In the first decade of the 2000’s, angels were a societal fad. Almost everywhere, you were able to purchase angel decorations for your house, pictures of angels on coffee cups and even dress your dog as an angel.
The many surveys of that decade told us the following. In a survey by Baylor University’s Institute for Studies of Religion, published by TIME magazine, which polled 1,700 respondents, found that 55 percent of Americans, including one in five of those who say they are not religious, believe that they have been protected by a guardian angel during their life. A Pew poll found that 68 percent of Americans believe that “angels and demons are active in the world”, and according to four different polls, a greater percentage of Americans believe in angels (55%) than those who believe in global warming (36%).” Wikipedia
Where do these persons who claim to be non-religious and those who are religious who were polled get their understanding of what angels are and do? For example, does the Bible support the well-known statement made about angels in a classic movie, of which most older Americans could easily name the movie where this statement is made, “every time a bell rings an angel gets its wings.”
Many of us still remember movies and television programs of the past which had a character who was an angel. During the Christmas season, some make it a tradition to watch the classic movie, It’s A Wonderful Life. Do you remember the angel’s name in that movie?
A popular Disney movie of the nineties was, Angels In The Outfield, of which in an answer to a young boy’s prayer many angles help the struggling California Angels baseball team win their games. “The Angels ultimately win the final game of the regular season without the help of the angels and clinch the division pennant over the rival Chicago White Sox.”
There were two popular television programs that had angels as characters. In the mid to late eighties Michael Landon played an angel in Highway To Heaven. And from 1994 to 2003 many of you watched the television program, Touched By An Angel. The reason I am going through all this movie and television trivia is that some, including Christians, have developed their understanding of what angels are and do from movies and television programs and not from the Bible.
There are other influences that contribute to sincere but erroneous and non-Biblical beliefs about angels. Angels are recognized beings in most major religions and cults such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mormonism, Bahá’í Faith and New Age. Did you know in some religious cults that one is encouraged to discover your guardian angels name? The Kabbalah Cult teaches that there are “72 Angels of the Kabbalah Tree of Life. The 72 Angels and our three (or four) personal Birth Angels, are not only lifelong guardians and guides, but particular “refractions” of Divine Light that amplify our “image and likeness” to the Divine and help us to manifest our unique purposes and potentials on Earth.”
Galatians 1:8
But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let him be eternally condemned!
The reason that all that was stated in the previous paragraph is important that some Christians have adapted some of these non-Biblical views to what they believe about angels. However, as believers in Christ, who believe that the Bible is the inspired and infallible word of God, the Bible should be the only source for what we believe concerning angels.
One of the 10 references in book of Hebrews is Hebrews 13:2, Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. The Spirit Filled Life Bible For Students gives us important instruction concerning angels in this verse as to what is written in Hebrews. “The writer of Hebrews urged believers to practice brotherly love and to take care of strangers. Sometimes the people we are ministering to may actually be angels on assignment, and God may be testing us. We are not to develop a non-biblical viewpoint and go around looking for angels. Our focus and worship must be on Christ alone. However, the Bible states that there are angels, and it is possible that when you are reaching out to someone in need you are ministering to an angel.”
The Christmas holiday is when angles are most visible than any other time of the year, not literally but depicted on Christmas Cards, with many types of Christmas decorations inside and out. However, how familiar are we with what the Bible says about angels?
In the New International Version of the Bible, there are 199 references to angels. In the gospels there are five references of the involvement of angels and how they were instrumental prior to and concerning the birth of Christ and also in the early years of His life as a very young child.
- Mary was informed by the angel Gabriel that she would be the mother of the Savior (Luke 1:26–38).
- Joseph was assured by an angel that “what is conceived in her (Mary) is from the Holy Spirit.”(Matthew 1:20).
- An angel brought the news of Jesus’ birth to the shepherds in the fields at Bethlehem, then appears a large company of angles (Luke 2:8–15).
- Joseph was warned in a dream by an angel to take Mary and the young child Jesus to Egypt to escape from Herod (Matthew 2:13).
- Joseph, again in a dream was instructed by an angel to return to the land of Israel after the death of Herod (Matthew 2:19, 20).
Why did God choose to use angels in these important events of Mary, Joseph and Jesus’ life? Couldn’t have God used other means to speak to Mary & Joseph? Before we can properly answer these questions, we need to understand some important Biblical facts about angels of which there is not enough space to list all of them, but here is just one.
If angels looked like this image above, would the shepherds had been so terrified, so much so that that angel had to tell them “Do not be afraid.”? Probably not. We as Christians need to be careful that we do not have beliefs about angels other than what the Bible teaches us.
Oh, by the way if you could not remember the angel’s name in the movie It’s A Wonderful Life, its Clarence Odbody.
Pastor John
Luke 2:8-20
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” 13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.” 15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” 16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.
