ANGELS

The word angel means “messenger.” Angels are God’s messengers. They are created beings. That is why they are not worshiped. Only the Creator God is worshiped.
Although angels are immortal, they are not eternal because they have a starting place. God created them, but they do live forever.
We know that there are vast numbers of angels. Revelation chapter 5 talks about “the number of them was ten thousands times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” – Revelation 5:11. In Hebrews chapter 12, it tells us that there was “an innumerable company of angels” – Hebrews 12:22.
They worship and praise God in heaven. In Revelation chapters 4 and 5, we see into the throne room of heaven. Angels day and night stand around the throne of God and they cry out, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty” (Revelations. 4:8; 5:12–13).
They are God’s servants who carry out His business in this world.
Angels also carry the purpose of helping God to execute His judgments here on the earth.
Angels watch over God’s people.
Angels protect us and guide us. Matthew 2:19-20 “An angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”
In 2 Kings, The King of Syria had discovered that Elisha had been warning the King of Israel about ambushes Syria had set for Israel’s armies, and he was not happy about it. So, he sent a “huge army” to seize Elisha and bring him back to his city. Horses and chariots and a great army came by night, and in the morning Elisha’s servant went out to the well and was frightened because the enemy has surrounded the city.
In a panic, he runs back to Elisha.
He said “What shall we do?” That was a dumb question. There wasn’t anything they could do. The city was surrounded by a massive army and there was only two of them!
As dumb as that question is, we all ask it at one time or another. “What can we do?” We get surrounded by situations we can’t control, overwhelmed by troubles and difficulties and tragedies. We feel trapped, and there’s no way out. And so, we ask ourselves, “What can we do?” Deep inside we know there isn’t a thing we can do.
But, there is one thing we do. We can pray to the Lord of Hosts. When we’re faced with situations we can’t see our way out of, we need to remember that God has not abandoned us. He’ll not leave us or forsake us.
Now don’t think that every time we pray to God for help, the heaven’s open, angels come down, and all our troubles are taken care of. It does happen. I’ve seen it happen. But it doesn’t happen every time.
Jesus said “In this world you will have trouble, but take heart because I have overcome the world.” John 16:33
So, Elisha said to his servant “‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.” So, the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” 2 Kings 6:16-17
God sends His Angels to watch over us.
Psalm 34:7 “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and delivers them.”
Psalm 91:11 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
God tells us in Hebrews 1:14 “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
“Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’” II Kings 6:17
Elisha prayed to God and not to the angels. Angels belong to God. God is the Lord of hosts.
Angels are more powerful than any human could ever be. Later in 2 Kings, Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, came and surrounded Jerusalem with a mighty army. Sennacherib mocked Hezekiah, the King of Judah, and then he mocked their God. That’s when we read “That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!” 2 Kings 19:35
Sennacherib went home and he never came back.
Every time an angel shows up in Scripture, the first words out of their mouths is “Don’t be afraid.” They can be scary. But we don’t have to be afraid of them. Angels have been sent to watch over us.
Psalm 91 speaks about the angels who protect us. “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so you will not strike your foot against a stone” Psalm 91:11–12. They protect us, and they lift us up in times of harm or danger.
When we die, we don’t become angels. Psalm 8:5 tells us that God has made us a little lower than the angels. We weren’t created to be angels. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we’ve been elevated to a place higher than angels. 1 Corinthians 6:3 Do you not know that we will judge angels?
Angels are sent not only to protect us from harm, but also to rescue us from impossible situations. We have a number of illustrations of this in the Scripture.
King Herod arrested the apostle Peter and put him in prison. But the night before his trial, “Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains and between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison” Acts 12: 6. There was no way of Peter getting out of his situation, if you only saw through your human eyes. But God had a plan to create a divine intervention.
Then the Scripture says, “Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. 8 Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” Acts 12: 7–8.
Peter had no idea what was happening. In his sleepy state, he thought he was seeing a vision. “When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” Acts 12: 10-11.
The angel of the Lord encamps around you invisibly, to keep you from your enemies. But unless you see through the eyes of faith, you will not be able to see the invisible reality of God’s hand protecting you.
Chorus: “All night, all day, angels watching over me my Lord; all night, all day, angels watching over me. Verse: “I went down to the valley to pray – angels watching over me my Lord. Soul got happy and I stayed all day – angels watching over me.” Verse: “When my heart is sad and blue – angels watching over me my Lord. I call on Him to see me through – angels watching over me.” Verse: “Angels standing all around me – angels watching over me my Lord. They tell me how much God loves me – angels watching over me.”
Amen.