Angels - What we know about them
THE monarch of a powerful empire cannot believe his own eyes. To the three men sentenced to death by burning, the flames do not inflict the slightest harm. Who protects them? The king gives the answer himself. He says to the three saved men, "Blessed be [your God] . . . who sent his angel and delivered his servants who trusted in him" (Daniel 3:28). This Babylonian ruler, who lived over two thousand years ago, was an eyewitness to an angelic deliverance. In times past, millions of people believed in angels. And even today, many believe not only that angels exist, but also that they somehow influence our lives. Who are the angels and what is their origin?
According to the Bible, angels are spirits, just as God Himself is also a spirit (Psalm 104:4; John 4:24). The angels form a family that numbers in the millions (Revelation 5:11). And they are all "mighty in power" (Psalm 103:2. While they resemble us humans in that they have personality and freedom of will, they had no previous, human existence. God created them long before mankind began, even before the creation of the earth. About the time when God "founded the earth," the Bible says that "the morning stars [angels] rejoiced together, and all the sons of God began to shout with joy" (Job 38:4, 7). Since angels are a creation of God, they are also called sons of God.
For what purpose did God create the angels? What role, if any, have they played in human history? Do they somehow influence our lives today? Have some angels, especially since they are creatures with free will, taken the same path as Satan, the devil, and thus made themselves enemies of God? The Bible gives us truthful answers to these questions.
