I do not believe that people who are in heaven are looking down on us, seeing everything that is going on in our lives. Having said that, there are scriptures that show that those in heaven do know at least some of what is happening on earth.
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith” (Hebrews 12:1-2).
The great cloud of witnesses that the writer of Hebrews is speaking of is the saints of God that have gone on before us and are in heaven now. Are they in heaven watching us and cheering us on?
Throughout the Old Testament you will see a reference to “the angel of the Lord”. Who is the angel of the Lord? The angel seems to be not only of the Lord, but the Lord himself.
The first time we read about the angel of the Lord is in Genesis 16:7-13. In verse 10, the angel tells Hagar that he will increase her descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count. Could an angel do that? In verse 11 He refers to himself as Lord, and in verse 13, Hagar refers to Him as God.
“You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me”
In Genesis 22:11 we see the angel of the Lord stopped Abraham from killing his son. In verse 12 He refers to Himself as God.
“But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied. “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” (Genesis 22:11-12)
Then in verses 15, the angel of the Lord again speaks to Abraham.
“The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven a second time and said, “I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore.” (Genesis 22:15-17).
When the angel of the Lord appears to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-6), He leaves no doubt about who He is, with His many references to being God.
“There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”
“When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”
And Moses said, “Here I am.”
“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. (Exodus 3:2-6)
We see the angel of the Lord again in Numbers 22:21-38, when He confronts Balaam and his donkey. Here He reproofs Balaam and instructs him. In verse 38 Balaam refers to the angel of the Lord as God.
In Judges13, the angel of the Lord tells Manoah and his wife that they will have a son, (Samson), and gives them instructions for raising him. Later Manoah said to his wife, “We are doomed to die….We have seen God.”
In John 6:46, Jesus says that: “No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God”.
So who is “the angel of the Lord”? Obviously, it was not the Father who came as the Angel of the Lord. If it were God and it was not the Father, then it must have been the Son, our Lord. The Angel of the Lord is no ordinary angel.
What do we know about “the angel of the Lord”?
1. He is not an Angel.
2. He is not God the Father, because no man has seen the Father.
3. He is God, because the scriptures say He is.
4. He appears to be God, but separate from God (the Father) as Christ (the Son) and the Holy Spirit are.
5. He forgave sin, which only God can do.
Is this Christ? Did Christ walk upon the earth centuries before He was born a baby in Bethlehem? Not all Bible scholars are willing to say it is the Lord, but it certainly could have been, He was with Father from the beginning.
J. M. Wilson writes that while identifying him with God the Son is most tempting, “..it must be remembered that at best these are only conjectures that touch on a great mystery……The appearances of the angel of the Lord…..culminated in the coming of the Savior, and are thus a foreshadowing of, and preparation for, the full revelation of God in Jesus Christ. Further than this it is not safe to go.”
Most Bible scholars and students don’t hesitate to make that claim however. Calvin wrote:
“I am rather inclined however, to agree with the ancient writers, that in those passages wherein it is stated that the angel of the Lord appeared to Abraham, Jacob, and Moses, Christ was that angel.”
C. F. Dickason stated that the angel of the Lord “According to all evidence……seems to be the preincarnate Son.”
Billy Graham writes: “There are no grounds for questioning the very early and traditional Christian interpretation that in these cases there is a preincarnation manifestation of the second person of the Trinity.”
We know that Christ was here from the beginning, (John 1:1-4), and we can assume that “the angel of the Lord” was most likely Jesus.
All throughout the Bible, we read about angels. They seem to be everywhere, carrying messages, helping people, battling the devil and his demons. We hear about angels appearing as humans and coming out of nowhere to rescue people. Were they really angels? Do we have guardian angels?
Many believe that as Christians, we have our own guardian angel to protect us. One verse that contributes to this thinking is this verse concerning children, Jesus said;
“see that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my father in heaven” (Matthew 18: 10).
In Psalm we are told that the angels will protect us.
Angels seem to be organized according to rank and authority, which include archangels, angels, seraphim, cherubim, principalities, authorities, powers, thrones, might, and dominion (Colossians 1:16). Medieval theologians divided angels into ten different grades. We may not know for sure how angels are ranked; however, we can be sure that they have different jobs and duties and vary in power and authority.
Archangel
Only Michael is mentioned in scripture as an archangel (Jude 1:9). Some Bible scholars believe Lucifer was an archangel before his fall. We can not know for sure whether he was or not, but we do know that the scriptures refer to Michael as “the” archangel, so obviously, he is the only one now. Daniel 10:21 refers to Michael as our prince. He is the angel above all angels, the prince of heaven. He leads the fight against the devil and his demons (Daniel 10:13). Michael will be the primary angel during the end times. He is a warrior without equal, except the Godhead. Whether this is his main job or not, we do not know. But as we see in the Scriptures, Satan is no match for him.
Sharing Jesus 