Angels: Reflections on God's Messengers

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“And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” ”
— Luke 1:35

At Christmas time, we are reminded of the presence of angels. We don’t always capture their essence or purpose correctly, but our curious nature attempts to do so through art, media or angel gifts we put on our tree or decorate with this time of year.

Do Angels Exist? Do they Appear to People Today?

Maybe you are an angel enthusiast who totally believes in their existence and wants to study more on the topic- stay with me till the end of this post so I don’t lose you! OR, maybe you tend to gravitate to one of two polarizing camps: 1) one who may put too much emphasis on angel activity and tends to worship angels (rather than the God who created them), or 2) perhaps you are a skeptic and poo-poo on the whole topic as it just seems too unbelievable, hokey or inapplicable to your life. Regardless of where you are at, or what your beliefs are on the subject, you are entitled to your beliefs. We all have freedom of choice when it comes to our beliefs and world views. I’m grateful I live in a country that has constitutional rights that protect those freedoms. For me? I felt led today to write a blog on the topic of angels for many reasons:

  1. I was given an old 1995 VCR movie this month where I played the part of an angel in a half-hour made for TV Christmas show “On a Wing and a Prayer” where I recently watched with my family after 24 years and had a great laugh and shed a few tears in the process. (Click here to view).

  2. I personally had an encounter in January 1996 with hearing angels. After a deep prayerful experience in the middle of the night at 3 am pouring my heart out to God, I had encountered a brilliant light shining at 4 am in the morning when in prayer while I heard angels singing around and over me. This lasted for many minutes where I was immersed in the purest love one could ever experience. Ever since then, I have bee aware and convinced that angels do exist. (If you haven’t heard that story, I may post about that part of my journey soon).

  3. For those who are not familiar with the Bible with all its references to the supernatural world, I aim to encourage others to know that we are not alone. The unseen world can be a mystery and can easily be dismissed when influenced by media that angels are just make-believe.

  4. For those who associate themselves with being a follower of Jesus, there is a need for more clear teaching on the role of Angels and why they were created so we can discern rightly with what is biblical or not when it comes to the supernatural world of the heavenly hosts/ beings and our personal experiences with them currently.

Angels as Messengers: The Birth of Jesus Foretold

The word Angel literally means “messenger,” and they do play a major role in the Christmas story. The Angel of the Lord and the Host of Angels visited the shepherds prior to the birth of Christ as told in Luke 2:8-20, As in Luke 1:26-28 when the angel Gabriel visited young Mary, the soon to be the mother of Jesus:

“God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee, to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David. Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,[ favored woman! The Lord is with you!” Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to think what the angel could mean. “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus. He will be very great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor David. And he will reign over Israel forever; his Kingdom will never end!” Mary asked the angel, “But how can this happen? I am a virgin.” The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:26-38).

God sent an angel to Mary’s soon to be husband Joseph, to speak to him in a dream to help him with his fears. The Angel gave counsel on how to protect Mary from the angry religious leaders who were decreeing she be killed. As he was sleeping, the angel told him, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus." (Matthew 1.20-21).

“Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever”
— Hebrews 13:8

Angels are Created by God

The Bible says that God created the heavens and the earth, the universe and all that is within it including humanity and the spiritual beings (which include the angels). Psalm 148:5 says “ Let every created thing give praise to the Lord, for he issued his command, and they came into being.” God alone is the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end (Revelation 1:8). This again is difficult to accept, but I believe this by faith. This brings comfort that God is God and we are not. I accept that He has always existed. God’s plan to create the universe and all that is within it was good and perfect. The reality of evil is another subject to blog on for another time, but I know in my spirit that evil and the destruction of humanity and creation itself is not to be blamed on God our Creator, but on sin, evil- (or the Adversary as the Bible calls Him), and the principalities as described below in the Spiritual Beings section by the Bible Project.) Our free will is a gift, but one that has most often been abused throughout the centuries.

Angels Are Referenced Over 300 Times in the Bible

Angels are referenced in the Bible more than 300 times. In an article by Lightworkers in “A Truth about Angels”, it confirmed “108 times in the old testament—165 times in the new testament. The Jewish faith believes in angels. The Catholic faith, the Protestant faith, the old and the new testament all teach the existence of angels. An angel appeared to Abraham, to Jacob, to Isaac… And the angels appeared all the way through the new testament.” I will add to that quote that other world religions (or non-religious people who simply call themselves “spiritual”), will write about their thoughts or experiences with angels as well.

The Holy Spirit (and Angels) as Helper

Jesus said: “But the Helper (Comforter, Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will help you remember everything that I have told you.” (John 14:26 Amplified)

The late dearly loved minister Billy Graham (and imperfect human just like the rest of us), had written a book on the topic of angels in 1975 and preached a notable sermon on this too. He wanted his listeners to know the purpose of angels amidst the indwelling presence of God through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. “We are not alone in the world! The Holy Spirit is here in mighty power to help you, to guide you, to lead you, to fill you, to anoint you … to teach you. But in addition to the Holy Spirit, there are thousands and millions of angels at God’s disposal to send to help you in time of need.” Furthermore, “The Bible says [that angels] are without number. It says in Daniel 7, ‘thousands of thousands ministered unto him and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before [God]”- Billy Graham (1918-2018).

Angels Give Comfort

There are many accounts in the Bible where Angels were sent to comfort God’s people. They even were sent to Jesus to comfort Him after he was in the wilderness facing temptation for 40 days. Mark 1: 12-15

Angels Rejoice: A Party With a Purpose

Angels are recorded as rejoicing in many instances throughout scripture. Angels rejoice for various reasons. One reason is for the salvation of humanity. One of my favorite verses in the Bible is within Jesus’ Parable of the Lost Coin as recorded in Luke 15: 8-10 which confirms that when one soul repents (turns away) from sin and turns to God, the Bible confirms that there are angels rejoicing. Similar message in Jesus’ Parable of the Lost Sheep in Luke 15:1-7, and the Parable of the Lost Son in Luke 15:11-21. God cares for every soul created from conception through to the last moment one takes their last breath on earth.

Evil Disguised as an Angel of Light

We need discernment and wisdom to know that the supernatural world is filled with heavenly beings. There are God’s angels and the enemy or our soul has messengers whose ultimate aim is to rob, kill, steal and destroy. (John 10:10) “…even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”. (2 Corinthians 11:14) I have seen that first hand when witnessing the paranormal world. People get drawn in by trying to communicate with the unseen world through some psychics, palm readers or those who perform seances (yes, they still do that today- it’s not just in the movies), where there is a desperation to connect to the spiritual realm or talk to supposed dead loved ones and they become easily manipulated through these mediums. They may think they are talking to so and so, or a good angel, but most often as witnesses would concur, they are not. I am no expert in the field of deliverance from the demonic, but I am grateful for those who are.

Angels are One of Many Spiritual Beings

Angels and other “spiritual beings” can often be misunderstood. Our finite minds have difficulty comprehending the supernatural realm. Our curiosity can lead us down some rabbit holes, or into a depth of knowledge that leads to powerful revelation. In the last 20 years, I have come across a plethora of resources. Some are a bit wonky, and some solid resources from Biblical scholars who truly do their homework in researching the ancient scriptures that help explain modern-day experiences. A more recent non-profit organization called The Bible Project (that began in 2014 in posting 2 videos online to help people understand that the Bible is one cohesive story that leads to Jesus), now has over 130 videos online and more than 200 podcasts. One of their series is on the “Spiritual Beings”, with short cartoon videos that help to unpack spiritual truths with what the Bible has to say regarding angels and other biblical spiritual beings. This includes the Elohim, Divine Council, Cherubim, “The Angel of the Lord” as well as demons, and satan. They are all spiritual beings you'll encounter in the Bible. Here’s a 3-minute video to give context:

*If you’d like to learn more, you can visit the Bible Project and watch the 7 short video series: Introduction to Spiritual Beings, Elohim, the Divine Council, Angels, and Cherubim, the Angel of the Lord, Satan, and Demons, and the New Humanity. They also have a free 79 page PDF download with notes and Biblical references for further study that supports each of the Spiritual Beings videos (click here) to download.

Love One Another- We May be Entertaining Angels “Unaware”

Christ said that the greatest commandment to love God with our whole heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves (Matthew 22:36-40). The Apostle Paul wrote about loving one another and showing hospitality in verse one of Hebrews 13 and in verse 2 talked about the possibility of entertaining angels unaware. This confirms the mysterious reality of the unseen world interacting with humanity without us realizing it.

“Keep on loving each other as brothers and sisters. Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! ”
— Hebrews 13:1-2

Whether you believe in the existence of angels or not, may this verse serve as a reminder for you to love and serve others with your words, prayers, and actions. May the message of Christmas and it’s the themes of hope, love, joy, and peace surround you today and throughout the year.

I have been acutely aware of angels’ existence since my own personal encounter in 1996, I have to wonder… when I’ve struggled to find hope, feel or show love, or experience joy and peace, how God may have sent angels to somehow comfort, protect or surround me as I was about to or being ministered by the Holy Spirit.

We are spirit beings. We are created to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit and to be spiritually born anew i.e. for God’s Spirit to live within us and for us to live eternally. That is the message of Jesus this Christmas. He was born so that we might live life to the full. With all the people I meet on this journey of life, I am confident that regardless if one is open to God’s Spirit-Filled life and living or not, we will continue to encounter the heavenly beings- including angels, without being fully aware of their presence, but they are there.

 

*I consider my ramblings as a way to cast some of my thoughts into our cultural conversations on topics of interest or concern. Also, I am open to seeing my blogs as a way of a peer review invitation. If you think my post(s) can be improved in some way, don’t hesitate to comment below or reach out through my blog form or email at contact@jodikozan.com

Related blogposts of mine on the Christmas theme: