The Power of Angels
Overestimated or Underestimated?
As we reach our halfway point through the month of October, we have learned quite a bit about the character and nature of angels and demons. We discussed last week what exactly the purposes of these beings are and discovered that these beings are messengers with a mission from their ruler. Angels are messengers of God that work in whatever ministry He has designated for them while demons are beings that strive to oppose these ministries and works of God. While we talked enough last week about the plethora of areas in which we can see angels and demons working according to scripture, I think it is vitally important to now address how powerful these beings really are. One of the biggest dangers about these eternally spiritual beings is overestimating and underestimating them. We never want to think that we in our human flesh are strong enough to take on any demon because we would be sorely mistaken. Look at what happened to the Jewish priest in Acts 19:15-16 “15 And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.” We also don’t want to be on the flip side and overestimate the work of God’s messengers and direct our worship to them as if they are as holy and perfect as God Himself. This mistake is made by John in Revelation 22:8-9 “8 I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 But he *said to me, “Do not do that. I am a fellow servant of yours and of your brethren the prophets and of those who heed the words of this book. Worship God.” Knowing the purpose and power of these creatures not only helps us see what they were designed for, but it also helps us see what they weren’t designed for. With that being said, let’s dive in and see just how powerful these angels are.
What They Can Do
When talking about the power of angels, Dr. Wayne Grudem describes biblically, just how powerful these creatures are. He notes, “Angels apparently have very great power. They are called ‘you mighty ones who do his word’ (Ps. 103:20) and ‘powers’ (Eph. 1:21) and ‘dominions’ and ‘authorities’ (Col. 1:16).” These creatures that God has created have the power to fulfill His every word, show His very power, proclaim His great dominions and act on His perfect authorities. We would be foolish to think that we have this exact power and can fulfill all of God’s commands as the angels can. Peter even tells us himself that we as human beings are no match for the power and might of God’s messengers. When Peter is warning of false teachers and encouraging us to flee from them, he mentions in 2 Peter 2:11 “1 whereas angels who are greater in might and power do not bring a reviling judgment against them before the Lord.” Until we are with our Father in heaven forever, it is clear that while we remain on this side of heaven, God has intended for the angels to be far superior to us in fulfilling His word, power, dominion, and authority. In case that isn’t enough for you, look at what the author of Hebrews says in Hebrews 2:7 when talking about the character of mankind, “7 You have made him for a little while lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, And have appointed him over the works of Your hands.” Even though in the afterlife, we will be higher than the angels (1 Cor. 6:3), it is clear that for the time being, these angelic beings are mightier and more powerful than all of mankind.
What They Can’t Do
What about their limits? We can easily see that these angels are powerful according to scripture, but how do we stop ourselves from bowing down and worshiping them as if they are comparable to our Lord like John mistakenly did? It is clear that as we read our Bibles, angels should not be the subject of our worship, prayers, or seeking, but only God and God alone should be. Dr. Grudem says this best when he notes, “We are to pray only to God, who alone is omnipotent and thus able to answer prayer and who alone is omniscient and therefore able to hear the prayers of all his people at once. By virtue of omnipotence and omniscience, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are also worthy of being prayed to, but this is not true of any other being.” While angels are powerful, nowhere in the Bible do we find angels being omniscient or omnipotent. Angels do not possess the knowledge, wisdom, and power that our Lord has.
These messengers are indeed wise and powerful, but they are not all-wise and all-powerful like God Himself. Paul also makes this clear in 1 Timothy 2:5 “5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,” No one is powerful enough to bring us to God Himself other than Jesus Christ. There is no angel that God has created that can do for us what Jesus has. All power, knowledge, and space, belong to our Lord and Him alone. While I would tell you never to pray, seek, or worship angels, I hope and encourage you to pray, seek, and worship the Lord for the help and protection that these creatures provide us. Of all the power and might that our Lord has bestowed upon His messengers, one of the great responsibilities these beings have is to protect God’s people (as we read last week). As you read God’s Word this week, I hope that the works of His angels that we see all throughout scripture will lead you to a place of awe as we marvel at the majesty of our creator and the beauty of His creation.
Sources
[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.
[2] Grudem, W. (1994). Systematic Theology : An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. https://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA79455700
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