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Therefore, angels are only servants – spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation (Hebrews 1:14, NLT).
In 1975, I picked up a bestselling book by Billy Graham entitled Angel’s: God’s Secret Agents.
I couldn’t stop reading the book. In the ’70s there were few books written on the topic of angels.
The teachings that Graham taught then about angels were needed because there were no books on the topic, but are also needed today, as there are too many books teaching weird and strange doctrines about angels.
Billy Graham opens his book with the story of missionaries having their house surrounded by those seeking to kill them. Years later, the chief of the adversaries that night became a follower of Jesus and when asked by the missionaries why he didn’t attack, the chief responded that…
He saw hundreds of men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands!
This story reminds me of the servant of Elisha who woke up one morning to find the enemies of Elisha surrounding the city. The servant looked out and saw soldiers, horses, and chariots everywhere. The servant said to Elisha, “Oh, sir, what will we do now?”
“Don’t be afraid!” Elisha told him. “For there are more on our side than on theirs!” Then Elisha prayed, “O Lord, open his eyes and let him see!” The Lord opened the young man’s eyes, and when he looked up, he saw that the hillside around Elisha was filled with horses and chariots of fire (2 Kings 6:16-17).
Last week, my wife and I were driving home from our small group. We went through an intersection with a building on the right that obscured our vision and coming straight at us was a speeding Sheriff’s Deputy with lights blazing.
Somehow the deputy’s car stopped, and we passed through the intersection while I was left thinking about Psalm 91…
God orders his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands, so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone (Psalm 91:11-12).
Scripture teaches that angels are messengers, warriors, guides, and revealers of great mysteries. They are created beings in absolute surrender to Jesus…
…who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to Him (1 Peter 3:22, ESV).
Billy Graham believed that followers of Jesus have guardian angels assigned to them. He writes…
This guardianship possibly begins in infancy, for Jesus said, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
Graham indicates that angels have this purpose…
The most important characteristic of angels is not that they have power to exercise control over our lives, or that they are beautiful, but that they work on our behalf. They are motivated by an inexhaustible love for God and are jealous to see the will of God in Jesus.
I’ve been reading the book of Isaiah which contains a story about what happened to a ruler who defied God. This should be a warning to all dictators and megalomaniacs of current history and to anyone else who gleefully blasphemes.
This king had surrounded Jerusalem and claimed that God could do nothing to stop the king’s plans of conquering the city.
Then the angel of the Lord went out and struck 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians; and when men arose early in the morning, behold, all of these were dead (Isaiah 37:36).
Guardians, protectors, upholding God’s plans, bringing judgment on the opposition – I’m praising God for his angels.
I know that I keep my guardian angel very busy!
If you have an angel story – please send it to me.