The Truth About Angels — SAY IT WITH JOY

So, God created mankind in His own image,
in the image of God He created them;
male and female He created them. (Genesis 1:27 NIV)

Many years ago, I had an encounter with an angel, which eventually led me to Scripture where I discovered the truth regarding angels and their functions. Unfortunately, there are many myths and much misinformation regarding angels.

God’s Word strongly warns that there will be people who will not tolerate sound teaching but will have itching ears to hear what they want to hear. They will find teachers that suit their passions, and as they turn away from the truth; they will accept false beliefs, false ideas, and myths as being truth (2 Timothy 4:3-4). Hopefully, the following information will shed light on God’s truth regarding angels.

The Bible describes the appearance and function of five commonly known types of angels:

· Fallen angels are demons and agents of Satan under his command.

· Seraphim, are the highest angelic class who continually praise God and are caretakers of His throne.

· Cherubim are guardians of what is holy. When Adam and Eve sinned, God stationed Cherubim at the entrance to the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

· Archangels are the first in rank and considered to be very powerful spiritual beings. The Greek prefix, ‘arch,’ (arc) means ruling or chief. An archangel is at the highest level in the celestial hierarchy. Michael and Gabriel are arch angles as seen in (I Thessalonians 4:16 and Jude 1:9).

Angels are the lowest order of all angels. God created angels to be His messengers and protectors of humans. Some angels come to earth in human form, but once their mission is completed, they leave. That was my experience. Therefore, Hebrews 13:2 tells us not to forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

A popular belief is that people can pray to and summon angels, specifically, they believe they have a personal guardian angel that they can summon at will. As I shared in today’s podcast, I had called out to God for help, and He sent an angel. I did not call upon an angel.

Jesus said He is our only mediator. For there is one God and one mediator between God and men and that is Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all (I Timothy 2:5) Hebrews 1:14 clearly states, "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?"

It is very important to give clarity to the word sent, which means to dispatch or send off to a destination. Only God can dispatch angels to aide us. He alone gives His angels orders to protect us in all our ways (Psalm 91:11). That is why we are to call out to God for help.

All of God’s angels possess great strength to perform His Word and are obedient to His command. It is by God’s Word, (His command) that He dispatches angels to accomplish His will on earth. They respond, not of their own volition and not by our directive, but upon God’s directives (Psalm 103:20).

Another fallacy is that we can worship angels. However, we are told in Matthew 4:10 to “worship the Lord your God and serve Him only.” We see in Revelation 22:9 that God used an angel to reveal future events to the Apostle John. His first reaction was to fall to his knees and worship the angel. The angel immediately rebuked John: “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets. … Worship God!'”

As stated in Hebrews 1:14, angels cannot send themselves nor can they be summoned by humans. They are always sent under God’s orders to accomplish the following:

Angels protect people. In Exodus 23:20, the Lord reassured His chosen people, “I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to a place I have prepared for you. We learn in Psalm 91:11 that God alone commands and directs His angels to guard us in all our ways. We have no authority to command an angel. We must always call upon God.

Angels rescue people. We read in Daniel 6:22 that angels shut the mouths of lions when Daniel was thrown into a den of lions. Acts 12: 6-8 records the night before Peter was to be executed. He was sleeping, double-chained between two soldiers with other soldiers standing guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, a light shown in the cell and an angel of the Lord slapped Peter on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” The chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him to get dressed, put on his shoes, and coat and follow him. So, Peter left the cell, following the angel.

Angels deliver messages under God’s direction. The angel, Gabriel, was sent to give a message to Mary who would become the mother of Jesus (Luke 1:30-31).

Angels give direction under God’s authority: An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip saying, “Get up and go south to the road (A desert road) that descends from Jerusalem to Gaza” (Acts 8:26)

Angels deliver judgment: Because of the people’s perversions and sexual sins, God sent two angels to Sodom to rescue Lot and his sons and wives before they destroyed the city and all its inhabitants (Genesis 1:19-23 Throughout the Book of Revelation, God gives angels charge to execute His judgment.

Another myth is that departed loved ones become angels and watch over their family members. However, nowhere in Scripture does it say we become angels nor is Jesus described in the likeness of an angel. Therefore, we can rejoice in knowing that we are not only changed in form, appearance, and character into God’s image, we will judge the angels in heaven. (I Corinthians 6:3). If we became angels, it would be impossible to judge the angels. Clearly, we shall be like Jesus, who is not an angel but is God incarnate (I John 3:3).

We read in 2 Corinthians 5:6-9 that upon death, our soul and spirit are immediately carried to the Lord in heaven if we have repented of our sins and accepted Jesus Christ as Savior. Our body then awaits the resurrection at which time, our body is glorified, never to grow old, sick, or die again and is joined with our immortal spirit. We do not become disembodied spirits floating about after death, nor do we become angels (I Thessalonians 4:13-17; I Cor 15:51-54).

After the judgment spoken of in Revelation 20:11-15, the glorified bodies of the redeemed (the saved) will dwell on the new earth, in the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:1-4). The final state of the unredeemed (the unsaved) will physically dwell in outer darkness in the lake of fire where there is endless torment (Matthew 22:13; Mark 9:47-48; Revelation 20:15; John 5:29).

That takes us to a question many people ask. Why did God create hell? We read in Matthew 25:41 that God prepared hell for Satan and the fallen angels. Hell was never intended for humans. However, like the angels and Satan who chose to rebel and reject God and His authority, people who reject God and His Son and live for themselves and worldly pleasures will join Satan and his demons in hell.

Shockingly, 42 percent of Americans either do not believe or they question the reality of hell. If you are one who doesn’t believe or who doubts the existence of hell, I invite you to read 23 Minutes in Hell by Bill Wiese. You can also go to YouTube and search for 23 Minutes in Hell to hear Wiese’s compelling and terrifying experience that God allowed him to go through, so that he could tell of the horrors of hell to those who do question the existence of hell. It is not God’s will that any should perish, but that everyone would come to repentance; however, He has given us free will to choose (2 Peter 3:9).

Roughly seven-in-ten Americans believe heaven is a place “where people who have led “good” lives are eternally rewarded.” That fallacy is exposed in Ephesians 2:89, which states we are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus and not by our own efforts or works.

We read about the two thieves who hung to the left and to the right of Jesus. Only one acknowledged he was a sinner and asked Jesus to remember him in His kingdom. Jesus responded, “Today, you will be with me in Paradise” (Luke 23:39-43).

Our goodness has nothing to do with salvation as shown in the following narration between Jesus and a man who ran to Him and kneeling before Jesus, asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus answered him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone” (Mark 10:17-18). Since this man clearly did not know that Jesus was God incarnate, Jesus wanted him to know that no man is good—only God is good.

If you are one who has believed or believes the mistruths about angels, heaven, and hell, then I hope that this information has given some clarity. Those who have worshipped angels or prayed to angels must repent and ask God for forgiveness, for God’s Word tells us there is only one God and one Mediator between God and humanity. That Mediator is Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all (I Timothy 2:5).

Jesus is not an angel; He is God incarnate. The Old and New Testaments refer to “angels of the Lord,” “an angelof the Lord,” and “The Angel of the Lord.”

“Angels of the Lord” and “an angel of the Lord” are sent by God under His orders. The Angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and exercises the responsibilities of God (Genesis 16:7-12).

One example of The Angel of the Lord was when He found Hagar in the wilderness when she was fleeing from her mistress Sarai. The Angel of the Lord told her to return to her mistress and submit to her. Then He said, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.” Only God, who is creator of all things, has ability to create and multiply. Angels have no ability to create.

In several of these appearances, those who saw The Angel of the Lord feared for their lives because they said they had “seen the Lord.” Clearly, The Angel of the Lord was the preincarnate God in the physical form of a man. Those appearances ended when God came to earth in the form of Jesus Christ.

If you have never verbally confessed Jesus Christ as Lord of your life, Romans 10:9 gives us assurance that if we confess with our mouth that “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. If you are not sure about your standing with Jesus, then I invite you to say this simple prayer.

PRAYER: Father God, Romans 3:23 says that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died for my sins; He rose from the grave and sits at Your right hand. I confess that I am a sinner in need of the Savior, Jesus Christ. I acknowledge Jesus as Lord over-all. Today, I surrender my heart, my life, and my will to You, in the mighty name of Jesus. Amen.

NOTE: To hear my encounter with an angel, click on the following link: https://subsplash.com/preachingchristchurch/lb/mi/+7m32m3x