The Doctrine of Angels

Angels - Messengers of God

Angels are created beings.

Nehemiah 9:6 ““You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.”

Genesis 2:1 “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.”

Angels are spirit beings.

They do not ordinarily have physical bodies.

They cannot usually be seen.

Genesis 19:1-2 “The two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed himself with his face to the earth and said, “My lords, please turn aside to your servant’s house and spend the night and wash your feet. Then you may rise up early and go on your way.” They said, “No; we will spend the night in the town square.””

2 Kings 6:15-17 “When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” He said, “Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then Elisha prayed and said, “O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.” So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

Angels have a ministry of guarding and protecting us.

Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.”

Psalm 91:11 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

Angels have a rank and order.

Jude 9 “But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.””

Angels are not omnipresent.

Luke 1:26 “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,”

Angels have a special ministry to children.

Matthew 18:10 ““See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.”

Angels have great power.

Psalm 103:20 “Bless the Lord, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word!”

Angels are great in number.

Hebrews 12:22 “But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering,”

Angels currently hold a higher position than mankind.

Hebrews 2:7 “You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor,”

We will be raised to a position higher than that of angels and will even judge them.

1 Corinthians 6:3 “Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!”

Angels do not proclaim the Gospel, people do.

1 Peter 1:10-13 “Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Questions About Angels:

Do people become angels when they die?

No

Does each person have a guardian angel?

The Bible does not say how angels fulfil their guarding and protective roles, it just teaches that they do.

Man-on-man coverage or zone coverage?

Should we pray to angels?

No. We pray to God.

Should we seek out angels?

No. We seek out God.

We should, however, practice hospitality.

Hebrews 13:2 “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Should we automatically listen to anything an angel tells us?

No

1 John 4:1 “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.”