Names, Classifications and Abode

All right, we are studying angels on Wednesday night. For those of you who are not able to be with us, we study what the Bible teaches about various topics. That's our Wednesday night diet, if you will, of doctrinal topics. And we've been studying since back in the summer, the doctrine of angels or what the Bible teaches about angels. And we've been looking last week at the names of angels. We're going to finish that up tonight looking at names of angels, different classifications of angels. And then we're going to hopefully tonight also find out where they hang out, where they live, the abode of angels as well. Last week we looked at the general names of angels. We saw there were ten of them, at least most common name of course, angel. They are also called ministers or servants. They're called hosts. The Lord of hosts, God's army, His hosts, they're called chariots. They're called watchmen or messengers. They're called sons of the mighty. Called sons of God. They are actually referred to in a couple passages as gods or heavenly beings using the Hebrew word for God, Elohim. They're called holy ones and in one reference called stars. So lots of different names for angels indicating the different functions and so forth. Last week we ended with looking at special classifications of angels. There are three special classifications of angels in the Bible. Three unusual groups of angels that are mentioned. Last week we looked at the first one which was Cherubim. And we didn't look carefully at this passage but I'd like to begin here tonight by looking at Ezekiel chapter 1. So would you please open your Bible to Ezekiel chapter 1. I want us to look at this passage because it ties into a passage we'll look at a little bit later tonight as well. Ezekiel 1 is that amazing vision that Ezekiel sees which includes some really unusual looking beings. Ezekiel 1, look at verse 5. Well verse 4 starts the thought. I looked and saw a windstorm coming out of the north in a mince cloud with flashing lightening surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal. Now verse 5 and in the fire was what looked like four living creatures. So they're called living creatures here. Notice their description. In appearance their form was that of a man but each of them had four faces. So appeared like a man but had four faces one on each side. And four wings their legs were straight their feet were like those of a calf and gleamed like burnished bronze under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead. They did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this. Each of the four had the face of a man and on the right side each had a face of a lion and on the left the face of an ox. Each also had the face of an eagle. Now these are really strange looking creatures aren't they? Such were their faces verse 11. Their wings were spread upward each had two wings one touching the wing of another creature on either side and two wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go they would go without turning as they went. The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures. It was bright and lightning flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning. An amazing description. And if you go on and read the rest of chapter one and into chapter two there are more amazing scenes that Ezekiel sees. But I wanted you to kind of see the description there because another creature that we're going to look at tonight is described somewhat similar. Now they're called living creatures in chapter one. If you'll look over at chapter 10 in Ezekiel. He identifies these living creatures. Chapter 10 verse 3. Actually all the way back to verse 1 he mentions Cherubim. Mention of Giammen verse 2 again in verse 3 verse 4 he says then the glory of the Lord rose from above the Cherubim and moved to the threshold of the temple. He mentions Cherubim all through this passage and then looked at it verse 20. These were the living creatures. I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kibar River and I realized they were Cherubim. Each had four faces and four wings and under their wings was what looked like the hands of a man. Their faces had the same appearance as those I had seen by the Kibar River. Each one went straight ahead. And so the reason I wanted to read what we just kind of briefly mentioned last week is that these creatures who are described in such unusual ways and the description of the faces and so forth the wings and so forth. They are identified in chapter 10 as being Cherubim. So these creatures seem to be always found around the throne of God or protecting the glory of God. Remember they were protecting the entrance to the Garden of Eden after the fall of man protecting Adam and Eve from going back into the Garden of Eden. So they seem to be the proclaimers and protectors of God's presence. Remember it was also the Cherubim that were fashioned and gold over the arc of the covenant and thus in a sense again protecting guarding the holiness of God in that place where God appeared to Moses and made his presence known in the Old Testament. So those are the Cherubim. Now turn with me to Isaiah chapter 6 and we are going to see another group of angels called Sarathim. Sarathim in chapter 6 of Isaiah, verse 1, in the year that King Azaya died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne high and exalted and the train of his robe filled the temple. Some of him were Saraths. The NIV translates the plural as it would in English, Saraths. The Hebrew would be Sarathim, the I.M. ending in Hebrew is plural. It's like the S in our English language and so some older translations use the word Sarathim. So above him were Saraths or Sarathim, each with notice six wings. How many did the Cherubim have? These are six wings. These are different creatures. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, with two they were flying. They were calling to one another, holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty. The whole earth is full of his glory. At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. Woe to me I cried. I am ruined for I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty. Then one of the Saraths or one of the Sarathim flew to me with a life colonies hand which you had taken with tongs from the altar, with it he touched my mouth and said, see this is touched your lips, your guilt has taken away and you're sin a toned for. The Cherubim mentioned with four different faces and four wings and moving in unusual ways, glowing like fire, mentioned that way at least by Ezekiel. The Sarathim, by the way the Hebrew word Sarathim literally means burning ones. The only other time it's used in the Old Testament it's used of snakes who give burning bites like the snakes and numbers, you know, the children of Israel in the wilderness. Burning ones is a literal to the idea and so probably this concept of Sarathim or burning ones speaks of consuming zeal and passion and devotion to God that burns. That's the idea here. They are found around the throne of God and they are crying maybe even as choirs from both sides of the throne, kind of an antifinal one cries and the other cries back possible that it was like that, crying wholly, wholly, wholly. This is the only time in the Bible the Sarathim are mentioned by name. So evidently their main purpose, if what we see in this text is typical, their main purpose seems to be to show forth God's holiness and transcendence how great He is around His throne. And of course the impact on Isaiah is remarkable. He realizes immediately how sinful He is. Whenever there are heavenly beings crying out the holiness of God, then any person in that kind of setting is going to fall at the feet of God and recognize how sinful we are. That's what happened to Isaiah and one of the Sarathim then flew to touch him with the tongs from the altar or the coal from the altar. Okay, those are the Sarathim. So you got Cherubim and Sarathim, any commoner question about these two unusual groups or classification of angels? Evidently, I mean the whole scene is a vision and so it's hard to know whether or not his tongue was actually touched with the coal or that's just something that he experiences in the vision. So I don't think it was such that it burned him, but he's seeing this in this vision. But something real is happening because he's conversing with the Lord and response to the Lord's invitation to go. Yes. I saw Bob and then Ben. That's a good question. The idea of protection comes initially from the idea that they were protecting in Genesis 3, the tree of life from man going back in. And so if that concept of protection carries over the throne of God, obviously God doesn't need protection. But they are there symbolically in a sense to guard the approach to God, to show in a symbolic sense that you don't just come into his presence unless you are allowed to. In that sense they may guard kind of ceremonial symbolic guarding of the throne. Yeah. Okay. Ben? Right. Good question. It's a great question and we have dealt with some of that, but to pull it all together is a good reminder. Angels, first of all, I guess the first answer to that question would be their spirit beings. So they do not typically have bodies, but they are allowed to appear in human form. And when they do, they appear as men. As, of course, we would expect with angels, you know, what appears as men, right? Nancy? Sure. They do appear to be like humans in the sense that when they appear as humans, they are at times indistinguishable from other men like with Abraham and Genesis 18, when he sees the guests walking by, he thinks they are just strangers. They end up being angels. So they can appear, and when they do, they would appear to be the same size and appearance as men because they are not distinguishable. But then on other occasions they appear in maybe proportionate, size-wise, but they appear in great glory like the angels at the tomb of Christ, you know, where they were shining forth in glory and the soldiers are paralyzed with fear. So there is a little bit of, you know, different things going on with appearances of angels. But when they do appear in a bodily form, they seem to be the same size and so forth, but as humans. So basically they don't need a human body, no. Which kind of leads us back to something else we talked about a little while ago, and that was do angels have wings. And sometimes they appear in that way, but sometimes they don't. They certainly don't need wings to propel themselves because they are spirit beings, but when they appear in some kind of form, sometimes they do have wings, which then gives the semblance of flight. Yes, Steve. You know, that's a difficult thing to understand. If there are spirit beings, how do they fight each other? I mean, or they swing in through each other or what? How does that happen? We really don't know. It's the same thing as in Revelation 20, when an angel comes down and binds Satan with chains in the bottom of his pit, well, Satan is a spirit being, how do chains hang on spirit? Obviously there's a lot of symbolic language there using terms that only, you know, that the only way we can understand fighting is, you know, with swords or whatever armament we would have. The only way you can explain being bound is with a chain, but obviously such material things are not necessary. So a lot of it has to do with, not necessarily with angels. A lot of it has to do with how do you explain things in the spirit world in terms of we can grasp them? Anthropomorphism, that's the technical word for it. Okay, Jean, I don't think anybody knows. There's nothing I have read where anybody says, oh, I know why I one had six and one had four. I don't think anybody really knows. Now, why they would have four or six, or does that make the ones with six faster or better than the others? Don't really know. Yeah, it's important enough to, at least for court, but why we don't really know. You're in good company, neither does anybody else. The description in Ezekiel has puzzled scholars for centuries and people basically describe it. And some of the things that are described are clearly, there's clearly a reason for, like their quick mobility, they're moving from side to side, covered with eyes and so forth, means they're able to see all things in all directions. So there's some things that are clear. We kind of understand what they mean, but the four faces, I don't know. I think anything would be probably conjecture, just guess. All right, you're ready for one other group, Cheribim, Seraphim, and there's one other group mentioned in the New Testament in Revelation chapter four, and that's a group called Living Creatures. Now, let's look at their description in Revelation four. And what we're going to see is something sound like Cheribim, other things sound like Seraphim. So which are they, or are they a third category that combines elements of the other two? That's what is a little difficult to know for sure, but let's just take a look at their description. In Revelation four, this is the scene in heaven, the first worship scene in heaven around the throne, verse four, surrounding the throne, where 24 other thrones seated on number 24 elders. He describes more of what's happening around the throne, but look at verse six. Also before the throne, there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal, in the center around the throne were four living creatures. And they were covered with eyes. In front and in back, the first living creature was like a lion. The second was like an ox. The third had the face of a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Now what does the description so far kind of remind you of? Ezekiel one, yeah. The description of the Cheribim with a little bit of difference. I mean, first of all, they're called living creatures, which in Ezekiel were identified as Cheribim. And then it's clear they have four different faces, but in this description, they seem to have four different total appearances, not just the face, but the total appearance of the four living creatures. Each one looks like the particular animal or person in the case of one. So it's a little different, but the description is really similar to the Cheribim in Ezekiel one, but now read on, verse 8, each of the four living creatures had six wings and covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. They in night, they never stop saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. Now what does that sound like? The seraphim, doesn't it? The seraphim is the Lord's wings and around the throne, crying holy, holy, holy, that sounds like Isaiah 6. And so the question here is, are these Cheribim or are they seraphim or are they something else? They have a little bit of description of each. This could be, I think most believe it is, a third different classification of angel that shares some of the qualities of the other two. But their activities, they're all through the book of Revelation. And so let me just quickly mention some of their activities. They are leading in worship around the throne of God. They do that in chapter four, they do it again in chapter five, they do it in chapter seven, they do it again in chapter 19. So at least four different worship scenes, the living creatures are, these living creatures are involved in leading worship. In one scene, a worship scene in heaven, they observe the worship of tribulation saints, but they just observe it. And that's in Revelation chapter 14 and verse three, the 144,000, which are mentioned in verse one, those are tribulation saints. They sang a new song before the throne and before the living creatures and the elders, no one could learn the song except 144,000 who had been redeemed from the earth. So these 144,000 are given a kind of a special worship session in heaven and the living creatures observe it along with the elders in heaven, but evidently are not participating in it. So that's interesting. And then the other thing they do in the book of Revelation is they actually are involved these four living creatures in directing the judgments of God in the tribulation. For instance in chapter six, where the judgments start with the seal judgments, verse one says, I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals, then I heard one of the four living creatures say in a voice like thunder come and I looked and behold there was before me a white horse. And then verse three, the second seal, second living creature speaks. Then the third seal, the third living creature, fourth sealed, fourth living creature. So they're involved in the judgments of God and in chapter 15 verse seven, there is a living creature, one of these angels, one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God. So the bowl judgments are handed out, the bowls are handed out seven different angels by one of the living creatures. And so they're interested or they are very much a part of the pouring out of the judgments of God in the tribulation time. So interesting creatures, really there's not much else that we know about these creatures, but there are evidently Cherubim, Seraphim and living creatures among the angels. Beyond that we really don't know much about different classifications. Now a little bit later we're going to see there are some different ranks just mentioned by titles like Prince Palatine's Powers and so forth. We'll look at that a little bit later in our study. Okay, questions about those three categories, John. They're not the same classifications it would seem, but there are different ranks and categories of angels. We'll actually see a little bit of that in Ephesians six maybe a little bit later, but there are different categories of angels, but these three terms are not used of evil angels. Okay, good. Anything else? It's an interesting thought that very saying since their spirit beings are they all pretty much the same, but just take on the appearance of whatever job they're asked to do, at that certainly at least the second half of that would certainly seem to be true because when they appear to Abraham, they appear as travelers, their pilgrims, just like Abraham as a pilgrim. When the angel of the Lord appears to Joshua in Joshua 6, he's about ready to go into battle in Jericho and the angel of the Lord appears to him as the captain of the army of the Lord. So that would seem to be true where angels in their appearance here on earth would seem to take on whatever characteristics are required by what they're asked to do. And whether or not they all are the same, they are persons, and so whether or not they have individuality as persons, it's hard to say, spirit beings, it's hard to say. But certainly I think what you've said is true about their appearances taking on the what tasks they're doing. Neil, you know, it's hard to say there could be more and really we're kind of playing with words when we get to talking about classifications or ranks of angels. You know, when the Bible uses the term principality powers and other ranks that we'll look at, are those also other classifications? It's kind of hard to know. But these are the only three that we know for sure that are classified with these terms, but there may well be others. Okay, good. Anything else? Okay, did you know there are two angels that are given specific names in the Bible, only two. And that's next in your notes, I was going to ask you what they are, but they're right there for you, I guess. So that'd be cheating, wouldn't it? The first one is Michael. And let's look at Daniel chapter 10, the passage that Steve mentioned earlier, and we've looked at this passage two or three times already in our study. Daniel chapter 10, when the angel finally gets through this spiritual warfare, he says to Daniel and Daniel chapter 10, verse 13, but the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me 21 days. You know, he was sent to answer Daniel's prayer that he'd been praying, but it's taken three weeks to get there because of this spiritual warfare in the heavenly realms. But then notice the middle of verse 13, then Michael, one of the chief princes came to help me because I was detained there with the kingdom of Persia. So he's called one of the chief princes, which indicates he is a high rank of angel, and he seems to be given the assignment of the welfare of the nation of Israel. Michael seems to be the angel who watches out for the nation of Israel. And this whole concept of a demon being called the prince of the Persian kingdom, and then down in verse 20, soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia. And when I go, the prince of Greece will come. So there are demons that are assigned to different nations and evidently good angels assigned to different angels. And Michael seems to be assigned to Israel, which obviously means he's of great importance in the scheme of the angel world in verse 20. If we keep reading there in verse 21, actually. The first I will tell you what is written in the book of truth. No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince. And is he talking about Daniel's personal angel? Probably not, because look over at chapter 12, verse 1, the third reference of Michael in Daniel. 121 says, at that time, Michael, the great prince who protects your people. Daniel is being addressed by God, God is speaking to Daniel. And he refers to Michael as the great prince who protects your people, the people of Israel. And so Michael seems to have this unique responsibility for overseeing, protecting the welfare of the nation of Israel. He fights for Israel. And he's very busy these days, isn't he? One of the amazing insights of these references in Daniel is the spiritual reality that there is spiritual warfare taking place which mirrors what's happening on planet earth. And there is international conflict. There is also angelic conflict. And especially when it comes to Israel, Satan is trying to sway the minds and hearts of people in power to accomplish his purpose. And Michael and the other angels who are assigned to work with him are being used by God to promote God's purpose. And there's Ebb and flow in that battle. And right now we're seeing some of the Ebb in that battle as far as Israel is concerned. A couple of other references to Michael, and we'll put these on the screen for you, in Jude 9, he is called the Archangel. But even the Archangel, Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, he did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said the Lord rebuked you. Now there's a lot in this verse, and we'll talk about more of it later. But right now just to want to bring out the point of angel being called, or Michael being called the Archangel. The word arch or archa is a Greek term which means chief or captain or first, chief among others. So the idea of an archangel is he is the first among the angels. Michael may well be, as far as ranks of angels go, at the very top. And thus is given the assignment of protecting God's treasured people, the people of Israel. So he's called the Archangel. And he also is a fierce warrior. Obviously we've seen that in Daniel already, but look at this reference in Revelation 12.7. Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought back. Now who's the dragon? Satan. In fact he's identified if we were to read on in that passage in verse 10 as that old serpent, the devil. Okay, so that's Satan is the dragon. And if you remember the story in Revelation 12, which we've already looked at bits and pieces of it already, we'll look at it more when we get to our section in the study of angels on Satan. But if you remember, it's a vision that John is given of a woman who has ready to bear child. The woman is a nation of Israel. The child is Christ. And because of all of that means in God's program, there is warfare in heaven. And this warfare comes to a peak in the middle of the tribulation time. And this is the war that's being described in Revelation 12. In the middle of the tribulation where Michael and his angels are fighting against the dragon and his angels against Satan and his angels. And the result of it is that Satan and his angels are thrown out of heaven, cast out for good. Satan has fallen from heaven, but he still has access to heaven, to condemn, to accuse believers. But in the middle of the tribulation, he will be thrown out for good and will not be able to access heaven anymore. And so if you read that whole passage, what he does is he takes out his fury on the nation of Israel. And it's at that point, the middle of the tribulation that the antichrist goes into the temple proclaims himself to be God and begins to persecute the nation of Israel. He's been kind to Israel up until then, up until that time, because remember the tribulation starts with a peace treaty that allows Israel to build a temple in the place of their Old Testament temple. Now you're talking about someone who has a masterstroke of genius as far as peace is concerned to be able to solve that problem, the Arab-Israeli problem, and allow Israel to build a temple on the temple mount? Whoa. No wonder he's proclaimed the great peacemaker. So he does good for Israel or tries to get good things for Israel in the first half of the tribulation, second half of the tribulation he seeks to put Israel to death. And that's what Revelation 12 is talking about. The reason I bring all that up is it's interesting that the result of this warfare is Satan attacks on Israel and that's what Michael is fighting about. See, Michael is fighting with Satan over what's happening with Israel. Very, very interesting insight into angelic warfare. So Michael is a great warrior. It seems that his chief duty is to guard, protect, provide for Israel as God's people to carry out God's purpose for his nation, his people. Israel. Questions about Michael? Okay, the other named angel in the Bible is Gabriel. And Gabriel seems to be a special messenger. I don't know if you ever Bible still open to Daniel. Look at Daniel 8, Daniel 8, verse 15. While I Daniel was watching the vision and he just had a vision of a ram and a goat and won't describe all that happens there, but that's in the first half of chapter 8. While he was seeking to understand this vision, he says there before me stood one who looked like a man and I heard a man's voice from the Ulyr river calling Gabriel. Tell this man the meaning of the vision. And so Gabriel communicates the meaning of this vision of the ram and goats to Daniel. And in Daniel chapter 9, look at verse 21, Daniel 9, 21. While I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight, month-time the evening sacrifice, and he gives him the understanding of the 70 weeks, that great prophetic vision of the future of the nation of Israel. So he again is communicating information to Daniel. Now Gabriel appears a couple of other times communicating information. Do you remember where that might be? Right, when Christ was born, I heard it over here, Mary, at least twice, he is named as appearing in Luke's Gospel the first time actually to Zacharias in the temple. And Zacharias is performing his duties as a priest. Look at Luke chapter 1 verse 19, it's on the screen for you. The angel said to him, I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. Of course the good news is about the birth of John the Baptist. But then just a little bit later, down in verse 26, look at this. In the six month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, the town in Galilee to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, the senator of David, the virgin's name is Mary, and he is the one who communicates about the birth of Christ. So Gabriel seems to have this unique function of communicating special messages to God's people about God's program for Israel. While Michael is fighting the battles for Israel, Gabriel is communicating messages about Israel, whether it's helping Daniel to understand the visions he's seeing about the future of Israel or announcing the birth of John the Baptist and the Messiah of Israel. So that seems to be Gabriel's unique role. Now I know there are other names of angels mentioned in other literature, but these are the only two named by name in the Bible. Harold. Yeah, okay. Took me a while to get that one. Yeah, we sing about him at Christmas, right? Yeah. Harold. Okay. Yeah, I think we're talking about in the Bible. Yeah, not in the hymnal in the Bible. Mark the Harold angels sing. Yes. Okay. All right, our time's up. We don't have kids running through the building tonight, but our time is up, and I'm not going to keep any longer. We'll talk next, not next week, but the week, not the week after either. That's Thanksgiving. Three weeks before we gather together again for our study. So we'll talk about where angels live at that time, the abode of angels, okay? Let's pray. Father, thank you for the opportunity to study your word. We know that in every area of Bible truth, there is much confusion in these last days. People will not endure sound doctrine, but turn their ears from the truth and even in the area of angels, as we see in our culture. So many possibilities for Satan to deceive. So Lord, help us to be clear in seeking to learn what the Bible teaches and to hold even doctrines like this in accord with your word. Thank you that you've given us these ministering spirits to minister to us, to minister to us in so many different ways. We are grateful for all of your provision for us in Jesus' name. Amen.