JESUS AND HIS ANGELS Hebrews 1:4-14
By Dr. R Bruce Montgomery
INTRODUCTION – What Are Angels Really Like? (Misconceptions versus biblical data).
Wrong images – what they ARE and what they DO. Pop up everywhere. WHIMSICAL - cards, tree toppers, figurines
plump cherubs, feminine forms with translucent wings – to suit your decorating style.
TV shows (Touched by an Angel) and movies (City of Angels with Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan)
Biblical images: real angels are and always will be awesome warriors for God - agents of his wrath and power. People who saw them were struck with fear. They were traumatized. E.g.:
Daniel 10:4 ff. As I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of the finest gold around his waist. His body was like chrysolite, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude. 7I, Daniel, was the only one who saw the vision; the men with me did not see it, but such terror overwhelmed them that the fled and hid themselves. So I was left alone, gazing at this great vision; I had no strength left, my face turned deathly pale and I was helpless. Then I heard him speaking, and as I listened to him, I fell into a deep sleep, my face to the ground.
A hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. He said, “Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to you.” And when he said this to me, I stood up trembling.
Angel gives message: 15While he was saying this to me, I bowed with my face toward the ground and was speechless. 16 . . . I am overcome with anguish and I am helpless. 17How can I, your servant, talk with you, my lord? My strength is gone and I can hardly breathe.
Angel touches him, gives him strength, tells him not to be afraid..
LIFE reporter went to a conference of angel “enthusiasts.” Unlike the mighty heavenly beings described in the Bible, were:
a more benign and bite-size species, cuddly as a lap dog, conscientious as a school crossing guard. I heard angels likened to spiritual kissing cousins, flower delivery messengers . . . and just a nice feeling of warmth and love that washes all over you. Today’s angels seem to spend a lot less time praising God than serving us. While they are still making super-hero, nick-of-time rescues, they are also showing up in less dire emergencies to track down a set of lost keys or make a chicken casserole more flavorful. Indeed, nearly all the angel believers I met got around to mentioning their parking space angel whom they call on while cruising crowded city streets.
TIME “angels are. . . all fluff and meringue, kind, non-judgmental. They are available to everyone like aspirin.”
Web Search: one listed books: “These angelic books contain true encounters with guardian angels and instructions for contacting your own spiritual guides and heavenly messengers.”
Sample titles: - Angels to Watch over Me: What Are Angels, How They Can Help, and How to Trust Your Own Very Special Guardian Angel
- Hot Chocolate for the Mystical Teenage Soul: 101 True Stories of Angels, Miracles, and Healings.
- The Spiritual Toolbox for Using Angelic Guidance in Everyday Life.
Bible: no indication they will respond if pray directly to them for help.
No basis for assuming they will help all - believer and non-believer alike. If a person claims to have seen an angel, yet that person doesn’t exhibit faith in Christ, it’s likely that any angel he or she saw was a fallen one.
Openness to spirituality, brings with it a susceptibility to spirituality from the dark side.
II CO. 11:14 “Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
A belief in angels not necessarily linked to a greater understanding of truth.
610 - oppressive religion of Islam born when Mohammed received a series of visions from a being he believed to be the angel Gabriel.
12 centuries later deceptive cult of Mormonism arose when supposed angelic being called Moroni connected Joseph Smith to the book of Mormon.
Easy today to prefer angels over God. Angelolatry can form a spirituality devoid of Jesus and God. Danger of “angel mania” nothing new. The recipients of this letter to Hebrews’ thinking about angels had gotten out of hand. Can tell by how much space the writer devotes to setting things straight. Their fascination with angels was a major issue that needed to be addressed.
BIBLICAL DATA RICH: Over 100 x OT, over 160 x NT.
See them giving guidance, comfort, encouragement, protection.
Hebrew (malak) and Greek (angelos) = messenger.
Are messengers from God - must not create or reshape angels according to our own fancy.
Spirit beings - masculine pronouns - never marry.
Created class of beings, never represented as transformed humans. Don’t “grow up,” or “age.”
Don’t “indwell” us.
Exist in vast numbers (Rev. 5:11 over 10 million),
Often appear in indistinguishable form - “offer hospitality - so entertain angels unawares.”
II Kings 6:16, 17 -Most cases are invisible, can’t always see them, but are there! “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered, “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
Daniel an angel shut the mouths of lions.
Acts 5:19-20 Apostles put in jail by Saduccees (who didn’t believe in angels)
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “ and tell the people the full message of this new life.”
Acts 10 - Cornelius praying, told by angel to go fetch Peter from Joppa, house of Simon the Tanner.
Acts 12:6 - Peter delivered from jail.
Matthew 24:31 “when the Son of Man comes in glory and all the angels with
him.”
The ministry of angels is pretty impressive – so why make such a “big deal” over people’s fascination with them? Why the belaboring of Jesus’ superiority?
Persecuted believers’ situation: if had just said Jesus was an angel, then could have escaped much persecution - been “accepted” into synagogue (at the time Judaism a recognized and protected religion, Christianity was not). Even an archangel - or greatest angel. If had compromised Jesus’ superiority, would no longer suffer ostracism by Jewish countrymen in the synagogue, and escaped Nero’s threat against Christians.
Tempting - wouldn’t call for an outright denial of Jesus - just a different affirmation of him.
Today - world bristles at “Jesus only.” Don’t have to deny him outright to get along - if would just affirm he was the greatest man to walk this planet, that his code of ethics was the best of any person, that his life was heroic , that he was the supreme example of sacrifice - the pressure would be off. So pressure today to make Jesus a little less than really was.
Jesus’ supremacy to angels. Reason after reason, quoting seven Scriptures from the Greek Psalter, the hymnbook in use at synagogue and church at the time. (Song of Moses appended). Messianic Scriptures.
JESUS’ SUPREMACY TO ANGELS IS SEEN IN HIS:
1. SUPERIOR NAME. God calls Jesus his Son, a description not given to any angel (vs. 4,5)
Angels called many things: Holy Ones, Mighty Ones of God, Hosts (army of heaven), Watchers. Some are Cherubim, Seraphim (literally “burning” or “shining” ones), Living Creatures (likeness of lion, ox, man, and eagle - six wings like Seraphs), archangels Gabriel and Michael.
Name revealed essential nature, expressed rank and dignity. Vs. 4 - “superior name.” Vs. 5 tells us what that name is = “MY SON.” When a king was enthroned in OT times, he was acclaimed as king. Part of that acclamation was his formally taking up the title and inheritance that were his by virtue of his birth into royal family. Here a quote from Ps. 2:7. (Read from Psalm 2)
All that can be said of angels is that they are messengers.
2. SUPERIOR HONOR. God commands angels to worship Jesus (vs. 6)
We must never worship angels. Never allow angels to replace God as center and focus of our lives.
Acts 17:27,28 “for in Him we live and move and have our being.”
Preference for angels instead of God is an insult to God. Tragedy awaits the person who turns for spiritual help in any direction but God.
Exodus 20:3-5 You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them. . . “
Rev. 19:10 John falls down at angel’s feet to worship. Don’t do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!” The same thing happens again in chapter 22.
They model worship for us - in the One they worship and in the manner they worship.
Undoubtedly worshipped him in eternity past. Was worshipped during 33 years on earth. First time worship Jesus on earth at his birth. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest.” Luke 2:13, 14a. And is worshipped in eternity present - cf. Rev. 5.
In time of writing, Christians were killed for not worshipping Caesar. Worshipping Jesus was a huge issue. You were laying your life on the line.
Worshipping Jesus is still a huge issue. It separates us from Judaism and Islam (Jesus a prophet) and cults like Jehovah’s Witnesses (that deny Jesus’ deity – say he was an archangel).
3. SUPERIOR STATUS Angels are servants. Jesus is sovereign. (vs. 7 - 9)
His throne, his scepter, his anointing will be executed in righteousness.
Organized - order and harmony Thrones, Powers, Rulers, Authorities. But all subject to the rule and authority of Jesus. They are Jesus’ angels.
I Peter 3:22 [Jesus] who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand – with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.
Are spirit beings Above and beyond matter - their substance has no weight, dimension, size - they have no breath, blood. They don’t marry. Yet they are limited. Do not share God’s omnipresence, omnipotence, or omniscience.
Angels pale into insignificance in relation to glimpse of God. A. W. Tozer:
Forever God stands apart, in light unapproachable. He is as high above an archangel as above a caterpillar, for the gulf that separates the archangel from the caterpillar is but finite, while the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. The caterpillar and the archangel, though far removed from each other in the scale of created things, are nevertheless one in that they are alike created. They both belong in the category of that-which-is-not-God and are separated form God by infinitude itself.
The reason Jesus is worshipped by angels (vs. I6) is not that Jesus is a Son of God like an angel, or like Christians are, but because he is the Son of God - His throne is forever and ever.
4. SUPERIOR EXISTENCE. Jesus created the world (vs. 10-12) - elaboration of what was said in vs. 2. Gen. 1:1 – God created the world. Saying Jesus created the world is same as saying therefore Jesus is God.
Like a man during his lifetime wears many successive suits of clothes, so Jesus will see and outlive many successive material universes - yet will remain eternal and unchanging.
By contrast, angels, because they are created, are changeable and dependent.
How refreshing these words must have been to those huddled-in-fear first Christians who were the recipients of the original letter. Their world was changing - in fact it was falling apart. But their Jesus remained the same - Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever (13:8).
5. SUPERIOR VOCATION. (Similar to #3 – that the noun – what they are; here the verb - what they do). Jesus’ reigns (vs. 13) Angels serve.
Jesus’ absolute rulership seen here dramatically - custom for a defeated king to prostrate himself and kiss his conqueror’s feet - and for the victor to put his feet on the victor’s neck so that the captive became his footstool.
So to he suffering Jewish believer who was tempted to say that Jesus is an angel and thus escape persecution, the message is clear. Jesus is superior to angels because he has a superior name - he is the Son of God.
He has a superior honor - all the angels worship him.
He has a superior status – he is sovereign and they are his servants.
He has a superior existence-he is the eternal and unchangeable creator
His is the superior vocation - he rules, they serve.
But that’s not all of the message for the harried church:
Angels serve believers (14). ANGELS ON ASSIGNMENT – they are “sent” by Jesus to serve believers.
A number of you have felt their presence, even seen or heard them.
Tim Anderson - story from vacation a few summers ago. Helper in pickup truck who “disappeared.”
Dad - Muslim “ringleader” seeking to kill him “ushered away” by a tall, strong looking man dressed like a Pakistani.
EXAMPLES:
John G. Paton in New Hebrides Islands in So. Pacific (Billy Graham, “Angels”)
Hostile natives surrounded his missions headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. John Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see that, unaccountably, the attackers had left.
A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Jesus Christ, and Mr. Paton, remembering what had happened, asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in surprise, “Who were all those men you had with you there?” The missionary answered, “There were no men there; just my wife and I.” The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard - hundreds of men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the mission station so that the natives were afraid to attack. Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent his angels to protect them. The chief agreed that there was no other explanation.
Similar stories:
Norwegian missionary Marie Monsen, in Northern China, tells how looting soldiers had surrounded the mission compound but never entered. A few days later they learned why when one of the marauder’s explained that as they were about to enter the compound, they saw “tall soldiers with shining faces on a high roof of the compound.”
In 1956 du ring the Mau Mau uprisings in East Africa, a band of roving Mau Maus came the village of Lauri, surrounded it, and killed all 300 inhabitants - including all the women and children. Armed with spears, bows and arrows, clubs and torches they next went three miles away to the Rift Valley Academy - a school for missionary children.
It was dark. Lighted torches could be seen surrounding the academy. Shouts and curses could be heard form the Mau Maus. They began to advance on the school, tightening the circle, shouting louder and louder, coming closer. Then, inexplicably, when they were close enough to throw their spears, they stopped. They began retreating and soon were running into the jungle.
The army was called out and captured the raiders. At their trial, the leader was on the witness stand. The judge questioned him. On this particular night did you kill the inhabitants of Lauri?
Yes
Well, then, why did you not complete the mission? Why didn’t you attack the school?
The leader answered, We were on our way to attack and destroy all the people and the school . . . but as we came closer, all of a sudden, between us and the school there were many huge men, dressed in white with flaming swords and we became afraid and ran to hide!
In gruesome Nazi prison camp in WWII, as told by Corrie ten Boom in A Prisoner - and Yet.” She and her sister Betsie had just arrived at Ravensbruck, where new prisoners were being searched. Corrie was hiding a Bible under her dress.
It did bulge out obviously through my dress; but I prayed, “Lord, cause now Thine angels to surround me; and let them not be transparent today, for the guards must not see me.” I felt perfectly at ease. Calmly I passed the guards. Everyone was checked, from the front, the sides, the back. Not a bulge escaped the eyes of the guard. The woman just in front of me had hidden an woolen vest under her dress; it was taken from her. They let me pass, for they did not see me. Betsie, right behind me, was searched.
But outside awaited another danger. On each side of the door were women who looked everyone over a second time. They felt over the body of each one who passed. I knew they would not see me, for the angels were still surrounding me. I was not even surprised when they passed me by; but within me rose the jubilant cry, “O Lord, if Thou dost so answer prayer, I can face even Ravensbruck unafraid.”
What astounding stories! A witness to the power of angels, but more - to the superiority of Jesus Christ who “makes his angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation.”
Example: Jacob – Ge. 32:1
When think of Jacob and angels usually one of two scenes comes to mind: Jacob wrestling with the angel of the Lord; Jacob’s “ladder”/staircase when he is leaving Palestine. That is in Ge. 28:11 ff. Nb God’s promises to him there: I am with you and I will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. . .”
Now 20 years later, coming home. Has disentangled himself from Mesopotamian life, escaped clutches of Laban. Burdened down with cares of families and flocks. Also haunted by how had taken advantage of his brother Esau 20 years before. Conscience been working 20 years.
Before he learns of the 400 men with Esau, God reveals the armies of heaven! Two squadrons of angels (Mahanaim = two camps) meet him (not by accidental “crossing of paths,” but God’s purpose and design.
Their message (tho’ words not recorded) = fear not! I am with you! Despite the burden and cares of your families and flocks, despite the past threats of Esau, look at the “invisible.” If God be for us, who can be against us!
Oh that we would live by faith and not by sight! Trust God! Act upon your faith!
CONCLUDING SCRIPTURE: Psalm 91:11 ff.
The message to the persecuted church then, and to the church today, is this:
Our superior Jesus has assigned his angels to minister to you. And if he wills, he can deliver you anytime and anywhere he wishes. Jesus is supreme! He is adequate in your hour of need.
You only have to believe it, and trust him with all you have and are.
