- [Narrator] Angels are sent to watch us
and protect us from harm.
When arrows and terrors come against us,
the primary way God shields us from hurt
so that nothing could hurt us
is through his angelic covering.
Just like Jesus, David was a man
that believed in the reality of angels.
David kept the angels busy throughout his life
and emerged victorious in every battle he fought.
He would often send angels to chase after his enemies.
The psalmist wrote that the God of Jacob would protect you,
that he would send you assistance from his sanctuary,
and that he would remember all the sacrifices you have made.
Some put their faith in horses
while others rely on chariots.
However, God will defend those
who follow the term of the covenant
because God is their defense.
They will continue to stand tall
even when everyone else is falling.
David asked God not only to protect him,
but also to vindicate him.
He wanted it to be seen and known
that he did serve and obey God,
and that those who opposed him
were made like chaff before the wind.
Let the angel of the Lord chase them.
For emphasis, David prayed twice
for the intervention of God's special messenger,
the angel of the Lord.
A famous preacher once noted,
"How angels thus keep us, we cannot tell.
Whether they repel demons, counteract spiritual plots,
or even ward off the subtler physical forces of disease,
we do not know."
Perhaps we shall one day stand amazed
at the multiplied services
the unseen bands have rendered us.
Psalm 91:11-12,
"For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands, they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone."
Angels are motivated by an inexhaustible love for God.
David said of angels,
"He who dwelleth in the secret place of the most high
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,
for he shall give his angels charge over thee
to keep thee in all thy ways," Psalm 91.
Angels were also sent to protect God's people.
Isaiah 37:33-36,
"Therefore this is what the Lord says
about the king of Assyria,
'He will not come to this city nor shoot an arrow there,
and he will not come before it with a shield
nor heap up an assault ramp against it.
By the way that he came, by the same, he will return,
and he will not come to this city,' declares the Lord,
'for I will protect the city to save it for my own sake
and for my servant David's sake.'
Then the angel of the Lord went out
and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians,
and when the rest got up early in the morning,
behold all of the 185,000 were dead."
Here we see the angel of the Lord
defending the nation of Israel
when King Hezekiah was leading Israel.
During a conflict,
King Hezekiah turned to prayer and received assurance
that he need not take any action to safeguard his city
as God would protect it himself.
Eventually, the angel of the Lord cut down 185,000 men
in their enemies' camp so the children of Israel
did not have to do anything to win.
God's angels love to fight unseen battles for his children,
and they make sure we get victory after victory.
"Hallelujah, God can send his angels to shut their mouths
and scatter the plans of those
who wish to harm or falsely accuse us.
My God has sent his angel
and has shut the mouths of the lions
so that they have not hurt me
because I was found innocent before him.
And also before you, oh King,
I have committed no crime," Daniel 6:22.
When Daniel was enslaved in the land of Babylon
and was stopped from praying to God,
but he chose to obey God.
So he prayed and was thrown into the lion's den,
but God sent an angel to protect him.
If you have been accused falsely like Daniel,
then you can lean on God and trust him
to help you through his angels that excel in strength.
Angels can deliver from persecution.
As the early church grew,
Peter was put in prison for preaching the Gospel.
But the people prayed for Peter nonstop,
and then the Lord sent angelic help
to deliver Peter from prison.
Acts 12:6-11, New American Standard Bible,
"On the very night
when Herod was about to bring him forward,
Peter was sleeping between two soldiers
bound with two chains,
and guards in front of the door
were watching over the prison.
And behold, an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near Peter,
and a light shone in the cell,
and he struck Peter's side and woke him, saying,
'Get up quickly,' and his chains fell off his hands.
And the angel said to him,
'Put on your belt and strap on your sandals,' and he did so.
And he said to him,
'Wrap your cloak around you and follow me.'
And he went out and continued to follow,
and yet he did not know what was being done
by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
Now, when they had passed the first and second guard,
they came to the iron gate that leads into the city,
which opened for them by itself.
And they went out and went along one street,
and immediately, the angel departed from him.
When Peter came to himself, he said,
'Now I know for sure that the Lord has sent forth his angel
and rescued me from the hand of Herod
and from all that the Jewish people were expecting.'"
Number two, angels were sent to strengthen.
When Jesus was weary, the angels came to strengthen him.
Luke 22:41-44,
"And he withdrew from them about a stone's throw.
And 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."
Angels can do the impossible as God has empowered them.
The Bible shows that they can take human form too,
depending on their assignment.
The most important thing to note
is that we shouldn't pray to angels
but should pray to God to send his messengers
as they are the host of heaven that respond to his command.
If you lean on God,
he will assure you about not being alone.
For centuries, people have always wondered
who these mysterious beings called angels are.
Who are these ones that bring help
and protection when danger surrounds us?
Whether in real stories or tall tales,
we can't avoid the realities
of these heavenly beings that dwell among us.
Hebrews 1:14, New American Standard Bible,
"Are they not all ministering spirits
sent out to provide service for the sake of those
who will inherit salvation?"
From this verse, the first thing we can establish
about angels is that they are spirit beings.
This means we cannot see them daily like we see people.
Basically, we humans belong to the realm of earth,
while God and his angels dwell in the spirit realm.
Psalm 115:16, New American Standard Bible,
"The heavens are the heavens of the Lord,
but the earth, he has given to the sons of mankind."
But even though God created the earth for physical beings,
he still knows that we will sometimes require
some level of supernatural help
when we require heaven's defense
or when he needs to do certain things.
So even before he created man,
he already put everything in place,
including these spirits called angels.
Also, it is comforting to see
that angels are not just spirits
but are actually sent by God to strengthen and attend
to the needs of those that are heirs of salvation.
Besides, no matter how numerous
God's redeemed children become on earth,
angels will continue to work on God's behalf
to bring heaven's will into our lives.
The Bible gives their number as innumerable.
Revelation 5:6, New American Standard Bible,
"And I saw between the throne
with the four living creatures and the elders
a lamb standing as if slaughtered,
having seven horns and seven eyes,
which are the seven spirits of God
sent out into all the earth."
Understanding the roles that these angels
have been given by God is necessary
if we were to experience the fullness
of God's inheritance for us.
Number three, they play a vital role
in the Book of Revelation.
The Book of Revelation is often called
the progressive development of future events.
So let us look at the angels in Revelation
as their ministry gradually unfolds.
More than 10% of references to angels are found
in connection with the letters to the seven churches
in the second and third chapters of Revelation.
It is fascinating to think
that God could have detailed angels
delivering messages to certain churches.
The meaning of angel in these references
to the seven churches is not entirely clear
since angel literally means messenger,
and the word here could possibly mean something like pastor.
However, these references could also be
to the spiritual beings we have examined.
You will remember that the apostle Paul
was once caught up into the third heaven.
He testified that he heard unspeakable words,
which it is not lawful for a man to utter.
Revelation 7:11-12, Amplified Bible,
"And all the angels were standing around the throne,
and around the 24 elders and the four living creatures.
And they fell to their faces before the throne
and worshiped God, saying,
'Amen, blessing and glory and majesty and wisdom
and thanksgiving and honor and power and might
belong to our God forever and ever, Amen.'"
A primary function of angels is to worship God.
We see in Revelation
that they will have this privilege forever.
It is disappointing to end our view of this heavenly scene
and to turn our eyes back to earthly things.
Instead of angels praising God,
we see men and women blaspheming God
and living in sin with no sense of obligation to God.
Why is this?
A partial answer can be found
in Angelic Warnings, Angelic Reapings.
The angel is tasked to warn people,
and then if the warning is not heeded,
to bring about the judgment of God.
This will be particularly effective
in the last days with regard to the antichrist.
Revelation 14:9-11, Amplified Bible,
"Then another angel, a third one,
followed them, saying with a loud voice,
'Whoever worships the beast and his image
and receives the mark of the beast
on his forehead or on his hand,
he too will have to drink of the wine of the wrath of God
mixed undiluted into the cup of his anger.
And he will be tormented with fire and brimstone
in the presence of the holy angels
and in the presence of the lamb,
and the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever.
And they have no rest day and night,
those who worship the beast and his image
and whoever receives the mark of his name."
During his brief rule on earth,
the antichrist will completely control
the economic life of all people.
No one will be able to buy or sell
unless they have a mark on their forehead or hand.
So people will have to make a decision
whether they identify with the people of God
and suffer death as a result,
or whether they join the antichrist.
The vast majority will make the wrong choice.
They will say, "I am ready, give me the mark,"
then the wrath of God will spring up
like a dam that has broken.
Notice how angels are involved.
"And another angel came out of the temple,
calling with a loud voice to him
who was sitting upon the cloud,
'Put in your sickle and reap at once
for the hour to reap in judgment has arrived
because the earth's harvest is fully ripened.'
So he who was sitting on the cloud
cast his sickle over the earth,
and the earth was reaped.
Then another angel came out of the temple in heaven,
and he also had a sharp sickle.
And another angel came from the altar,
the one who has power over fire,
and he called with a loud voice to him
who had the sharp sickle, saying,
'Put in your sharp sickle and reap the clusters of grapes
from the vine of the earth
because her grapes are ripe for judgment.'
So the angel swung his sickle to the earth
and harvested the grape vine of the earth
and threw the grapes into the grape wine press of the wrath
and indignation of God as judgment of the rebellious world.
And the grapes in the wine press were trampled
and crushed outside the city,
and blood poured from the wine press,
reaching up to the horse's bridles
for a distance of 1,600 stadia."
Revelation 14:15-20,
"What a terrible image of God's coming judgment,
but one that is fully deserved.
Now we think of angels who bless the world
and strengthen us and lead us here.
They do, but there comes a time
when angels will dispense the wrath of a righteous God.
Where are you right now?
Under the present blessing of the angels
or under the coming judgment?
I urge you to get yourself a Bible
and read the 16th chapter of Revelation,
which is too long for me to quote here.
You will note how seven angels are used by God
to execute his fierce wrath upon an unbelieving world.
It's a terrible, terrible picture of things to come,
and I would have you avoid it at all costs.
Babylon, Babylon, God is not going to judge individuals
during the great tribulation,
but he is also going to bring judgment on world systems.
The two Babylons are mentioned in Revelation,
one in chapter 17 and one in chapter 18.
First to be judged is religious Babylon.
We cannot be sure of his exact identity,
but I want you to see how an angel was involved
in giving John information.
He wrote, Revelation 17:1, Amplified Bible,
"Then one of the seven angels
who had the seven bulls came and spoke with me, saying,
'Come here, I will show you the judgment
and doom of the great prostitute
who is seated on many waters influencing nations.'"
So an angel gave the apostle a preview
of the judgment that will come
over this false religious system.
Even more striking is the angelic involvement
with regard to the second, or economic Babylon,
described in Revelation 18:1-2, Amplified Bible,
"After these things, I saw another angel
coming down from heaven, possessing great authority.
And the earth was illuminated
with his splendor and radiance.
And he shouted with a mighty voice, saying,
'Fallen, fallen, certainly to be destroyed
is Babylon the great.
She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a dungeon haunted by every unclean spirit,
and a prison for every unclean and loathsome bird.'"
Nowhere else is an angel described quite like that.
His mission is to judge economic Babylon.
Some say it is New York City or the United Nations,
we can't know.
But our point here is to emphasize the angelic involvement.
Artists often imagine angels as radiant figures.
Where did they get this idea?
Perhaps from Revelation 19:17, Amplified Bible,
"Then I saw a single angel standing in the sun.
And with a loud voice, he shouted to all the birds
that fly in midheaven, saying,
'Come, gather together for the great supper of God.'"
This seems to refer to a brilliance
that's shown from his face,
what a sight that would be.
I do not think, however,
that our eyes will remain fixed on the angel for long
for he too has a job of judgment to do.
The rest of Revelation 19 tells how the remains
of a great army provide food for the fowls
and that how, at last, the beast and the false prophet
and those who worshiped his image are all cast
into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.
The preceding have just been some highlights
of angelic involvement
in the judgments described in Revelation.
You will want to read the entire book of Revelation
to appreciate all that angels will be doing
in the end times.
Let us pray.
Dear Father, I thank you for the gift of salvation
and the angels you have sent to take charge of me.
I am grateful for your seen
and unseen help in all that I do.
Today, I declare that the angels of the living God
watch over me continuously,
and in the name of Jesus,
I receive their help and assistance
in all I do to the glory of the Father.
In Jesus' name, Amen.