Sunday, December 2, 2007

Hebrews 1

  The intention of this epistle being to demonstrate the superior excellency of the Gospel revelation to the legal one, the apostle begins with the divine author of it, in which they both agree, and observes that in other things they differ. The revelation under the law was made in times past, the Gospel revelation in these last days; the former was made top the Jewish fathers that were of old, the latter to the then present apostles; the one was made at sundry times, and in divers manners, the other was made at once, and in one way; the one was made by the prophets of the Lord, the other by his own son (vv. 1,b2), and therefore the latter must be the more excellent; in proof of which the author enlarges on the character of the son of God, with respect to his person, office, and glory; showing that he is heir of all things, the Maker of the worlds, of the same nature and glory with his father; is omnipotent, and upholds all things by the word of his power; is the High-priest of his people, who has made satisfaction for their sins, and purged them from them, and is now at the right had of God (vv. 2, 3). He goes on to prove that he is more excellent than the angels, by a variety of arguments, and these supported by testimonies from the Scriptures; as that he has a more excellent name than any of them, being called the Son of God (vv. 4,5), which is proved from Psalm 2:7; 2 Samuel 7:12-16. that he is the object of the worship of angels (v. 6), which is required of them, Psalm 97:7. that he is their Maker and creator (v. 7), which appears from Psalm 104:4. that he has an everlasting kingdom, is a righteous king, and is richly anointed above his fellows (vv. 8, 9), which is the sense of some passages in Psalm 14:6,7, and that he is the founder and former of the heavens, and of the earth, and will endure when they shall not (vv. 10, 11, 12), which is confirmed by testimonies out of Psalm 102:25, 26, 27, that he sits at the right hand of God, where none of the angels were ever admitted, (v. 13), as is clear from Psalm 110. and besides, the angels, as they are ministers made by him, they are sent out from him to wait on his people, the heirs of salvation, and minister to them, and therefore he must be greater than they are (v. 14). - Commentary on Hebrews, by John Gill: www.pbministries.org/Landmark_Baptist/Seminary/Bible_Study_Courses/Hebrews/hebrews_chap01.htm


(1) Long ago *God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the **prophets.


*God: In the original Greek, the first word in Hebrews is "God" (Theos) as "Paul" is the first word in most of Paul's epistles.


**prophets: Acts 10:43: He is the one all the prophets testified about, saying that everyone who believes in him will have their sins forgiven through his name.”


   Notice how Hebrews starts as a sermon rather than a letter or epistle.


   Because of man’s limited ability to comprehend, God has chosen to reveal himself to humanity, little by little. He disclosed himself at times through the Law, and then again through Prophecy, Types, Shadows, Sacrifices, Visions, Dreams, Audible Voice, and Angels.


   God walked with Adam, but following Adam’s sin God’s communication with man was distant and sporadic. God would communicate with man, through representatives, who would make his will known. Abraham, Moses, and Joshua saw God appear in Human form. Daniel received messages through Gabriel, by dreams and visions. The method of revelation varied, some more direct then others. On Mt. Sinai, at the request of the children of Israel, God chose to speak through prophets, rather then direct to the people. Man’s sin broke the relationship between man and God. A sacrificial system was put in place to atone for sins, and to point to the ultimate fulfillment of sacrifice, the death of Messiah (Daniel 9:26, Isaiah 53. )


Deuteronomy 18:16,18: For this is what you yourselves requested of the Lord your God when you were assembled at Mount Sinai. You said, ‘Don’t let us hear the voice of the Lord our God anymore or see this blazing fire, for we will die.’ I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him.


(2) And now in these *final days, he has spoken to us through ***his Son. God promised everything to the Son as an ***inheritance, and through the Son ****he created the universe.


*final days: Literally, “at the end of these days,” which may be understood to mean either:



  1. The closing of the Jewish period or age

  2. The period of the Messiah…this denotes the final phase of history, brought on by the first coming of Christ, continuing until his second coming and the consummation of all things.


Hebrews 9:26: If that had been necessary, Christ would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But now, once for all time, he has appeared at the end of the age to remove sin by his own death as a sacrifice.

1 Peter 1:20: God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but he has now revealed him to you in these last days.

1 Corinthians 10:11: These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age.


**his Son: “Son of Elohim” is a title for the incumbent ruler of Israel in the royal line of Davidic kings. (Psalm 2:7; 1 Chronicles 22:10). God has sent His Son to speak for Him…as wonderful as the prophets were, how can they compare to God’s own Son?

Matthew 21:37: “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

Mark 9:7: Then a cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my dearly loved Son. Listen to him.”

John 1:14: So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

Galatians 4:4: But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.


***inheritance: The words of Calvin are important here: “If Christ is the heir of all good things, then we must be in Christ to receive an inheritance.” If we want to receive what God has desired for those children that He has created, we must be in saving relationship to Christ and that means trusting Him for our salvation. It means all the claims that He makes about Himself. It means believing on Him as our Lord and Savior and being brought into a walk of fellowship with Him whereby He saves us by grace. If we are in Him like that, then we are fellow heirs, Paul says in Ephesians. He says He becomes our brother, as if we along with Him become co-inheritors of the mansions in glory which God has been preparing from the foundations of the world. When there is only one son, there is only one heir. Christ is the heir of all things precisely because God has one Son and only one heir.


****he created the universe:

John 1:1-3: In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

1 Corinthians 8:6: But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.

Colossians 1:16: for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.


(3) The Son *radiates God’s own **glory and expresses the ***very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our ****sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the *****right hand of the majestic God in heaven.


  According to oriental customs no monarch, seated on his throne, would invite anyone other than a fellow sovereign to sit at his right hand. God used this current language, with which the people were familiar, to convey the thought that the man Jesus of Nazareth was His equal.


*radiates God’s own glory: Literally, "Who being (existing as) the radiance of his glory". This radiance was perhaps reflected in Christ most fully before men on the mount of transfiguration. The active meaning has the idea of emitting brightness and the meaning is that shekinah glory of God radiated from Christ. Glory (doxa) refers to the brilliant radiancy from the person of God. Jesus is the very radiance of God’s glory.



* *glory:

Luke 9:32: Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory and the two men standing with him.

 John 1:14: So the Word became human (became flesh) and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

John 2:11: This miraculous sign at Cana in Galilee was the first time Jesus revealed his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

 John 17:5: Now, Father, bring me into the glory we shared before the world began.

 Thessalonians 2:14: He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.


***very character: Greek charaktêr comes from charassô, to cut, to scratch, to mark. It was first used of the tool that did the marking, then of the mark or impress which it made, the exact reproduction. It was used of the ‘stamped out image’ on coins, and of the impression that was reproduced by seals and dies. It thus indicates an exact representation. No law or set of laws, no fasts, feasts or sacrifices, no prophet, no angel, not even Moses could be the exact image of God, except Christ. Literally, "the exact representation of his being". The very character and attributes of God’s existence were visibly, audibly, and physically expressed in the person of Jesus Christ, so that Jesus declared, “I and my Father are one,” one in nature and essence being and existence. The Son of God is, then, the revelation of the person of God.

An example is Joseph, to whom Pharaoh gave all power in the land of Egypt, with the single exception of the throne. Joseph was all-powerful. He had complete dominion over all of Egypt. The throne, that is the kingship, was the only thing kept from him. He could do anything Pharaoh could do with the one exception that he was not the king. He was Pharaoh's right hand man. Joseph is a type of Christ. He was anointed by the king of all of Egypt to be the governor of all the land.

This type is a picture of Christ, who sits upon the throne at the right hand of the Father. He is given all things and has all the power of the Father. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent just as is the Father. The Son is the Second Person of the Godhead. There will always be the Father, the Son, and the Spirit. They will always be separate Persons, but One God. This is similar to Joseph, who had all the power of the king, but would never be the king. Jesus is always the Son and not the Father. But again, He is the exact Image of the Father. The Father is all powerful as is the Son

John 14:7,9: If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!” Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you?

Colossians 1:15: Christ is the visible image of the invisible God. He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,


****sins: Greek hamartia - failing to hit the mark.


*****right hand: To be seated at the right hand of a ruler or host meant occupying a place of high honor. The position itself was considered an indicator of the power and authority of the one holding it. Someone who sat at the king's right hand was the king's "right-hand man", as Joseph was to Pharaoh, as the one acting as the principal agent of the king's authority, through whom he carried out his most important work. In addition, sitting at the right hand was a statement of fellowship and favor between the central figure and the individual so honored.

Psalm 110:1: The Lord said to my Lord, “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”

Ephesians 1:19-20: ...the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.

 1 Peter 3:22: Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.

Revelation 3:21: Those who are victorious will sit with me on my throne, just as I was victorious and sat with my Father on his throne.

Philippians 2:6: Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to.


(4) This shows that the Son is far greater than the *angels, just as the **name God gave him is greater than their names.


*angels: Occurs 13 times in Hebrews. In Hebrew the angels are called, b'nai haElohim, which is translated sons of God. Jesus is the only begotten Son of God.


**name: The more excellent name is the “Son of God.”.

Isaiah 9:6: For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.


   Angels had an important place among both orthodox (e.g. the Pharisees) and unorthodox (the Essenes, etc.) Jews, as well as in the Gentile world (Colossians 2.18). They were seen as intermediaries and mediators, maintaining the separation of the awesome holiness of God from men. They were those through Whom God acted because He Himself was unapproachable. Others considered that there were hierarchies of them between God as pure spirit, and man as unworthy flesh, a descending order with a gradual lessening of deity as the lower ‘angels’ became less spirit-like. Through them men received ‘knowledge’ about God. Their mediation was seen as essential so that they had even been introduced into the idea of God’s dealings with Moses. In their view it had to be so. Thus the thought that Jesus as the Christ (Messiah) was in direct touch with God and reigned with Him as representative Man was awesome. It was a revelation of the fact that even in His Manhood He was superior to the angels. Who then, the writer will ask, could sensibly and rightly seek to come to God through angels, when a greater than the angels, Who is directly approachable, is here?


The Son Is Greater Than the Angels - He is the Son, they are ministers or messengers


(5) For God never said to any angel what he said to Jesus:

“You are my Son.

Today *I have become your Father.”

God also said,

“I will be his Father,

and he will be my Son.”


*I have become your Father: Or Today I reveal you as my Son.

Psalm 2:7: The king proclaims the Lord’s decree: “The Lord said to me, ‘You are my son. Today I have become your Father.

Matthew 22:42-45: “What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “He is the son of David.” Jesus responded, “Then why does David, speaking under the inspiration of the Spirit, call the Messiah ‘my Lord’? For David said, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet. ’Since David called the Messiah ‘my Lord,’ how can the Messiah be his son?”

 Acts 13:33: and God has now fulfilled it for us, their descendants, by raising Jesus. This is what the second psalm says about Jesus: ‘You are my Son. Today I have become your Father.

Romans 1:4: and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.


   God was speaking to David about Solomon, but the writer shows that the Messianic Son of David is in view, not just his biological son.


(6) And when he brought his firstborn Son into the world, God said,

“Let all of God’s *angels worship him.”


Deuteronomy 32:43: “Rejoice with him, you heavens, and let all of God’s angels worship him. Rejoice with his people, you nations, and let all the angels be strengthened in him. For he will avenge the blood of his servants; he will take revenge against his enemies. He will repay those who hate him and cleanse the land for his people.”


*angels: According to some Jewish writings, four archangels (Michael, Raphael, Gabriel and Phanuel) are always present before the throne of God. This means that Satan, as one of God's angels, was instructed to worship the Son.


(7) Regarding the angels, he says,

“He sends his angels like the winds,

his servants like flames of fire.”


Psalm 104:4: The winds are your messengers; flames of fire are your servants.


(8) But to the Son he says,

“Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever.

You rule with a scepter of justice.


Psalm 45:6-7: Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.


John 18:36: Jesus answered, “My Kingdom is not an earthly kingdom. If it were, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders. But my Kingdom is not of this world.”


(9) You love justice and hate evil.

Therefore, O God, your God has anointed you,

pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.”


Psalm 45:6-7: Your throne, O God, endures forever and ever. You rule with a scepter of justice. You love justice and hate evil. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you, pouring out the oil of joy on you more than on anyone else.

 Acts 10:38: And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.


(10) He also says to the Son,

“In the beginning, Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth

and made the heavens with your hands.


Psalm 102:25: Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands.

 John 1:3: God created everything through him, and nothing was created except through him.

Acts 17:22-24: So Paul, standing before the council, addressed them as follows: “Men of Athens, I notice that you are very religious in every way, for as I was walking along I saw your many shrines. And one of your altars had this inscription on it: ‘To an Unknown God.’ This God, whom you worship without knowing, is the one I’m telling you about.“He is the God who made the world and everything in it. Since he is Lord of heaven and earth, he doesn’t live in man-made temples,

Colossians 1:16: for through him God created everything in the heavenly realms and on earth. He made the things we can see and the things we can’t see— such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world. Everything was created through him and for him.

 1 Corinthians 8:6: But we know that there is only one God, the Father, who created everything, and we live for him. And there is only one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom God made everything and through whom we have been given life.


(11) They will perish, but you remain forever.

They will wear out like old clothing.


(12) You will fold them up like a cloak

and discard them like old clothing.

But you are always the same;

you will live forever.”


Psalm 102:25-27: Long ago you laid the foundation of the earth and made the heavens with your hands. They will perish, but you remain forever; they will wear out like old clothing. You will change them like a garment and discard them. But you are always the same; you will live forever.


(13) And God never said to any of the angels,

“Sit in the place of honor at my right hand

until I humble your *enemies,

making them a footstool under your feet.”


*enemies: Who are these enemies of God?


Ps 110:1: The Lord (YHWH), said to my Lord (Adonai), “Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies, making them a footstool under your feet.”

 Matthew 22:44: The Lord said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’

Matthew 26:64: Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Romans 8:34: Who then will condemn us? No one—for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and he is sitting in the place of honor at God’s right hand, pleading for us.

 Revelation 5:13: And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: “Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the one sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever."


(14) Therefore, angels are only servants - spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation.


Psalm 91:11-12: For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.

Mark 13:26-27: Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory. And he will send out his angels to gather his chosen ones from all over the world—from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

Galatians 3:19: Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people.

Galatians 1:8: Let God’s curse fall on anyone, including us or even an angel from heaven, who preaches a different kind of Good News than the one we preached to you.

 Ephesians 1:19-21: ...the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms. Now he is far above any ruler or authority or power or leader or anything else—not only in this world but also in the world to come.

Colossians 2:18: Don’t let anyone condemn you by insisting on pious self-denial or the worship of angels, saying they have had visions about these things. Their sinful minds have made them proud,

1 Peter 3:22: Now Christ has gone to heaven. He is seated in the place of honor next to God, and all the angels and authorities and powers accept his authority.


   The notion that Jesus was an angel, as early gnosticism held and as the Jehovah's Witnesses still teach, is clearly refuted. While angels exist to minister to God's people, Jesus is the visible image of God. He was with God in the beginning and He is God. He became flesh and dwelt among us. God in human form. In a very forceful manner, the “writer” to the Hebrews has shown Jesus’ superiority to the angels. He has done so by showing Jesus to be the “Son” and not the angels. Jesus is the “firstborn” who receives worship; He is “God” enthroned and anointed; He “Lord” (Yahweh) who is the eternal Creator whereas angels are created spirits; and Jesus is “Sovereign,” reigning at God’s right hand. All of these things are attributed to Jesus and not to angels. While angels certainly have a special place in God’s plan for redeeming man, they are not the object of worship or adoration; only Jesus is worthy of such worship and adoration.


Revelation 5:11-12:
Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. And they sang in a mighty chorus: “Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered— to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.”



Angels are spiritual beings created by God to serve Him, though created higher than man. Some, the good angels, have remained obedient to Him and carry out His will, while others, fallen angels, disobeyed, fell from their holy position, and now stand in active opposition to the work and plan of God.



Angels are created beings.
The fact of their creation is brought out in Psalm 148. There the psalmist calls upon all in the celestial heavens, including the angels, to praise God. The reason given is, “For He commanded and they were created” (Ps. 148:1-5).
The time of their creation is never stated, however, we know they were created before the creation of the world. From the book of Job we are told that they were present when the earth was created (Job 38:4-7) so their creation was prior to the creation of the earth as described in Genesis one.
The agent of their creation is specifically stated to be Christ as the One who created all things (cf. John 1:1-3 with Col. 1:16).
They are nevertheless an innumerable host created before the creation of the earth (cf. Job. 38:7; Neh. 9:6; Ps 148:2, 5; Heb 12:22; Dan 7:10; Matt 26:53; Rev. 5:11; with Matt. 22:28-30; Luke 20:20-36).

Though at times they have been given the ability to reveal themselves in the form of human bodies as in Genesis 18:3, they are described as “spirits” in Hebrews 1:14. This suggests they do not have material bodies as we do. Hence, they do not function as human beings in terms of marriage and procreation (Mark 12:25) nor are they subject to death (Luke 20:36). Mankind, including our incarnate Lord, is “lower than the angels” (Heb. 2:7). Angels are not subject to the limitations of man, especially since they are incapable of death (Luke 20:36). Angels have greater wisdom than man (2 Sam. 14:20), yet it is limited (Matt. 24:36). Angels have greater power than man (Matt. 28:2; Acts 5:19; 2 Pet. 2:11), yet they are limited in power (Dan. 10:13).


Angels, however, have limitations compared to man, particularly in future relationships. Angels are not created in the image of God, therefore, they do not share man’s glorious destiny of redemption in Christ. At the consummation of the age, redeemed man will be exalted above angels (1 Cor. 6:3).8 This also means they are not omnipresent. They cannot be everywhere at once.


Originally all angelic creatures were created holy. God pronounced His creation good (Gen. 1:31), and, of course, He could not create sin. Even after sin entered the world, God’s good angels, who did not rebel against Him, are called holy (Mark 8:38). These are the elect angels (1 Tim. 5:21) in contrast to the evil angels who followed Satan in his rebellion against God (Matt. 25:41).9


They are not divine and are not to be worshipped (see Rev. 19:10; 22:9). As a separate order of creatures, they are both distinct from human beings and higher than humans with powers far beyond our abilities in this present age (1 Cor. 6:3; Heb. 1:14; 2:7). But as creatures they are limited in their powers, knowledge, and activities (1 Peter 1:11-12; Rev. 7:1). Like all of creation, angels are under God’s authority and subject to His judgment (1 Cor. 6:3; Matt. 25:41).


While all the angels were originally created holy and without sin, there was a rebellion by Satan, who, being lifted up by his own beauty, sought to exalt himself above God and rebelled. In his rebellion, he took with him one-third of the angels (Rev. 12:4). This rebellion and fall is probably described for us in Isaiah 14:12-14 and Ezekiel 28:15 embodied in the kings of Babylon and Tyre.


Prophesying of a future angelic conflict that will occur in the middle of the Tribulation, John wrote, “And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war” (Rev. 12:7). In other words, there are good angels and there are evil angels.


As is clear from Revelation 12:7 and many other passages, the leader of these fallen angels (or demons as they are also called) is Satan (cf. Matt. 12:25-27). Satan, the leader of unholy angels, is a liar, a murderer, and a thief (John 10:10). As God’s great antagonist, He hates God and God’s people. Scripture teaches us that he prowls about like a roaring lion in search of those whom he may devour by his nefarious schemes (1 Peter 5:8). As an angelic being, Satan, along with his demon-like angels who operate under his authority, is supernaturally powerful and brilliant, and he uses all his powers against humanity. Not only is he a liar, a thief, and a distorer, but that which characterizes him above all else is deception. John describes him as the one “who deceives the whole world” (John 12:9). In his cunning, he disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14). So, in view of this, the Apostle Paul wrote, “Therefore it is not surprising if his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness . . .” (2 Cor. 11:15).


The good and loyal angels are the mighty servants of God who constantly serve him always doing His will. The Psalmist described them as, “Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will” (Ps. 103:20-21). It is no wonder, then, that the author of Hebrews, in showing the superiority of Christ to even the mighty angels, asked (the question here demands a positive answer both in the Greek text and contextually), “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” (Heb. 1:14). The answer is “Yes!” Though God can always act independently without the use of agents, He has chosen to use both angelic and human instruments to accomplish His will. In keeping with this, over and over again in the Bible, we find angels acting as God’s servants involved in variegated ministry to people.


That they are ministering spirits who minister to the saints is presented as a general truth of the Bible and should not be restricted to Bible times. Also, Scripture suggests that Michael, the archangel, is particularly involved in ministry to Israel. Concerning the reference to Michael in Daniel 10:13, Ryrie writes: Michael, which means “who is like God?” (v. 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7), is the special guardian of the affairs of Israel (12:1) and is designated the archangel (Jude 9). One of the chief princes shows a hierarchy among the angels (cf. Eph. 1:21). I had been left there with the kings of Persia. The good angel (cf. vv. 5-6), with Michael’s help, was left in a place of preeminence in influencing Persia. But the battle between good and evil angels over the control of nations continues (see v. 20 and Rev. 20:3).


Throughout the Bible we find angels involved in communicating God’s truth or message as the Spirit of God directed them.This is, of course, is very much in keeping with the basic meaning of the word angel. Both the Hebrew word for angel (mal`ak,) and the Greek word (aggelos, pronounced angelos) mean “messenger.” In a number of passages we are told that angels were instruments God used to reveal His Word (cf. Acts 7:38, 53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2). But that is only half the story. Numbers of times they appeared to announce an important message. They announced the birth of John the Baptist and Jesus (Luke 1:11f, 26f; Matt. 1:20f). In the Tribulation, God will use them to announce key events (cf. Rev. 14:6). Today, however, God’s canon of Scripture, the Bible, is complete. Beware, therefore, of anyone claiming to have new revelation as given by an angel or of anyone claiming to be an angel with new revelation. Remember, Satan is a deceiver with his own angels of deceit promoting false doctrine (2 Cor. 11:1-4, 12-13; 1 Tim. 4:1).



- Angels, God’s Ministering Spirits: www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=711 - I suggest you go to this site and read several interesting stories where angels have indeed appeared to and assisted Christians.



On-Line Sources:



Off-Line Sources:


Posted by at