Jump Start # 1699

Luke 16:22 “Now the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried.”

This week we have been looking at the topic of angels. Folks have a fascination with angels. You find collectable angels in china cabinets. You find sculpted angels in cemeteries. There are a lot of ideas and theories about angels. Many of them are not founded upon what the Bible teaches. When angels visited Abraham, he didn’t know who they were. Obviously, they didn’t have wings, glowing faces or halos. They appeared “human” to Abraham.

There seems to be an order or ranking system among the angels. Michael is referred to as the “archangel” in Jude. In the Thessalonian letter we learn that the Lord will descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel. “Arch” carries the idea of chief or high. The archangel was in a higher position than the other angels. Now, dozens of questions come out of this, which we do not know. Not from the Bible, at least. Was Michael the only “chief” angel? How did he become that? How long had he been that? Could he lose that position? What all was involved with being the chief angel? Questions, questions, questions. No answers. We just have to let our minds rest with the fact that Michael is the archangel. He is because God said so.

Have you ever considered how many times in your life angels are involved? This thought may surprise you. We might conclude that angels are found in Bible times and only in the Bible times. They are not. You have them in your life and you may not even realize this. Consider:

1. The angels rejoiced when you repented of your sins (Lk 15:10). They were aware of what you did. They know of your faith and commitment to Christ. What you did was known in Heaven. What you did brought happiness and joy to the angels. They knew of your faith and your coming to the Lord. You did something that brought joy to Heaven. That is amazing. I doubt the President knew of your commitment to the Lord. I doubt your neighbors knew. But the angels did.

2. When you pass away, as a righteous person, the angels will carry your soul to paradise. This is what happened to Lazarus. Poor Lazarus was left at the rich man’s gate. Abandoned. Alone. Forgotten. Forsaken. His condition looked hopeless and helpless. It doesn’t seem like he had a friend in the world. However, God was watching him. When he died, the angels were there. They carried that righteous soul to comfort. He was not forgotten. He was not alone. God was with him. What a great thought for each of us. It doesn’t matter where or how we die, for Lazarus, it was at a stranger’s gate. God knows where we are. God will take care of us. The angels will carry us home. I have been in the presence of several Christians, including my own mother, as they drew their last breath. It’s not like the movies. It’s not dramatic. There is no music. They just stop. It’s over. And I realize at that moment, angels are in the room. You can’t see them. You can’t reach out and touch them. But by faith we know that. The angels carry that precious soul to a rest that God has awaiting them. In the presence of angels.

3. When Jesus comes, He will come with the angels. In some of the Lord’s parables, it is the angels who separate the wheat from the tares at the end. Matthew tells us, “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him…” All the angels. The sky will be filled. There are a lot of angels. The living righteous will be changed in an instant when Jesus comes. The dead in Christ will be raised. We will see the angels. What a glorious sight that will be.

4. We will praise God with the angels in Heaven. Revelation 7 gives us a picture that surrounds the throne of God. There, with the angels, we are praising God. Together with angels. What a glorious sight that will be.

5. There may have been other times that we simply were not aware of. For instance, angels are referred to in Hebrews as “ministering spirits sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation.” That’s God’s people. That’s Christians. Has there been angels who served us? Probably. I doubt we know the occasion. In fact, when this life is over, I think we will be amazed at how involved God was in our lives. Things happen and we don’t see what was behind the scenes. We don’t see God moving things, opening doors, helping out. We might call it luck. Some may even see it as a blessing. God may see it as angels serving. Just what have the angels done? I don’t think we can know.

6. Hebrews tells us, borrowing from Abraham’s experience, that some have entertained angels without knowing it. The question is often asked, can that happen today? Can I look at someone and think it’s just some person, when it is actually an angel? The point of this passage is to be nice and hospitable to everyone. If you knew someone was a real angel, you’d treat him extremely nice. Abraham didn’t know, and he still treated them extremely nice. That’s the way we ought to be. If angels did come to us unaware, we would never know it. Abraham’s angels didn’t drop any clues. Could it happen to us? I suppose. I’d think there would be a reason for their presence, more than just dropping in to chit-chat for a while. Maybe it has already happened in our lives.

Angels in our lives. What a powerful thought. What an encouragement. What comfort. And what’s behind the angels is a God who sent them. A God who is watching out for you. A God who loves you.

Roger