Angels or Heavenly Protection
God’s heavenly armies
Not too long ago I held a sermon in Bunbury on 2 Kings 6:11-23. This is
part of the history of the prophet Elisha. It tells us about the time when
the king of Syria sent out a great army to seize Elisha, because Elisha
had warned the king of Israel more than once about the whereabouts
of his enemy. Because of this the king of Syria could not attack the
armies of Israel. This frustrated the king of Syria no end – to the point
where he suspected that there was a traitor among his servants. But
there was no traitor. God revealed to Elisha the secrets of the king of
Syria. So when the king was informed that Elisha was in Dotan, the
king’s armies surrounded the city. In the morning when Elisha and his
servants awoke they found themselves in the centre of the enemies’
hostile attention – much to the distress of Elisha’s servant. Elisha himself
was not afraid. He knew that his enemies in turn were surrounded by
heavenly armies. He said to his servant: “Do not be afraid, for those
who are with us are more than those who are with them.” Then the
LORD opened the eyes of Elisha’s servant “and he saw, and behold, the
mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Elisha
and his servant enjoyed heavenly
protection. No one could cause
them any harm, because they
were shielded by the armed forces
of the LORD God of hosts.
This is a wonderful bit of
redemptive history. It is very
encouraging. It would be a lot
more encouraging though, if we
knew for sure that these heavenly
armies of angels continue to shield
us in our time as well. So, can we
know that for sure? In the sermon I
explained that the situation in the
time of the new covenant has changed, since the Holy Spirit was
poured out over the whole church instead of over a select few people
in the old covenant. The Spirit of God is our Helper, the One who guides
the church of Jesus Christ in the truth of Jesus Christ (Jn 16:13). Does this
mean that the angels have now gone? Have they retreated into
heaven? Can they still appear to us as they did many times to believers
in the old as well as in the new covenant?
These are intriguing questions. The comments I got after the sermon
proved that. Although the sermon did not focus on the angels
specifically, after the sermon the only questions I got were about the
existence and nature and work of the angels. So I decided to
undertake a little study and write an article for the Una Sancta.
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Reading through some literature I found more and more that the
spiritual world is a very fascinating subject. I hope that in this and
subsequent short articles I will be able to convey some of that
fascination onto you, and in the process also answer a few questions
about these heavenly helpers.
Angel-mania vs Angel-ignorance
The theological science that occupies itself with the existence and
work of the angels is called Angelology. Although you would conclude
from the very existence of this name and discipline that the study of
angels ought to be taken very seriously, you might think differently if
you consider the number of pages in books and articles in our
Reformed tradition that are dedicated to the subject. Herman Bavinck,
who himself spends only 30 pages on the Spiritual World out of the
approximately 2500 pages that make us his 4 volumes of his Reformed
Dogmatics1, says on page 450 that in this respect “the Reformed
churches tended to sin more by defect than by excess.” In other
words, in Reformed theological literature not much attention is given to
the angels. That does not mean that angels are not considered
important or relevant. On the contrary, the articles and books that are
written on the subject definitely give witness of great wonder and awe
at these wonderful beings. However, it is safe to conclude with
someone who said that in Reformed theology the angels suffer from
benign neglect. Even in our own confessions angels are not mentioned
very often. In art. 12 of the BC they are mentioned as among the
creatures of God. And in LD 49 they are held up as examples to us in
the context of the third petition: “Grant that everyone may carry out
the duties of his office and calling as willingly and faithfully as the
angels in heaven.” I think that there is a good explanation for the
relative absence of the angels in our confessions. But more about that
later.
Compared to the lack of attention given
to the angels in our churches, the attention
given to them in popular and charismatic
theology is truly overwhelming. Just search
for angels in Koorong’s website and you will
see more than 200 hits. Admittedly, some of
them are not books, but little figurines you
can hang in a tree or other angelic tidbits.
But that only serves to emphasize the point.
There are books about ‘finding your inner
angel’, or about how to contact the angels
and communicate with them. Not only
Christians, but the secular world as well loves
In this and following articles I will not tire you with a bunch of footnotes. In will include a list of
literature in the last installment – possibly give a few recommendations for further study.
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angels. Besides books and medallions and earrings of angels, there are
DVD’s and even television series about them. Most of these things we
will find rather absurd, and rightly so. At the same time it makes you
wonder why angels are so popular in, say, general or secular religion
and beliefs, and not so well known in our Free Reformed churches?
Why this angel-mania in the world, and this angel-ignorance in the
church?
Non-judgmental substitute religion
When you read through some popular books about angels, you
quickly find that angels are considered friendly creatures. They are
there to help you, to support you in your troubles. They will comfort you
and protect you from harm. In those books there is no mention of the
angel of the LORD of whom it is said in 2 Ki 19:35: “And that night the
angel of the LORD went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the
Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these
were all dead bodies.” We find no reference to 2 Sam 24:15-16 either
where we read: “So the LORD sent a pestilence on Israel from the
morning until the appointed time. And there died of the people from
Dan to Beersheba 70,000 men. And when the angel stretched out his
hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the
calamity and said to the angel who was working destruction among
the people, It is enough; now stay your hand.” In fact, come to think of
it, you hardly find any reference to the Bible at all!
Why would people believe in angels? Well, perhaps because they
are thought to be non-judgmental and kind. They are not demanding.
They only give, they never ask. Many people in this day and age have
had enough of the church. They identify the church with rules and
regulations, rather than salvation and peace. It is part and parcel of
our post-modern society that people dislike organizations and big
words, but instead seek truth in experience and emotions. That is where
the belief in angels fits in beautifully. They have no rules or regulations.
They add that bit of religious spice to your life. Believing in angels is
easy and non-confrontational. Just try to start a conversation with your
hairdresser about your faith. Your question: “I believe in God and go to
church. How about you?” will probably receive a very short, if any,
answer. But then try: “I believe in angels. They protect me. What do you
think?” I am sure that many people will be interested and perhaps be
able to tell you stories about their own guardian angel or other spiritual
experiences. Angels are interesting and they do not judge. They are
always there to help and protect you. Isn’t that nice and convenient?
A spiritual donkey
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Although this kind of substitute angel
religion is rather absurd, we should not, in
some kind of knee-jerk reaction, ignore
the position and work of the angels
altogether. Angels are very relevant to
the Christian faith. In the Bible they play a
major role in redemptive history. They are
mentioned well over 250 times, more
than half of those in the New Testament.
If they are so important in the Bible, then
we should at least ask ourselves the
question if they are still important for us in
our time. I can’t help but think of Balaam
and his talking donkey. Balaam was so
focused on his own business (which was
getting rich quickly) that he did not see
the Angel of LORD standing in his way. But his donkey was more spiritual
than he. The Angel of the LORD said to Balaam: “Why have you struck
your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose
you because your way is perverse before me. The donkey saw me and
turned aside. If she had not, surely just now I would have killed you and
let her live.” We better be aware of the spiritual dimension of our lives.
We must not be consumed by going after money and pursuing our
ambitions. Our lives must be spiritual lives. And angels, as we will see,
play an important role in that spiritual dimension of our lives.
However, at the same time, any undue attention for angels must not
distract from our worship of the triune God. Perhaps that is the reason
why our confessions do not mention them very often. Unlike what
popular beliefs say, angels do not save us. Angels have not died for us.
They are not even necessary for our salvation. In fact, God chooses to
use them to carry out his orders, but he does not need them. As if he
was powerless or limited if he did not have angels to work for him. In
that sense, angelology is not a cardinal doctrine. But if we give
appropriate attention to these wonderful creatures, it will help us
understand God’s Word and his work in redemptive history. In the
following articles we will see that angels have been involved in every
great event in redemptive history. So when we study them, it is not to
draw closer to them, or to invoke their help and protection. Studying
angels should bring us closer to their Master, our almighty God! That is
our aim. So let us find our Biblical way passing between the rock of
angel-mania and the hard place of angel-ignorance.
E. Rupke
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