Among the creatures in heaven worshipping God both day and night, we find a special group we have known since the book of Genesis: Angels.
These are beings created by the Most High God and many times in scripture we find them doing one thing or the other.
We can establish some facts concerning Angels, like the following;
- God is not a father to the angels as in the manner He is to Jesus and we the believers. Hebrews 1:5
- Jesus is above the angels. Hebrews 1:6
- The angels are not given a place of authority at the right hand of God. Hebrews 1:13
- They are spirits and flames of fire. Hebrews 1:7
- They are ministering spirits or messengers sent to minister to those who will inherit salvation. Hebrews 1:14
So, angels are spirits, and flames of fire. They are the messengers of God. But what messages do these messengers deliver?
Taking a closer and in-depth look at the last point highlighted above;
“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”
– Hebrews 1:14
Who are those who will inherit salvation? They are those people who have come to receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior, who have passed from death to life, the children of God. They are those who have been sealed with the seal of salvation; the Holy Spirit. (1 John 3:14, 5:13, 2 Corinthians 1:22)
So, clearly, they to whom the angels who are spirits and flames of fire are to minister, are the believers; the saints of God. There is no confusion here.
But what is their ministry going to be like to the saved?
Well let’s see a few events where the angels of God have ministered to His people, and take some notes:
- As Messengers to deliver a message. For instance;
- When an Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in the burning bush incident. Exo. 3:2
- When the angel Gabriel was sent to Mary. Luke 1:26-38
- To Protect and Deliver God’s people from physical dangers. Also a few instances;
- When God sent His angel to go before the children of Israel in the wilderness. Exo. 23:20, 23, 34; 33:2.
- The Psalmist’s rendition in Psalms 91:11.
- The Hebrew boys’ and Daniel’s deliverance. Dan.3:28; 6:22.
- When they ministered to Jesus after His temptation. Matt. 4:11.
- Delivering Peter the apostle from prison. Acts 5:19.
- To Fight even physical battles for His people.
- Cutting down mighty men of valor in the camp of the Assyrians. 2 Chron. 32:21.
- To bring God’s judgment;
- Against Balaam. Num. 22:22-34.
- Against the Israelites. 1 Chron. 21:15.
- And also as we see in the Book of Revelation.
Now, we have a better idea of the capacities angels can perform in. Whether it is to deliver a message from God, or to protect and deliver His people, they are His ministers. They can also fight physical battles as even we see in the story of Elijah and his servant been protected by a host of angels ready to strike. These angels will also bring the judgment of God on the earth in the closing of the history of the world, even as they have judged before.
Our focus though is on the work or ministry of the angels to the believers, the saints of God in this dispensation. To the elect, they have a huge responsibility, and are constantly working to achieve this purpose and duty to the children of God.
We have the angels of God at our disposal, to do the will of God over us. And even under the new covenant, they still have similar responsibilities for every believer, which include:
- Angels Ensure Our Protection
Just as they did in the old times, under the old covenant, believe it they are still in that business today. Looking at the Psalms again:
“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up.”
– Psalms 91:11-12
Now, before we hastily conclude this was only valid in the old covenant, remember Jesus himself speaks in agreement with this verse when He was tempted of Satan (Luke 4:10-11). This clearly says that His angels have a ‘charge’, an order or point of duty to keep us in ‘all’ our ways. Brethren, ‘all’ means all really. It means there is a charge to protect your family, business, work or job, church as a minister, and all your ways. For in their hands they shall bear you up.
Upwards is a direction every person would like to move in; so that means to increase, not to fail, and even if we fail, they lift us up.
Like another place says in Psalms 23, that ‘though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death’, so there is possibility of ‘walking through’, but like Hebrew boys in the furnace, we must believe that God can deliver us unscathed. This is not a license to tempt God by intentionally putting ourselves in harm’s way of course, but the response of Jesus gives us wisdom in the above temptation story.
- Angels Enforce Our Covenant Rights
While God has promised us healing, prosperity, peace and salvation from every situation, the Devil won’t take sitting, the possible glorious journey a believer can have while on earth. So, what does he do? He tries to afflict the saints (Ps. 34:19) in a bid to destabilize their faith, giving a chance to overtake them with troubles. This is he way of keeping us from having a victorious life, but the bible says:
“Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word. Bless the Lord, all you His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His pleasure.”
– Psalm 103:20-21
So, the bible says in Hebrews 1:14, that His angels are ministers. This is what this Psalm is saying, that the angels of God also have a charge to ‘do His pleasure’. And what is His pleasure? That we be blessed with every blessing that pertains to life and godliness in a nutshell. (2 Pet. 1:3)
His angels are the ones who carry our prayers and enforce our victory. We see an example in what happened to Daniel in Daniel 10:12. So, our words strengthen our angels, so to say. When we pray, we proclaim what God has said, and so give our angels room to work, because they can’t work without the word of God. They are His servants.
- The Lord delivers His people from all their afflictions. This He does by the ministry of His angels.
“The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles”
– Psalm 34:17
This is a word of encouragement to believers. Most a times we may find it embarrassing to have problems that may be in family life, finances, our jobs, or even spiritually, but here it is. The verse makes us understand that it is totally possible for the believer to have troubles, which would stimulate a cry out for help. But it doesn’t stop there, just as there could be trouble, there is also clearly a guaranteed way out.
So, put your faith and hope in God, for He can deliver. Just as He delivered Peter in Acts 12, by the praying of the saints which brought an angel to the rescue, He still rescues by angels today.
Remember that the angels of God excel in strength, and when they show up whether physically or spiritually, they are so strong. They physically brought down the walls of Jericho, one angel slew thousands of Assyrian armies, one angel’s appearance brought an earthquake, and smashed the bars of Peter’s prison.
As believers, we must believe first in the presence and existence of these angels around us, and also their roles in our lives in order to see them work for us.