THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS

By Johnny Tatum

The purpose of studying the ministry of angels to God the Father, to God the Son, to believers, and to unbelievers is to understand God's sovereign purpose for His angels throughout eternity, and to be encouraged about the angel's God-given ministry of physical protection and provision to believers.


TO GOD THE FATHER AND TO GOD THE SON


 

The Most High God did not just create the spiritual dimension according to His will and then leave the angels to their own accord. He has chosen to carry out many of His acts through His angels (the innumerable spirit beings that remain with God). As the angels conduct these works of ministry, they are glorifying and worshipping the Creator and proclaiming His holiness to all eternity, which fulfills His [good] purpose for His angels.

God's [holy] angels have ministries to the following:

  1. Angels Minister to God the Father.
  2. Angels Minister to God the Son.
  3. Angels Minister to Believers.
  4. Angels Minister to Unbelievers.

 


Father, thank You for this opportunity to study Your Word and to specifically know about Your angels and the ministries that You prepared for them in eternity [past]. May we know You better because we have learned about Your angels.

We recognize that You are the Creator and that Your work is perfect. Help us to focus on You so that we will revere You above all that You have created. And by Your Holy Spirit, would You take Your inspired Word and apply it to our hearts, giving us understanding, discernment and application to our lives.

Father, for those who are seeking You, we ask that You would guide them to the way, the life, and the truth of Messiah Jesus. Please draw them to Yourself through the power of Holy Spirit, and grant them eternal life by Your grace and mercy.

Messiah Jesus, we proclaim Your name and we give You the praise, the honor and the glory for our redemption, sustenance and eternal life! Your holy name we pray. Amen


 

I. Angels Minister To God The Father

  1. In Worship
  2. Angels have a specific ministry to God the Father in worship.

    In Isaiah 6, Isaiah is depressed because King Uzziah (one of the few good kings in the latter years of Judah) has died. Isaiah sees a vision; he looks into heaven and he sees a throne and angels…

    And one [of the angels] called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts [Jehovah Saboath], the whole earth is full of His glory." (Isaiah 6:3)

    The Apostle John has a glimpse into heaven and sees the following:

    And before the throne there was a sea of glass like crystal; and in the midst of the throne and round about the throne, were four living creatures [a rank of the angelic beings] full of eyes in front and behind. The first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature was like a calf, and the third living creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. And the four living creatures had each of them six wings about him, and full of eyes; and they rest not night and day saying, "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was and is and is to come." (Revelation 4:6-8)

    Again, John looks and hears the voices of angels…

    Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, "Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and blessing." And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominion forever and ever." (Revelation 5:11-13)

    Is there any mystery what the angels do in the presence of God? When the angels are in God's presence, they are constantly praising and worshipping Him. In fact, as we saw in The Hierarchy Of Angels study, the sole ministry of the angelic Seraphs and Cherubs is worshipping and praising God at His throne.

  3. As Messengers
  4. Angels have a specific ministry to God the Father as being His messengers.

    In Daniel 9, we read about the angel Gabriel. What is Gabriel doing every time he is mentioned in the Scriptures? He is always bringing a message of good news and hope. Here, Daniel is trying to find out if Israel is going back to the Land and if Israel is going to be restored; so God sends Gabriel to answer Daniel's prayer:

    While I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, "O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding." (Daniel 9:21-22)

    Again Gabriel appears, this time to Zacharias (father of John the Baptizer) to give him good news and hope about his son:

    The angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news." (Luke 1:19)

    The angels were active on Mount Sinai; it was God who wrote the Law on the tablets, however, it was the angels [under God's direction] who delivered it to Moses:

    You who received the law as ordained by angels, and yet did not keep it. (Acts 7:53)

    Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the Seed would come to whom the promise had been made. (Galatians 3:19)

  5. As Agents Of God's Rule On Earth

Angels have a specific ministry to God the Father in acting as His agents on earth.

First: Angels Restrain Sin Externally.

A Distinction Must Be Made: Only Holy Spirit restrains sin internally; angels restrain sin externally [by preventing people from doing something].

For example, Genesis 19 presents the story of Sodom. Two angels of God changed their form from the spiritual to the physical (to the appearance of men). They entered Sodom, they went to Lot's house, and they struck the men of Sodom with blindness when the [homosexual] young and old men from all parts of the city demanded to have [sexual] relations with them. [Now that is a good way to stop sin!]

Second: Angels Restrain and Initiate Elements Of Nature.

For example, the Book of Revelation tells us that during the great tribulation (the seven year period of affliction preceding the establishment of the messianic kingdom), it is the angels [in accordance with God's will] who sometimes will say Not yet, not yet, not yet, and it is the angels who at other times will say Okay, here it goes!

Third: Angels Are The Powers Behind Nations.

For example, Chapters 4, 10, and 12 in the Book of Daniel tell us that much of the political world, much of the warfare, and much of the intrigue in the world today is a physical manifestation of the warfare that is happening in the spiritual realm.

 

II. Angels Minister To God The Son

Angels have a specific ministry to the second person of the Godhead: God the Son [in His divine nature] — Jesus of Nazareth [in His human nature].

Before His Birth

In Luke 1, we read that the promise of the birth of Messiah Jesus in a human body — God the Son incarnate — was announced to His biological mother, Mary. Who do you think brought the good news and hope? It was the angel Gabriel:

Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the descendents of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you." …The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end." (Luke 1:26-28, 30-33)

After His Birth

In Luke 2, we read that at the birth of the God-man, an angel announced the three titles for Him: Savior (One who saves), Messiah (anointed One), and Lord (God); then appearing out of heaven, a multitude of angels praised and glorified Him as God:

But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a Baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased." (Luke 2:10-14)

During His Childhood

In Matthew 2, we read that an angel of the Lord came to Joseph (Jesus' legal father) and told Joseph to leave Bethlehem and to escape to Egypt, because Herod (the governor of Judea) had ordered the slaying of all the male babies from two years old and under in Bethlehem and its outskirts. [See our Matthew, What Was Spoken Was Fulfilled study.]

An angel, knowing God's will for the royal family, appears to Joseph:

Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child destroy Him." (Matthew 2:13)

So Joseph took the Child (who would have been six months old at most) and Mary down to Egypt where they stayed until Herod died and Archelaus (Herod's son) came into power. Then an angel appeared to Joseph and told him that everything was okay and the royal family could go back to the Land.

But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said, "Get up, take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead." (Matthew 2:19-20)

After The Temptations In The Wilderness, On The Temple's Pinnacle, And On A High Mountain

In Matthew 4, we read that Jesus of Nazareth was out in the Judean wilderness for 40 days and 40 nights without food or water, and then Satan — who desperately wants to be worshipped — showed up and proceeded to tempt Him. [See our Matthew, Tempted In His Humanity, Yet Without Sin study.] When that assault ended, angels came to minister to Jesus of Nazareth. What did the angels do? The passage does not say; obviously, they would have brought Him something to eat and drink.

Then Satan left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him. (Matthew 4:11)

Before The Cross

In Luke 22, we read that while Messiah Jesus was at Gethsemane, He faced a temptation to not go to the Cross. He did NOT consider the idea of not going to the Cross; however, Jesus — as a human being — just did not want to go to the Cross. Who would have? How was that resolved? He said to His Father Not My will, but Yours be done; when that happened, an angel came to strengthen Him.

He knelt down and began to pray, saying, "Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. (Luke 22:41-43)

At His Resurrection

In Matthew 28, we read that after Jesus of Nazareth was crucified and buried, the angels appeared to announce that He is not here, for He has risen:

Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first of the week, Mary Magdalene and other Mary came to look at the grave. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it. And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook for fear of him and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. (Matthew 28:1-6)

At His Second Coming

In Matthew 25, we read what Messiah Jesus — the Son of Man — says about His Second Coming [at the end of the Tribulation period]:

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. (Matthew 25:31)

So even at that [future] point, at His last trip down here to earth, the angels are going to be with Him.

One Notable Exception: The Arrest To His Resurrection

Throughout the life of Messiah Jesus, the angels had come to help Him, but there was one time period where, very conspicuously, they were not present.

In Matthew 26, we read that the soldiers went with the traitor, Judas (one of the twelve disciples), to Gethsemane where they seized and arrested Messiah Jesus. From that moment on, it was inevitable that Messiah Jesus was going to the Cross. Peter (an apostle) tried to fight this; he pulled out his sword and cut off the ear of the slave of the high priest, but Messiah Jesus said No, no, no Peter, put your sword away! He restored the man's ear, and then, after a lifetime on this earth full of the angels' ministry to Him, Messiah Jesus said something intriguing:

"Or do you think I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels." (Matthew 26:53)

I believe that we overlook the fact that Messiah Jesus could have avoided the Cross — He said that He could have. The only thing that Messiah Jesus had to do was to ask God the Father, who could send down more than 144,000 of His angels to get Messiah Jesus out of going to the Cross. But then what would have happened? Messiah Jesus would have been fine, but the entire human race would have an eternal destiny in hell. So for the sake of all believers (those who believe Messiah Jesus is their Redeemer) and to fulfill the messianic prophecies, He did not ask His Father to send the angels.

 


Next:

The Ministry Of Angels: TO BELIEVERS (Part I)

 

To: The Hierarchy Of Angels

Matthew 2:12-23, What Was Spoken Was Fulfilled

Matthew 4:1-11, Tempted In His Humanity, Yet Without Sin

Back To: Creation Series Page






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We express our deepest appreciation to Mitchell and Dawn Kolodin for their excellent work in transcribing and editing this Creation study.


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