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Boyd’s Bible Dictionary
:
(messenger). A messenger (
2 Sam. 2:5
5
And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead, and said unto them, Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have showed this kindness unto your lord, even unto Saul, and have buried him. (2 Samuel 2:5)
;
Luke 7:24
24
And when the messengers of John were departed, he began to speak unto the people concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness for to see? A reed shaken with the wind? (Luke 7:24)
). In a
spiritual
sense, a messenger of
God
(
Gen. 24:7
7
The Lord God of heaven, which took me from my father's house, and from the land of my kindred, and which spake unto me, and that sware unto me, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land; he shall send his angel before thee, and thou shalt take a wife unto my son from thence. (Genesis 24:7)
;
Heb. 1:14
14
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)
).
Nature
(
Matt. 18:10
10
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. (Matthew 18:10)
). Number (
1 Kings 22:19
19
And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left. (1 Kings 22:19)
;
Matt. 26:53
53
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)
;
Heb. 12:22
22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22)
). Strength (
Psa. 103:20
20
Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. (Psalm 103:20)
;
Rev. 5:2
2
And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof? (Revelation 5:2)
). Activity (
Isa. 6:2-6
2
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4
And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5
Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.
6
Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: (Isaiah 6:2‑6)
). Appearance (
Matt. 28:2-4
2
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
3
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
4
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. (Matthew 28:2‑4)
;
Rev. 10:1-2
1
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2
And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth, (Revelation 10:1‑2)
). Office (
Isa. 6:1-3
1
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.
2
Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isaiah 6:1‑3)
;
Rev. 6:11
11
And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellowservants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. (Revelation 6:11)
;
Matt. 13:49; 16:27; 24:31
49
So shall it be at the end of the world: the angels shall come forth, and sever the wicked from among the just, (Matthew 13:49)
27
For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. (Matthew 16:27)
31
And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. (Matthew 24:31)
).
Concise Bible Dictionary
:
The
Hebrew
word
malac
and
Greek
word, ἄγγελος, signify “messenger.”
1.
It is
used
for
the mystic representation of the
divine
presence, as in
Genesis 31:11-13
11
And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.
12
And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle are ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
13
I am the God of Beth-el, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred. (Genesis 31:11‑13)
. “The
angel
of
God
” spake unto
Jacob
saying, “I am the God of
Bethel
.” “The angel of
Jehovah
” spake to
Hagar
and said, “I will multiply thy
seed
exceedingly that it shall not be numbered for
multitude
” (
Gen. 16:7-11
7
And the angel of the Lord found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8
And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
9
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands.
10
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11
And the angel of the Lord said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the Lord hath heard thy affliction. (Genesis 16:7‑11)
). “The angel of Jehovah” spake to
Abraham
saying, “By myself
have
I sworn” (
Gen. 22:11, 15-16
11
And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. (Genesis 22:11)
15
And the angel of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time,
16
And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: (Genesis 22:15‑16)
).
Three
“men” drew near to Abraham’s
tent
. One said
Sarah
should
have a
son
: at which Sarah laughed, and Jehovah said, “Wherefore did Sarah laugh?” Two of the three left, and were called “
angels
” at the
gate
of
Sodom
, while Jehovah, the
third
, talked
with
Abraham (
Gen. 18:1-33
1
And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2
And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3
And said, My Lord, if now I have found favor in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4
Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5
And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6
And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7
And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8
And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.
9
And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10
And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11
Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12
Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13
And the Lord said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14
Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
15
Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
16
And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.
17
And the Lord said, Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do;
18
Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty nation, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him?
19
For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.
20
And the Lord said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21
I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know.
22
And the men turned their faces from thence, and went toward Sodom: but Abraham stood yet before the Lord.
23
And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked?
24
Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein?
25
That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?
26
And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.
27
And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes:
28
Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it.
29
And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty's sake.
30
And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there.
31
And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty's sake.
32
And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten's sake.
33
And the Lord went his way, as soon as he had left communing with Abraham: and Abraham returned unto his place. (Genesis 18:1‑33)
; compare
also
Ex. 3:2, 6-15
2
And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. (Exodus 3:2)
6
Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
7
And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
8
And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
9
Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
10
Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
11
And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?
12
And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain.
13
And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them?
14
And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
15
And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations. (Exodus 3:6‑15)
;
Num. 22:22-35
22
And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him.
23
And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and the ass turned aside out of the way, and went into the field: and Balaam smote the ass, to turn her into the way.
24
But the angel of the Lord stood in a path of the vineyards, a wall being on this side, and a wall on that side.
25
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she thrust herself unto the wall, and crushed Balaam's foot against the wall: and he smote her again.
26
And the angel of the Lord went further, and stood in a narrow place, where was no way to turn either to the right hand or to the left.
27
And when the ass saw the angel of the Lord, she fell down under Balaam: and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he smote the ass with a staff.
28
And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?
29
And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee.
30
And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay.
31
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face.
32
And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me:
33
And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
34
And Balaam said unto the angel of the Lord, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again.
35
And the angel of the Lord said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. (Numbers 22:22‑35)
). Jacob, in
blessing
the sons of
Joseph
, said, “The Angel which redeemed me from
all
evil
bless
the lads” (
Gen. 48:16
16
The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. (Genesis 48:16)
). It is generally believed that it was the
second
person
in the
Trinity
who appeared as a
man
in the
Old
Testament
It is no doubt the same who is called “the
mighty
angel” in
Revelation 10:1-3
1
And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:
2
And he had in his hand a little book open: and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth,
3
And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. (Revelation 10:1‑3)
.
2.
The intelligent
spiritual
beings who are constantly referred to in
scripture
as God’s messengers both as carrying good tidings and as executors of God’s judgments. We know
little
of their
nature
: “of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame
of
fire
” (
Heb. 1:7
7
And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. (Hebrews 1:7)
); and man is described as being a little inferior to the angels (
Psalm 8:5
5
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:5)
;
Heb. 2:7
7
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: (Hebrews 2:7)
).
There
are apparently gradations in rank among them, described as principalities and powers, of which
Christ
as Man is now the
head
(
Col. 2:10
10
And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: (Colossians 2:10)
). Twice we
meet
with “
archangel
:” an archangel’s voice will accompany the rapture of the
church
(
1 Thess. 4:16
16
For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: (1 Thessalonians 4:16)
); and
Michael
the “archangel” contended with
Satan
about
the body of
Moses
(
Jude 9
9
Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. (Jude 9)
). He with his angels will fight with the
dragon
and his angels and
cast
them out of
heaven
(
Rev. 12:7-8
7
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. (Revelation 12:7‑8)
).
Gabriel
is the
only
other
name
of an angel revealed to us: he appeared to
Daniel
, to
Zacharias
, and to
Mary
; he said that he stood in the presence of God (
Dan. 8:16
16
And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. (Daniel 8:16)
;
Dan. 9:21
21
Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. (Daniel 9:21)
;
Luke 1:19,26
19
And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to show thee these glad tidings. (Luke 1:19)
26
And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, (Luke 1:26)
).
Though we are unconscious of the presence of angels we know that
they
are
ministering
spirits sent forth to
minister
for them who shall inherit
salvation
(
Heb. 1:14
14
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? (Hebrews 1:14)
; compare
Psa. 34:7
7
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. (Psalm 34:7)
); and we read also that they ministered to the
Lord
when He was here (
Matt. 4:11
11
Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him. (Matthew 4:11)
;
Mark 1:13
13
And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. (Mark 1:13)
;
Luke 22:43
43
And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. (Luke 22:43)
). There are “myriads” of these angels (
Matt. 26:53
53
Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53)
;
Heb. 12:22
22
But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, (Hebrews 12:22)
;
Rev. 5:11
11
And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands; (Revelation 5:11)
); and they are described as “mighty,” “
holy
,” “elect” (
2 Thess. 1:7
7
And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, (2 Thessalonians 1:7)
;
Mark 8:38
38
Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels. (Mark 8:38)
;
1 Tim. 5:21
21
I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. (1 Timothy 5:21)
): they do not
marry
(
Mark 12:25
25
For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. (Mark 12:25)
). We are not told when they were created, but doubtless they are referred to as “the
sons of God
” who shouted for
joy
when God created the
earth
(
Job 38:4-7
4
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding.
5
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it?
6
Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof;
7
When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4‑7)
).
The
law
was given by their ministry (
Acts 7:53
53
Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. (Acts 7:53)
;
Gal. 3:19
19
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. (Galatians 3:19)
;
Psa. 68:17
17
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. (Psalm 68:17)
); and they had to do with proclaiming the birth of the Savior (
Luke 2:8-14
8
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
12
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
13
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men. (Luke 2:8‑14)
); and they attended at the
resurrection
(
Matt. 28:2
2
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. (Matthew 28:2)
;
John 20:12
12
And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. (John 20:12)
). Angels are not the depositaries of
the revelation
and counsels of God. They desire to look into the things testified by the
Spirit
of Christ in
the prophets
, and now reported by the apostles in the
power
of the same Spirit (
1 Peter 1:12
12
Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:12)
). The
world
to
come
is not to be
put
in subjection to them, but to man in the person of
the Son
of man (
Heb. 2:5-8
5
For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak.
6
But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him?
7
Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:
8
Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But now we see not yet all things put under him. (Hebrews 2:5‑8)
); and the saints will
judge
angels (
1 Cor. 6:3
3
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? (1 Corinthians 6:3)
). It is therefore only a false humility that would
teach
the worshipping of angels (
Col. 2:18
18
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, (Colossians 2:18)
). When John fell
down
to
worship
the angel in the Revelation, being overpowered by reason of the stupendous things revealed, he was on two occasions restrained from worshipping his “
fellow
servant
” (
Rev. 19:10; 22:9
10
And I fell at his feet to worship him. And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy. (Revelation 19:10)
9
Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God. (Revelation 22:9)
).
In
Psalm 8:5
5
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honor. (Psalm 8:5)
the word
is
elohim
, “God”; the name of God being
given to
the angels as His representatives (compare
Psalm 82:6
6
I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psalm 82:6)
). In
Psalm 68:17
17
The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place. (Psalm 68:17)
it is
shinan
, “repetition”; reading “
even
thousands upon thousands.” In
Psalm 78:25
25
Man did eat angels' food: he sent them meat to the full. (Psalm 78:25)
it is
abbir
, “mighty” (“every one did
eat
the
bread
of the mighty,”
margin
).
3.
FALLEN ANGELS. 1. We read of angels who “kept not their first estate,” but left their own habitation, and are kept in
everlasting
chains
under
darkness
unto the
judgment
of the
great
day
(
Jude 6
6
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. (Jude 6)
). God spared not the angels who sinned (
2 Peter 2:4
4
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; (2 Peter 2:4)
). The nature of their
sin
may be referred to in
Genesis 6:2
2
That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. (Genesis 6:2)
. Their
punishment
and that of Sodom and
Gomorrah
is held up as a warning against
fleshly
indulgence, and despising government (
2 Peter 2:10
10
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. (2 Peter 2:10)
;
Jude 6-8
6
And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
7
Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
8
Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. (Jude 6‑8)
). 2. Besides the above which are kept in chains we read of angels connected with Satan. The great dragon and his angels will be subdued by Michael and his angels, and be cast out of heaven (
Rev. 12:9
9
And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9)
). The
lake
of fire, or
Gehenna
, has been specially prepared for
the
devil
and his angels, though, alas, man will also be cast therein (
Matt. 25:41
41
Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels: (Matthew 25:41)
).
Abaddon
or
Apollyon
is the name of the angel of “the
bottomless
pit
” (
Rev. 9:11
11
And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon. (Revelation 9:11)
), that is, the “
abyss
,” not
hell
, which, as seen above, is the
place
of punishment.
Isaiah 14:12-16
12
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!
13
For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north:
14
I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
15
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
16
They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; (Isaiah 14:12‑16)
and
Ezekiel 28:14-19
14
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.
15
Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
16
By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
17
Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
18
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffic; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
19
All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. (Ezekiel 28:14‑19)
may throw
some
light
on the fall of Satan, but whether the fall of those called his “angels” was brought about by the same cause and at the same
time
is not revealed. Scripture is quite clear that all of them will be overcome and eternally punished.
4.
The term “angel” is used metaphorically for a mystical representative. When Peter was
delivered
from
prison
, and knocked at the
door
, those who had been praying for his release said, “It is his angel” (
Acts 12:15
15
And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. (Acts 12:15)
). They supposed Peter was still in prison, and that the one at the door was his representative, his spirit personified, perhaps with very vague ideas of
what
they really meant. In Revelation 2-3, the addresses to the
seven
churches are made to the angel of each. It signifies the spirit and character of the
assembly
personified in its mystical representative, each one differing from the others, according to the state of the assembly. The messages, though addressed to churches existing at the time, no doubt
set
forth the state of the church in its varied phases
ever
since apostolic
times
down to its entire rejection as the responsible
witness
for Christ at the close of the
dispensation
.
Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew Words:
Number:
4398
(
find all occurrences in KJV Bible
)
Transliteration:
mal’ak
Phonic:
mal-ak’
Meaning:
(Aramaic) corresponding to
4397
; an angel
KJV Usage:
angel
Call: 1-630-543-1441
“Study to show thyself approved unto God, … rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
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