The Unseen World Part 1

Angels: Who They Are, What They Do

A. God created Angels

Angels haven’t always existed. According to Scripture, they’re part of the universe God created.

In a passage that refers to angels (the “host” or “armies” of heaven), we read,

Nehemiah 9:6 NASB95

“You alone are the Lord. You have made the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them And the heavenly host bows down before You.

In the New Testament, Paul tells us that God created all things “visible and invisible,” and specifically includes the angelic world with the phrase

“whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities

Colossians 1:16 NASB95

For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

We don’t know when Angels were created

Genesis 2:1 NASB95

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.

Day 1?

Job 38:6–7 NASB95

“On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

B. Angels are Witnesses

Angels=Messenger

Humans do not become Angels

Make Announcements

Gabriel -Conception of Jesus

Luke 1:26–38 NASB95

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus. “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” The angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God. “And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. “For nothing will be impossible with God.” And Mary said, “Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Birth of Jesus

Luke 2:8–10 NASB95

In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;

Ressurection

Matthew 28:2 NASB95

And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.

C. Angels are Worshippers

Psalm 148:2–5 NASB95

Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.

Angels directly glorify God

Humans aren’t the only intelligent, moral creatures who glorify God. The Psalmist declares:.

Psalm 103:20 NASB95

Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!

Psalm 148:2 NASB95

Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts!

Holy Holy Holy

Revelation 4:8 NASB95

And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come.”

Not to be Worshiped

Revelation 22:8–9 NASB95

I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. But he said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.”

D. Angels are Warriors

Michael fighting with satan over Moses body

Jude 9 NASB95

But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Michael fighting with the Prince of Persia to bring an answer of prayer to Daniel

Daniel 10:12–14 NASB95

Then he said to me, “Do not be afraid, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart on understanding this and on humbling yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to your words. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia was withstanding me for twenty-one days; then behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left there with the kings of Persia. “Now I have come to give you an understanding of what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision pertains to the days yet future.”

Angels are Powerful

Psalm 103:20 NASB95

Bless the Lord, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word!

Revelation 20:1–3 NASB95

Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he would not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were completed; after these things he must be released for a short time.

Angels are not Omnipresent

If angels were omnipresent, Michael wouldn’t have “came to help” because he would’ve already been there, and this angel wouldn’t need to leave Michael to bring this message

Deliverance Angels restrained the posessed

E. Angels are Protectors

Psalm 91:11–12 NASB95

For He will give His angels charge concerning you, To guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, That you do not strike your foot against a stone.

Gaurdian Angels?

Matthew 18:10 NASB95

“See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

F. There are three types of angels in the Bible

Scripture names three categories of heavenly beings that appear to be types of angels: cherubim, seraphim, and “living creatures.”

Cherubim

Genesis 3:24 NASB95

So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Seraphim

Isaiah 6:2–3 NASB95

Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.”

Living Creatures

Ezekiel 1:5–6 NASB95

Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings.

G. Angels have a hierarchy

Angels in the Bible appear to have a rank and order.

The angel hierarchy is supported by Jude 9, when the angel Michael is called an “archangel”—a title that indicates rule or authority over other angels.

He’s also called “one of the chief princes” in Daniel 10:13, and appears to lead God’s angelic army in Revelation 12

Revelation 12:7–8 NASB95

And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven.

Paul also tells us that the Lord will return from heaven “with the archangel’s call” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).

Scripture doesn’t tell us if this refers to Michael, or if there are other archangels as well.

H. We don’t know how many angels exist

Revelation 5:11 NASB95

Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,

myriad=countless

I. Angels can appear to look just like humans

Hebrews 13:2 NASB95

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.

Acts 12:11–16 NASB95

When Peter came to himself, he said, “Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth His angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.” And when he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John who was also called Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying. When he knocked at the door of the gate, a servant-girl named Rhoda came to answer. When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her joy she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter was standing in front of the gate. They said to her, “You are out of your mind!” But she kept insisting that it was so. They kept saying, “It is his angel.” But Peter continued knocking; and when they had opened the door, they saw him and were amazed.