What do angels do?

And now another marvel is revealed. We have seen how all God's angels are prepared to greet with worship the second entrance of the First-begotten into the world. We have seen, too, that they are already the willing vassals of Him who is the Head of all principality and power. The nature of their present service is now more particularly declared. "Are they not ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to them who are about to inherit salvation?" A wondrous truth! Yet let it not seem strange in the eyes of those for whom Christ died that even such things should be found among the true sayings of the blessed God. A grateful portion is it, surely, of the "present truth," and one in which we shall do well to settle our souls. The ministers are angels. The receivers of the ministry are heirs. They are fellow-heirs with Christ. They are heirs of a Father whom they know and joy in as their Saviour and their God. Once sunk in sin beyond all natural hope, they are now, through grace, become in Christ the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty — begotten to the living hope of their enduring heritage through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. The heritage for which they wait is in one single word, "Salvation." Christian salvation is not a mere escape from wrath. The vessels of God's mercy are by Him prepared in Christ for glory. They who receive abundance of grace, and the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. The receivers of Divine forgiveness through the blood of Jesus are also sanctified through faith in Him. Now the inheritance of God's saints is in light. They are themselves the children of light. They will shine thus in glory to His eternal praise, who is the Father of glory. Angels assent to this. Great is their pure joy in heaven at the turning of one soul to God. They celebrate, with louder strains of joyful adoration than were rendered at creation, God's chiefest work of wisdom and of love. They desire to behold, with deeper search, the still unfathomed mysteries of Divine redemption. Meanwhile, they bear their willing part in the furtherance of His good pleasure, whom they only live to serve. They are sent forth to be the ministers of help to those whom God holds worthy of such ministry, because they bear the title of His Son.

Little, indeed, it may be feared, is this truth at present estimated in the Church of God. For faith is needed to perceive in what men carelessly regard as accidents of time and place, the positive working of angelic ministry. And faith, in its application to the things of daily life, is at a feeble flow indeed in this our day of evil. Yet it is only thus that the just man may live. A Christian, if the Spirit lead him, does not walk by sight. It is not from events, or from appearances, that he is left to argue that God does at times exert immediate influence on present things. Men can do this, who naturally know not God. For God is not as yet ostensibly disowned of men. Remote and general dispositions of Divine Providence are commonly acknowledged by the thoughtless world itself. It belongs to faith alone, which knows its access by the Spirit to the Father's presence in the full welcome of the Son's acceptance, to walk, in a confidence not unmixed with fear, under the sweet yet solemn consciousness of being thus attended from on high. It is a truth which brings the shadow of God's majesty with a peculiar nearness over the believer's soul. That we are seen of angels is an assurance to which the Spirit elsewhere practically bids our heed (1 Cor. 11:10). A happy thought, yet one of sobering effect, to be thus seen; — to be the objects of near gaze, and very contact, to those holy visitants of watchful love, who, standing as the bright apparitors of heavenly majesty beside the throne on which the Son of God now rests, are evermore sent forth to speed upon their way the pilgrim brethren of their Master's love.

"I doubt not, a host or constellation of angels, those heavenly creatures, which, excelling in strength, stand in the presence of God, or go forth to minister on account of those who are heirs of salvation. For of them we read that 'God maketh His angels spirits (winds) and His ministers a flame of fire'; and again, 'The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels.' At the divine behest, they get ready to serve in whatever the exigency of the saint, or the occasion under the throne of God, may require. They formed a travelling chariot to convey Elijah to heaven, and to carry Lazarus to Abraham's bosom. They now form chariots of war, when Elisha is beleaguered by the hostile bands of Syria. Either singly or in company they visit the elect on earth, and either alone or in concert celebrate the joy of heaven in the audience of the earth. They have drawn the sword to smite a guilty city, or with the strong hand of love dragged the too reluctant one forth from the doomed city. They are either as winds or as fire. They are messengers of mercy, and executors of judgment, as 'the Lord' who 'is among them' may command. They attended on Mount Sinai when the law was published, and they hovered over the fields of Bethlehem when Jesus was born. And here, in their order and strength, they are as a wall of fire, a wall of salvation, round about the prophet.

The Scriptures have their own story to tell, from the earliest ages of man's history on earth down to the end, respecting these beings. They are heavenly ministers of the divine will connected with the human race. They are often represented in close attendance on the display of divine majesty, and they not infrequently dispense divine judgment.

Both Old and New Testaments abound with passages referring to the existence, personality and ministry of angels. They are called literally "messengers" — for this is the significance of the word both in Hebrew and Greek — and no doubt is left that they are heavenly messengers. Their estate is heavenly (see Gal. 1:8; 2 Thess. 1:7); and they are there as worshipers and servants of God (Job 1:6; Job 38:7; 1 Kings 22:19). This last passage would almost suggest the position of the cherubim: "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" — they are grouped about His throne, ready to do His will. Angels were particularly used in connection with errands of mercy and of judgment: to announce to Abraham the birth of Isaac, in due time (Gen. 18:2 with Heb. 13:2); for the rescue of Lot out of Sodom (Gen. 19:1); in ministry upon Jacob as he slept (Gen. 28:12). They were present in great multitudes at Sinai, and gave character to the ministration of the law (Ps. 68:17 with Acts 7:53; Heb. 2:2).

We have only to read attentively the tenth chapter of Daniel to know what is meant by being subjected to angels, and to find that this is what is true of the present world. We there read of angelic "princes" of Persia and Grecia, and the former, at least, in conflict with the angel who speaks to the prophet, while he is helped by another angel, "Michael, your prince," — that is, prince of the Jews. Angelic "principalities and powers" are thus made known to us as in relation to the earth, and Satan is seen in all his power, as "prince of this world;" while in the same sphere the holy angels are "ministering spirits, sent forth to minister to those who shall be heirs of salvation."

Moreover, at every gate there is an angel. In Scripture we constantly see angels employed as the guardians of God's people, as we read, "The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear him, and delivers them" (Ps. 34:7; Acts 12:7-10). Then they are used in executing governmental judgment upon the wicked, as in the case of Herod, of whom we read, "The angel of the Lord smote him" (Acts 12:23). Further, angels are used as the messengers of the Lord between earth and heaven, as the Lord can say, "Ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man" (John 1:51).

By the visit of two to Sodom, Lot was rescued, and by one Peter was brought out of prison. By the destroying angel the first-born of the Egyptians were smitten, and by an angel was Israel chastised in the reign of David. An angel ministered to Elijah in the desert, and appeared to Paul on board ship in the storm. The angels of God met Jacob at Mahanaim, and surrounded Elisha and his young man on the mount. An angel was sent to Daniel to tell him about the future, and the revelation of Jesus Christ was signified to John by one of those heavenly messengers. To men in general, without distinction of race or spiritual condition, do they attend, it would appear; for the Lord acquaints us with the fact about little children, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of His Father in heaven. But to God's people in particular do they minister. Thus Messiah was to be the object of their providential care, as the Psalmist declared (Ps. 91:11); and the nation of Israel, as God's earthly people, is specially cared for by Michael their prince (Dan. 10:21; 12:1). And now, that Israel and God's people are not one and the same class, we learn from Hebrews 1:14 that the angels are all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation. Thus men, Israel, and God's saints, though inferior to angels in rank, intelligence, and power, are cared for by them.

He therefore is in the place of absolute authority, but angels are "all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." Theirs is the place of servants simply, their place infinitely lower than His, just as in person they are as much lower. But it is nevertheless a blessed place they occupy, in being delegated to minister in temporal protection, comfort, sustenance, to those destined to eternal glory. Doubtless we owe to angelic ministry far more than we discern in matters of physical strength and wellbeing, yet as spirit beings their ministry is completely veiled, and they are content to remain unknown to us, that glory for this may be given only to God. Blessed service indeed! Compare their ministry to the Lord Jesus in Mark 1:13, and an angel strengthening Him (physically of course) in Luke 22:43.

We know that in a special way the angels are the guardians of the Lord's people, "sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (Heb. 1:14). Here we further learn that they are the executors of God's will behind all His providential dealings amongst men; and in carrying out their commission, they are opposed by wicked spiritual beings.

Finally the servant is told that God's angel would go before him. We know that the angels are "ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation." Their service ever seems to be of a providential and guardian character. The Holy Spirit deals with souls, while the angels would seem to act in relation to circumstances. An angel may direct Philip as to the way he should take; but the Spirit directed him in dealing with a soul (Acts 8:26, 29).