NOTE: SOME AREAS OF THIS SERMON ARE SPECULATIVE AND ARE NOT INTENDED TO BE A DEFINITIVE DOCTRINAL STATEMENT ON THIS SUBJECT.

INTRO: God is so powerful and so magnificent that we cannot really understand it. He also has created powerful beings -- called angels. There is record in the Bible of the rebellion of some of those beings. What about angels? What about Satan? What do we know about these creatures?

SPS: TODAY I'M GOING TO DISCUSS THE SUBJECT OF ANGELS.

What they are like and also answer other questions about them.

Angels are very power spirit beings created by God. They are created beings.

Eze. 28:15 Notice that Satan was a created being. He did not exist eternally with God from the Beginning as Christ did. There was a time when he did not exist.

The Hebrew word for angel is the Hebrew Malak -- Which means a messenger. There is no obvious meaning in the word that indicates what an angel looks like. It simply means messenger.

In the Greek the name for angel is Malak -- again it simply means messenger. Sometime the word angel can actually apply to a human being. You see this in the book of Revelation when God says he has a message for the "angel" of the Churches.

Rev. 2:1 Notice that this says the Church has an angel. It is possible to apply this to a human person. Probably it really applies to a spirit being, however.

WHEN WERE ANGELS CREATED?

Job 38:4-7 Here is a strong indication that the angels existed before the creation of the earth. Notice that the sons of God or angels shouted for joy. Angels also are created beings who are subject to God. Even Satan in the Book of Job has to go to God ask permission to do what he wanted to Job. Satan can only do what God allows him to.

Gen. 1:1-2 So going back to the beginning we see that the angels were created before this time. They saw the earth and jumped for joy. The rebellion of Satan occurs at this time. Here is one of the great proofs that there is extra time before the recreation of Gen. 1:3 on. Satan already has fallen by the time Adam and Eve are in the Garden. There certainly wasn't enough time during the creation week for this to have happened.

HOW MANY ANGELS ARE THERE?

Answer --

we don't know!!

Rev. 5:11 John said there were 10,000 x 10,000 which is 100,000,000. Probably the number is higher than that. It certainly would be hard for him to count the number. God is of infinite power and glory. We have so little concept of the power and the glory of God.

APPEARANCE OF ANGELS:

There are 3 General ways which angels appear.

1. THE NORMAL TYPE OF APPEARANCE. I might emphasize that they sometimes appear just like men. Whether that is the way they always would appear I don't know. The Bible says that Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. Is it possible that angels could change their form.

Luke 24:39 Here we see that Jesus said that a spirit does not have flesh and bones as the Apostles saw. So Christ could change the body that he appeared in. It is possible that any spirit being could change the way they would appear to others.

Gen. 18:1-4, Gen. 19:1 Here we see that angels appeared to Abraham just like a man. Often you see in the Bible that angels appear like men.

Luke 24:3-5 Here we see that again angels appearing to the Apostles. They often look just like ordinary men.

Acts. 1:10 Again 2 angels by Christ as he went into heaven.

So we can see that often angels appear just as men. They don't always carry harps etc.

Luke 2:9-15 There is no indication here that the angels who appeared to the shepherds had harps, etc.

Heb. 13:2 Paul indicates here that you can't really tell the difference between an angel and a man. We should be kind to strangers who might need help. The Bible is very clear on that point.

2. THE 2ND TYPE -- CHERUBIM

Eze. 1:4-15 Here we see that Ezekiel saw a type of angel. A different type of angel. Here is a great creature. Notice that these angels had 4 wings. They also had hands underneath those wings.

These creatures had 4 faces. They only go in the direction of one of these faces. Apparently the head of the man was the forward facing head.

This is apparently the portable throne of God. Here we see that God's Throne is taken about by these angels.

Diggings in ancient Nineveh and Babylon have revealed that the ancients knew there were beings and creatures that had these combination of characteristics. A winged bull with the head of a man.

Now remember that we have already established that angels were in existence before the earth was created. Let me ask you a question:

Which came first -- a bull or a Cherubim? Obviously the cherubim came first. God used the angels apparently as a pattern to create animals. Also -- man is said to have been created in the image of God!! But notice -- even angels have some of the physical characteristics of God -- they even can appear just like a man. IS IT ANY WONDER THEN THAT THE PATTERN OF ANIMALS WE SEE IN THE CREATION IS SIMILAR TO THE PATTERN OF MAN!!

Here is part of the explanation about the theory of evolution. One of the big points that evolutionists like to make is that all forms of like have similar characteristics. There is a similar way and look for embryos for instance -- this doesn't prove that one came from another any more than similarities between a Chevrolet and a Ford prove that one evolved into another. It does show a common source -- God used a similar patter in creating both men and animals. Man was created directly in the image of God.

Eze. 28:12-17 Here we see that Satan is called an anointed Cherub. He had a great powerful position in the Kingdom of God. Believe me if you want to get to the President of a company you would be well advised to get along with his secretary who is close to him.

3. THIRD TYPE OF ANGEL -- SERAPHIM

Isa. 6:2-4 Here we see that this angel has 6 wings. Remember that the Cherubim only had 4 wings. This apparently is another type of angel.

Rev. 4:6-8 Notice that these beasts have 6 wings -- yet they also have different heads. Each one of them had a different head. One had the head of an eagle, man, lion, etc.

Exo. 32:3-8 Here we see that the Israelites wanted to worship a "golden calf". It is any wonder? They were worshiping angels which they should not have been doing. They were also doing something that they had obviously seen in Egypt. The Hindus in India worship the cow. Again can you see why this is happening. Satan himself is a Cherub.

Gen. 3:1 Notice here that Satan is a serpent.

Gen. 3:14 Here the form of this serpent was changed. The serpent that Eve saw was not the snake of today. This was probably a flying beast of some sort.

Here is where Geology is interesting. In the Nova film on "Darwin did he get it wrong" Eldrige a Paleontologist admits that animals have been misclassified, etc. In fact one of the original dinosaurs that was found had the wrong head put on that dinosaur. The ancients of many lands -- the Inca, Chinese, and other ancient civilizations speak of serpents -- or dragons. They had some kind of sting. It is possible that the skeleton of one of these ancient creatures has been already found but not identified correctly. Remember that only a portion of the skeleton is found normally. If it is all found it has often been distorted or crushed, etc.

SATAN THE DEVIL

Isa. 14:12-16 Here we see that Satan is called Lucifer (Note: Lucifer is the Latin name given him meaning Day Star ) From Holman Bible Dictionary: "LUCIFER (Lew' kih fuhr) The Latin translation (followed by the KJV) of the Hebrew word for "day star" in Isaiah 14:12, where the word is used as a title for the king of Babylon, who had exalted himself as a god." Apparently his original name "day star". He was supposed to prepare the earth for man. But apparently he got involved in his own vanity and rebelled against God.

Eze. 28:1-18 Here we see that Satan rebelled against God. He wanted to be the highest and to have the power of God. We are to learn not to be like him. But to be humble and servants of God. Satan thought he knew better than God did. That's why it is important that we all learn to be under the authority of government.

Rev. 12:3-4 Here we see Satan called the great red dragon. He took with him demons that rebelled also with him.

I Cor. 6:1-3 The Bible says that we will judge angels. It could be that we will be called to make judgment on these fallen angels. That also could mean we will guide and direct the angels who are righteous also. Even the demons are different.

Example: Relative of a member who had an experience with demons. They cursed God and had a demon apparently come into their home. When the demon left -- it smelled like a pig. Again this points out the fact that animals were created in the image of angels. Man was created in the image of God.

DON'T BE AFRAID OF DEMONS!! If you are obeying God they can't harm you.

Luke 10:18-20 Here we see that Satan the devil fell from heaven. Notice that Christ relates demons to scorpions and serpents.

Rev. 22:8-9 Angels are not to be worshiped. They are powerful beings but only God is to be worshiped. That is one of the proofs that we will be "Gods" in the Kingdom.

Rev. 3:9 Christ is going to cause some to come and worship before Christians. If we had the rank of angels that would not be right. We will be of the rank of Gods.

Heb. 1:4-8 Here we see that Christ is going to be higher than the angels are. We are going to be like Christ!!

I John 3:2 We shall be like Christ and shall be like him. He is going to be above the angels.

Conclusion: Let's keep in mind that God has given us a high calling. We will be with Christ. In a very high office - - if we qualify we will be worshiped. Angels are powerful beings -- but God is more powerful.
 
 

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