Who Are Angels?
Foreword
A couple decided to go on an afternoon drive to enjoy
the countryside one Sunday afternoon and to end the day by having a picnic at
the local park. The wife packed the food and beverages as the husband pulled
the car out of the garage and allowed time for it to warm up. After they ensured
that they had everything ready, they proceeded to enter the vehicle, buckled up,
and then pulled out the driveway to relish the day.
As the couple traveled, they enjoyed
watching the many sights along the way and laughed at the commentator on the
radio. The husband, after a long stretch along the country road, eventually came
to a 4-way stop sign – saw that no one was coming and then proceeded to go.
Suddenly, a truck came out of nowhere, failed to stop, and nearly slammed into
the couple’s car without the slightest notion of letting up on the gas.
Miraculously, the truck missed the couple’s vehicle by inches. Although visibly
shaken, they knew that God had provided protection, intercepted the two vehicles,
and saved them from the probability of a fatal collision. An angel had arrived
at the scene just in the nick of time.
Angels are an important part of our daily
lives. They are not usually seen in the natural, but they are there, nonetheless.
They are servants of God whose mission is to perform numerous tasks that God
delegates for them to carry out. Not all angels are the same and neither are
their missions. Nevertheless, when God gives an angel a specific duty to carry
out for mankind, that angel obeys and assists in taking care of God’s earthly
business. They are not to be worshiped or praised, but they act in humility to
God. In this lesson series, we are going to learn some of the names, titles, and
roles of angels in our lives, so that we can be able to adequately answer the
question: “Who are Angels?”
The
Highest Created Beings
"What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for
them? You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with
glory and honor" (Psalm 8:4-5).
Who
are angels? Not many people can answer that question because their knowledge is
limited to that of a painting, adornment, card, or simply put, a flashy reminder
of the Christmas season. During the month of December, church choirs, musical
artists, and others sing a variety of Christmas carols commemorating the story
of Jesus’ birth and the angels’ delivery of the good news. Nevertheless, there
is a lot more to angels than a seasonal event. They are God’s powerful tools
that He uses to help man battle against the demonic host. They are more
important than what many people realize, and yet, they are never to be
worshiped because they are an extension of God’s care for His beloved children.
In
the beginning, there was only God. The Word of God lets us know that Him being
the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, has always existed. He has no beginning, nor
will He ever cease to exist. The Bible says, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First
and the Last, the Beginning and the End (Revelation 22:13). Unlike God,
angels did not always exist. Just as man was created by God, angels were also
part of God’s creation as well. They were, however, created first, but were not
made to be equal to God, yet above man. The Bible says, “So he became as much superior
to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs” (Hebrews 1:4).
Angels,
although being unequal to God, were made to be superior to the human race. They
are servants of the Most High and were created to worship and honor Him. The Bible says, “And
again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s
angels worship him” (Hebrews 1:6). Angels are God’s special creation,
and He affectionately called them Morning Stars in the Bible, for they sang as
He created the earth’s foundation. They worshiped God with great joy as He
brought His creation into being. The Bible says, “Where were you when I laid the
earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions?
Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its
footing set, or who laid its cornerstone – while the morning stars sang together,
and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4-7).
God affectionately
calls angels His chariots, and there are thousands upon thousands of them in
the Heavenly realm. The Bible says, “The chariots of God are tens of thousands
and thousands; the Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary” (Psalm 68:17). Chariots
were swift modes of transportation during Biblical times; similarly, angels are
moving about swiftly doing the work of God. Angels are everywhere to help attend
to the affairs of mankind as directed by God. They do not have to wait on the
bus, catch a taxi, crank a car, or hitchhike to get to their destination. Their
speed is beyond what we can measure, and God created them as such so that they
can respond instantaneously to His commands. The Bible says, “The Lord has established his
throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all. Praise the Lord, you his
angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord,
all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will” (Psalm 103:19-21).
Not
only do angels carry out the commands of God for mankind, but God created
angels with the ability to sing. God created the first musical note, lyrics,
instruments, and choir. Angels reflect His creativity, and some serve as
worshipers surrounding the throne of God to revere and sing His praises. The Bible says, “Then
I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon
thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and
the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: “Worthy is the
Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and
honor and glory and praise!” (Revelation 5:11-12). The Lamb is their
God and they are His servants who go about Heaven and earth doing the business
of the Father. They do not seek to be above Him, but they honor and adore Him
as their Creator, for God created all things and forever is to be praised.
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