ANGELS

On several occasions, I have read or heard amazing testimonies of people who experienced God’s deliverance via angels from an enemy intent on their destruction. God’s Word extensively teaches us about angels with over a 105 references to them in the Old Testament and more than 170 times in the New Testament. The Bible teaches that angels:

· were created by God prior to earth’s creation—Psa. 148:2-5.

· initially were all good, but when Lucifer turned against God, he was able to coax a large number into following him in rebellion. We call evil angels demons—Rev. 12:9.

· take orders from God and serve Him by intervening, instructing or rescuing God’s children—Gen. 16:9; 19; 24:40; Psa. 91:11; Luke 1:26-28.

· drive out/destroy enemies so as to help God’s people and powerfully serve as God’s instruments of punishment and judgment and will one day gather and separate the wicked from the righteous—Exo. 33:2; 2 Sa. 24:16,17; 2 Ki. 19:35; Psa. 103:20; Mat. 13:41,49; Rev. 7:2.

· are incorporeal (without material form) and often invisible—Num. 22:25-31; Heb. 1:14.

· can appear as people—Gen. 18:1-8; Heb. 13:2.

· immediately transport from place to place not effected by fire or elements on earth—Jud. 6:21; 13:20.

· are completely reliable as God’s servants—1 Sa. 29:9.

· are able through God to predict future events to people—Jud 13:3.

· evidently eat food in heaven—Psa. 78:25.

· praise the Lord and live in His presence in heaven—Psa. 103:20, 148:2; Rev. 7:11.

· appear to people in dreams to provide instruction—Mat. 2:13.

· may actually be assigned (guardians) to protect people—Mat.18:10.

· are unmarried and pattern what we will experience after the resurrection—Mat. 22:30.

· can bring healing to people—John 5:4.

· help bring the gospel message to the lost—Acts 10:22.

· will return with Jesus when He comes back—Mat. 25:31.

· are prominent in heaven and seem to have a rank structure—Luke 12:8,9 Eph. 1:20,21; Col. 1:16.

· experience emotions such as joy and have their own mind (wisdom) and will—Luke 15:10; 2 Sam. 14:20; Rev. 22:8,9.

· are eternal—Luke 20:36.

· are not to be worshiped but must themselves worship God—Col. 2:18; Heb. 1:6.

· are countless in number—Rev. 5:11.

· fight against Satan and his demons—Rev.12:7.

Meditation

1 Kings 19:5-7—Then he [Elijah] lay down and slept under the broom tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, “Get up and eat.” Then he looked, and there at his head was a loaf of bread baked over hot stones and a jug of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again. Then the angel of the LORD returned a second time and touched him. He said, “Get up and eat, or the journey will be too much for you.”

Elijah, on the heels of a great victory over false prophets went into a panic when the wicked queen of Israel, Jezebel, threatened to murder him. He fled for his life and yet in the midst of great despair to the point of giving up on life, God sent an angel to minister to him. Elijah didn’t ask God to dispatch an angel to rescue him. The Bible doesn’t tell us if he even recognized his benefactor as an angel. It just informs us that he was strengthened by the food and water he received.

Do you ever wonder if God protects your life or provides for you supernaturally through an angel? Angels did not cease working after the time of the apostles—nowhere does the Bible even hint to such a thing. So we can safely assume that they are active on the earth serving God’s purposes today. This encourages me to be more alert for them, to live more obediently since angels may be observing my behavior, and to be more mindful that when I am in trouble, it makes good sense to call out to God for His help. He has an enormous body of beings able to make a difference. We are not alone and that’s something to think about . . . in reveration!