Angels, Part 1

Well, that was beautiful. The harmony and the message. I really appreciate both of you sharing God's gifts that He's given to you to help us direct our inspiration to God and praise to God. It's a message all of its own. I'd like to talk to you a little bit today about actually one of the fundamental beliefs that we have in the Church. In our Youth Instruction Program we've been going through certain major doctrines, fundamental beliefs of the Church.

And so I've been trying to, as I can, begin to talk about some of these things, too, to the congregation that have been taught to some of our kids. So I want to talk to you today about a very important part of the creation of God. It's the creation of the angelic realm, the creation of the angels. But, you know, surprisingly, there isn't a lot that's really understood about the way that angels really are revealed in Scripture. There's a lot of misconceptions out there on what they look like and how they manifest themselves and that type of thing. I think too many people today, perhaps even carelessly, have based their beliefs on what they have heard. Not necessarily what they find from Scripture, what they've heard, what they've seen, what they read. You know, because really, if you think about it in your own mind, imagine the different concepts that you have in your mind about angels of things that you have seen. You know, because there are movies that have been made about angels. Perhaps some of you have seen some of those. A few years ago, there was one called, Angels in the Outfield. You know, there's a television program which is probably still able to be watched on reruns called, Touched by an Angel. Maybe some of you have seen that, where there were three characters, main characters, in the show.

Two of them were female angels, and one of them was a man, a male angel. Angels have been portrayed as babies, as young children, either a young boy angel or a young girl angel, or as babies. And if you explore the subject of angels in literature or in books or in magazines or on the internet, you'll see all different types of things. Much of it is though based on fable. It's based on myth. Now, don't get me wrong, angels are out there.

They really do exist. They have been created by God, and God reveals to us much. There are a lot of things in both the Old and the New Testaments that talk about the subject of angels. There are collectible angels that you may have seen. There are angel booklets.

There are stories you may have heard about guardian angels, or they've intervened to save people's lives or to help them in times of trouble, protection of sometimes in time of war, military. There's a lot of different stories that are out there where people have been helped by angels. What does the Bible really say about angels? Our title of the message today is, Angels the Real Story. Angels the Real Story. What does God reveal in His Word about these particular beings because they do exist? It's actually a fascinating topic in a way. So today we're going to review the subject of angels from a biblical perspective, from God's perspective. We're going to review several scriptures in both the Old and the New Testaments to begin to understand angels the way they really are. So let's begin with what I feel is the most fascinating topic, the subject of angels. And we'll read some scriptures as we go through about these invisible beings. And some of these things are actually quite astonishing as we'll go through them because the Bible has a lot to say about them.

There are recorded Old Testament accounts of angelic visits that people have had for interventions and there are New Testament accounts as well. Some that happened dozens of times, but specifically we'll cover some that happened to Peter and Paul that we'll read about here. And they play an important role. And so we'll take a look at that particular topic today. Now you may have heard about some stories of supernatural interventions where there seemed to be no explanation for how something like this could happen. Perhaps you've heard about some of these. I'm going to relay one of them to you. This happened to a man by the name of Rob. And this happened back in the spring of 1998. He was in the Navy and he was with a special unit of the Navy that has to do with rescue swimming.

He was stationed in California at that time. And at that time, a roommate of his was trying to get him into body boarding, body surfing, body boarding. And so he continued to say, come on, let's go out and try this. Let's go out into the ocean and try some of this.

So he agreed to try it. So he went to a local thrift store and he bought one of those cheesy styrofoam body surfboards. You know, the kind that didn't have the leash that attaches to your ankle because if you get separated from your board, you may have a hard time finding your board in the midst of the ocean. So he bought this real cheap thing. And then he was a rookie and he went to a beach in La Jolla, California, where there was a training area, an oceanography training area that was open to the public, but it was a great place to be able to do something like this. Well, the beach was really crowded and he was a rookie.

He wasn't very good at it. And constantly he was getting separated from the board and he'd have to find his way to find his board, go back, you know, towards the shoreline, get his board and go back out and swim again. And he was constantly failing trying to ride this wave. And he felt kind of embarrassed because there were some people that were there that were very good at it. And he felt like, you know, he just didn't compare with them.

And so after a few hours, he'd had enough and he headed back to base. Well, the following day he thought he was going to try this all by himself. He decided to start early in the morning. So his roommate was still in bed asleep and he went. It was about 6 a.m. He arrived at that same beach and to his delight, he was the only car that was parked in this huge parking lot. And there weren't any lifeguards. In fact, there weren't any cars. There weren't any people anywhere. So he thought he's going to get this thing down. He's going to work at it and he's going to get this thing down. Well, he noticed just before he went out that the waves were a lot bigger than they had been the day before. But he thought, well, you know, I'm here. I'm just here with my cheesy board. He didn't even wear a wetsuit.

A lot of the professionals wore wetsuits. He was there with his cheesy bodyboard, his shorts and himself and the ocean. So he went. He decided to enter the water. Well, he got paddled out to where the big waves were, where the sweet spot was, where the swells of the waves were, and he waited for the right moment. And all of a sudden, this big wave just came crashing down on him. Well, he got separated from his board. And in fact, he said the force was so great. It just slammed him down to the ocean floor.

It was probably about, he was 12 to 15 feet down. And then the water was forcing him down. It took him a long time to get back up. And he, just when he was about to take his first breath, another wave hit him. And down he's tumbling again underneath the surface of the water. And he begins to realize that he's in danger.

He didn't catch his breath. And he's spending a whole lot of energy trying to get up to the surface of the water to take his next breath. Well, as he finally got up to the surface, he got one quick breath, and then another wave crashed in on him. And he realized he was running out of air. He realized that he was becoming physically exhausted. He realized his board was nowhere in sight. So much for the cheesy board that didn't have the strap.

As if it would have been to his ankle, you know, he could have grabbed it. But it was long gone. He didn't know where it was. And he began to realize that he was going to die. And so as he was beginning to contemplate this and just realizing that the next wave was going to finish him off, he got to the surface, and suddenly there was a man there in a wetsuit and was just extremely calm and said, I think you might need this. It was his board. He said, I grabbed on that thing like my...

and his life literally depended upon this board because it was going to help keep him afloat on top of the water rather than underneath. And he said, I got that. And he said, and it wasn't long. I was able to get safely back to shore. But I looked back and I was going to try to tell him how meaningful this was that he literally saved my life. And there was no one in sight.

There was no... He looked back at the parking lot and his vehicle was still the only one that was in the parking lot. And there was still, as you looked up and side down the ocean, the coastline, there weren't any footsteps other than his within a hundred yards. He said, I waited there for an hour for him to come in so I could thank you. He said, I began to realize what was going on. But God had miraculously sent someone to save my life.

He felt it was an angel that saved his life. He said, I'll never forget it. All of a sudden, you know, there's this churny water and all of a sudden I come up and there's a guy sitting calmly on his surfboard, just as calm as could be, and say, I think you could use this.

And he gave him his cheesy styrofoam board, which saved his life. So you've probably heard stories, I'm guessing, over the years as well, of people that you've either heard about or something that's happened to you, there's no explanation. And we'll see as we go through this two-part sermon that there are times when God utilizes his created angelic beings to help us in times of difficulty for protecting us in times of danger.

So make no mistake, angels do exist. They are there. And they do minister, they do serve, they serve God and they serve us. But they are not, as most people commonly perceive them to be. So let's take a look at some scriptures today and let's take a look at how God reveals how these beings are. Let's begin with a first of several points.

Point number one, angels are God's messengers. Angels are God's messengers. If we look at either the Greek word angelos or the Hebrew word malek, it can also be translated messenger.

Now we know what a messenger is. It's somebody that doesn't speak their own words, but they are delivering a message from somebody else. And so one of the things that the angels have, one of the responsibilities that God has given to them, is that they are to deliver a message.

So let's take a look at a few examples of some of this. Let's go to Luke chapter one and verse number eleven. Luke chapter one and verse number eleven. We're going to take a look at a few examples here of how angels are revealed in scripture, what are some of their jobs and some of their responsibilities. Luke chapter one and we'll pick it up in verse number eleven. Now where we're at in the context here is that John the Baptist's father, Zacharias, has been serving as a priest. It's his turn to serve. So he's actually performing his priestly duties. He's offering something at the altar. He thinks he's in a room all by himself to offer something on the altar to God. So let's pick it up in verse number eleven of Luke chapter one. It says that the angel of the Lord appeared to him standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Now he hadn't been there a moment ago and all of a sudden he's there. So Zacharias, how does he react? It says that when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and great fear fell upon him. I know there are times when I can sneak up on my wife and she is screaming. I didn't know anybody was there. And so Zacharias reacted in a similar way. He was troubled and it says great fear fell upon him. And then the angel says something that we'll see in other contexts that the angels when they appear, often they have to do. That the first thing that they tell you is don't be afraid. Because often we understand there's something extraordinary going on.

I mean Zacharias knew something extraordinary was happening to him at this time. And he's afraid, he's fearful, and the angel says don't be afraid. But now he has a message to deliver because that's a responsibility that God has given to him. So let's see what that is. Verse number thirteen.

But the angel said him, don't be afraid Zacharias, for your prayer is heard.

You know, we talk about the power of prayer when we talk to God. Sometimes I wonder if it makes a difference. God heard the prayer of Zacharias. And so God is sending the angel with a message to Zacharias saying your prayer is heard and your wife Elizabeth is going to bear a son.

And you shall call his name John. So this is the message that the angels delivery. This is coming from God. This isn't the words of the angel. This is the words of God. Verse 14. And you will have joy and gladness and many will rejoice at his birth. For he's going to be great in the sight of the Lord. And he shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother's womb. Doesn't say that very often about anyone. Verse 16. And he's going to turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. Wow, he's got a pretty big responsibility, this baby that's coming. This is all part of the message from God through the angel.

Verse 17. He will also go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just and to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And then Zacharias said to the angel, well how shall I know this? For I'm an old man and my wife is well advanced in years. And the angel answered and said to him, I am Gabriel.

Now it's very seldom that the angel will tell you what his name is, but in this case he does. In fact, there's only three angels mentioned by name in the Bible. And that's Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer.

Those are the only three that are named. And we're going to find out how many angels there are as we go along in the message today. But he says, I am Gabriel who stands in the presence of God and was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news or these glad tidings. And so we see a messenger from God sent. Well, let's look in this and another example here in this same chapter.

Let's jump to verse number 28, not too far further from where we were just reading.

And let's see another example. And we'll see here that an angel comes to Mary about the coming birth of Jesus. So let's pick that up in verse number 28. It says, And having come in, the angel said to her, Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed are you among women.

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. And I would think probably so. Again, an extraordinary appearance of a spirit being, an angelic being here. And Mary realized there was something extraordinary going on.

And so the angel tries to calm her down in verse number 30, then the angel said her, Don't be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God and then begins to deliver a message from God. Notice the message. Verse 31, And behold, you're going to conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the highest. And the Lord will give him the throne of his father David. And he's going to reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. So once that kingdom starts, it's not going to end. He goes on, verse 34, Then Mary said to the angel, How can this be, since I haven't known a man? I am engaged to be married, but I'm not married yet.

And I haven't known a man. Verse 35, And the angel answered and said, The Holy Spirit is going to 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. And so we see again here a message that's being delivered. And now, verse 36, Now indeed, Elizabeth, your relative has also conceived the Son in her old age. So the message is continuing. By the way, your cousin is also going to have a child, and is now in the sixth month for her who was called barren. For with God, nothing will be impossible. And then Mary said she didn't, she didn't doubt like Zacharias did, who had to become mute for a while until the child was born. But Mary said, Well, behold, the mate servant of the Lord, let it be to me according to your word. And the angel departed from her.

Well, let's go over to Luke chapter 2 and verse number 7. We'll take a look at another example here of the angels delivering a message. Is Luke chapter 2 and verse 7. These are pretty familiar scriptures here, but if we haven't put them together with an angelic context before.

Luke chapter 2 and verse number 7. Talking about Mary said she brought forth her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. Now, there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields keeping watch over their flock by night. So they were out there with the sheep. They slept with them out there.

They didn't come into an enclosed area, but they were watching their flock. And notice verse 9.

And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid. So we continue to see that same theme going through. They were afraid. Verse 10. Then the angel said, Don't be afraid. Okay. For behold, I'm going to bring you some news, some good tidings of great joy, which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord. And this will be assigned to you.

You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with this angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God. And so now this one angel is joined by a heavenly host. And we'll see in a moment that that is talking about host meaning angels, more than one, a heavenly host. They were praising God and saying, verse 14, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace and good will towards men. Verse 15. So it was when the angels, notice plural, had gone away from them. So this one angel had been joined by a host of angels. It says that when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherd said to one another, Let's now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us. So they understood that God was bringing this message to them through the angels. This wasn't the message from the angels being their words. They were simply delivering a message from God, part of their responsibility. They're messengers. Now let's go back and look at an Old Testament example here. When an angel delivered a message to the mother and the father of Samson.

That's in the book of Judges. Judges chapter 13.

After the book of Joshua, Judges chapter 13. We'll pick it up right in verse number one.

So we see another example here of an angel appearing to a human being with a message, talking about the birth of Samson. Judges chapter 13 and verse number one.

It says, Then again the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord delivered them into the hand of the Philistines for forty years. So this would be kind of an ebb and flow of God's people. They would start to stray away from God. They begin to disobey, and God would punish them. As a father who loves his children, he's going to try to correct them. And so he delivered them into the hand of the Philistines, and they began to complain, and then they began to turn to God again. Verse number two. Now there was a certain man from Zora of the family of the Danites whose name was Manoah, and his wife was barren and had no children. And notice verse three.

And the angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, Indeed you are barren, and you have borne no children. But you shall conceive and shall bear a son.

Now therefore, please be careful. So here's the part of the message here. Not to drink wine, or similar drink, and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come upon his head. For the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb.

Of course, the Nazarites weren't supposed to be drinking wine or similar drink. So he's telling the mother that you should not drink wine or similar drink in verse four, because this is a Nazarite from the womb. Verse number five talks about. And he's also at the end of verse five, He shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistine. So God is sending a deliverer, and the angel is bringing a message to this woman that she was going to bear a son who was going to be the deliverer to bring God's people out of the hand of the Philistines. Verse number six.

So the woman came and told her husband and said, A man of God came to me.

And his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very awesome. So she noticed too, there was something extraordinary about this encounter that she had. But I did not ask him where he was from, and he did not tell me his name. And he said to me, Behold, you shall conceive and bear a son. So she relays the message of what the angel had said to her. And verse eight, Then Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, Oh, my Lord, please let the man of God whom you sent come to us again and teach us what we shall do for this child is going to be born. He's going to have a very important responsibility. How should we raise him? How should we teach him?

What should we do? And it says in verse nine, God, listen to the voice of Manoah.

And the angel God came to the woman again, as she was sitting in the field. But Manoah, her husband was not with her. And then the woman ran in haste and told her husband said, Look, this guy's back. And he manifests himself as a man. He says, The man who came to me the other day has now appeared to me. Verse 11. So Manoah rose and followed his wife. He wants to see this person, this man. And he says, Are you the man who spoke to this woman? And he says, I am. Manoah said, Now, let your words come to pass. What will be the boy's rule of life and his work? So the angel of the Lord said to Manoah, Of all that I said to the woman, let her be careful. So these are important words. She should be careful to follow them. Verse 14. She shouldn't eat anything that comes from the vine, nor may she drink wine or similar drink, nor eat anything unclean, and all that I've commanded her let her observe. And then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, Please let us detain you, and we will prepare a young goat for you. And the angel said, Though you detain me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord. So the angel is deflecting. If you want to offer something, don't offer it to me. You need to offer it to God. You need to offer it to the Lord. For Manoah did not know that he was the angel of the Lord. Then Manoah said to the angel of the Lord, What is your name? That when your words come to pass, that we may honor you.

Now the angel doesn't tell Manoah his name. And I think there's a good reason for that, because I think he felt that Manoah was going to honor the angel. And we know from Scripture that we only honor, we only worship God. Exodus 20, verse 3, that's a commandment. Worship Him and worship Him alone. So the angel is deflecting that. I think thinking, if you know my name, we're going to have a relationship. You're going to look to me. You're going to want to honor me. No, you look to God.

So he says, What is your name? The latter part of verse 17, that when your words come to pass, we may honor you. And the angel of the Lord said to him, Why do you ask my name?

Seen it as wonderful. So Manoah took the goat with the young goat with the great offering, offered it upon the rock to the Lord. So Manoah is offering this offering to God, not to the angel, but to God, to the Lord. And he did a wondrous thing. The angel did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on. It happened as the flame went up towards heaven from the altar. The angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of fire. Well, that would get your attention, I think. And you probably, your mouth would be dropping, and you realize there's something extraordinary that's going on. And then the angel of the Lord, verse 21, appeared no more to Manoah and his wife. And then Manoah knew that he was the angel of the Lord. So we see that one of the responsibilities that God has given to the angelic realm, which he's created, is that they are to deliver messages from God to human beings. Let's go to a second point. Point number two is that angels generally appear as men or young men. There are a few exceptions to that. We saw in this case that the angel went up in fire in the flame of the altar, but he appeared initially as a man. But we'll see here that they appear as men or young men when they manifest themselves to mankind or to humankind. So we don't want to let modern misrepresentations that we see out there in the culture of our time to fool us or deceive us, in a sense, or to mislead us. Because generally throughout the Bible, when the word angel appears or when an angel appears or manifests himself to mankind, that they have the appearance of a man or a young man, which is very unlike the concept that is often out there that they appear as women or as cute little babies or as young boys or as young girls. They don't appear as babies. They don't appear as young children. And it's interesting that many in this world have decided that that's what they look like. But that's not how Scripture reveals. That's not how God reveals them in Scripture. So let's take a look at an account of the angels visiting Abraham in Genesis chapter 18. So let's go back to the first chapter of Scripture, or excuse me, the first book of Scripture, to chapter 18. Genesis chapter 18, and we'll pick it up in verse number one. So these scriptures now are under point number two, that angels generally appear as men or young men when they manifest themselves to mankind.

Genesis chapter 18, picking it up in verse number one. It says, then the Lord appeared to him, referring to Abraham by the terebin trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. So he lifted up his eyes and he looked and behold three men were standing by him.

Now he knew there was something significant going on because this was something special, but they were manifesting themselves as men. And of course the Lord was there, so one of these three quote-unquote men was the Lord, and the other two as we'll see were angels. Let's pick it up in verse two. And when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and he bowed himself to the ground. And he said, my Lord, if I have now found favor in your sight, do not pass on by your servant. Please let all the water be brought to wash your feet, to rest yourselves under the tree, and I will bring a morsel of bread that you may refresh your hearts, and that you may pass by, and as much as you have come to your servant. And they said, do as you have said. So he washed their feet, he gave them something to eat. In a sense, they ate and they drank, and so we see that angels can eat and drink, and so could the Lord. He could eat and drink at this meeting. So they had an afternoon meal. They ate and drank. Let's jump now to verse number 22 of Genesis chapter 18.

Verse number 22. And notice, then the men turned away from there. So they manifested themselves as men, and they went towards Sodom. But Abraham still stood before the Lord. So the one that stayed was the Lord, and the other two, the other two which were angels, they went on to Sodom.

Now let's notice Genesis chapter 19 in verse number one. Genesis chapter 19 in verse number one.

We'll see, the Lord stayed and talked to Abraham for a while, but the other two men left and they went to Sodom. So let's pick up the story there. Genesis chapter 19 in verse one. Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening. So we know that they were angels, but they had manifested themselves as men. They came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. So Lot was the nephew of Abraham. They had separated themselves a while back, and Lot and his family found themselves here in Sodom. And Lot, notice, also knows there's something special about them. There's just something about them. Because it says, when Lot saw them, he rose up to meet them just like Abraham did, and he bowed himself with his face towards the ground. He knew there was something special about them. Verse number two. And he said, and now, here now, my lords, please turn to your servant's house and spend the night. And he starts talking about some of the same things that Abraham did, to wash your feet, to have something to eat here, and then you can go your way. And they said, well, no, we'll spend the night in the open square.

But he insisted, verse three, and so they turned into him, and they entered his house, and then he made them something to eat. He made them a feast. He baked unleavened bread, and they ate. So again, these two angels are eating food, in a sense. Verse number four. Now, before they lay down, so it's time to getting close to going to sleep, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter surrounded the house. Remember this part of the story? And they called the lot, and they said, where are the men who came into you tonight? So they also had noticed that these two angels manifested themselves as men. And so they're wondering where they are. Where are the men, verse five, who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally. So we know the perversion that had gone on in Sodom and Gomorrah.

They were men having sex with men. And of course, that's why eventually it got so bad that God said this is enough, and he was sending a judgment to that part of the world. And so again, we note that these angels look like men, and we know the rest of the story. These two angels intervened in the life of Lot and his family to get them out of there. Now, we've seen already that there are a lot of times and instances when angels manifest themselves to human beings that they sense that there's something extraordinary going on. But that's not always the case. So let's look at that.

You may never know because these angels can sometimes appear as men or young men, and you may not know that they're angels. Let's go to Hebrews, the book of Hebrews, chapter 13, and verse number 2, and we'll look at an example there.

So sometimes they manifest themselves in a way that you do not know that there's something extraordinary that's going on. Hebrews chapter 13, and verse number 2.

We'll pick it up in verse number 1 for the context. Let brotherly love continue, so he's encouraging the brethren to continue to have love for one another. Verse 2, and do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.

You didn't even realize it, that you were hosting or you were entertaining angels. Of course, Abraham entertained angels that we've already read about in Genesis chapter 18, but who knows the number of times that we've been involved in helping somebody. You know, who maybe was a part of a group or a team or something, and we didn't necessarily know that this was an angel that was in our midst, because they were just, it wasn't obvious to us when an angel was present. So they may just look like men of the day or young men of the day.

We may not even be aware of what actually is taking place, that they're there.

Let's notice some other New Testament accounts of angels manifesting themselves to mankind.

Let's go over to the book of Mark chapter 16. Mark chapter 16.

Again, we're under the point number two that the angels manifest themselves as men or young men.

Mark chapter 16 and verse number one. This is after Jesus Christ has been crucified.

Actually, he's risen, but at the time Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Salome didn't know that he'd risen. So let's pick it up in Mark chapter 16 and verse number one.

Now, when the Sabbath was passed, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Salome bought spices that they may come and anoint him. So they didn't have time to do it before, so they're taking the time.

Verse 2, and very early in the morning on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb when the sun had risen.

And they said to themselves, who's going to roll away the stone? You know, it's like, oh, okay, we've got these spices, but we haven't thought through this enough of how are we going to roll away the stone?

Suddenly it dawns on you, and it says there, because, verse 4, but when they looked up, they saw the stone had been rolled away, for it was very large.

So you know how much weight stone can have, or boulders can have. And so they looked up, they saw it was rolled away. Verse 5, and then entering the tomb, they saw a young man.

So again, this is an angelic being that they're seeing, and he's manifesting himself as a young man in this particular example here of Scripture. And he was clothed in a long white robe, and he was sitting on the right side, and notice, and they were alarmed, okay?

Wasn't expecting to see this, and wasn't expecting to see what an angel. Again, an extraordinary experience here. And the angel says in verse number 6, don't be alarmed. So we see the same pattern going over and over again, and he's got a message. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen. He is not here. See the place where they had laid him.

But now go, verse 7, and tell his disciples, and Peter, that he is going before you into Galilee, and there you will see him as he said to you. So they went out quickly. They fled from the tomb, where they trembled, and they were amazed, and they said nothing to anyone because they were afraid. So we see another example here of an angel. The name is not mentioned here, but appearing to them, appearing as a young man. Now let's go over to Acts chapter 10.

Acts chapter 10, and we'll pick it up here in verse number 1. We heard in the sermon at about Cornelius, who was an Italian, who was a Gentile. We heard about that in the first message today, and about how God was calling him, and God was saying that he's opening up salvation to the Gentiles, and we shouldn't call any man common or unclean. So we're going to read a little bit more about Cornelius, and we'll see here that an angel appears to him. Acts chapter 10 in verse 1.

Again, this man, Cornelius, the centurion of the Italian regiment, and he was a devout man. And notice he's one that feared God. So he was one of the Gentiles that was known as the God-fears, that they believed that the God of Israel was the true one and only true God. And so he feared this God with all of his household, not just him, but his family as well. And they gave alms, they were gave gifts generously to the people, and they prayed to this God always. And so he had a relationship with God. Verse number 3 in about the ninth hour, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God saying to him Cornelius. And when he observed him, he was afraid. Again, it's pretty much within that same pattern here. And he said, what is it, Lord? So he said to him, your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. So another example that our prayers are heard before God.

And now God is responding through his angelic realm with a message. But notice how this angel appears. He tells him what to do in verse 5 to go to Joppa and look for Simon, whose surname is Peter. You'll find him by the sea. And verse 7 it says, then the angel departed. But now let's jump to verse number 30 of Acts chapter 10. Verse number 30. Because he begins to tell Peter about what happened and how this angelic being manifested himself. So Cornelius said, four days ago I was fasting until this hour. And at the ninth hour I prayed in my house and behold a man stood before me. So again, this angel that he had in this vision, it manifested himself as a man. And notice also in bright clothing. So often it's a white robe, it's white clothing, raiment of some kind, and it just stands up. And so he manifested himself, this angel, as a man. Okay, we're in the book of Acts.

Let's go back to Acts chapter 1. We'll look at another example when an angel has manifested himself to the disciples now. And this is after Jesus Christ had been crucified. He'd been raised from the dead. He'd been around for quite a few days. Now he's going to send back to his father.

Acts chapter 1, and we'll pick it up in verse number 9. Now when he had spoken these things, referring to Jesus talking to his disciples, while they watched, he was taken up in a cloud and received him out of their sight. So he disappeared in the cloud in the sky.

And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, Christ was going back to the father.

Verse number 10, Behold, two men stood by them, and notice again in this white apparel.

So this is often how they manifest themselves as men and in white apparel. So once again we see the form and the likeness of men here. And the white apparel, of course, representing righteousness, God's righteousness. Now a lot of times, as we look at these encounters with angels, they don't waste many words. They just speak pretty much the message that God the Father has given to them. And they, you know, every once in a while they'll be asked a question, but they say very few words. And so it's something that you want to understand that they're bringing God's message. They don't want to bring their own words. And so there's very few words. So usually you only use one word only if that's all they need. Now I've heard stories about some ministers who had encounters with evil spirits, which are demons that were part of the angelic realm that disobeyed God, followed Lucifer, became demons. And some of the encounters that they've had with demonic spirits is that they tended to speak a lot, that they'll talk a lot, and they'll babble on, in a sense.

But God's angels don't behave like this. The attention is not on themselves. The attention is on doing the job that God the Father has given them to do. They deliver God's message, and then they're gone. So let's go to a point number three here. Point number three, we've covered, first of all, that the angels are messengers with a message from God, and second of all, they appear as men or young men. Point number three, the angels are very, very numerous. The angels are very, very numerous. In fact, some scriptures talk about that they're innumerable, almost countless in other words. They're very, very numerous. So let's take a look at a few examples of that. Let's go to Psalm chapter 68 and verse number 17. Psalm chapter 68, and we'll pick it up in verse number 17. We'll see here that King David is talking about 20,000 angels or spiritual chariots, as it says in this context. And he noted that it was just like when Moses went up to Mount Sinai. Let's take a look at that in Psalm chapter 68 and verse number 17.

It says, the chariots of God are 20,000, even thousands of thousands. The Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. Now, I'm reading from the New King James version, but the New Living Translation puts it this way. Surrounded by unnumbered thousands of chariots, the Lord came from Mount Sinai into his sanctuary. And I think the Old King James reads this way, the chariots are 20,000, even thousands of angels. The Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. So we see here, we're beginning to understand that there are, David's writing the Psalms about the thousands and thousands of angels, these spiritual chariots.

Now, Moses saw an amazing spectacle when he went up to Mount Sinai to get the law from the hand of God, in a sense, on those tablets. He went up to Mount Sinai to receive the law. And it must have been an awesome sight. We don't necessarily think about that, but let's turn to Deuteronomy chapter 33 and verse 2, that it wasn't just Moses and the Lord that were up there when the 10 commandments were given. Deuteronomy chapter 33, and we'll pick it up in verse number 2.

Deuteronomy chapter 33 and verse number 2. And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and he dawned on them from Sare, he shone forth from Mount Peran, and he came with ten thousands of saints. Now, the Hebrew word here that's translated saints means holy ones. It can also be translated angels. So the Lord came with ten thousands of his angels. From his right hand came a fiery law for them. So this is the time that the commandments are being delivered.

The Living Bible puts it this way. This is the time that the law was being delivered. It says, he was surrounded by ten thousands of holy angels. So when the law was delivered on Mount Sinai, those spirit beings were there. They were accompanying the Lord there at that time.

And maybe that's something we haven't thought about before. In fact, I'll just refer for the sake of time to Acts chapter 7 and verse 53. He was talking in that context, you receive the law by the dispositions of angels, but you have not kept it. And so it was kind of a corrective statement there, but the angelic realm was there on Mount Sinai at that time when the Lord came down with the commandments and Moses was up there at that time. Now, let's go look at another scripture here in the Old Testament, Daniel chapter 7. We'll pick it up in verse number 9.

Let's see that Daniel sees something envisioned here.

Daniel chapter 7. We'll pick it up in verse 9.

Daniel said, I watched until thrones were put in place, and the ancient of days was seated. And so the ancient of days represents God the Father.

Verse number 9. His garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head was like pure wool, and his throne was a fiery flame, and his wheels a burning fire.

And notice verse 10. A fiery stream, kind of talking about Manoah and what he witnessed with this flame of this angel going up into the flame. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him a thousand thousands ministered to him. And so we begin to see now, talking about that under the point that the angels are innumerable, there are many many of them. How many are a thousand thousands? How many is that? Mathematicians? One million. One million. A thousand thousands served him. A million angels were serving God here in this particular context. Now the most people I've ever been close to was at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, where there were a hundred thousand people. And I thought that was a lot. And when a great play was made, you know, you heard the roar, you almost felt, you know, the shaking of the stadium, you know, the roar of a crowd. That's a hundred thousand. We're talking about a million people that are serving God, a million angels that are serving him. But we're touching on also a future point that that's one of their responsibilities is to serve God. They're ministering to him. And notice, not only were a million ministering to him or serving him, but it goes on to say in verse 10, and 10,000 times 10,000 stood before him. How many are 10,000 times 10,000?

A hundred million. 100 million. Were there close to where he was sitting. Can you imagine the scene?

And the books were open. So this is a court. There's a court proceeding that's about to take place. In this context, God says enough is enough. And the kingdoms of this world are going to be turned over to somebody else. So we see the prophets of old that were witnesses to all kinds of visions. And they saw the amount of angels envisioned here that were not only serving God, one million were serving him, but there were a hundred million that were around his throne.

I can't even imagine those numbers. Let's go over to Revelation chapter 5 and verse 11. Another vision here, but this time it's not a vision of Daniel. It's a vision of the Apostle John.

Revelation chapter 5, and we'll pick it up in verse number 11. Revelation chapter 5 and verse number 11. John now is envisioned. And he says, then I looked and I heard the voice of many angels.

How many? I heard the voice of many angels about the throne. He said the living creatures, and we'll see next time that there are four living creatures and the elders, that there are 24 elders.

And the number of them was 10,000 times 10,000. A hundred million, in other words.

And thousands of thousands, which again is a million. So it's exactly the same numbers that Daniel had saw in his vision, that John is seen in the vision. This is exactly the same. And can you imagine all of these are speaking at the same time in verse 12? And they're saying with a loud voice, you know, you've got multitudes here, and they're speaking with a loud voice, and they're saying, Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing. So they're all speaking together in unison. So these angels are at the throne of the ancient of days. They're praising the Lamb, they're praising God, the same huge figure that Daniel mentioned. Let's go over to Hebrews chapter 12. Hebrews chapter 12. We're going to see here for a moment. We realize that these angels are very, very numerous. That there's an account, a reminder of Moses going up to Mount Sinai to receive the law. But then there's an additional point that's added here in Hebrews chapter 12 and verse number 18. Hebrews chapter 12 and verse number 18. It says, For you have not come to the mountain that may be touched, and that burned with fire into blackness and darkness and tempest. He says, You're coming to a different mountain than Sinai. That could be touched. It did burn with fire. So he says, We come to a different mountain than what the ancient Israel came to. It's not Mount Sinai. Verse 19, in the sound of the trumpet and the voice of the words, and again he's talking about Mount Sinai, so those who heard it begged that the words should not be spoken to them anymore. They said, This is too much. If God continues to speak, we're not going to be able to bear it or be able to survive. And let's jump to verse 21. And so terrifying was the sight that Moses said, Even I am exceedingly afraid and trembling. He said, Whatever everything that I saw, I was afraid. Verse 22, But you have come to Mount Zion, not Mount Sinai, but Mount Zion, and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, so many that you cannot number.

Now we know that Lucifer drew a third of the angels, but there are still two-thirds that were loyal to God. So there are two good angels for every one demonic angelic being.

But there is an innumerable company of angels of God. And so we come before His throne. Maybe we haven't thought about that before. But there may be an innumerable company of angels as well.

Verse 23, And to the general assembly and church of the firstborn, who are registered in heaven, to the God, the judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of the new covenant. And that's something we'll touch on too, is that Jesus is the mediator between God and man. We don't need an angelic being.

They have other responsibilities. They deliver messages they help protect. We'll cover some of those things next time. But they are not to get in the middle between God and man, between a son of God or a daughter of God and our father or our older brother. They're not to be mediators.

Jesus is the mediator of the new covenant. And so we see here an innumerable, verse 22, an innumerable company of angels. Let's turn over to Matthew chapter 26 and verse number 53.

We begin to see there are many, many angels.

Let's pick it up here. This is a time when Jesus' life was being threatened.

Matthew chapter 26 and verse number 53.

We'll pick it up in verse 52. But Jesus said to Peter, Put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. For don't you think that I cannot now pray to my father, and he will provide me with more than 12 legions of angels? You know, how many are we talking about?

A legion could be up to to 6,000. So if we're talking about 12 legions of angels, we're talking about 72,000 angels. Christ says, don't you understand that I could immediately call upon 12 legions of angels. 72,000 angels to help him at that time if it was necessary. So that is something to think about, that when evil forces are attacking us, it'd be nice to have them maybe more than one angel. But we're going to see next time how powerful even one angel can be, because they're very powerful beings that God has created. And we'll talk about some of those things next time.

So that's where we're going to leave it for now. Basically, we've covered three points of several that we're going to be covering. We'll cover some of them next time. Number one, we know that angels are messengers of God. Number two, they generally appear as men. And number three, that they're very, very numerous. So we're going to pick up and answer some further questions next time. We're going to answer some of the questions about when were they created, some more of their responsibilities, how powerful are they, and whether or not they should be worshiped. So we'll pick that up next time.