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What Are Angels?
Pat Robertson
Angels are
spiritual beings created by God to serve Him. They are very powerful beings who
function as God's messengers.
Many times in the Bible they appeared to people and said, "I
have come as a messenger from the Lord."
The New Testament
tells us they are also ministering spirits sent to look after human beings who
are the heirs of salvation (see Hebrews 1:14).
Jesus seemed to
indicate that little children have angels assigned to them, for He said their
angels always behold the face of God (see Matthew 18:10).
So the concept of
guardian angels has its basis in the Bible.
In addition to the
worker angels, there are archangels -- angel princes such as Michael (see Jude 9).
Scripture seems to
indicate that he represented an entire nation (see Daniel 10:13).
Although we do not
know for sure what angels look like, the Bible mentions some angelic features.
The first chapter
of Ezekiel tells of a vision in which the prophet saw a group of angels who
were so holy that they appeared as flames of fire.
These creatures
seemed to be like men, yet they had four wings and multiple faces (see Ezekiel 1:5-6).
They responded
instantly to God's Spirit.
The book of Isaiah
mentions angels called "seraphim" who have six wings (see Isaiah 6:2,6).
Another group of
angels is called "cherubim."
Seemingly, cherubim
were present to cover the very holiness of God Himself, and on the lid of the
ark of the covenant their wings formed the throne for the presence of the Lord (see Exodus 25:18-22).
Angels are
magnificent creatures, not at all like the tiny, childlike cherubs that we see
in some Renaissance art.
Their power is so
great that just one angel was able to destroy 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one
night (see 2 Kings 19:35).
Their presence is
so awesome that those who see them have been known to fall unconscious on the
ground or to voluntarily prostrate themselves (see Daniel 10:9).
The first
government was a theocracy, where God dealt directly with people.
When God was in
charge of things, no other government was necessary. He worked through the
family, clan, or tribe.
The father or
patriarch acted as the agent of God for the rest of the family.
Excerpt taken from Answers to 200 of Life's Most Probing
Questions, Copyright 1984 by Pat Robertson.
Pat
Robertson
M. G.
"Pat" Robertson has achieved national and international recognition
as a religious broadcaster, philanthropist, educator, religious leader,
businessman, and author. He is the founder and chairman of The Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) Inc.,
and founder of International Family Entertainment Inc.,Regent University, Operation Blessing International Relief and
Development Corporation, American Center
for Law and Justice, The Flying Hospital, Inc. and several other
organizations and broadcast entities.
Founded
in 1960, CBN was the first Christian television network established in the
United States. Today CBN is one of the world's largest television ministries
and produces programming seen in 200 nations and heard in 70 languages
including Russian, Arabic, Spanish, French and Chinese. CBN's flagship
program, The 700 Club, which Mr.
Robertson hosts, can be seen in 97 percent of television markets across the
United States and is one of the longest running religious television shows
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