Angels Lesson 8

The Work Of Angels As Messengers

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Before the Holy Spirit came to dwell in the saved and before the Bible was completed, God used angels to deliver his messages to mankind. Angels could not tell people how to be saved. Angels are not allowed to preach the gospel until the last half of the tribulation period, three and one half years after the rapture. Angels would deliver instructions and various messages for God to mankind. God would use the voice of an angel as his own voice and words. The person who would be talking to an angel would think he was talking to God. In reality that person would be talking to God through an angel.

The first record we have of an angel talking to mankind is when an angel was sent to Hagar.
"7 And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur.
8 And he said, Hagar, Sarai's maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai." (Genesis 16:7-8)
Hagar was the handmaid of Sarah and Abraham. Hagar was to have a child by Abraham. Sarah was jealous and had Hagar thrown out before the child was born. The angel delivered two messages to Hagar. The first message was that she was to go back to Sarah and Abraham.
"And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands." (Genesis 16:9)
The second message was that the child would be a boy and his name would be Ishmael. Ishmael would be the father of a great nation that would be called the Arabs. This nation would be great and would be against all nations, especially the Jewish nation of Israel.
"10 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
11 And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Behold, thou [art] with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction.
12 And he will be a wild man; his hand [will be] against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren." (Genesis 16:10-12)

Three angels were sent to Abraham and Sarah to tell them that Sarah would have a child by Abraham even though both were old.
"1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw [them], he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:" (Genesis 18:1-3)
"And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard [it] in the tent door, which [was] behind him." (Genesis 18:10)
This child would be called Isaac and would have a great nation, Israel, which would be the promised nation of God. Two of these angels left Abraham and went to deliver a message to Lot, who lived in Sodom.
"And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing [them] rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;" (Genesis 19:1)
Abraham and Lot both were told that Sodom would be destroyed, because of the sins of the city.
"20 And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;
21 I will go down now, and see whether they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know." (Genesis 18:20-21)

God wanted Abraham to demonstrate what was to happen one thousand, eight hundred years later. God would give his only begotten son, Jesus to be sacrificed on that same mountain where Abraham offered his son Isaac. When it came time for Abraham to kill Isaac, while Isaac lay on the altar on Mt. Moriah, God sent an angel to tell him not to kill his son.
"11 And the angel of the LORD called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here [am] I.
12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me." (Genesis 22:11-12)
God would provide himself (Jesus) as a lamb to be offered later on the same mountain. An angel was sent to Jacob with a message for him to go back home.
"11 And the angel of God spake unto me in a dream, [saying], Jacob: And I said, Here [am] I.
12 And he said, Lift up now thine eyes, and see, all the rams which leap upon the cattle [are] ringstraked, speckled, and grisled: for I have seen all that Laban doeth unto thee.
13 I [am] the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, [and] where thou vowedst a vow unto me: now arise, get thee out from this land, and return unto the land of thy kindred." (Genesis 31:11-13)

An angel was sent to Moses with a message that he was to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt.
"And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush [was] not consumed." (Exodus 3:2)
"Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt." (Exodus 3:10)

An angel was sent to Gideon with a message that he was to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Midianites.
"And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which [was] in Ophrah, that [pertained] unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide [it] from the Midianites." (Judges 6:11)
"And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?" (Judges 6:14)

An angel was sent to Manoah and his wife with a message that she was to have a child, and his name would be Samson.
"2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name [was] Manoah; and his wife [was] barren, and bare not.
3 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou [art] barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son." (Judges 13:2-3)
"And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the LORD blessed him." (Judges 13:24)

An angel was sent to Elijah with a message for the king of Samaria, that the king would die, because the king was sick and inquired of the god of Ekron as to whether or not he would get well.
"But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, [Is it] not because [there is] not a God in Israel, [that] ye go to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron?" (2 Kings 1:3)
"15 And the angel of the LORD said unto Elijah, Go down with him: be not afraid of him. And he arose, and went down with him unto the king.
16 And he said unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Forasmuch as thou hast sent messengers to enquire of Baalzebub the god of Ekron, [is it] not because [there is] no God in Israel to enquire of his word? therefore thou shalt not come down off that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die.
17 So he died according to the word of the LORD which Elijah had spoken. And Jehoram reigned in his stead in the second year of Jehoram the son of Jehoshaphat king of Judah; because he had no son." (2 Kings 1:15-17)

An angel was sent to Gad with a message for King David to build an altar on the threshingfloor of Ornan.
"Then the angel of the LORD commanded Gad to say to David, that David should go up, and set up an altar unto the LORD in the threshingfloor of Ornan the Jebusite." (1 Chronicles 21:18)
This would be the place where Solomon would build the Temple.

The angel Gabriel was sent to Daniel to explain the vision of the ram and the he goat.
"15 And it came to pass, when I, [even] I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man.
16 And I heard a man's voice between [the banks of] Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this [man] to understand the vision." (Daniel 8:15-16)
"20 The ram which thou sawest having [two] horns [are] the kings of Media and Persia.
21 And the rough goat [is] the king of Grecia: and the great horn that [is] between his eyes [is] the first king." (Daniel 8:20-21)

Gabriel was sent the second time to Daniel to explain the seventy weeks of the nation of Israel.
"Yea, whiles I [was] speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation." (Daniel 9:21)
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy." (Daniel 9:24)

Zechariah had eight visions.
(1) The man among the myrtle trees and the drove of horses.
(2) The four Horns and the four carpenters.
(3) The man with the measuring line.
(4) The cleansing of the High Priest.
(5) The golden candlestick and the two olive trees.
(6) The flying roll.
(7) The Woman in the Epha.
(8) The four chariots.
An angel was sent to explain these visions to Zechariah.
"Then said I, O my lord, what [are] these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these [be]." (Zechariah 1:9)

The angel Gabriel was sent to Zacharias with a message that Elisabeth would have a son and his name would be John.
"And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings." (Luke 1:19)
"11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw [him], he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John." (Luke 1:11-13)
This would be John the Baptist.

The same angel Gabriel was sent to Mary with a message that she would have a son and his name would be Jesus.
"26 And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name [was] Mary." (Luke 1:26-27)
"30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. 31 And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS." (Luke 1:30-31)

An angel was sent to Joseph with a message that Mary would have a son, and his name would be Jesus.
"20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21)
He would be the Son of God.

An angel was sent to the shepherds with a message about the birth of Jesus.
"8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
9 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
10 And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:8-11)

An angel was sent to the empty tomb of Jesus with a message about the resurrection of Jesus.
"1 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first [day] of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it." (Matthew 28:1-2)
This angel also gave a message to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary for the disciples, that Jesus would see them in Galilee.
"5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
6 He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.
7 And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you." (Matthew 28:5-7)

An angel was sent to Philip with a message to go to Gaza.
"And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert." (Acts 8:26)
At Gaza, which is a desert, Philip would find a man of Ethiopia and tell him about Jesus.

An angel was sent to Cornelius with instructions on how to find Simon Peter.
"3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius.
4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.
5 And now send men to Joppa, and call for [one] Simon, whose surname is Peter:" (Acts 10:3-5)
Peter would lead Cornelius and his house to the Lord.

An angel was sent to John to explain the book of Revelation.
"The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified [it] by his angel unto his servant John:" (Revelation 1:1)

The messages of the angels were to be received as if God himself had spoken. People were punished because they did not take the messages of the angels seriously.
"For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward;" (Hebrews 2:2)
What will happen to us if we do not take the message of Jesus and the Bible seriously?

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