What Do You Know About Angels

from Front Porch Magazine Fall/Winter 2021/2022

M/D

Angels are beings who bring thoughts of mystery and wonder, right? So many angels, so much misunderstanding! With that point in mind, let’s delve into Scripture and see what God’s Word, His inerrant Word, has to say about these beings, these angels. But first, let’s consider what you already know as truth: The number of angels? The communication of angels? Their humanity or inhumanity? The goodness of angels? The workers for God? Involvement with angels? Now, let’s consider some truths Scripture records about angels. 3 First, let’s consider their number. Jesus, when being taken captive before His crucifixion, said after Peter had just cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest, “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” The twelve legions Jesus spoke of would have amounted to over 200,000 angels. However, this is a tiny portion of the totality of angels. In Hebrews, there is a discussion of the company of people having come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels… An innumerable number means that the number is so great that it can’t be numbered, that there are so many angels it is beyond our ability to count them all. 4 Another truth is that angels are not flesh and blood; they are created beings. “God made angels Spirits and called them ministers, flames of fire.” Angels were even at creation to rejoice when God created the world, before man, or human, was created. Also, Hebrews records, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” In many instances, they are also presented as strong. One of David’s Psalms tells of angels who excel in strength, who do God’s commandments, and harken to His Word. As we can see, angels are supernatural, super human beings of God. 5 Angels do appear to humans, and they do so because God sends them to do His will. Abraham, Moses, David, Daniel, Elijah, Jesus, Peter, Paul, Mary, and Samson’s mother were people who had involvement with angels. Elijah, the prophet of God, opposed evil King Ahab and Queen Jezebel who threatened his life. Fearful, he fled from them. Finally, exhausted, he fell asleep. An angel went to him, awakened him, and said, “…eat and drink.” Later the angel appeared to assist him a second time. God’s angels do His bidding, helping God’s people carry out His missions or helping to oppose Satan. When Daniel was thrown into the lion’s den, the lions’ mouths were shut by God’s angels. Daniel said, “My God sent his angel and shut the lions’ mouths so that they have not hurt me…” Also, an angel appeared to Paul when the ship he and other men had boarded was about to sink. The angel told Paul that all would be spared. Angles also appeared to Jesus after He had been the Wilderness and had

Angels by Scarlette Taylor gone without water or food for 40 days and nights, and was being tempted by Satan. After the temptations, “The devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Jesus.” Angels do God’s will. 6 Other things we can learn of angels are: Angels behold the face of God. Jesus says, “Take heed that you do not despise 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.” And …although the angels in heaven who stand in the presence of the Lord, and are far greater in power and strength than these false teachers, they never speak out disrespectfully against these evil ones.” They do what God sends them to accomplish, and do not go further than instructed. Angels are interested in the events of man. The apostle Peter said …” To them (angels) it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us, that they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you…” Peter was talking about preaching the gospel through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. These were “things which angels desire to look into.” Also, God determined that angels are to be involved in the end times events, when Jesus returns. Jesus says, “And I shall send forth my angels with the sound of a mighty trumpet blast, and they shall gather my chosen ones from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.” Jesus also said if anyone is ashamed of Him and His message in these days of unbelief and sin, He will be ashamed of them “when I return in the glory of my Father, with the Holy Angles” 15). 7 The Bible reveals that angels chose either to be obedient to God or to be disobedient; thus, they were labeled good or evil. Satan, the most beautiful angel, chose against God, and Jesus said of him in Luke, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.” Revelation 12 tells us, “Then there was in heaven Michael and the angels under his command who fought the Dragon (Satan) and his hosts of fallen angels. And the Dragon lost the battle and was forced from heaven.” The good angels will be those who are obedient. Michael and Gabriel are two of the obedient ones named in Scripture. Angels in God’s kingdom are fascinating, but they are not to be worshipped or held in esteem like unto our reverence and worship our God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. These are obedient, created beings doing the bidding of God; they are powerful but desiring to do good, and are involved in and interested in events of time, ours and God’s. Paragraph 3: Matthew 26:53/Hebrews 12:22 Paragraph 4: Psalms 148:5/ Psalms 104:4 /Job 38:4-7/ Hebrews 1:14/ Psalms 103:20-21 Paragraph 5: 1Kings 19:5-7/Daniel 6:21-22/ Matthew 4:11 Paragraph 6: Matt 18:10 /II Peter 2:11 /Matthew 13:49/ Matthew 24:31 / Mark 8:38/ Matthew 16: 27 Paragraph 7: Luke 10:18/ Revelation 12:7-9/ Philippians 2:9-11/ 1 Peter 3:22

Chuckles, Giggles & Snickers

EVER WONDER

Why Don’t you ever see the headline ‘Psychic Wins Lottery’?

Why Is ‘abbreviated’ such a long word?

Why Is it that Doctors call what they do ‘practice’?

Why Is lemon juice made with artificial flavor, and dishwashing liquid made with real lemons?

Why Is the man who invests all your money called a Broker?

Why Is the time of Day with the slowest traffic called rush hour?

Why Isn’t there mouse-flavored cat food?

Why Isn’t there cat flavored Dog Food?

Why Didn’t Noah swat those two Mosquitoes?

Why Do they sterilize the needle for lethal injections?

You Know that indestructible black box that is used on Airplanes? Why don’t they make the whole plane out of that Stuff?!

Why Don’t sheep shrink when it rains?

If Con is the opposite of Pro, is Congress the opposite of Progress?

No ordinary American cares about Constitutional Rights ~Joe Biden (2015)~

ELDERLY

While working for an organization that delivers lunches to elderly shut-ins, I used to take my 4-year-old daughter on my afternoon rounds. She was unfailingly intrigued by the various appliances of old age, particularly the canes, walkers and wheelchairs. One day I found her staring at a pair of false teeth soaking in a glass. As I braced myself for the inevitable barrage of questions, she merely turned and whispered, “The tooth fairy will never believe this!”

DEATH

While walking along the sidewalk in front of his church, our minister heard the intoning of a prayer that nearly made his collar wilt. Apparently, his 5-year-old son and his playmates had found a dead robin. Feeling that proper burial should be performed, they had secured a small box and cotton batting, then dug a hole and made ready for the disposal of the deceased. The minister’s son was chosen to say the appropriate prayers and with sonorous dignity intoned his version of what he thought his father always said: “Glory be unto the Faaather, and unto the Sonnn, and into the hole he goes.”