The Apostles' Creed (part two)

Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the LORD, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will (Psalm 103:20).

We believe that God the Father, Maker of heaven and earth, has made everything—even that which we cannot see. When we think about the blowing wind, about tiny atoms, about stars so distant that they cannot be seen, we realize that much of God’s marvelous creation is invisible to us. Luther’s Small Catechism tells us that the most important of God’s invisible creations are the holy angels. So today we will consider what Scripture tells us about the heavenly host.

If you read the first chapter of Genesis carefully, you will notice that the creation of angels is not mentioned. This has caused some to ask, "where did angels come from; when were they created?" In the letter to the Colossians chapter one, Paul asserts that all things were created by God; Genesis chapter two tells us that when God rested on the seventh day, His work of creating was complete. It therefore stands to reason that the angels were created by God sometime before His Sabbath rest.

Unlike us, the angels are spirits without physical bodies. This is why they are ordinarily invisible. There have been occasions, however, when angels took on human appearance in order to interact with men and women. Lot was rescued from dying in Sodom by men who turned out to be angels. An angel appeared to Mary to tell her that she would become mother to the Messiah of God. Two angels appeared at Jesus’ empty tomb with the message that He had risen from the dead. However, these appearances are rare exceptions to the norm; you and I will probably never see an angel this side of paradise.

We don’t know exactly how many angels there are, but our text refers to them as a ‘host’, which means a great multitude. On the night of Jesus’ birth, the shepherds witnessed a great company of the heavenly host, praising God for the gift of peace through a Savior. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, Peter thought to protect his Master with violence; but Jesus told him to put his weapon away, with the reminder that if He wanted protection He need simply ask His Father in heaven and He would be sent 12 legions of angels. One legion numbers about 6,000 individuals.

Angels are all around us. They are in your home, at your place of work, and in your school. They are with you as you travel by car, boat or plane. They are everywhere—there are so many that each person can have his own angel. Children sometimes get into fights over who gets to play with a toy. Adults feel shortchanged when jobs or housing are hard to come by. But there is never a shortage of angels. If you want one to watch over you, all you need do is pray to God and ask.

Ever since the time of Luther, millions of Christians have prayed his morning and evening prayers. Both of these end with the words: "For into Your hands I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. May Your holy angel be with me, that the wicked Foe may have no power over me." It’s because our Father hears these prayers, and sends His angels as requested, that we can sleep peacefully at night and pass safely through a day, even though we are constantly surrounded by all manner of danger.

But what can an invisible creature do, you might ask? You’ve seen the effect that wind can have. Although it cannot be seen, it can bring much needed rain or tear branches from a tree. From the pages of the Bible as well as our own experiences, we also know what angels can do. They are not infinite in power as God is, but they have strength which far surpasses any mortal creature. Our text refers to them as mighty ones.

The Bible is filled with thrilling stories about angels, and they are not fiction like Superman. When Syria went to war against Samaria, God consistently revealed Syrian battle plans to Elisha, who in turn relayed this information to his king. Frustrated again and again, the king of Syria finally sent his entire army to capture Elisha. One morning, the prophet and his servant awoke to find their home surrounded by the enemy. The servant was terrified: "Oh, sir, what will we do now?" he wailed. But Elisha was calm; he replied, "Don't be afraid! For there are more on our side than on theirs!" The frightened man could not see any allies waiting to help, so Elisha prayed to the Lord to show his servant the reality of the situation. When the invisible was revealed, the servant saw the entire mountain filled with angels all around the two of them. The heavenly host then proceeded to strike the Syrians with blindness. Elisha took the sightless soldiers by the hand and led the entire force to his own king in Samaria (2 Kings chapter six). Although we cannot see them, we are surrounded by a force of invisible angels, fully equipped to carry out whatever assignment they are given.

Which brings us to the question: for what purpose did God create the angels? Today’s text says that they are His servants, to do His will. The angels do not wander about aimlessly, looking for something to amuse them. They don’t make independent decisions. They follow our Lord’s instructions. When He gives them a task, they do it—whether it be to destroy a wicked city like Sodom or to lead a rescue team to a lost child. Their special assignment is to serve the followers of Christ. Hebrews chapter one says, angels [are] ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation. Consider these examples:

When the nation of Israel was held captive in Babylonia, Daniel was one of the few who continued praying to God in spite of an imperial edict forbidding the practice. As a result of defying the law, Daniel was thrown into a pit filled with hungry lions. To the amazement of his enemies, the lions neither bit him nor clawed him; even though he was among these fierce predators all night, he was left unhurt. Why? Because the Lord sent an angel to hold shut the mouths of every beast (Daniel chapter six).

Another example: Ahab was a king of Israel who abandoned God for the worship of idols. When Elijah opposed the king’s false religion, Ahab sent assassins to kill God’s prophet. Fleeing into the wilderness, Elijah collapsed beneath a broom tree in exhausted despair. He was woken from sleep by the touch of an angel, who encouraged him and left him a meal of hot baked bread and fresh water (1 Kings chapter 19).

Perhaps you remember how Peter was rescued by angels? Some time after Jesus returned to heaven, King Herod had Peter thrown into prison, planning to execute him on Easter for preaching that Jesus had risen from the dead. As though Peter were a hardened criminal, Herod assigned sixteen of his best soldiers to guard the apostle personally; chained in prison, Peter had to sleep squashed between two soldiers. But during the night an angel appeared and told Peter to put on his shoes. The chains fell off and Peter followed the angel out unmolested, the great iron gate opening by itself to let them pass. When Peter was outside and reflected on what had just happened, he said: Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod's clutches (Acts chapter 12).

Serving God’s people is one of the angels’ greatest assignments. Psalm 34 promises, the angel of the LORD is a guard; he surrounds and defends all who fear Him. If you fear the Lord, if you give Him the reverence and respect that He deserves, then this promise applies to you. As the angels set up camp around Elisha, so they surround you so that no enemy may approach without your consent. Psalm 91 says, he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

By this point I can imagine that some of you reading this are a little skeptical; you might be thinking, "where was my angel when I fell off the ladder? Where was my angel when I rolled my car?" Maybe you were allowed to get hurt to keep you from greater danger; think of the people who, through inconvenience, didn’t get to the World Trade Center in time to die on 9/11? Maybe you were allowed to get hurt to change the direction of your life, like the mountain climber who, paralyzed by a fall, has since become a faithful Christian? Maybe you have been allowed to suffer so that your patient faith might be an example to others, like Helen Keller? Maybe you forgot to ask God’s protection in prayer that day and the Lord wanted you to have a greater appreciation for the gift of angelic help. One thing is sure—the angels are always around every Christian, seeing to it that nothing truly evil can ever befall him.

Perhaps the most wonderful way we are served by angels is at the hour of our death. At the moment that you breathe your last, the angels will gently lift your soul in their arms and carry you to heaven. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus, Jesus described the poor man’s transition to the afterlife this way: The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side (Luke 16:22). Angels have performed this wonderful duty for my father and my grandparents, for your parents and grandparents, and for all who have died believing that Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross took away their sins. Some people get on roller coasters for a breathtaking ride; I love the experience of flying in a plane. But unlike these earthly rides, the ride to heaven is free, and what a thrilling experience it’s going to be!

Scripture tells us that when the final trumpet sounds and Jesus returns in all His glory, the hosts of heaven will come with Him. This will be a joyous day of vindication and triumph for us—proof to all that we have believed in the truth and that Christ’s reward is about to be delivered! But not everyone will welcome the coming of angels. In one of His parables, Jesus spoke of a man who sowed his fields with wheat. Later, however, weeds were found to be springing up among what was planted. When the farm hands asked the owner if they should pull out the weeds, the farmer replied: Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn. When asked to explain this parable, Jesus answered: The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels (Matthew chapter 13).

The harvesters are angels. They shall cast all unbelievers into the eternal fire, and gather the bodies of all believers to be reunited with their souls. That is why the angels are coming on the day of Christ’s return; their final job protecting us will be to separate us forever from those who never tire of doing evil.

While far away from home on a visit, an elderly grandmother became seriously ill. Her son and doctor suggested that she return home by airplane, but her condition rapidly worsened to the point where travel became impossible. At the end of life, drifting in and out of consciousness, this woman who had trusted in Jesus all her life said calmly, "I don’t want to fly a plane—I want to fly an angel." A few minutes later, she did. What a privilege that in our own time you and I will have the same wonderful experience. Then we will be permitted to join the angels as we glorify God together, with words we hear them singing in Revelation chapter seven: "Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and strength belong to our God forever and ever! Amen."