Sounds reasonable, T.R. :yes: I kind of wonder also if satan and the 1/3 fallen angels could of resented having wings and they wished to look more human? I know there are different ranks of angels ... kind of wondering if they all have wings? If so, then do they have the power to remove their wings or are the job assignments given to a certain group who don’t have wings so they can blend in when they appear to us? Ok guys, one of my fav topics in Bible school, so here goes..... Algology - Angels are created beings “You are the Lord, you alone; you have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host . . . and the host of heaven worships you” (Nehemiah 9:6). There are only three kinds of angels, Cherubim - They guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24) & 4 other verses describe these Angeles, Seraphim - They appear in Isaiah 6:2–7, where they continually worship the Lord and say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3), and Living Beings - Ezekiel and Revelation speak of other kinds of heavenly beings known as “living creatures” around God’s throne (Ezekiel 1:5–14, Revelation 4:6–8). They have a hierarchy and only two archangels are named specifically - Gabriel and Michael. Lucifer fell from this rank. We are not sure when angels were created but many Biblical scholars believe with creation, “Genesis 2:1 tells us that the angels were made at some point before the seventh day of creation: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” (“host” here refers to the heavenly beings). Not necessarily way before - no proof here! Angels do not marry, are messengers for God’s purposes, are mighty warriors, tens of thousands of them exist, they are to glorify God, and do not have human attributes so our human emotions are foreign to them. Lucifer is the only archangel described as beautiful, an angel of light and demonstrating a drive for power above God. Not to be confused with human pride. He did not have human emotions. Angels do not wish to be like humans, they are currently above humans. Hebrews 2:7. They do not understand or can’t understand our salvation -Peter tells us that “angels long to look” (1 Peter 1:12) into the glories of the plan of salvation as it works out in the lives of believers each day. When we come with Christ back to earth, we will be mightier than angels at that time. But as powerful as angels are, when Jesus returns, followers of Christ will be raised higher than them (1 Corinthians 6:3). Sorry, but having studied angels in Bible College, there are a lot of myths we hold too regarding angels. They are not to be worshipped. Angels will continue to be as God has designed them. We will be changed to put on immortality and the imperishable. Angels will be with us to glorify God. Sort of like a BFF next to Christ of course. Per systematic Theology studies it would not seem wrong to ask God to fulfill his promise in Psalm 91:11 to send angels to protect us in times of need. A simple and imperfect example is like our relationship with a pet - we are stronger and mightier than most of our human pets - that is the current relationship angels to humans. God created man because He chose too. His love for us is beyond our human understanding, He is infinite in all things and we are finite in our concepts. It truly is impossible for us to totally understand the depth, breath, width, and scope of our Heavenly Father. Simply put - God is God! We love Him because He FIRST loved us. Not to offend, but to encourage- we are such the beloved of God and very soon we will see Him as He is.... :prayer-hands: :flyup: Thanks Tammie, good study! :good: Have any of you read the Book of Enoch since its gives some more details on the angels (listing a few names, etc.) or is that a taboo book because its not canonized? The Book of Enoch is controversial: Many passages from it are quoted in the New Testament, and it was quite popular at the time of Jesus. However, we cannot be sure of its "provenance." That is, it may have been altered or added to along the way, and might not be completely reliable. The late J.R. Church didn't accept some portions as legitimate. I find it very interesting, too, though I would not view it as being authoritative. http://www.alaskandreams.net/ekklesia/Book%20of%20Enoch%20NT%20Verses.htm If there are those who do not accept it at all, that's okay with me. I would never insist upon it nor say it has the same authority as Scripture. Yes, I used to faithfully watch J.R. Church tv programs as well and received his monthly prophecy magazines. When he did a series on the Book of Enoch, I thought it was fascinating since they mentioned a few more angelic names besides Michael, Gabriel ... Raphael, Uriel, Saraqael, Raguel, and Remiel, etc. and gave more detail of the stuff that went on during that time period. My sister “borrowed” that magazine series and I never saw them again. Do you remember when J.R. Church spoke about Mt. Hermon? The gateway region of the fallen angels? Another fascinating subject. He believes Jesus brought His disciples on top of Mt. Hermon when he asked this question ... Matthew 16:13-18 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets. He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. ————- Caesarea Philippi was a Greco-Roman city located near the ancient city of Dan, in the northern part of Israel, by Mount Hermon and the Jordan River. He also believed that the AC will come from the tribe of Dan. ————- I thought of “The Munsters” tv program. The symbolism of the main characters can’t be a coincidence ... Herman - half man/half beast Lily - she liked dead things. Jesus is light and in Him is no darkness and He is called the Lily of the Valley Grandpa - a vampire Marilyn - Mary worship? Eddie - a werewolf Spot - their pet was a dragon I would agree with David, the book of Enoch is interesting, like a factional novel (some facts but a fuzzy line on reality) but I hold it at arms length, so to speak. I had several Bible Profs that totally condemn it and so forth .... non-canonical apocryphal works. Mount Hermon was allegedly where the fallen angels came down and agreed to take human wives, according to the Book of Enoch. It is also said that this event happened in the days of Jared, whose name means, "shall come down." Our flesh is but a temporary accommodation, it is also extremely limited. And we are told that no man or flesh can see God and live. Apparently our fleshly confines are incapable of withstanding the glories and immortality of God. As such we are limited to time and space. Because things of the flesh are inadequate for the realm of the eternal we shall indeed put on immortality. Giving us entrance into another and more perfect dimension of living. God being a spirit and being perfect light, would easily overwhelm our flesh! Even though being flesh, Adam and Eve enjoyed the experience of walking and talking with God in the Garden, although metaphorically speaking. Just as can be said of us today! Having but limited vision and being tainted with sin, our experiencing God's presence is most times more limited than as with Adam and Eve. Sadly, when we reject His word, we reject Him! All the more devastating is the nature and disposition of those who hate the Master, and love themselves instead. For in this is our flesh corrupted and left to war against itself and the Spirit! Though being released from the penalty of sin, we still must endure the consequences of sin! Ergo the battle continues. Once redeemed and lifted up, this warring within ourselves will stop. And for those who have had glimpses of Heaven already, speak of the unspeakable peace they encounter within Heavens gates! TR My husband and I had the chance to go to Mt. Hermon on our tour of Israel last summer. The grotto where the pagan sacrifices were thrown into is still there. Our guide talked about how Jesus and the 3 disciples would have walked by there on their way to the top of the mount. I had an awful feeling standing in front of the grotto, a heaviness in my spirit. I remember praying about it as we walked through the area and asking God to lift that oppressive feeling. As we were leaving, there was an Asian tour group singing hymns near the trees leading up to the grotto - it was amazing how the heaviness lifted immediately and a calm settled over our whole group. The coolest part? We recognized the hymns by the melody but not the words - they were singing in their own language, but we knew the words - awesome!
Thanks for the link!
