The Purpose of Angels

(Continued from: "Chapter One: God's Communication with the Hebrews in Extraordinary Ways")

And of the angels He says, "WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE." (Hebrews 1:7)

The allegory of angels being wind and fire is a quote from Psalm 104 and it describes the purpose of angels. Let's first look at these two great forces and then see how they can be understood allegorically. Wind causes change. It can be gentle –bringing relief on a hot day; or it can be brutal –tearing down anything that man considers important. Similarly, fire purges -totally obliterating things that man becomes holds dear. God uses wind and fire to take away man's independence and to restore His original design. Man was created to be completely dependent on God.

Examples of change brought about by wind are found in some of the best known Bible stories. Great storms arose on the waters and stirred up fear in the hearts of Jesus' disciples and of Jonah's shipmates. In both cases, the wind caused men to assess what was important in their lives. They searched their souls and made conscious decisions regarding what would save them from disaster. They chose God as their source of salvation. Similarly, the parable in Matthew 7:24-27 says that all men will face storms. The storms are intended to cause men to evaluate their security. It's either based on shifting sand or on a rock –on their own capabilities or God's promised security. The Bible doesn't say if the wind in these two stories was an angel or not. All we know is that the wind caused the men to choose their source of security.

That's what Angels do; they help to move men's dependencies from earthly things to true security in God. Angels' flashing swords prevented Adam and Eve from returning to the Garden. Since God was no longer physically present with them, that first couple had to change from living by sight –walking with God in the cool of the day– to living by faith. Angels brought birth announcements of new leaders (Jesus included) forcing the people to make a life-choice about which leader they were going to follow and depend on. Angels warned of pending death and destruction which compelled men to change their lives –such as when Lot was told to leave the city where he had grown comfortable and go by faith to an unfamiliar place. An angel caused Gideon to check his security, ensuring that he was living by faith in God rather than on the strength of his army.

The other element affiliated with the angels is fire. Fire is a familiar topic in the Bible; it illustrates purging. The parable of the wheat and the tares is a prime example. The wheat (those who accept God's promise) will be gathered into Jesus' kingdom and then the tares (those who don't accept it) will be gathered and burned. Fire also separates impurities from precious metals in a refiner's furnace so they can be eliminated. Likewise, it removes our worldly dependencies (wood, hay and stubble which are products of our flesh) from our spiritual securities (the priceless works of God).

An example of angels purging is the destroyer, or Death Angel, accompanied God on the Passover. He took the lives of all of the first born males throughout Egypt and in-so-doing, he cut off the normal lines of inheritance. Another purging came after King David took the census; an angel was chosen to kill seventy thousand Hebrews –and destroy Jerusalem. However, the most terrifying event will be at the end time when the angels will bring plagues, storms, sickness and death. Then the angels will purge one third of life on the earth.

Continue reading: "Chapter One: God's Communication with the Hebrews in Extraordinary Ways"