The modern person has a poor understanding of angels. Some of this is from modern pop culture. Maybe your understanding is from the old TV show “Touched by an Angel.” Many of us have a collective thought which comes form classics such as John Milton’s paradise lost. Others get their incorrect theology from the christian book store which likes to turn deceased relatives into angels.
Angels have a lot of things that they do. This is not an exhaustive list, or in particular order. Here are seven roles of angels.
#1 They serve God’s people.
In Hebrews 1:14 we see them called ministering spirits. In Acts 27:23-24 the apostle Paul said an angel brought him comfort. Elijah and Peter also said they have been served by angels.
#2 Angels deliver messages.
God used Gabriel to deliver messages to Daniel, Zechariah, and Mary. In Luke 1:26 it says that “Gabriel was sent by God.” What was he sent to do? Tell Mary about the fact that she would give birth to Jesus the Messiah. They were given specific tasks at specific times to give specific messages to specific people.
#3 They are involved in spiritual warfare.
Another thing angels do is help believers in spiritual warfare. You can see this in Jude 1:19 and Ephesians 6:12. You can also read about this in Daniel 10 when Miahchel the archangel comes to help fight forces. As believers are tempted and harassed by demons, angels can help in this fight.
#4 They worship God
There are many passages that talk about angels worshiping God. John says in Revelation 7:11 that there are angels standing around the throne of God just for the purpose of worshiping Him.
#5 They serve God.
Angels do God’s bidding and serve Him. They go where He wants them to go and do what He asks them to do. All throughout Scripture they are doing His bidding.
#6 They execute God’s judgment.
One thing people do not think about when they think about angels is that they also execute judgment. We think of them as peaceful beings. But we can see in many passages that they are used to stop the rebellious in judgment. See Revelation 7:1, 8:10, Exodus 12:12, 23, Acts 12:23.
#7 They transmit God’s Word.
Another thing that they do is transmit God’s Word. Hebrews 2:2 says that they are part of giving God’s Word to those who wrote it. Often the word “angel” can actually be translated as “messenger.”
In the end we know that angels are servants of God, not God Himself. We should not pray to them or worship them. In fact, the angel that John tried to worship told him “You must not do that…worship God (Revelation 22:8-9).”
Thanks for taking time to read this Maddening Theology post. If you enjoyed this content you can find Pastor Tim’s sermons at www.cornerstoneforestcity.org. You can also join us at 520 Marion St. Browndale, PA 18421 on Sundays at 10 AM. To make following the blog easier you can also register. You can also join us on Facebook at Cornerstone Forest City. Also, don’t forget to download our APP on iTunes or Googleplay.