Friday 4 May 2007

The world of angels - by Tim Millen - Part 3

0
One of the most interesting characteristics of angels is the fact that they are organized.
They seem to have a structure and hierarchy which they adhere to in order to efficiently serve their Creator God.

Michael is the only angel designated as an archangel (chief of the angels).
Jude 9 “Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!”
Now there might be other archangels because in Dan 10:13 he is called one of the chief princes.
Daniel 10:13 “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.”
And under these top rulers there seem to be other angels with clearly defined roles of duty.
For example, some angels apparently have to do specifically with the worship of God – they’re called the seraphim {fiery ones}.
Isaiah 6:1-3 “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!"”

And then there are other angels which have the task of guarding God’s holiness - cherubim {uncertain derivation}
Gen 3:22-24 “Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever" -- therefore the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.”

There is a very important practical point to this:
You see, if angels need to be organised in order to do God's will effectively, then so do God's people need to be organized for the same reason.
Author Image

About Boaly
Gary has been involved in printing the Scriptures for 20 years, enjoys photography and rambling online

No comments: