Angels
The word: = Messenger (Hebrew צךל; Greek Αγγελοσ)
A common word in Hebrew, used for messengers and ambassadors and envoys of every kind. But when it is “the angel of the LORD” (צךל טיהי) there is a distinct difference.
At least one prophet (Haggai) refers to himself as God’s angel. The prophecies of John the Baptist, in Malachi, “behold I send my messenger before thy face” in both the Hebrew original and the Greek translation, use the same words, “angel” – so John is the angel of God, or specifically the angel of Jesus.
So we can get a lot of mileage out of biblical language on angels before we even start talking about supernatural beings; and we can also get a clue about what the function and purpose of those beings is. They are God’s messengers. God sends a messenger to get a message across. Often we talk about abrupt changes in our circumstances in just such a way. Is it any wonder the Hebrews talked about angels as bringers of death, disease, and natural disasters? They understood, just like we do, that God uses such things to get our attention “somebody’s trying to tell us something.;” thus, God’s angels are involved.
But in the Hebrew Bible and the Greek New Testament, there are some experiences of angels that don’t fit with the broad categories of human messengers on the one hand, or natural disasters on the other. There are times when a personal message, usually a most positive one, is brought to an individual, because that is what God wants to do. Abraham, Jacob, Moses, the parents of Samson, David, Elijah, Isaiah, several other kings and prophets, Ezekiel, Daniel, Zechariah, all encountered angels who gave them specific information and instructions. In the NT, we have Zechariah (father of John the Baptist) Joseph, Mary, the shepherds, Jesus himself, Peter, Cornelius, Philip, Paul, and John the Revelator.
I have an idea that most of those encounters were not much like the kinds of angelic encounters envisioned by the producers of modern movies and television shows. The delicate angels of popular art do not do them justice either. Biblical angels are strong, large and fearsome, representing as they do the power of heaven and the will of God Almighty.
In most cases, the first words out of an angel’s mouth are “fear not.” Why? Must be that fear was a natural reaction.
