“Therefore we should be more attentive to what we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken by angels was true, and every sin and disobedience received a just recompense, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation, which was first declared by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him.” (Hebrews 2:1-3)
Angels is the Greek word aggelos. It means a supernatural being that is a delegate or messenger from God and frequently is “conveying news or behests from God to men.”
Here, affirming to them something they knew well, the saying that every word spoken by angels is true and could be counted on, Paul was using this in context to Jesus being the Son and superior to the angels. He was saying in essence, how much more should we take the Son’s words to heart as He is superior.
People knew back then that if they had a visitation by an angel, they needed to heed the word with great reverence and faith. We find this with Joseph who was planning break off his engagement with Mary. Seeing an angel in a dream who told him to take Mary as a wife and name his child Jesus, when Joseph woke up, he followed through exactly as told without any doubt or wavering (Matthew 1:24).
The people being spoken to in Hebrews knew that Zachariah had not fully embraced what the angel declared to him and was silenced for a time as a result. Luke 1:18-20 (GW) says about the angel telling Zechariah that he would have a son that would go ahead of Jesus and prepare the way, “Zechariah said to the angel, ‘What proof is there for this? I’m an old man, and my wife is beyond her childbearing years.’ The angel answered him, ‘I’m Gabriel! I stand in God’s presence. God sent me to tell you this good news. But because you didn’t believe what I said, you will be unable to talk until the day this happens. Everything will come true at the right time.’”
Another time where a message was received by an Angel of the Lord with a reaction of doubt was Sarah. When she heard she would be bearing a child while well past the age for having children, she had an immediate reaction to laugh. The angel responded, “Is anything too difficult for the Lord?” Knowing she was to receive this word with obedient faith and no doubt or wavering, she became afraid and lied to cover up her doubt and initial reaction to laugh.
In another example of angelic visitation, Mary was visited by the angel Gabriel. He told her in Luke 1:35 that she would bear a child when the Holy Spirit came upon her. He followed up to remind her, “For no word from God will ever fail.” Mary responded with faith, embracing the word wholeheartedly. In Luke 1:38 she answered, “I am the Lord’s servant, may it happen to me according to your word.”
Paul was saying that if they knew how to hold words from an angel in awe in reverence by immediately obeying without doubt or wavering, how much more should one hold the very words from the mouth of the Son of God with great awe and reverence. His words shouldn’t be treated with disregard, doubt or human judgement lest we drift away from the faith.
Paul goes on to ask, how could we escape if we neglect such a great salvation that was not only declared by the Lord but bore witness with signs, diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to His own will (Hebrews 2:4). If the Israelites could embrace words from angels with such faith, how could they neglect words from One so much greater?
Disregarding, doubting and failing to embrace something spoken by God is sin. Moses, when being sent back to Egypt to free the Israelites, struggled with self-doubt. He pointed out that he stuttered and would be the worst choice for spokesperson. The Lord asks him who gives the mouth and tells him that he would be taught what to say. Even at this, rather than receiving and embracing the Words of the Lord with faith, Moses struggled with self-doubt and asked for someone else to send. As a result, it says in Exodus 4:14 that the Lord’s anger burned against him.
The Lord’s anger burns when we ignore the Lord and disregard what He speaks to us. Even if it sounds way beyond possibility, we are to embrace the words from God like Mary, with a heart of faith and faithfulness. We are to receive words and not dissect them and pick out what pleases us. We are also not to weigh our own natural abilities or become focused on our inadequacies.
When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, Matthew 4:4 says, “But Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
Caleb was someone like this who cleaved to the Lord, embracing and holding to the words of the Lord with great faith and determination. As a result, he was greatly rewarded and prospered. David Wilkerson writes about him, “It was said of Caleb that he ‘has followed Me fully” (Numbers 14:24). He never wavered to the very end, and at 85 years old he could testify, ‘As yet I am as strong this day as I was on the day that Moses sent me; just as my strength was then, so now is my strength for war, both for going out and for coming in’ (Joshua 14:11).”
It was not enough for Caleb to have grabbed hold of the promises of God by faith to enter the Promised Land, but Caleb continually took hold of them throughout his life to the very end. As David Wilkerson notes, it was in his old age that he waged his greatest battle and took it by faith. He writes, “The need is to grow in the Lord to the very end—to keep your spiritual power and strength without wavering, to ‘wholly follow the Lord’—even in your old age.”
I see this kind of faith in my mom. She is in a rehab facility as she fell again about a month ago and re-broke some of the previous fractures. It has been a really tough road for her and I had to sadly tell her that she cannot come back to my home to live as it is too much risk she might fall again. I am heartbroken but my husband trying to help me to see that it is beyond us. She is quick to want to do things for herself and needs someone 24/7 at her side.
In all of it, she has still held strong to her faith. We had church in her rehab room and, as she is turning 90 this winter, we talked a little about what it might be like when the Lord took her home. She hoped for an ease in transition when it is her time as she closed her eyes and listened to her favorite song about walking In The Garden with the Lord. She then gave me a long list of all the people she wanted me to send money to as her heart is always to help and give to other people.
A few months back, I had a dream and she was dancing closely with my father to the tune of sirens. This has been this season for her as she had visit after visit to the emergency room. In my dream, it was a celebration dance as others watched and she didn’t come back to my table but I believed was going to be exiting with my father through another door. In the dream, I believe that my father represents God and the other door she exits through with him is into heaven. Every day, I adore her and love to have her around. I enjoy her so much so I am not at all anxious to see her go but know her time will eventually come and it is good to know she is in good hands and it is a celebration of her incredible faith filled life.
She is someone who loves angels. At the house my husband and I purchased before she moved in with us, there is a huge angel statue in the yard. Knowing my mom loved angels and may be moving in with us shortly after as it would give us extra room, I talked the folks that sold us the home into leaving it behind. When she moved in with us, she moved all her figurines and statues of angels in too. We have them everywhere in our house.
In a dream I once had of her some years back before she moved in with me, she had one main angel looking after her but a whole entourage of angels with her and escorting her. I am not surprised by this as she is such a woman of prayer. For over 60 years she has faithfully prayed every day for many others and carried them in her heart.
Angels are spiritual beings that are heavenly messengers from God, doing the will of God on the earth. As commentary notes, angels have divisions and ranks like the military. Michael is an archangel or “leading angel” for example. Commentary goes on to note that there are different types such as seraphs (Is. 6:2) and cherubim (Ez. 10:1-2). These angels also had different realms of authority.[1] Even the fallen angels that oppose God have realms of authority as an angel tells Daniel that he was detained because the angel over the realm of Persia had fought against him (Dan. 10:13). And in Revelation 2, John was told by Jesus to write to the angel of the each of the seven churches.
As already discussed, one of their primary purposes of angels is to bring a message from God and speak it forth to his servants. When this happens, whether in a dream or a vision, it should be fully embraced and received with unwavering faith.
Angels also protect the people of God. It was angels that protected Daniel and closed the mouth of the lions when he was thrown in the pit with them (Daniel 6:22). About Michael it said that he is, “the great prince who stands guard over the sons of your people.” And in Psalm 91:11-12 it says, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”
Angels also strengthen and minister to people in difficult times [2]. We see this with Jesus after his time in the wilderness. Matthew 4:11 says that after His difficult time of testing that angels came and ministered to Jesus.
Scripture would suggest that we have an angel assigned to us to minister to us individually. At the time of Jesus, children were to be seen and not heard. They were not considered to have much value. Matthew 18:10 says not to despise any one of the little ones because their angels always see the face of the Father in heaven. And Psalm 34:7 says that angels encamp around us to deliver us. Besides seeing a main guardian angel assigned to my mom in a dream, someone once spoke to me and prayed that I would see the angel assigned to me and then later, I did in a vision.
We know angels surround the throne of God worshiping and praising Him. We see a picture of this is Isaiah as they cry, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.” John had this same type of vision. In Revelation 4, John describes four living creatures (the seraphim) that worshipped Him day and night who said continually, “Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come.”
We know that angels can manifest themselves as people in certain circumstances. It says that sometimes we may be entertaining angels by opening our hearts and homes to strangers in need. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”
Another purpose of angels is to fight battles for the people of God and assist them.[3] When God’s Kingdom comes, He has power, glory and authority over all powers in spiritual realms. Over and over, we see stories in the Old Testament of the Kingdom of God coming and confusing or utterly destroying the enemy. The battle with Gideon, the battle at Jericho, and even with the four hungry and poor lepers that came to a camp where the enemy had fled and only a bounty was left.
In 2 Kings we read a story about the King of Assyria and his strong forces coming against and threatening the people of God. After they prayed and sought God for their situation, 2 Kings 19:35 says, “That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning-there were all the dead bodies!”
From this example with Hezekiah rebelling and the Assyrian army being defeated, we also know that while we don’t pray to angels, when we pray and ask for God’s help, we often are provided the help of angels. It was when Hezekiah prayed to the Lord that the angel of the Lord went out and put to death the enemy. And in Daniel 10, and angel told Daniel he was delayed in answering his prayer because of warfare. The moment that Daniel prayed, he said that he was sent out to answer his prayer. For myself, I have had at times dreams where I have saw angels declaring something around someone I was praying for.
Angels are also involved in the harvest and people coming to know the Lord. In 1 Peter 1:12, it says that angels deeply longed for the day of Christ’s coming and bringing His plan forth for salvation. Luke 15:10 says that all the angels in heaven rejoice over even one sinner surrendering his life to God. And in the great harvest, it says in a parable being told in Matthew 13:39 that, “The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.”
When the Lord returns, He comes with myriads of angels. In Jude 14-15 it prophesies about the end times, “Look! The Lord is coming with ten thousand of His holy ones, to execute judgment on everyone, and to convict all who are godless of their wicked deeds that they have committed…”
We will see an increase in angelic activity as the Lord returns. 2 Thessalonians 1:7 says that when He comes on that day, that the Lord Jesus will be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on disobedience. And Revelation 19:14 says that as He comes to judge and wage war, the armies in heaven follow Him.
The great end-time battle is the culmination of the spiritual war that has been going on behind the scenes for ages. Commentary notes, “During the events of the end times, the war will become more fierce between Michael with the good angels and Satan with his demons (Rev. 12:7-9).[5]
Psalm 103:20 reminds us that angels are mighty and their overall responsibility is to do His commands and obey the voice of His word. Besides all these mentioned and others such as instructing, providing interpretations of visions and transporting people from one place to another, we know that angels may be involved in our transportation when we pass from this world. It says in Luke 16:22 that “it came to pass that the beggar died and was carried by the angels to Abraham’s presence.”[4]
Lord, thank you for the gift of angels and their impact on our lives. We are grateful for such a powerful force of good and their involvement in bringing forth Your purposes for this hour. Give us eyes to see them all around.
“Can you hear it? Heaven is filled with your praises, O Lord! All the holy ones are praising you for your miracles. The sons of God are all praising you for your mighty wonders. We could search the skies forever and never find one like you. All the mighty angels could not be compared to you. You are a God who is greatly to be feared as you preside over the council of holy ones. You are surrounded by trembling ones who are overwhelmed with fear and dread, stunned as they stand in awe of you! So awesome are you, O Yahweh, Lord of Angel Armies! Where could we find anyone as glorious as you? Your faithfulness shines all around you! You rule over oceans and the swelling seas. When their stormy waves rise, you speak, and they lie still. You crushed the strongholds of Egypt and all your enemies were scattered at the mighty display of your glory-power. All the heavens and everything on earth belong to you, for you are the Creator of all that is seen and unseen.” (Psalm 89:5-11, TPT)
