I.        INTRODUCTION

A.      The Bible has much to say about angels, so it is evident that God wants us to know about them.

                                                             1.      Angels are mentioned in nearly every book of the Bible, so it is necessary for us to understand angels in order to fully understand the Bible.

                                                             2.      Although angels are featured prominently in the Bible, revelations about them are limited.  Let us respect those limitations and not delve into myths and speculations that go beyond what is written in God’s word (1Tim. 1:3-4; 4:7; 6:20; 2Tim. 2:16; 4:3-4).

B.      Presently, let us consider what the Bible says about the angels’ identity and their ministry among us.

                                                             1.      The defining passage of Scripture for both the identity and the ministry of angels is Hebrews 1:14 – "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”

                                                             2.      Who are these spirits?  What is their ministry to those who inherit salvation?  These are questions we will seek to answer in this brief study.

II.      WHO ARE THE ANGELS?

A.      In the original languages of the Bible, the words translated as "angel” mean "messenger.”

                                                             1.      In the Old Testament, the word "angel” is translated from the Hebrew word malak, which occurs 214 times.  This word is used to describe both men and spiritual beings who were messengers.

                                                             2.      In the New Testament, the word "angel” is translated from the Greek word angelos, which occurs 176 times in the NT.  This word is used only six times to describe human messengers.

B.      Consider a few facts about angels from the Bible.

                                                             1.      Angels are spiritual beings created by God (Ps. 148:1-5; Col. 1:16; Heb. 1:14).

                                                             2.      Angels do not die (Luke 20:36).

                                                             3.      Angels do not marry (Matt. 22:30).

                                                             4.      The nature of angels is higher than that of men (Heb. 2:7).

                                                             5.      Angels are not to be worshiped (Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9).

                                                             6.      The population of angels is innumerable (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11).

                                                             7.      Angels are capable of disobedience, for which they are punished (2Pet. 2:4; Jude 6).

                                                             8.      Ranks of order exist among angels, such as the archangel Michael (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; 1Thess. 4:16; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7) and the princes (Dan. 10:13,20-21; some count Gabriel in this class – Dan 8:16; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26).

a.       The angel of the Lord (Gen. 16:10-13; 18:1-19:1; Judg. 2:1) often appears to be a separate manifestation of God Himself (possibly Christ).

b.       Some would include cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Ex. 25:17-22; 26:1,31; 1Ki. 6:23-35; 7:29,36; Ezek. 1) and seraphim (Isa. 6:1-7; Rev. 4:6-8) as angels, but these may be a different order of spiritual beings.

C.      Having seen the Bible’s descriptions of angels, let us dismiss some unscriptural concepts of angels.

                                                             1.      Angels are not the departed souls of dead men.

a.       Nothing in Scripture indicates that men become angels after death.

b.       This idea may have come from the fact that angels have appeared on earth in the form of men (Gen. 18-19; Heb. 13:2), from the figures of Revelation, or from the teachings of Christ concerning the resurrection (Matt. 22:23-32; Mark 12:18-27; Luke 20:27-38).  Jesus said that men will be like angels in the resurrection because they will not marry or die, but He did not say that men will become angels.

                                                             2.      The Bible does not describe angels as having wings or playing harps.  The only exceptions regarding wings may be in the figures used in Revelation (8:13; 14:6).

III.   WHAT IS THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS?

A.      The Bible is filled with examples of the work of angels.

                                                             1.      In the Old Testament, angels were involved in every stage of history.

a.       The limits of this lesson do not permit a full review of the work of angels in the OT times, but some of the more prominent events were the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18-19), Jacob’s wrestling match with an angel (Gen. 32:24-30; Hos. 12:4), the burning bush with Moses (Ex. 3:1-2; Ac 7:30,35), the Exodus of Israel from Egypt (Ex. 14:19; 23:20-23; 32:34; 33:2; Num. 20:16), the revelation with Balaam’s donkey (Num. 22:22-35), the appearance to Gideon (Judg. 6:11-24), the feeding of Elijah (1Ki. 19:5-7), the slaughter of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers (Isa. 37:36), the deliverance of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego (Dan. 3:24-28), and Zechariah’s visions.

b.       During OT times, angels ministered to provide guidance, protection, provisions, and punishment.  Their most common work was to bring messages from God to men.

                                                             2.      Likewise in the New Testament, angels were heavily involved in the work of God.

a.       Concerning Christ’s life on earth, angels foretold and announced His birth (Matt. 1:18-21; Luke 1:26-38; Luke 2:8-15), protected Him (Matt. 2:13, 19-20), ministered to Him after His temptations (Matt. 4:11), strengthened Him at Gethsemane (Luke 22:41-44), and announced His resurrection and ascension (Matt. 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20; Acts 1:9-11).

b.       In the book of Acts, we read of angels delivering the apostles (5:17-20; 12:7-11), bringing people together to facilitate the gospel’s spread (8:26-28; 10:1-8, 21-22), striking Herod (12:21-23), and giving assurance to Paul (27:21-24).

c.        The book of Revelation gives us a glimpse in figurative language of the work of angels behind the scenes in heaven.  They are seen serving Christ continually and sounding out God’s messages, warnings, and judgments.

B.      What does the Bible say about the ministry of angels among us today?

                                                             1.      As their name implies, the primary ministry of angels has always been that of messengers.  Today, that ministry has been eliminated because of the revelation of Jesus Christ and the word of God through the Holy Spirit.

a.       It is no longer necessary for God to send messages via angels because He "has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2Pet. 1:3).

b.       Notice how Peter described the prophecies of God’s word in 1Peter 1:12 – "…these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven – things into which angels long to look.”

                                                             2.      We know that angels share God’s interest in the wellbeing of mankind, for Jesus said, "There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

                                                             3.      We also know that angels have a role at death, for in the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, the Lord said Lazarus "was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom” (Luke 16:22).

                                                             4.      When the Lord comes again, His angels will be agents of destruction for "those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus” (2Thess. 1:7-8).

                                                             5.      In the present, we do not know the exact role of angels among men on earth.

a.       Certainly, the activity of angels remains invisible to the eyes of men, just as it was to Balaam (Num. 22:22-31) and to the servant of Elisha (2Ki. 6:16-17).

b.       We know that angels have appeared as men in the past, and it is possible that they could do so today.  Notice Hebrews 13:2 – "Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

c.        It seems likely that angels have a role in God’s providence today just as they always have.  If so, then they intervene in the affairs of men by non-miraculous means to bring about God’s will and provide answers to prayers.

d.       Some believe in a personal guardian angel for each person, but the evidence for this is not strong in the Bible.

i.         One passage that is used to support this belief is Matthew 18:10 – "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.”

ii.        It is not clear from Matthew 18:10 that each person has an angel assigned to watch him or her.  The passage seems to be saying that the angels who are ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation (children of God) have access to the Father, so no one should despise (count as worthless) God’s heirs.

IV.    CONCLUSION

A.      Today, as in the past, we can be certain that God’s ministering spirits are at work for the heirs of salvation.

B.      While we may not know exactly how they work today, we know they are still God’s ministering spirits, "mighty in strength, who perform His word, obeying the voice of His word!” (Ps. 103:20)