On earth, angels are devoted to God’s service. While their ‘ordinary’ action in heaven is absorption in praise, ‘their extraordinary ministry is to accompany the history of redemption at its cardinal points.’1Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics. Abridged, 282.
In other words: when God is doing something decisive, angels turn up.
When angels act, we deal directly with God.
When an Angel Comes, God Has Come
Early in Scripture the expressions ‘angel of the LORD’ and ‘angel of God’ are identified with the being and action of God himself.
‘Their status as creatures … is a unique one, since God himself is directly present in them as his instruments and messengers, so that in some cases it is not clear whether God himself is acting or one different from him.’2Wolfhart Pannenberg, Systematic Theology, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (T&T Clark, 1992/2004), 2:104. Beeke, Reformed Systematic Theology, 1:1114, draws an absolute distinction between created angels and the uncreated – Divine – angel of the LORD.
God’s angel appears first to Hagar (Gen 16:7-12), then to Lot, Abraham and Jacob (Gen 19:1; 22:11; 28:12). And although an angel’s action may be a distinct form of God’s action (Exo 23:20), an angel’s coming is always presented as equivalent to the presence and working of God himself (Gen 24:7; 48:16).
Rescue, and Words
Their role as servants of God’s presence, guidance and protection is reiterated through the Exodus (Exo 3:2; 14:19). Invariably the angel of the LORD is sent to fulfil God’s purpose — often entailing practical defence, rescue and comfort of his people.
But their communicative activity, as agents of the knowledge of God, is defined early on too, as they serve his revelation. At virtually all points angels combine material assistance with verbal delivery of God’s will in words of command and promise (Num 22:22-35), sometimes at length (Zech 1-6). God’s angel pronounces blessing, promises salvation, and announces warning of punishment on God’s enemies (Gen 19:13).
Yet notice how this revelational aspect is framed. It’s clearly uncommon and exceptional. God’s preferred means of communication is otherwise — and there’s no suggestion anywhere that human beings might initiate communication with angels in order to reach God.
Around Jesus
Angels appear to Christ himself just twice, at the outset of his ministry and at the end. But they were extensively engaged around both ends of his incarnate career: annunciation (Luke 1:26-38), birth and childhood (Matt 2:13; Luke 2:9-15), temptation in the wilderness (Matt 4:11), his passion (Luke 22:43), resurrection and ascension (Matt 28:2; Acts 1:10-11).
So they operate at the intersection of heaven and earth, ascending and descending (Gen 28:12) across the boundary between visible and invisible realms. Exactly how is hidden from us. But three aspects of their role emerge clearly.
Messengers
Angels are messengers — those who speak in the name of someone else, verbal witnesses of God’s saving acts, conveying his messages and revealing the future. They were involved in commissioning the law and the prophets (Exo 3:2; Isa 6:1-7), intermediaries in the disclosure of God’s law (Acts 7:53; Gal 3:19), and helped interpret its meaning (Dan 10; Zech 1-4).
Most prominent are Gabriel’s appearances to Zechariah and Mary. Anticipating the births of John the Baptizer and of Jesus Christ, he announced what would happen and explained its significance as God’s definitive act of salvation (Luke 1:11-20, 26-38). A company of angels accompanied Christ’s birth (Luke 2:13-14), and an angel guided Joseph through Mary’s pregnancy and twice afterwards against danger from Herod (Matt 1:20-24; 2:13, 19-20). Later, an angel prompted Cornelius’ reception of God’s message of salvation to all ethnicities (Acts 10:1-8), and angels gave guidance tailored to specific situations — to Philip, Peter and Paul (Acts 8:26; 12:7-11; 27:23-6).
One detail worth noticing. The guidance to Philip delivered precise directions, yet it’s continuous with and distinguished from guidance by ‘the Spirit’ moments later (Acts 8:29). Here angels act as witnesses to God’s purposes, strengthening human witness to the gospel.
Warriors
Angels are warriors.
In the Exodus, the ‘angel of God’ defended newly liberated Israel (Exo 14:19). Later a ‘mountain … full of horses and chariots of fire’ protected Elisha (2 Ki 6:11-17), and when Sennacherib threatened Jerusalem ‘an angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000’ (2 Ki 19:35).
Beyond the natural order, cherubim guard God’s immediate presence (Gen 3:24), and angels provide security in the place prepared for his people (Rev 21:27). More broadly they contend with ‘the dragon and his angels’ (Rev 12:7). Organised into armies, they fight to advance the Kingdom of God behind the scenes. Jesus could refer to his Father’s deployment of twelve legions as required (Matt 26:53).
Mention of angelic combat with ‘the prince of the kingdom of Persia’ (Dan 10:13, 20-21) suggests to some that earthly empires have heavenly counterparts. Under the exalted Christ, angels play an invisible yet decisive role in the destiny of nations. Wherever the Kingdom of God is, there are angels — and demonic entities oppose them. Beyond that, exact knowledge is difficult.
On a number of occasions retributive judgement upon God’s enemies is executed by angels (Psa 78:49-51). In the parable of the weeds they ‘gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all lawbreakers’ (Matt 13:41-42), and the largest-scale engagement appears in Revelation: ‘They do not merely tell of Babylon’s overthrow; Michael with his troops march with the Lamb to accomplish it.’3Robert W. Jenson, Systematic Theology (Oxford University Press, 1997-1999), 2:125.
These are terrific matters. But it is of capital importance to recognise that angelic retribution is subordinated to the goal of delivering creation from evil. In that vein, angels perform God’s acts of liberation. An angel ‘rolled back’ the tombstone at Christ’s grave (Matt 28:1-7) and executed release from prison for the apostles and for Peter (Acts 5:18-19; 12:6-10) — defending preachers from persecution.
Assistants
Angels are assistants. All of the above can be summarised as service — the overwhelming emphasis of what Scripture says about them.
They play a critically important yet supporting role, especially at moments of crisis — temptation, suffering, mental stress, physical threat (Psa 34:7; 91:11) — accomplishing God’s purposes in support of his people, for ‘they are all ministering [leitourgikos] spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation’ (Heb 1:14).
That verse is the closest Scripture comes to defining their nature — and it specifies them as servants and spirits.
According to Jesus’ parable of the rich man and Lazarus, at death angels carry God’s people to paradise (Luke 16:22). At the coming of the Son of Man, angels will ‘gather his elect from the four winds’ (Matt 24:30-31), and Paul predicts the Lord’s descent ‘with the voice of an archangel’ (1 Thess 4:16).
Meanwhile, angels apparently observe the lives of believers (Luke 15:10), are present to them with God and Christ himself (1 Tim 5:21), and oversee the propriety of church gatherings (1 Cor 11:10).
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- 1Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics. Abridged, 282. ↩︎
- 2Wolfhart Pannenberg, Systematic Theology, trans. Geoffrey W. Bromiley (T&T Clark, 1992/2004), 2:104. Beeke, Reformed Systematic Theology, 1:1114, draws an absolute distinction between created angels and the uncreated – Divine – angel of the LORD. ↩︎
- 3Robert W. Jenson, Systematic Theology (Oxford University Press, 1997-1999), 2:125. ↩︎