Angels Watching Over Me? Part One

Hebrews 1: 13, 14

JESUS CHRIST believed in angels. Do you?

Angels announced the forthcoming birth of Jesus Christ.

Angels proclaimed His arrival in Bethlehem.

Angels attended Christ during His exhausting wilderness temptations.

Angels attended Him in the hour of His grief in Gethsemane.

Angels were battle ready awaiting His orders while He hung on the cross.

Angels are mentioned in 34 books of the Bible for a total of 273 times (108 in the Old Testament and 165 in the New Testament.)

There has been a dramatic resurgence in belief in angels. The hungry human spirit that has been stifled by humanism and materialism instinctively knows there is a spiritual dimension to life. 

Books related to angels have reached sales totals approaching five million copies. Publishers Weekly religious best-seller list shows five of the top ten paperbacks are about angels.

A subculture has sprung up around them. There is even an “Angel Watch Network” based in Mountainside, N.J., with 1,800 members who monitor angel activity. 

The Angel Collection Club of America has over 1,600 members. Joyce Berg of Beloit, Wisconsin holds the known record with 10,455 different angel artifacts. 

TV, movie, and secular magazine articles are a poor source for knowledge of angels most often. David Neff, managing editor of “Christianity Today,” wrote: “The angels of popular culture are more like celestial versions of the fairy godmother from Disney’s Cinderella…. The angels of the tabloids are cosmic mascots who use magical powers to make our lives just a little sweeter than they might have been.” Such concepts trivialize the work of angels. They are God’s messengers. They come into our lives to do God’s will, not to grant us three wishes. 

Belief in angels is an ageless conviction. The earliest reference to them is found on a five by ten slab of limestone at Ur-Nammus which dates back to 2250 BC.

Plutarch, the Greek historian said, “Alongside of each man there are two angels, one good and one bad.”

Plato and Aristotle believed God used angels to govern the world.

Epictetus said, “God assigns to every man a guardian angel.”

Seneca and Virgil believed in angels.

Recent Gallup polls reveal that 76% of today’s teens believe in angels.

A “Time” survey revealed that the vast majority of Americans of all ages believe in angels.

People often ask me if I believe there is extraterrestrial life. Are we human beings alone in this vast universe? No, the universe is full of supernatural beings. I not only believe in extraterrestrial intelligence, I believe in extra-cosmic beings, called angels. 

The Bible tells us that countless beings fill the vastness of space around us. Actually, since the dawn of creation they have mingled in human affairs. They have in yours. Hebrews 13:2 notes, “Some have entertained angels unawares.” Some have “unwittingly entertained angels.”

Billy Graham wrote in his book entitled, Angels: God’s Secret Agents, “I am convinced that these heavenly beings exist and that they provide unseen aid on our behalf… I do not believe in angels because I have ever seen one — because I haven’t. I believe in angels because the Bible says there are angels; and I believe the Bible to be the true Word of God.”

Based on a similar lack of experience and a kindred confidence in the Bible, I also believe in angels.