Ahh, angels. Beings from heaven with an angelic face, white robes, wings extending over the shoulders, complete with a halo above the head. Some play a harp, or trumpet. When they sing, they sing with, you guessed it, angelic voices. We are obsessed with angels. We talk about them. We draw them, with a pencil and with snow. We name a MLB baseball team, a motorcycle club, a Navy acrobatic squadron, not to mention a large metropolis, after them. Would you believe me if I told you there are at least 20 movies, and at least 120 songs named “Angel” or “Angels”?
Some people believe that angels are in our world, even today. There are reports of people who have regular encounters with angels. Some call them “guardian angels”, spirit beings who are assigned to watch over and protect each one of us. Then there are some people who believe that while there were angels in the past, there are none in our world today. So, what do you believe? Are there angels in our midst?
Can you tell me where was the first angel mentioned in the Bible? If you answered Genesis 3.24, you get a lollipop! The first appearance of an angel in the Bible came when Adam and Eve were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, and God put a cherubim to block the garden entrance with a flaming sword. I never thought about this before but the first angel had appeared as early as the third chapter in the Bible.
But you and I know the appearance of angels didn’t stop there in the Garden of Eden. After Genesis 3, there were numerous appearances of angels in the Old Testament. Angels didn’t go away even when we came into the New Testament. All to say that angels appeared throughout the Bible. But what about today? Are there angels roaming in our world today in the 21st century? Are there angels among us where we live, work and play?
To answer this question, allow me to ask you two more questions. The first question is, “Can God put angels in our world today?” And the answer is Absolutely. If we accept our God is a sovereign God, we must also accept he can do whatever he wishes, and he can absolutely put angels in our world today. No question about that. God can put angels in our world today for whatever reason or reasons he chooses.
The second question requires more thought: Is there good reason or reasons for God to put angels in our world today? In order to answer this question, I think it is right for us to look in the Bible and get a feel for how God had used angels in the past. If we understand what work angels have done in the past, we can then ask ourselves if there are similar work in our world today that may too be done by angels. My logic goes if there are similar work, then it is reasonable to believe God still uses angels today. If not, then it is likely angels are not needed today, although who is to say that God uses angels today, but just not for the same reasons he had used them in the past?