The Purpose of Angels
What Do They Even Do?
As we move on from last week’s study, we are going to get a bit more personal in our understanding of angels by going from viewing their character to observing their purpose. We know from our previous studies that angels are hosts of heaven with intellect, emotion, and will that surpass ours because they are solely spiritual beings, not bound by physicality. The topic we will be addressing today then, is the purpose of these beings. Why did God create angels? Were they made to accomplish what we failed to do? Did God need help and therefore make other spiritual beings who are way more powerful than us but not as powerful as He is?
These questions and many like them can be seen and answered all throughout Scripture when we study the very nature of these beings and the very tasks that God gives them. Dr. Richard Mayhue calls these purposes the ‘Holy Angels’ Ministries’ and it is through these ministries that we see why God created these beings in the first place. Dr. Mayhue lists 6 ministry areas in which we see angels acting in God’s plan. Angels minister to God, Christ, Christians, the Church, unbelievers, and the nations. These ministry areas where the angels fulfill their purpose should come as no surprise to us when we study the origin of the word ‘angel’. The Greek and the Hebrew word for angel both translates to mean ‘messenger’. As hosts of heaven with God Himself, we can see that the primary responsibility of these beings is to be messengers for our Lord in any area of ministry that He so chooses. With that being said, let’s see how Scripture shows these messengers in action in these 6 areas of ministry through scripture.
God, Christ & Christians
First off, we see that angels minister to God. All through God’s Word, we see angels worshiping our God in the heavens. Perhaps no better story shows this than Isaiah’s vision in chapter 6 verses 1-3, “...I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one called out to another and said, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.” Angels worship our Lord in many areas of Scripture. In fact, some angels that we see in Revelation have the sole purpose of only worshipping God, day and night. Why is that? One of the best reasons we can find for this is because one, these angels are in heaven with God Himself and therefore have a greater understanding of the worship He deserves, and two, these beings are sinless and their worship is untainted. What about Christ? How did angels participate in His life? This area in the gospels amazes me every time I read it. Take a look at what Matthew 4:11 says, “11 Then the devil *left Him; and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him.” May I remind you, that this takes place right after the devil tempts Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days and nights. Imagine being so close to the Father, that holy, sinless, spiritual beings can minister to you. Not only do they minister to Christ at the beginning of His ministry, but they are with Jesus all throughout until the very end as well (Luke 22:43).
The Church, Unbelievers & The Nations
Even when it comes to ourselves and the body of Christ as a whole, the Bible is clear that God’s messengers have a role to play. Hebrews 1:13-14 tells us, “13 But to which of the angels has He ever said, “Sit at My right hand, Until I make Your enemies A footstool for Your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” God’s angels ‘render service’ on behalf of those who are saved to whomever God wills. What are these services? The main ones we see are rejoicing in a lost soul being saved (Luke 15:10), and providing protection (Matt. 18:10). The one aspect of angels I wish God revealed through His word would be how to know when they intervene in my life. I wish the gospels included some formula that I could apply to my life to know exactly when these holy messengers are protecting me by the grace of God. And while there is no such formula, I am still forever grateful to my God for protecting me with His messengers even when I don’t know it. Furthermore, angels are also a part of the leadership of the church as well. 1 Timothy 5:21 notes, “21 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality.” What a holy audience to uphold the basis of leadership in God’s Church!
Finally, we see angels involved in unbelievers and the rest of the world. Jesus Himself tells us that angels will be involved in the gathering and judgment of the unbelievers. Matthew 13:41-42 says, “41 The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, 42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” May we pray that these angels bring the lost to the truth of the gospel!! Revelation chapter 8 is also a very descriptive section of scripture where we see God’s judgment poured out on the world through the opening of the scroll. Revelation 7:1-3 does a great job of showing both of these roles in sync. It states, “7 After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind would blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, 3 saying, “Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads.” When the end times come, the unbelievers and nations alike will await the judgment of the Lord that will be brought forth by God’s messengers. As seen all through God’s Word, angels’ sole purpose is to be messengers of the ministries of our Lord. They serve our God, His Church, and the world in numerous ways that we can’t even fathom, and yet it is happening all around us. I pray that as we think and learn about these hosts of heaven, you can’t help but praise the Lord for all the unknown times He has sent His angels to lead and protect you in this life.
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] MacArthur, John & Mayhue, Richard. A Systemic Summary of Bible Truth: Biblical Doctrine. Wheaton, Crossway, 2017
[3] The Strongest NASB Exhaustive Concordance. Zondervan, 2004.
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