Angelology series
By Jerry Batson, Th.D.
Special to The Alabama Baptist
Previously, Theology 101 has dealt with the nature of angels as revealed in the Bible. We noted that the Bible presents them as invisible, created, spiritual beings. This week we turn to consider some of the ministries angels are said to perform.
Hebrews 1:14 calls angels “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation.” The term “angel” has as its basic biblical meaning “messenger.”
By definition, angels were often God’s messengers who brought His message to humans on earth. In Luke 1:11–17 an angel brought God’s message to a temple priest to tell him that he and his wife would have a son who was to be named “John.” Similarly, an angel named Gabriel delivered God’s message to Mary that she would bear a Son who was to be named “Jesus.”
An angel brought word to Philip telling him to take a journey on the road that led from Jerusalem to Gaza, a journey that would bring him into contact with a man of Ethiopia who needed help understanding the prophetic Scriptures. In Acts 10 we read about an angel instructing Cornelius to seek out Simon Peter. Acts 27 records how an angel stood by Paul during a stormy night giving him the message that he and the others on the ship were to be safe and that Paul was to stand before Caesar.
Glorifying, praising
Such were a few of the instances in which angels performed the basic ministry conveying messages from God. The most glorious message born by an angel was that which an angel delivered at the empty tomb, “He is not here; for He is risen” (Matt. 28:6).
Angels also are said to carry out a heavenly ministry of glorifying and praising God. For example, Psalm 103:20–21 admonishes, “Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His.”
Isaiah’s vision of God’s throne contained angels called “seraphim” who cried out praise to God for His holiness (Isa. 6:1–3). At the time of Christ’s birth a multitude of the heavenly host praised and glorified God in the hearing of the shepherds who were keeping watch over their flocks (Luke 2:8–14).
Hebrews 1:6 tells us that when God brought the firstborn into the world, the instructions were, “Let all the angels of God worship Him.” In his vision of the future, John’s look into the heavenly scene is told in these words: “Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000, and thousands of thousands saying with a loud voice: ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing’” (Rev. 5:11–12).
Delivering messages
A premier example of the functioning of angels was in connection with the entrance of God’s Son into the world. As just noted, an angel delivered the birth notice to Mary, complete with the gender of her unborn baby, as well as the name to be given Him. Quite fitting was the fact that an angel also showed up at Christ’s exit from the world with a message for Christ’s followers: “This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven” (Acts 1:11). That message delivered by an angel remains the blessed hope of all believers.
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