Angelic Appearances

The Word of God records numerous appearances by angels, yet they’re far from random occurrences. Today, Ferguson identifies the common factor behind the arrival of these mighty beings, teaching us about their mission.

This week on Things Unseen, since we’re in the Advent season, we’ve been thinking about angels. And when we think of these amazing creatures, it’s kind of ludicrous that they’ve been portrayed almost as though they were children’s toys. It makes you wonder if that’s been a tactic of Satan, to ridicule the angels and thus to ridicule God? So, we’ve been trying to reflect on who these heavenly creatures are and what they do.

Of course, we know that, in general terms, they’re servants of God and establishing His purposes. Psalm 103:20 puts it this way: they are mighty beings who accomplish God’s will. Yes, mighty beings. Think of their power. They destroyed Sodom. Think of the angel of death’s visitation in the exodus. Or in a different way, think of the angel who opened prison doors to rescue Peter from prison, or those who rolled away the stone before the tomb of Jesus.

But what I think especially interesting is the way these heavenly beings seem to appear at especially strategic points in biblical history. Here are some of them: at creation, according to Job 38, at the time of the fall in Genesis 3, in establishing the covenant line and family in the life of Abraham in Genesis 19, and in the case of Isaac as well, or in the exodus, in the angel of the Lord appearing to Moses, and then leading the people in the pillar of cloud and fire. And then the angels appear in connection with the giving of the law according to Galatians 3:19. And then they’re there in the entrance into the promised land in Exodus 23, and again in the days of the judges, in the lives of Gideon and Samson. And then later, we meet with angels in the establishing of the prophetic ministry and Elijah and Elisha, and then in the visions of Isaiah and Ezekiel, and again in the experience of Daniel at the time of the exile. And then, of course, as we turn to the New Testament, we meet with angels at the birth of our Lord Jesus and in His ministry, His death, His resurrection, the promise of His coming, and in the experience of the Apostles. And then we read of them in the book of Revelation, in its description of the conflict between the powers of darkness and the power of God. And then finally, we read about them in connection with the return of our Lord Jesus.

And when we trace this through the narrative of Scripture, something begins to become clear. No doubt the angels are constantly at work serving the Lord in many different ways, but these specific angelic appearances are far from haphazard. What they have in common is actually similar to what unites the apparently spasmodic outbreak of the supernatural that takes place in miracles. The appearance of angels is not a constant, everyday occurrence, any more than the occurrence of miracles. They seem to be limited to specific periods in the story of the kingdom of God, and I’ve listed some of them. And their common factor is that these were all periods of strategic defense and/or advance of the kingdom of God.

I think it’s interesting that in the book of Daniel, they’re described as the “watchers” (Dan. 4:13). They’re watching out for God’s kingdom and watching out for God’s people in times of crisis or in moments of great advance. That’s a great way to think about the angels and their ministry. They’re observing what’s happening in the world. Their eyes are fixed on the situation in the kingdom of God. In fact, Simon Peter says they’re watching us being saved and even wondering, “What must it be like to be a sinner for whom their King, the Lord Jesus, was willing to die?” And they’re ready at a moment’s notice to go in the service of their King, to protect His people in days of danger and in days of advance. They’re like those Roman soldiers who were ready to go at a moment’s notice. That’s the angels.

I’d love to have been a fly on the wall of heaven to sense the atmosphere among those angels when they heard the voice from the throne say, “Gabriel, it’s time; go now,” and the watchers saw him go to Zechariah to tell him his wife, Elizabeth, would have a son. But don’t you think they must have held their breath in awe, and perhaps fallen totally silent, when a few months later, by our reckoning of time, the voice spoke again and said: “Gabriel, the time has come. Go now to Nazareth. And there you will find a teenage girl called Mary. And tell her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary. You have found favor with God, and you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’” Stunning, isn’t it? No wonder the hymn says that angels help us to adore Him. And there’s still more to come tomorrow. I hope you join us then on Things Unseen.