My husband is a pastor. On Saturdays we serve at a mission church in a retirement/nursing home. On Halloween, the place was decorated with goblins, ghosts, skeletons, and all sorts of creepy demonic-looking decorations. There were coffins and skeletons, bowls of eyeballs, and spiders and webs hanging everywhere. I thought the holiday decor was odd and overdone in a place where people are living out their last days.
Now, in this season of Advent, this retirement/nursing home is decorated for Christmas with lots of greens and Santa Clauses. Not a nativity scene to be seen. The only “religious” Christmas symbolism I could find was the angel on top of the gigantic Christmas tree.
Angels…
Why is it that many accept the idea of angels, but don’t believe in God or accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah?
The angels did. They were present at the birth of Christ.
Angels are mentioned quite a bit in the Bible as messengers of God and beings created by God who worship God. God sent Angel Gabriel to Mary to ask her consent to be the mother of The Savior. Angels are always before the throne of God singing, “Holy, Holy, Holy.”
According to the Bible, angels are God’s messengers, God’s Warriors, God’s witnesses, God worshippers, and appointed by God to be guardians of men.
Below are some angel facts from Mary Fairchild on Christianity.about.com
Bible Facts About Angels
Angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible. Although we won’t look at every instance, this study will offer a comprehensive look at what the Bible says about angels.
Angels were created by God:
Genesis 2:1
Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. (NKJV)
Colossians 1:16
For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. (NIV)
Angels were created to live for eternity:
Luke 20:36
…nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection. (NKJV)
Revelation 4:8
Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.” (NIV)
Angels were present when God created the world:
Job 38:1-7
Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm. He said: “…Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? …while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (NIV)
Angels do not marry:
Matthew 22:30
At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven. (NIV)
Angels are wise and intelligent:
2 Samuel 14:17
Your maidservant said, ‘The word of my lord the king will now be comforting; for as the angel of God, so is my lord the king in discerning good and evil. And may the LORD your God be with you.’ (NKJV)
Daniel 9:21-22
…while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.” (NIV)
Angels have knowledge of, and interest in, the affairs of men:
Daniel 10:14
“Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.” (NIV)
Luke 15:10
“Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” (NKJV)
Angels are faster than men:
Daniel 9:21
… while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. (NIV)
Revelation 14:6
And I saw another angel flying through the sky, carrying the eternal Good News to proclaim to the people who belong to this world—to every nation, tribe, language, and people. (NLT)
Angels are God’s Mighty Warriors
According to whyangels.com: “…angels aren’t just nice, kindly beings, they are also the mighty and powerful warriors of God. In fact there’s a dramatic description of a war in the spiritual realm between the Archangel Michael and God’s angels and The Devil/Satan/Lucifer and his rebellious angelic followers.”
Though the fallen angel Lucifer was cast down to the earth, we do have hope. Jesus came into the world as an infant to be “Emmanuel- God With Us” and He will also come again: His second coming. And that is why we must prepare our hearts to receive Him, especially now during this season of Advent.
Hope you enjoyed the angel facts. The fact is that you can’t believe in angels and not believe in the God who created them. And if you believe in God, then you must accept the Son of God, Jesus, whom He sent as our Savior. And the more we draw closer to Jesus, the more we are enlightened, blessed, and made whole.
Here’s an amazing song…Angels From The Realms of Glory…love this rendition.