“Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word.” (Psalms 103:20)

 

Quite a number of believers today have little or no understanding about the ministry of angels.  So, in today’s teaching, I want to open our eyes to some deeper truths as regarding the ministry of angels. Like the Yoruba people would say “where we are going isn’t far, but where we will branch are quite many.” In order to have a rounded understanding about the topic, we are going to be considering the following sub-themes under the teaching as the Lord help us:

 

Listen to Podcast: UNDERSTANDING THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS TO MANKIND

 

Who are Angels?

Angels are spirit beings! Hebrews 1:7 shows us this, it says: “And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels Spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”” Also, the same Hebrews 1 in verse 14 also gave is a picture into who angels are. It says: “Are they not all (talking about all the angels without any exemption) ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”  So, the two passages in the book of Hebrews have shown us that angels are spiritual beings, and that is why most times, you don’t see them in the physical realm except God opens your eyes to see them.

 

Angels Interaction with Mankind

The first mention of the activities of angels in the Bible was documented in Genesis 3:24. Although the Bible did not used the word ‘angel’ to describe the name. It simply used the name ‘cherub’. “So, He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.” A cherub is an angelic being that worships and praises God. Satan prior to his fall, was a cherub. Ezekiel 28:14 says this about Satan: “you were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the Holy Mountain of God, you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.”

 

The first interaction of angels with mankind was documented in the book of Genesis 6:1-4. Even though this part of the Scripture is still been heavily debated among theologians today, we simply cannot expunge it from the word of God. The Bible says:

 

“Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, ² that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. ³ And the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” ⁴ There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.”

 

There are those who believe that the sons of God being used in that context could not have been angels simply because angels do not carry a reproductive system and therefore, they cannot produce. Another school of thought proposes that “the sons of God saw the daughters of men” as used in that context was talking about the intermingling between the descendants of Cain and the descendants of Seth.

 

There is another school of thought that believes that “the sons of God” used in that context were fallen angels. Their proposition was that the fallen angels inhabited the children of men and therefore, they were able to reproduce through that means. Now, if we ask these questions: Do spirit beings have the capacity to inhabit or possess humans? Are there Biblical justifications that spirits could possess humans? Let us examine Matthew 8:28-32 to answer these questions. The Bible says:

 

“When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. ²⁹ And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?” ³⁰ Now a good way off from them there was a herd of many swine feeding. ³¹ So the demons begged Him, saying, “If You cast us out, permit us to go away into the herd of swine.” ³² And He said to them, “Go.” So, when they had come out, they went into the herd of swine. And suddenly the whole herd of swine ran violently down the steep place into the sea, and perished in the water.”

 

So, from that passage, who are demons? Demons are fallen angels! Isn’t it? Revelation 12:7-9 shows us:

 

“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, ⁸ but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. ⁹ So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

 

So, irrespective of the debate that is going on, I believe those being referred to in Genesis 6 as “the sons of God” were fallen angels. Also, to further clear the doubt, let us examine what Jude wrote in Jude 1:6-7. It says:

 

“And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; ⁷ as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.”

 

Also, 2 Peter 2:4-6 Shows us something similar to what Jude wrote. It says:

 

“For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment; ⁵ and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly; ⁶ and turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah into ashes, condemned them to destruction, making them an example to those who afterward would live ungodly.”

 

Irrespective of how or the means through which they were able to achieve this, whether through inhabiting men or even appearing direct to them, this I believe was the first interaction of angels with mankind. This action also gave birth to God’s idea of destroying the world with flood but speared only Noah and his family.

 

Do Angels Play the Role of the Holy Spirit?

Angels and the Holy Spirit are not the same and do not operate in the same capacity, even though they are both spiritual beings. The Holy Spirit is God Himself, because that is His Spirit and you cannot separate them. Acts 5:3-4, Peter said to Ananias: “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself? ⁴ While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”

 

The Holy Spirit is worshipped because He is God, but we don’t worship angels. The fact that angels are spiritual beings does not mean that they should be worshipped. Anyone or denomination today who believes in the worship of angels have simply subtilty submitted itself to idolatry. Several places in the Bible we saw where angels said to the people not to worship them.

 

Colossians 2:18 says: “Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.” This was apostle Paul’s admonition to believers, the Colossians folks here not to be deceived into worshipping angels.

 

Also, Revelations 22:8-9 shows us: “Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. ⁹ Then he said to me, “See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.” Here, we saw John, because of the amount of revelation he has received, wanting to worship the angel, but the angel rebuked him sharply to never do that.

 

Lastly, Jesus Himself gave us a beautiful example of not worshipping angels. Matthew 4:9-11, the Bible says: “And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” ¹¹ Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.” There we saw how Jesus rebuked Satan sharply as well, and the Bible says he left Him alone, and then angels came and ministered unto Him. So, the practice and worship of angels is absolutely wrong and it unscriptural.

 

I believe you have been blessed!

Thanks for the gift of your time, I am Obayomi Abiola Benjamin!

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