The Creation of Angels
What We Believe, and Why We Believe It! • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 5 viewsNotes
Transcript
Angels have a special place in Scripture. They are seen as guardians, as soldiers, as ministers, as worshipers, and as messengers. Angels have also given rise to much controversy in Scripture as well, and so the primary purpose of our study is to objectively look at what the Bible has to say about angels. Let us therefore begin our study by looking at the following truths concerning the creation of angels:
They Means by which they came into existence
The Manner in which they came into existence
The Time of their creation
The Amount of angels that were created
Let’s begin!
The Means by Which They Came into Existence
Let’s begin!
The Means by Which They Came into Existence
Let it be known that angels are created beings, created by the LORD
6 Thou, even thou, art Lord alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshippeth thee.
2 Praise ye him, all his angels: Praise ye him, all his hosts.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: For he commanded, and they were created.
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Angels came into being through the agency of Christ and He is the One who sustains them Read again Col. 1:15-17
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Notice that phrase in verse 15, “the firstborn of every creature”
The JW’s teach this verse as a proof text that Jesus, not only had a beginning (denying his eternailty and deity), but that He was also part of the angelic host.
However the phrase “first born of every creature” does not refer to His origin, but to His PRIORITY or position! Psalm 89:27
27 Also I will make him my firstborn, Higher than the kings of the earth.
So the angels came into existence by a direct act of creation of God, let us examine next...
The Manner in Which They Came into Existence
The Manner in Which They Came into Existence
It is important that we understand the following about angels:
They do not possess the power of propagation, this is a prerogative given to mankind in marriage. Matthew 22:28-30
28 Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? for they all had her.
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.
30 For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.
It is also important we understand that angels were not formerly men - we do not become angels when we die, because God created all the angelic host at the same time, all of them. That leads us to our next point of discussion...
The Time of Their Creation
The Time of Their Creation
An important question which everyone wants an answer: When were angels created?
The Bible does not give us a specific time for their creation, which has led some to hold different views concerning their creation.
31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
Some take the phrase “every thing” in this verse to inidcate that God created them AFTER the sixth day of Creation
Some claim it was on day four with the creation of the sun, moon, and stars
16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
They indicate the word “stars” is a veiled reference to the angelic host
However, other Scriptures teach that angels were witness to the creation
4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding.
5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof;
7 When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
2 Praise ye him, all his angels: Praise ye him, all his hosts.
3 Praise ye him, sun and moon: Praise him, all ye stars of light.
4 Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, And ye waters that be above the heavens.
5 Let them praise the name of the Lord: For he commanded, and they were created.
6 He hath also stablished them for ever and ever: He hath made a decree which shall not pass.
7 Praise the Lord from the earth, Ye dragons, and all deeps:
8 Fire, and hail; snow, and vapour; Stormy wind fulfilling his word:
9 Mountains, and all hills; Fruitful trees, and all cedars:
10 Beasts, and all cattle; Creeping things, and flying fowl:
11 Kings of the earth, and all people; Princes, and all judges of the earth:
12 Both young men, and maidens; Old men, and children:
We must side with the overwhelming evidence of Scripture that the angelic body was created prior to the creation of the world, or else they could not have borne witness to it.
Lastly we move on toward one of the most controversial questions regarding angles...
The Amount of angels that were created
The Amount of angels that were created
If you want a number from me, you will be greatly disappointed, because I will not give you something the Bible does not record. While the Bible is not specific regarding the number of angels, it does indicate the angels are innumerable!
2 And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, And rose up from Seir unto them; He shined forth from mount Paran, And he came with ten thousands of saints: From his right hand went a fiery law for them.
19 And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.
17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: The Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.
10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
53 Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
11 And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
The Bible compares their number to the stars
2 And they shall spread them before the sun, and the moon, and all the host of heaven, whom they have loved, and whom they have served, and after whom they have walked, and whom they have sought, and whom they have worshipped: they shall not be gathered, nor be buried; they shall be for dung upon the face of the earth.
19 And lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them, and serve them, which the Lord thy God hath divided unto all nations under the whole heaven.
4 And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, And the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: And all their host shall fall down, As the leaf falleth off from the vine, And as a falling fig from the fig tree.
Why has the number of angels bothered us for so long? Becasue it is something we do not know. Their number is fixed, and since God knows the number of the stars, it is certain He knows the number of angels, both good and evil. Becasue God knows this and we do not, on some level it bothers us!
That is called pride! See it was knowledge that God possessed, and man did not, that drove man to sin in the first place. What would it benefit you to know the number of the angels? How would your life on earth be better? What about life in eternity?
Some things are best left unknown to you and me. Suffice it to say why they are innumerable to us, God knows EXACTLY how many angels He created!
Take Away
Take Away
From tonight’s opening lesson on angles I think it best if we walk away from our study understanding that we are not meant to understand every minute detail. The fact that there is so much unknown about angels is simply proof that God wants our unquestioning faith. Remember, the desire for knowledge you are not supposed to have is rooted in pride. For this reason we are going to stick as close to the Bible as we possibly can on the subject of angels.