October 14, 1979
Pastor Henry F. Kulp
Many strange and foolish notions have been presented about angels. We have told you many times that folks do not understand Satan, and as long as he deceives them, he is accomplishing what he wants to. The same thing can be said about angels -- how many folks have erroneous opinions or bad doctrine concerning angels.
1/ All one has to do is look at religious art. And look at the sculpture and the painting and even in some of the hymns, and angels are usually plump little babies with wings. Where that notion comes from I haven't the slightest idea.
2/ Angels are usually presented as heroes of mighty strength in the Bible, and I would like to look at a few of the errors concerning angels.
3/ ANGELS ARE NOT PRESENTED AS BABIES IN THE BIBLE. Their name in Hebrew and Greek is MESSENGER AND AMBASSADORS and babies cannot serve as messengers or ambassadors. Angels are described as servants in contrast to the Son, but babies cannot serve and are incapable of doing any work or executing any task whatsoever. Babes are helpless and they must be served. Not once in the Scripture are angels described as babes.
4/ Again angels are pictured as having wings. But most of the time when you read about angels, they do not have wings, and I suppose the Scripture that is usually used to show that angels have wings is (in Daniel 9: 21) we are talking about Gabriel, it says, being caused to fly swiftly. These words do not mean that Gabriel has wings. What it means is that he moved with swift motions, swift locomotion, not that he was flying as a bird with wings.
Daniel 9:21: "Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation."
5/ How many times have you seen the angels at the tomb of the Lord Jesus Christ? And they have great wings.
John 20: 11, 12 and it says that Mary stooped down and looked into the sepulchre, and seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet where the body of Jesus had lain. Not one word about having wings, but all the religious artists and sculptures love to talk about angels at this point as angels with wings (presented as angels with wings).
John 20: 11 - 12: "But Mary stood without at the sepulchre weeping: and as she wept, she stooped down, and looked into the sepulchre, And seeth two angels in white sitting, the one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain."
6/ Do you realize the Scripture I have just presented to you is the only time angels are presented as sitting? No other time are they sitting. They are always put before us as ministering.
7/ Let's get the principle – (Hebrews. 1:13) and here it says, to which of the angels said He at any time, sit on My right hand? Jesus Christ is pictured as sitting on the right hand of God, but not the ministering angels. They are presented in contrast to the sitting Saviour, and the only time they did sit was in Mark 16: 5 at the tomb with the resurrection of Christ, and they are presenting rest in Christ because He has been crucified is the order of the day.
Hebrews 1:13: "But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?"
Mark 16: 5: "And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted."
8/ Angels are always put before us as ministering.
I Kings 19: 5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat.
Luke 16: 22 And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
Mark 16: 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
Acts 27: 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,
So we see the religious world is greatly mistaken about angels.
They are usually presented also as women. How many times did you ever call your wife an angel? They are presented whenever they are mentioned as men.
Here the two angels are said to be two men.
Luke 24: 1-4: "Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments."
Mark 16: 5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
Here the angel is described as a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment, and it says they were amazed. Acts 1: 10, 11 Here at the ascension of Jesus Christ, two men stood by them in white apparel.
Acts 1: 10 - 11: "And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."
10/ THIS POINT SHOULD BE UNDER ANGELS MINISTERING, NOT BEING SEATED.
Here we have our Lord's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and an angel appears to Him from Heaven, strengthening Him.
Luke 22: 39 - 43: "And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation. And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him."
11/ Another unscriptural notion is that angels do not have bodies. There are really two opposite schools of thought in so-called Christian history, many such as JUST -- MARTYR – CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA · TERULLIAN – AUGUSTINE believed that angels had a body. However, the Catholic Council of 1215 said that could not be true, they did not have a physical body. There can be no question that angels have appeared on earth in physical bodies. You and I cannot see a spirit. At the tomb, if they had other than physical bodies they could not have been seen at that time.
12/ Hebrews 13: 1, 2 Here we are told be not forgetful to entertain strangers for thereby some have entertained angels unaware. This is not talking about this day and age, written to Christian Hebrews and it tells us there, and we will understand a little bit later why we have angels with Israel, and angels are said to come to some of these Jews, and these Jews entertained these angels, not aware that they were entertaining angels. So they must have looked like men and must have had a physical body.
Hebrews 13: 1 - 2: "Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares."
13/ I Corinthians 15: 35 - 40
Here in this resurrection chapter Paul says that some men will say, how are the dead raised up? And listen to the next question – and with what body do they come? Then in verse 40 He tells us, there are celestial bodies and bodies terrestrial. This is talking about physical bodies. I don't think anyone can deny that He is talking about a physical that is terrestrial -- that is earthly. We have earthly bodies and he says the glory of the celestial -- the heavenly - is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. So he says, there are two bodies, and I believe he is talking about angelic bodies here. We have celestial bodies, and angels must have celestial bodies, for there are not celestial bodies at this present time as far as man is concerned. So one day we will have a celestial body -- it will be a physical one, because Jesus Christ has a physical one, and we will have one just like Him. So the angels right now have a celestial body and according to this Scripture it has to be physical.
1 Corinthians 15: 35 - 40: "But some man will say, How are the dead raised up? and with what body do they come? Thou fool, that which thou sowest is not quickened, except it die: And that which thou sowest, thou sowest not that body that shall be, but bare grain, it may chance of wheat, or of some other grain: 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."
14/ I know the old argument -- in Scripture they say that the angels do not marry that they are sexless. And that doesn't make sense to me, either. It doesn't say they are sexless, it just says they do not marry.
Matthew 22: 30: "For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven."
15/ The next error is that some people worship angels.
Colossians 1: 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
The gnostics worshipped angels. Constantine built a cathedral to the honor of Michael.
16/ The next great error, I believe is guardian angels. It is relatively easy to see how this notion originated. For it cannot be denied that in the Bible we have angels divided into different labor or work. There are angels over the elements, the winds, the waters and fire, and Michael is clearly presented as a servant of the nation Israel. Certain privileged saints received angel visits.
17/ Then the Scripture many love to use is Matthew 18: 10. Our Lord spoke of the angels of the little, hence it is easy for imagination and sentiment to carry this over into guardian angels.
Matthew 18: 10: "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven."
18/ Then we have another Scripture we will turn to, Acts 12: 15 where it says "it is his angel", but this cannot be proof that every believer has his guardian angel. These folks were not speaking by the Holy Spirit, because they refused to believe that Peter was there, and I believe what they are talking about is a disembodied spirit, or they believed he did have some sort of an angel. But you can't use what they said as proof that there are guardian angels.
Acts 12: 15: "And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel."
19/ I am positive we do not need a guardian angel. We have something far better. I believe and think of guardian angels is failing to rightly divide the Bible. We are seated in Heavenly places, Ephesians 2: 5 - 8. Our all-sufficient Saviour can watch and lead and protect and comfort us 10,000 times better than 12 legions of angels. There is positively not Scripture proof or any basic reality to the fact of a guardian angel.
Ephesians 2: 5 - 8: "Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:"
20/ As a matter of fact, we have a ministry to angels. Ephesians 3: 10.
Notice, Hebrews 1: 14 Most people take that for present angelic ministry. But notice what it says -- it does not state that angels minister to them that are heirs of salvation, but it does say to them that shall be heirs of salvation. This is different from the present to the future tense, and under no condition does anyone have the right to change the Word of God as many do here. In this day and age, we have salvation right now.
Ephesians 3: 10: "To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God,"
Hebrews 1: 14: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?"
But who was the writer of Hebrews addressing? The nation Israel, the ones who would neglect so great salvation, would commit, according to Hebrews 6: 4 - 6 the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, and would become LO-ami -- not my people.
Hebrews 6: 4 - 6 For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.
Notice, the angels shall be sent to the future inheritors of salvation, but for the sake or the account of the World.
AMEN
10/14/1979 / 511 - DO YOU HAVE A GUARDIAN ANGEL? / 4/29/2026
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