Names and Classifications

All right, we have been, we spent a lot of time looking at the nature of angels, the different properties of angels. Last week we looked at the angel of the Lord, that particular angel that has that title in the Old Testament. We highlighted the fact that that particular angel referred to as the angel of the Lord is actually an Old Testament appearance of Christ. Because that angel is worshiped quite clearly several times in the Old Testament. He is equated with God, but he is distinct from God. And so that fits with the person of Christ, according to John 1, who is God in nature, in essence, but is separate from the Father in person. So we identified the angel of the Lord as Christ Himself. Although Christ is not an angel, he is a special messenger of God, and is referred to in the Old Testament sometimes as the angel of the Lord, that unique special messenger of God. Now tonight what we're going to do is move into a different part of our study on angels, and that is to talk about the different names of angels and classifications. We're going to look at tonight several general names for angels throughout the Bible, and then we're going to look at three different classifications of angels that are mentioned in the Bible. I think that's about as far as we can hope to get tonight, maybe not even that far. But there are a couple of other angels that are named specifically, only two in the Bible. If we don't get that tonight, we'll get there next week. But let's begin with some general names of angels. There are ten of them. It is amazing, really, to think of all the different names that angels were given in the Old Testament. The differing names, really having to do with the differing responsibilities, things they do, and so forth. So I'm going to give you these names. There should be on your outline. In fact, the titles that you have there are basically the King James version titles, and I'm including those and referencing those first, because they're the ones that we're probably most familiar with. And then I've also given you sometimes a second title, and that would come from the NIV or other more modern translations. The first one, the very general name, is the one that we know the most often by, and that is the word angel. Hebrews chapter 1, verse 7, and these verses I'm going to put on the screen for you so that there's so many different passages. It would take us a long time to turn to them all. So Hebrews 1, 7 says, in speaking of the angels, he says, he makes his angels, spirits, and his servants, flames of fire. The term angel occurs many times in the Old Testament and New Testament, as we saw when we began this study. It's the most common name, but the reason I want to start with that one is to indicate what it means. The word angel literally means messenger. So it really highlights a particular ministry of angels in that they are messengers of God, and quite often don't we see them in the Bible? Being sent by God to communicate something from him, communicate some message from God to one of his servants, one of his people. Both the Hebrew word and the Old Testament and the Greek word in the New Testament both have that concept of messenger. So that is the basic idea of an angel is a messenger. Now there are a few times where the word angel is actually used to human messengers. Can you think of an example? There are not many of them in the Bible, but can you think of an example where human messengers are called angels? It's a little bit of a trick question, I guess. But the most common, most familiar would be in Revelation chapters 2 and 3, where the... Again, it's a little tricky because there's a difference in interpretation on the part of some commentators. But most would see the ones who were referred to there, the angels of the church, each of the seven churches, as being the pastors of those churches. And they are God's messengers to the church, but they're called angels in the sense of the root meaning of that word, messengers. They are messengers of God's word. That's probably the most familiar place where people are referred to as angels. But most of the time in the Bible, when the term angel is used, it is the angelic beings that we're talking about in this study that are messengers of God. Okay, comments or questions about that, very general and most commonly used name for angels. Okay, the second one then is minister or in the NIV, we'll find the term servant. Again, back to Hebrews 1, 7, he makes his angels spirits and his servants flames of fire. Again, this is good Hebrew parallelism. We've talked about this some Hebrew parallelism in the Bible or Hebrew poetry always is parallel in form. And it stacks one statement on top of another. Sometimes they are contrasting statements. Sometimes one statement completes the other. Sometimes they are the same. And in this case, it's one of the same. His angels are made spirits and his servants are flames of fire. Angels and servants are the same beings in this passage. So here they're called servants or ministers. Interestingly enough, the word translated servants here is a particular word that is used of serving in a religious or spiritual sense. It's used also of priests. The priests who would serve in the tabernacle and later the temple served God in their religious duties or spiritual duties. And they were called servants. The Greek word late-torgette here is the one that's used. And so the idea here of these servants or ministers is that they carry out service in worship of God. They serve God by leading heavenly worship. Just like the priests would lead worship here on earth. The angels lead worship in heaven. And so that's the way they serve God. One of the ways they serve God. So they're servants, ministers in that sense. Okay, comments, questions? Okay, third title or name for angels in the Bible is an interesting one host. Now, not host in the sense of entertaining someone in your home, not that kind of host. Look at the verses and I think you'll be able to tell what kind of host we're talking about. Psalm 103 verses 20 and 21. Praise the Lord, you his angels. You might be ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts. There it is. Again, the parallelism in Hebrew poetry. Praise the Lord, his angels. Praise the Lord, his heavenly hosts, speaking of the same beings. So angels are here called heavenly hosts. Probably the most familiar passage that we'll be hearing a lot in another month or so. Well, before then actually is Luke 2.13. Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, this is in the Christmas story, the birth of Christ. So the word host is used of angels. And again, I say not in the sense of hosting or entertaining someone in your home, but in the sense of an army in the sense of a warrior. You know the expression in the Bible that you hear sometimes the Lord of hosts is the Lord of angel armies. He is the Lord who commands the angel armies of heaven. And they carry out as his army, his power and his purpose, his providence on planet earth. So they are his angel warriors in a sense. The fourth one goes with this kind of different title, but the same idea. So we'll go ahead and move to that one. Angels are sometimes called his chariots. Interesting name for angels, but you'll find that in a couple of passages at least Psalm 68 and verse 17, the chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of thousands. The Lord has come from Sinai into his sanctuary. Probably a reference to angels, the multitude of angels that God has at his disposal to do his bidding to accomplish his purpose. A very interesting passage that references angels as chariots is the passage in the second Kings chapter 8 or chapter 6 where Elijah is being surrounded by the angel. He is surrounded by the Syrian army and they're going to take him and and Elisha's servant is all upset about the great number of soldiers that he sees. And Elisha says, don't be afraid, prophet answered, those who are with us are more than those who are with them. And Elisha prayed, open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see. Then the Lord opened the servant's eyes and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. And the passage goes on to make it clear, those are angels that are there to protect them, but they're called chariots here. Chariots, horses and chariots are the representation of the angels in this passage. The Lord's host, the Lord's army that are sent to protect Elisha on this occasion. Okay, comments or questions about these two names of angels, host or chariots. Yes, Tommy? Yeah, in the Garden of Gethsemane when Peter sprang into action to take his short scabber that he had hidden his sword and started whacking away at the Roman guard, cut off Malchus's ear. Jesus said, put that away, don't you know that I could call 12 legions of angels, legions. Legion is a Roman army term for 6000 soldiers. And so Jesus was literally saying, I have 72,000 army soldiers, angels just waiting, all I have to do is speak and they come. And so again, that's a good example of the angel armies waiting to come, do God's bidding if Jesus had called them, which of course he did not and we're grateful for that. He went on to the cross. Okay, so they are host, they are chariots or seen as chariots in the sense of protecting God's people. A fifth title or a name of angels is Watchers or Watchman, it would be a more current term or in a way translates this term as messenger. In Daniel chapter 4, this is Nebuchadnezzar speaking about the vision that he had of the tree. And I remember later he was sent out into the field with mental derangement to grass like an ox and so forth, but the vision that he saw that was the prop of the tree. And he says in that vision, this is Nebuchadnezzar speaking, in the visions I saw while lying in bed, I looked and there before me was a holy one, a messenger, the King James has a watcher or watchman coming down from heaven. In verse 17, he says, the decision is announced by the messengers or the Watchman, the holy ones declare the verdict so that the living may know that the most high is sovereign overall kingdoms on earth and gives them to whoever or anyone he wishes and sets over them the lolliest of people. The Watchers or messengers are again mentioned in verse 23. And so they are Watchman or messengers in the sense that they are God's agents in control of the world affairs and governmental affairs. They came to carry out this vision that Nebuchadnezzar has seen and communicate this vision to him. So they are executing God's orders in world affairs in that sense they are his watchman, they are his messengers to communicate his purpose among the nations. So they are Watchers. Comments or questions? The next two, actually the next three go together, they are very similar. Angels are called sons of the mighty. That is again the King James term. The NIV will translate, there are two passes we will look at. The NIV translates the first one with the term mighty ones and the second with the term heavenly beings. Their references to angels, but let's look at them. Psalm 29.1. Ascribe to the Lord you heavenly beings or you sons of the mighty. Ascribe to the Lord glory and strength and then the other passage is in Psalm 89 verse 6. For who in the skies above can compare with the Lord? Who is like the Lord among the heavenly beings or among the sons of the mighty? The term sons of the mighty, the old King James expression is literally the Hebrew. That is literally what the Hebrew would translate into. And it describes their great strength. That is the purpose of that title. Whenever you find, or quite often I should say, when you find this expression, sons of in the Bible, the sons of refers to a particular class of persons, the sons of the prophets in the Old Testament. What's a particular group of people who were studying under the prophets to communicate God's word and so forth, they were going to seminary. The sons of the prophets started by Samuel and later kept up by Elijah and Elijah. They were a class of people who were studying the Old Testament scriptures to be able to minister to Israel. You find this expression sometimes in the Bible. The sons of Belyl, sons of Belyl is a name for Satan. And so sons of Belyl will indicate someone who is in a class of extreme wickedness. And then sometimes you see the term in the New Testament of a couple of Jesus disciples, sons of thunder indicating their personality was very abrasive at times, but certainly very out there, very aggressive at times. Sometimes John and James were. So sons of, often in the Bible, means a particular class of beings, or a particular characteristic of someone, sons of the mighty, then describing angels in their great power, their might, their strength. The seventh title for angels is Sons of God. And this one is found at least three times all in the book of Job. The NIV translates all of them angels in order to differentiate them from Sons of God as term we use for people, people who know the Lord. But the Hebrew literally is Sons of God, Sons of Elohim in Job. Let's look quickly at those three passages. Job one, one day the angels, this is the NIV, the King James would have Sons of God. One day the Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord. Satan also came with them. This is where Satan proposes to God that he be allowed to test Job. Remember that story. And then chapter two verse one they come back again on another day the angels. And by the way, the angels is not a bad translation. It's not the most literal. The literal is Sons of God. But in order to distinguish that from people, the NIV has chosen to translate angels and these were angels that were appearing before God. There mentioned another time in Psalm 38, or Job 38, seven. While the Morning Star sang together and all the angels or Sons of God shouted for joy, speaking about when God created the earth, the angels rejoiced. Obviously these are these are angels. Man had not yet been created. So these Sons of God have to be angels here. So Sons of God, Sons of Elohim. Again, Sons of indicating a class of beings that belong to Elohim God. Sons of might and power in contrast to men and contrast people and contrast to humans. These are supernatural beings. Sons of God. And then in one occasion, angels are actually called gods. The term Elohim is used. The Hebrew word Elohim, which can sometimes be translated gods, little G. And that is actually used in Psalm 8 verse 5. You have made them a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. Actually the Hebrew word here is Elohim. You've made them a little lower than God if you use capital E capital G for God. However, we know this is referring to angels because this passage is quoted in Hebrews 2.7 and clearly there it is referring to angels in contrast to Christ. So the point here, and that's why the NIV has translated this passage by the word angels. Again, called Elohim or gods in the sense that they belong to a supernatural class of beings higher than man, but lower than God. That's the point of that use. A couple of other real quick and then we'll pause for questions. Holy ones. Angels are called holy ones in Psalm 89.7. We saw this verse early in the council of the holy ones. God is greatly feared. He is more awesome than all who surround him. Angels are called holy ones. Those who surround him in heaven are called holy ones. In the part of their set apart, that's what holy means. Their set apart, they reflect holy character, holy activities. They are set apart for God. And then in one passage, angels are called morning stars. In the passage we saw earlier in Job 38 verse 7, while the morning stars sing together and all the angels shouted for joy. Again, Hebrew poetry, parallelism, stating the same thing in both sections of the verse, the morning stars are equivalent to the angels. They are rejoicing, singing and rejoicing at the creation of God. Those are the different names that angels are given. Wide variety of names indicating a wide variety of activities, ministries, responsibilities that they would have. So interesting that angels are not just called angels in the Old Testament or New Testament. They have a wide variety of names. Questions on the names of angels? What first? It probably does have to do with worship. We're going to see that one of the classifications of angels are called seraphim, which literally the Hebrew means burning ones. And so flames of fire probably indicates their passion and zeal to serve God. They serve God passionately with all of their zeal. There's no holding back. And so in that sense of burning is the idea. Flaming fire, flaming spirits. Yes. Yes. No, they're not. And remember that angels were created with a with freedom of choice. Once they made that initial choice, either to follow Satan in his rebellion or to stay true to God. Theologians speak of that is that they are now confirmed in holiness or unholiness. So no unholy angels can be saved and get holy and no holy angels now can fall. So in that sense, they no longer have that freedom of choice, but they still do have choice in other ways. And one of those choices is they choose to worship and serve God passionately. And so I think that's the concept between the flaming fire is the idea of passion. And when they are called wind, their winds, that same passage, Hebrews 1, 7 also calls them winds or a breath, it has the idea of speed, the idea of movement quickly. Okay. Good. Someone else question Tommy? Yeah. They certainly are represented that way in Luke 15. There's rejoicing among the angels of heaven when someone comes to know Christ is savior. So they rejoiced and sang when they saw when they saw God create the earth. They also rejoice when they see the new creation in a person's heart. So yeah, same thing. That's a great question. And I'm not sure I really know the answer to that. We will we will see that there are at least three different classifications of angels that we're going to look at in just a moment. But they're even with that there's some overlap in what they do. They seem to have a little bit of difference of responsibility, but there's some overlap too. Now we'll get to this a little later. There are also different ranks of angels. And I'm going to treat that separately from classifications. There are different ranks of angels called thrones, principalities, powers. There are several different ranks in the angelic order. And that would that would imply they have different responsibilities. But then you would expect that there are some things that maybe all angels do. Certainly they all serve at the pleasure of God, whatever he wants them to do. Anything else? Yes, sir, Marty? Okay. It will tie in about three or four weeks when we get to that. I don't mean to put you off, brother, but yeah, the term sons of God there. I'm convinced is not referring to angels. Obviously the term sons of God refers to people at other times in the Bible. It seems to be uniquely in Job that they're the angels are called sons of God. We'll get to that passage in Genesis 6. I promise you a little later I've got a whole section of our study reserved for that that interesting and very controversial passage. And we'll talk about what the sons of God may be in that passage. Personally, I do not think they're angels, but there are many who believe that passage is referring to angels. I gave you just a little teaser Sunday. Yeah, we'll get to that as we're in Genesis on Sundays. We had to had to touch on that, but we'll get into it a much more depth. And I'll flesh out the pros and cons of all the three major views of what the sons of God are in that passage or who they are. So the great question, but we don't have time to really get into it tonight. We will get to it though. Okay, others? Okay, let's start looking at the special classifications of angels and you have them on your outline tonight. If you pick that up, the first one is Cherubim. Cherubim. And I've given you several passages. I want you to turn to the first one if you would in Genesis 3. You may recall this one a few weeks ago in the book of Genesis in our series on sunny morning. We didn't really touch much on this at the end of this passage. But in Genesis 3, verse 24, when Adam and Eve were driven out of the Garden of Eden, verse 24, after he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden, Cherubim, and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. So here, these Cherubim, who will see as we see them throughout the scriptures, they are indeed angels. They are sent with the responsibility of guarding the gate to Eden to keep Adam and Eve out, to keep them from getting back in and the text indicates the reason for that to guard the way to the tree of life. The tree of life, and again, we don't know a whole lot about its qualities and so forth before the fall, it may have had properties that contributed to their health and vitality and living without dying. And so, once they sin and they are beginning to die physically, God seals off access to the tree of life so that they can no longer get to that. It's really of his mercy that he does that because if they continue to eat from the tree of life, evidently they will continue to live, but now they are getting older. They will just continue indefinitely to age and as we all know from watching our loved ones who have gone on before us, there comes a point where you don't want to hang around any longer. You just, aging gets to a point where the body is just not able to sustain the spirit. And so, God mercifully guarded the way. So, Cherubim here are seen as protecting, guarding something that refers to eternity, really. Now, someone raised the question, we were in Genesis 3 because we didn't deal with this very much. What happened to the tree of life? Is it still over there somewhere? Is there still an angel guarding it? And the answer would be no. The tree of life was afflicted with the curse like every other tree and eventually it lost its properties, eventually it would have died. But it would have taken a while and so God kept them from that tree. Okay, so the Cherubim though are guarding, they are guarding, they are sent specially to do that work by the Lord. We are not going to look at the next two passages. Exodus and Second Chronicles both refer to the same thing. Both of those passages refer to the lid over the arc of the covenant. The gold lid which was called the mercy seat and you remember in the mercy seat there were two Cherubim, two angels that were facing each other with their heads down and their wings meeting in the middle. And the idea of this is that remember this is where God manifests his presence to the nation of Israel and actually speaks with Moses. And so the idea here is that the angels are in the presence of God and they are in a sense guarding what's inside the arc of the covenant which is the law of God, the Ten Commandments, a pot of mana and the Aaron's rod that butted two of the three. And so the two of the miraculous things that God had done for the nation of Israel in the wilderness but also his perfect law. So there's a sense in which they are guarding and bowing in the presence of God, guarding his word and bowing in the presence of God. So there's an interesting double sign there if you will or symbolism. But again they are associated with the glory of God where he manifests his presence in the holy of Holies. The third passage I did want to look at but we don't really have time. It's the passage in Ezekiel and it is a fascinating passage in Ezekiel 1 verses 5 through 14. Ezekiel sees this vision and he sees what he calls living creatures and they're referred to as living creatures numerous times in that passage. But it's a vision that is hard to describe. He describes it in ways these living creatures are like on platforms and they're moving in all directions. They have eyes all over them so they can see in every direction. They have wings, they have different appearances. One has the face of a lion, face of a man, four different appearances. Very, very unusual and there's a huge noise that they make when they move. So it is a very unusual vision but in chapter 10 of Ezekiel if you read that whole passage they're called Cherubim and he identifies that these are the same beings he saw back in chapter 1. And so we know that these living creatures are Cherubim. They are angels in the presence of God. So putting all of those passages together which clearly identify Cherubim, the idea seems to be the main responsibility of Cherubim is proclaimers of God's glorious presence. Wherever they are found they are proclaiming God's presence, God's glorious presence or in a sense guarding the entrance back in to where Adam and Eve enjoyed the presence of God before they sinned and took of the tree of life. So proclaimers and protectors of God's glorious presence, his sovereignty, his holiness but they always seem to indicate the presence of God. They seem to be in his presence worshipping his holiness and his glorious presence. Okay, that seems to be what the Cherubim are doing, what their chief responsibility is. Now we don't have time to get to the second group or classification of angels which are seraphim but you might want to read if you have a chance before next week, Isaiah 6 verses 1 through 9. The only place that this classification of angels is named, they may show up in another passage which we'll look at next week also but the only time they are named is in Isaiah 6. Be interesting if you read that to kind of compare the likenesses and differences between them and Cherubim. You might want to do a little homework on that before next week, okay? Questions, comments before we close. Okay, let's have a word of prayer and we'll close.