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“Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” —Psalm 103:20
ANGELS AND CHRIST
Angels were prominent during the Lord’s earthly ministry and in connection with His death and resurrection. We see them present at the birth of Christ (Luke 2:10), His temptation (Matt. 4:11), and His agony in the garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43). They guarded His empty tomb (John 20:12) and assured Christ’s disciples that He would return (Acts 1:10). Their presence during His time on earth proved that the Messiah was not an angel, but Lord of angels.
“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53).
Some Christians use this verse to claim command over angels, as if they have the authority or the right to activate or send them. But if we look at Matthew 26:53 carefully, Jesus said “… pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me ….” And Psalm 91 says, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee.” God is the one who gives His angels charge, not the believer. When it comes to commanding the angelic forces, God does the sending. Like Christ, believers should ask the Father who is able to dispatch, if need be, legions of angels. (By the way, a Roman legion was made up of some 6,000 trained soldiers, so Jesus used the phrase “more than twelve legions”— more than 72,000—with intent to show the inexhaustible number of angels available to Him, as well as to those who follow Him.)
ANGELS AND CHRISTIANS
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1:14).
Angels are commanded, ordered, and sent, but they are not without interest in the heirs of God. Scriptures show angels curious about our salvation and our faith.
In I Peter 1:12, we read, “which things the angels desire to look into,” a phrase related to our redemption. Pulpit’s Commentary says, “The salvation which God’s elect receive is so full of glory and mysterious beauty, that not only did the prophets of old search diligently, but even angels desire to look into it.” When we say “look,” we’re not talking about a glance. The Greek verb used in this phrase means “to stoop sidewise,” and pictures a person standing on the outside of a place who bends at the knees and leans forward to peer inside. The same verb is used in John 20:11, when Mary “stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre.” Bible scholar John Edward Huther said the use of this verb “indicates that the angels stand outside the work of redemption, inasmuch as it is not for them, but for man.”
Angels seem to understand the tremendous value of salvation, perhaps because they witness its progression throughout the believer’s life, from repentance to reward. In Luke 15:10, Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.” Throughout a Christian’s life, Scriptures support angels at work to protect (Ps. 34:7), warn and rescue from impending destruction (Gen. 19), deliver (Acts 12:7-8), and give strength to resist temptation (Luke 22:43).
And, when his physical life comes to a close, angels stand near the child of God, their arms outstretched and ready, so when he draws his last breath, the heir of God is immediately carried to glory. Bible scholar Albert Barnes said, “If anywhere heavenly aid is needed, it is when the spirit leaves the body. If anywhere a guide is needed, it is when the ransomed soul goes up the unknown path to God. And if angels are employed on any messages of mercy to mankind, it is proper that it should be when life is closing, and the spirit is about to ascend to heaven.”
Jesus confirmed this angelic assistance in Luke 16:22 when He said, “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom.” At no point in death is the child of God left unaccompanied or alone: The beggar died and was carried—the action is continuous. Angels carried Lazarus into Abraham’s bosom, which Charles Ellicott says rested on the idea of a great feast in which Abraham was the host. He said, “To lie in his bosom, as St. John in that of our Lord’s, was to be there as the most favored guest.”
Those who are born again need not fear death. Psalm 116:15 says, “Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints.” It’s precious to Him because it demonstrates the mighty power of God’s salvation through the redemptive work of Christ—something angels witness every time they carry a believer home, into His bosom.
ANGELS WHO ASKED A QUESTION
"And they say unto her, Woman, why weepest thou?” (John 20:13).
What an interesting exchange: two angels asking Mary why she is crying. Obviously, they didn’t know; they didn’t understand her sadness. Pulpit said, “Here we witness angelic wonder at human incredulity. Angelic ministry to human sorrow; for the mystery of our tears does not arrest the sympathy of these triumphant spirits.”
Angels must marvel at our unbelief. Surely they wonder at our innate ability to doubt God. Why? Because these beings stand in the presence of the Almighty day and night. Everything about God and heaven is truth to them—His glory, majesty, righteousness, power, and, above all, His Word. So when these angels saw Mary crying, they questioned her sadness because they had heard Jesus say that He would rise again just as they had heard God say, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
The angels might not have understood why Mary was crying, but thank God, Jesus did. People will always be the focus of the Lord’s concern, not angels. And angels, throughout the Bible, have always pointed people toward God. From the first mention of the angel of the Lord in Genesis to the heavenly being sent to John on the Island of Patmos in Revelation, the message of angels is consistent and clear: worship God.
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