For God never said to any angel what he said
to Jesus: “You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.” God also said, “I
will be his Father, and he will be my Son.” And when he brought his supreme Son
into the world, God said, “Let all of God’s angels worship him.” Regarding the
angels, he says, “He sends his angels like the winds, his servants like flames
of fire.” And God never said to any of the angels, “Sit in the place of honor
at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under
your feet.” Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people
who will inherit salvation. (Hebrews. 1:5-7, 13-14)
When
seventeen-year-old Jake Porter ran onto the football field, both teams cheered.
Odd. But in three years on the Northwest High squad, Jake had barely dirtied a
game jersey. In fact, the McDermott, Ohio fans had never seen Jake so much as carry
the ball or make a tackle. They hadn’t even seen him read a book or write much
more than a sentence, for that matter. Kids with Chromosomal Fragile X Syndrome,
a common cause of mental retardation, seldom do. But Jake loved sports. Each
day after his special-needs classes, he dashed off to some sort of practice:
track, baseball, basketball, whatever. He never missed a practice. But he ever
played, either. That was until the Waverly game.
Jake's coach had
made the decision before kickoff. If it was a lopsided score, Jake would come
in. Well, lopsided happened. With five ticks remaining on the clock, Jake’s team
was down 42-0. So the coach called a time-out. He motioned to speak with the
opposing coach. As his Waverly counterpart heard the plan, he began shaking his
head and waving his hands. He’d disagreed with something. So, a referee
intervened, and play resumed. The quarterback took the ball and handed it to
Jake. And Jake knew what do: take a knee and let the clock expire. They'd
practiced that play all week. But, to Jake’s surprise, the players wouldn't let
him. His teammates told him to run. So he did. In the wrong direction. But the
back judge stopped him and turned him around. That's when the Waverly defense
did their part.
The visiting
coach, as it turns out, wasn't objecting to the play. He was happy for Jake to
carry the ball, but not just to run out the clock. He wanted Jake to score. So,
Waverly players parted like the Red Sea and shouted for Jake to run. And run he
did. Grinning and dancing and jumping all the way to the end zone. Both
sidelines celebrated. Moms cried. Dads high-fived. Cheerleaders whooped. And
Jake was grinning as if he'd won the lottery without buying a ticket. How often
do those kinds of things happen? Well, according to the Bible, more often than
you might think.
In fact, what
Jake's team did for him, the Lord of the universe does for you every day of
your life. And you ought to see the team he coaches. With over three hundred
scriptural references, God’s players – the angels – occupy an unquestioned role
in the Bible. And if you believe in God's Word, you’ve got to believe in angels.
But believing aside, they’re a little puzzling, too. Angel study is like Biblical
whale watching. Angels surface just long enough to give us a glimpse and raise
a question, and then they disappear before we have a full view. One thing is
certain, though – Biblical and contemporary portrayals of angels don't match up
very well.
Tabloids present
angels as Thumbelina-like fairies
with see-through wings. They exist to do us favors – heaven’s version of the
genie in the bottle who finds parking places, lost keys, and missing cats. Snap
your fingers and, "poof," they appear. Snap them again and they
vanish. That’s not the Biblical image, however. Two adjectives capture the
greater truth about angels: the words “many” and “mighty.” Multitudes of angels
populate the world. Hebrews 12:22 speaks of "thousands of angels in joyful
assembly." Jude declared, "The Lord is coming with thousands and
thousands of holy angels to judge everyone." (vv. 14-15) An inspired King
David wrote, "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of
angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place." (Ps.
68:17)
When referring
to Mt. Sinai, David was talking about the time when ten thousand angels
descended on the mountain as God gave the law to Moses. "God came down
from Sinai . . . coming with ten thousand holy angels." (Deut. 33:2) And thousands
of angels awaited the call of Christ on the day of his crucifixion. "Do
you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and He will at once put at my
disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matt. 26:53) Now in that
day, a legion was equal to 6,000 soldiers. A little quick math and you come up
with enough angels to fill SDCCU Stadium. 72,000 angels stood ready to rescue
their Master, or about half the population of Escondido.
The book of Revelation
refers to angels around the heavenly throne: "And the number of them was
ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands." (Rev. 5:11)
That’s 100 million, or about 1/3 of the United States’ population. And don't
forget the vision given to Elisha's servant. When an army threatened to take
the lives of them both, Elisha asked God to open the eyes of the boy.
"Then 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 6:17)
If God opened
our eyes, what would we see? Moms and dads? You’d see angels escorting your
child to school. Travelers? You’d see angels encircling the aircraft. Patients?
You’d see angels monitoring the moves of the surgeon. Teenagers? You’d see
angels overseeing your sleep. Lots and lots of angels. Hundreds of years ago
John Milton wrote, "Millions of spiritual creatures walk the Earth unseen,
both when we wake, and when we sleep." So, do you need an adjective to
describe angels? Well then, start with “many,” and continue with “mighty.” Chiffon
wings and meringue sweetness? Maybe for the angels in gift stores and specialty
shops, but God's angels are marked by indescribable strength. Paul says Christ
"will come with his mighty angels." (2 Thess. 1:7) From the word
translated “mighty,” we have the English word “dynamic.” Angels pack dynamic
force. It took only one angel to slay every firstborn in Egypt, and only one
angel to close the mouths of the lions to protect Daniel. David called angels
"mighty creatures who carry out his plans, listening for each of his
commands." (Ps. 103:20)
No need for you
to talk to angels, however; they won't listen. Their ears incline only to God's
voice. They are "spirits who serve God" (Heb. 1:14), responding to
his command and following only his directions. Jesus said they "always see
the face of my Father in heaven." (Matt. 18:10) Only one sound matters to the
angels – God’s voice. Only one sight enthralls the angels – God’s face. They
know that he is Lord of all. And as a result, they worship him. Whether in the
temple with Isaiah, or the pasture with the Bethlehem shepherds, angels
worship. "When he presented his honored Son to the world, God said, 'Let
all the angels of God worship him.'" (Heb. 1:6) They did, and they still do.
Remember the
earlier reference to the ten thousand times ten thousand angels encircling the
throne of heaven? Guess what they’re doing? "All the angels stood around
the throne . . . saying: 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom, thanksgiving and
honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen.'" (Rev.
7:11-12) Doesn't their worship speak volumes about God's beauty? Angels could
gaze at the Grand Tetons or the Grand Canyon, at Picasso paintings or the
Sistine Chapel, but they choose, instead, to fix their eyes on the glory of
God. They can't see enough of him, and they can't be silent about what they
see. At this very moment, God's sinless servants offer unceasing worship to
their Maker. He is, remember, their Creator.
Because at one
time no angels existed. And then, by God's decree, they did. "He made the
things we can see and the things we can't see – kings, kingdoms, rulers, and
authorities. Everything has been created through him and for him." (Col.
1:16) Angels fill God's invisible creation. They worship him, and – here’s some
comfort – they protect us. "All the angels are spirits who serve God and
are sent to help those who will receive
salvation." (Heb. 1:14)
Some time ago, a
missionary and two companions set out to smuggle Bibles and money to Christians
in Vietnam. Upon landing, however, the missionary became separated from his
companions. He spoke no Vietnamese, and had never traveled to Hanoi. Imagine
his thoughts, then, as he stood in front of the airport, holding a bag of
Bibles, wearing a belt of cash, and knowing nothing more than the name of his
hotel. Taxi driver after taxi driver offered their services, but the missionary
waited and prayed. Finally, knowing he needed to do something, he climbed into
a taxi and spoke the name of the hotel. After an hour and a thousand turns, he
found himself deposited at the designated place. He paid his drivers, and they
went on their way. Right. "They" drove off.
The front seat
of his taxi had been occupied by two men. Only later did the uniqueness of this
fact begin to sink in. The missionary had seen hundreds of taxis during his
days in Vietnam, but not another one of them had two drivers. Meaningless
detail? Possibly. Affirming clue? Equally possible. Perhaps he was safely
delivered, not by Vietnamese motorists, but by a tandem of heavenly couriers. Later,
the missionary’s companions arrived, but only after they'd been scammed by
another taxi driver. Did God command a dynamic duo to protect the missionary? You
can draw your own conclusions.
But God sent a
powerful protector to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. King Nebuchadnezzar had commanded
that the furnace be cranked up to seven times its normal heat and that the boys
be thrown into it. Once the victims were dispatched, the king looked in,
expecting to see a trio of misery; instead, the men were in fine company. A
visitor stood next to them amid the flames. "'Look!' Nebuchadnezzar
shouted. 'I see four men, unbound, walking around in the fire. They aren't even
hurt by the flames! And the fourth looks like a divine being!'" (Dan.
3:25) An angel ministering to God's people.
And look at
Peter, sleeping on a pallet in Jerusalem’s death row. One word from Herod and
his head would roll. All earthly efforts to save him had been exhausted. But heavenly
efforts had not. An angel not only woke Peter up, but walked him out of his
cell, too. The fisherman enjoyed a Jake Porter-type escort. (Acts 12:7) Angels
minister to God's people. "[God] has put his angels in charge of you to
watch over you wherever you go." (Ps. 91:11)
But what if you’re
not a believer? Do angels offer equal surveillance to God's enemies? No, they
don't. The promise of angelic protection is limited to those who trust God.
"All the angels are spirits who serve God and are sent to help those who will receive salvation."
David speaks of this restricted coverage: "For the angel of the LORD
guards all who fear him, and he rescues
them." (Ps. 34:7) Refuse God at the risk of an unguarded back. But receive
his lordship, and be assured that many mighty angels will guard you in all your
ways. "The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and
delivers them." (v. 7) The angel of the Lord doesn't wave as he flies
past; he camps, he lingers, he keeps vigilance over you. You traffic beneath
the care of celestial beings. The wealthiest of the world don't have the
protection that God's servants give to you. And angels love to give it.
Because angels
not only serve you, they’re stunned by you. "Do you realize how fortunate
you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this." (1 Pet. 1:12)
Amazed angels behold the gifts God has given you. Does the Holy Spirit indwell
angels? No. But he dwells in you. Do angels thank God for salvation? No,
they've never been lost. But you have. Did Christ become an angel? No. But he
became a human, and angels stood in awe when he did. Worshiping angels attended
his birth. Awaiting angels witnessed his death. Excited angels announced his
resurrection. And attentive angels watch the work of the church. "Through
Christians like yourselves gathered in churches, this extraordinary plan of God
is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!" (Eph. 3:10)
God's work in
you leaves angels wide-eyed and applauding. Jesus said, "There is joy in
the presence of God's angels when even one sinner repents." (Luke 15:10).
When angels gather in the break room, they talk about church. "Have you seen
what’s happening in Kenya?" Or, "The Aussie’s are making great
strides." Maybe, "Hey, I just returned from Escondido. Let me tell
you about those believers at Oak Hill." The Hebrew writer describes a
"great cloud of witnesses." (Heb. 12:1) Certainly angels are numbered
among them. God sends his best troops to oversee your life. Imagine the
president assigning his Secret Service to protect you, telling his agents to
motorcade your car through traffic and safeguard you through crowds. How would
you sleep if you knew Washington’s finest guarded your door?
So, how will you
sleep knowing heaven's finest are doing just that for you now? You’re not
alone. Receive God's lordship over your life. Heaven's many, mighty angels
watch over you. And when you cross the goal line, like Jake did, they'll be the
first to applaud you at the finish.
Grace,
Randy
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