Angels minister to us. How? The key to understanding the role of angels today is to understand their role in the past. We know from Scriptures that their role as direct messengers to men has ceased. They had a role in revealing God's will to mankind, but now that the revelation is complete in the Old and New Testaments, that role is finished. Just because this aspect of their work is complete doesn't mean they have gone into retirement and have nothing to do! There has always been much that angels have done in addition to delivering God's Word.

1. Angels Care for Physical Needs

1. An angel provided water for Hagar and Ishmael - Gen. 21:14-20

2. An angel provided food for Elijah - 2 Kings 19:3-9.

3. Angels ministered to Jesus after His 40 day fast -Matt. 4:11.

4. Angels protected Daniel in the lion's den - Dan. 6:22.

There is no reason to have high expectations that angels will miraculously appear and care for us like they have on very rare occasions in the past. We still need to remember that God still promises to provide for our needs and protect us.

Matthew 6:33
But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you.
(speaking of physical needs)

How is God going to fulfill this promise? One way available is through His angels who are sent as our ministering spirits.
 

2. Angels Help Us Be Successful in What We Do

When Abraham sent his servant to get a wife for Isaac:

Genesis 24:40
But he said to me, The Lord, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's house.

Many passages teach of God blessing individuals and helping them to be successful in life. How does He do this? One way -His angels.

Example of Israel

Exodus 23:20-23
Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries. For My Angel will go before you and bring you in to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites and the Hivites and the Jebusites; and I will cut them off.

Exodus 33:2
And I will send My Angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite and the Amorite and the Hittite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite.

Psalms 91:11
For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.

Satan quoted this passage to Jesus during the temptation (Matt. 4:6). The original context applies to all children of God. If it applies to all children of God, how much more would it apply to the one perfect Son of God!
 

3. Angels Can Rescue God's People From Danger

1. Angels were sent to save Lot from the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah - Genesis 19:10-16

2. Jacob recognized he had been delivered from evil by the help of an angel - Genesis 48:16.

Psalms 34:7
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.

This doesn't require angels to miraculously appear to us, just as they did not miraculously appear to Jacob during most of his life. He still knew they were working "behind the scenes".

4. An Angel Encouraged Paul -Acts 27:13-26

God comforts us in our tribulation and difficulties (2 Cor. 1:3-4, 7:6). One way we have comfort is by reading the Scriptures (Rom. 15:4). In addition to this, people recognize God is the God of comfort (Rom. 15:5). A common practice of churches is to pray for God to comfort and encourage people who are going through some difficult times. How is God going to answer these prayers? One way available to Him is by His angels.

5. Angels Protected Elisha From the Syrians

Elisha's words to his servant:

2 Kings 6:16
Do not fear... those who are with us are more than those who are with them.

The angels were there the whole time. The miracle allowed the young servant to see what was already there. We must be able to see like Elisha, and see the unseen (Heb. 11:1).
 

6. Angels Fight Against God's Enemies

Psalms 35:5-6
Let them be like chaff before the wind, and let the angel of the Lord chase them. Let their way be dark and slippery, and let the angel of the Lord pursue them.

David wasn't asking for a miracle, but he was asking for God to send His angels to work in the lives of the wicked.

Genesis 19:11
And they [angels] struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.

We have no promise that angels will come and miraculously deliver us from the wicked like they did with Lot. By their actions that day, they demonstrated they do have power to work mightily in behalf of God's people today.

In the same way, we do not expect Jesus to feed thousands of us with a few loaves and fish, but He clearly demonstrated His power and ability to take care of us by His miracles.

Psalms 78:49
He cast on them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, indignation and trouble, by sending angels of destruction among them. [context: plagues on Egypt]

An angel killed 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians - 2 Kings 19:35.

An angel brought death to Israel when they rebelled against God:

1 Corinthians 10:10
nor murmur, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer.

7. Angels Opened Doors To Enable People To Hear the Truth

They never directly taught others the gospel, but they enabled those who knew the truth to meet those who were searching for the truth.

1. Philip and Eunuch - Acts 8

2. Peter and Cornelius - Acts 10

How does God manipulate our reality to open doors for us? One way available to Him is His angels, our ministering spirits.

Colossians 4:3
meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ...

Revelation 3:8
I know your works. See, I have set before you an open door, and no one can shut it; for you have a little strength, have kept My word, and have not denied My name.

8. Angels Help In Providence

Daniel 10-12 reveals the activity of spiritual beings as they affect the nations of men. God always has and always will rule over the nations. How does He do this? One way available to Him is His angels.

9. Angels Are Present At Our Death

What happens when a person dies? Where does his spirit go? How does it get there? Are there any forces trying to keep the spirit separated from God in the spiritual realm as there are now?

After death we go to be with the Lord.

2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, yes, well pleased rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord.

Philippians 1:23
For I am hard pressed between the two, having a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better.

How do we get to the presence of the Lord?

Luke 16:22
So it was that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man also died and was buried.

We have many enemies in the spiritual realm. After the spirit leaves the body, why should we expect the wicked spirits to no longer care? The Bible indicates that we are chaperoned through the spiritual realm into the presence of Christ in the same realm angels and Satan now dwell.

What is there no one knows. Many attempt to learn of this realm through hypnosis, drugs, astral projection, etc.

During near death experiences, many commonly report seeing a tunnel ahead they are about to pass through. Are they seeing the front end of the one way trip of death? If so, what's on the other side of the tunnel? Whatever death is like, the Bible says there are angels waiting to escort us to Christ.

10. Angels Will Be Coming With Christ

The greatest event in the future is the Final coming of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 4:16
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
and to give you who are troubled rest with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power, when He comes, in that Day, to be glorified in His saints and to be admired among all those who believe, because our testimony among you was believed.

11. The Angels Will Separate the Wicked From The Righteous

Parable of the Wheat and the Tares -Matthew 13:24-30

Explanation of the parable:

Matthew 13:37-43
He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸ The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. ³⁹ The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰ Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. ⁴¹ The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, ⁴² and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³ Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!

There will be no more hypocrites, insincere, apathetic, lukewarm in the church. All the wicked will be cast out by the angels.

We know some people who obviously are not following God. There are others we do not have the ability to properly judge. They appear to be righteous and can fool men. God and the angels will not be fooled.

12. Angels Will Be At The Throne Of God

Matthew 25:31-32
When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. ³² All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats.

Luke 12:8-9
Everyone who confesses Me before men, the Son of Man shall confess him also before the angels of God. But he who denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.

13. Angels Will Cast The Sinners Away

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9
in flaming fire taking vengeance on those who do not know God, and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

How will this be accomplished?

Matthew 13:41-42
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.
 

14. All The Wicked Will Be Cast Into Hell

Matthew 13:49-50
So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

Matthew 25:41
Then He will also say to those on the left hand, Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Revelation 20:10
And the devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

With the casting of Satan, his angels, and the wicked into the lake of fire, another part of the work of angels will be finished. Angels will no longer be sent from the presence of Christ to men on earth. Together with the redeemed they will live through eternity in the presence of God and enjoy a life of peace in heaven.

They are now our servants to help us reach home with God.

With help like this how can we lose?

We are not to go about feeling defeated, but more than conquerors.
We are not to trust in our own power, but God's.

We may not have angels visibly come to us as with Lot or Elisha to deliver us. They don't personally tell us where to go find someone to teach, but they are still ministering spirits sent out to serve us.

Revelation 19:11-16
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

Paul Was Aware of Their Presence

1 Timothy 5:21
I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.

Do the Angels See Us As Interested In Our Redemption As They Are?

1 Peter 1:10-12
Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, ...things which angels desire to look into.

(Wayne Wells preaches in Texarkana, TX. He is the webmaster for http://godofmercy.com and can be contacted at wayne@godofmercy.com.)