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.
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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.
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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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