God's Other Angels

God’s Other Angels A. “Angel” in Scripture often refers to the fiery, ministering spirits of God. HEB 1:7. 1. They are God’s chariots of fire. PSA 68:17; 2KI 6:16-17. 2. They are extremely powerful. PSA 103:20; 2KI 19:35. 3. They have more power/authority than any earthly dignity. 2PE 2:11. 4. They are innumerable. HEB 12:22. 5. They have no authority to marry. MAT 22:30. 6. They are arranged into principalities, powers and legions. COL 1:16; MAT 26:53. 7. They are of a higher order than man. PSA 8:4-5. 8. They are under the authority of a Man, Jesus Christ. 1PE 3:22. 9. They are as accountable to the Holy Spirit’s gospel as any man. GAL 1:8-9. 10. They desire to look into the things of the gospel and rejoice in its effectiveness. 1PE 1:12; LUK 15:10. a. The gospel declares salvation for sinful men. 1TI 1:15. b. The gospel declares no such salvation for angels that sinned. HEB 2:16; 2PE 2:4; JUDE 1:6. 11. The world to come is not in subjection to them but to Christ and His brethren for whom they minister. HEB 1:13 – 2:5. 12. The saints shall judge angels. 1CO 6:3. a. There are evil angels. PSA 78:49. b. Saints judge evil angels by countering lying spirits in false teachers with gospel truth. 1KI 22:22 c/w 1TI 4:1; 2CO 10:4-5. c. Saints judge evil angels by faith and holy living which are condemnations in the same way that Noah condemned the world. HEB 11:7. d. Saints shall judge evil angels by concurring with Christ’s judgment against them. REV 19:1-5. e. An angel stopped the mouth of a man who doubted gospel/glad tidings (LUK 1:19-20) and gospel preachers have a similar charge. TIT 1:10-13. f. Gospel preachers are a spectacle (interesting show or entertainment) to angels (1CO 4:9; 1:20-24) but they can turn the world upside down. ACT 17:6. B. God Himself is called an Angel in GEN 48:15-16; EXO 3:2-6; JDG 6:21-24. C. In prophecy, the Lord Jesus Christ is referred to as the “...messenger (angel) of the covenant” (MAL 3:1). 1. The underlying Hebrew word for messenger in MAL 3:1 is malak (SRN H4397) which is most commonly translated “angel(s).” 2. Jesus Christ declared and instituted a new and better covenant which God had promised. JER 31:31-34 c/w MAT 26:28. 3. Consider MAL 3:1. a. The prophet’s name (Malachi) is from the same Hebrew root, malak. b. He prophesies of John the Baptist as a malak. c. He prophesies of Jesus Christ as a malak. d. John and Jesus would excel at what the O.T. malaks failed at. MAL 2:7-8. e. The Law was given by heavenly angels (GAL 3:19), entrusted to earthly angels, corrupted by earthly angels, revived by a gospel angel and perfected by THE Angel. MAT 5:17; ROM 10:4. D. Church pastors are N.T. angels of God who are authorized to marry and so better minister to God’s people. 1CO 9:5. 1. The Apostle John was instructed by Jesus to write letters to each of the seven angels of the God’s Other Angels 7-16-23 Page 1 of 2  seven churches in Asia. REV 1:19-20; 2:1, etc. 2. It is unlikely that Jesus was instructing John to pen letters to the spirit-beings with whom Jesus directly interfaces in glory. John was an apostle by whose revealed truth other ministers must be measured. 1JO 4:6. 3. The Greek word there translated angel is aggelos (SRN G32)which means, “a messenger; especially, an 'angel'; by implication a pastor: -- angel, messenger.” a. It refers to human messengers in LUK 7:24, 27; 9:52; JAM 2:25. b. God's pastors to the churches are their messengers (2CO 8:23; PHIL 2:25), their angels. c. The Galatians had once received Paul “...as an angel of God” (GAL 4:14). 4. In REV 1:16, 20 these are described as the stars in Jesus’ right hand. a. True and faithful ministers of Jesus Christ will not be stars by the world’s standard. 1CO 4:9-13. b. The world will praise false prophets and pastors (LUK 6:26) who scratch their itching ears, praise its works, etc., but these are little more than “...wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever” (JUDE 1:13). 5. God once rhetorically asked Job whether he could “...bind the sweet influences of Pleiades...?” (JOB 38:31). a. Pleiades means “the Seven Stars” and obviously Job could not bind them. b. The powers of Satan may bind God’s ministers but not their message. 2TI 2:9. c. The angels of Asia (REV 1:11) had a better message than the devils of Asia (ACT 19:27). The devils had Wonder Woman but the angels had Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (ISA 9:6). 6. Heaven’s angels and faithful pastors have the same charge and spirit. REV 1:10. God’s Other Angels 7-16-23 Page 2 of 2