Angels Among Us 5/07
Col. 1:15-17, "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities all things have been created through Him and for Him."
The Occasion For The Writing Of The Letter To The Colossians - ALTHO PAUL WAS A ROMAN PRISONER, HIS PRISON WAS A RENTED HOUSE. HE WAS ALLOWED TO ENTERTAIN MANY VISITORS AND TO TEACH AND PREACH. PAUL HAD LEARNED THAT THE CHURCH AT COLOSSE WAS THREATENED BY FALSE TEACHING, IT SEEMED TO BE A MIX OF PART JEWISH AND PART PAGAN. THE JEWISH ELEMENT SAId THEY HAD TO OBSERVE CERTAIN DAYS, DENY THEMSELVES CERTAIN FOODS AND FOLLOW CERTAIN RITUALS. THE PAGAN ELEMENT EMPHASIZED SELF DENIAL, THE WORSHIP OF ANGELS AND A MYSTICAL WISDOM. To deal with the new false teaching, Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians. Paul never explicitly describes the false teaching he opposes in the Colossian letter . The system was a combination of Judaism and paganism, but it wore the mask of Christianity. It did not deny Christ, but it did dethrone Him; it gave Christ a place, but not the supreme place.Worship of Angels was one of the false doctrines being taught at Colossae (Col 2:18) .
Did you know that angels are mentioned either directly or indirectly nearly 300 times in the Old and New Testaments? The hosts of Heaven stand at attention ready to do God’s will at any moment of any hour of any day. In Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible.” Angels are indeed among the invisible things made by God, for “all things were created by Him, and for Him.”
Hebrews 1:14 calls angels “ministering spirits.” They do not possess physical bodies, although they may take on the form of physical bodies when God appoints them to special tasks.
Illus( Sermon Central) The Missionary and his Heavenly Helpers
The Reverend John G. Paton felt drawn towards missionary work. He had completed his education and training, and finally he and his wife, Jenny, moved to their new mission assignment in the New Hebrides Islands, where they would reside for the next year in a thatched-roof single room hut.
Both Reverend Paton and his wife were concerned about the many obstacles they knew that they would face on the islands. Disease, deadly animals and fierce natives all figured to play a factor in their lives for the next year. Nevertheless, they knew and believed that God was in charge and they were where He wanted them to be at this time of their lives. During their time in this remote mission field that God had called them to, they found many opportunities to hold Bible studies and to teach the local tribes about their faith, and about the Lord Jesus Christ. However, there was one tribe , known for their fierce fighting, which grew more hostile towards the missionaries with each passing day. For weeks they had threatened to attack the Patons and kill them, because they had interfered with ancient tribal traditions and taught their people a new and strange way of faith. Soon the hostile tribe made plans to carry out their threats. Late in the evening of June 23, 1973, the Patons sat in their tiny thatched home, and listened to the sound of war cries outside their hut growing louder and louder. “They’re coming for us, John,” a terrified Jenny whispered to her husband. John nodded and said “Pray Jenny, talk to God, keep praying!” Then John began to pray aloud. “Heavenly Father” he began, “You have commanded us to come to You in time of need, and to ask for your intervention. We come before You now and ask You to protect us as You have so many times in the past. Please deliver us from the danger we are in. In Your name we pray, amen.”For nearly an hour the sounds continued outside their bungalow. By the end of an hour the Patons could see dancing lights surrounding their home. “Fire!” John whispered, holding Jenny tightly. “Keep praying Jenny! I think they are going to try and burn us out.” Another fifteen minutes passed while John and Jenny continued to pray for protection. Then suddenly, the screaming began to lessen and grow more and more distant. The tribesmen were moving farther and farther away from the Patons hut. Finally the sounds completely disappeared. Three months passed by and the Patons had no explanation for why the tribesmen had chosen not to kill them that terrifying night. Then, in a very strange turn of events, the chief of that tribe contacted the Patons and began asking them questions about their mission work and about Jesus Christ. Shortly thereafter, the Chief accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Lord and Savior and received salvation. Then John decided to ask the Chief that burning question within his mind. “Why didn’t you kill us that night?” he asked, staring into the Chief’s eyes. “We tried” said the Chief, “but your guards wouldn’t let us past.” “What guards?” asked the missionary. The chief waved his arms dramatically. “Hundreds of guards, big men in shiny clothes with swords drawn and with torches. They circled your hut. We had no choice so we left.”
A. WHAT ARE ANGELS?
1.Created Spiritual Beings.
-Angels have not always existed, God created them. (Neh 9:6)
-They were created to bear the message of God, protect the people of God, implementing the judgement of God, and offering worship to God.
-They are spirits which are sometimes given temporary physical bodies to do specific jobs. (Heb 1:14, 13:2
Because of the invisible war going on in the air around us between God’s Holy Angels and those who fell w/ Lucifer, the angels of heaven are organized into an intricate system of rank, position and authority.
Let me first show you that as it concerns Satan’s angels. His demons are organized in much the same way: Ephes. 6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Here we see 4 designated positions of authority. These are 4 classes of demons. Every commentator I read after agrees that these are ranks…different levels of authority in the demonic world.
J. Vernon McGee is a great commentator. I love what he says and HOW he says it too! He has an interesting take on these verses… tho’ this may be just speculation… it’s good food for thought: Principalities—he believes this would correspond to a general in the military. This would be a very high ranking demon. This demon would have oversight of an entire nation.
Powers— He believes these demons have the oversight of powerful individuals. This could be a demon possessed world leader, or other leader in great power. I don’t believe a Christian can be possessed, but only oppressed. I am inhabited by the Holy Spirit and I don’t believe an unholy spirit can also inhabit me.
Rulers of darkness—He believes these to have oversight in worldly business and industry. For example: Hollywood corrupt? There’s a dark force behind that. How about the music industry? Same thing.
Spiritual wickedness in high places—He points out that the phrase ‘high places’ is throughout our OTs. Idol worshippers had their high places where they worshipped Baal and other false gods. McGee thinks these would be demons w/ oversight in areas of religion in the world. Let’s face it, religion is not a good thing. More people will be sent to hell by religion than by Hollywood or the music industry! More wars are fought in the name of religion than because somebody saw violence in a movie!
So, we have these 4 classifications of demons. But this flow chart didn’t start w/ Satan. He is not the originator, just an imitator. The reason Satan organized his army the way he did is because that’s how God did it w/ His army.
Here we have 4 levels mentioned among God’s Heavenly Angels. Satan only imitates it to try to match up ‘man to man’.
What do we know about God’s Heavenly Warriors and their flow chart or hierarchy?
We know about:
Michael—the archangel. Only Michael is referred to in Scripture as an "archangel" - Jude 9, "But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!’’ The prefix ‘arch’ means chief or principle. He is superior to all the other angels. There are no [plural] archangels …only 1… his name is Michael. He is identified w/ the people of God and he is there for our defense and protection. Daniel 12:1 And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince [principality] which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was…
There is a prophecy of what happens in Rev. 12 when Michael battles Satan and his demons. Rev. 12:7-9 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, [8] And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. [9] And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
It will be Michael who will accompany Jesus at the rapture, and will announce the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ, and will wake up the bodies of the dead in Christ. 1 Thes. 4:16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
Gabriel—God’s messenger of mercy and promise. In the Heb. his name means ‘hero’, ‘the mighty one’, or ‘God is great.’ He is often called the Lord’s messenger. He appears only 4 times in the Bible, and each time he’s delivering a message, unfolding the plans and purposes of God. In Dan. 8 and 9 he reveals to Daniel the chronology of the end times…the panorama of human history and the progression of earthly kingdoms. Twice in Daniel he appears for these purposes.
Then twice in the NT: First, he announces a birth…John the Baptist. Then he announces the birth of Christ.Luke 1:19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
He just stands in God’s presence, just waiting to be dispatched. He’s at God’s beck and call. That speaks to my heart, because that’s how we ought to be… just standing in His presence, waiting for His Word to be spoken to us.
The Seraphim—these are angels of indescribably beauty, and they hover over the throne of God… their ministry is to constantly praise and glorify God. These six-winged angelic beings are found above the throne of God - Isaiah 6:1-6 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. [2] Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. [3] And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. [4] And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. [5] Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. [6] Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
The Cherubim—have to do with the greatness of God, and they guard His presence. They seem to be four in number and are found at the foot of God’s throne. They have wings and hands – 2 Kings 19:15 "Hezekiah prayed before the LORD and said, ""O LORD, the God of Israel, who are enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth."
Ezekiel 10:8-9, "The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings. Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the gleam of a Tarshish stone."
In the OT temple there were golden statues of cherubim upon the mercy seat which was the lid for the ark of the covenant. They were guarding the Holy of holies, the presence of God, from anyone who did not have access to come in. They are agents of God’s judgment, guarding His presence. God placed cherubim w/ flaming swords at the entrance to the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were expelled. They protect God’s glory and His presence. angels have structured activity and clearly defined positions. They carry on God’s business on earth and in Heaven.They aren’t floating on clouds playing harps.
In Luke1 we read the story of the angel Gabriel who appeared to Zacharias, father of John the Baptist, advising him that his wife, Elizabeth, would bare him a son and that he would be the forerunner of the coming Messiah.
Gabriel would appear again in Luke 1 with his most important appearance. He appears to the Virgin Mary with an important message for not only her, but for all mankind.
In Matthew 1 an angel appeared to Joseph telling and assuring him that Mary was with child through God, and not through another man.
In Luke 2 God sent His heavenly messengers to deliver the news to the shepherds in the fields of nearby Bethlehem that the Messiah, who had been prophesied in the Old Testament, had been born. “For behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
And after the death of Jesus on the cross of Calvary, as His body lay in the tomb, it was an angel of God that rolled away the huge stone guarding the entrance to the tomb, setting in place the events surrounding the resurrection of our risen Savior.
In Acts 12 we find the Apostle Peter, laying bound in shackles, in prison,awaiting execution.
As Peter lay sleeping, an angel appeared, not barred by such things as doors and iron bars. The angel appeared unto Peter in the prison cell, shook him awake, and told him to prepare to escape.
As a light shone through the darkness of the prison, Peter’s chains fell off, and he followed the angel out of the prison and into safety. Doors had supernaturally been opened! What a mighty deliverance God achieved through His angel.
So many times when we read God’s Word we find that He sent His angels to minister to the needs of His servants, and He will send His angels to meet your needs as well.
Have you ever gone through a dark period where you have prayed and prayed and yet it seemed that no help had come? You felt as though God had disappeared and you were all alone to face your trials and burdens? God has a very special message for you today – He will never leave you nor forsake you - you are never alone! Yes, there are times when God withdraws to test our faith. He wants us to trust Him in the darkness, as well as in the light. Whether or not we sense and feel the presence of the Holy Spirit or one of the holy angels, by faith we are certain that God will never leave us nor forsake us.
Angels as Avengers
Angels enjoy far greater power then men and they are used by God to do more things than minister to our needs. They are there to execute God’s will, and sometimes they must also be “avengers” who use their great power to carry out God’s judgments. God has empowered His angels to separate the sheep from the goats, the wheat from the chaff, and one of them will one day blow the trumpet that announces impending judgment when God summons all nations to stand before Him in the last great judgment.
The Bible tells us that it took only one angel to slay the first born of Egypt in Moses’day, and one to shut the lion’s mouths for Daniel.
In 2 Kings 19 God used His angels to execute His judgment. King Hezekiah had received a letter from the commander of the Assyrian forces, and he immediately had sought God’s counsel. God gave Isaiah the answer to give King Hezekia. God told Isaiah to tell the King that not one Assyrian arrow would be fired into the city. He promised to defend Jeruselem on that occasion for the sake of David. Dramatically that night, just one of God’s mighty army of angels, struck the forces of the Assyrians that were camped on the outskirts of Jerusalem. The next morning 185,000 soldiers lay dead on the field of battle.
And greater still, the Bible also both prophecies and promises to us that one angel will come from Heaven one day. He will have a great chain in his hand. He will lay hold of Satan and bind him with that chain, and then cast him into that pit called hell. So I ask you, how great is the power of just one of God’s mighty angels?
God has created millions of angels and I personally believe that every Christian has their own personal guardian angel. They guard and protect: Psalm 91:9-12, "For you have made the LORD, my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, Nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone."
According to Deuteronomy 33:2, ten thousand angels came down on Mt. Sinai when God gave the law to Moses. Revelation 5:11 tells us that armies of angels will appear with Jesus at the Battle of Armageddon when the forces of Satan gather for their final defeat. How can a person not believe in angels?
Another beautiful duty that God has assigned to angels will affect each and every one of us that is a Christian. We will all face death one day.. But how wonderful it is to know that at our hour of death God has commissioned His angels to escort each believer to Heaven and to give us a royal welcome as we enter the eternal presence of God. Luke 16:20-22, "And a poor man named Lazarus was laid at his gate, covered with sores, and longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores. Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom..." we have the assurance that when we are summoned by death unto life in the presence of Christ, that God will send His angels to escort us also.
They are innumerable: Revelation 5:11, "Then I looked, 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."
Hebrews 12:22, "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels," (KJV)
They are a higher order than Man: Psalm 8:3-8, "When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that Thou visitest him? For Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour."
One final characteristic of God’s angels is that they rejoice when one sinner repents - Luke 15:7, 10, "I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance....I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents .
