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The Meaning of Life
Chapter 3: The Heavenly Creatures
Translation Preference: |
Author’s Choice |
Article Perspective: |
Grow in Christ (Article in Progress) |
Angels: Life Before Life on Earth
Although the Bible is not specific regarding the timing, God created living angels before He created life on the earth.
| God spoke and the angels became living beings. |
Praise the LORD!
Praise the LORD from the heavens;
Praise Him in the heights!
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. |
Psalm 148:1-5 (NASB) |
| Angels (referred to as “sons of God” in the book of Job) were around to celebrate the creation of the world. |
“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
Tell Me, if you have understanding,
Who set its measurements? Since you know.
Or who stretched the line on it?
“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? |
Job 38:4-7 (NASB) |
Like God, angels are spiritual beings, existing without a physical body. However, they often take on human form when carrying out one of their main purposes for existing: ministering to Christians.
| Angels are spiritual beings sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation. |
But to which of the angels has He ever said, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”?
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? |
Hebrews 1:13-14 (NASB) |
| While serving on earth, Angels often take on human form. |
| Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by this some have entertained angels without knowing it. |
Hebrews 13:2 (NASB) |
| In the following passage, God sends an angel to prevent a man named Balaam from taking a journey. At first, only Balaam’s donkey could see the armed angel who was blocking the narrow path. The angel remained invisible to Balaam until God granted Balaam’s eyes the ability to see the naturally invisible angel. |
So Balaam rose in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the princes of Moab.
Then God’s anger was aroused because he went, and the Angel of the LORD took His stand in the way as an adversary against him. And he was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him.
Now the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand, and the donkey turned aside out of the way and went into the field. So Balaam struck the donkey to turn her back onto the road.
Then the Angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path between the vineyards, with a wall on this side and a wall on that side.
And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she pushed herself against the wall and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall; so he struck her again.
Then the Angel of the LORD went further, and stood in a narrow place where there was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
And when the donkey saw the Angel of the LORD, she lay down under Balaam; so Balaam’s anger was aroused, and he struck the donkey with his staff.
Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the Angel of the LORD standing in the way with His drawn sword in His hand; and he bowed his head and fell flat on his face. |
Numbers 22:21-27, 31 (NKJV) |
God has decreed angels to be immortal.
| Jesus’ responsed to some Jews who had a question regarding marriage in heaven. In that response, He alluded to the immortality of the angels. |
Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,
but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage;
for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. |
Luke 20:34-36 (NASB) |
Naturally existing in the visible presence of God, and created for His honor and glory, angelic beings of all types continually offer up praise and worship to God.
| When profits in the Bible were granted opportunities to see visions of heaven, they saw angels offering continual praise and worship to God the Father, and ministering to Him in various ways. The following vision was from the prophet Daniel: |
“I watched till thrones were put in place,
And the Ancient of Days was seated;
His garment was white as snow,
And the hair of His head was like pure wool.
His throne was a fiery flame,
Its wheels a burning fire;
A fiery stream issued
And came forth from before Him.
A thousand thousands ministered to Him;
Ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him.
The court was seated,
And the books were opened. |
Daniel 7:9-10 (NKJV) |
| The prophet Isaiah saw the following vision: |
In the year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
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.” |
Isaiah 6:1-3 (NASB) |
| The apostle John witnessed a vision honoring Jesus (a.k.a. the Lamb that was slain) in heaven: |
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,
saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”
And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, “To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever.” |
Revelation 5:11-13 (NASB) |
| See also: 1 Kings 22:19; Nehemiah 9:6; Matthew 18:10; Luke 2:13-14; Revelation 4:8-11; 5:8-14; 7:11-12 |
Angels’ roles include: - delivering God’s messages to specific people as well as to mankind in general;
| Angels were somehow involved in the giving of the Law of Moses (a.k.a. the Old Covenant). |
“This Moses whom they disowned, saying, ‘WHO MADE YOU A RULER AND A JUDGE?’ is the one whom God sent to be both a ruler and a deliverer with the help of the angel who appeared to him in the thorn bush.
you who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it.” |
Acts 7:35, 53 (NASB) |
| Until the Law of Moses had been fulfilled by Jesus’ earthly life, death, burial, and resurrection, the Law was necessary to remind the people of their sins against God. That Law, delivered to the people by Moses (a mediator between God and mankind), was ordained by angels. |
| Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made. |
Galatians 3:19 (NASB) |
| To the prophet Daniel, the angel Gabriel explained a vision previously experienced by the prophet. |
Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God,
while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.
He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. |
Daniel 9:20-22 (NASB) |
| Gabriel informed Zacharias that he would be the father of John the Baptist and told Mary that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ. |
And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense.
Zacharias was troubled when he saw the angel, and fear gripped him.
But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John.
“You will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth.
“For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; and he will drink no wine or liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while yet in his mother’s womb.
“And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
“It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”
The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
“And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.” |
Luke 1:11-20 (NASB) |
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. |
Luke 1:26-35 (NASB) |
| Angels also spoke to Philip, Cornelius, and Paul. |
| See: Acts 8:26; 10:3-7; 27:23-24 |
| An archangel will announce the second coming of Christ. |
| For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. |
1 Thessalonians 4:16 (NASB) |
| See also: Daniel 12:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:7 |
| Jesus’ angel shared Jesus’ God-given revelation with the Apostle John for the benefit of all Christians (i.e. bond-servants of Christ). |
| The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show to His bond-servants, the things which must soon take place; and He sent and communicated it by His angel to His bond-servant John, |
Revelation 1:1 (NASB) |
- watching over and protecting specific individuals as well as large groups of people;
| An angel of God was leading the Israelites from Egypt to the “promised land.” When the Israelites were crossing the Red Sea, this angel moved from his position in front of the mass of people to the rear. He did so in order to protect the Israelites from being attacked by the approaching Egyptian army. |
| The angel of God, who had been going before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them. |
Exodus 14:19 (NASB) |
| God sent an angel to protect the prophet Daniel, whom King Darius had ordered to be cast into a lions’ den. |
| “My God sent His angel and shut the lions’ mouths and they have not harmed me, inasmuch as I was found innocent before Him; and also toward you, O king, I have committed no crime.” |
Daniel 6:22 (NASB) |
| In writing the following passage over 1000 years before Jesus’ earthly birth, the psalmist prophetically reveals that God will charge His angels with protecting Jesus Christ from harm. |
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. |
Psalm 91:11-12 (NASB) |
| See also: 2 Kings 6:13-17; Daniel 3:28; Matthew 18:10; 26:53; Acts 5:19-20; 12:7-11 |
- caring for and ministering to believers;
But to which of the angels has He ever said, “SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND, UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES A FOOTSTOOL FOR YOUR FEET”?
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? |
Hebrews 1:13-14 (NASB) |
| Elijah, while getting some rest during an escape journey from the evil Queen Jezebel, received some comfort from an angel. |
He lay down and slept under a juniper tree; and behold, there was an angel touching him, and he said to him, “Arise, eat.”
Then he looked and behold, there was at his head a bread cake baked on hot stones, and a jar of water. So he ate and drank and lay down again.
The angel of the LORD came again a second time and touched him and said, “Arise, eat, because the journey is too great for you.”
So he arose and ate and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights to Horeb, the mountain of God. |
1 Kings 19:5-8 (NASB) |
| After He had completed His period of being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, Jesus was ministered to by angels. |
| Then the devil left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. |
Matthew 4:11 (NASB) |
- despensing God’s divine judgments upon the earth;
| God offered King David a choice of one of three punishments for a sin he had committed. David chose for God to send a pestilence lasting three days upon the land. An angel was sent to physically carry out the punishment upon the land. |
So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba seventy thousand men of the people died.
And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, “It is enough; now restrain your hand.” And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
Then David spoke to the LORD when he saw the angel who was striking the people, and said, “Surely I have sinned, and I have done wickedly; but these sheep, what have they done? Let Your hand, I pray, be against me and against my father’s house.” |
2 Samuel 24:15-17 (NKJV) |
| During the period of Hezekiah’s reign of Judah, the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, had conquered all of Judah except for the city of Jerusalem. As the Assyrian armies were preparing to attack Jerusalem, Sennacherib, in order to breed an atmosphere of fear in the city, spoke words and wrote letters undermining God and God’s servant Hezekiah. In response to Hezekiah’s prayer, God sent an angel to destroy the Assyrian army. |
And the LORD sent an angel who destroyed every mighty warrior, commander and officer in the camp of the king of Assyria. So he returned in shame to his own land. And when he had entered the temple of his god, some of his own children killed him there with the sword.
So the LORD saved Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib the king of Assyria and from the hand of all others, and guided them on every side. |
2 Chronicles 32:21-22 (NASB) |
| King Herod persecuted some who belonged to the church. Herod had James (the brother of the Apostle John) put to death and the Apostle Peter put in prison. Many prayers were lifted up on Peter’s behalf. An angel of the Lord freed Peter from his chains and helped him to escape from prison. Later, an angel of the Lord struck King Herod Agrippa I with some kind of plague which caused worms to feast on him. After experiencing this extreme torture for an unspecified amount of time (hours, days?), Herod died. So, angels were used to thwart Herod’s attempts to prevent the message of Jesus Christ from spreading throughout that region. |
Now about that time Herod the king laid hands on some who belonged to the church in order to mistreat them.
And he had James the brother of John put to death with a sword.
When he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also Now it was during the days of Unleavened Bread.
When he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out before the people.
So Peter was kept in the prison, but prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.
On the very night when Herod was about to bring him forward, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and guards in front of the door were watching over the prison.
And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared and a light shone in the cell; and he struck Peter’s side and woke him up, saying, “Get up quickly.” And his chains fell off his hands.
And the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and put on your sandals.” And he did so. And he said to him, “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.”
And he went out and continued to follow, and he did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
When they had passed the first and second guard, they came to the iron gate that leads into the city, which opened for them by itself; and they went out and went along one street, and immediately the angel departed from him.
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.” |
Acts 12:1-11 (NASB) |
On an appointed day Herod, having put on his royal apparel, took his seat on the rostrum and began delivering an address to them.
The people kept crying out, “The voice of a god and not of a man!”
And immediately an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give God the glory, and he was eaten by worms and died.
But the word of the Lord continued to grow and to be multiplied. |
Acts 12:21-24 (NASB) |
- perhaps, accompanying the souls of deceased believers to Paradise.
| In a story He was telling to the Pharisees, Jesus refers to a man who, following his death, was carried away by angels to heaven. This is the only time in Scripture that this particular angelic role is mentioned. |
| “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried. |
Luke 16:22 (NASB) |
The Meaning of Life
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