Angels
- Thread starter ValleyAnt
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Thanks ValleyAnt. I like your name. I see Christians as being the ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. I also see the Angel of the Lord as being Jesus the deliverer of the saints. Some might say that that cannot be, since Christians have a flesh body, and so did Jesus as well, but I believe the scripture is talking about those persons from the perspective that they are spiritual beings at their core. There are plenty of other scriptures that point to angels as being God's human messengers, with Jesus being the chief messenger. The word 'angel' is a word that means 'messenger'. That is what Christians are.
I'm not sure what you have against VA or his post, but you made an unwarranted jump to an unsupported conclusion. Spiritual beings work in the lives of both Christians and non-Christians. He didn't specify "angels".
The unfortunate reality is that the spiritual enemies of God are also at work... to undermine His purposes and waylay His people. They deceive the unbelievers (and many believers also). Meanwhile, God's faithful servants (whom we generally call "angels") are also at work protecting His people and bringing messages from God. Indeed, the very word "angel" means "messenger"; it's a role, not a species.
The unfortunate reality is that the spiritual enemies of God are also at work... to undermine His purposes and waylay His people. They deceive the unbelievers (and many believers also). Meanwhile, God's faithful servants (whom we generally call "angels") are also at work protecting His people and bringing messages from God. Indeed, the very word "angel" means "messenger"; it's a role, not a species.
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Heb 1: 2-8:
Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
Heb 1: 13:
But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?
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Is 14: 12-20:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? All the kings of the nations, even all of them, lie in glory, every one in his own house. But thou art cast out of thy grave like an abominable branch, and as the raiment of those that are slain, thrust through with a sword, that go down to the stones of the pit; as a carcase trodden under feet. Thou shalt not be joined with them in burial, because thou hast destroyed thy land, and slain thy people: the seed of evildoers shall never be renowned.
I suffer from an incurable care of etymologitis. I have to see how words develop into what they are today. I usually start at wiki to get a general idea of the conversation on any particular topic and go from there if I'm especially interested in following the citations provided. And, according to wiki, in regard to the etymology of 'angel', "The word arrives in modern English from Old English engel (with a hard g) and Old French engele. Both of these derive from Late Latin angelus, which in turn is borrowed from Late Greek, angelos (literally "messenger")...According to a Dutch linguist R.S.P. Beaks, angelos itself may be "an Oriental loan, like... (angaros, "Persian mounted courier")" and in regard to the Background, "The idea of angels in early Hebrew scripture as supernatural beings is absent. Instead, the Hebrew diety intervenes in human affairs...."
And, indeed, the AI overview offering of the engine search for "angel etymology hebrew" retrieved the following:
The Hebrew word for "angel" is mal'ākh (מַלְאַךְ), which is derived from the root l-'-k (ל-א-ך) meaning "to send with a message". The word is often translated as "messenger" when referring to humans, but in post-biblical Hebrew it is used exclusively for superhuman messengers.
In the Bible, angels are beings that God sends to communicate his messages to humans, warning, comforting, and guiding them. They are also seen as attendants to God, similar to courtiers to an earthly king.
The word mal'ākh was translated into the Greek word angelos, which also means "messenger". In the Latin Vulgate, the word angelus was used when referring to supernatural beings, while nuntius or legatus were used when referring to human messengers. This differentiation was adopted by later translations of the Bible, and eventually by modern scholars.
And the rest is history...
And now, there is hardly anyone that feels the need to take personal responsibility since it all happens "out there."
And, indeed, the AI overview offering of the engine search for "angel etymology hebrew" retrieved the following:
The Hebrew word for "angel" is mal'ākh (מַלְאַךְ), which is derived from the root l-'-k (ל-א-ך) meaning "to send with a message". The word is often translated as "messenger" when referring to humans, but in post-biblical Hebrew it is used exclusively for superhuman messengers.
In the Bible, angels are beings that God sends to communicate his messages to humans, warning, comforting, and guiding them. They are also seen as attendants to God, similar to courtiers to an earthly king.
The word mal'ākh was translated into the Greek word angelos, which also means "messenger". In the Latin Vulgate, the word angelus was used when referring to supernatural beings, while nuntius or legatus were used when referring to human messengers. This differentiation was adopted by later translations of the Bible, and eventually by modern scholars.
And the rest is history...
And now, there is hardly anyone that feels the need to take personal responsibility since it all happens "out there."
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Frankly, the doctrine of angelology has always confused me. What do angels do that the Holy Spirit cannot do Himself? Angels seem redundant or even in the way, and I find the NT references to them lacking in rationale and specificity, including HB 1:4-2:9 & REV--and therefore confusing. I will be interested in meeting them in heaven (so I can add that info to my website :^)
And [Jacob] dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:12
And [Jesus] saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. John 1:51