil.  Gabriel has been sent by God with special messages for select humans.  The cherubim are God's watchmen.
	The Bible identifies another group of angels in Isaiah 6:1-7.  There are similarities between the cherubim and the seraphim.  But, since the Bible identifies them with different names, we will consider them as two groups.  Seraphim means, "burning" or "noble."
	"In the year of King Uzziah's death," Isaiah comments, "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.  And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.'  And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.  Then I said, 'Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And he touched my mouth {with it} and said, 'Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin is forgiven.'"
	Although we are told about Michael, Gabriel, the cherubim and the seraphim, the Bible has little to say about other specific angels.  But it does provide information about angels in general.
	"And I looked," John writes in Revelation 5:11-12, "and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.'"
	So we know that angels praise God and Jesus.  They are also called upon to provide assistance.
	"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil," we read in Matthew 4:1-2. "And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry."
	The following verses describe the devil's efforts to tempt Jesus.  But he is not successful in causing the Lord to sin.
	"Then the devil left Him;" the passage notes in verse 11,and behold, angels came and {began} to minister to Him."
	Jesus is again comforted by an angel just before His arrest and crucifixion.
	"And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives;" Luke 22:39-43 says, "and the disciples also followed Him. And when He arrived at the place, He said to them, 'Pray that you may not enter into temptation.'  And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and {began} to pray, saying, 'Father, if Thou art willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Thine be done.' Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him."
	Luke chapter 16 records the story of the rich man and Lazarus.  In this story, the assistance of angels extends beyond the grave.
	"Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom;" we find in verse 22, "and the rich man also died and was buried."
	After the death of Jesus, angels are sometimes sent to assist Christians. In Acts chapter five, the Jewish leaders arrest the apostles for preaching about Jesus.
	"But an angel of the Lord during the night opened the gates of the prison," verses 19-20 note, "and taking them out he said, 'Go your way, stand and speak to the people in the temple the whole message of this Life.'"
	Herod arrests Peter in Acts chapter 12 and plans on having him put to death.
	"So Peter was kept in the prison," we find in verses 5-11, "but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God. And on the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains; and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison. And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared, and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter's side and roused him, saying, 'Get up quickly.' And his chains fell off his hands. And the angel said to him, 'Gird yourself and put on your sandals.'  And he did so. And he said to him, 'Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.'  And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.  And when they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street; and immediately the angel departed from him.  And when Peter came to himself, he said, 'Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.'"
	Angels praise God.  They assist the apostles.  And they carry messages from God.  In fact, the word "angel" means "messenger."  Angels deliver important messages at the beginning of Christ's life.
	"And in the same region there were {some} shepherds staying out in the fields," Luke 2:8-14 records, "and keeping watch over their flock by night.  And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.  And the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.  And this {will be} a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger.'  And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.'"
	Angels also deliver an important message at the end of Christ's life.
	"And behold," we find in Matthew 28:2-7, "a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his garment as white as snow; and the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men. And the angel answered and said to the women, 'Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified.  He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.  And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going before you into Galilee, there you will see Him; behold, I have told you.'"
	Still later, angels carry messages concerning the spread of the Gospel.  One such message is delivered to Philip.
	"But an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip," Acts 8:26 states, "saying, 'Arise and go south to the road that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza.'"
	After following the angel's instructions, Philip encounters an Ethiopian official and shares with him the Gospel message.  A couple of chapters later, it is a Roman officer who encounters a heavenly messenger.
	"About the ninth hour of the day," Acts 10:3-6  says, "he clearly saw in a vision an angel of God who had {just} come in to him, and said to him, 'Cornelius!'  And fixing his gaze upon him and being much alarmed, he said, 'What is it, Lord?' And he said to him, 'Your prayers and alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now dispatch {some} men to Joppa, and send for a man {named} Simon, who is also called Peter; he is staying with a certain tanner {named} Simon, whose house is by the sea.'" 
	We should mention here that there are some messages which angels do not carry.  Note that they do not explain to people what they should do.  The instruction is always to send for a human to deliver the Gospel message.
	"For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not {come to} know God," 1 Corinthians 1:21 stresses, "God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe." 
	And angels never carry messages which are anything more or less than what we find in the Bible.
	"But even though we," Paul instructs in Galatians 1:8, "or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed."
	If anyone claims to have received any new teaching from an angel, he or she is not telling the truth and is strongly condemned by the Bible.  There is no message from God other than that which has been revealed through the New Testament.
	"God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways," Hebrews 1:1-2 observes, "in these last days has spoken to us in {His} Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world."
	Angels praise, assist and announce.  But there is one task which angels have yet to carry out.
	"The Son of Man will send forth His angels," Matthew 13:41-42 foretells, "and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire; in that place there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."
	"And He will send forth His angels with a great trumpet," Jesus promises in Matthew 24:31, "and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other."
	Angels praise and assist.  They carry messages of truth.  And, one day, they will reap.  We had better make sure we are on the right side of that harvest by obeying the truth, and being set free.

Unless otherwise noted, "Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE(R), (C) Copyright 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission." (www.lockman.org)