One of the
strangest battles of World War I was waged on August 23, 1914--the Battle of
Mons—when four divisions of the British Expeditionary Force met German troops
over the sixty-foot-wide Mons Canal in Belgium. After withstanding six hours of
bombardment, the British forces withdrew amid terrible scenes of conflagration.
Here's what's strange about the retreat. London newspapers shortly afterward
carried the accounts of British soldiers who reported seeing heavenly guardians
aiding in the retreat and saving the army from annihilation. Some of the hospitalized
soldiers spoke of “the secret army of Mons,” as guardian angels and many became
believers in Christ because of this strange event.[1]
When we
read such stories, we're intrigued and perhaps even encouraged about the
reality of angels among us. But we don't base our doctrine or build our
theology on personal accounts or individual experiences. Our beliefs are
grounded in Scripture alone. Years ago, a Time
magazine poll showed that 69 percent of American adults said they believed in
the existence of angels, and 32 percent claimed to have felt an angelic presence
at some time in their life. Even more surprising, the numbers jumped higher
when they polled teenagers—three out of every four American teenagers said they
believe in angels.[2]
Contrary
to what some believe, angels are not dead humans trying to earn their wings. The
Scriptures portrays these creatures as fearsome and awe-inspiring. If we are
going to be biblical then we’ve got to expunge all those images from the
Precious Moments figurines out of our heads. Angels are anything but cute, pudgy,
Cupid-like creatures with haloes and harps. If God gave us the ability to wear
a set of goggles which would allow us to see the invisible spirit world we
would be astounded at the activity around us. There is no telling how many
times angels have intervened on our behalf and we were totally oblivious.
So what
can we know about angels? Quite a lot actually. Angels were created by Christ
(Col. 1:16) in a higher order than humans (Ps. 8:5); they are normally
invisible but they can appear as men (Matt. 1:20; John 20:12); they are
powerful but not omnipotent (Ps. 103:20); they are immortal (Luke 20:36); some
have wings (Is. 6:1-6); they are sent to minister to humans (Heb. 1:14); they
deliver special messages (Luke 1:31); they escort believers to heaven at the time
death (Luke 16:22); they battle against demons (Dan. 10); they execute God’s
judgment (Rev. 8) and so much more!
Interest
in angels is at an all-time high in our culture, and many people long to have
an encounter with them. However, while seeing an angel would be a remarkable
event, even the angels themselves are far more concerned that we heed God’s
messages to us than they are that we see them face to face. In fact, we have
one up on the angels—we are redeemed!
The Bible
says in 1 Peter 1:20-21 that the angels “long to look into these things,”
concerning salvation. The angels are so eager to understand God’s grace that
they stand on tiptoe and bend down from the battlements of heaven to marvel at
the unfolding plan of salvation. Why would the angels marvel at our salvation?
The answer is clear. There are no “saved” angels because salvation is not for
them, but for us. Jesus died to redeem fallen men and women, not the angels.
There are elect and non-elect angels; there are good angels and bad angels;
there are obedient and disobedient angels, but there are no “saved” angels.
Only humans can be saved. Only humans can be redeemed. We alone of all the
creatures in the universe can experience the wonders of God’s saving grace.
This fascinates the angels, and causes them to study and ponder the mysteries of
a salvation they do not share.
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