Hebrews
13:2 ~ “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have
entertained angels unawares.
We know encountering angels is not only possible- it actually
happened to people in the Bible in their ordinary lives. When it did happen, it
most often made those ordinary lives extraordinary just as it would today. When God sends His own
personal messengers to you, you had better believe that something huge or momentous is afoot and moving about in your life.
When the people encountered the angels in the Bible, sometimes people were
aware they were in the presence of the supernatural and sometimes not. Sometimes they initially didn’t know but
came to an awareness of the fact in the course of the events that unfolded.
The Angel of the Lord (a theophany of the
pre-incarnate Jesus Christ) appears to Hagar after she had been sent away by
Sarai. The angel tells Hagar to return to, and to submit to, Sarai. He also
told Hagar that her seed would be multiplied exceedingly and that she should
call her child Ishmael (Genesis 16:1-12). As a note I do not believe this is
the beginning of the Islamic religion as that fake religion didn’t come into
existence until 2600 years later. This is nothing more than Mohammad stealing
from the Judean/Christian storyline and lying to incorporate it into the Qur’an
and Islam.
Two angels rescued Lot, his wife, and two daughters
from Sodom. The angels told them to escape to the mountains and not to look
back because the angels were going to destroy Sodom. Clearly a city of sexual
depravity. I will not even get into the details of the depravity since it will
lead us down a trail that will require a post of its own. Archaeological finds
corroborate the narrative of the Bible also concerning the condition of this
city of the plains. God then cannot find even 10 righteous people within Sodom
yet Lot and his family continue to live in the godless and iniquitous
environment. God sends two angels to warn Lot of the impending destruction of
the city of his residence. (Genesis 19:1-22).
Abraham went up on the mountain to offer his son
Isaac as a burnt sacrifice. As Abraham took the knife to Isaac, the angel of
the Lord stopped Abraham and assured him that he had proven his obedience to
God. The angel tells him to not lay a hand on the boy. It is clear Abraham
fears God and it is at this point Abraham looks up and in a thicket he sees a
ram caught by its horns. Of course this is God providing the sacrifice which is
a type foreshadowing Jesus. The angel spoke again a little later and blessed
Abraham by saying that the Lord would multiply Abraham's seed as the stars of heaven,
and in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Genesis
22:1-18).
An angel (most likely the Angel of the Lord) appeared
to Jacob and wrestled with him all night. Unable to prevail against Jacob, he
disjointed the hollow of Jacob's thigh. The angel changed Jacob's name to
Israel and blessed him (Genesis 32:24-30).
The Angel of the Lord appeared to Moses in a burning
bush. The Lord then told Moses to free the Hebrews from the bondage of Egypt because
He has heard their suffering (Exodus 3-4:17).
The Angel of the Lord stood in the way of Balaam and
his donkey. Balaam saddles his donkey and goes with the leaders of Moab. God is
angered Balaam goes and the Angel of the LORD stands in his way. The donkey,
seeing the Angel of the Lord detours and makes a B-line into an adjoining
field. Balaam not being able to discern the Angel of the Lord whacks the donkey
to turn her back on course. Again the Angel blocks the donkey’s way so it
presses against the wall smashing Balaam’s foot which again solicits another
whack from Balaam. A third time the Angel blocks the donkey, and a third time
the donkey takes evasive maneuvers by lying down. Balaam is incensed with anger
at this point and proceeds to strike the donkey with a stick. The Lord then
opens the mouth of the donkey and asks Balaam through the donkey, “What have I
done to you, that you have struck me these three times?" I don’t know
about Balaam but my first reaction wouldn’t be to answer the donkey but I’d
wonder why it’s talking. What is even more amusing is that Balaam answers the
animal without thinking twice or hesitating. The Lord then reveals the angel to
Balaam and he is grateful that his life has been spared. (Numbers 22:22-35).
Joshua was confronted by an angel who was the
captain of the-- host of the Lord. Joshua utters the now famous question, “Are
you for us, or for our enemies?” Then comes the angels curious response, ““Neither,
but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.” It is at
this point Joshua realizes his error and is struck with terror. Then Joshua
fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What
message does my Lord have for his servant?” The angel then gives Joshua
instructions on conquering Jericho (Joshua 5:13-15).
An angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon and
commissioned him to save Israel from the Midianites (Judges 13:1-20). Gideon
made a meal for the angel. The angel had Gideon put the food on a rock and pour
out the broth he made. Then the angel of the Lord touched the meat and the
unleavened bread with the tip of the staff that was in his hand. Fire flared
from the rock, consuming the meat and the bread. When Gideon realized that it
was the angel of the Lord, he exclaimed, “Alas, Sovereign Lord! I have seen the
angel of the Lord face to face!” But the Lord said to him, “Peace! Do not be
afraid. You are not going to die.”
We see something unique here and we should take heed
of it. Gideon realized he was in the presence of a sovereign holy God and he
knew what the outcome might be. Things could turn out really bad for him and he
knew it. Death could easily result if he treated God too lightly.
Elijah, depressed because Jezebel vowed to kill him,
went into the wilderness, sat under a juniper tree, and begged God to let him
die. An angel came and prepared food for Elijah. Elijah was so strengthened by
those meals that he journeyed forty days without eating again (1 Kings 19:1-8).
It should probably be understood that Elijah is supernaturally buoyed here. It
should also be seen that Elijah is quite human and flawed here also. For all
the miracles and supernatural works that God did through him, he is still quite
human and prone to human flaws and foibles.
Of course we should clearly mention the angels before
during and after Christ’s ministry on earth. The angel Gabriel appeared to
Zachariah and announced that Elizabeth, who was old and barren, would have a
son and that he should be named John. This son will indeed be John, John the Baptist
the forerunner of the King. He also told Zachariah about John's future
ministry. It is also Gabriel that appears to the Virgin Mary and told her that
she would give birth to Jesus (Luke 1:26-38). There are the angels that met the
women at Jesus' tomb and announced His resurrection (Matthew 28:5-7; Mark
16:5-7; Luke 24:4-7; John 20:11-18). There is the Angel of the Lord announced
the birth of Jesus to the shepherds and was subsequently joined by a multitude
of the heavenly host praising God (Luke 2:8-15). As Jesus ascends into Heaven
at the end of His earthly stay, two angels appeared to the Apostles and said, ““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.” (Acts 1:9-11) So we wait as faithful
disciples of the Lord on this exact thing…His return.
We then see quite a few episodes of angels helping
the followers of Jesus in the new covenant after Christ’s departure to be at
the right hand of the Father. The angel of the Lord brought the Apostles out of
prison.
Acts 5:17-20 ~ Then the high priest and all his
associates, who were members of the party of the Sadducees, were filled with
jealousy. They arrested the apostles and put them in the public jail. But
during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought
them out. “Go, stand in the temple courts,” he said, “and tell the people all
about this new life.”
The Angel of the Lord told Philip to go to Gaza.
There Philip met and converted the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39).
An angel appeared to Cornelius, telling him that God
had heard his prayers and that he should send to Joppa for Peter. The angel
said Peter would tell Cornelius what he should do (Acts 10:1-8).
Peter was asleep in prison while other Christians
were praying for his release. The angel of the Lord woke Peter and released his
chains. Peter followed the angel out of the prison and through the iron gate,
which opened of its own accord (Acts 12:1-19).
Paul, sailing to Rome to be tried before Caesar, was
in a storm for two weeks. The Angel of God appears to Paul and tells Paul that
he must be brought before Caesar (Acts 27:21-25). The Angel tells Paul not be
afraid for he must stand trial before Caesar; and God had graciously given
him all the lives of those who sail with him. Paul then exhorts the men to
maintain his courage because Paul believed in faith that things would happen
just as God had told him.
There of course are other instances of angels
entering into the physical realm but these are the ones that snap to mind as I
wrote. I chose not to mention the fallen ones because they do not deserve nor warrant any more attention than absolutely necessary. I am sure you understand.
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