The Angels of God - Part A

34 books in the Bible talk about Angels. 17. In the Old Testament 17 in the New Testament if you were to add up all the times that angels are mentioned, you would have almost 300 specific places were angels are mentioned in the Bible. Too many angels are relegated to mythology for fantasy today on connect with Skip Heitzigs, Skip gives you the rundown on angels and wider significance to this plan to you right now we want to tell you about a recent will encourage her to boldly live out your faith so you can make a difference for Christ. People find comfort in the status quo. Others just can't wait to challenge it. If this were a recovery meeting, I would begin by saying my name is Skip and I'm a nonconformist. You though with the flow swim against the current truth is going against the status quo can be difficult. Following Jesus requires that Daniel shows how God can transform one person's willingness to define what's normal. I like to think of it this way when the ways of life came crashing down. Daniel decided to go surfing to write these waves. These waves are the will of God for my life to learn how to master these things and I want to get propelled forward. Learn to soar above the status quo.

I think the defined normal way of saying thanks for your gift of $35 and more to help connect more for the God's part. And when you get will also include the booklet 100 and I here for Rick Warren. These two resources will help you stand out from the crowd for God's glory connectwithskip.com/offer to get online securely today or call 892 1888 as we join Skip today's teacher by way of introduction, I was writing this weekend assess expert who said it is highly unlikely that we are alone in the universe and that we may be close to finding alien life. He went on to say. In fact, it may happen within the next two decades the people of been saying this for years were not alone in the universe there's life out there intelligent life.

Probably it became popularized in our generations all the way back with Star Trek and then Star Wars earlier this year. NASA announced the discovery of seven earth -sized planets in the constellation Aquarius that are warm enough to sustain the life on them and I got a lot of scientists in that community very very excited while here's the truth were not alone in this universe there is highly intelligent life. His name is God besides God.

There are other beings that are intelligent, very very powerful can move at unprecedented speeds.

We call them angels. The Bible refers to them a lot as we will see. And while there's no shortage of documentaries on UFOs or peoples personal experience with UFOs. They been abducted by aliens etc. etc. etc. the real question to ask is how much of that has something to do with angelic beings and demonic beings.

Something with a look at this time and next time according to a CBS poll, nearly 8/10 Americans 77% to be exact believed in angels. The article said. But belief in angels is fairly widespread, even among the less religious and a majority of non-Christians think that angels exist, as do more than 4/10 of those who never attend religious services over the last several years.

If there's even been angels sightings a lot. I think it was really, really popular about 1015 years ago. Seems like every week I heard of angels sightings.

They became as popular as Elvis sightings back in the 1970s people who would take a picture and then look at the picture later look at it up close and there be some kind of maybe angelic being perhaps behind that cloud or could just be a light streak, but it's an angel them or I've heard people say I was driving my car. I picked up a hitchhiker. The hitchhiker was telling me about my life and then vanish disappeared.

So we have hitchhiking angels as well.

Very popular are movies about Angels.

Some of them owe more famous ones angels in the outfield another one angels. In the end zone and another one angels in the infield he seemed like major league sports. For some reason there was a movie called the prophecy. There was a movie in 2007 called Gabriel and one in 2010 call Legion on and on and on.

The list goes. But the most famous of the classic movie about Angels that comes out every time. This time of year goes all the way back to 1947, starring Jimmy Stewart called. It's a wonderful life and Jimmy Stewart plays George Bailey in the film is very depressed, loses his job is suicidal on Christmas Eve until Clarence shows up his guardian angel and convinces him that his life is worth living that he's done great things and in the story is it's a it's an emotional, fun, fun little story to go on from the ride. Unfortunately though, like many things. A lot of people believe in things and they take their cues, not from the Scripture, but from popular media or popular books. And so it is with angels. That's why I want to look at the Bible with you to see what the Bible has to say about these very powerful and interesting being so were in Hebrews chapter 1, and I want to show you a list of several traits about Angels things they do things they are and I will get a good running start on. It's a short chapter so we can read it altogether.

Hebrews 1 says God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by his son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the worlds who being the brightness of his glory and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the Angels as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they do. Which of the angels did he ever say you are my son, today I have begotten you. And again I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son. But when he again brings the firstborn into the world. He says that all the angels of God worship him and of the angels. He says who makes his angels spirits and his ministers a flame of fire, but to the son he says your throne. Oh God is forever and ever scepter of righteousness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness more than York companions and you Lord in the beginning, laid the foundations of the earth and the heavens of the work of your hands.

They will perish, but you remain, they will all grow old like a garment like a cloak you will fold them up and they will be changed, but you are the same for your years will not fail to which of the angels has he ever said sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool are they not, that is, angels are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation Hebrews chapter 1 is about Jesus but the author compares Jesus Christ the son of God with other beings and angels are mentioned several times in this chapters he compares them to the so kind of taking our cues from their limit.

List several traits about Angels. First of all, angels are significant. They are significant in God's plan six times in those 14 versus he mentions angels talks about God the father, Jesus the son, and he speaks about Angels. All of them as very, very real. 34 books in the Bible talk about Angels. 17. In the Old Testament 17 in the New Testament if you were to add up all the times that angels are mentioned would have almost 300 specific places were angels are mentioned in the Bible the word angel singular shows up 199 times the plural form angels shows up 93 times almost 300 we get to the New Testament.

It uses a very specific word translated into English angel is the word on the loss which literally means one who is dispatched or a messenger and Angel is a messenger is working to see a messenger of God. Now that's a word that can refer to any messenger human messenger, but it most often refers to these spiritual beings a certain class of spiritual beings. There are other names that are mentioned in the Bible for these creatures. For example, in Job chapter 1 and chapter 2. These angels are called sons of God and are given that title because angels don't procreate Emma to touch on this again, but they are correct special creations of God and therefore can go by the term sons of God as Job, chapter 1 and two there called in Psalm 89 holy ones are called spirits here a couple of places. Verse 14 calls the ministering spirits. Daniel chapter 4 refers to angels as watchers and Ephesians and Colossians call them dominions or principalities or powers or authorities. Then there are special kinds of angels.

The Bible talks about cherubim and cherubim were sort of like Special Agent angels, they, they, their task was to guard the entrance to the Garden of Eden. In the book of Genesis chapter 3. Think of sentries at Buckingham Palace or the Swiss guard in front of the Vatican or the Secret Service guarding the president on the ark of the covenant. There were two cherubim that were carved out with their wings touching in the middle and God said that is the place that I will meet you. That is the place from where I will speak to you, God was seen and called one who dwells between the cherubim that special class of angelic beings. There is another being of angels called Seraphim and the Seraphim seem to provide the background music to heaven. They're the ones crying out holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, the whole earth is filled with his glory. So we have cherubim we have Seraphim and then we have in the book of Revelation. Something called living creatures for living creatures know they may be related. They may be may be one of the cherubim reserve from were not sure, but these four living creatures are singled out as unique to come to us in Revelation chapter 5 in Ezekiel chapter 1 what makes them really weird is that they have very unique faces four faces the face of a lion in the face of an ox the face of a man the face of an eagle time for bids going into all the exegesis of that, but enough to say that there's a lot of different types of angels question is where they come from answer. God made them. God created them. They didn't always exist, so they're not eternal, but they are immortal.

That is, God created them and they will never die, they will live forever. So, in Genesis chapter 2 verse one we are told.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them so God created the heavens and the earth and the angelic beings called the host of heaven, we don't know exactly when they were made. Some speculate they were made before the heavens and the earth were made before the universe.

Others figured that they were created between day one in Genesis chapter 1 and two and day six but certainly there were created before the seventh day of creation. When God created human beings on the earth and that is because of the text that I just read, God finished the heavens and the earth and all the host of them so could be.

There were made before he made anything else or they were there and got to witness part of the creation, having newly been made in the book of Job, when God interrogates Job at the end of the book is one of the best sections of the book, God says where were you when I created the heavens and the earth and I formed the universe and he said concerning that when the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.

It seems to indicate that whatever God made them. They shouted for joy and got all happy when God made an inhabitable planet and put mankind on it. So let's say they were just created either way before he created anything else or while he was making the heavens and the earth somewhere between day one and day six something else. According to Jesus, they don't reproduce. They don't procreate. So like you have a daddy angel and a mom angel they have sotalol sorts a little angels cherubs you know like in the paintings at little babies with wings. Not all I get a special creation by God. Each one individual.

I might even say like snowflakes, snowflakes are unique, one from another unit never see to alike. I think God instantly created the Angels and they were all very very unique. But Jesus said this when he was having an argument with the religious leaders of his day and they were talking about the future resurrection and they were trying to trap Jesus with an argument. And Jesus answered the little argument about the future resurrection by just saying this your ignorant, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. But concerning the resurrection in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, that human beings are like the angels of God, so God specially made them.

They are immortal but not eternal. It will live forever.

Melanie throw Sentinel such do you know that you may have actually met an angel you say no and I know I would have.

I would've recognized an angel by the wings certainly have never met an angel. Well, you wouldn't recognize it as an angel. The book of Hebrews chapter 13 says, don't forget to show hospitality to strangers for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing I think that one of the reasons we tend to dismiss the idea of angels. Most people do. By the way they do give angels a thought as being real or being in their world is because of all of the Hollywood movies all of the sidings people of had all of the lame caricatures that people have come up with, you know angels always have long robes, Allison on clouds. They always play harps. There always fair skin and often feminine right there always female. That's another part for trade.

One man said that his wife reminded him of an angel because she was always up in the air harping about something well in the Bible of these creatures are very, very strong.

Michael for example in the book of Daniel is a warrior angel and the townhome of the Jewish writings from the past always describe angels as fiery beings in one little passage of the dominance of the essence of angels is fire so one thing we know is they are very very powerful. So there significant in God's plan. That's a first rate. The second trait they are several in number. In verse four, five, six of Hebrews chapter 1 verse 4567 13 and 14 uses the plural angels. Angels, how many angels are there answer. We don't know a lot would be a good answer all whole lot we don't exactly know how many but let me give you my take on this.

There are only three that are identified in the Scripture by name.

Number one is Michael. Michael is called interestingly and Archangel arc on the loss some kind of superpower being in rank and Archangel's call that in Jude verse nine when Michael shows up in the Old Testament and in the book of Revelation. He is seen as a protector a warrior protector of a nation the nation of Israel is associated specifically with guarding and protecting God's people, the Israelites that's in Daniel chapter 10 and in the book of Revelation chapter 12, another one by name.

After Daniel is Gabriel a Gabriel shows up in Daniel chapter 8, and Daniel chapter 9 and in the New Testament, Luke, chapter 2, he seems to be one who's involved in the coming of Jesus Christ. He's the one that gives the announcement to Mary and Joseph that they're going to have a baby and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.

That is Gabriel.

The third one mentioned is anybody know Lucifer.

This is before he fell.

Isaiah chapter 14 he is called Lucifer.

Lucifer means son of the morning or light bearer or DayStar or shining star Lucifer, son of the morning. How are you fallen from heaven, oh Lucifer, so those three are mentioned back to the number of angels we don't exactly know how many there are. But do you know that people have guessed, neither in fact I read about one guy in the Middle Ages name Albertus Magnus or Albert the great, he was a philosopher.

He was a theologian and he also taught science at the time and he said he knew the precise number they know you want to know exactly how many angels are so according to Albertus Magnus. There are 399,920,004 have no idea how he calculated that her came up with, but we know there must be a lot because, for example, when God gives the law on Mount Sinai. We are told in Deuteronomy that the Lord came with myriads of his holy ones or angelic beings at the birth of Jesus Christ. There was a multitude of the angelic hosts or company of angels in Hebrews chapter 12 verse 22. It says that when we worship we worship with an innumerable company of angels, innumerable can't number them doesn't mean that you can't have an exact number eventually. But when he saw that it just an innumerable crowd probably closer to the number is Revelation chapter 5, when John sees the vision of the heavenly system and set up his then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures. The elders and the number of them was 10,000×10,000, and thousands of thousand.

So at least there are 100 million angels. That's the math there plus thousands of others. So let's just safely guess there are probably millions of angels there innumerable. So there significant in God's plan. There several in number third trait of angels.

They are seen only rarely notice that they are called spirits here verse 14 of the bruise one. Are they the angels not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation so their spirit beings.

Their non-corporeal beings, that is they don't have a physical body.

Ordinarily I want to qualify that ordinarily safe.

Ordinarily, what is that mean sometimes they do, for whatever purpose God's purpose, he allows angels from time to time to have some kind of a human visage. After all, even in Hebrews is that some have entertained angels without knowing so they have some kind of a physical manifestation or God gives a person the ability to see into the spiritual realm which is very, very real. We don't see it time to time. God allows that this message from the series 2020 years with an important message for you. Did you know that you make a world wide impact as a partner in this ministry. Listen to this letter. One listener sent in place by immensity and reaching out Christian and non-Christian. I came back home to get Philippines to be with my family and your program is the part of my daily routine. I am truly blessed to inform you that he has greatly helped me grow in my Christian walk will you need to know. It's your support. That makes stories like this even possible. More people around the world are connecting to God's word.

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