How God’s army of angels can guide and protect us

Do you remember Charlie’s Angels?  You may recall the five-year television series that started in 1976, staring Kate Jackson, Farrah Fawcett-Majors and Jaclyn Smith. 

It became the most successful series of the 1970s.  

Charlie’s Angels was then upgraded in 2000 for the current generation with three new actresses: Lucy Liu; Cameron Diaz; and Drew Barrymore. 

The American crime drama was about three women who worked for the Charles Townsend Agency as private investigators. 

Myths

You would recall that their boss Charles, known as ‘Charlie’, was never really seen yet these ladies would put their personal safety in danger in order to carry out his orders. 

Well, God has angels too!  Yet, they consist of more than three — rather, they are known as his army of thousands upon thousands, and then a thousand times ten thousand (Revelation 5:11). 

More than 250 times in the Bible, God has a title known as the Lord of Host, which means the Lord of Heavenly Angels. 

You see, any King has soldiers in order to maintain his kingdom. 

The same is true of the Lord. He has decided to have an army of angels that fulfil His purposes to guide, protect, escort and even go to war on His behalf. 

Yet the activity and function of angels is something we hardly study or consider. 

I hope this series will help to dispel the myths of angels and give us an encouraging perspective of who they really are and what they do.

Angels have become very popular since the 1990s. 

Television shows such as Touched By An Angel and the countless images and articles written about them has caused a world-wide interest in the subject. 

However, who are these creatures? What does the Bible teach about them? 

Well, sometimes in order to consider the truth of who someone is, we have to expose the myth of who they are not. 

Angels are not cloud-floating overweight children with harps in their hands. 

The popular image of cupid is not at all who angels truly are. 

Neither are they creatures that take on the form of animals or birds, according to angelic folktales. 

They do not earn their wings according to the popular movie It’s a Wonderful Life. Nor do humans transform into angels when they die. 

There are two mistakes we can make on this topic.  We can develop a false view of their character and mission.

There are some who feel that angels are fragile and always gentle, only showing up to protect and bring comfort to anyone who believes in them. 

For example TIME Magazine defined angels as “all fluff… kind, nonjudgmental and available to everyone, like aspirin”.

Others make the mistake of refusing to believe their existence. 

The Sadducees of Jesus’s time did this. 

Acts 23:8 states: The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits. 

However, the Bible teaches that they do exist and they are fully present from the Old Testament to the New; in Genesis and Revelation, and all in between. 

So who are they and what do they do? Hebrews 1:14 gives us a summary of the reason for their existence: Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?

In other words, one of the reasons they exist is to serve those who believe in the Lord. 

Over the next few weeks we will learn how a clear and accurate understanding of angels will not only comfort you, but also increase your faith if you have a relationship with God through Christ. 

Join me next week and we will learn more of what the Bible teaches about God’s angels.

Gary Simons is senior pastor at the Cornerstone Bible Fellowship. Contact 295-9640.