Bible Study (Angelology)

I.                 WHAT IS ANGELOLOGY. Angelology or the Doctrine of Angels gets its term from the Greek (Aggelos) which means, “ Messenger.” Such a word could also mean human messenger as well as heavenly. However, modern usage renders the word to mean a heavenly being more so than human. 

II.            THE DUTY OF ANGELS IN HEAVEN. The Bible uses the term “angel” clearly and primarily as messengers or ambassadors of God with scripture references indicating their duty in heaven to praise God; to do God’s will and to behold His face. 

Revelation 5:11-12 11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they were saying:"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 

Psalm 103:20 Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. 

Matthew 18:10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. 

III.         THE DUTY OF ANGELS ON EARTH. Since Heaven must come down to earth, angels also have a mission to Earth. Some of their missions indicate the accompanying of God in his work of creation, especially in reconciliation, in fulfillment of this mission and their task is to declare the messages of God. 

Job 38:4-7 4"Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? 6On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone- 7while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? 

Genesis 19:10-11 10But the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house and shut the door. 11Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house, young and old, with blindness so that they could not find the door. 

Luke 1:26-31 26In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The LORD is with you." 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 

Matthew 28:1-6 1After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. 2There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the LORD came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. 5The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 

IV.     THE FUNCTION OF ANGELS IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS CHRIST. The function of angels is best seen from their part in the saving mission of Jesus Christ. 

A.       BIRTH, RESURRECTION AND ASCENSION. It is natural that they should be present both when He comes to Earth and at his resurrection (as seen earlier) and ascension. 

Luke 2:9-13 9An angel of the LORD appeared to them, and the glory of the LORD shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the LORD. 12This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." 13Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 

Acts 1:9-11 9After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. 10They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11"Men of Galilee," they said, "why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven." 

B.       SECOND COMING. They are also to accompany him at his return to Earth from Glory. 

Matthew 24:30-31 30"Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. 

C. ANGELS IN THE MINISTRY OF JESUS. Between His nativity and the resurrection, there seems to be only two angelic appearances in the ministry of Jesus at the beginning of His way to the cross and in the wilderness temptations and at his culmination in Gethsemane. 

Matthew 4:10-11 10Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the LORD your God, and serve him only.'" 11Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

Luke 22:42-43 42"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." 43An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. 

Matthew 26:53 Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels? 

V.            NAMES OF ANGELS. There are presently in the Scripture famous names of angels; but there is also spoken of a "Heavenly Host" indicating numerous others. 

A.MICHAEL. 

Daniel 12:1 1"At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people-everyone whose name is found written in the book-will be delivered. 

Jude 1:9 9But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, "The LORD rebuke you!"

Revelation 12:7-8 7Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 

C.        RAPHAEL. Found in the Apocrypha.

Tobit 3:17 So Raphael was sent to heal them both: to remove the white scales from Tobit’s eyes, so that he might again see with his own eyes God’s light; and to give Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, as a wife to Tobiah, the son of Tobit, and to rid her of the wicked demon Asmodeus.For it fell to Tobiah’s lot to claim her before any others who might wish to marry her. At that very moment Tobit turned from the courtyard to his house, and Raguel’s daughter Sarah came down from the upstairs room. 

Tobit 5:4 Tobiah went out to look for someone who would travel with him to Media, someone who knew the way. He went out and found the angel Raphael standing before him (though he did not know that this was an angel of God). 

Tobit 5:10 Tobiah went out to summon him, saying, “Young man, my father is calling for you.” When Raphael entered the house, Tobit greeted him first. He replied, “Joyful greetings to you!” Tobit answered, “What joy is left for me? Here I am, a blind man who cannot see the light of heaven, but must remain in darkness, like the dead who no longer see the light! Though alive, I am among the dead. I can hear people’s voices, but I do not see them.” The young man said, “Take courage! God’s healing is near; so take courage!” Tobit then said: “My son Tobiah wants to go to Media. Can you go with him to show him the way? I will pay you your wages, brother.” He answered:  “Yes, I will go with him, and I know all the routes. I have often traveled to Media and crossed all its plains so I know well the mountains and all its roads.” 

D.        GABRIEL. 

Luke 1:19 The angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. 

Daniel 9:21 while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. 

Luke 1:30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God. 

Daniel 8:16 And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of Ulai, and he called out and said, “Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision.” 

VI. ANGELIC BEINGS. There are other special terms used such as:

A.   SERAPHIM. 

Isaiah 6:1-4 1In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3And they were calling to one another: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory." 4At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 

B.   CHERUBIM. 

Genesis 3:24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. 

VI.        ANGELS AND HUMANS. In relation to humans, angels have the privilege of belonging to Heaven and having the majesty of being God's ambassadors and messengers. 

A.   HUMANS WILL JUDGE ANGELS. Humans that respond to the saving work of God in Jesus Christ will judge angels. 

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 2Or do you not know that the LORD's people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

VII.     THE ANGEL OF THE LORD IN THE OLD TESTAMENT. The Bible also signifies the “Angel of God" or “Angel of the Lord,” being identified with the work of God. In the Old Testament it is thought that this has reference to the pre incarnate Christ. 

Genesis 16:7-10 7The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8And he said, "Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered. 9Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her." 10The angel added, "I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count." 

Judges 13:20-23 20As the flame blazed up from the altar toward heaven, the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame. Seeing this, Manoah and his wife fell with their faces to the ground. 21When the angel of the LORD did not show himself again to Manoah and his wife, Manoah realized that it was the angel of the LORD. 22"We are doomed to die!" he said to his wife. "We have seen God!" 23But his wife answered, "If the LORD had meant to kill us, he would not have accepted a burnt offering and grain offering from our hands, nor shown us all these things or now told us this." 

VIII. ANGEL OF THE LORD IN THE NEW TESTAMENT. In the New Testament, the reference to the Angel of the Lord in St Luke 2:9 cannot in any way, be identified with Christ. 

Luke 2:9-11 9An angel of the LORD appeared to them, and the glory of the LORD shone around them, and they were terrified. 10But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the LORD. 

IX.        FALLEN ANGELS. The Bible speaks of the Devil's Angels as well as the Angels of God and seems to suggest in books like Jude 6 that there have been fallen angels. Therefore, there is definite contrast and employment of the two classes of Angels, one for the purpose of evil and the other for the perpetuation of good giving God the glory in earth and heaven. 

Revelation 12:7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.

2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; 

XI. GOD’S ANGELS ARE HOLY. This, the work of bringing Gods good works to pass, we acclaim as being the work of the Angels. Most thought referring to angels count them as doing holy work and doing good for God. 

Luke 9:26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.