What Jesus Said

About Angels

Adapted from the series, “Jesus Said”by Michael Wiley

http://www.sermoncloud.com/the-vine/what-jesus-said-about-angels/

We know angels.

Angels—you know, those winged creatures on golden lapel pins, or those

china figures on coffee tables. They look like pretty women with wings,

or cute little babies with wings, or of course, The angel of death, is usually a

gruesome figure with a huge sickle.

If you want your child to be an angel, well --- buy them an angel sweater.

The key thing we need to do is to shift our focus from contemporary angel

hype to the biblical truth about angels. And, for our purpose today we want to know what Jesus said about angels.

Jesus was no stranger to angels

The angels must have watched in wonder as Jesus left His heavenly home to come and join the home of the flesh. It was the angel named Gabriel who visited Mary and told her that she was carrying

the Messiah in her womb. An angel visited Joseph and told him the news.

Angels Announce His Arrival

It was angels who prepared the way of the Messiah’s birth. They fulfilled what their name means and their chief task, which is “they are messengers of the

most high God.”

Luke 2:8 ESV And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field,

keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with

great fear.

10 And the angel said to them, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news

of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 For unto you is born this day

in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be a

sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying

in a manger."

13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace

among those with whom he is pleased!"

Fallen AngelsIt seems angels have free will to some

extent.Satan was a mighty angel who decided to

rebel against God.The Scriptures indicate other angels

indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire & fell away

from God.As a result the fires of Hell have been

prepared for them.

Jude 1:6 ESV And the angels who did not stay within their own position of

authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under

gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— 7 just as Sodom and

Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural

desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.

Surely this sexual sin refers to a time before the Great Flood.

Genesis 6:1 ESV When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the

sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the

LORD said, "My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days

shall be 120 years."

4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when

the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore

children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. 5 The LORD saw that the

wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil

continually.

6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved

him to his heart. 7 So the LORD said, "I will blot out man whom I have created

from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds

of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them." 8 But Noah found favor in

the eyes of the LORD.

Jesus clearly points out that hell was prepared for the devil and his angels. Men only go there because they have

willingly cast their lot with the devil and his angels.

Matthew 25:41 ESV "Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you

cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Angels Know JesusAngels helped him along the way, ready at any time swoop down & protect Jesus

from any harm.Matthew 26:52 ESV Then Jesus said to

him, "Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once

send me more than twelve legions of angels?

We find Jesus in the wilderness. He is speaking with the chief of the fallen angels, the dark creatures we call

demons.Demons are the angels thrown from heaven with their leader, “Lucifer.”

They spread wrong beliefs among men, and seek to seduce believers.

1 Timothy 4:1 NIV The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will

abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

Their primary objective is to lie and deceive the humans that God created

for His pleasure.

The chief Demon, Satan, The Devil, is speaking with Jesus. He is doing what he does best. He is lying, trying to get Jesus to turn from His chief objective.

Luke 4:9 ESV And he took him to Jerusalem and set him on the pinnacle of the temple and said to him, "If you

are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

10 for it is written, "'He will command his angels concerning you, to guard

you,' 11 and "'On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot

against a stone.‘” (Psalm 91:11,12) Jesus defeats him at his own game. Satan

flees, and angels come to minister to Jesus. Jesus was no stranger to

angels and angels were no stranger to Him.

One thing we should find interesting and encouraging, is recorded in;

Matthew 18:1 ESV At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Who

is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2 And calling to him a child, he put him in the midst of them 3 and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you

turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

4 Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 5 "Whoever receives one such

child in my name receives me, 6 but whoever causes one of these little ones

who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone

fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.

7 “Woe to the world for temptations to sin! For it is necessary that temptations come, but woe to the one by whom the

temptation comes! 8 And if your hand or your foot causes you to sin, cut it off

and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life crippled or lame than with two hands or two feet to be thrown into the

eternal fire.

9 And if your eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. It is better for you to enter life with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into the hell of fire. 10 “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you

that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

NOW Jesus is saying something and he is not saying something. He is not

saying, as some teach that each person has a “guardian angel.” The Jews

taught and believed that. We find an instance of it in Acts 12:1-15, we’re

going to read the whole story, because it is full of ANGEL.

Acts 12:1 ESV About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some

who belonged to the church. 2 He killed James the brother of John with the sword, 3 and when he saw that it

pleased the Jews, he proceeded to arrest Peter also. This was during the

days of Unleavened Bread.

4 And when he had seized him, he put him in prison, delivering him over to four squads of soldiers to guard him, intending after the Passover to bring him out to the people. 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

6 Now when Herod was about to bring him out, on that very night, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound

with two chains, and sentries before the door were guarding the prison. 7 And

behold, an angel of the Lord stood next to him, and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him,

saying, "Get up quickly." And the chains fell off his hands.

8 And the angel said to him, "Dress yourself and put on your sandals." And

he did so. And he said to him, "Wrap your cloak around you and follow me." 9 And he went out and followed him. He did not know that what was being done by the angel was real, but thought he

was seeing a vision.

10 When they had passed the first and the second guard, they came to the iron gate leading into the city. It opened for them of its own accord, and they went

out and went along one street, and immediately the angel left him.

11 When Peter came to himself, he said, "Now I am sure that the Lord has sent

his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people were expecting." 12 When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other

name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.

13 And when he knocked at the door of the gateway, a servant girl named

Rhoda came to answer. 14 Recognizing Peter's voice, in her joy she did not

open the gate but ran in and reported that Peter was standing at the gate. 15 They said to her, "You are out of your

mind." But she kept insisting that it was so, and they kept saying, "It is his

angel!"

We could have a guardian angel. I’m just saying that Jesus isn’t specifically

saying that. What he appears to be saying is that there are a lot of angels sitting before the face of God waiting for his instruction to come to our aid.

The writer of the book of Hebrews brings this out when he says, Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to

serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation? Hebrews 1:14 ESV

What do angels look like, white beings with wings? Angels in the Bible are always referred to in the masculine,

never the feminine. So, when angles do take shape, they look like men.

Hebrews 13:2 ESV Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for

thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

SO, one thing Jesus says about Angels is that Angels are here to help us! And we find an awesome picture of this role in Acts 12, helping Peter get out of jail. They are not to be prayed to or revered. They are created beings, “messengers,”

of God.

Angels were not created to be marriedThe Sadducees came to Jesus and asked

him a question trying to trip Him up.Matthew 22:24 ESV … "Teacher, Moses said, 'If a man dies having no children, his brother must marry the widow and

raise up offspring for his brother.'

25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died, and having no offspring left his wife to his brother. 26 So too the second and

third, down to the seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died. 28 In the

resurrection, therefore, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had

her."

29 But Jesus answered them, "You are wrong, because you know neither the

Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was

said to you by God:

32 'I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He

is not God of the dead, but of the living.“

Jesus reminds them that life in the resurrection life is quite different from

this life. It does not merely continue this world and its arrangements, but it is life

of a completely different order.

We can't be completely certain what life in glory will be like, but we can know

with certainty that no one will be disappointed with the arrangements.

(Guzik)

Angels are not all-knowing!They have high intelligence, but they

know not the time of the Second Coming. (ISBE)

Matthew 24:36 ESV "But concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the

angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.

Jesus says that the day and hour of His return is unknowable by men, and even unknowable by angels. (Guzik)

Angels will hear Jesus confess or denyAngels they will hear the Son of Man

confessing or denying those who have confessed or denied Him before men.

Luke 12:8 ESV "And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the

Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied

before the angels of God.

There are all sorts of ways that we can confess Jesus; it is important to be able to do it if ever put on trial, but it is also

important to do it through our godly lives every day. Just by living for Jesus,

we confess His name. (Guzik)Angels watch and rejoice when a sinner comes to repentance. Luke 15:10 ESV

Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who

repents."

Angels will accompany Jesus at the Second Coming

Matthew 16:24 ESV Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after

me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever

would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will

find it.

26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his

soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will

repay each person according to what he has done. 28 Truly, I say to you, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of

Man coming in his kingdom."

Matthew 25:31 ESV "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the

angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.

Mark 8:38 ESV For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes

in the glory of his Father with the holy angels."

Angels Are End Time HarvestersJesus says Angels are the end time

harvesters.Matthew 13:39b ESV …The harvest is the

end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 Just as the weeds are

gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.

41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,

42 and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be

weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in

the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.

Matthew 24:31 ESV And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the

other.

Luke 16:22a ESV The poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's

side.

Jesus is on the Mount of Olives. He is praying in agony. He knows that the

hour is near. He is crying out to God. An angel ministers to Him.

Luke 22:39 ESV And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed

him.

40 And when he came to the place, he said to them, "Pray that you may not

enter into temptation." 41 And he withdrew from them about a stone's

throw, and knelt down and prayed, 42 saying, "Father, if you are willing,

remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done." 43 And

there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him.

Jump ahead three days, It’s Sunday morning. No special day for the Jews, it’s their Monday, time to get back to work after the Sabbath. For Jesus’

disciples, it has been an agonizing three days. Their master was arrested,

beaten, murdered on a cross and buried in a borrowed tomb.

Women walk to the tomb to anoint the body. Jewish law would not allow them

to do it at the time of death since he died at the beginning of the Sabbath.Luke 24:1 ESV But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body

of the Lord Jesus.

4 While they were perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them in

dazzling apparel. 5 And as they were frightened and bowed their faces to the ground, the men said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead? 6

He is not here, but has risen.

Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of

Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise." 8 And they remembered

his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all these things to the

eleven and to all the rest.

Jesus’ life is book-ended by the ministry of the angels. The heavenly host appeared to the shepherds and

proclaimed his birth. The angels appear to the women and proclaim, He is not dead! He has risen! If the truth about

angels tell us anything, it should remind us just how much God loves us.

Don’t you realize that it’s all for you. This beautiful creation that we take for

granted?It’s all for you.

Angel created and sent to minister to us?

It’s all for you.God in the flesh to die and pay for our

evil deeds?It’s all for you.