God's Special Agents

“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:14



Majestic angels with glittering halos top our trees on Christmas Day. Chubby, small-winged cherubs aim darts of love on Valentine’s Day. And we hope that a guardian angel keeps watch over us every day. But are these ideas imaginary or real?


A bit of both. Angels are definitely bona-fide beings, but our notions of how they look and what they do could use a bit of biblical refining. To begin with, you were never an angel (even if your mama said you were), and you are never going to be one. Before God formed the earth or us, He created angels—powerful creatures made of a higher order than man(Ps. 8:5) whose name, “messengers,” describes their function. Angels are God’s special agents who carry out His will and implement His purpose. Their ability and authority comes only from God and is only for God.


Angels do not reproduce(Matthew 22:30), they will never die(Luke 20:36), and they don’t have halos. “Thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times thousand” of angels exist(Rev. 5:11), but only two are named in the Bible. Gabriel, “man of God,” appears four times (twice to Daniel, once to Zechariah, and once to Jesus’ mother, Mary) to give an explanation or make an announcement. Michael, “who is like God?” is the archangel who protects and defends Israel(Daniel 12:1, Rev. 12:7-9) and who fussed with Satan over the body of Moses(Jude 1:9).


Angels are not all the same. Different roles and rankings are implied, and besides archangel, two more are specifically mentioned, cherubim and seraphim. Cherubim are a far cry from the precious, plump imps portrayed in art and movies. They are four-winged, four-faced creatures (Ezekiel 1) who proclaim and protect God’s glorious presence. Cherub guarded the Garden of Eden after Adam’s fall, and golden figures in their shape covered the ark of the covenant in the Holy of Holies. The six-winged seraphim Isaiah saw hovering above God’s throne cover their faces and feet in reverence and continually call to each other, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty”(Is. 6:1-4).


But though angels declare God’s glory, they can only observe God’s grace. The story of redemption is theirs to exclaim but not experience, for while many angels rebelled and fell, no salvation is offered for their sin. The lake of fire was prepared for the devil and his angels(Matt. 25:41), and “the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home—these God has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day”(Jude 1:6). Peter tells us that “even angels long to look into” the great news of the gospel which we have heard(1 Peter 1:12).


Such is not written to scare us to death but to wake us to life and to worship of our awesome God. While angels should be respected and admired, they are not the ones to be venerated. When John was shown the revelation of the end times and the new creation, he “fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had been showing them to him, but the angel said, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you…all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”(Rev. 22:9) God is the one who sovereignly carries out His will in our lives, and He sends His angels to help us and serve us. “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”(Hebrews 1:14)


Angels shut the mouths of Daniel’s lions and opened the doors of Peter’s prison. They protected David, nourished Elijah, and comforted Paul. They took care of Jesus after His wilderness temptation and strengthened Him in the garden of Gethsemane. And when Jesus rose from the dead, an angel rolled back the tomb’s stone and sat on top of it. Since that time, story after story has been told by God’s children of His protection and provision by creatures who appeared as people but who could only have been angels. We should not be surprised, for Hebrews reminds us, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it”(Heb. 13:2).


Since the angels of God’s little ones always see His face in heaven(Matt. 18:10), we can be sure He will send them to earth when we need them. Don’t look for an angel around every corner, but when someone shows up to help, thank God and think twice.
You never know.