Angels play a unique role in the life of human beings. Study the various references and discern the role they play.

1. What do you see in Luke 12:8-9; 15:8-10, 1 Corinthians 4:9; 11:8-10, and 1 Timothy 5:21?

Angels are spectators of Christians; they witness how Christians live their lives especially in the service and worship of God. In their observations, there are some activities that elicit an emotional response from angels. For example, unfallen angels rejoice when one human being is saved.

2. What do you see in Matthew 1:20-25, Acts 8:26; 10:1-8; 23:9; 27:21-25, and Revelation 1:1?

Angels bring divine messages from God to guide Christians to the truth or appropriate action. For example, an angel validated Mary’s claim of her virginity to Joseph, Philip was prompted to go to a road where an Ethiopian eunuch was trying to read Isaiah, and Cornelius was able to hear the Gospel as the result of obeying the angel’s instruction to fetch Peter.

3. What do you see in Matthew 18:10, Daniel 10:18-21; 12:1, Psalms 91:11-13, Revelation 2:1, 8, 12, 18, and 3:1, 7, 14?

While it is not entirely clear, angels serve as guardians over children and the nation of Israel. The Bible is not specific how this guardianship is assigned or exercised, but angels do protect Christians. Could bad things still sometimes happen? The answer is yes despite angelic protection; however, with our sovereign Lord, nothing outside His will could happen.

Further observations of the Text suggest that angels not only protect people and nations, but possibly churches as well. It should be noted that fallen angels are associated with people and nations although their form of protection would contrast the protection provided by unfallen angels.

4. What do you see in Genesis 19:1-22, 2 Kings 6:11-18, Daniel 3:24-28; 9:20-23; 10:10-13, Acts 5:17-20 and 12:1-19.

Angels are used to answer prayers, and rescue Believers from physical harm. Some of the biblical examples include Lot who was saved from the judgment of Sodom, Elisha who was protected by an overwhelming number of angels from the king of Syria and his army, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego who were protected from the fire of Nebuchadnezzar, Daniel whose prayers of repentance was heard and was given revelation about the future of his people, the apostles who were freed from the prison of the Sadducees, and Peter who was freed from the prison of Herod.

5. What do you see in 1 Kings 19:4-7 and Hebrews 1:13-14?

Angels are used to serve believers by ministering and encouraging them. For example, Elijah, who was depressed in realizing that people would not change despite the spectacular reality of God’s power on Mount Carmel, was given rest and learned that God works in less obvious ways besides the spectacular.

6. The above preceding verses largely pertain to how angels interact with believers. What about interactions with non-believers? What do you see in Matthew 13:36-43, Acts 12:21-23, Revelation 16:1-21?

Angels subdue evil and will carry out and execute God’s judgment.