Angels, Who Are They? – Hebrews 01:13-14

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Text: Hebrews 1:13-14

Introduction

1. The subject of angels has certainly become a popular one

a. Bookstores are filled with books dealing with angels

b. Popular TV shows and movies depict angels working in our lives

2. Angels were an important part of the Jewish religion

a. Angels assisted with the giving of the Law at Mount Sinai – Deuteronomy 33:2; Psalm 68:17; Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19

b. They appear throughout the history of Israel, coming to Abraham, Daniel, and others

3. Angels also serve an important role in the Christian faith

a. They are described as “ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation” – Hebrews 1:13-14

b. They have certainly ministered in the past – cf. Luke 1:11-38

c. They will certainly minister at the time of Christ’s return – cf. Matthew 13:36-43

4. But to what extent do they minister in the present?

a. This is a subject that is prone to much speculation

b. It is easy to get caught up in idle myths and fables

c. About which we are warned to avoid – cf. 1 Timothy 1:3-4; 4:7; 6:20; 2 Timothy 2:16; 4:3-4

5. Yet angels are a Biblical subject, therefore worthy of careful consideration

[With a desire to be content with what the Bible reveals on the subject of angels, we begin this study with a look at some terms and descriptions regarding angels…]

Body

I. TERMS USED IN CONNECTION WITH ANGELS

A. THE WORD ‘ANGEL’

1. The Hebrew word malak (found 103 times in the OT) simply means “messenger”

a. It can refer to a human messenger – 1 Kings 19:2

1) It is applied to the prophet Haggai – Hag 1:13

2) It is applied to a priest – Mal 2:7

3) It is applied to both John the Baptist and Jesus in prophecy – Malachi 3:1

4) The name of the prophet Malachi comes from the same word

b. It can refer to a divine messenger – Genesis 28:12

1) Supernatural or heavenly beings sent as messengers to men

2) Agents who carry out the will of God – ISBE

2. The Greek word angelos likewise means “messenger”

a. The word occurs 175 times in the NT

b. Of men, it is used only 6 times in the NT

B. OTHER TERMS APPLIED TO ‘ANGELS’…

1. Sons of God – God’s sons by virtue of His creation – cf. Job 1:6; 38:7

2. Holy ones – suggesting they belong to God, ‘set apart’ for His purposes – Psalm 89:5,7

3. Watcher, watchers – likely referring to angels – cf. Daniel 4:13,17,23

4. Host – denoting the armies of heaven, which likely included angels -1 Sam 17:45

5. Archangel – used twice, once in connection with Michael – 1 Thessalonians 4:16; Jude 9

6. Prince, chief princes, great prince – used in the book of Daniel – Daniel 10:13,21; 12:1

7. Paul used terms that may refer to angels – cf. Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 1:21; 3:10

a. Principalities (archai)

b. Powers (exousiai)

c. Thrones (thronoi)

d. Dominions (kyriotetes)

e. Powers (dynamesis)

8. Yet these are sometimes distinguished from angels (Romans 8:38; 1 Peter 3:22), and at times described as negative forces (Colossians 2:15; Ephesians 6:12)

[It quickly becomes apparent that the Bible has a lot to say about angels. More about angels can be gleaned from the Bible as we consider…]

II. DESCRIPTIONS OF ANGELS

A. THEIR NATURE AND ATTRIBUTES

1. They are spirit beings

a. Called “spirits”, suggesting they do not have corporeal bodies – Hebrews 1:14

b. Though they did reveal themselves at times in the form of human bodies – Genesis 18:3

c. They do not function as human beings in such things as marriage – Mark 12:25

d. They are not subject to death – Luke 20:36

2. They are created beings

a. They are part of the creation that is to praise Jehovah – Psalm 148:1-5

b. They were created by Christ, among all other things – Colossians 1:16

3. They are innumerable

a. An innumerable company – Hebrews 12:22

b. John’s descriptions suggests their number is countless – Revelation 5:11

4. They are a higher order than man

a. Man was created lower than the angels – Hebrews 2:6-7

b. Angels are not capable of death – Luke 20:36

c. They have greater wisdom, though limited – 2 Samuel 14:20; Matthew 24:36

d. They have greater power, though it too is limited – Matthew 28:2; Daniel 10:13

5. They always appeared as men

a. Never as women or children, always clothed

b. Other than Cherubim and Seraphim (whose classification as angels is suspect), they never have wings – though cf. Revelation 8:13; 14:6

c. Many times they were so disguised as men they were not first identified as angels – Gen18:1-2; 19:1; Hebrews 13:2

B. THEIR CLASSIFICATIONS

1. The archangel, the “great prince”

a. Michael is called the archangel – Jude 1:9; cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:16

b. Michael is called the “great prince”, who watched over Israel – Daniel 12:1; cf. 10:21

c. Michael is mentioned in Revelation 12:7

d. Some (JWs and others) believe Michael was the pre-incarnate Christ

2. The chief princes

a. Of whom Michael was one – Daniel 10:13

b. Some would include Gabriel in this classification

1) The angel sent to explain visions to Daniel – Daniel 8:16; 9:21

2) Who also made announcements to Zacharias and Mary – Luke 1:19, 26

3. The princes

a. The term applied to angels in the book of Daniel – e.g., Daniel 10:13, 21

b. Also to what appear to be evil angelic forces – cf. Daniel 10:13, 20-21

4. The Angel of the Lord

a. An angel who seems to speak as the Lord Himself – e.g., Judges 2:1; Genesis 16:10-13

b. Leading some to wonder if this was the pre-incarnate Christ

5. Cherubim?

a. Thought by some to be an order or class of angels, though others hold them to be a higher class of heavenly beings than angels

b. Whose purpose was to be “proclaimers and protectors of God’s glorious presence, His sovereignty, and His Holiness” -C. Fred Dickason

c. In the Bible

1) They stood guard at the Garden of Eden – Genesis 3:24

2) Their golden figures covered the mercy seat above the ark in the tabernacle – Exodus 25:17-22

3) Their designs graced the walls and veils of the tabernacle, and later in the temple – Exodus 26:1,31; 1 Kings 6:23-35; 7:29, 36

4) They attended the glory of God in Ezekiel’s vision – Ezekiel 1:1- 28; cf. 10:1-20

d. Their description fits those of the four living creatures in Revelation rather than angels – cf. Revelation 4:4-6

6. Seraphim?

a. Six winged creatures attending the Lord in Isaiah’s vision – Isaiah 6:1-13

b. Whose name literally means “burning one”, also considered by many as a higher class than angels

c. Their work was to “praise and proclaim the perfect holiness of God”

d. Their description is also akin to those of the four living creatures in Revelation rather than angels – cf. Revelation 4:8-9

7. Satan and his angels

a. Many believe that Satan is a fallen angel

1) That he is “Lucifer”, a name applied to the king of Babylon – Isaiah 14:1-12

2) That he was among the highest of God’s creation, a cherub whose fall and judgment is applied figuratively to the king of Tyre – cf. Ezekiel 28:11-19

b. Satan does has his angels, for whom condemnation awaits – cf. Matthew 25:41; Revelation 20:10

c. The doctrine of Satan and his angels (along with demons) will hopefully be examined in another study

Conclusion

1. With this brief introduction it should be apparent that

a. The Bible has much to say about angels

b. It is easy to speculate about angels

2. My hope and prayer is that our future studies will

a. Focus on what the Bible actually reveals

b. Avoid the vain speculation that is condemned

3. In the course of our study, we should never forget the One who deserves our greatest attention:

“For to which of the angels did He ever say: ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You’? And again: ‘I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son’? But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship Him.'” (Hebrews 1:5-6)

4. Have we joined the angels in worshipping the Son, through our own faith and obedience…?