Angels now more than ever

[skipbeat]

"Thousands upon thousands were ministering to Him." -Daniel 7:10

Today's feast day honors the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael, the only angels mentioned by name in the Bible. We thank God for these three archangels. We need them now more than ever.

The only way to understand nearly forty years of killing millions of babies through abortion and the collapse of marriage and family life is to realize that "our battle is not against human forces" but against the devil (Eph 6:12). We need Michael to fulfill his part in God's plan of salvation: to fight and defeat the devil (Rv 12:7-9).

Our society is smothered in bad news. Daily we gorge ourselves on it. We rejoice in what is wrong rather than in the truth (1 Cor 13:6). In a world of faithless confusion, we need the light and good news of Gabriel (see Dn 9:21; Lk 1:26).

The blindness of sin is so pervasive in our society. When we refuse to repent, we even blind ourselves and become blind to being blind (see Is 29:9). Under these circumstances, we need Raphael to open our eyes (see Tb 11:7ff).

All angels are sent by God to serve us "who are to inherit salvation" (Heb 1:14). We are in great need, and God has provided angelic servants for us. Employ these mighty creatures to help you serve the Lord.


Prayer: Father, You created angels for good reason. May I let them be fully active in my life.

Promise: "You shall see the sky opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man." -Jn 1:51

Praise: "It was I who presented and read the record of your prayer...I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord" (Tb 12:12, 15).


((((((Taken from: One Body, One Bread))))))

 

[B-A-C]

Interesting message.

First Raphael isn't mentioned in the Bible (not in the recognized canon)

Second, we have the Holy Spirit available to us now, which wasn't available to the majority of people in the OT, (John 7:39) and even then it was only given temporarily. Why ask angels for help when we can ask the creator of the angels.

We don't need angels. All we need is Jesus. The angels aren't our comforter. The Holy Spirit is. (John 14:16, 26, 15:26, 16:7) Most of Hebrews 1 is talking about how Angels are inferior to Christ.

Heb 1:4 having become as much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
Heb 1:5 For to which of the angels did He ever say, "YOU ARE MY SON, TODAY I HAVE BEGOTTEN YOU"? And again, "I WILL BE A FATHER TO HIM AND HE SHALL BE A SON TO ME"?
Heb 1:6 And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, "AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM."

We shouldn't be putting emphasis on angels. We shouldn't worship them or even pray to them.
Any church that exalts angels over Christ, I would have to seriously wonder about.

It seems many churches put emphasis on praying to any one but Jesus, or asking help from anyone but Jesus.
They pray to saints, pray to Mary, pray to angels... But this isn't what the Bible says.

There is only ONE mediator between God and man. 1Tim 2:5 Heb 8:6 Heb 9:15 Heb 12:24
We can pray to the Father because of this... and we should. Matt 6:9

 

[Strypes]

That bit about the angels ascending and descending on the son of man is something that I found quite interesting. Jesus said that to one of the disciples (Nathanael)

John 1:53

43 The next day Jesus decided to go to Galilee. He found Philip and said to him, “Follow me.” 44 Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” 46 Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” 47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!” 48 Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” 49 Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!” 50 Jesus answered him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these.” 51 And he said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you,11 you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

I think Jesus was making a point about Nathanael that Nathanael knew the scriptures and would have known the passage in Genesis..

Genesis 28:12 (Genesis 28)

And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder1 set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it!

Nathanael would come to understand that Jesus IS the stairway to heaven..