Ancient Words: Angels—Q &A
A few questions to answer came out on the recent series about “Angels”. While the series was admittedly not exhaustive, further reading about angels should take in the books of Ezekiel and Isaiah. In summary, angels are created beings by God, sent to minister to the saved (Heb 1). Jesus and mankind were both created a little lower than angels, yet with Jesus’ resurrection, our Lord and Savior is now placed above the angels. We, in turn, will also be placed above the angels with our resurrection for we will be like him —-1Jn 3:2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. Angels are known, by God’s own description to Solomon, to have wings and Ezekiel certainly bears this out as the description of “wings” is used 21 times, more than any book in the Bible. Our resurrected body will not have wings. Paul describes our future bodies—1Co 15:3549 But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come?….. But God giveth it a body as it hath pleased him, and to every seed his own body. All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another…… So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening Spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly. (Angels will maintain their celestial bodies and saved mankind will be in immortal bodies like Christ Jesus.)
Another question came up concerning King David and the destroying angel at Araunah’s threshing floor—why was the penalty of death given for David taking a census? The answer is pondered over David’s pride but the specific answer comes from a text in the O.T.— Exo 30:11-16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the LORD a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them. Each one who crosses over to those already counted is to give a half shekel, according to the sanctuary shekel, which weighs twenty gerahs. This half shekel is an offering to the LORD. All who cross over, those twenty years old or more, are to give an offering to the LORD. The rich are not to give more than a half shekel and the poor are not to give less when you make the offering to the LORD to atone for your lives. Receive the atonement money from the Israelites and use it for the service of the tent of meeting. It will be a memorial for the Israelites before the LORD, making atonement for your lives.” (David did not collect the half shekel, so the plague came upon the people.)
The last question— does the event in Genesis 19 have anything to do with today? See 2 Peter 2 and Luke 17:28-30 “It was the same in the days of Lot. People were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But the day Lot left Sodom, fire and sulfur rained down from heaven and destroyed them all. It will be just like this on the day the Son of Man is revealed.”
Scott Johnson is pastor at East Faulkner Church of Christ and author of the BRG Bible. Bible questions can be sent to brgbible@gmail.com.