Angels 101

1 Corinthians, Angels  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  33:07
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As I mentioned briefly in last week’s sermon, it will be necessary for me to preach a number of topical sermons in order that we might better understand some of Paul’s points in up coming sermons. There are two passages in upcoming sermons where angels play a foundational role in the proper understanding of the text. The first is found in chapter 8:
1 Corinthians 8:4–6 ESV
Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.
The second is found in chapter 11:
1 Corinthians 11:10 ESV
That is why a wife ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
The topic of angels could make a sermon series in and of itself, but for our purposes I only need to devote three sermons to this topic. Today I am going to give a brief overview of the nature of angels. Next week I am going to give an overview of tasks God assigns to angels and finally, I am going to preach a message of the fallen angels, who are the “so-called gods” that lay behind idolatry.
There are three critical things we must understand about angels:
Angels are Created Beings
Angels are Spiritual Beings
Angels are Hierarchical Beings
So let us begin:

Angels are Created Beings

This may seem to be a minor point, but it is actually the most important thing to keep in mind, because if we forget this it is very easy to fall into idolatry. In the first text I read from today, Paul says something that can appear to be contradictory.
In verse four, Paul says that the Idolatrous gods whom the pagans worship have “no real existence”, then in the next verse he says there are “many ‘gods’”. If you are familiar with the Hebrew Old Testament, you would know that there is no contradiction at all. The Hebrew word “elohim” refers to any powerful spiritual being. It most often refers to God Himself, but it can also be used to refer to the false pagan gods (Judg 11:24; 1 Kgs 11:33) and the fallen to angels (Ps 82:1, 6) who are behind those “gods”.
Angels are so much more powerful and glorious than we are, that if you saw them in their glory you would be tempted to worship them (Rev 19:10). As we shall see in two weeks, the fallen angels take full advantage of this in order to deceive us and cause us to fall into idolatry. This is why it is so necessary for us to remind ourselves that despite the fact they are so impressive, they are but mere creatures like you and I.
Think of it this way, you are much more powerful and glorious than a ant, to a ant you may appear like a “god”, but you are still just a creature like them. You really are not a “god”.
On a practical level, this means that angels cannot do the things God can. For example, although they can appear and disappear instantly, but they cannot be in more than one place at a time. They are more intelligent and knowledgeable than we are, but they do not know everything like God does. Finally, they are not able to create out of nothing like God can, they can only create in the same way as we create, by using pre-created materials. Consequently, the “miracles” fallen angels are able to do are in reality counterfeit miracles. I will speak more on this in two weeks.
The next critically important point to remember about angels is that...

Angels are Spiritual Beings

Both the Old and New Testaments make it clear that angels are spiritual beings—entities that, by nature are not embodied. I put it that way because both Testaments make it clear that angels have the ability to take on a physical form. The most well known example of this was the three angelic visitors that called first on Abraham and then on Lot in Genesis 18-19. One of these visitors was the pre-incarnate Christ and the other two were angels. They had the appearance of normal men and they were able to eat and drink food. In the book of Hebrews, we find this exhortation:
Hebrews 13:2 ESV
Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
One of the most common question people ask about angels is whether or not they have wings. The answer to this question is simple if you think about it—the answer is NO! In their normal spiritual state they have no physical attributes.
One of the more interesting things about angels is the fact that they are not limited to appearing in the form of a man. The Cherubim, the guardians of God’s throne, are described in various ways in the Bible. In the Tabernacle and Temple they are depicted as winged men. In the books of Daniel and Ezekiel, both written in Babylon, they are depicted as winged hybrid creatures, combining the attributes from animals and humans. Why is this? It is because this is the way the divine throne guardians were depicted in Babylonian culture. In other parts of the Old Testament, more influenced by Egyptian culture, they manifest themselves as winged serpents, called Seraphim. Seraphim comes from the Hebrew word “serpent”.
The point being, when an angel manifests itself physically, it can take on any form it desires. This of course opens up great opportunity for fallen angels to deceive us and I will speak more on this in two weeks.
The third critical thing we need to understand about angels is they are not all the same. They are ranked hierarchically:

Angels are Hierarchical Beings

One of the things that confuses people when they read about angels in Scripture is the false assumption that all angels are the same, but a careful reading of Scripture reveals that there are different types of angels with varying levels of power and authority. At the bottom are...

Generic Angels

“Angel” a generic name that applies to all these ranks, in both Hebrew and Greek it means “messenger”, and it is the only name given to the lowest ranked angels. By “lower”, please do not take these to mean that these beings are of little power and might. They far outclass us in every way. If you saw one of these low ranking angels in their full glory and might, you would be filled with fear and be tempted to worship them!
Next week we are going to learn that we have contact with angels everyday and these are the class of angels most of us are having contact with.
The next level up are the...

The Cherubim

As I said earlier, these are the throne guardians of God. Consequently, they far outclass the generic angels. We are told Satan is a cherubim, however, he was no ordinary cherubim. He belongs to the highest class of cherubim call “princes’ in the Old Testament or “archangels” in the New Testament.

The Princes or Archangels

In Dan 10:13, we meet the “prince of Persia”, who is opposing an angel who is tasked with delivering a message to Daniel. This angel was not able to complete his task until “Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help [him]” and then in Dan 10:20 we meet the “prince of Greece”. The princes or archangels are sometimes called the “sons of God”. The phrase “sons of God” is an honorific title of rank. Not only are archangels called “sons of God”, but kings and other powerful human rulers, the Israelites are called “sons of God” and we who are believers in Jesus Christ are called “sons of God” as well. Paul wrote the Galatians this:
Galatians 3:26 ESV
for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
Therefore, women, when you see yourself called a “son of God” in Scripture, do not take offense. This phrase has nothing to do with gender and everything to do with rank, power and authority!
Getting back to Daniel 10, the other interesting thing we learn in this passage is that each of the nations mentioned in this passage have a prince or archangel assigned to it. Michael is assigned to Israel and Persia and Greece each have an archangel as well. Many believe this is spoken of by Moses in Deuteronomy 32:
Deuteronomy 32:8–9 (ESV)
When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.
In Daniel 10, we notice that the princes of Persia and Greece oppose God. Psalm 82, seems to suggest that all the “sons of God” except Michael, rose up in rebellion against God and joined Satan.
Psalm 82:1–7 (ESV)
God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.”
Psalm 82:7 reminds brings us back to the first point, angels are created beings. Perhaps, in their prideful rebellion, they have deceived themselves into thinking they were “gods”, but God is reminding them they are but creatures. There is a day coming when they too will join wicked men in the “Lake of Fire” and experience what is known as the “second death”.
As we contemplate the coming Judgement of the rebellious angelic “sons of God”, I want to remind you of what Paul said to the Galatians:
Galatians 3:26 ESV
for in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.
I also what to remind you of what we learned several weeks ago in this series from 1 Corinthians:
1 Corinthians 6:3 (ESV)
Do you not know that we are to judge angels?
What a difference faith in Christ makes in a person’s life. Without faith in Christ a person will join Satan and the other rebellious angels in the “Lake of Fire” to suffer eternal death. However, with faith in Christ, a person will be given the honorific title “son of God” and will be given power and authority over even the highest archangel!
Our closing song this morning is Blessed Assurance. Do you have that “blessed assurance”? Are you an “heir of salvation” and are you “born of His Spirit”? Can you say, “this is my story”?
These are the most weighty questions facing humanity today and everyday. In comparison to eternity, the problems of this life are like a “dust in the wind”. The doctrine of angels points us to what really matters in life. Make sure you get your priorities right!
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