ANGELS

Take the Bible first - they are mentioned over three hundred times, many more times than Satan and all his demons are mentioned. Although the Bible tells us that Satan was originally a fallen angel - he was the archangel, Lucifer, described as an angel of light who coveted the place of God and was consequently driven out of heaven, taking with him two-thirds of all the angels present, to establish his rule on earth, poisoning man against his Creator and setting himself in conflict with God's will. (Isaiah 14. 12 - 14; Ephesians 6. 12 )

But that is the negative side, much more positively we are told that the angels of God are on our side. They are essentially spiritual beings created by God (Colossians 1. 16 - 17) and although they can take on any form of physical body, they cannot marry or be given in marriage, they cannot reproduce and they are untouched by sin and cannot know God's salvation in themselves, though they can share in the rejoicing over sinners who repent (Luke 15. 10 ).

They are God's ministering spirits, they are God's agents to help further His work of love on earth. The Old Testament is full of wonderful stories of God's servants experiencing the ministry of angels - Abraham's three visitors who prophesied his elderly wife, Sarah, would give birth were angel messengers (Genesis 18); Jacob's dream at Bethel of angels ascending and descending a ladder stretched to heaven gave the erring patriarch a new respect and reverence for God ( Genesis 28); the weary and depressed Elijah after his victory over the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel was fed and strengthened by an angel of the Lord (1 Kings 19. 5 - 9) and not to mention God's courageous servant Daniel who survived the lions' den because the angel of the Lord 'stopped the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6. 21 ). That's just a sample of angel 'magic' on behalf of God's warriors.

The story is even more fascinating in the New Testament where angels figure just as much as in more ancient times. Everybody knows of the Christmas angels the angel Gabriel who announced to Mary that she was to bear a Son whose name must be Jesus and the angel who explained to her confused fiancé, Joseph what it was all about. (Luke 1. 30 - 33; Matthew 1.) It was an angel who directed Philip to bear witness to an Ethiopian nobleman as he journeyed home in his chariot (Acts 8. 26); who led the Gentile, Cornelius to Peter to enquire of Jesus (Acts 10) and it was an angel who supported Paul in a shipwreck so that he would have the opportunity to bear witness to Caesar in Rome (Acts 27. 24 ).

Angels supported our Lord at critical moments in His life: following Jesus' temptation in the wilderness they came to succour Him and after His ordeal in the Garden of Gethsemene (Luke 4 ; Luke 22 ). They announced His birth and they filled the empty tomb of His burial with the glorious message, 'He is not here: He is risen !'

So apart from Lucifer and all the fallen angels who will perish in the last Judgement as symbolised by John in the Book of Revelation chapters four to nineteen, the angels of God are present to guide and protect us from all real harm and danger, as the Psalmist says, For God will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you strike not a foot against a stone. (Psalm 91. 11 - 12)

There are remarkable stories from our present day of what can only be described as angelic protection. Some years ago a Methodist minister working in a particularly rough part of London was prevailed upon by a young man to visit his mother who was terminally ill. Following the instructions given him the minister knocked on the door of a seedy tenement block to be greeted by the same young man with two other men whose manner seemed at first hostile and then surprised. They showed him the mother who though in bed didn't appear all that unwell. Then in an agitated manner the young men bid the minister farewell. It was about a month later that the minister received a letter from the young man who had called him out apologising and admitting that their original intention was to do him harm but they were put off by the stranger whom he had brought with him and who had frightened them. The minister was surprised for as far as he knew no-one had accompanied him that night.

Stories like that can be multiplied for we do live in a world where not everything that happens to us can be rationally explained. There are undoubtedly, as the apostle Paul suggests supernatural forces around us and not all of them good but there is also God Himself who through His Holy Spirit blesses our lives and there are also the holy angels who besides praising God about His throne, as it were, move silently and powerfully to keep evil and temptation at bay and to defend our lives.

The word angel comes from a Greek word, which essentially means, 'a messenger' which really means that their authority and power come from God. They are completely dedicated to the unending task of serving God for our good. Their spiritual versatility is such that the stereotype of slim, handsome creatures with wings is very limited and apart from Isaiah's vision of the seraphim in the temple ( Isaiah 6 ) finds little other support in the scriptures.

Some years ago there was a programme of hymns sung of a Sunday morning from Wales on the old 'steam' radio which had the following hymn as its theme tune and whilst the words may strike a somewhat sentimental note they encapsulate for me the glorious ministry of angels - God's strike force that will help banish all evil and establish God's kingdom of light:

Douglas Graham

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