Angels and Spiritual Warfare

Or, what does "Mad Max: Fury Road" have to do with God's angels? | Spiritual Warfare | Random Thoughts | Angels | Jesus Christ | Christianity

My New Study Journey

Do angels play harps? Are they chubby-cheeked cherubs cloistered on clouds?

What Do We Know about Angels?

Hello, dear readers. I’ve decided to study more deeply about Yahweh’s angels. Why? Recently, as I “begin to finish” reading through the entire Bible (I’m studying Revelation with a local sister), I realized I have never completed an in-depth study on the Lord’s angels. Revelation refers to the seven angels of the seven churches, so why not include a deep study of angels as well?

Plus, I experienced my own “angel story”.

My Angel Story

My one, real-life “angel story” happened over 30 years ago, on Christmas Eve night while I was driving to church. My mother was with me back then, so I had a witness. God sent a couple of His angels to help us on Christmas Eve night in a very dark and deserted location. What did the angels do? They changed out a flat tire and put on the spare. They came out of nowhere, took care of us, and then, in only a few seconds, they disappeared.

Angels: God’s Messengers Sent to Help Us

Every Christmas Eve, I remember those two angels, and I think of this verse in the letter to the Hebrews:

Hebrews 1:14 (ESV)
¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

I felt ministered to that night so long ago.

In ancient Hebrew, one word for God’s angels is actually a job description: ma’lak, מֲלְאָךְ which means messenger. It’s what a spiritual being does, not who it is. Ma’lak describes one role that God gives them so they can minister to us.

I love this article about angels as Yahweh’s ministering spirits:

What does it mean that angels are ministering spirits?, on gotquestions.org

Angels: God’s Heavenly Armies

During services in my childhood church, we frequently sang these words during the Sanctus:

“Holy, holy, holy, Lord God of Sabaoth.”

Sabaoth (pronounced: sah-bah-oath) is ancient Hebrew for “armies”. It’s also translated as “hosts” or, and I chuckle at this word, “hordes”.

Hordes of angels!

Wow, what a powerful image. It makes me think of the hordes in the movie Mad Max: Fury Road. Except God’s hordes of angels are shiny, bright, and clean. And holy.

Let’s go back to the translation as “armies”. When it comes to spiritual warfare, I like “the Lord of heaven’s armies” translation better. Here are a few examples of how Bible translators rendered sabaoth:

• Psalm 46:7 (multiple versions)

I like this “kick butt and take names” version:

Psalm 46:6-7 (The Voice) [Emphasis mine]
⁶ Trouble is on the horizon for the outside nations, not long until kingdoms will fall;
    God’s voice thunders and the earth shakes.
⁷ You know the Eternal, the Commander of heavenly armies, surrounds us and protects us;
    the True God of Jacob is our shelter, close to His heart.

[pause]

[The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.]

Here are a few more references about God being the commander of His heavenly armies:

• Jeremiah 29:4-14 (NET)

• Isaiah 5:16 (NLT)

• Psalm 46:10-11 (NLT)

Can you imagine how different our lives would be if we lived every day, knowing in our hearts and minds, that our Father God is the Commander of hordes of heavenly armies loyal to Him, always waiting for His commands against the evil ones?

One day, on the Day of the Lord (see Revelation), He will unleash them in all their might against all of the rebellious, evil ones.

(Until then, He restrains Himself until all nations hear the Gospel of God the Son, Jesus our Messiah.)

I’m excited to delve deep into God’s word and learn more about His loyal, holy ones, and their role in spiritual warfare.

Learning More about Angels

Book Study on Angels

Some believers recommended this book to me: Angels by the late Dr. Michael S. Heiser (formerly on staff with FaithLife, and Old Testament scholar on the Logos Bible Software project).

The link below the image goes to a book review by Jake Mailhot.

Why bother learning about angels? Michael Heiser answers, Jake Mailhot (2018). Logos.com

I’ve started the book, and I’m also reviewing videos related to it on the Logos Bible Software YouTube channel {View videos in the playlist - 11 episodes}.

Survey

I’d like to hear from you, dear readers. Would you like to learn what I’m learning? Would this be a series you’d like to see me publish on NOC? Please let me know by taking this anonymous survey (open to all Subscribers):

I don’t know when I’ll finish this study, nor when I would publish the posts to Night Owl Christian. If there’s enough interest, I will plan a publication schedule for the series.

Thank you for reading this far. Have a blessed week!

Let’s Worship Him

David Wesley - Whom Shall I Fear (The God of Angel Armies)

Maranatha, come Lord Jesus.

Soli Deo Gloria!

If you’re a not-yet follower of Jesus Christ, please come along on this journey with us. You are welcome here.

And, I invite you to read my series on the book “What Does God Want?”.

Conversation & Community

Your Turn

What do you think about angels? Do you have an angel story? Does it comfort you to know that God uses His heavenly messengers to minister to us?

What thoughts came to your mind as you read this post? You’re welcome to leave a comment and let us know.

As always, feel free to send me an email:

---

❤️ To bless the “Algorithm Angels”, please select the “heart” icon to like this post (if you do), even if you’re not a subscriber. That will help NOC, so thank you in advance.

---

Subscribe to My Publication

It’s easy and free! Subscribe to receive my posts in your email Inbox. And, feel free to share this post with others. Thank you!

---

Follow me on (Twitter)X

https://x.com/NightOwlXian

Pin me on Pinterest

https://www.pinterest.com/nightowlchristian/night-owl-christian-blog-posts/

---

© Copyright 2024—Present, Jenise Cook. All Rights Reserved Worldwide.

Linking and Sharing Brief Excerpts: We encourage you to quote briefly from our articles within reason, and to link to our content, with proper credit given to Night Owl Christian and contributors. Please provide a complete link to nightowlchristian.substack.com or directly to the article’s URL.

Reprint Permission: Please contact nightowlchristian@proton.me to request reprint permission. All reprints must include the language “Previously published in Night Owl Christian reprinted with permission” or “Reprinted with permission from Night Owl Christian along with a live link to nightowlchristian.substack.com. Content may not be reproduced, in any form, without permission from Night Owl Christian (Jenise Cook).