Understanding the Gospel of Matthew and Why it Matters - Part 5

Matthew 2:13-15
The Flight to Egypt

13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.

14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt

15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, "Out of Egypt I called my son."

What Are Angels? (v.13)

Since this is the second time already that we have encountered an angel in Matthew's gospel, and since there are several more encounters to come, I think it might be beneficial to pause and answer a couple of questions concerning them. Let us begin by asking, "What are angels?"First, angels are spirits. Hebrews 1:14 says: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" In this way, angels are more like God Himself than they are like human beings. They are different from God, however, because they are created spirits, whereas God is an eternal spirit. Nehemiah 9:6 says, "You are the LORD, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host?and the host of heaven worships you." (emphasis added). Psalm 148:2, 5 reiterates the same truth: "Praise him, all his angels; praise him all his hosts... Let them praise the name of the LORD! For he commanded and they were created."

Second, angels do occasionally take on bodily form. The Bible includes numerous examples of angels appearing in human form. Genesis 18 tells of the angels that talked with Abraham about the sinful city of Sodom. The book of Daniel speaks of the angel that shut the lions' mouths, rescuing Daniel from harm. The angel that appeared at Jesus' tomb, the angel that busted the apostles out of prison, and the angel that appeared to Paul on his voyage to Rome all revealed themselves in the likeness of human beings.Third, the Bible tells us that there is a very large number of angels in existence. The Apostle John, in Revelation 5:11, says, "Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads and myriads and thousands of thousands?" While John was certainly not attempting to give us an exact figure, the phrase "thousands of thousands" indicates that there are at least several million if not several billion angels in the universe.

Fourth, Scripture reveals that there is a hierarchy of angels. We read most often of this hierarchy in reference to the angel Michael. In Jude 9, for example, Michael is called the "archangel", meaning that he held a rank superior to other angels. Daniel 10:13 says that Michael is "one of the chief princes", implying that there are other angels of rank besides Michael. Since Revelation speaks of an army of angels, it is perhaps very possible that different angels hold positions comparable to our military commanders, generals, etc.

Fifth, contrary to common belief, people do not become angels. Human beings and angels are two very different creatures of God. The Bible never speaks of a human becoming an angel or an angel having been a human. In fact, there are some very important distinctions between people and angels. For example, people - not angels - are created in God's image. And when the angels in heaven rebelled, God never sought to show them mercy as He has to humans. Indeed, 2 Peter 2:4 teaches that "?God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment."

Though for the moment we are "a little lower" than the angels, there is coming a day when angels will be made subject to God's people. Paul reminds us of this day when he asks, "Do you not know that we are to judge angels?"

Hebrews 1:14 is probably the best statement of the purpose of angels in the entire Bible: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" Notice that it does not say that the purpose of angels is to serve Christians, but rather to serve for their sake. Angels serve God, not man. Yet they were created to serve God by doing His bidding in regard to His salvation plan. Angels are God's agents to do what must be done that you and I might be saved. This includes spiritual warfare, providing unseen protection, and ultimately fighting a great battle against Satan

Isn't it amazing to consider than angels exist for your sake - if you are a believer in Christ. Take a moment and praise God for the countless a