Greetings Saints and Friends,
​“Good morning, everyone!” “Good morning, Pastor Harold!” “I have a question for you. Since the good angels are always ready and eager to do God’s will, did they create the universe for God? Did He assign them the task of designing and building the awesome universe we live in?” “No, Pastor Harold! You told us last week that Jesus created everything.” “Correct. Did any of you happen to note where in the Bible that is mentioned?” “Pastor Harold, I wrote down the verse you told us. It’s Colossians 1:16, ‘For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.’” “Excellent. This reminds us that Jesus not only created all the things we see, but He also created all the things we do not see like atoms, air, and, of course, the angels in heaven.” “Pastor, do we know when the angels were created by Jesus?” “While the Bible does not tell us exactly when the angels were created, it is clear that they were present when God was creating the earth. We are told, while God was creating the earth, they sang and shouted for joy!” Job 38:7 “Pastor, it seems no matter where I have traveled in the world, I feel just like those joyful angels. God’s creation of all types of plants, and animals, and waterfalls, and just everything makes me stand in awe of His creative genius.” “Yes, I agree, George-Ann. All of creation, including the angels, declares the glory of the Lord. The angels were the highest reflection of God’s created order, but we were created in His image.” “Pastor, aren’t there different kinds of angels?” “Yes, there are. There is at least one archangel, Michael. His name means, ‘Who is like God?’ The word ‘archangel’ only occurs twice in the Bible. One refers to the next coming of Jesus. ‘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. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.’ 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 It’s exciting to know this could happen at any moment! We will hear the archangel’s voice and see Jesus!
Another group of angels that Jesus created are the cherubim. After Adam and Eve sinned, ‘God drove them out and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.’” Genesis 3:24 “Pastor Harold, aren’t there some angels that lead the worship of God in heaven?” “Yes. Besides the archangel and the cherubim, there are angels called seraphim. These angels are most associated with the worship and praise of God. These angels can be found in God’s heavenly throne room day and night, worshiping and declaring His holiness. They are not robots. These angels have wills, intellects, and emotions. We are in store for more than we realize when we arrive home in heaven. While worshiping God is not all we are going to do in heaven, it will take on a new meaning. We are going to see and experience God in a whole new way.” “Pastor, scientists say we still do not know how many stars there are in our universe. Maybe we can not count that high. But Psalm 147:4 says, ‘God counts the number of (all) the stars and He calls them all by name.’ Do you think He has a name for each angel?” “Personally, I think He does. But only three are mentioned by name in the Bible: Michael, Gabriel, and Lucifer. We already mentioned Michael. Gabriel is one of the principal messengers of God. His name means, ‘hero of God’. He was entrusted with important messages such as those delivered to Daniel, Zechariah, and to Mary to tell her that she would conceive and bear the Son of God. Luke 1:26 The third angel mentioned by name is Lucifer. He is a fallen angel now called Satan. We will talk more about him on another Sunday.
Other angels in the Bible are spoken of more in terms of what they do, rather than who they are. These angels have rescued and protected God’s people, announced Jesus’ birth and resurrection, even broken Peter out of jail.” Acts 12:5-10 “Pastor, is God still using angels in peoples’ lives today?” “Yes. Angels are still active today in our lives. They are called ‘ministering spirits’. Hebrews 1:14 And Jesus is still the only way to heaven. Which means anyone can trusts in Him and tell Him: ‘Thank You, Jesus, for paying for the things I have said and done that are wrong, when You died for them and rose again. With Your help, I will live each day for You. Amen.’”