"Angels for Real"
(taken from Billy Graham's ANGELS)
April 22, 2007
Deuteronomy 33:1-5

Introduction: People have a lot of different ideas about angels. For some, angels are people who have died and gone to heaven, and God made them a guardian angel. For others, angels have wings and fly around. And still for others, angels don’t exist. It is like these explanations of Angels by Children (e-mail from Jane)

Everybody's got it all wrong. Angels don't wear halos anymore. I forget

why, but scientists are working on it. - Olive, 9

It's not easy to become an angel! First, you die. Then you go to

heaven, and then there's still the flight training to go through. And then you got to agree to wear those angel clothes. - Matthew, 9

My guardian angel helps me with math, but he's not much good for

science. - Henry, 8

Angels don't eat, but they drink milk from Holy Cows. - Jack, 6

When an angel gets mad, he takes a deep breath and counts to ten. And

when he lets out his breath, somewhere there's a tornado. - Reagan, 10

All angels are girls because they gotta wear dresses and boys didn't go

for it. - Antonio, 9

What I don't get about angels is why, when someone is in love, they

shoot arrows at them. - Sarah, 7

This morning we are starting a series on angels. We will discover who and what angels are, their function, and how they are present, even today.

I. Angels are Created Beings- (Colossians 1:16; Hebrew 12:22; Psalm 68:17;

Deuteronomy 33:2; Revelation 5:11; 2 Thessalonians 1:7)

a. Believing in angels- The Bible actually tells us a lot about angels. God

gives us much revelation about creation, and this is true about angels as well. Angels belong to a uniquely different dimension of creation than we can fully comprehend. They don’t have many of the same limitations that we do on earth. God has given them higher knowledge, power, and mobility than us. Because you or I have probably not met or seen an angel, we might doubt that angels are real. However, angel visits are very rare. We will see in the coming weeks the purposes for which angels will make a visit to the earth.

The truth is, we have difficulty believing in what we don’t or can’t see. This is true of so many things in life. EX. Think for a moment if you were raised in a jungle. In this setting you are oblivious to most of what exists in the world. You feed yourself by eating what is around you. You make crude tools. You travel by walking or running. You only know what you see. Then one day you meet a stranger from the outside. He tries to tell you that there are cars, and planes, and telephones and computers. You hear the words, but it is difficult to believe. Then the stranger takes you out of the jungle, and you see for yourself all that was told to you. You watch the television and drive in the car and talk to someone far away on a telephone! At this point, you believe.

This is true of believing in something like angels. We hear people talk about it, we read about them in scripture, but do we really believe they are real? So let’s take a few minutes to see what the Bible has to say about angels.

b. Biblical texts- Even though angels are real, we have to be careful what

we believe. We also have to be careful where we get our information. The Bible states clearly that angels are created by God just like you and me, and all of creation. Which meant, in the beginning, when God existed, angels did not. Angels did not come into being until God created them. As we are told in Colossians 1:16, “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are on earth, visible and invisible.” So then, angels are among the invisible things made by God.

But unlike us, God created angels to be able to change their appearance and move from the glory of heaven to earth, and then back again. In heaven, they do not possess physical bodies as we do; they are nonmaterial. That is why they are sometimes referred to as “spirits,” because they lack the flesh and blood that we possess. And yet, they can take on physical bodies when God appoints them to special tasks. But they don’t have the ability to reproduce, and they do not marry.

The empire of angels is as vast as God’s creation. They are mentioned in the Old and New Testaments of the Bible nearly 300 times. We do not know how many angels were created, but some think that it could be in the millions, since Hebrews 12:22 speaks of “an innumerable company of angels.” And King David, in Psalm 68:17, said: “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels.”

In another passage, Deuteronomy 33:2, we are told that 10,000 angels came down on Mount Sinai to confirm the holy presence of God as He gave the Law to Moses. An earthquake shook the mountain. Moses was held speechless in wonder as he witnessed the visitation of these heavenly beings. In the New Testament, in Revelations, as he was describing what he saw in a vision from God, John tells us of having seen ten thousand times ten thousand angels ministering to the Lamb of God (who is Jesus) in the throne room of heaven (Revelation 5:11). The book of Revelation also says that armies of angels will appear with Jesus at the Battle of Armegeddon when God comes to defeat His foe. Paul, in 2 Thessalonians 1:7 says, “The Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels.”

What an amazing thought this is, that there are multitudes of angels, unbelievably mighty, performing the commands of heaven; the commands of God. But even more than this, we are told that even one angel is mighty; especially when compared to you and me. Angels are in essence an extension of the arm of God, and angels are real. Because they are created and organized by God, they are more organized than even the greatest of armies like that or Napoleon or Alexander the Great.

From the time when the angels came to guard the entrance of the garden of Eden, to keep Adam and Eve out, angels have made their presence here on earth. But it wasn’t just the entrance to Eden they guarded, it was the Tree of Life as well. They were to guard it so that people wouldn’t eat of the fruit, and live forever in sin here on earth.

II. Other Beliefs-

a. Angels and Islam- But what about what other faiths believe? Belief in the

existence of angels is one of the fundamental articles of faith in Islam. Muslims believe that angels were created by God from light (which is different from what the Bible teaches). They also believe that angels carry out God’s commandments in nature and the universe. What we usually call the “forces of nature” become active because of the presence of angels behind them, working at the command of God (this too is different than what the Bible teaches).

There are similarities, in that Islam believes that we humans, in the physical world, cannot visualize these beings outside of our mundane reality. Muslims believe in the existence of angels because God talks about them through His revelations. Though angels are generally invisible beings, they may appear to the outward eye if required, in forms suitable for the visible world.

Muslims also believe that the Angel Gabriel was the messenger through whom God revealed the Qur’an to Prophet Muhammad. He appeared to the Prophet as a person who could talk—an appearance which was in keeping with his task. It was the same Angel who acted as the Prophet’s guide on the “Night of Ascension.” Although God may send His revelation through the Angel Gabriel, it is important to point out that in Islam, angels are not considered intermediaries between God and humans.

The Qur’an also speaks of angels as playing a crucial role in processes like creation, prophecy, spiritual life, death, resurrection, and the workings of natural elements. For instance, there is an angel who brings the thunder, and he, too, serves God and obeys His command. Other angels are in charge of embryos in wombs, or responsible for protecting human beings.

Angels are different from human beings in that they do not have a will of their own. They were created for the specific purpose of serving God and carrying out His commands. Some angels are in a state of constant worship of God, prostrating to Him and never raising their heads. SO, we see that Islam has many similarities and differences from what the Bible teaches.

b. Angels and the world- We can see that those in the world, but not

Christian, believe in angels. There are many books in the bookstores about angels. And books about angels are big sellers. On the national level, Time, Newsweek, and USA Today have all devoted front-page cover stories to the interest of angels.

You can see television shows and movies about angels. For example, one popular TV show for many years was “Touched by an Angel.” This show was about angels who had come down in human form to help people facing crossroads in their lives.

A movie that was quite popular was “Michael,” starring John Travolta. This movie is about two reporters from a Chicago-based tabloid, along with an 'angel expert', who travel to rural Iowa to investigate a claim from an old woman that she shares her house with the real, live archangel named Michael. Upon arrival, they see that her claims are true - but Michael is not what they expected: he smokes, drinks beer, has a very active libido and has a rather colorful vocabulary. In fact, they would never believe he was an angel except for the two feathery wings protruding from his back. Michael agrees to travel to Chicago with the threesome, but what they don't realize is that the journey they are about to undertake will change their lives forever.

There is a book titled: “The Secret World of Angels,” In it, Daphne S. Reed says this in her introduction:

"Two-way communication with Spirit is an astonishing supernatural phenomenon. It is even more rare to find that one can not only receive and send letters, but can also receive creative art work from that Invisible Source. My book narrates how this life-altering experience began and developed. It reproduces the most important teachings and mysterious art work received from Spirit. My self-identified angelic entities spoke of the universal system of creation, life as it is lived on the Other Side, and how those in the Invisible Dimension relate to us as physical beings on earth. In these pages, you will find much previously unheard-of, startling food for thought, as well as some admittedly controversial disclosures that will shock orthodox believers. Simply put, you will read about the unseen and unknown spirit kingdom that exists beyond the physical world, as described by the invisible Beings who told me they were Angels. This information may awe you. Know that I, too, was awed and remain so to this day."

Angels are real, but we can be greatly led astray if we are not careful. I

encourage and implore you to go no farther than the Bible when seeking to understand who angels are, and why they exist.

III. Angels’ Powers- (Ezekiel 28:17; Ephesians 6:12)

a. Angels- The Bible speaks of the great supernatural power of God’s holy

angels. As people of faith, who believe and trust in God through Christ, we should believe in these beings and in their power. We should seek to understand that to the eye of those who believe, there are many evidences of this supernatural display of power and glory. We must sense the angelic glory that God has placed around us. We must know that these angelic beings surpass the power of the demons.

As we continue in our series, we will discover together that when we believe, we can expect these powerful angels to accompany us in our life experiences. There will be times in our lives when we can’t explain how something happened, other than there must have been some “other” power involved. This power could very well have come from an angel.

The Bible tells us that angels speak. They appear and reappear. They are emotional creatures. While angels may become visible, their normal state to us is invisible, just like the dimensions of a nuclear field, or the structure of atoms. Our ability to sense them is limited.

Without God’s help, we cannot see an angel. God allows a deer in the forest to have keenness of smell. Bats possess a built-in radar system. Some animals can see things in the dark that escape our attention. Swallows and geese possess sophisticated guidance systems. So if God can do this for these animals, God can, if He wills, help us to see an angel. Reports from around the world are known about stories of visiting angels appearing, ministering, fellowshipping and then disappearing. These angels share God’s love, or they meet a desperate need, and then they are gone. And the truth of angels, is that even though they are powerful, and come from the glory of heaven, they do not dispel glory to themselves, but to God.

But if God chooses to not let us see an angel, they are still real.

b. Demons- But just as there are godly angels, there are also demonic angels.

As I spoke about on Easter Sunday, long ago there was a revolt. One third of the angels decided to go with Satan, and warfare between God and Satan, the angels and the demons, ensued. Because pride entered Lucifer’s heart, he began to believe he had been cheated somehow. He didn’t want to be just a small part of the Story; he wanted the Story to be about him. He coveted the throne; he wanted to be the star. He wanted worship and adoration for himself.

As Ezekiel 28:17 says- “Your heart became proud on account of your beauty; and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.” And so Satan disturbs the peace of heaven by his and the other demons rebellion, and a battle in the heavenly realms is established. Satan and the demons are thrown out of heaven, and because of their anger, they seek to get revenge on God by seeking revenge on God’s people. Paul says it to us like this in Ephesians 6:12-“For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

Unfortunately, demonic activity and Satan worship are on the rise in all parts of the world. The devil is alive and active. The Bible tells us that since he knows that the time is short, his activity will increase. By his demonic influences, he does get people to turn away from the true faith.

But the good news is that even the smallest and weakest of angels can outdo Satan and the demons. I want to read to you a portion of the book This Present Darkness, to illustrate this point. (In this passage, Triskal is an angel, Rafar is a powerful demon, and Mary is the human who is involved in this spiritual struggle)...

“Rafar watched Triskal, amused, “Oh, I see you are here to protect her. From what? Did you expect to swat mere flies?” Triskal had no answer. Rafar’s tone became cruel and cutting. “No, you are mistaken little angel. It is a much greater power with whom you have to do.”….Triskal immediately felt the iron hands of two demons clamping his arms from behind. He looked toward Mary. She was looking for the key to the car door…Another demon stretched out his sword and pierced the hood of the car. Mary tried to start the engine. Nothing happened.

Rafar looked toward the nearby Laundromat that faced the parking lot. A young, greasy-looking character stood in front of it, leaning against a post. Triskal could tell the man was possessed by one of Rafar’s henchmen…At Rafar’s nod, the demons went into action and the man started walking toward Mary’s car. …Mary checked her lights….What on earth was the matter? She saw the young character coming her way from the direction of the Laundromat.. As Triskal watched helplessly, the demons guided the man up to the car window.

‘Hey, cutie,’ he said, “having some trouble here?’ She called through the window, ‘Uh…no thanks. I’m all right.’ He only smirked, eyeing her up and down as he said, ‘Why don’t you open up and let me see what I can do?’

The man leaned against the window and his breath fogged the glass.

Rafar breathed sulfur right into Triskal’s face as he said, ‘And now little angel, ….Where is your captain?’ Triskal did not answer.

The man tried the latch on Mary’s door. She was terrified….He tried every door, a leering smile on his face. Mary tried the horn again. A demon had already taken care of that—it didn’t work.

Triskal finally spoke, “The brake…” Rafar leaned closer, “I didn’t hear you.”

Triskal repeated it. Mary had a flash. The car was parked on an incline. It would get the car moving. She released the parking brake and the car started to roll. The creep hadn’t expected this and was thrown aside. He tried to move in front of the car, but at this, a husky contractor noticed what was happening and hollered at the man.

Rafar finally gave in as he ordered the demons to stop. Triskal saw that Mary would make it down the hill. So did Rafar. As he took his knife blade away from Triskal’s throat he said: “Well done, little angel. You have spared your charge…”

Conclusion: Angels are real, and they are nearer than we might think. The angels are vigorous in their efforts to deliver up God’s people to salvation, and to help them from evil. As Psalm 91:11-12 says, “(God has given) his angels charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Let us take courage and know that God has created angels to not only serve Him, but to do His work, and to help His Kingdom come. When we believe and trust, we can find strength in this knowledge. Amen.