The Bible has a lot to say about angels, but many people’s view of them comes from renaissance art or, worse, from television shows and movies.
Join us Wednesday at 6:00 pm as Pastor McShaffrey establishes a biblical view of the angels. Lecture outlines are below:
Introduction
1. Angels were created by God to worship and serve him (Colossians 1:16, Psalm 103:20-21, Revelation 5:11-14).
2. It appears that the Angels existed before God created the physical universe (Job 38:4-7).
3. Since the creation, much of the Angels’ work has centered around man’s salvation (Hebrews 1:13-14, 1 Peter 1:10-12).
4. Angels are non-corporeal spirit beings, but sometimes appear as human males (Genesis 18:1-3, 19:1-3).
5. At other times, Angels reveal something of the true glory of their being (Isaiah 6:1-2, Matthew 28:1-4).
Classification
1. Archangel – An angel of the highest rank. Michael may be the only one (Jude 9, Daniel 10:12-13, 12:1, Rev. 12:7-8).
2. Cherubim – Angels of indescribable power and beauty (Genesis 3:22-24, Exodus 25:17-22). Some think the “living creatures” are the same (Ezekiel 1, 10).
3. Seraphim – The “burning ones” who surround the throne of God and proclaim his holiness (Isaiah 6:1-3).
4. Governmental – Angels with earthly jurisdictions of governmental authority (Ephesians 6:12, Daniel 10:21).
5. Ecclesiastical – Angels appointed to oversee the churches (Revelation 2-3, 1 Corinthians 11:10).
Guardians
1. One of the chief duties of angels is protecting God’s people from harm (Psalm 34:7, 91:9-12).
Many have concluded that every person has a “guardian” angel (e.g., Jews, Muslims, Greeks, some Church Fathers).
2. Jesus’ warning in Matthew 18:10 seems to confirm individual “guardian” angels. Another apparent confirmation is Acts 12:12-17.
3. However, scripture says that one single angel can protect over a million people (Exodus 14:10,19).
4. Likewise, scripture also says that an entire army of angels can be assigned to protect one man (2 Kings 6:15-19).
5. Calvin’s conclusion: If any one does not think it enough to know that all the orders of the heavenly host are perpetually watching for his safety, I do not see what he could gain by knowing that he has one angel as a special guardian.
Destroyers
1. An often-overlooked ministry of the Angels is the execution of judgment upon sinners and Satan.
2. Side note: The death of the firstborn is attributed to the LORD, but Jewish tradition makes “the destroyer” a class of Angels (Exodus 12:23).
3. As an answer to Hezekiah’s prayer for deliverance, 185,000 Assyrian soldiers were killed by an Angel in a single night (2 Kings 19:29-37).
4. After opposing the gospel and receiving glory to himself, King Herod Agrippa was executed by an Angel (Acts 12:18-25).
5. Because of its decadence and violence, the fall of Babylon (i.e., Rome, or the wicked world system it represented) was effected by an Angel (Revelation 18:1-2, 21).
6. In the millennium, Satan’s power to deceive the nations is bound by an Angel (Revelation 20:1-3).