When we read the Nativity account in the Bible, or sing the cherished Christmas carols, one important character is the angels. We love the Christmas angels. They are on the Christmas cards we send, my ceramic Nativity set has an angel, and many people put either a star or an angel at the top of their Christmas tree. Angels are often a popular subject with the world at large, too. Touched By An Angel and Highway to Heaven were popular TV shows in the past that featured angels intervening in lives to help people. How much of popular beliefs about angels is accurate? Here at Christmas time let’s look at what the Bible says about angels, and see what we can learn.
First of all, what exactly are angels? Angels are spiritual and heavenly beings. They are a separate creation than man. No one, including children, become angels when they die. Some people like to say that when a beloved relative, such as their mother, or a little child dies that they are now angels in heaven. That is a false, unbiblical teaching. People do not become angels when they die. If they are saved then their soul goes to heaven, later to be joined by their resurrected body. Angels are a completely separate creation.
Angels are ministering spirits who minister, or help and assist believers (Hebrews 1:14). As we read in the Scriptures, angels have ranks of hierarchy, each with a different role. We see these mentioned in Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 1:16. There is no real description of what these ranks are. There are four other types of angels that we know a little bit more about, and we’ll look a little closer at them. The first one, possibly the most popular with the general public, is the Guardian Angel. These are angels who are assigned to protect and guide an individual. Though not specifically named in Scripture, there are at least two references made to something like a guardian angel. One is Matthew 18:10 where Jesus speaks of children’s assigned angels, and in Acts 12:15, where we read of Peter’s angel.
Another important rank of angel is that of Archangel. We have names for three of these archangels - Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael (one mentioned in the Apocryphal Book of Tobit). These three have interacted directly with people. The Archangel Gabriel has communicated God’s will with humans. He brought messages to Zechariah about the birth of John the Baptist, and to the Virgin Mary about the birth of Jesus (Luke 1:11-38). He also appeared to Daniel to explain his visions (Daniel 8:15-26; 9:21-27). Michael is a powerful archangel who battles Satan. He is chief of angels and archangels. We read of his battles against Satan in Revelation 12:7-12 and Jude 1:9. Michael is shown in the Book of Daniel as a protector of the people of Israel. Christians view him as guardian of the Church and the leader of the angelic army of God. Raphael is mentioned in the Apocryphal Book of Tobit where he guides and protects Tobit on his journey.
We see mentioned in Scripture the angelic beings of the Cherubim. They are a high-ranking heavenly being. They are first mentioned in the Book of Genesis when God placed cherubim with flaming swords to guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24). In Ezekiel 1:4-28 we read a description of a very other-worldly creature which the prophet later identifies as cherubim (Ezekiel 10:20). There are two cherubs guarding the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:17-22). They represent God’s holiness and power. They also, at times, provide some sort of vehicle for God (Psalm 18:10). There has been a false tradition of showing cherubs as chubby little “baby angels”, however that is not biblical. What we read in the Bible of cherubim is definitely not little baby angels!
One other angelic being we can take a quick look at are the Seraphim. They are another high-ranking order of angelic being. The Scripture describes a seraph as having six wings, and can take the form or features of creatures we are familiar with here on earth (Isaiah 6:1-8; Revelation 4:6-8). One duty the seraphim have is to guard the throne of God, crying “Holy, Holy, Holy!”
In closing, as we read our Scripture passage from the Gospel of Luke, we read that one honored angel had the privilege to bring the good news of the birth of the Savior to a group of humble shepherds that night on the fields outside of Bethlehem. As soon as the angel gave his message, the sky was filled with a multitude of angelic beings singing praises to God. What a sight that must have been to behold! A sight that I’m sure the shepherds never forgot, as they never forgot the moment they first saw the Savior, lying in a manger.
No comments:
Post a Comment