The Truth About Angels – Part 1
The Truth About Angels – Part 1
Do you know much about angels? I really didn’t understand angels until I had some years of Bible study under my belt. There are many misconceptions about angels. The most common one I hear is that when a loved one passes away they get their angel wings or that they become angels. This is simply not true. I want to explain what angels are and what they do.
Angels are a supernatural order of heavenly beings and they were separately created by God before the creation of the world. For instance, in Job 38:4-7, God is telling Job that He created the angels when He laid the foundations of the earth. We find God cross examining Job and reminding him of everything He did in creating the heavens and the earth. God tells Job that angels were with Him at the very beginning of creation. This proves they are separate created beings.
Angels are not superior to Jesus. Jesus has and always will be superior to angels because Jesus was fully God and fully man when He was on earth. Angels can’t possibly be superior to their creator.
Hebrews chapter one sets the record straight about the angels pecking order to Jesus. The angels are to worship the Lord, serve the Lord, and they rank under Jesus. Only Jesus gets to sit at the right hand of God. An angel’s purpose is to be a ministering spirit sent by God to humankind.
Angels have bodily form but are without bodily organism. This means they can appear as a human being but they do not have bodily organism. They cannot get sick. They can’t reproduce. They are not mortal beings. They are immortal beings.
In Genesis 19:1-15, two angels are sent to Lot’s house to warn him of the impending destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. These two cities were known for their sexual immorality and God sent the angels to warn Lot to get out of there.
It’s one of the most interesting accounts of angels because these angels were so humanistic that other men showed up at Lot’s door wanting to have a homosexual encounter with them. We will return to this story later in this message but this gives you proof that angels can appear in human, bodily form.
Not only can angels appear in bodily form but they can appear in supernatural form, as well. Luke 24 and Acts 1:11 are great examples of this. Luke 24 describes the women who arrive at the tomb where Jesus was buried. When they arrive, they find the tomb stone rolled away and the tomb empty. Suddenly, two men appear in clothing that “gleamed like lightening”. These men were angels sent by God to explain to the women that Jesus had been resurrected.
In Acts 1:10-11, two men dressed in white suddenly appear to the disciples and explain Jesus has ascended to heaven right in front of their eyes. Further explaining Jesus will return just as He has ascended. Again, proof that angels appear in supernatural form as well as bodily form.
You might ask the question, “Do angels rank higher than humankind?” Yes, angels have a higher ranking than we do. In Psalm 8, David mentions that he is ranked just below the angels. David is speaking about how man is commanded to rule over the earth and take care of all creation yet he is still ranked lower than the angels.
So, now you have scriptural proof that angels appear in bodily form and supernatural form. They rank lower than Jesus but higher than humankind. Also, Angels possess more knowledge than humans but they are not all knowing (omniscient) like God is. For instance, in Matthew 24:36, we are reminded that even the angels don’t know when the Second Coming of Christ will be. In fact, not even Jesus knows that! Only Father God knows that! So, don’t ever believe someone who tells you the Second Coming is going to happen on a particular day. I’m pretty sure if Jesus doesn’t know when that is, we don’t either!
The Holy Trinity can be confusing to most people. It’s hard to comprehend how God and Jesus are the same being yet God knows when the Second Coming will be and Jesus doesn’t. Check out my blog titled “Understanding the Holy Trinity”. It will help clarify the Trinity using a simple illustration.
Angels are stronger than humankind but they are not all-powerful (omnipotent) like God. 2 Peter 2:10-11 confirms this and reads as such, “This is especially true of those who follow corrupt desires of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings; yet even angels although they are stronger and more powerful, do not bring slanderous accusations against such beings in the presence of the Lord.”
Again, in 2 Thessalonians 1,, we learn that Jesus will return with His “powerful” angels. So, angels were created in the beginning of the universe and they will return with the Lord when this world ends as we know it.
Angels cannot be everywhere all the time as God can be. They are not omnipresent.
Daniel: 10 tells the story of Daniel having a dream. An angel is on his way to interpret the dream but gets held up by the king of Persia. Micheal, the archangel, comes to help the angel so the angel can finally get to Daniel.
The term “archangel” is only mentioned in the Bible twice; once in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 9. Micheal is the archangel and he has great power and authority and plays a significant role against Satan.
Angels can perform miracles. In Genesis 19, there is a dramatic scene where the men of Sodom and Gomorrah were threatening Lot’s family so the angels struck the men with blindness so they could no longer find the door.
Do these truths about angels make you wonder when you have had an angel encounter and you were not aware of it? I believe I had an encounter once but I’lll save that story for another time!
Moving on, did you know angels have different attributes and ranks? Ephesians 3:10 tells us there are rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm. There are two different categories of angels; the Cherubim and the Seraphim. The Cherubim are the guardians and the warriors. The Seraphim are the messengers. They all have a job to do and a title to go with it!
Satan was one of the most gifted and highest ranking Cherubs in heaven before he was cast down to earth. In Ezekiel 28:14 he was called the “Anointed Cherub that Covereth”. The Jews pictured these angels as lions and bulls with wings and human faces. Cherub angels guarded the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden. I will explain more about Satan as an angel in The Truth About Angels – Part 2.
A representation of the cherub angel was fastened to the Mercy Seat of the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in Exodus 25 and 2 Chronicles 3. These cherubs have to do with guarding the holiness of God from the violation of sin.
Two of the most important angels are Micheal and Gabriel. Micheal was a warrior while Gabriel was a messenger. Micheal is found guarding the nation of Israel in the Old Testament and leading the angelic army against Satan in Revelation.
Gabriel was sent to explain Daniel’s vision in Daniel 8 and the seventy weeks in Daniel 9.
Gabriel also announced the impending births of John the Baptist to Zachariah and the impending birth of Jesus to Mary.
So, angels were created to minister to believers. Their primary role in the New Testament was to deliver messages to believers such as to Cornelius, Paul, and John. Other roles include standing in God’s presence and worshiping Him. (Matthew 18:10, Hebrews 1:6, and Revelation 5:11-12) They give assistance, protection and deliverance in Genesis 19:11.
They guide and encourage in Daniel 9:21. They interpret God’s will in Daniel and Zechariah. They carry out God’s will by acting on God’s behalf in 2 Samuel 24:16.
What I love about angels is the fact that an angel is assigned to each believer and they represent us in heaven. Pretty cool, right? In Acts 12:15 after Peter’s miraculous escape from prison, someone said, “It must have been his angel”.
Angels are also punishers of God’s enemies. In Acts 12:23, an angel strikes down Herod for not giving praise to God. They are also punishers of God’s own. In 2 Samuel 24:16, an angel had to destroy Jerusalem. God’s anger was burning against Israel and God gave David three options for their punishment. The angel had to deliver the option of a plague. Things got so bad that the Lord had to stop the angel and lift the plague. This makes you wonder about the pandemic! Have we angered God to the point He allowed a pandemic?
Angels reveal the features of heaven to the saved in Revelation 21 by describing heaven in detail. Angels rejoice at a person’s conversion as seen in Luke 15.
Angels appeared before and after Christ’s birth. They strengthened Christ after His temptation. They were with Him in the Garden of Gethsemane. And they rolled away the stone at his resurrection and confirmed His return at the ascension.
For many, angels seem like some character out of a fairy tale but in fact, angels are very real. The more you study the Bible as a whole and learn how everything fits together in God’s great plan for humanity, the more you understand the role of an angel. For example, where evil comes from and spiritual warfare.
I hope you have learned something about angels that you didn’t know before. These are all comforting reminders that, as believers, we have an angel looking out for us. However, there is more to the story in my next blog titled The Truth About Angels – Part 2. I will explain how evil originated and about the spiritual battle we fight here on earth. Please make sure you read this next blog as it is as important to know the bad as well as the good!
I also encourage you to pick up my Bible study titled In the Beginning: Genesis 1-11. It will further explain many things you may be curious about.
I would love to hear from you so please feel free to leave a comment! I love to hear if I have explained something in a way that makes it easier to understand!
Blessings to you!
Janice Bobanis
