God's Angelic Host

The holy Apostle says in Hebrews 11:3, "Through faith we understand that the worlds wereframed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear." So it is that we confess in the words of the Nicene Creed: I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible. Included in this confession is our belief in the angels of heaven, which the Scriptures present before us as a mighty army that stands before God and serves Him. On September 29, the Christian Church celebrates the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels.

Psalm 103 presents this invisible host in majestic fashion, "Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do His bidding, who obey His Word." The psalm writer presents to us a mighty host of angels who humbly submit to God and His Word, and who are summoned with all of creation to offer fervent praise to the Lord. If this is the joy and calling of angels, who are we to offer less—either in effort or in gratitude.

These hosts of heaven are called "ministering spirits" in Hebrews 1:14. As spirits, they have no flesh or bones, no body as visible creatures possess. The Scriptures, nonetheless, portray them as having personality, great wisdom and knowledge, and immense strength. Although they sometimes appear in visible form, this is only to accommodate men for purposes which God ordains. It is interesting to note, though, that when angels appear in the Bible stories, they always appear as men, never as women or children. This is in stark contrast to the present day pictures of figures that are either effeminate of infantile in appearance. And it is important for Christians to know that such unscriptural images are made for the express purpose of contradicting the true, biblical image of angels, which portrays them as powerful and awesome creatures. And this contradiction of the Bible has as its purpose to cause us to doubt the reality of angels, as well as the surety of God's Word.

The Scriptures tell us many things about angels, but one of their most important works is to serve as proclaimers of God's Word, that is, messengers for God. In fact, the word "angel" means just that, a herald of news. And an "evangel" is a herald of good news. We think of the angels who announced the birth of John the Baptist, the conception and birth of Jesus, as well as His resurrection and His ascension. (It is for good reason, too, that pastors—also heralds of the Gospel—are called angels in the Bible, particularly in the opening chapters of the book of Revelation.) These same holy messengers will, at Christ's return, gather all of God's people together from the four corners of the earth and carry them to heaven.

There are many other stories of the angels that could be told for hours on end. For us, it is comforting to know that such an invisible army works on our behalf—protecting us, praising God with us, serving as His messengers, and finally ushering us into heaven. And this faith ought also to remind us of the holy walk that we are called to follow. Because the angels of heaven shun all that is evil, we must be reminded that they will not accompany us if we walk unrepentantly in the way of the wicked.

May we, dear friends, ever by faith cling to our dear Lord Jesus Christ, who gave His life into death for our sakes, by whom we are eternally saved. And by this faith, let us lead lives pleasing to Him so that we may walk with angels.