A Biblical Angle on Angels
1 The revelation of Jesus Christ,
which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take
place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, (Revelation 1)
Our
aim in traveling through Revelation is to make sure we do not go beyond what is
written,[1] while teaching what accords with sound doctrine.[2] So, when angels are brought into the picture in the first verse of
the book, we have our opportunity to let go of any fanciful ideas of angels
that simply do not line up with the word of God. At the same time, we must open
our hearts to what the Bible teaches about angels so we are able to appreciate
their place in God’s work.
The
first thing the book of Revelation tells us about angels is that Jesus made the
revelation known by sending an angel to his servant John. That means that our
present experience of having this book includes the involvement of at least
this one angel in passing it on from Christ.
The
fact that this angel was “his angel”
means it was one of the good guys. All the bad angels were following Lucifer. Whenever
Lucifer led his rebellion, the number of angels that deserted their Creator to
follow the usurper was settled. This angel was Jesus’ angel, and it was set
apart for the purpose Jesus had in sending him to John.
Hebrews
1 is a contrast between Jesus and angels. Jesus is supreme, the Son of God.
Angels are God’s creatures, designed and made to have a very specific function.
While exalting Jesus as vastly superior to the angels, the writer of Hebrews
describes angels in this way: “Are they
not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit
salvation?”[3]
Throughout
the book of Revelation we are going to understand angels to be ministering
spirits who are sent out from God to serve, and their serving is very
specifically for the sake of God’s people, those who are to inherit salvation.
Angels are not sent to us to serve our whims and wishes, but to serve Jesus in
the care of his people. We have little telling us how they do this. We accept that
this is what they do and let Jesus determine how it happens even as he
determined how his angel would communicate the revelation to John.
Where
I left off today has me simply appreciating the complexity of God’s work. From
God the Father, to God the Son, to an angel, to John, to the early church, to
an English translation I can understand in Christ. The revelation has travelled
so far to get to me, I will travel so far to get me into the revelation.
At
the same time, there is a certain peacefulness in knowing that, whatever angels
are, and however they move all around us in service to God, they are
ministering to God’s people in whatever ways God sends them out to do. This is
one more wonder to add to the mix as we consider how God moves in both the
spiritual and material realms to bring his people to share in all that he has
given us in Christ. It is not up to us to know how much angels were involved in
any day’s blessings. The blessings came from the Father, who expressed them
through Jesus, and so we give thanks to God from whom all blessings flow.
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