Hebrews 13:2, “Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.”
I had not previously given much thought to the topic of Angels, althought it is usually included in summaries of doctrine, and I can’t recall hearing a sermon on it.
So, I scanned through the bible to collect references to angels, and have shown them below, grouped under the key findings for each set of verses.
I hope you enjoy these bible readings.
The Old Testament — Angels actively intervened in events to do God’s will, and to speak to people for God
Genesis 16:7, The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert;
Genesis 19:1, The two angels arrived at Sodom in the evening
Genesis 21:17, God heard the boy crying, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven
Genesis 22:11, But the angel of the LORD called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 22:12, “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
Genesis 24:6, “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said. 24:7, “The LORD, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there.
Genesis 28:12, He (Jacob) had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.
Genesis 31:11, The angel of God said to me in the dream, ‘Jacob.’ I answered, ‘Here I am.’
Genesis 32:1, Jacob also went on his way, and the angels of God met him.
Exodus 3:2, There the angel of the LORD appeared to him (Moses) in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up.
Exodus 14:19, Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 14:20, coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
Exodus 23:20, “See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.
Exodus 32:34, Now go, lead the people to the place I spoke of, and my angel will go before you. However, when the time comes for me to punish, I will punish them for their sin.” 33:2, I will send an angel before you and drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites.
Numbers 22:22, But God was very angry when he (Balaam) went, and the angel of the LORD stood in the road to oppose him. 22:34, Balaam said to the angel of the LORD, “I have sinned. I did not realize you were standing in the road to oppose me. Now if you are displeased, I will go back.”
Judges 2:4, When the angel of the LORD had spoken these things to all the Israelites, the people wept aloud,
Judges 6:12, When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said, “The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.”
Judges 13:3, The angel of the LORD appeared to her and said, “You are sterile and childless, but you are going to conceive and have a son. (Samson)
2 Samuel 24:16, When the angel stretched out his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand.” The angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
1 Kings 19:5, Then (Elijah) he lay down under the tree and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.” 1:3, But the angel of the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite,
2 Kings 19:35, That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!
1 Chronicles 21:30, But David could not go before it to inquire of God, because he was afraid of the sword of the angel of the LORD.
Job 1:6, One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them.
Psalm 34:7, The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.
Psalm 78:49, He unleashed against them his hot anger, his wrath, indignation and hostility—a band of destroying angels.
Isaiah 37:36, Then the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand men in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies!
Daniel 3:28, Then Nebuchadnezzar said, “Praise be to the God of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, who has sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
Daniel 6:22, My God sent his angel, and he shut the mouths of the lions. They have not hurt me, because I was found innocent in his sight. Nor have I ever done any wrong before you, O king.”
Zechariah 1:9, I (Zechariah) asked, “What are these, my lord?” The angel who was talking with me answered, “I will show you what they are.” — (there are many references in Zechariah)
The New Testament — Angels continued to be active and speak God’s will
Matthew 1:20, But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Matthew 2:13, When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
Matthew 2:19, After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt
Luke 1:13, But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
Luke 1:19, The angel answered, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
Luke 1:26, In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, Lk 1:28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Luke 2:9, An angel of the Lord appeared to them (shepherds), and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Even the Devil acknowledges the existence and activity of angelsv
Matthew 4:6, “If you are the Son of God,” he (the Devil) said, “throw yourself down. For it is written: “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’’”
Angels attended to Jesus
Matthew 4:11, Then the devil left him (Jesus), and angels came and attended him.
Luke 22:43, An angel from heaven appeared to him (Jesus) and strengthened him. (in the garden of Gethsemane)
Jesus spoke of angels
Matthew 13:39, (Jesus said) “and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.”
Matthew 16:27, (Jesus said) “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
Luke 15:10, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 20:36, “and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.”
John 1:51, “He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Little children have angels in heaven
Matthew 18:10, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.”
Matthew 16:27, (Jesus said) “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
Luke 15:10, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 20:36, “and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.”
John 1:51, “He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
Following the resurrection, people will be like the angels in heaven
Matthew 22:30, At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.
Matthew 16:27, (Jesus said) “For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.”
Luke 15:10, “In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”
Luke 20:36, “and they can no longer die; for they are like the angels. They are God’s children, since they are children of the resurrection.”
John 1:51, “He then added, “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
At the (second) coming of Jesus, all the angels will be with him
Matthew 25:31, “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.”
Matthew 25:41, “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”
2 Thessalonians 1:7, “and give relief to you who are troubled, and to us as well. This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels.”
An angel rolled back the stone of Jesus’ tomb, and gave news to the women
Matthew 28:2, “There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it.”
Matthew 28:5, “The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.”
John 20:12, “and saw two angels in white, seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.”
Angels continued to be active in the lives of the apostles and Paul
Acts 5:19, “But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail and brought them out.”
Acts 7:53, (Stephen before stoning) “you who have received the law that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it.”
Acts 8:26, “Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Go south to the road—the desert road—that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.”
Acts 10:3, “One day at about three in the afternoon he had a vision. He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, “Cornelius!”
Acts 12:6, “The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 12:7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.”
Acts 12:23, “Immediately, because Herod did not give praise to God, an angel of the Lord struck him down, and he was eaten by worms and died.”
Acts 27:23, “Last night an angel of the God whose I am and whom I (Paul) serve stood beside me”
Revelation 1:1, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John” (there are many references to angels in John’s visions in the book of Revelation)
Satan imitates an angel of light
2 Corinthians 11:14, “And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.”
2 Peter 2:4, “For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgment;”
Angels are not to be worshipped
Colossians 2:18, “Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.”
Angels are ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation
Hebrews 1:14, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?”
0 Comments