God’s Secret Service • They have powers far greater than humans do. • They can cover great distances with great speed. • They have supernatural strength far beyond mere men. • They travel and work largely unseen and unnoticed by people here on earth. • Angels are spiritual beings, created by God, higher than mankind. • The word, “angel,” is derived from the Hebrew and Greek words which mean simply, “messenger.” • The Old Testament always presents angels as actual creatures • Angels are persons–they are intelligent beings, with their own emotions and wills. • Angels are spirit beings (Hebrews 11:4). They do not have physical, material bodies. They may appear as human beings, or in physical bodies, depending on the work they have to do. They do not appear as females, nor do they necessarily have wings. The angels who visited Abraham, and later, Lot, were physically present, as was the angel who awakened Peter from his sleep in Acts 12. • Angels are immortal–as are humans. But they do not have babies (Matthew 22:30), nor do they die. Hence, the total number of angels never changes. Human beings do not become angels when we go to Heaven. Humans will always be humans. • There are two main groupings of angels. One group is holy, while the other group is fallen and evil. Jude 6 tells us that all angels were created holy and good. However, some angels, following the leadership of Satan, rebelled with him, and as a result, were cast down from Heaven to the earth. • Angels, contrary to popular notion, are not merely occupied with strumming harps and floating on clouds. Indeed, they are busy beings who are working at definite assignments. In relation to God, angels praise and glorify God. • Michael is named in the Scriptures as being the archangel, or highest ranking angel. In the Old Testament he is revealed to be the guardian angel of Israel (Daniel 10:21; 12:1), while in the New Testament his voice will be heard at the rapture of the church, and is revealed as the leader of God’s armies in opposition to Satan (Revelation 12:7). Apparently, Michael was involved in the burial of Moses (Jude 9). • Angels, who rebelled against God and lost their holy, set apart character. These beings are called demons. Lucifer–or Satan as he is more commonly known–led perhaps one-third of God’s angels in a revolt. As a result of their disobedience, God cast them out of Heaven. Some apparently were committed to eternal imprisonment (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6); others have populated the earth (Ephesians 6:11-12). • Demons engage in opposing God’s work, through temptation and deception, inflicting disease upon humans, and by means of occasionally possessing–occupying–human bodies. However, Christians should be not preoccupied with the study of evil and evil spirits. • There is a great struggle being waged on the spiritual plane between Christ and Satan. Satan will continue to oppose Christ until the Second Coming. However, Christ won the battle at the Cross and in the Resurrection. Satan and his forces, although powerful and active, are fighting a lost war. Christians must remember that Satan and his hosts are ultimately the servants of the Living God.
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 12:54:25 +0000
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