Unseen But Real
I’ve heard all my life that “each of us has a guardian angel,” but I’ve searched my Bible and talked with Bible students and they say also that it is not in the Scripture just like that!
I’m going to give you some Scriptures to let you know that God is watching over His redeemed saints and if He sends one angel or many angels to do His bidding, it will be just right, perfect.
Angels are unseen, but they are involved in our personal lives. They are mysterious beings, but they do exist, and they have an impact on our lives.
What is the truth about angels? The Bible, the revealed Word of God, as expressed in 2 Timothy 3:16 and 2 Peter 1:21, below, inform us about inspired scripture and prophecy and Daniel 10:13 and Jude 1:9, below, speak of one arch angel, Michael. Let’s see what is recorded in the Bible about scripture and prophecy.
Hebrews 13:2
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
2 Peter 1:21
For the prophecy came; not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
In Scripture, what is said about an angel named Michael the archangel? Notice that he is referred to as one of the chief princes in:
Daniel 10:13
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.
Jude 1:9
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
Only three angels, Michael, Gabriel and Lucifer are specifically named, though there are thousands of them. The Bible also describes fallen angels, as those who chose to rebel with Lucifer, now called Satan.
If there were ever a time when people need the special power and blessings of heaven in their lives, that time is now. We live in troubled times, and there are those that simply don’t pause to discover the inner strength that comes through the supernatural.
The Bible stresses the reality of angels. Even though they are unseen, they minister on behalf of God’s people.
Psalm 91:11
For He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
May we become better prepared to worship the Lord of Host, who created us and an innumerable army of angels!
Angels are among us. As we will see, they are created beings with intellect, emotions and a will and they have a distinct nature. God is real. Angels are real. The demons are real. The word for angels occurs one hundred eighty times in the Old Testament and one hundred sixty-five times in the New Testament.
Hebrews 1:14
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Hebrews 2:1-3
1Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip.
2For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward;
3How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him;
The Bible states that angels, like man, were created by God.
Colossians 1:16
For by him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
Angels indeed are among the invisible things made by God: “All things were created by Him and for Him.”
It seems that angels have the ability to change their appearance and shuttle in a flash from the glory of Heaven to Earth and back again.
Hebrews 1:14 calls them ministering spirits. They do not possess physical bodies although they may take on physical bodies when God appoints them to special tasks. God has given them no ability to reproduce, and they neither marry, nor or given in marriage.
Hebrews 1:14
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Mark 12:25
For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
Angels crisscross the Old and New Testament, being mentioned directly or indirectly nearly 300 times.
Hebrews 12:22 speaks of an innumerable company of angels.
Hebrews 12:22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,
Psalm 68:17
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place.
Revelation 5:11
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;
Sharing an event:
A Philadelphia neurologist had gone to bed, after an exceptionally tiring day. Suddenly, he was awakened by someone knocking on his door.
Opening it, he found a little girl, poorly dressed and deeply upset. She told him her mother was very sick and asked hm if he would please come with her. It was a bitterly cold, snowy night. Even though he was so tired, the doctor dressed and followed the little girl.
When he arrived, he found the mother desperately ill, with pneumonia. After arranging for medical care, he complimented the woman on the intelligence and persistence of her little daughter.
The woman looked at him strangely and then said, “My daughter died a month ago” and she added, “Her shoes and coat are in the closet there.”
Amazed and perplexed, the doctor went to the closet and opened the door. There hung the very coat worn by the little girl who had brought him to tend to her mother. It was warm and dry and could not possibly have been out in the wintry night.
Could the doctor have been called in the hour of desperate need by an angel who appeared as this woman’s young daughter? Was this the work of God’s angel on behalf of the sick woman?
Speculation about the nature of angels has been around for thousands of years and continues down to the present time. Angels belong to a uniquely different dimension of creation that we, limited to the natural order, can scarcely comprehend.
Angels apparently have their own spiritual language. I think 1 Corinthians 13 makes it clear that these “tongues of angels” are no more important nor as beautiful in God’s eyes as the simple human language of our love in action.
God appoints angels to special tasks. God has given them no ability to reproduce, and they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, as we read in Mark 12:25, above.
Hebrew 12:22, above, speaks of “an innumerable company of angels.”
Psalm 68:17
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai in the hoy place.
The Book of Revelation in the Bible also says that armies of angels will appear with Jesus at the Battle of Armageddon when God’s foes gather for their final defeat.
Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:7-8 says the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,
8In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:
9Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power;
10When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day.
In the New Testament John tells us of having seen 10,000 times 10,000 angels ministering to the Lamb of God in the throne room, Revelation 5:11. (The Lamb of God is Jesus.)
Revelation 5:11
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands:
In the Book of Revelation, in the Bible, it also says that armies of angels will appear with Jesus at the Battle of Armageddon when God’s foes gather for their final defeat and Paul in 2 Thessalonians 1:7, above, says the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.
Angels are not to be worshipped. We are warned against worshiping the creature rather than the Creator. Colossians 2:18 tells us that only God is to be worshiped.
We are not to confuse angels with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit convicts men of sin, righteousness and judgment as seen in John 16:7-15, below.
Colossians 2:18
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
John 16:7-15
7Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.
8And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and righteousness, and of judgment:
9Of sin because they believe not on me;
10Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
11Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.
12I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine and shall shew it unto you.
15All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I that he shall take of mine and shall shew it unto you.
While angels remain messengers of God who serve men as ministering spirits, Hebrews 1:14, above, at the same time both angels and the Holy Spirit are at work in our world to accomplish God’s perfect will.
We know the Holy Spirit as spirit, not flesh, but we can know angels not as spirit alone, but sometimes in visible form. Angels minister to us personally. Many accounts in Scripture confirm that we are the subjects of their individual concern.
We may not always be aware of the presence of angels. We can’t always predict how they will appear. We know little of their constant ministry.
1 Corinthians 13:12
For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
Many experiences of God’s people suggest that angels have been ministering to them. Others may not have known they were being helped yet the visitation was real.
The Bible tells us that God has ordered angels to minister to His people, those who have been redeemed by the power of Christ’s blood.
“To be redeemed by the power of Christ’s blood” means that you have asked God to forgive you of your sin and through faith, at that moment, you become a child of God, redeemed by the power of Christ’s blood, sealed until the day of redemption, a child of God forever with your name written in the Lamb’s Book of Life! The result of that decision and confession is called salvation.
The Bible tells us that God has ordered angels to minister to His people, those who have been redeemed by the power of Christ’s blood.
Psalm 34:7
The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
The great majority of Christians can recall some incident in which their lives, in times of critical danger, have been miraculously preserved: an almost plane crash, a near car wreck, a fierce temptation.
Though we might not have seen an angel or angels, their presence could explain why tragedy was averted.
We should always be grateful for the goodness of God, who uses these wonderful friends, called angels, to help and protect us.
MISSIONARY PROTECTED BY ANGELS
The Reverend John Paton, pioneer missionary to the Islands, told a thrilling story involving the protective care of angels.
Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. John Paton and his wife prayed all during the terror-filled night that God would deliver them.
When daylight came, they were amazed to see that unaccountably. The attackers had left. They thanked God for delivering them. Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent His angels to protect them. The Chief agreed that there was no other explanation. Could it be that God had sent a legion of angels to protect His servants whose lives were being endangered?
Evidence from Scripture as well as personal experience confirm to us that individual guardian angels attend at least to some of our ways and hover protectively over our lives.
Psalm 68:17
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the holy place.
TRUE STORY
(My daughter) Joyce and I went many years ago to tour New York City. We had never ridden the subway but we decided to do that and we boarded the subway, didn’t realize when we arrived we were going in the direction of Harlem, one of the most dangerous places to be. It was the last stop and everyone got off the subway.
As we got off the subway several men were hurrying down the many steps in our direction. All passengers had quickly disappeared up the steps and in various directions. We were alone.
There stood a woman and she said to us, “Get back on that subway as quick as possible” so we did. As we looked back we could not see that woman anywhere. She was gone! We believe God had sent an angel in the form of that person that warned us, to protect us at this hour.”
God may send one angel or a host of angels, whatever is needed to do His bidding.
Awesome God He is!
Angels mentioned in other Scriptures
Psalm 8:3-5
3When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?
5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
Matthew 4:11
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.
Matthew 18:10,11
10Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.
11For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
Matthew 24:36
But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only.
Matthew 28:2-7
2And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
5And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you.
Matthew 26:53
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?
Luke 16:22
And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
John 1:51
And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.
Mark 12:25
For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven.
Matthew 24:31
And He shall send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Psalm 103:20
Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.
Psalm 91:11
For he shall give his angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psalm 148:2
Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
1 Peter 3:22
Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him.
Acts 8:26
And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
Hebrews 1:13, 14
13But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
Daniel 6:22
My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
Daniel 3:28
Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
I’d like to leave this thought with you:
Proverbs 3:5, 6
5Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
