Angels? What on earth are they?
Why study angels? The word appears some 300 times in the Bible. Angels have been instrumental in God’s will for us. Their activities show God’s infinite, eternal love for us throughout the history of mankind. They give us a glimpse of our heavenly future. They already know the magnificence and love of the Godhead three and the marvels of heaven, so they are well qualified to bring us God’s messages and facilitate our journey to Him.
We will see angels have played a significant role throughout the Bible. Those key figures in the Old Testament who encountered angels include Abraham, Sarah, Hagar, Lot, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Balaam, Joshua, Gideon, Samson’s parents, David, Elijah, Nebuchadnezzar, Darius, Daniel, and Zechariah. In the New Testament, there were Zacharias, Mary, Joseph, the Bethlehem shepherds, Lazarus the beggar, Mary Magdalene and the “other” Mary, the Apostles as a group and several as individuals (Philip, Peter, and Paul), Cornelius and, of course, Jesus. What a list!
What is an angel? Do I have a guardian angel? Might I entertain angels unawares? Do angels minister to me? Has the role of angels changed from the Old to the New Testament? These are our questions of interest. We will seek answers from the Bible, your Bible. Along the way, we will consider if the Old Testament’s “Angel of the LORD” is the pre-incarnate Jesus Christ.