Angel (HEBREW) – “malak” – means messenger
Angel (GREEK) – “angelos” – means messenger
Both can mean either a heavenly being or a human being that has been sent with a message to tell.
We do know that the role of angels is a dual one with them being messengers sent from Heaven and also helpers and protectors sent from Heaven to help God’s people.
In Revelation 2 and 3, the Lord Jesus told John to write to the “angel” of a specific church.
This does not mean that there is a specific angel over that church. In context, it is referring to the “sent” messenger of that church, or the Pastor.
We know this because Jesus said that He had somewhat against the angel of a church and Jesus does not have anything against any holy angels. Jesus also told the messenger that they had left their first love. None of the angels are in that kind of spiritual condition.
No one except God knows the number of angels:
Hebrews 12:22 NKJV But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels,
They are ministers to and for God’s people
Hebrews 1:14 NKJV Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?
Under the Old Covenant, angels were assigned by God only to do His bidding. Under the New Covenant, angels have been assigned to work with believers who use and obey the Word of God. The authority has been transferred to us.
Angels are assigned to heed the voice of God’s Word.
Psalms 103:20-21 NKJV Bless the LORD, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word. (21) Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You ministers of His, who do His pleasure.
Luke 3:2-6 NKJV while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness. (3) And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the remission of sins, (4) as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying: “THE VOICE OF ONE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS: ‘PREPARE THE WAY OF THE LORD; MAKE HIS PATHS STRAIGHT. (5) EVERY VALLEY SHALL BE FILLED AND EVERY MOUNTAIN AND HILL BROUGHT LOW; THE CROOKED PLACES SHALL BE MADE STRAIGHT AND THE ROUGH WAYS SMOOTH; (6) AND ALL FLESH SHALL SEE THE SALVATION OF GOD.’ “
The Scripture says that John was the VOICE of ONE crying in the wilderness. The VOICE was that of God speaking through John to prepare the way of the Lord.
Luke 3:22 NKJV And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
When you speak God’s Word, you are speaking for God in His place. When angels hear that Word come forth from your mouth, they respond to the voice of God’s Word.
When we pray God’s Word, angels hear that and seek to carry out the Word that was prayed about.
Isaiah 55:11 NKJV So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
Praying in other tongues is powerful and necessary with the right application and the right time. But when you know the Word on a certain situation and you choose to pray in tongues instead of praying the Word of God, that is lazy. Pray the Word when the need arises!
When you have Scripture, the most powerful prayer that you can pray is when you let the power of God’s Word come out of your mouth! The most powerful thing in the universe is now coming out of your mouth because you are in agreement with God!
Angels responded to Old Testament Prayers:
Genesis 18:1-3 NKJV Then the LORD appeared to him by the terebinth trees of Mamre, as he was sitting in the tent door in the heat of the day. (2) So he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, three men were standing by him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground, (3) and said, “My Lord, if I have now found favor in Your sight, do not pass on by Your servant.
Genesis 18:10 NKJV And He said, “I will certainly return to you according to the time of life, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son.” (Sarah was listening in the tent door which was behind him.)
Genesis 18:21-33 NKJV I will go down now and see whether they have done altogether according to the outcry against it that has come to Me; and if not, I will know.” (22) Then the men turned away from there and went toward Sodom, but Abraham still stood before the LORD. (23) And Abraham came near and said, “Would You also destroy the righteous with the wicked? (24) Suppose there were fifty righteous within the city; would You also destroy the place and not spare it for the fifty righteous that were in it? (25) Far be it from You to do such a thing as this, to slay the righteous with the wicked, so that the righteous should be as the wicked; far be it from You! Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?” (26) So the LORD said, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” (27) Then Abraham answered and said, “Indeed now, I who am but dust and ashes have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: (28) Suppose there were five less than the fifty righteous; would You destroy all of the city for lack of five?” So He said, “If I find there forty-five, I will not destroy it.” (29) And he spoke to Him yet again and said, “Suppose there should be forty found there?” So He said, “I will not do it for the sake of forty.” (30) Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Suppose thirty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not do it if I find thirty there.” (31) And he said, “Indeed now, I have taken it upon myself to speak to the Lord: Suppose twenty should be found there?” So He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of twenty.” (32) Then he said, “Let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak but once more: Suppose ten should be found there?” And He said, “I will not destroy it for the sake of ten.” (33) So the LORD went His way as soon as He had finished speaking with Abraham; and Abraham returned to his place.
Genesis 19:1 NKJV Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground.
Genesis 19:9-11 NKJV And they said, “Stand back!” Then they said, “This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.” So they pressed hard against the man Lot, and came near to break down the door. (10) But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. (11) And they struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.
Daniel 10:10-12 NKJV Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. (11) And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. (12) Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.
The Angels responded to the Church’s prayers:
Acts 12:1-19 NKJV Now about that time Herod the king stretched out his hand to harass some from the church. (2) Then he killed James the brother of John with the sword. (3) And because he saw that it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to seize Peter also. Now it was during the Days of Unleavened Bread. (4) So when he had arrested him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four squads of soldiers to keep him, intending to bring him before the people after Passover. (5) Peter was therefore kept in prison, but constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church. (6) And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. (7) Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. (8) Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” (9) So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision. (10) When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the iron gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from him. (11) And when Peter had come to himself, he said, “Now I know for certain that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me from the hand of Herod and from all the expectation of the Jewish people.” (12) So, when he had considered this, he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. (13) And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a girl named Rhoda came to answer. (14) When she recognized Peter’s voice, because of her gladness she did not open the gate, but ran in and announced that Peter stood before the gate. (15) But they said to her, “You are beside yourself!” Yet she kept insisting that it was so. So they said, “It is his angel.” (16) Now Peter continued knocking; and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. (17) But motioning to them with his hand to keep silent, he declared to them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, “Go, tell these things to James and to the brethren.” And he departed and went to another place. (18) Then, as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers about what had become of Peter. (19) But when Herod had searched for him and not found him, he examined the guards and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and stayed there.
The New Testament is full of angelic activity, more so than the Old Testament.
Deliverance:
Acts 5:17-25 NKJV Then the high priest rose up, and all those who were with him (which is the sect of the Sadducees), and they were filled with indignation, (18) and laid their hands on the apostles and put them in the common prison. (19) But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out, and said, (20) “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life.” (21) And when they heard that, they entered the temple early in the morning and taught. But the high priest and those with him came and called the council together, with all the elders of the children of Israel, and sent to the prison to have them brought. (22) But when the officers came and did not find them in the prison, they returned and reported, (23) saying, “Indeed we found the prison shut securely, and the guards standing outside before the doors; but when we opened them, we found no one inside!” (24) Now when the high priest, the captain of the temple, and the chief priests heard these things, they wondered what the outcome would be. (25) So one came and told them, saying, “Look, the men whom you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people!”
Guidance:
Acts 8:26-27 NKJV Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip, saying, “Arise and go toward the south along the road which goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is desert. (27) So he arose and went. And behold, a man of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under Candace the queen of the Ethiopians, who had charge of all her treasury, and had come to Jerusalem to worship,
Instruction:
Acts 10:1-8 NKJV There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian Regiment, (2) a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. (3) About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” (4) And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. (5) Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. (6) He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.” (7) And when the angel who spoke to him had departed, Cornelius called two of his household servants and a devout soldier from among those who waited on him continually. (8) So when he had explained all these things to them, he sent them to Joppa.
Answer Prayer:
Acts 12:6-9 NKJV And when Herod was about to bring him out, that night Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. (7) Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, “Arise quickly!” And his chains fell off his hands. (8) Then the angel said to him, “Gird yourself and tie on your sandals”; and so he did. And he said to him, “Put on your garment and follow me.” (9) So he went out and followed him, and did not know that what was done by the angel was real, but thought he was seeing a vision.
Deliver Judgment:
Acts 12:20-24 NKJV Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country. (21) So on a set day Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. (22) And the people kept shouting, “The voice of a god and not of a man!” (23) Then immediately an angel of the Lord struck him, because he did not give glory to God. And he was eaten by worms and died. (24) But the word of God grew and multiplied.
Word of Knowledge:
Acts 27:21-25 NKJV But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, “Men, you should have listened to me, and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss. (22) And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. (23) For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, (24) saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ (25) Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me.
Protect children:
Matthew 18:10 NKJV “Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.
Rapture of the Church:
Acts 1:6-11 NKJV Therefore, when they had come together, they asked Him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” (7) And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority. (8) But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” (9) Now when He had spoken these things, while they watched, He was taken up, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. (10) And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel, (11) who also said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven.”
1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 NKJV 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. (17) 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.
Angels Visiting Christians:
Hebrews 13:2 NLT Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it!
Revelation 1:1 NKJV The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants—things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John,
Revelation 8:3-5 NKJV Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. (4) And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. (5) Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake.
Revelation 14:6 NKJV Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—