DISCIPLES OF JESUS MINISTRY

THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS

(Heb 1:14) Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?


1. Angels attend and worship God. The basic activity of angels appears to be gathering around the throne of God and proclaiming His worthiness, singing His praises.

(Mat 18:10) "Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.

(Rev 5:11) Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands

2. Angels protect God’s people. We can read of numerous instances of angels delivering heroes, such as Daniel and Peter, from threatening situations.

(Dan 6:22) My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you."

(Act 5:19) But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said,

 All believers in Christ are objects of angelic concern (Heb. 1:14).

3.Angels guide God’s people. Angels directed the women to see the empty tomb and told Jesus’ disciples He was risen

(Mat 28:5) But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

(Mat 28:6) He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

(Mat 28:7) And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."

An angel guided Philip to the desert where he met the Ethiopian eunuch

(Act 8:26) Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, "Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." This is desert.

An angel assured Paul that he would reach Rome safely.

(Act 27:23) For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve,
(Act 27:24) saying, "Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.'

They probably guide many Christians who do not realize where their help is coming from.

4.Angels bring judgment on the wicked. Angels participated in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah

(Gen 19:12) Then the men said to Lot, "Have you anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city--take them out of this place!

(Gen 19:13) For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it."
They struck down Herod when he received worship.

(Act 12:23) Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died.
They pour out bowls of judgment in Revelation 16.

5.Angels assisted Jesus on earth.
Angels prepared Mary and Joseph for Jesus’ birth.

(Mat 1:20) But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

(Luk 1:26) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

(Luk 1:27) to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

(Luk 1:28) And having come in, the angel said to her, "Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!"

They announced Jesus’ birth to the shepherds

(Luk 2:8) Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.

(Luk 2:9) And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

(Luk 2:10) Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.

(Luk 2:11) For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

(Luk 2:12) And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."

(Luk 2:13) And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

(Luk 2:14) "Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

(Luk 2:15) So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, "Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us."
They ministered to Jesus after His wilderness temptation.

(Mar 1:13) And He was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted by Satan, and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered to Him.

An angel strengthened Him in Gethsemane.

(Luk 22:43) Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

Angels rolled away the rock from the tomb and ministered to the women .

(Mat 28:2) And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat on it.

(Mat 28:3) His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow.

(Mat 28:4) And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men.

(Mat 28:5) But the angel answered and said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.

(Mat 28:6) He is not here; for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.

(Mat 28:7) And go quickly and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead, and indeed He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him. Behold, I have told you."

Angels were present at Christ’s ascension.

(Act 1:11) who also said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven."

6. Angels will assist Christ at His return. An archangel will announce the return of Christ.
(1Th 4:16) For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Angels will gather all believers from the ends of the earth .

(Mat 24:31) And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

They will separate the true from the false.

(Mat 13:39) The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels.

(Mat 13:49) So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just,

(Mat 13:50) and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth."

They will serve as an honor guard at the gates of the New Jerusalem

(Rev 21:12) Also she had a great and high wall with twelve gates, and twelve angels at the gates, and names written on them, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel:


7. Angels: Interaction with Humans.

(Dan 6:22) My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you."

8. Angels are not to be worshiped. God is to be worshiped

(Col 2:18) Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

9. Angels restrain sin.
In Genesis chapter 19 in Sodom two angels of God changed from the spiritual to the physical (to the appearance of men). They entered Sodom, and went to Lot's house, and they struck the men of Sodom with blindness when the [homosexual] young and old men from all parts of the city demanded to have [sexual] relations with them.