Who are they? What do they do? Do they appear to people? How do we avoid false teachings about them?

These tables are for quick references. Then at the end, let’s reflect on these data points.

I.. Introduction: Summary Table

These introductory points will be elaborated on, in the next tables.

I.. Introduction: Summary Table
1	Opening Statement	Angels are God’s messengers who obey his commands and serve those who will inherit salvation.
2	Basics	They are created spirit beings and have a beginning, at their creation. They are immortal.
3	Mental attributes	They have moral judgment, a certain measure of free will, and high intelligence.
4	Residence	They live in heaven, but God sends them to accomplish his purposes in a lower, spiritual dimension, invisible to us.
5	Bodies	They have no physical bodies but can manifest with immortal and incorruptible bodies before humans.
6	Appearances	They sometimes appear to people. People can sometimes recognize them, or sometimes people cannot.
7	Warning	Angels are not to be worshipped or commanded. God alone is worshipped, and he alone commands them.

II. Names and Ranks and Other Heavenly Beings

This is what the Scriptures reveal.

Names and Ranks and Other Heavenly Beings
1	Michael	He is mentioned in Dan. 10:13, 10:21, 12:1. He seems to be the head of all angels. He is called the “great prince.” Jude 9 says he is called the archangel. Rev. 12:1says Michael and the angels fought against the dragon (Satan).
2	Gabriel	He is mentioned in Dan. 8:16; 9:21 and Luke 1:19, 26 and seems to be a messenger angel with high rank.
3	An archangel	1 Thess. 4:16 says that Jesus will descend with an unnamed archangel who shouts with his voice.
4	Seraphs or seraphim	A seraph took hot coal and put it on Isaiah’s mouth and lips because he saw how unclean he was (Is. 6:6-7).
5	Cherub or cherubim	They are spirit beings like angels who live in heaven. The term appears over ninety times in the Old Testament and once in the New. For Scripture references, please click on Angelology.
6	Living Creatures	They are not necessarily angels, but they seem to be in a category all by themselves. They are around God’s throne (Ezek.1:5-14; Rev. 4:6-8)
	Summary of seraphs, cherubs, and living creatures	All of them are concerned with God’s holiness; they are its guardians. cherubs uphold his throne and even serve as his chariot.  The seraphim form a circle above the throne, while the cherubim form one below the throne. This may indicate their ranks.
7	Rulers and Authorities	Eph. 3:10 names them as rulers and authorities in the heavenly realm, and they appear to be assigned by God to these jurisdictions. Col. 1:16, as noted, repeats the same idea of their thrones, rulers, power, and authorities.

III. Origins and Nature

Were they created or eternal like God is? What is their make up or essence?

III. Origins and Nature
1	They are spirits. (They do not have human bodies.)
2	God created them.
3	Therefore they have a beginning. (They are not eternal as God is.)
4	They do not die. (They are immortal.)
5	They are innumerable.
6	They were created good.
7	Traditional theology says that some good angels rebelled and were thrown out of heaven.
8	They are probably not made in the image of God, as humans are.
9	They live in heaven, but God sends them to accomplish his purposes in a lower, spiritual dimension, invisible to us.
10	They have moral judgment.
11	They have a certain measure of free will.
12	They have extremely limited wisdom and knowledge compared to God, but greater  wisdom and knowledge than people have.
13	They cannot be in more than two places at one time, for they are not omnipresent.
14	They are powerful but not omnipotent.
15	They have the emotion of joy.
16	They are solemn.
17	They do not marry.
18	They can appear in incorruptible and immortal bodies.
19	They can eat human food.
20	They do not experience salvation and redemption in Christ, as humans do. But angels long to look into those matters.
For Scripture references, please click on this link: Angelology.

IV. Duties to People

God commands angels to serve people. How? Where?

IV. Duties to People
1	They were intermediaries when the law of Moses was given.
2	They bring messages from God.
3	They praise and worship God.
4	They bring God’s provision to people.
5	They protect God’s people.
6	They serve as guardians.
7	They convey God’s guidance to people.
8	They interpret God’s will.
9	They carry out God’s will.
10	They carry out judgment.
11	They fight demons.
12	They sometimes appear in our visible realm, and people recognize them. At other times people do not or cannot recognize them.
For Scripture references, please click on this link: Angelology.

V. Duties in the Life of Christ

They ministered to him, particularly when he need it most.

V. Duties in the Life of Christ
1	Gabriel announced the birth of Jesus to Gabriel
2	An angel told Joseph in a dream of Jesus’s divine conception.
3	Angels announced birth of Jesus to shepherds.
4	An angel to Joseph in a dream to leave Egypt.
5	An angel told Joseph in a dream to return to Israel.
6	Angels ministered to Jesus after the temptation
7	An angel helped Jesus during suffering in Garden of Gethsemane.
8	Twelve legions of angels could have rescued Jesus from trial and crucifixion.
9	An angel rolled away the tombstone.
10	Angels announced Jesus’s resurrection.
11	Angels were present at his ascension
12	Angels will return with him.
For Scripture references, please click on this link: Angelology.

VI. Avoid Bad Teachings

As time rolls on with the worldwide web, deception and false doctrines will increase. How can we spot them, so we can avoid them?

VI. Avoid Bad Teachings
1	Angels are not to be worshipped. Only God is to be worshipped through his Son.
2	They are not to be commanded. Only God commands them.
3	Avoid a bad teaching which misinterprets Psalm 103:20. Some teachers say that if we speak God’s “word” (the Bible), then we can command angels. But in Hebrew poetry, “word” is just a parallel for “bidding.” They obey God who commands (bids) and issues directives (words). This is God’s spoken commands to angels at any time, not our written Bible. Quoting the Bible does not activate them. Only God does this, not us.
4	We are not to obsess over them or seek after them. We are to seek God alone.
5	We are not to pray to angels but pray to God alone in his Son’s name.
6	We can ask angels questions and talk to them if one were to appear to us. But we are not to seek from them secret knowledge.
7	No new doctrines are to be sought from an angel, for Satan can appear as an angel of light.
8	There are no healing angels. Only God heals in the name of his Son and by the power of his Spirit.
9	Do not get involved with angels from world religions. They are probably demons.
10	Colossians 2:18 says not to get drawn into visions people have seen, even if they see angels. Just focus on the plain things of Scripture: salvation, holiness, regeneration (rebirth), life of Christ, evangelism, the simple gospel, and a long list of other clear teachings of Scripture.
For Scripture references, please click on this link: Angelology.

VII. Reflections

A.. Angels are real.

They encamp about you and protect you and minister to you. They can appear to you personally or in your dreams as messengers (they have appeared in my dreams). God sends them to comfort you and reveal to you that he is watching over you and loves you. He sends them to guide you personally and in a way that conforms to Scripture.

B.. God’s protection

When you are in need, he will send his angels to watch over you. I was getting stung by a swarm of aggressive bees. I had to run up an incline to escape, but I was not going fast enough to get out of range. I cried out to the Lord: “Jesus, make them stop!” As God is my witness, they instantly stopped and flew off. I believe an angel, though unseen by me, brushed them away. Even when you get hurt, God will intervene and by his angels remain there until help arrives. Never lose your faith. God will command his angels to watch over you (Ps. 91:11).

C.. Spiritual, heavenly truths

Heaven is real, and so are the creatures that populate it. When we get to heaven, we will meet and see them. We shall listen to their praises and witness their service to God and to us. They shall assist us in our heavenly service to God, because we will not just sit around on clouds and play harps forever (but maybe we can learn the harp for a while!).

In any case, heaven is another dimension. It is not on a planet in this universe. If so, then were did God dwell before he made the heavens and the earth? If we had eyes to see or if God opened our eyes to see heaven, we would understand its reality and how close it is. Angels live in the heavenly realm, which is another dimension.

D.. God’s love is highest

He loves you more than any angel could. In fact, it is not clear from Scripture that angels have a capacity for love—certainly not for humans. They just are; it seems the only emotion they feel is joy when a sinner is found or at creation (Job 38:7; Luke 15:10).

E.. The right prayer life

Pray to your loving Father in Jesus’s name and ask him to answer your prayers. Focus on the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. Seek to be filled and empowered with the Holy Spirit, not “angel-power,” whatever that is. Jesus is the answer, not angels. He empowers you by his indwelling Spirit.

F.. Right and biblical perspective

Many people have seen angels, either in their dreams or in person. However, Christians of any kind should not seek out angels, but seek God through Christ. You don’t need to go to prayer meetings, for example, that communicate with angels or that claim an angel’s feather brushed up against you. Also, do not seek advice from angels. That’s misdirected.

If you believe you have seen an angel, submit your experience to Scripture. It is infallible; you are not. It is trustworthy; you are not. It teaches sound doctrine; you may not. It has stood the test of time for 2000-plus years; you have not.

If God sends one in your dreams or personally, it will be by his sovereign will. Instead, just focus on Jesus and his word. But it is good to know angels do serve us at God’s will, and we can be comforted and encouraged by this Scriptural truth.

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LONGER POST

19 Angelology: Doctrine about Angels

REFERENCES

For the bibliography, further discussion, and the Scripture references, please click on this link:

19 Angelology: Doctrine about Angels