Angels: Messengers of God
We are not alone. Angels came to visit Abram and Sarai. Two angels came to warn Lot in Sodom. An angel aided by Michael, a chief angel, went to talk to Daniel. Gariel was the angel God used to tell Mary she would give birth to the Messiah. God’s servants who do His bidding and deliver His messages are all around us. We need never be fearful as God has His army of angels surrounding us. “And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” (II Kings 6:17 [NKJV]). Rather than defeat, God was protecting Elisha and his helpers.
Religions of the world believe in angels and demons. Are they real? Yes! What are angels? Spirit? Flesh? Invisible? Simply put angels are spirit just like God is a spirit (John 4:24; 3:8; Col. 1:15-16). They minister to God in Heaven and are His messengers to mankind. They do the work of God when assigned to do so by God Himself. Demons are the opposite of angels and do the bidding of Satan rather than God.
Abraham encountered two angels and God in the flesh in Genesis 18:1-2. Three “men” showed up and delivered a message to Abraham about Sodom and Gomorrah. In Gen. 18:1 we learn one was God in the flesh and the other two were angels traveling with Him. Abraham fed them and conversed with them. We learn from this early instance that God’s angels can be in both physical and spiritual form. Abraham was willing to entertain strangers and angels. Are we? Heb. 13:1-2 “Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”. These same two angels who dined with Abraham were sent to the city of Sodom to warn Lot. As messengers of God they delivered the warning of impending doom to Lot and his family about the soon coming total destruction of the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19:1-3). They were messengers from God.
The Bible is full of examples of what angels are and what they do. They are “created” beings (Job 1:6; 38:7). They exist below the level of God (Heb. 1:5-14) but they are not “begotten” sons like mankind can be (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:26-29). The angels were created before the physical earth was created as we learn they “shouted for joy” after viewing God’s creation (Job 38:1-7). Angels do God’s will in ministering to mankind (Heb. 1:13-14). They help us in times of need even when we don’t know they are there for us (II Kings 6:14-18). They watch over and protect the Church of God Rev. 1:4, 16, 20; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14). They are God’s journalists in they observe and report back to God the news of earth and its inhabitants (Rev. 5:6; Zech. 4:10; II Chron. 16:9). God has charged certain angels with the task of protecting us (Acts 12:15; Matt. 18:10, Psalm 91:11; Matt. 4:6; Dan. 3:28; 6:22).
Angels are the messengers from God to man. They protect us and do God’s will. They fight God’s battles and worship Him in all His glory. They are the servants of God created to worship Him and do His will and are sent to protect us in our times of trouble.
The Bible mentions three very important high-ranking angels. First is Gabriel. Gabriel, the arch angel was sent by God as a messenger to make Daniel understand His vision (Dan. 8:16; 9:21). Gabriel announced to Zacharias that he would be the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19). Gabriel informed Mary that she would be the mother of God (Luke 1:26-38). Gabriel seems to be the leading angel God uses to inform His servants of what is to come. Second is Michael. In Daniel 10: 10-14 we learn Michael is a “Chief Prince”. He is an arch angel according to Jude 9. He ministers to the people and church of God (Dan. 12:1). Michael is a warrior of God and a powerful enough angel to fight with and overcome Satan (Dan. 10:13, 21). Third is Lucifer who became Satan the devil. Satan is covered in the one-page article titled Satan and his Demons.( Satan and His Demons – COSCOG7 – Colorado Springs Church of God 7th Day).
We see angels are servants and worshippers of God who do His will. They are protectors of the Church and our personal protectors in times of need as sent by God. We can entertain them without knowing it and they deliver messages to humankind concerning the will of God.
Mike Wallace
