Purpose of Angels

QUESTION: Purpose of Angels: Are they God’s Special Agents?

ANSWER:

Shops are filled with jewelry, pictures, figurines, and other wares that depict angels, God’s “Special Agents.” They are mostly depicted as beautiful women, handsome men, or babies with gleeful looks on their faces. Not to refute these depictions but to enlighten you, an angel might come to you in any form—a smiling lady, a bent old man, a person of a different ethnicity.

A poll in 2000 reflected that 81 percent of the adults polled believed that, “angels exist and influence people’s lives.”¹

God’s name of Yahweh Saoboth is translated “God of the angels.” It is God who controls our lives and in doing so He has the power to utilize the talents of His angels to deliver messages, execute His judgments (such as upon Sodom and Gomorrah), and any other assignment God deems to be appropriate.

Purpose of Angels – What the Bible says about angels
In the Bible, God tells us how the angels are delivering messages, accompanying the lonely, granting protection, and even fighting His battles. In many angelic appearances told of in our Bible, angels who were sent to deliver messages began their words saying, “Do not be afraid,” or “Do not fear.” Most of the time, however, God’s angels operate undercover and don’t draw attention to themselves as they carry out the assignment given them by God. There are cases where these heavenly beings evidence themselves and strike terror in the hearts of God’s enemies.

Angels are actively involved in the lives of God’s people and maybe even in the lives of all people. They have a specific function and it is a blessing to have God send an angel in response to your prayer or in time of need.

Psalm 34:7 says, “The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”

Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”

It is possible that you have met an angel face-to-face without realizing it:

Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Purpose of Angels – In service to God
I find it amazing to think that God loves me so much that He would send an angel as an answer to a prayer. I do believe, with all of my heart, that although I may not immediately know or see someone as an angel, they are there at God’s direction. I know that a stranger has given me valuable advice or assisted me in a dangerous circumstance…only to later disappear.

We imagine angels to be very beautiful, winged beings, dressed in white cloaks and almost glowing with an aura of a body-engulfing halo. While that may be true, God often sends them as invisible beings or in special clothing to blend in with their surroundings as they perform their assigned duties.

Are these angels our loved ones who have died? No, angels are creations of God. We, as humans, are not angels and neither are our deceased loved ones.

Some people pray to an angel or form a special relationship with an angel. The Bible is very clear that the focus of prayer is to be on God alone and on developing a relationship with Him alone. An angel is a creation of God and angels should not be prayed to or worshiped.

Revelation 22:8-9 says, “I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I had heard and seen them, 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!’”

God does work through angels and it is God who makes the decision to direct an angel to do His bidding, not an angel’s decision to act independent from God:

Angels carry out God’s judgment;
Angels serve God;
Angels praise God;
Angels are messengers;
Angels protect God’s people;
Angels do not marry;
Angels do not die;
Angels encourage people.

¹ Barna Research Group

Compliments of Pastor Lee S. Gliddon Jr., God's Word Christian Ministry

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