Covenant Presbyterian Church

Sunday morning Foundations Classes
God's Positioning System (GPS)

Angels Lesson #2

(press or click on a slide to enlarge it)

Why are we studying Angels? With an ongoing pandemic, financial crisis due to the pandemic, and looting and anarchy, and even killing of cops, in our major cities; all of which can literally be described as “all hell breaking loose!” I believe a study of angels is timely.

The Bible speaks of spiritual warfare—good versus evil. God’s holy angels stand as a shield against Satan’s evil angels and will restrain their evil onslaught as long as God instructs them to. But when man turns from God he chooses to embrace evil, with an open invitation to Satan. God’s angels will withdraw; not in defeat, but as a consequence of sin (Galatians 6:7; Isaiah 59:2)

“Is America at a crossroad?” I believe so, as do many pastors who have both posted or stated their concerns on TV. Spiritual warfare is angelic warfare against God’s Church and people, manifested through people of like mind. As the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 6:12, our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Satan’s angels).

Anarchy is sweeping across major American cities, especially Seattle, Washington and even in Europe. There is a spiritual battle taking place between good and evil manifested in the flesh (Eph. 6:12). Prayer is our role in the battle (Eph. 6:18).  CHAZ: “Capital Hill Autonomous Zone” in the City of Seattle; where anarchist have cordoned off an area extending over several blocks in the downtown area, proclaiming secession from the United States. 

Spiritual warfare? Absolutely. 

The Devil’s schemes are many, some of which we are witnessing now. As the Apostle Paul tells us, the struggle taking place is not just disgruntled people against law abiding people and police. It is spiritually motivated; its intensity will increase as America turns further away from God and diminish as the Church turns to God in prayer.

Eph. 6:13-18 gives us the answer to today’s “evil unleased” on our cities and culture. Elected officials who do not turn to God, will never recognize the need for prayer, nor acknowledge biblical values, that is why Christians need to care and take the time to vote. We cannot retreat into our church sanctuaries but must begin on our knees wherever we may be.

God’s creation begins with angels. All angels were created at the same time; both those that remained faithful to God and those that followed Satan. Angels serve as God’s instruments carrying out His work as messengers and warriors. They also stand before His throne in continuous worship and praise. Since God is omnipotent, why would He create angels first when He intended to create man? We’ll try to answer that as we go through our study.

Did angels have a designated role before Adam’s Fall? The Bible shows important, perhaps even essential, links between angels and mankind, including spiritual warfare (Eph. 6), though unseen, but very real. Though unseen, angels have intervened on our behalf more than we realize. Are you aware of such an intervention? I am. How do I know? I heard him and responded as directed. Only afterwards did I realize it was an angelic intervention for my safety. Had I not responded as directed, I could have been killed by an auto out of control; if not killed, at least seriously injured.

The Bible doesn’t tell us how many angels were created, but Rev. 5:11 gives an indication. Some commentaries believe the number may be understated, placing it as high as all the humans that ever lived, which would put the number in the billions, 1/3 of whom followed Satan. Rev 5:11, Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders.

Some biblical commentaries state that there are four ranks of angels, while others state there are nine ranks. Other than briefly noting certain aspects, there are no all-encompassing descriptions for every category. We will explore some of the more familiar ranks of angels, which doesn’t negate or diminish the others, but only because there’s a lack of information.

Lucifer, before his fall, and Michael, are noteworthy as being of the highest angelic order or rank. With rank comes authority. We can assume that those who followed Lucifer, were most likely under his authority or command. An example, a general doesn’t submit himself to a colonel, major or captain. Lucifer had to be of a higher rank than all the angels that followed him. Their pride, which also led to their fall, certainly would not submit to a lower rank angel.

One commentary ranks angels in 3 tiers as shown consisting of 9 ranks. I believe most commentaries would rank archangels in the 1st tier not the 3rd but I wanted to show the different viewpoints. I did not see a compelling argument for this ranking based on what the Bible says about Archangel Michael who led and still leads God’s angels against Satan and his fallen angels (Rev. 12:7). Some of those noted can be found in Col. 1:16 KJV. 

How many types of angels are there in the Bible? This one shows 4 ranks. The number differs between Protestant, Anglican, and Roman Catholic. We will not look at every noted class of angels, since the Bible doesn’t provide sufficient descriptive information to do so. We will look at those listed here. Not all descriptions agree between biblical scholars and pastors, so we’ll try to stick mostly with what the Bible says, though limited.

Some biblical scholars believe this verse is in reference to ranks of angels; most don’t discuss it because of the lack of descriptive information. Nevertheless, I felt I should note it as related information.

Some list Seraphim as the highest rank because they reside at the very throne of God (Isaiah 6:1-2). "Seraph" (singular) means to burn. Seraphim (plural) are described as having faces, hands, and feet (this is an anthropomorphism—having attributes of human characteristics or behavior) and are definitely powerful creatures that do God's will. 

Again, Seraphim are mentioned just twice in Scripture, in Isaiah 6:2 and 6:6, each with six wings. Again, being at the very throne of God infers that they are at the highest of angelic ranking, not necessarily authority as we’ll see. 

Seraphim are described in Isaiah 6:1-2, as noted. Isaiah is the only place in the Bible to mention them. 

A Cherub, known in the plural form as Cherubim, is a symbolical angelic figure repeatedly mentioned in the Bible. Cherubim are described as serving the will of God, performing divine duties in the earthly realm. Cherubim’s initial responsibility, noted in Genesis, was protecting the Garden of Eden and driving Adam and Eve out of the Garden. Some speculate that Cherubim are the same as Archangels, but there is no Biblical support for that belief or against it. What seems clear is that both belong to higher orders of angels.

There are a number of descriptions regarding a Cherub (singular) represented over 90 times in the bible as attending God. They are also seen as the second highest order of angels in most commentaries, ranked above thrones (Col. 1:16) and below seraphim. Some commentaries see Cherub and Archangels as the same; the listing and ranks of angels often differ between commentaries. Why is that? The Bible doesn’t say specifically “Here’s the ranking of angels.” It gets down to interpretation based on their respective role and responsibilities, and certainly not a matter of Church doctrine, only individual opinions. 

When the Cherubim drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden, Adam did not even attempt to debate or discuss the “eviction order” that expelled him from the Garden. The Cherubim who drove them out brandished a fiery sword (Gen. 3:24). Jewish tradition notes a non-canonical Archangel named Jophiel (which means beauty of God, or divine beauty) but not in the Christian Bible; also recognized in Anglican and Episcopal traditions.

Another interesting item I found in my research is noted on the slide. Would God destroy the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were expelled? The Bible doesn’t say. Some scholars believe the answer is “No”. God would not destroy it. If so, would a cherub still be guarding it? If it still exists, the answer is “Yes” a cherub would still be on guard, because of the Tree of Life, which will be in the New Earth as mentioned in Revelation 22. Did God create a new Tree of Life, or is it the original Tree of Life? 

The Cherubim’s duties went beyond guarding the Garden of Eden. Two Cherubim are described on the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:18-21), but described with only one face, not four as in Ezekiel 10:14. The cherubim faced each other across the mercy seat of God. Why does the description of Cherubim differ? I believe its related to their specific roles that each angel is uniquely created to fulfill (1 Kings 6:23-28; Ex. 25:19). Just like humans have different roles and responsibilities, so do angels. We will not all be singing in the choir when we go to heaven or in the New Heaven and New Earth. Each will have a role tailored for who we are here and now. We are each unique just as angels are unique individuals!

Some angels do play music and sing in a heavenly choir. We will not all be singing in a heavenly choir or playing in a heavenly praise band, thought some will (Rev. 5:8-11). God equips us differently and uses us according to the gifts He gives us.

When we go to heaven, each will have a role tailored for who we are here and now. We are each unique just as angels are unique individuals, each with specific roles. Just as angels comforted Jesus Christ in his agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-44) or the angel freeing the Apostle Peter from Herod’s prison (Acts 12:3-11).

In Ezekiel the Cherubim are described as having two faces. Cherubim appear in several books of the Bible, including Genesis, Ezekiel, Kings, and Revelation. They’re also described with four faces: an ox, lion, man, and eagle, although Ezekiel replaces the ox for the face of a cherub. They move quickly, using a wheel within a wheel, and their wings cover their body. They are believed to be the Living Creatures in Revelation 4:6-11. An indication that God equips each angel specifically for the role they are assigned to fulfill.

Archangel Michael can easily be described as a high-ranking warrior angel, who leads God’s army as its Supreme Commander. Information on archangels comprise too much to cram comfortably into this lesson, so we will save Archangels for our next lesson. I’m striving to tailor lessons similar to what we would typically cover in our Sunday morning Heritage lounge studies. So stay tuned. 

If you are ready to return to Heritage Lounge, please let me know so I can plan accordingly.

My email and phone are in the church directory. Of course doing so depends on the Pastor and Session's decision. 

END OF LESSON #2

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