1. What class of spiritual beings is God using in the administration of His government?
1. What class of spiritual beings is God using in the administration of His government?
“And I saw, and I heard a voice of MANY ANGELS round about the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands.” Rev. 5:11. Note.—The word “angel” is a transferred Greek word meaning messenger. Sometimes it is applied to men, but almost invariably to those spiritual beings of which the Bible abundantly speaks, who are ministers of God to do His service. John speaks of them in number as ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands. Ten thousand times ten thousand is a hundred million; but this is not all. He adds, “thousands of thousands.” We do not wonder that they are called in Heb. 12:22 “innumerable hosts of angels,”—not simply innumerable angels, but innumerable hosts; that is, there are innumerable companies of them. For God’s “armies in heaven” are, in the very nature of things, in perfect order and under perfect discipline, governed by the holy principle of love. Mentioning the same vast number, another prophet says, “Thousands of thousands ministered unto Him [the Ancient of Days], and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him,” ready to do His service. Dan. 7:10. 2. What is said of their responsiveness to His commandments? “Bless Jehovah, ye His angels, that are mighty in strength, that fulfil His Word, harkening unto the voice of His Word. Bless Jehovah, all ye His hosts, ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure.” Ps. 103:20, 21. 3. Who is the chief of these angels? “Michael the Archangel.” Jude 9. Note.—Michael the Archangel is none other than Christ. He is often spoken of by men as entirely distinct from our Lord. Sometimes the term is used in the plural. The Bible, however, knows but one Archangel. The term “arch” means chief. When placed before a noun beginning with a vowel, or vowel sound, the “ch” takes the hard form; when placed before a consonant, the ordinary sound, as in “archbishop.” The Archangel is therefore the commander among the angels. “Michael” means “who is like God.” Therefore through all the past dispensation Christ is called “the Angel of Jehovah.” From the reference in Jude it will be seen that He is the one that has to do with the raising of the dead. Turning to 1 Thess. 4:16, we learn that the dead shall be raised with the voice of the Archangel. By comparing this with John 5:28, 29, we further learn that the dead shall come from their graves with the voice of the Son of God, making the voice of the Son of God and the voice of the Archangel identical, and, therefore, identifying the Archangel Michael as Christ the Son of God. This also is confirmed by the angel Gabriel’s words to Daniel. Speaking to the prophet and his people, he calls the Archangel “Michael your Prince.” Dan. 10:21. Still further, in Ex. 23:21 Jehovah says of the Angel that shall go before the children of Israel, “Take ye heed before Him, and hearken unto His voice; provoke Him not; for He will not pardon your transgression: for My name is in Him.” And in Isa. 63:9 He is called the Angel of Jehovah’s presence, who in all the afflictions of Israel was afflicted, who by His love and pity redeemed them and bore them, and carried them all the days of old. This very thought is inspiring as we think of the Son of God giving Himself to men; in His humiliation passing down through the ranks of angels as well as men, and so filling every vacancy and bridging every chasm which sin had made, by the wonderful sacrifice of His love. 4. After our Lord’s exaltation, who takes His place as the chief of the angels? Gabriel, whose name means “man of God,” sometimes called man, coming to men in the form of men. See Dan. 8:16; Luke 1:19, 26. 5. What is the relationship of the angels to men? “Are they not all ministering spirits, SENT FORTH TO DO SERVICE for the sake of them that shall inherit salvation?” Heb. 1:14. “The Angel of Jehovah ENCAMPETH ROUND about THEM THAT FEAR HIM, and delivereth them.” Ps. 34:7. “See that ye despise not one of these LITTLE ONES: for I say unto you, that in heaven THEIR ANGELS do always behold the face of My Father who is in heaven.” Matt. 18:10. 6. Are these angels spirits of men?—No, for they existed before men. “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if thou hast understanding. Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? Or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner-stone thereof, WHEN THE MORNING STARS SANG TOGETHER, and all THE SONS OF GOD shouted for joy?” Job 38:4-7. 7. They existed before any one died. “So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden the CHERUBIM, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the Tree of Life.” Gen. 3:24. “Cherubim” are orders, or divisions, of angels. 8. What is said of the power of only one of these beings? “And it came to pass that night, that THE ANGEL OF JEHOVAH went forth, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred four-score and five thousand: and when men arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies.” 2 Kings 19:35. 9. Revelation of truth is given through angelic ministry. “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show unto His servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and He SENT AND SIGNIFIED IT BY HIS ANGEL unto His servant John.” Rev. 1:1. Note.—This seems to be invariably true. It is the revelation of God to Christ; Christ to His angel; His angel to men. So also we read in Daniel that the man Gabriel, Christ’s angel, made the revelation to him (Dan. 8:16; 9:21); and in the 10th chapter and 21st verse Gabriel tells the prophet, “There is none that holdeth with me against these, but Michael your Prince.” When God wished to reveal to Zechariah that a son of his would be the forerunner of the Messiah, He sent Gabriel. Luke 1:19. And when the virgin Mary was apprised that she should become the mother of the Son of God in His incarnation among men, the angel Gabriel was again sent. Luke 1:26, 27.5 10. Angels have part also in conversion of souls. “He saw in a vision openly, as it were about the ninth hour of the day, AN ANGEL OF GOD coming in unto him, and saying to him, Cornelius.” Acts 10:3. Read also the entire chapter. See article in editorial columns. 11. Angels have to do with the resurrection. “And behold, there was a great earthquake; for AN ANGEL OF THE LORD DESCENDED FROM HEAVEN, and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.” Matt. 28:2. 12. They have also to do with the gathering of the saints when our Lord shall come. “And He shall SEND FORTH HIS ANGELS with a great sound of a trumpet, and THEY SHALL GATHER TOGETHER HIS ELECT from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” Matt. 24:31. 13. When the great drama of redemption is finished and our Lord shall come to redeem His own, all the angels shall come with Him. “But when the Son of Man shall come in His glory, and ALL THE ANGELS WITH HIM, then shall He sit on the throne of His glory.” Matt. 25:31. Read also the first article in this number, and also article in editorial columns.