Unresolved Issues: Deal with them before they destroy you

New Audio Message:

Unresolved Issues:

Deal with them before they destroy you! 

http://www.millersvillebiblechurch.org/_audio/Are%20You%20Hesitant%20to%20Reconcile%208-19-07.mp3  

Angels: Separating fact and fiction

 

I am a member of a unique minority group. Things might change, but so far, I have never had an encounter with an angelic being (apart from my wife and daughter, of course). Perhaps I should attend an angel awareness seminar or read a book. And books, there are so many, I wouldn’t know where to begin. Billy Graham’s helpful book, Angels published prior to the angel hysteria, now has a shelf full of neighbors. A Rumor of Angels, Ask Your Angels, A Rustle of Angels, Celebration of Angels, Angels Dark and Light, Brush of an Angel’s Wing, The Real Truth About Angels, The Little Book of Angels, the list goes on…

Newspapers, magazines, tabloids, all have given space to this angel fascination. Television has also made room for angels. Movies, regular features and documentaries continue to feed the intrigue. Why this interest? I would have thought the pursuit of angels belonged to the medieval world or to renaissance art. But even present day artists are cashing in on angel mania.”

A Time/CNN poll indicated 69 percent of Americans believe in Angels. This contradicts hard-line humanistic atheism. I thought rejection of the supernatural was in vogue. One would think that a society indoctrinated on naturalistic thinking would be incredulous about angels. Not so! Gallup polls, for example, reveal an increased belief in angels among teenagers. “This says something,” one has suggested, “about a coming generation and its search for something beyond self to believe in””

What should we think about all the testimonies about encounters with angels?Are they money-making schemes? Hallucinations? It’s very hard to judge another person’s professed experience. Rules of evidence such as multiple witnesses, documentation and historic attestation would certainly help. I suggest that separating fact from fiction is important.

Even though I have never met an angel, I have chosen to believe in them. My belief is based on rules of evidence applied to the biblical record. Such a conclusion, however, will be at odds with most professed experiences with angels. In scripture, when people encountered angels, their response did not include a feeling of warm acceptance like those reported today.

Interestingly, in the first recorded encounter between angels and the patriarch Abraham , he was not immediately aware of angelic presence (Gen. 18,19). Other occasions, fit the pattern of the last recorded biblical encounter noted in the book of Revelation. In this account, John was so awestruck he fell at the angel’s feet to worship him (Rev. 19:10). The angel quickly corrected John, telling him to worship God. Sometimes these encounters involved bright light, but fear and terror would describe the common response to angels –not warm acceptance (Matt. 27:2-4).

If a survey were taken, I suspect the average person thinks of angels as white-robed, winged creatures with harps and halos–each identical in appearance. This, of course, is not the description found throughout Scripture. Although the Bible doesn’t present an organized doctrine of angels, it treats their appearance and activity with historical integrity.

In the unfolding of God’s plan, there is dramatic angelic involvement throughout both Old and New Testaments. Nowhere are angels more active than in the life of Jesus. They announced his birth to Joseph and Mary. An angel appeared to the shepherds bringing good news of the Savior’s birth and directing them to him. On that occasion a great company of angels appeared giving glory to God. An angel warned and directed Joseph concerning King Herod’s wrath. Angels ministered to Jesus after his temptation, removed the stone from his tomb, and announced his resurrection.

The Bible reveals many facts about angels. They were created by God prior to the creation of man (Ps. 148:2,5; Job 28:4-7; Col. 1:16). They function as guardians with the special duty of caring for God’s people (Matt. 18:10;Heb. 1:14). Contrary to most “angel art,” Scripture only refers to them with male gender. They exist in vast numbers (Rev. 5:12). Jesus indicated that angels neither die nor reproduce (Lk. 20:36;Matt. 22:30).

One of the most intriguing statements about angels is found in the New Testament book of Hebrews, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have entertained angels without knowing it.”

Apart from the many positive things we learn about angels, some warnings should be considered. Preoccupation with angels clearly violates Christian tradition. The Apostle Paul warned early Christians to avoid the “worship of angels” and deceptive people who take their stand on visions they have seen (Col. 2:18).

The angel-centered focus violates the God-centered purpose of angels. Claims of angelic messages do not in themselves demand belief. In fact, on another occasion the Apostle said, “Even though we, or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” (Gal. 1:8).

In a day of twisted tolerance, when people mindlessly accept whatever they hear, there is great need for discernment. If a professed angelic message contradicts Christian truth–it should be rejected.

The story of angels also has a dark side. The Scripture indicates that some angels rebelled against God. In my next column I will discuss fallen angels.

Steve Cornell