************ Sermon on Belgic Confession Article 12b ************
Doctrine: Angels
By: Rev. Adrian Dieleman
This sermon was preached on July 5, 1998
B.C. 12(b)
Jude
"Angels & Devils"
I Angels
A Angels are real. Just ask Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Paul and Peter. They all saw angels. But what about today? For instance, is the TV show, Touched By An Angel, based on fantasy or reality?
John G. Paton believes angels are real today. While he was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands, hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. Paton and his wife prayed all that night. At dawn they were amazed to see the attackers just turn and leave.
A year later the chief of that tribe was converted to Christianity. Paton then asked him what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them that night. The chief asked Paton a return question: "Who were all those men you had with you there?" Paton told him there had been no one but his wife and himself, but the chief insisted they had seen hundreds of men standing guard--big men in shining garments with drawn swords.
Can these and similar incidents be explained as angel stories? Using the psalms, that's an explanation Satan adopts when he tempts Jesus (Mt 4:10f). Many Christians explain these incidents with the same verses:
(Ps 34:7) The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
(Ps 91:11) For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
B Article 12 of the Belgic Confession of Faith deals with the doctrine of creation. Yet, we can't help but notice that more of the article deals with angels than with the problems and issues surrounding creation. Furthermore, we also notice that more is said about the evil than the good angels. In this respect, the Confession is but a product of the time in which it was written.
During the middle ages the Christian church had become preoccupied with the hidden and mysterious realm of the spirits. Time after time reference was made to them both within and outside the church. People were repeatedly admonished to flee the devil and his helpers, while they were assured that there were good angels who continually surround the godly with their protecting power.
Luther, the father of the Reformation, had a lot to say on the spirit-world. When a house caught fire, Luther blamed the spreading flames more to the little devils who blew upon them than to the wind. The story is told of the time Luther got mad at the Devil and threw an ink-well at him.
C The Confession starts off by telling us that there are angels and that they were made by God:
He has also created the angels good,
that they might be his messengers
and serve his elect.
That they were made by God is evident from what Paul says:
(Col 1:16) For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him (cf Psalm 148:2,5).
That they were made good is evident from the conclusion of Genesis 1:
(Gen 1:31) God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning--the sixth day.
Just when the angels were created is not stated. We think they were made either on or before the first day of creation. We conclude this because God's speech to Job (Job 38:4-7) indicates they were present when God did His creative activities of the first day of Genesis 1.
In many places the Bible both mentions and assumes the existence of angels. Our Scripture reading from Jude, for instance, mentions angels (vs 6), celestial beings (vs 8), the archangel Michael (vs 9), and thousands upon thousands of holy ones (vs 14). For this reason, says Guido de Brés,
we detest the error of the Sadducees,
who deny that there are spirits and angels.
People may scoff at the notion of angels and demons as being superstitious remnants of the past, but in doing so they are contradicting the express testimony of the holy Scriptures. And, as Billy Graham notes in his book Angels, those who deny the existence of the spirit world are only a step away from denying the existence of God Himself.
D The Bible has a lot more to say about angels than does the Confession of Faith. We are told that they are spiritual beings (Heb 1:14). By definition, a spiritual being lacks flesh and blood. In other words, angels have no bodily shape and are not visible to the human eye. Nevertheless, in the Bible angels often assume bodily shape in their contact with men. We see this with Abraham and the three men (Gen 18:1-2) and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19:1); we see this with the Easter story (Mark 16:5; Matt 28:2-7).
Angels are also limited beings. Unlike God, they are limited in terms of space – they are not everywhere present. They are also limited in their power – they can only do what God commands them to do (Ps 103:20). They are limited in their knowledge – they don't know the day or hour of the second coming (Mk 13:32) and they don't fully understand the fullness of the Gospel (1 Peter 1:10-12).
The Bible pictures angels as holy beings (Matt 25:31; Lk 9:26; Rev 14:10). This refers not so much to moral quality as to the fact that they have been set apart for service to God. They have been set apart to do God's bidding and obey God's word (Ps 103:20).
Lastly, we can say that angels are not organically related to all other angels; instead, they are individualistic. Every human, by way of contrast, is organically related to every other human in that we are all descendants of Adam. And, within the human family we are all organically related to a certain race – White or Black or Asian or Indian; we are organically related to a certain ethnic group – Dutch or Irish or Korean; and, we are organically related to a certain family – our parents and grandparents and brothers and sisters. But angels have no organic relations (Mk 12:25; Mt 22:30; Lk 9:35-36). They do not have male and female and do not participate in marriage.
E The Confession mentions only two of their tasks. Their first task, says the Confession, is to be messengers of God. Actually, the Hebrew and Greek words that are translated as "angel" really mean "messenger." Angels are God's messengers; they are God's ambassadors or representatives who speak and act for God (Ex 23:20-22).
Angels seem to have one of two messages. First of all, they are God's messengers at strategic points in the history of redemption. In the Old Testament we see them in the establishment of the seed of Abraham (Gen 19:1; 22:11; 28:12), in Israel's exodus from Egypt and her possession of the land of Canaan, and in the return of the remnant from the Babylonian exile. In the New Testament they announce the birth (Mt 1:20; Lk 1:11f; 1:26f; 2:9f), resurrection (Mt 28:5f; Lk 24:5f), ascension (Acts 1:10f), and coming again of the Messiah.
Their second message sounds remarkably like a person saying, "Hurry up!" These words are not the nicest ones to hear, especially at 6 in the morning. The Bible records many instances of angels saying these words. An angel comes to Peter in jail and says, "Quick, get up!" (Acts 12:7). An angel says to Elijah, "Get up and eat" (1 K 19:5,7). An angel appears to Joseph in a dream, when Herod is about to slaughter the baby boys of Bethlehem, and says, "Get up, take the child and his mother and escape ..." (Mt 2:13). An angel appears to Philip and says, "Go to that chariot and stay near it" (Acts 8:29).
Really, the angels are monotonous talkers! They always say the same thing – "Arise, hurry!" "Quick, get up." Yet, there is a sense of urgency to their message. They are like a fire bell – always the same message, yet with a sense of urgency. Of course the angels are this way because they are speaking from God, and they know that if men do not respond, they will be lost.
It would be wise on our part to listen to this message of the angels today. "Arise, go quickly." "Hurry, get up and get going." For if we do hasten to answer the call of the Gospel, it may be too late and we too will be lost.
The angels' second task, according to the Confession, is to serve the elect. The book of Hebrews speaks to this:
(Heb 1:14) Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
How do they serve us? What do they do? They are said to watch over believers and preserve them from harm (Ps 34:7; 91:11). I think of Daniel in the lions' den. Daniel was kept from harm because God had sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions (Dan 6:22). Or, think of Elisha and his servant surrounded by the soldiers of Syria in the city of Dothan. They were kept safe by an army of protective angels (2 K 6:14-17). Or, think of Peter released from prison and a sure death through the agency of an angel (Acts 12:5-11). Jesus tells us that this protective care extends to little children as well (Mt 18:10).
The Bible also tells us that the angels offer comfort and consolation to believers. When Abraham lifted his knife to kill Isaac, an angel stopped him from killing his only son, the son he loved (Gen 22:1-18). When Jacob dreaded the approach of his brother Esau, it was an angel who reminded him of God's covenant faithfulness (Gen 32:24-30; cf Hos 12:3-6). When the prophet Isaiah was full of fear and trembling after having seen the Lord, it was an angel who comforted him and took away his fear (Is 6:1-7). When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness and agonized in the Garden, it was an angel who ministered to Him (Mt 4:11; Lk 22:43). When Paul and his shipmates were on the storm-tossed sea, in danger of losing their lives, an angel of the Lord comforted and assured him that everyone would be kept safe (Acts 27:23-25).
The Bible tells us that angels function as the choir directors of God's people. Time after time when we see the angels in Scripture we see them praising God (Lk 2:13; Rev 5:9; Rev 7:11-12; Rev 19:1-8; Job 38:7). In Psalm 148 they are commanded to praise God (Ps 148:2). When we praise and worship God we join the angels in their praise and worship.
The angels also encourage us to obey God. They do this in a variety of ways: sometimes as role models of obedience, sometimes by their very presence reminding us of what is appropriate before the Lord, and sometimes by being there to confirm that what we have done is the right thing. For instance, when David is described as being "like an angel of God" (1 Sam 29:9; 2 Sam 14:1-24; 19:27), we are being told that, like an angel, he has integrity and can be trusted. I think also of the third petition of the Lord's Prayer: "Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven." In this petition we are praying about the angels. We are asking that we be as obedient on earth as the angels are in heaven. I think too of the law – which was given through the angels (Deut 33:2; cf Hebrews 2:2) and is enforced by the angels (Gen 3:24; Gen 19; Exodus 23:20-23; 2 Sam 24:15-17; 2 Kings 19:35; Acts 12:23; Luke 12:8-9).
Finally, we can mention that at the close of life angels are the ministers of God who convey believers to the bosom of Abraham in glory. We read about this in the story of the rich man and poor Lazarus (Lk 16:22). In his book Angels, Billy Graham wonders if angels are the shepherd's rod and staff that comforts believers as they walk through the valley of the shadow of death (Ps 23:4; Angels pg 149).
F Angels, then, are real. They are spiritual beings filled with the power and might of God. Yet, like us they are made by God. Like us they are made for the service of God. Therefore, no matter how otherworldly and powerful and spiritual they may be, they are not to be praised, honored, and worshiped. The Apostle John tried to do that once. He was so full of awe at what an angel showed him that he fell at his feet to worship him. The angel said,
(Rev 19:10) "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!"
God and Jesus – not angels – are worthy of our praise and honor and worship.
II Devils
A As we all know, there are two kinds of angels: the good and the bad. According to the Confession, the bad ones are angels who "have fallen from the excellence in which God created them." Their leader is known as Satan. Along with Michael he may have been one of the two archangels, but he was cast from heaven with his rebel forces.
More than one person has wondered how, when and why this conflict could have happened in God's perfect universe. The how is simple to answer. Jude lets us know that Satan and his devils are themselves responsible, having made a deliberate decision not to keep their position of authority but to abandon their own home (vs 6). Thus began the biggest catastrophe in the history of the universe.
The when is not so easy to answer. We know that on the seventh day, at the end of His creation activity, God rested and pronounced everything to be good. Therefore the angelic rebellion headed by Satan happened sometime between the 7th day of creation and the time of the temptation in the Garden of Eden. We don't know for sure how long Adam and Eve were in the Garden before the angels fell and Satan tempted the first man and woman.
The why of Satan's rebellion against God is to be found in Isaiah. Prior to telling us the why of Satan's rebellion, Isaiah describes him for us as the "morning star" and the "son of the dawn." Even more descriptive is what Ezekiel says:
(Ezek 28:12,14-15,17) You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty ... (14) You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. (15) You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you ... (17) Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor ...
Satan, apparently, was the most brilliant and most beautiful of all created beings in heaven. It sounds like he was the ruling prince of the universe under the triune God.
Satan was created, as were all the angels, for the purpose of serving and glorifying God. However, instead of serving God and praising Him forever, Satan desired to rule over heaven and earth in the place of God. He wanted supreme authority. Isaiah records his five "I wills":
I will ascend to heaven;
I will raise my throne above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain.
I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.
(Is 14:13-14)
Satan was not satisfied with being under God. He wanted God's power, God's might, God's throne. He exulted at the thought of being the center of power throughout the universe. He wanted to be the Caesar, the Napoleon, the Hitler of the creation. Satan rebelled because he wanted to take God's place. Satan rebelled because he wanted to be God.
B Ever since their fall Satan and his forces have tried to make man fall into the same sin. Satan came to Eve and told her to eat of the forbidden fruit so she could be "like God" (Gen 3:5). He incited Pharaoh, Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Herod to play at being God, to set themselves up in God's position. So the Confession warns us against Satan and his legions:
that they are enemies of God
and of everything good.
They lie in wait for the church
and every member of it
like thieves,
with all their power,
to destroy and spoil everything
by their deceptions.
Satan and his legions constitute a mighty force. They are more than capable of working havoc among individuals, families, and nations. So watch out, they are dangerous, vicious, and deadly. They are worse than the Rottweiler that attacked and bit Jake Koetsier yesterday – ask him about this and his trip to the doctor's office. Satan and his devils want you under their control and they will try anything to get you there. Peter says,
(1 Pet 5:8) Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.
Three books I have read drove home this struggle to me. Two of them are novels by Frank Peretti: "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness." The third book is "Miracles, Demons, & Spiritual Warfare."
C Right now Satan and his forces may appear to be winning the war because sometimes they win important battles, but the final outcome is certain. One day they will be stripped of all power. The Confession assures us that "they are condemned to everlasting damnation." And Jude tells us the rebellious angels God "has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day" (vs 6).