Angels - Part One

Hebrews 13:2
2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it.

What a cool verse! Can you imagine sitting down with one of Gods messengers?
We may well have. That time you helped someone cross the road?
The time you bought the homeless guy a sandwich?

Of course the chance that you're "entertaining an angel" should not be your main motivation for being hospitable or kind. For as the bible says:

Mark 12:30-31
30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'There is no commandment greater than these."

But it'd be pretty cool to find out you'd been in the presence of an Angel.

So, have any of you ever had an experience with an angel that you know of?

I haven't, as far as i'm aware, but of course I could at any point.

So what does the bible say Angels are?

Angels are messengers of God. The times angels are mentioned in the bible, we know they are angels. They announce themselves as such.

There are numerous verses in the bible that mention angels giving messages to people.
The big one we all know is angel Gabriel telling Mary she would be giving birth to the Son of God.

Luke 1:26-33
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

According to www.christianity.about.com Angels are mentioned  in the bible 273 times! There are many different types of angels and they appear to have order and rank.

Here's a brief description of a Cherub from Ezekiel 10:14

14 Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

And here is a brief description of a Seraphim:

2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:

      “ Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
      The whole earth is full of His glory!”

Angels are described as messengers, watchers, ministers, sons of God, chariots, morning stars. Read more here

They were created by God and were here before the earth was created. Read Job 38:1-7
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?Tell me, if you know so much.
 5 Who determined its dimensions
      and stretched out the surveying line?
 6 What supports its foundations,
      and who laid its cornerstone
 7 as the morning stars sang together
      and all the angels[a] shouted for joy"

 Angels live for eternity:
Luke 20:36
36 And they will never die again. In this respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the resurrection.

Angels don't marry:

30 For when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage. In this respect they will be like the angels in heaven.

There is SO much to learn about angels. To read more about them please check out www.christianity.about.com
I will write more about angels next week. Until then, be blessed! And don't forget to "entertain strangers" because you never know who it could be!

By Bryony