The Angelic Host

By Pastor Dan Kennedy
© March 24, 2013b
www.pastorkennedy.com


It was announced this week, “Voyager 1, one of two spacecraft NASA launched in 1977 on a grand tour of the outer planets, is now nearly 11.5 billion miles from the Sun, speeding away at 38,000 miles per hour”.  It keeps looking for someone, something…or anything that says that we are not alone in the Universe.  We sent it out in hope of new discoveries in our Universe and possibility of other life; or, even the reason for our own life. 

According to the secular humanist, there seems to be no life in this Universe except our own life (unless, of course, something we have made, like Voyager 1, or Voyager 2 spots it).  There is no God, some clearly say, with the exception of those who make themselves god; and, there are no spirit beings, good or bad (except what we emotionally feel so realistically portrayed in our self-created media, books and movies).

It would be sad to deceive ourselves into believing that in the midst of this profound, perpetually spinning world-sphere revealing glorious, inter-dependent eco-creation swirling with unexplainable dynamic complexity of human life, personality, interactive communication, and spirit - that everything simply sprouted from nothing and everything goes back into the dark hole of nothing…nothing to nothing.  Empty to empty.  Valuelessness to valuelessness.  Purposelessness to purposelessness.  Darkness to darkness.  Nothing to NOTHING.

But, that isn’t true.  

Creative life begets creative life.  The physics of life demands the continuation of a dynamic form of life after death.  God’s Word tells us that as His children, our new life and body will be greater than we could ever imagine (I Cor. 15:35-58).  

But, we are not alone.  We have never been alone.

Voyager 1 evidently isn’t out of earth’s solar system/Milky Way galaxy, not yet, even after thirty-six years of traveling 38,000 miles-an-hour, spanning 11 ½ billion miles… with still no visible signs of extra-terrestrial life…yet the Bible is full of God’s revelation of extra-terrestrial life.

The previous five messages to this have been a series on the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of our Creator God, sent to be resident in the lives of those who have been Born into the Family of God, who have accepted the Sacrificial and Redemptive Blood of Jesus Christ as his or her cleansing for sin before our Holy God.  There can be no closer intimacy with God on this earth, than having His Holy Spirit transform our spirit and reside within us.

The Bible also records many incidents of angelic beings who serve as messengers and servants of our Ultra-Sophisticated Creator God.  We are most definitely not alone!  We genuinely applaud NASA technicians for the success of overcoming many technical challenges to orchestrate sending up these highly specialized satellites.  But, it doesn’t matter how far these aging 40-year-old classic satellites may spin through the uncharted freeways of our Universe, they will still only be able to send back a minute amount of elementary, fuzzy data.  The dynamic spectrum of the universe easily bypasses our most brilliant human minds!   So let’s see what God’s Word says about angelic beings…confirming that we are most definitely not alone!


The Angelic Host

The subject of Angels is always mysterious.  Angels are normally invisible spirit beings to us.  We cannot ordinarily see spirit beings unless God allows them to reveal themselves.  

Today, we are glimpsing a Biblical perspective of angels.

Jesus and the 72,000 Angelic Warriors
Jesus knows about angels.  When the Last Supper was over and Passover had almost come, the temple guard came to arrest Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.  Simon Peter brandished his sword aiming to do some serious damage to those threatening his Master.  Jesus told him to put his sword away, and then He told Peter why.  If Christ had chosen, He could have called on His Father and His Father would have, at once, provided Him the protection of twelve legions (up to 72,000, according to the Roman Legion) of angelic warriors, but Jesus did not ask for this protection of angels – and He didn’t need Peter’s sword (Matthew 26:53).

The Scripture is full of lessons about angels.

Elisha and Angels
Do you remember when the king of Syria was complaining that there must be a traitor in his inner circle, because the Israelites always knew his plan to ambush the king of Israel?  His advisors told him that there were no traitors; it was instead, the prophetic work of Elisha, living in Dothan, who could tell the Israelite king what was happening in the king of Syria’s own private chambers.

The Syrian king dispatched a great army during the night to surround Dothan and capture the prophet.  This was a shock to Elisha’s servant when he went out on the veranda the next morning and saw enemy troops, horses and chariots menacingly engulfing the city.  He rushed back inside calling out to Elisha, “Oh sir, what will we do now?”

“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!”  Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire. 

The angelic presence was palpable to Elijah and his servant.  There was no more fear of the great army of men.  There is more to this story which you can read in 2 Kings 6:8-23.  

Balaam and the Angel
Have you ever been stopped from doing something, but didn’t know why?  Could it have been an angel?  An angel stopped Balaam from cursing Israel.  In Numbers 22-24 we are given the narrative of Balak, the king of Moab, who called for the seer Balaam to come and curse this host of people who he saw as threatening his kingdom.  Scripture says the king called for Balaam, “for he knew that he whom Balaam blessed was blessed, whom Balaam cursed was cursed”.  God told Balaam not to go with the first representatives from Balak.  So, honorably, Balaam did not go.  A second group of representatives, with higher credentials came to appeal for Balaam’s presence and God allowed Balaam to go, but not without cost. 

God was angry that Balaam was going, so he sent the angel of the Lord to stand in the road to block his way. As Balaam and two servants were riding along, Balaam’s donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand. The donkey bolted off the road into a field, but Balaam beat it and turned it back onto the road.  Then the angel of the Lord stood at a place where the road narrowed between two vineyard walls.  When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it tried to squeeze by and crushed Balaam’s foot against the wall. So Balaam beat the donkey again.  Then the angel of the Lord moved farther down the road and stood in a place too narrow for the donkey to get by at all.  This time when the donkey saw the angel, it lay down under Balaam. In a fit of rage Balaam beat the animal again with his staff. 
 Then the Lord gave the donkey the ability to speak. “What have I done to you that deserves your beating me three times?” it asked Balaam. 
“You have made me look like a fool!” Balaam shouted. “If I had a sword with me, I would kill you!” 
“But I am the same donkey you have ridden all your life,” the donkey answered. “Have I ever done anything like this before?” 
“No,” Balaam admitted. 
Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the roadway with a drawn sword in his hand. Balaam bowed his head and fell face down on the ground before him. 
“Why did you beat your donkey those three times?” the angel of the Lord demanded. “Look, I have come to block your way because you are stubbornly resisting me.  Three times the donkey saw me and shied away; otherwise, I would certainly have killed you by now and spared the donkey.” 
Then Balaam confessed to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned. I didn’t realize you were standing in the road to block my way. I will return home if you are against my going.” 
But the angel of the Lord told Balaam, “Go with these men, but say only what I tell you to say.” So Balaam went on with Balak’s officials. 
Numbers 22:22–35 (NLT)

God wanted Balaam to clearly see that he was to speak only the message that God would give him, not the curses against Israel that Balak wanted him to give.

Has God ever sent an angel to shut a door of “an opportunity or direction” that you or I were really hoping to stay open?  Angelic messengers can be sent to help us stay in a direction pleasing to God…and to impress on us a fresh sensitivity and dependence on what God is wanting us to do or say. 

Angels are Spiritual Beings

There are 281 direct references mentioning angels in the Scripture, primarily in 17 Books in the Old Testament and 17 Books in the New Testament.

God created Angels with the ability to choose to obey God, or disobey Him. 
(God doesn’t create robots.)  

There are good angels who serve God and there are evil angels who have disobeyed God and who hate and despise God because they did not succeed in their rebellion and were cast out of heaven (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Rev. 12:4,7-10).

Angels are either ministers from God sent for our protection and blessing; 
Or, they are prideful and powerful fallen angels who are spiritual emissaries from Satan as deceptive “angels of light”, who want to be a god themselves – often looking wonderful, knowledgeable and good, but instead, they are evil twisters of the truth, damming souls whenever they can (2 Cor. 11:13-15).

Galatians 1:7b-8
…There are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.

Today, we are looking at Angels who are sent by God for our good and blessing. Let’s look at what the Bible teaches about Angels.

Angels Worship God and Rejoice around His Throne

•	“Bless the Lord, you his angels” (Ps. 103:20); 
•	“Praise Him, all his angels” (Ps. 148:2); 
•	At the creation the sons of God shouted for joy (Job 38:7); 
•	A multitude of the heavenly host were praising God at Jesus’ birth (Luke 2:13); 
•	And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him” (Jesus) (Heb. 1:6).

Revelation 5:11–14 
11 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. 12 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!” 
13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: 
“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb 
be praise and honor and glory and power, 
for ever and ever!” 
14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped. 

Revelation 7:9–12 
9 After this I looked and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and in front of the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. 10 And they cried out in a loud voice: 
“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, 
and to the Lamb.” 
11 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying: 
“Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor 
and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever.  Amen!”

Angels are warriors for God

•	God sent a “destroyer” to kill the firstborn in Egypt, at the Passover, when the Israelites, former slaves, left for the promised land. (Ex. 12:23; Heb. 11:28).
•	And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel – the Israelites in the wilderness (1 Cor. 10:10; Num. 14).
•	The angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrians who had besieged Jerusalem to destroy it (2 Kgs. 19:35).
•	The angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem after David’s sin of numbering the people (2 Sam. 24:16; 1 Chr. 21:15).

Angels are Ministers and Messengers sent by God

Angels serve and minister at the will of God, and are not to be worshipped (Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; Rev. 22:9). 

Angels from the Lord were sent by God to interact with and minister to a variety of people throughout Biblical history: 

Abraham (Gen. 22:11; Gen. 22:15); 
Balaam (Num. 22:22–6); 
David (1 Chr. 21:16); 
Elijah (2 Kgs. 1:3; 2 Kgs. 1:15); 
Elisha (2 Kgs 6:8-23)
Gad (1 Chr. 21:18); 
Gideon (Judg. 6:11); 
Hagar (Gen. 16:7; Gen. 21:17); 
Jacob (Gen. 31:11); 
Joseph (Matt. 1:20; Matt. 2:13; Matt. 2:19); 
Manoah and his wife regarding Sampson (Judg. 13:3; Judg. 13:6; Judg. 13:9; Judg. 13:16; Judg. 13:21); 
Moses (Exod. 3:2); 
Zechariah the prophet (Zech. 1:12); Etc., etc.
Note: Other study resources used throughout besides Scripture: Collins Thesaurus of the Bible and The Moody Handbook of Theology

•	The angel of the Lord went before the Israelites as they went to the Promised Land (Exod. 23:23); 
•	The angel of God’s presence saved Israel when they were in their distress (Isa. 63:9);
•	God sent his angel and delivered Daniel from the lions (Dan. 3:28); 
•	An angel fed Elijah (1 Kgs. 19:5; 1 Kgs. 19:7); 
•	An angel appeared to Mary and Joseph regarding Christ’s Virgin Birth (Matt. 1:18-25; Luke 2:26-38);
•	Angels from the Lord appeared to the shepherds at Christ’s Birth (Luke 2:9-13); 
•	An angel warned Joseph to flee to Egypt to protect baby Jesus from Herod (Matt. 2:13);
•	Angels ministered to Jesus after he was tempted in the wilderness (Matt. 4:11; Mark 1:13);
•	An angel from the Lord ministered to Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43);
•	An angel of the Lord rolled away the stone from tomb at the Resurrection of Jesus (Matt. 28:2–7); 
•	There were two angels seated where Jesus’ body had been in the tomb (John 20:12); 
•	Men with white clothes were at Christ’s resurrection (Mark 16:5–7; Luke 24:4–7); 
•	Two men in white clothing were at Christ’s ascension (Acts 1:10); 
•	Cornelius saw an angel of God in a vision (Acts 10:3; Acts 10:22; Acts 10:30; Acts 11:13); 
•	An angel of the Lord opened the prison doors for the Apostles (Acts 5:18-19); 
•	An angel of the Lord directed Philip (Acts 8:26); 
•	An angel of the Lord released Peter from prison (Acts 12:7–10); 
•	An angel of the Lord struck Herod so he died (Acts 12:23); 
•	An angel appeared to Paul (Acts 27:23–4); 
•	Seven angels will pour out the bowls of the wrath of God upon the earth during the Great Tribulation (Rev. 15:7; 16:1).

Angels are sent to care for those who will inherit Salvation

Hebrews 1:14 
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? 

•	God will give his angels charge of you (Ps. 91:11; Matt. 4:6; Luke 4:10); 
•	“The little ones” – those who humble themselves and have faith in Christ as a child (Matt. 18:1-6) – [These little one’s] angels’ in heaven “always behold the face of my Father” (Matt. 18:10); 
•	There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10); 
•	The poor man [Lazarus] died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s bosom (Luke 16:22).  “Absent from the body … at home with the Lord.” (2 Cor. 5:6).

•	The angel of the Lord camps around those who fear God to deliver them (Ps. 34:7).


Angels are observers of mankind

The angels long to look into the Salvation that God is providing for the Believer. 

1 Peter 1:10–12 
10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 

Those who Conquer Spiritually will be commended by Jesus Christ before God and His angels

Revelation 3:5 
 (Jesus speaking to one of the Churches…) 
5 The one who conquers will be clothed thus in white garments, and I will never blot his name out of the book of life. I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels. 

Gracious Hospitality may give you contact with an angel

Hebrews 13:2 
2 Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. 

Angels will be Coming with Jesus Christ at His Second Coming

•	The Son of man will come with his angels (Matt. 16:27); 
•	When the Son of man comes in glory and all the angels with him (Matt. 25:31); 
•	The Son of man will come with his holy angels (Mark 8:38); 
•	The Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels (2 Thess. 1:7); 
•	There will be shame before God and His angels for those who are ashamed of Christ here on earth (Luke 9:26); 
•	The Lord will descend with the voice of the archangel (1 Thess. 4:16); 
•	The Lord will come with myriads of His holy ones (Jude 14); 
•	God will send His angels to gather the elect (Matt. 24:31; Mark 13:27); 
•	The Son of man will send out his angels (Matt. 13:41); 
•	The reapers are angels (Matt. 13:39); 
•	The angels will separate the wicked from the righteous (Matt. 13:49).

God’s Children will judge angels

1 Corinthians 6:3  
3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 

Conclusion

The Almighty God who created everything, and created us, has not left His Children bereft of Himself or of spiritual help or assistance by giving them… 

His Holy Spirit,
His Holy Word,
and His Angelic Host.

God’s Seven Provisions for His Children

1.	 God has provided for us the very life of His Son to be the Redemptive Sacrifice for our sins (Eph. 1:7; Col. 1:14).

2.	 God has given us His Holy Spirit to reside within those who have received His Gift of Eternal Life through Jesus Christ and have been transformed and born again through the Power of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19; Col. 1:27).

3.	 God has given us His Holy Word to be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path (Psalm 119:105).

4.	 God has given us everything we need for life and godliness, with His exceedingly great and precious promises for us (2 Peter 1:3).

5.	 God provides a “way of escape” so we could be able to bear trial and temptation (1 Cor. 10:13).

6.	 God has given us His angelic messengers to “encamp around those who fear Him and deliver them” (Ps. 34:7)

7.	 God is providing for us a Heavenly Jerusalem!

Hebrews 12:22–24 
22 But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, 23 to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, 24 to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel. 

The Angelic Host
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