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Job. 38:4-7
We invite you to join us for worship each Sunday morning at 9:30. You can download our service on iTunes or tune in for “The Good Word” each day on AM 1230 WSAL or on Hoosier Country 103.7 FM just after 8am. A few weeks ago I made some remarks concerning angels that sparked some questions about these amazing creatures. Angels play a significant part in the Incarnation and Resurrection of Christ. They also play a very significant role in God’s ministry to people, and many of those accounts are recorded throughout Scripture. This is an appropriate time to study a little about angels so for the next couple weeks I want to share with you some Biblical truths about angels. Let’s begin with some:
- CHARACTERISTICS OF ANGELS. Angels are created. Read Neh. 9:6. Even though God does not give us volumes of information concerning the exact time and day He created the Angels, He does give us enough information to know there was a time He called them into being. B. Angels exercise moral judgment. Read 2 Peter 2:4. The Angels that are in heaven have never had a sinful thought, nor will they, because they are all morally pure, and will always choose to serve and worship God! C. Angels are Spirits. Read Heb. 1:13, 14. Because they are spirit beings without physical bodies, we cannot see them. However Scripture provides several instances when Angels took on bodily form to appear to people as God commanded them. The Angels that announced Christ’s birth, and the Angel that was at the open tomb are examples. Let’s consider:
- CLASSES OF ANGELS Scripture indicates there are at least 3 distinct classes, orders, or ranks of angels. There are: A. Cherubim – There is 1 cherub, and multitudes of cherubim. Read 3:24; Ps. 18:10; Ezek. 10:1-22. Though cherubim are never described in Scripture, one can learn from the tasks assigned to them that they are big and powerful beyond our imagination. Gen. 3 teaches us that it is the cherubim that God assigned to guard the entrance to Eden and the tree of life. The entrance into Eden, the tree of life, and the mercy seat are enormously important and significant items in the history of the redemption of the human race. God is not going to use weak little beings to guard such important places. There are also: B. Seraphim. Just FYI there is one seraph, but innumerable seraphim. Isaiah 6:2-7 is all God reveals about the seraphim. However, I think these are regal and glorious creatures beyond our imagination because they are given the high and holy privilege of filling the throne room of heaven with eternal praise to God. Then there are: C. THE LIVING CREATURES. One writer says of the living creatures, “with their appearance like a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, they are the mightiest representatives of various parts of God’s entire creation (wild beasts, domesticated animals, human beings, and birds.” Rev. 4 tells us they never cease to say, “holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!” Finally there are: D. ARCHANGELS. Two Archangels are mentioned in Scripture. One is Gabriel who is mentioned in Dan. 8:16 and 9:21. The other archangel is Michael. Jude 9; Dan. 10:13; and Rev. 12:7-8 all ascribe to Michael a position of enormous power and authority over other Angels. Many believe Michael is the Archangel who issues the call that will announce the Lord’s return from heaven.
- BIBLICAL TRUTHS ABOUT ANGELS. The 1st is that Angels are innumerable. Read Deut. 33:2; Ps. 68:17; Heb. 12:22, and Rev. 5:11. From a human perspective we can’t begin to imagine how many angels that must be! 2nd Angels have great power. Read Ps. 103:20; Rev. 12; 20:1-3. Notice this is done by “an” Angel. When you read passages like this throughout Scripture you begin to understand why the first two words most often spoken by Angels to people are “fear not!” 3rd truth which is: The Angel of The Lord. Many believe that it is Christ before He came to earth as the Messiah. Read Gen. 16; 22; 31; and Zech. 1:1-17. This is only a very brief introduction to the study of Angels. Angels are very real, they’re very powerful, they’re very big – and we ought to praise God for the fact that they are involved with Him in ministry to us.
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