Which Duties do Angels have?
What are Angels and what are their Duties?
In Revelation 22:8-9, we read that John saw and heard things. Then he fell down to worship. But the angel said, “See not to do this, for I am a fellow servant”. This means that angels are servants of God, and they should not be worshiped. The Bible also says that once we are in our glorified body, we will then judge the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). In both cases, in Greek and in Hebrew, the word for angel has to do with a messenger. An angel is someone who is sent to carry out an assignment. Many times an assignment has to do with revealing something in the form of a message.
Angels as Ministering Spirits and Protectors
Angels are also ministering spirits. In fact, Hebrews 1:14 says “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”. In this passage, we see how God provides a multiplicity of assistance for us. One form of that assistance is through angels. Angels are obedient beings. They minister to us and help us to accomplish the Will of God.
God also provides protection for His people through angels. It is important to realize that angels are spirits. They are of the spiritual realm, not of the physical realm. In Nehemiah 9:6 we read, “You alone are The Lord, You have made the heaven. The heaven of heavens with all their hosts, the earth, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You”. Here, we can see that angels worship God, but they are also a part of the army of God.
Other Duties of Angels in the Bible
Some additional duties, besides praising and worshiping God, are found in Isaiah 6:2-3 “Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: ‘Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory!’”. In Hebrew, ‘seraphim’ means to be burnt up. Here, we find a seraphim who is actually ministering. It takes a pair of tongs, gets a coal and touches Isaiah’s mouth with it. This act is for forgiveness.
We also see that they had six wings. Six is often a number related to the grace of God. It is through grace that we are forgiven. These angels are moving among human beings, in this case Isaiah, in order to assist him and to prepare him for service. This means that if we want to receive the ministry of angels, we need to be committed to the Will of God.
The Angel Gabriel
Another interesting Bible passage is Luke 1:26-28. It tells us that in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin (He also visited Joseph – Matthew 1:19-24). The virgin was Mary. The angel said to her, “Rejoice highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among all women!” Gabriel is transmitting the blessing of God to Mary, as there is no greater privilege than to be used by God
Angels can also carry out judgment. We find an example in Genesis 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”. In addition to this, in Revelation 9:15 we read: “The four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and the day and the month and the year, were released to kill a third of mankind”. Again, angels can also carry out judgment, but they are obedient, and they are following God’s commands.
Satan, the Fallen Angel
Interestingly, we also know that satan or Lucifer is a fallen angel. At one time, he was an anointed cherub. Ezekiel 28:14 makes reference to that. Satan desired to raise himself above God, and he was cast down to earth. Isaiah 14 and Revelation 12 tell us that he was thrown down along with a third of the angels. The former anointed cherub is now known as satan (the devil) and the other fallen angels are referred to as demons.
Satan’s number one problem is pride. When we walk in pride it is an invitation to him to work in our lives. Even if this sounds very direct, it is Biblical truth – pride is indeed satanic activity. Satan will not be victorious, but he can still cause a great deal of sorrow and pain. He loves oppressing believers and, even though he has been defeated, he still has power. The Scripture tells us that his time is very short and that he is working very diligently for his purposes. However, the angels of God are also working diligently.
Can Angels have Human Bodies?
In Hebrews 13:2 we read, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so some have unwittingly entertained angels”. Is there a possibility that we could run into angels? Well, the Old Testament mentions Abraham in Genesis 18. Here, three men appeared to Abraham. They were three angels. Abraham ran after them and begun to implore them to come in. So he entertained angels without knowing it. The idea is this: we need to be hospitable to people, because we never know, we might even be entertaining angels.
