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Angels
Or, Who Angels Are and What They Do
(from The New Topical Textbook with additions)
Formatted by Tom Stewart
1. Created by God and by Christ.
- "Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast
made Heaven, the Heaven of Heavens, with all their host, the Earth, and all things
that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and Thou preservest them all;
and the host of Heaven worshippeth Thee" (Nehemiah
9:6).
"For by Him [Christ]
were all things created, that are in Heaven,
and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions,
or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him" (Colossians 1:16).
2. Worship God and Christ.
- "Thou, even Thou, art LORD alone; Thou hast
made Heaven, the Heaven of Heavens, with all their host, the Earth, and all things
that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all;
and the host of Heaven worshippeth Thee" (Nehemiah
9:6).
"9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him [Christ Jesus], and given Him a name
which is above every name: 10 That
at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in Earth,
and things under the Earth; 11 And
that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is LORD, to the glory of God the
Father" (Philippians 2:9-11).
"And again, when He
[the Father] bringeth in the Firstbegotten [the Son] into the world, He saith,
And let all the angels of God worship Him" (Hebrews
1:6).
3. Are ministering Spirits.
- "And as he [Elijah]
lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold,
then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat"
(1Kings 19:5).
"The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place"
(Psalm 68:17).
"Who maketh His angels spirits; His ministers
a flaming fire" (Psalm 104:4).
"And it came to pass, that the beggar
died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died,
and was buried" (Luke 16:22).
"7 And, behold, the angel of the LORD came upon him, and a
light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying,
Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. 8
And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself,
and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about
thee, and follow me. 9 And
he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the
angel; but thought he saw a vision. 10 When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto
the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord:
and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed
from him. 11 And when
Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath sent
His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation
of the people of the Jews" (Acts 12:7-11).
"For there stood by me
[Paul] this night the angel of God, Whose I
am, and Whom I serve" (Acts 27:23).
"7 And of the angels He saith, Who maketh His angels spirits,
and His ministers a flame of fire. 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for
them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Hebrews
1:7, 14).
4. Communicate the will of God and Christ.
- "16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called,
and said, Gabriel, make this man [Daniel] to understand the vision. 17 So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and
fell upon my face: but he said unto me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time
of the end shall be the vision" (Daniel
8:16, 17).
"21 Yea, whiles I [Daniel] was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had
seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about
the time of the evening oblation. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am
now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. 23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came
forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand
the matter, and consider the vision" (Daniel 9:21-23).
"And he said unto me, O Daniel, a man
greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak unto thee, and stand upright:
for unto thee am I now sent. And when he had spoken this word unto me, I stood trembling" (Daniel 10:11).
"6 And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon
the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7 And I [Daniel]
heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon
the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto Heaven,
and sware by Him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an
half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people,
all these things shall be finished" (Daniel 12:6,
7).
"13 And when they [the
Wise Men] were departed, behold, the angel
of the LORD appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the Young Child
and His mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for
Herod will seek the Young Child to destroy Him. 20 Saying, Arise, and take the Young Child and His mother,
and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the Young Child's
life" (Matthew 2:13, 20).
"19 And the angel answering said unto him
[Zacharias], I am Gabriel, that stand in the
presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
28 And the angel came in unto her [Mary], and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the LORD is with
thee: blessed art thou among women" (Luke 1:19,
28).
"[An angel said
to the apostles] Go, stand and speak in the
temple to the people all the words of this life" (Acts
5:20).
"And the angel of the LORD spake unto
Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from
Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert" (Acts 8:26).
"[An angel in a vision said to Cornelius, a Roman centurion] And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose
surname is Peter" (Acts 10:5).
"For there stood by me
[Paul] this night the angel of God, Whose I
am, and Whom I serve" (Acts 27:23).
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which
God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass;
and He sent and signified it by His angel unto His servant John" (Revelation 1:1).
5. Obey the will of God.
- "Bless the LORD, ye His angels, that excel
in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His Word" (Psalm 103:20).
"Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in
Earth, as it is in Heaven" (Matthew 6:10).
6. Execute the purposes of God.
- "And God's anger was kindled because he [Balaam] went: and the angel of the
LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass,
and his two servants were with him" (Numbers 22:22).
7. Execute the judgments of God.
- "[On the occasion of
judging David's sinful pride of taking a census of Israel] And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy
it, the LORD repented Him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people,
It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace
of Araunah the Jebusite" (2Samuel 24:16).
"[On the occasion
of Rabshakeh railing upon Hezekiah of Judah, who cries out to Jehovah for deliverance]
And it came to pass that night, that the angel
of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore
and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all
dead corpses" (2Kings 19:35).
"[David pleas for
help] 5 Let them be as chaff before the wind:
and let the angel of the LORD chase them. 6 Let their way be dark and slippery: and let the angel of the LORD
persecute them" (Psalm 35:5, 6).
"And immediately the angel of the LORD
smote him [Herod Agrippa],
because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost" (Acts 12:23).
"And I heard a great voice out of the
temple saying to the seven angels, Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath
of God upon the Earth" (Revelation 16:1).
8. Celebrate the praises of God.
- "[At Creation] When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:7).
"Praise ye Him, all His angels: praise
ye Him, all His hosts" (Psalm 148:2).
"[In Isaiah's vision
of the LORD in the year that king Uzziah died, he heard the angelic seraphim] And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy,
is the LORD of Hosts: the whole Earth is full of His glory"
(Isaiah 6:3).
"[At Christ's birth]
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, 14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men" (Luke 2:13, 14).
"[Prior to opening
the Seal Judgments] 11 And I beheld, and I
heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders:
and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands [more than 100 million]; 12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy
is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honour, and glory, and blessing" (Revelation
5:11, 12).
"[Prior to opening
the Seventh Seal] 11 And all the angels stood
round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before
the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, 12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving,
and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen" (Revelation 7:11, 12).
9. The law given by the ministration of.
- "The chariots of God are twenty thousand,
even thousands of angels: the LORD is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place" (Psalm 68:17).
"[Stephen addresses
the Sanhedrin, before his martyrdom] Who have
received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it" (Acts 7:53).
"For if the word spoken by angels was
stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of
reward" (Hebrews 2:2).
10-1. Announced the conception of Christ.
- "20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD [probably Gabriel] appeared unto
him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary
thy wife: for That which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou
shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:20, 21).
"And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy
womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS"
(Luke 1:31).
10-2. Announced the birth of Christ.
- "10 And the angel said unto them [the shepherds], Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great
joy, which shall be to all people. 11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which
is Christ the LORD. 12 And
this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the Babe wrapped in swaddling clothes,
lying in a manger" (Luke 2:10-12).
10-3. Announced the resurrection of Christ.
- "5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for
I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. 6 He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the
place where the LORD lay. 7 And
go quickly, and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and, behold, He
goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see Him: lo, I have told you" (Matthew 28:5-7).
"And when they found not His body, they
came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that He was
alive" (Luke 24:23).
10-4. Announced the ascension and second coming of Christ.
- "Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why
stand ye gazing up into Heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
Heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into Heaven" (Acts 1:11).
10-5. Announced the conception of John the Baptist.
- "13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer
is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name
John. 36 And, behold,
thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the
sixth month with her, who was called barren" (Luke
1:13, 36).
11. Minister to Christ.
- "[At the wilderness
temptation] Then the devil leaveth Him, and,
behold, angels came and ministered unto Him" (Matthew
4:11).
"[In the Garden
of Gethsemane prior to His betrayal] And there
appeared an angel unto Him from Heaven, strengthening Him"
(Luke 22:43).
"And he saith unto him
[Nathaniel], Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Hereafter ye shall see Heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending
upon the Son of Man" (John 1:51).
12. Are subject to Christ.
- "[Christ is] Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to
come" (Ephesians 1:21).
"For by Him [Christ]
were all things created, that are in Heaven,
and that are in Earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions,
or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him" (Colossians 1:16).
"And ye are complete in Him, which is
the head of all principality and power" (Colossians
2:10).
"Who is gone into Heaven, and is on the
right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him" (1Peter 3:22).
13. Shall execute the purposes of Christ.
- "The Son of Man shall send forth His angels,
and they shall gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and them which do
iniquity" (Matthew 13:41).
"And He [the Son
of Man] shall send His angels with a great
sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds,
from one end of heaven to the other" (Matthew 24:31).
14. Shall attend Christ at His second coming.
- "For the Son of Man shall come in the glory
of His Father with His angels; and then He [the Son of Man]
shall reward every man according to his works" (Matthew 16:27).
"When the Son of Man shall come in His
glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His
glory" (Matthew 25:31).
"Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed
of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall
the Son of Man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy
angels" (Mark 8:38).
"And to you who are troubled rest with
us, when the LORD Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with His mighty angels" (2Thessalonians 1:7).
15. Know and delight in the gospel of Christ.
- "9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which
from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, Who created all things by Jesus
Christ: 10 To the intent
that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by
the Church the manifold wisdom of God" (Ephesians
3:9, 10).
"And without controversy great is the
mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen
of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into
glory" (1Timothy 3:16).
"Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto
themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto
you by them that have preached the Gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down
from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into" (1Peter 1:12).
16. Ministration of, obtained by prayer.
- "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to
My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matthew 26:53).
"5 Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made
without ceasing of the Church unto God for him. 7 And, behold, the angel of the LORD came upon him, and a
light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying,
Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands"
(Acts 12:5, 7).
17. Rejoice over every repentant sinner.
- "7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in Heaven over one sinner
that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance. 10 Likewise, I say unto you, there
is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth" (Luke 15:7, 10).
18. Have charge over the children of God.
- "The angel of the LORD encampeth round about
them that fear Him, and delivereth them" (Psalm
34:7).
"11 For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee
in all thy ways. 12 They
shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Psalm 91:11, 12).
"My God hath sent His angel, and hath
shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before Him innocency
was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt" (Daniel 6:22).
"Take heed that ye despise not one of
these little ones; for I say unto you, That in Heaven their angels do always behold
the face of My Father which is in Heaven" (Matthew
18:10).
19. Are of different orders.
- "Above it stood the Seraphims: each one had
six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and
with twain he did fly" (Isaiah 6:2).
"For the LORD himself shall descend from
Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God:
and the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1Thessalonians
4:16).
"Who is gone into Heaven, and is on the
right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him" (1Peter 3:22).
"Yet Michael the Archangel, when contending
with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a
railing accusation, but said, The LORD rebuke thee" (Jude
9).
"And there was war in Heaven: Michael
and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels" (Revelation 12:7).
20. Not to be worshipped.
- "Let no man beguile you of your reward in
a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which
he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind"
(Colossians 2:18).
"And I fell at his feet to worship him.
And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren
that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the
Spirit of Prophecy" (Revelation 19:10).
"Then saith he unto me, See thou do it
not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which
keep the sayings of this book: worship God" (Revelation
22:9).
21. Are examples of meekness.
- "Whereas angels, which are greater in power
and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the LORD" (2Peter 2:11).
"Yet Michael the Archangel, when contending
with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a
railing accusation, but said, The LORD rebuke thee" (Jude
9).
22. Are wise.
- "To fetch about this form of speech hath
thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of
an angel of God, to know all things that are in the Earth"
(2Samuel 14:20).
23. Are mighty.
- "Bless the LORD, ye His angels, that excel
in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His Word" (Psalm 103:20).
24. Are holy.
- "When the Son of Man shall come in His glory,
and all the holy angels with Him, then shall He sit upon the throne of His glory" (Matthew 25:31).
25. Are elect.
- "I charge thee before God, and the LORD Jesus
Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one
before another, doing nothing by partiality" (1Timothy 5:21).
26. Are innumerable.
- "Is there any number of His armies? and upon
whom doth not His light arise?" (Job 25:3).
"But ye are come unto mount Sion, and
unto the city of the living God, the Heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels" (Hebrews 12:22).
27. Do not marry, neither do they die.
- "For in the Resurrection they neither marry,
nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in Heaven" (Matthew 22:30).
"35 But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that
world, and the Resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36 Neither can they die any more:
for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children
of the Resurrection" (Luke 20:35-36).
28. Are greater than man in might and power.
- "Whereas angels, which are greater in power
and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the LORD" (2Peter 2:11).
"4 What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? and the son of
man, that Thou visitest him? 5 For
Thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory
and honour" (Psalm 8:4-5).
29. Shall be judged by the Glorified Saints.
- "Know ye not that we shall judge [the fallen] angels? how much more
things that pertain to this life?" (1Corinthians
6:3).
30. Have sometimes been seen by men, appearing at times as men,
and at times as angels.
- "1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat
in the tent door in the heat of the day; 2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him:
and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward
the ground, 22 And the
men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet
before the LORD" (Genesis 18:1-2, 22).
"[Two
of the initialThreesome proceeded on to Sodom, leaving behind the LORD to talk to
Abraham] And there came two angels to Sodom
at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them;
and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground"
(Genesis 19:1).
"1 [When Jacob was
returning to face his offended brother Esau] And
Jacob went on his way, and the angels of God met him. 2 And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God's host: and
he called the name of that place Mahanaim [literally,
two camps, i.e., of angels, possibly before and behind to protect him from Esau]" (Genesis 32:1-2).
"9 [The shepherds
abiding in the field at Christ's birth] And,
lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them: and they were sore afraid. 13 And
suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God,
and saying" (Luke 2:9, 13).
"[Mary
Magdalene standing in Christ's empty tomb]
And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the
feet, where the body of Jesus had lain" (John 20:12).
[Please see our article "What Are They Doing Now in Heaven?" ---New Window for a Scriptural discussion of how
God is using the Saints on Earth to further perfect both Saints and Angels in Heaven.]
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