Monday, August 25, 2008
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Angels- God-Ordained Beings or Masses of Light?
by mrs violet
The angelic is a realm that leaves me feeling a little lost for words. Sure I believe in angels as the Bible portrays them, I have no doubt there have been many instances in my life where I have been under girded by them, for I have felt that kind of protection that I am sure can only come from an angel doing the Lord's work. Yet there is a trend in the Body of Christ to over emphasize and increase the role of angels in the Lord's work today.
Angels being welcomed into churches, being given special function over areas and fellowships, even given names. I must admit that I am left with spiritual goosebumps at this type of thing and not the good kind. I am trying to weigh up my biblical understanding of angels with a lot of the new prophetic trends I see happening today, and it leaves me struggling.
I want to be open to the workings of the Holy Spirit in our modern age, yet I want to have a biblical foundation for it as well. I am aware of not becoming wise in my own eyes (as the Proverbs puts it), and open to the miraculous, but I also do not want to be led astray by false teaching. Popular courses like a Course in Angels, deal with a New Age perspective, but how do we as Christians maintain a balance between the God-ordained and that which is masquerading as an angel of light?
What is your understanding of the role of angels in our lives today? Can anyone provide any biblical guidance?
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Comments (28)
Angels are scary as hell. Throughout the scriptures the response people consistently have to seeing an angel is freaking out, and they're always told, "Fear not," which may or may not actually help, if you think about it.
My understanding of the roles of angels in our lives today? I have no understanding, and am not at all sure that there is any such role. Unless I am about to be sent into battle against the Midianites, or give birth to the messiah, I don't expect to warrant that kind of attention. I think that the decisions I need to make will be quite well laid-out in scripture: forgive the enemy, welcome the stranger, seek first the kingdom.
That's about all I've got.
N. D. Stanton Roark
The bible talks about many mythological creatures, the KJV mentions everything from witches to wizards, sorcerers, necromancers, and unicorns. Not to mention behemoths and other creatures that don't exist and by most peoples' reckoning almost certainly never have. In any other 2,000 year old text these would be considered exaggerations or embellishments at least, even by believers in the legitimacy of that text.
Many of the supernatural qualities attributed to christ were attributed to "buddha" or Siddhartha Guatama, the founder of buddhism. But the vast majority of modern buddhists don't believe them to be literally true.
I think angels have their roles as protectors and messengers sent to warn or even guide us at times. But there is much work we have to do that even angles can't. I don't know if that helps you any. I gotta think and read up on it.
Just a few things....
Angels serve and are sent at the behest of God to aid those who are Christ's. See Hebrews 1:14: Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?
The Bible says God sends angels to guard/protect us: Psalm 91:11. Mark 1:13. Luke 22:43 Angels came to minister to Jesus after He was tempted in the wilderness and after his prayer in the garden.
We don't worship angels or pray to them. The angels are distinct from God. (See Col. 2:18; Hebrews 1:13; I Peter 3:22). For NT teaching on angels, look at Hebrews 1 and 2, which speak about how Jesus is different from the angels, and also how the angels are different than men.
The angels are big into praising God and making much of Him. And there will be angels accompanying Jesus when He returns.
If there are churches teaching that we ought to worship angels, then that's unbiblical. We are to worship the Lord our God only. And Satan can appear as an angel of light, as you say, so we always need to be testing the spirits (see I John 4) and checking things against Scripture.
There's no scripture that tells us that we should seek out angels or pray to them. Just seek Jesus and you won't go wrong.
Colossians 2:18 - Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshiping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.
It is true that angels are messengers and they also have a role to protect us from evil forces.. :)
i've always been interested in angels, because they are a universal spiritual phenomena.
by the way.... Satan/Lucifer IS still an angel (merely a fallen one) and his name originates from the Latin word for light.
Angels used to be prevalent in this world, touching many of us, then about a decade ago CBS canceled their show.
The word "angel" literally means "messenger." Most times you hear about an angel in Scripture, they're bringing a message from God, or doing some other errand or mission for God. "God's secret agents," as Billy Graham puts it.
The one thing angels refuse to do is bring glory to themselves. Angels in the Bible rightly refuse to accept worship or reverence which only belongs to God. (See Rev. 19:10.)
On the other hand, the devil is able to disguise himself as an angel of light (2 Cor 11:14). So I'd be dubious of any theology (Christian or otherwise) that puts too much attention on angels themselves. The angels that want attention are the kind you don't want to give attention to.
C. S. Lewis has a great essay on angels in the preface to The Screwtape Letters. In short, the cute li'l angels with halos, and the sweet Victorian ladies with wings, are artistic creations by people who know nothing about what angels are like! (In the Bible, an angel has to say "Fear not," not "There, there.") Dante comes closer.
From
what I understand for the book of Hebrews, and many in the old
testament like Psalms 91:11 and other passages and stories (like book
of Zechariah the prophet is with an angel , or Daniel (Daniel 4:13,23;
8:13), ect. Zechariah 1:9,13,14,19;Hebrews 1- 2:2;Galatians 3:19)
Angels are servants of God and God's ministers, agents of God.
Well
I can't say I've seen any angel, but like the Bible describes and state
of men, "fear not" got be ,um some experience (In Book of Isaiah 6
describes seraphim) . Hopefully it obvious not to worship angels, any
that let you should be a first sign of the obvious not of God's agents.
For we are to test the spirits (angels are spirits). Faith in Christ's
righteousness and atonement and agreement of the Word, Satan works
against Christ's righteousness and atonement.
But yes, angels
are to help us. Hey even Jesus need help angels in his life too. The
angels came to minister to Jesus to strength him (Matthew 4:11). And Jesus talk of them too (Matthew 13:39,41,49; 16:27; 24:31).
When looking for biblical guidance on angels one may not have to look too much further than Exodus where the Lord says, Exodus 34:14 "For thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God: " My interpretation of this passage and others like it is that we should put no one or thing at equal footing with or above the Lord, including angels. Angels, just like men, are servants of the Lord and do His will.
@musterion99@xanga - That is an awesome scripture. I'll be sure to remember that when the issue of the place of Angels comes up again.
I'm not sure how helpful this is but I've had experiences with angels as protection. I don't believe we should exalt any being above God but I do believe that he sends his angels to help us with tough times (like daniel) or to tell us messages (like other prophets) ... I'm not sure if I would appoint them into offices, however, I'm sure they do have names.
[ I am trying to weigh up my biblical understanding of angels with a lot of the new prophetic trends I see happening today, and it leaves me struggling. ]
That's why you're struggling. What people believe out there is not the same as what the bible teaches.
The best advice: Search the scriptures. What it says, it is.
@SassyGrrl25@xanga - Yeah, most people aren't aware of that verse.
Come on people. METAPHOR, anyone?
From what I've read in the Bible, there are there several types of angels. The warrior kind- like Michael, the messenger kind, like Gabriel and the Guardians which I think are still the warrior kind and those that fly around the throne singing Holy Holy Holy.
I work in a Christian book store and there are 2 books out on that subject that are really sound and Biblically accurate and those are Heaven by Randy Alcorn and the bible study called Angels done by Inter Varsity Press.
The book of Revelations clearly shows that we are not to worship angels that they are servants to God, the same as us- John was warned of this.
Not wanting to error on the side of evil on this subject- I don't even talk to one unless one speaks to me 1st. BUT I see no harm in asking the Lord to send His angels down to certain places or asking Him to "double the guard" for spiritual safety and peace of mind. But again- I leave what He chooses to do, in His hands. After all, they are His Angels.
As for the "Fallen" kind- I have no trouble doing the "resist the devil and he will flee from you" kinda thing. If I think an evil angel is bothering me or someone I love I have no trouble quoting that verse. And if that doesn't work asking the Lord to take care of it.
The Armor of God is in Ephesians for a good reason so I make good use of it .
I don't believe in a "devil under every rock" mind set- you can make yourself spiritually paranoid doing that but to say that they aren't real is just as foolish.
On Biblegateway, my search for "angels" turned up 99 verses and "angel" came up with 291! (http://www.biblegateway.com/quicksearch/?quicksearch=angel) Throughout the Bible, angels have protected, delivered messages, and destroyed when absolutely necessary. While when they appear in full glory they are terrifying creatures which people are strongly tempted to worship, other times they disguise themselves as humans and go unrecognized.
Angels probably have a greater hand in human events than we could ever know. Several of my family members have been rescued from dangerous circumstances by angels in the past, and there are surely many instances of their intervention in many lives that we will never know about until we get to Heaven. Of course, don't forget the fallen angels- scriptures indicate they are also active in the world. (In Matthew 8, etc.)
I think it's a good idea to ask God to send His angels to watch over us and protect us from evil of all kinds, both spiritual and physical.
The current popular movement that on one side trivializes and on the other overemphasizes angels disturbs me for two reasons.
1.) Angels are not pets. Look at the Bible. The ones on God's side are good, or course, but they are also freaking scary. Luke 2: 9-10 is a classic example: "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'"
2.) We don't need to be focusing on angels- we should be focusing on Jesus. The angels themselves must be mightily uncomfortable with all of the attention! It seems like they'd rather stay behind the scenes unless they have to show themselves for God's purposes. Revelation 22:7-9: "...I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to me. But he said to me, 'Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!'"
That, I believe, is where the real danger of angelmania lies. When I hear about people praying to angels it bothers me. That is not where we should be pouring our devotion and attention. We shouldn't worship angels any more than we should worship another human being. Any angel that accepts our devotion that should be reserved for God cannot be from God. After all, "Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light." 2 Corinthians 11:14
God created us humans and the angels- He alone deserves the praise of both!
I believe angels are under a system of authority, and are God's semi-autonomous emmisarys, messengers, errand boys, peace-keepers, defenders, warriors, trouble-shooters, problem-solvers, ministering instruments of God's mercy, grace, assistance, judgment & wrath... and many are also His enemies. I suspect many more may be 'on-the-fence', or not yet judged or fallen.
Angels are God's behind-the-scenes authority on earth. They are limited in their operations by protocol and power of authority. As such there are many different jobs that angels play, though I think there are different levels and roles for different angels.
I do not know very much about communicating with angels, however, at the very least I believe we are not to pray to them, worship them, or even give them undue emphasis in our minds, lives or hearts. And considering how even evil angels can appear as good ones, doing so could be extremely dangerous in many ways.
I believe when we pray to God, it is likely most often angels which respond, whether or not our every prayer is always heard, judged and and acted upon by God the Father Himself as well.
However I believe for those who think they can just pray to angels or develop some kind of relationship with them in place of God they are sadly mistaken. Angels cannot save you, nor grant forgiveness or eternal life. Nor can any efforts on our part accomplish this. This includes the so-called 'spiritual evolution' so many are endeavoring to take part in today. The Bible is clear that psychic or spiritual power and ability alone will not save a person. In fact, it could be a means by which one is eventually condemned.
There is some misunderstanding of angelic work out there. I did my senior research in college on angels. Very interesting. I think there are two negative spots. One spot is where people worship them. Not just give them names, but flat our worship them. That is fully uncalled for.
Yet, for us to assume that they don't do anything is foolish. The Bible says that they are given charge over us (even if we don't have what we would call a huge roll). They worship God, protect His people, and serve Him in any way He wants.
At the end of the book of Revelation, an angel tells John that he is a fellow servant (Rev. 21:9). The one big mistake we Christians make is assuming we are one team and the angels are another team. We are one team with them. Allies.
@nimbusthedragon@xanga - angels are far more than metaphores. They are real and there are many stories about them in recent years.
here's a thought. today's trend is angels. the last trend was saints. many people used to, and still do in the catholic church at least, worship the saints, often in place of seeking guidance from god. there's a saint for everything and everywhere. currently, it's the EXACT SAME TREND only replacing saints with angels. i work in a new age shop, and i've come across all sorts of books and ideas in my line of work. not every new age idea is non-christian. much of the people who have written on the subject of angels do not "worship" the angels. they pray to them for guidance, and often times couple that with prayer to god him/herself. many of the authors out there who write or speak on the subject of angels make reference that they are doing god's work and helping mankind. it's not a negative idea. it's actually a very positive one! again, it's actually not all that different from the whole saints thing. it's just a different interpretation of text. everyone has their own interpretations of things because of their own understanding, backgrounds, things they've been taught, and critical thinking skills. the bible, and the things/beings in it is no different.
@too_pretty_to_die@xanga - satan and lucifer are actually 2 seperate beings, not one single entity. lucifer is a fallen angel. satan is not. satan was the serpent in eden, subsequently, satan is a demon.
@kamikaze_zealot@xanga - care to cite the Bible verse in Genesis that names the serpent?
Angels are us before we are born. We are the children of Heavenly Father and our spirits lived with Him until we were placed in our bodies. Many of us were given assignments to minister to those on the earth. That is where our "deja vu" comes from. Angels witness to the truth.