Episode Transcript
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Hey, my friends, you know,there's always been something
about the unseen world,angels in particular,
that's always capturedour attention.
Movies show themas glowing beings
with wings, and artistspaint them in white robes
and halos.
Culture tells us that we eachhave a little angel
on one shoulderand a little devil
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on the other shoulder.
But what does the Biblereally say about angels?
Because if angels are realand the Bible says they are,
then they're not justdecoration on Christmas cards.
They are part of God's design,part of his story.
And they're partof our story too.
So today we're going tolook at angels not as folklore,
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not as fantasy, but asScripture describes them.
We'll talk about who they are,what they do, and why they still
matter today.
Stick around.
Keep.
Us.
So before there was Earth.
Before there was man.
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God created the heavensand the angels.
Psalm 148, versestwo through five
says, praise him,all his angels.
Praise himall his heavenly hosts.
For he commanded,and they were created.
So angels are created beings.
They haven't always existed,and they're not eternal
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like God.
They were madeto worship, to serve,
and to carry out God's purposes.
Theologian Wayne Graham puts itthis way in his book
Systematic Theology,angels are created
spiritual beingswith moral judgment
and high intelligence,but without physical bodies.
So think about thatspiritual, intelligent,
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moral, yet unseen.
That's the kind of worldScripture invites us into.
One that's more alive than whatour eyes can see.
In Isaiah chapter six,the prophet sees the Lord
on his throne, and the seraphimsurround him,
crying, Holy, holy,holy is the Lord God Almighty.
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The whole earthis full of his glory.
That's not poetic fluff.
That's the heavenly realityright now.
Angels were created for glory,for the glory of God.
Now the Bible hints atan organized structure
among angels.
There's Michael,such a great name
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called the Archangel, a warriorwho defends God's people.
Find that in Judenine and Daniel 1013,
there's Gabriel,God's messenger,
appearing to Daniel, Zechariah,and Mary to announce
God's plans.
Then there are the cherubim,powerful guardians who appear
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at the entrance of Eden.
After Adam and Eve are expelled,remember that.
Check out Genesis 3 (03:00):
24
and the Seraphim, whose name
literally means burning ones.
They radiate holiness,worshiping continually
before God's throne.
Reverend Billy Graham once said,if we could only see the angels
surrounding us and protecting usand guiding us, we would never
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feel alone again.
Now, that doesn't mean weshould worship angels.
Every time someone in Scripturetries to do that,
the angel stops them.
For example,check out Revelation 22,
verse nine.
It says, do not do it.
I am a fellow servant with you.
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Worship God.
The focus of every angelis the glory of God.
That's their purpose.
And their patternis meant to teach us
what worship looks like.
Throughout the Bible,angels show up not just in
the background,but in history itself.
When God promised Abraham a son,angels came to visit him.
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Check it out in Genesis 18.
When Hagar fled into the desert,it was an angel who found her
and called her by her name.
That's in Genesis 16,when Jesus was born.
You guessed it.
It was an angel who madethe announcement
to the shepherds, followedby a whole choir of angels
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filling the sky.
That's in Luke 2.
They're not random.
They're strategic.
They appear at God's command,not ours.
In 2 Kings 19 (04:44):
35,
one angel wipes out
185,000 Assyriansoldiers in one night.
That's powerbeyond comprehension.
Power under control.
Then, in Acts 12,Peter is in prison,
chained between two guards.
Church is praying, and suddenlyan angel of the Lord
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appeared in a lightshown in the cell.
Peter's chains fell off.
The doors openedand he walks free.
That story always gets mebecause it's a picture of what
angels still do to this day.
They carry out the will of Godto advance his kingdom
and to protect his people.
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Now, can we always see that?
Now that would be fun.
But Hebrews 13 (05:32):
2 says,
do not forget
to show hospitalityto strangers.
For by doing so,some people have
shown hospitality to angelswithout knowing it.
I don't know about you,but that verse gives me chills.
We might not even realizewhen an angel is walking
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among us.
I've heard lots of stories,and whether they're true or not,
it helps us to realize thatwe may be entertaining angels
unaware.
Let's talk about angels and us.
So what's the relationshipbetween angels and believers?
Well, Hebrews 114 gives usthe clearest answer.
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Are not all angelsministering spirits
sent to serve those who willinherit salvation?
That means angelsare God's servants for our good,
not for our personal guardiansto order around, but
heavenly agents working underGod's authority.
Psalm 91 says he will commandhis angels concerning you
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to guard you in all your ways.
Notice it's him.
It's he who givescommands to them, not us.
Really cool story.
If you've never heard this BillyGraham once told of a story
of a missionary couplein Africa who
prayed for protection one nightas they heard
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drums in the distance.
The next morning,the local tribe leader said that
they had planned to attackthe missionaries,
but they saw soldiersaround the mission.
There were no soldiers,only angels on assignment.
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Stories like that don't elevatethe supernatural.
They elevate God's care for us.
Now, next week,we're going to touch on demons
and the occult.
So I've got to bringthat in to introduce
this next section.
Of course, not all angelsremain faithful to God.
In Isaiah 14 and revelation 12.
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It says that Lucifer,who we now know as Satan,
rebelled against God.
He said, I will make myselflike the Most High.
Pride.
It's the same root of all sin.
Not only Lucifer,not only Satan, but a third
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of the angels followed himand they became what we now know
as demons.
John MacArthur writes, demonsare fallen angels
who joined Satanin his rebellion,
and they now oppose Godand his people.
Again, stick around next weekas we talk about demons
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and the occult.
They're not equal to God.
They're defeated enemiesoperating under limits,
and they still influencethe world today.
We know that, and we'll talkabout that more in the future.
The key thingto remember is this
the rebellion of Samdidn't cancel
the loyalty of the rest.
The story of angels reminds usthat God's kingdom is secure.
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His throne is unshakableand his servants still at work.
Finally, when Jesus returns,angels will be there.
Matthew 25 (09:03):
31 says, When the
Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,he will sit on
his glorious throne.
They'll gather the nations,sound the trumpet, and accompany
the king and triumph.
The same heavenly beingswho sang at his birth.
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They'll returnand shout triumphantly
at his return.
How cool is that?
You know, we hear these storiesthat sound too good to be true.
And maybe they are.
Maybe they're not.
But it's easy to get caught upin the fascination about angels.
But the truth is, every angel'smission is to point us
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back to Jesus.
Colossians 218 warns us,do not let anyone
disqualify you, insisting on theworship of angels.
So we don't worship angels.
We worship the onethat they worship.
And one day, asrevelation five says,
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myriads of angels will surroundthe throne, singing,
worthy is the lambwho was slain,
and will join them.
That's the ultimate pictureof heaven, perfect unity
between heaven and earth.
All eyes are on Jesus.
Our worldcan be very challenging,
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and I just want to remind you,the next time
that you feel alone,remember, you're not.
There's a worldbeyond what we can see.
There are angels on assignments,a kingdom that cannot be shaken,
and a Saviorwho reigns above it all.
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If this encouraged you,share it with someone
who needs hope. Today.
And stay tuned,because next week we're going
to talk about the other sideof the spiritual world
demons, the occult,and how to stand firm in Christ.
Until then, I'm Mike Stone.
This is behind the Mike podcast.
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Keep your eyes onJesus and trust that he commands
heaven's armies for you,for your good and his glory.
Take care.