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Liberty Advocate http://www.libertyadvocate.com
Angels
by
Karen Pansler-Lam, J.D.
Today, there are widespread false teachings about angels. Therefore, we must carefully and prayerfully search the Scriptures to learn the truth about angels.
Recently, people have asked me…
What
is the ministry of angels?
Do
we have a guardian angel?
Did
fallen angels marry earthly women?
This
message will attempt to briefly and simply answer these three questions.
The
Ministry of Angels
The angels are continually spoken of in Scripture. So, it is important that we understand what is written concerning them. Angels are often represented as the messengers of God (Luke 1:26) and are frequently pictured as ministering to men. There are also fallen angels (Matthew 25:41), contrasted with “God’s angels” who are “holy” (Matthew 22:30; Mark 8:38).
The ministry of angels is recorded in Scripture after Scripture. For example, angels appeared to the following:
1.
Lot (Genesis 19)
Angels also ministered to Christ after His temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4:11); and in His agony in Gethsemane (Luke 22:43).
But do angels minister to us today?
In the New Testament, we are assured angels are “sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation.”
But
to which of the angels said he at any time, sit on my right hand,
until
I make thine enemies thy footstool?
Are
they not all
ministering spirits,
sent
forth to minister for them
who
shall be heirs of salvation? Hebrews 1:13,14
The ministry of angels did not end with Jesus’ death. Angels continue to minister for Christians today.
Matthew Henry comments:
2.
What has God said to the angels? He never said to them, as he said to
Christ, Sit you at my right hand; but he has said of them here that
they are ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who
shall be heirs of salvation. Note, (1.) What the angels are as to
their nature: they are spirits, without bodies or inclination to bodies,
and yet they can assume bodies, and appear in them, when God pleases. They
are spirits, incorporeal, intelligent, active, substances; they excel in
wisdom and strength. (2.) What the angels are as to their office: they are
ministering spirits. Christ, as Mediator, is the great minister of God in
the great work of redemption. The Holy Spirit is the great minister of God
and Christ in the application of this redemption. Angels
are ministering spirits under the blessed Trinity, to execute the divine
will and pleasure; they are the ministers of divine Providence.
(3.) The angels are sent forth for this end-to minister to those who shall
be the heirs of salvation. Here observe, [1.] The description given of the
saints—they are heirs of salvation; at present they are under
age, heirs, not inheritors. They are heirs because they are children of
God; if children, then heirs. Let us make sure that we are children
by adoption and regeneration, having made a covenant-resignation of
ourselves to God, and walking before him in a gospel-conversation, and
then we are heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ. [2.]
The
dignity and privilege of the saints—the angels are sent forth to
minister for them. Thus they have done in attending and acting at the
giving forth of the law, in fighting the battles of the saints, in
destroying their enemies. They still minister for them in opposing the
malice and power of evil spirits, in protecting and keeping their bodies,
pitching their tents about theirs, instructing, quickening, and comforting
their souls under Christ and the Holy Ghost; and thus they shall do in
gathering all the saints together at the last day. Bless God for the
ministration of angels, keep in God’s way, and take the comfort of this
promise, that he will give his angels charge over you, to keep you in
all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your
feet against a stone,
Ps. 91:11,
Ps. 91:12
.
O saints: Rejoice!
Angels fight our battles!
Angels destroy our enemies!
Angels oppose the malice and power of evil spirits who try to harm us!
Angels pitch their tents about ours!
Angels instruct, quicken, and comfort our souls under Christ and the Holy Ghost!
And angels shall minister to us all the days of our earthly life!
Psalm 91:11,12 promises…
For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
And Psalm 34:7 promises…
The
angel of the Lord encampeth round about
God promises us that holy angels are our watchful helpers and guardians.
Praise the Lord for sending ministering angels to encamp around us until during our pilgrimage in this wicked world!
A Guardian Angel?
So, if we have angels watching over us, do we a guardian angel?
Many Christians are confused because there is much talk on “Christian” TV about having a guardian angel. Some even pretend to know their guardian angel’s name. For example, one woman claims her guardian angel is “Gabriel.”
But nowhere in the Bible does God promise that He assigns each of us a guardian angel. It is never expressly stated. It is never implied.
But the Scriptures expressly promise angels encamp round Christians, including Christian children.
Take
heed that ye despise not one of these little ones;
Matthew Henry comments: “Some have imagined that every particular saint has a guardian angel; but why should we suppose this, when we are sure that every particular saint, when there is occasion, has a guard of angels? This is particularly applied here to the little ones, because they are most despised and most exposed. They have but little that they can call their own, but they can look by faith on the heavenly hosts, and call them theirs.”
No, Christians - young and old - don’t have a guardian angel. We have a host of angels encamping round about us!
Did
Fallen Angels Marry Earthly Women?
Many
preach perverse teachings about angels marrying women.
There are two widespread heresies that before the Flood: 1) fallen
angels married earthly women, and their offspring was demons; or, 2)
unholy angels married earthly women, and their offspring was giants. These
teachings are based on Genesis 6:4.
There
were giants in the earth in those days;
and
also after that,
and
they bare children to them,
the
same became mighty men which were of old,
As to the first perverse teaching that holy angels married earthly women, and their offspring was demons, Jesus tells us that angels in heaven do not marry and do not die (Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25; Luke 20: 34 –36).
As to the second perverse teaching, Jimmy Swaggart’s Expositor's Study Bible states that fallen angels married earthly women and their offspring was giants. Swaggart states the “sons of God” are fallen angels who in order to corrupt the lineage of Christ married the “daughters of men” and produced a mongrel race, including giants. He claims that the term “sons of God” in the Old Testament is never used of human beings, but always of righteous or fallen angels. Swaggart cites Job 1:6; 2:1.
Swaggart is wrong. The "sons of God" in the Old Testament never refers to fallen angels. This term refers only to holy angels. In Job, Satan appeared among the "sons of God," or holy angels.
And
consider that in the New Testament, all the righteous are called the
“sons of God.” And could
this not include the holy angels in Job 1? Romans 8:14 proclaims:
For
as many as are led by the Spirit of God,
they
are the sons of God.
Holy angels are led by the Spirit of God.
But
the “sons of God” in Genesis 6 are not holy or unholy angels.
These sons are earthly men from the plain meaning of the text. Notice that the Scripture does not say became,
or arose, as if the giants were the fruit of the unholy unions; the giants
already existed contemporaneously with the sons of God: “there were giants in the earth in those days; and also
after that.” In other
words, if the giants were the offspring of fallen angels and earthly
women, the verse would read something like “when fallen angels came in
unto the daughters of men, they bare giants.”
But the Scripture clearly states there were giants in the earth before
the sons of God married heathen women. Undoubtedly, God would make it
perfectly clear if fallen angels married earthly women.
Swaggart also cites Jude to support his perverse teaching. Swaggart comments:
…in
his short Epistle, Jude mentions these particular “angels.”
He said that they kept not their first estate, but left their own
habitation”; he then said their sin was: “going after strange flesh.
Concerning this, Jude also said that God “has reserved [them] in
everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day”
[Jude, Vss.6-7].
Again, Swaggart is wrong; he is not reading these two Scriptures correctly. They are talking about two distinct punishments. First, verse 6 says that the fallen angels were punished. Next, verse 7 reminds us that the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah was also punished. The angels’ sin was not “going after strange flesh.” The sin of "going after strange flesh" was the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah. In other words, verse 6 talks about the punishment of fallen angels; verse 7 talks about the punishment of Sodom and Gomorrah. Verse 7 is not about the angels. In short, Jude warns us that God punishes all who rebel against him.
Swaggart fails to understand the plain language of these Scriptures.
Swaggart's
teaching is perverse.
Swaggart’s teaching is unbiblical.
Going
back to Genesis 6…
Why
is there so much pompous “theological” debate about this Scripture?
The plain meaning of the preceding Scriptures explain verse 6:
And
it came to pass,
when
men began to multiply on the face of the earth,
and
daughters were born unto them,
That
the sons of God saw the daughters
of men and they took them wives of all which they chose. Genesis 6:1,2
The plain meaning of the Scripture is the law of marriage was violated: the sons of God married the daughters of men - heathen women. The professing followers of Jehovah were commanded not to marry ungodly women. Irrefutably, God always forbid the union of believers with unbelievers. But the followers of Jehovah – sons of God - were captivated by the beauty and charm of heathen women. And they married them.
God
commanded the Old Testament sons of God to be consecrated;
God forbid them to marry heathen women.
But
they disobeyed God’s
command. And God was so grieved by these unholy unions that He decided to
destroy the earth. God sent
the Flood.
Likewise,
just
as God commanded the Old Testament sons of God to be holy lights in a
wicked world, the New Testament commands Christians - the sons of God - to
shine as lights. We must not
go a-whoring after heathen ways.
That
ye may be blameless and harmless,
without
rebuke, in
the midst of a crooked and perverse nation,
among
whom ye shine as lights in the world.
Philippians
2:15
We
must beware of men who preach myths instead of Biblical truth because
these myths - perverse teachings - about fallen angels and holy angels
marrying women are dangerous. “Theologians” and other vain teachers,
like the Gnostics, are puffed up and claim to have a superior knowledge of
Genesis 6:4. They claim to
know the secrets of this Scripture when there is no secret or mysterious
revelation. Their perverse
interpretation of Genesis 6:4 is without Biblical authority.
The meaning is plain and simple from a reading of Genesis:
Men who claimed to follow God married ungodly women.
Beware! This vain conspiracy of theological mythology that angels
married women is meant to hoodwink ordinary Christians into believing we
cannot trust the plain meaning of this Scripture.
In other words, a theologian or other vain teacher can only
correctly interpret this Scripture...and other Scriptures. These vain and
wicked men try to bully us into following their false teachings and
worship them with words of praise...and money.
But we are not fooled. For we are promised that as we study God’s Word, the Holy Spirit guides us into all Truth...
Howbeit when he,
he
will guide you into all truth.
John
16:13
Beware
of theological mythology.
Beware of Worshipping Angels
Not only must we beware of theological mythology, we must also beware of falling into angel-worship.
It is important that we understand what is written concerning angels since they are continually spoken of in Scripture. But there’s danger in studying angels: Christians are sometimes tempted to worship them. Paul warns us in Colossians 2:18 not to worship angels…
Let
no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility
intruding
into those things which he hath not seen,
vainly
puffed up by his fleshly mind.
God alone is worthy of worship and adoration. Angels are not divine. They do not possess divine characteristics.
1. Angels are not omniscient. Although possessed of superhuman intelligence, they are not omniscient (Matthew 24: 36; I Peter 1:12). Angels do not have total knowledge. Angels are not all-knowing.
2. Angels are not omnipotent. Although stronger than men, they are not omnipotent (Psalm 103:20; II Peter 2:11). Angels are not all-powerful.
3. Angels are not omnipresent. Although heavenly beings, they are not omnipresent. They cannot be present everywhere. Angels are not all-present.
Again, angels are not divine. Christians must not pray to angels. And Christians must not worship angels.
God alone is worthy of all our praise.
Moreover, we must never allow the ministry of angels to overshadow the ministry of the Holy Spirit.
O Christians: Join the Angels in Worship!
Praise God for the ministry of angels.
To God be all the glory!
September 2014 Liberty Advocate http://www.libertyadvocate.com
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