HEAVEN’S PERSONAL DELIVERY SERVICEA STUDY OF ANGELS FROM THE BIBLE

Charles B. HodgesANGELS: An overpowering thought!

The more one learns of the universe the more aware he is of the mysteries for which he has no explanation.

The more one learns Scripture the more humbling it is---

Angels minister to the heirs of salvationHeb 1:14 14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

CHARACTERISTICS OF ANGELS1.Angels are without sexThey are created; they do not reproduce. Procreation

(human trait) implies death! Angels do not die; man lives by reproduction.

Matt 22:30 30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

Mark 12:25 25 When the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

Lk 20:36 35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage, 36 and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels.

2.Angels have strength but are not omnipotent.

They are stronger than man but not as strong as God

2 Pet 2: 10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh[c] and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; 11 yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from[d] the Lord.Psa 91: 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;12 they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.Psa 103: 20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.

Dan 6:22 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.2 Thes 1: 7 and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.Rev 20:1 And I saw an angel coming down out of heaven, having the key to the Abyss and holding in his hand a great chain. 2 He seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil, or Satan, and bound him for a thousand years.

Angels in Scripture are better known for their power than any other trait. Angels rolled back the stone at Jesus’ tomb.

3. Angels are brilliant but not omniscient.They are super-intelligent yet limited.Psa 148: 2 Praise him, all his angels;  praise him, all his

heavenly hosts.2 Sam 14: 17 “And now your servant says, ‘May the word

of my lord the king secure my inheritance, for my lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil. 20 …... My lord has wisdom like that of an angel of God—he knows everything that happens in the land.”

1 Pet 1:12 12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

However, angels are not God. They do not know everything God knows.

Matt 24:26 36 “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son,[f] but only the Father.

4.Angels are beautiful and usually in white apparel

Matt 28:3 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. [empty tomb]

Lk 2:9 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. [shepherds]

Ac 1:10 10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. [ascension]

They can accommodate themselves as men as need be.

Heb 13: 2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

John 12:29 29 The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him.

I Cor 13:1 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.

ANGELS IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

Some things pertaining to eternity and the invisible worlds (heaven, realm of the dead, etc.) are not overly clear in the OT. These are the great doctrines of hope found in Christ. However, angels are awesome even in the OT. There is no doubting their existence, work, or value.

Study of angels reveals and emphasizes a great aspect of God –

AGENCYChrist was the agency of creative power for the world:John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.Col 1:16 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.

The Holy Spirit inspired men with Scripture2 Pet 1:2121 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Christ Died on the Cross

The law of delegation: to do something via another is to do the job yourself. Angels are not unnecessary ornaments to placate the childish whims of God! They were created to work, serve, and praise. They carry out the Providence and Will of God!

A biblical understanding of angels underscores even more the majesty of God. It enlightens the doubting, confirms the believing, and comforts the sorrowing.

OLD TESTAMENT EVENTSAs man is driven out of Eden, Cherubim and a flaming sword are stationed to prevent re-entry Gen 3:24 First actual usage of “angel” comes with Hagar –Gen 16

Service, protection, message, reveal, commandAbraham extends hospitality to 3 angels appearing as men –Gen 18 “you will have a son”Two angels as men literally pull Lot and his family from Sodom --Gen 19 JudgmentAngel stopped Abraham from sacrificing Isaac –Gen 22

Intervention, provision, blessingJacob, fleeing from Esau, dreams of “Jacob’s Ladder”, wrestles angel –Gen 28

Name changed to Israel, “man of cunning "becomes “man of peace”, crippled,

MOSESEx 3:2 2 There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush.Ex 14: 19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and IsraelEx 12 Death of firstborn ? ? 23 When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.29 At midnight the LORD struck down all the firstborn in Egypt

Ex 23:20 “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. 21 Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him. 22 If you listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say, I will be an enemy to your enemies and will oppose those who oppose you. 23 My angel will go ahead of you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and Jebusites, and I will wipe them out.Acts 7: 30 “After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to Moses in the flames of a burning bush in the desert near Mount Sinai35 He was sent to be their ruler and deliverer by God himself, through the angel who appeared to him in the bush38 He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.53 you who have received the law that was given through angels but have not obeyed it.”

Col 3:19 Why, then, was the law given at all? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise referred had come. The law was given through angels and entrusted to a mediator. Heb 2:2 For since the message spoken through angels was binding, and every violation and disobedience received its just punishment, 3 how shall we escape if we ignore so great a salvation?

Psa 78:25 24 he rained down manna for the people to eat,    he gave them the grain of heaven. 25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;

BALAAMNum 22:21 Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey and went with the Moabite officials. 22 But God was very angry when he went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. Balaam was riding on his donkey, and his two servants were with him. 23 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with a drawn sword in his hand, it turned off the road into a field. Balaam beat it to get it back on the road.24 Then the angel of the LORD stood in a narrow path through the vineyards, with walls on both sides. 25 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it pressed close to the wall, crushing Balaam’s foot against it. So he beat the donkey again.26 Then the angel of the LORD moved on ahead and stood in a narrow place where there was no room to turn, either to the right or to the left. 27 When the donkey saw the angel of the LORD, it lay down under Balaam, and he was angry and beat it with his staff. 28 Then the LORD opened the donkey’s mouth, and it said to Balaam, “What have I done to you to make you beat me these three times?”

29 Balaam answered the donkey, “You have made a fool of me! If only I had a sword in my hand, I would kill you right now.”30 The donkey said to Balaam, “Am I not your own donkey, which you have always ridden, to this day? Have I been in the habit of doing this to you?”“No,” he said.31 Then the LORD opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown.32 The angel of the LORD asked him, “Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before me.[a] 33 The donkey saw me and turned away from me these three times. If it had not turned away, I would certainly have killed you by now, but I would have spared it.”34 Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”35 The angel of the LORD said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only what I tell you.” So Balaam went with Balak’s officials.

GIDEONJudges 6:11The angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”20 The angel of God said to him, “Take the meat and the unleavened bread, place them on this rock, and pour out the broth.” And Gideon did so. 21 Then the angel of the LORD touched the meat and the unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. And the angel of the LORD disappeared. 22 When Gideon realized that it was the angel of the LORD, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign LORD! I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face!” 23 But the LORD said to him, “Peace! Do not be afraid. You are not going to die.”

DAVID2 Sam 24:15 So the LORD sent a plague on Israel from that morning until the end of the time designated, and seventy thousand of the people from Dan to Beersheba died. 16 When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD relented concerning the disaster and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.1 Chron 21: 16 David looked up and saw the angel of the LORD standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extended over Jerusalem. Then David and the elders, clothed in sackcloth, fell facedown. 18 Then the angel of the LORD ordered Gad to tell David to go up and build an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. 20 While Araunah was threshing wheat, he turned and saw the angel 27 Then the LORD spoke to the angel, and he put his sword back into its sheath.29 The tabernacle of the LORD, which Moses had made in the wilderness, and the altar of burnt offering were at that time on the high place at Gibeon. 30 But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.

DANIELDan 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! Dan 6:21 Daniel answered, “May the king live forever! 22 My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions.

Dan 8 15 While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. 16 And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.”17 As he came near the place where I was standing, I was terrified and fell prostrate. “Son of man,”[b] he said to me, “understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.”18 While he was speaking to me, I was in a deep sleep, with my face to the ground. Then he touched me and raised me to my feet.

Dan 10: 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.7 I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; those who were with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that they fled and hid themselves. 8 So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. 9 Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.10 A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. 11 He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.

Dan 10:12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”15 While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 Then one who looked like a man[b] touched my lips, and I opened my mouth and began to speak. I said to the one standing before me, “I am overcome with anguish because of the vision, my lord, and I feel very weak. 17 How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.”

Dan 10:18 Again the one who looked like a man touched me and gave me strength. 19 “Do not be afraid, you who are highly esteemed,” he said. “Peace! Be strong now; be strong.”When he spoke to me, I was strengthened and said, “Speak, my lord, since you have given me strength.”20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.

Dan 12: 1 “At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered. 5 Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, one on this bank of the river and one on the opposite bank. 6 One of them said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, “How long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?”7 The man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, lifted his right hand and his left hand toward heaven, and I heard him swear by him who lives forever, saying, “It will be for a time, times and half a time.[b] When the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed.”

2 Kings 19: 6 Isaiah said to them, “Tell your master, ‘This is what the LORD says: Do not be afraid of what you have heard—those words with which the underlings of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. 7 Listen! When he hears a certain report, I will make him want to return to his own country, and there I will have him cut down with the sword.’”35 That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

Angel of the LORD

Angel of “Yahweh”; Angel of “Jehovah”

Tetragrammaton : YHWHThe tetragrammaton (from Greek τετραγράμματον, meaning "four letters")[1][2] is the Hebrew theonym יהוה, commonly transliterated into Latin letters as YHWH. Scholars widely propose that the name YHWH is a verb form derived from the Biblical Hebrew triconsonantal root היה (h-y-h) "to be", which has הוה (h-w-h) as a variant form, with a third person masculine y- prefix.[6] It is connected to the passage in Exodus 3:14 in which God gives his name as אהיה אשר Ehyeh) אהיהAsher Ehyeh), where the verb, translated most basically as "I am that I am"Religiously observant Jews are forbidden to pronounce the name of God, and when reading the Torah they use the word Adonai ("Lord").[5] Although most Christians have no prohibition on pronouncing the tetragrammaton, in most Christian translations of the Bible, "LORD" is used [ NIV LORD ] in place of the tetragrammaton, after the Hebrew Adonai, and is often written with small capitals (or in all caps) to distinguish it from other words translated as "Lord".

Angel of the LORDAngel of “Yahweh”; Angel of “Jehovah”Seems to connote a “special” angel. Definite article “the”.This exact title is found with Hagar (Gen 16); Abraham (Gen 31); Moses (Ex 2); Balaam (Num 22); Gideon (Judg 6); David (1 Chron 21); Isaiah ( 2 Kgs 19); Slaying of Assyrians ( 2 Kgs 19:35)Several Alternatives:1. This is a special angel who in a unique way represents

God2. It is Jesus Christ. Similar with the “Fourth Man” in the

fiery furnace, some suggest this was Jesus at work in ancient times. "the idea that this angel was Christ is unlikely for many reasons, which include the following: 1) God never said to any angel (including the 'angel of the Lord') 'you are my son' (Heb 1:5) ...";["The angel of the Lord is just that - an angel. ... the divine son of God ... was no mere angel of the Lord, nor did he manifest himself in some observable form prior to the Incarnation."

3. God Himself. This is a Theophany” --a personal appearance of God

Genesis 16:7–14. The angel of the Lord appears to Hagar. The angel speaks as God in the first person, and in verse 13 Hagar identifies the visitor as a god.Genesis 22:11–15. The angel of the Lord appears to Abraham and refers to God in the first person.Exodus 3:2–4. The angel of the Lord appears to Moses in a flame in verse 2, and God speaks to Moses from the flame in verse 4.It seems when the definite article “the” is used, it is specifying a

unique being, separate from the other angels. The angel of the Lord speaks as God, identifies Himself with God, and exercises the responsibilities of God (Genesis 16:7-12; 21:17-18; 22:11-18; Exodus 3:2; Judges 2:1-4; 5:23; 6:11-24; 13:3-22; 2 Samuel 24:16; Zechariah 1:12; 3:1; 12:8). In several of these appearances, those who saw the angel of the Lord feared for their lives because they had “seen the Lord.” Therefore, it is clear that in at least some instances, the angel of the Lord is a theophany, an appearance of God in physical form

There is no biblical solution to this problem. However, this title and the incidents mentioned in the Old Testament emphasize the importance of angels– how they are in God’s presence and represent God. Theirs is an exalted and privileged position. They minister to “the heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:14)