Angels Watching Over Me

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Angels Watching Over Me

• Acts 121-17

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Acts 121-17 NLT
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James Is Killed and Peter Is Imprisoned

• About that time King Herod Agrippa began to
  persecute some believers in the church. He had
  the apostle James (John's brother) killed with a
  sword.

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• When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish
  people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place
  during the Passover celebration.)
• Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the
  guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod
  intended to bring Peter out for public trial
  after the Passover.

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Acts 125

• But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed
  very earnestly for him.

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Peter's Miraculous Escape from Prison

• The night before Peter was to be placed on trial,
  he was asleep, fastened with two chains between
  two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison
  gate.

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• Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell,
  and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The
  angel struck him on the side to awaken him and
  said, "Quick! Get up!"
• And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the
  angel told him, "Get dressed and put on your
  sandals." And he did. "Now put on your coat and
  follow me," the angel ordered.

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• So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But
  all the time he thought it was a vision. He
  didn't realize it was actually happening.
• They passed the first and second guard posts and
  came to the iron gate leading to the city, and
  this opened for them all by itself. So they
  passed through and started walking down the
  street, and then the angel suddenly left him.

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Acts 1211-12

• Peter finally came to his senses. "It's really
  true!" he said. "The Lord has sent his angel and
  saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish
  leaders had planned to do to me!"
• When he realized this, he went to the home of
  Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were
  gathered for prayer.

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Angels in the Bible

• The word angel actually comes from the Greek
  word aggelos, which means messenger. The
  matching Hebrew word mal'ak has the same meaning.

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• Angels are mentioned at least 108 times in the
  Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament
  
• (Chafer, Systematic Theology, II, 3).

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They Are Created By God

• Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD from the
  heavens Praise Him in the heights! Praise Him,
  all His angels Praise Him, all His hosts!
• Praise Him, sun and moon Praise Him, all stars
  of light! Praise Him, highest heavens, And the
  waters that are above the heavens!
• Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He
  commanded and they were created. He has also
  established them forever and ever He has made a
  decree which will not pass away.
• Psalms 1481-6

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They Are Ministering Spirits For Us!

• Besides, to which of the angels has He ever said,
  Sit at My right hand till I make your enemies a
  stool for your feet?
• Are not the angels all ministering spirits
  (servants) sent out in the service of God for
  the assistance of those who are to inherit
  salvation?
• Hebrews 113-14 AMP

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They Can Look Like Us

• Continue to love each other with true brotherly
  love. Don't forget to be kind to strangers, for
  some who have done this have entertained angels
  without realizing it!
• Hebrews 131-2 TLB

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They Can Also Be Awesome

• Suddenly there was a great earthquake for an
  angel of the Lord came down from heaven and
  rolled aside the stone and sat on it. His face
  shone like lightning and his clothing was a
  brilliant white.
• The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and
  fell into a dead faint.
• Matthew 282-4 TLB

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They Are Usually Invisible

• So one night the king of Syria sent a great army
  with many chariots and horses to surround the
  city. When the prophet's servant got up early the
  next morning and went outside, there were troops,
  horses, and chariots everywhere.
• "Alas, my master, what shall we do now?" he cried
  out to Elisha. "Don't be afraid!" Elisha told
  him. "For our army is bigger than theirs!"
• Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, open his eyes and let
  him see!" And the Lord opened the young man's
  eyes so that he could see horses of fire and
  chariots of fire everywhere upon the mountain!
• 2 Kings 614-17 TLB

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They All Appear As Adult Males
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Not like this
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Or Like These Two
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There Are Fallen Angels as Well

• And I remind you of those angels who were once
  pure and holy but turned to a life of sin. Now
  God has them chained up in prisons of darkness,
  waiting for the judgment day.
• Jude 6 TLB

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Satan Can Even Appear Beautiful

• For such men are false apostles, deceitful
  workers, disguising themselves as apostles of
  Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises
  himself as an angel of light.
• 2 Corinthians 1113-15

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Acts 1213-14

• He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant
  girl named Rhoda came to open it.
• When she recognized Peter's voice, she was so
  overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she
  ran back inside and told everyone, "Peter is
  standing at the door!"

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Acts 1215-16

• Youre out of your mind! they said. When she
  insisted, they decided, It must be his angel.
• Meanwhile Peter continued knocking. When they
  finally opened the door and saw him, they were
  amazed.

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Acts 1217

• He motioned for them to quiet down and told them
  how the Lord had led him out of prison. Tell
  James and the other brothers what happened, he
  said. And then he went to another place.

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Acts 1218-25 TLB

• At dawn, the jail was in great commotion. What
  had happened to Peter? When Herod sent for him
  and found that he wasn't there, he had the
  sixteen guards arrested, court-martialed and
  sentenced to death. Afterwards he left to live in
  Caesarea for a while.

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Acts 1220

• While he was in Caesarea, a delegation from Tyre
  and Sidon arrived to see him. He was highly
  displeased with the people of those two cities,
  but the delegates made friends with Blastus, the
  royal secretary, and asked for peace, for their
  cities were economically dependent upon trade
  with Herod's country.

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Acts 1221-22

• An appointment with Herod was granted, and when
  the day arrived he put on his royal robes, sat on
  his throne, and made a speech to them. At its
  conclusion the people gave him a great ovation,
  shouting, "It is the voice of a god and not of a
  man!"

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Acts 1223

• Instantly, an angel of the Lord struck Herod with
  a sickness so that he was filled with maggots and
  died-because he accepted the people's worship
  instead of giving the glory to God.

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Historian Josephus account of Herods death

• "Herod, having reigned three years over ALL Judea
  (he had reigned over the tetrarchy of his brother
  Philip four years before this), went down to
  Caesarea, and there exhibited shows and games in
  honour of Claudius, and made vows for his health.

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• On the second day of these shows, he put on a
  garment made wholly of silver, and of a
  contexture most truly wonderful, and came into
  the theatre early in the morning at which time
  the silver of his garment, being illuminated by
  the first reflection of the sun's rays, shone out
  after a surprising manner, and was so resplendent
  as to spread a horror over those who looked
  intently upon him

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• and presently his flatterers cried out, one from
  one place, and another from another, 'He is a
  god' and they added, 'Be thou merciful to us,
  for although we have hitherto reverenced thee
  only as a man, yet shall we henceforth own thee
  as superior to mortal nature.' Nor did the king
  rebuke them, nor reject their impious flattery.

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• But, looking up, he saw an owl on a certain rope
  over his head, and immediately conceived that
  this bird was to him a messenger of ill tidings
  and he fell into the deepest sorrow a severe
  pain also arose in his bowels, and he died after
  five days' severe illness."
• This is the sum of the account given by Josephus,
  Ant. lib. 19 cap. 8, sect. 2.

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J. Lee Grady on Celebrity Christianity

• At a charismatic conference in an East Coast city
  recently, a pastor stood on a stage in front of a
  large crowd and smugly announced that the guest
  speaker was more than an apostle. Then the host
  asked everyone to bow down to the person,
  claiming that this posture was necessary to
  release Gods power. This is the only way you
  can receive this kind of anointing! the host
  declared, bowing in front of the speaker.
  Immediately, about 80 percent of the audience
  fell prostrate on the floor. The few who were
  uncomfortable with the weird spiritual control in
  the room either walked out or stood in silent
  protest.  

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We Dont Worship Men or Angels

• Colossians 216-19 TLB
• So don't let anyone criticize you for what you
  eat or drink, or for not celebrating Jewish
  holidays and feasts or new moon ceremonies or
  Sabbaths. For these were only temporary rules
  that ended when Christ came. They were only
  shadows of the real thing-of Christ himself.

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• Don't let anyone declare you lost when you refuse
  to worship angels, as they say you must. They
  have seen a vision, they say, and know you
  should. These proud men (though they claim to be
  so humble) have a very clever imagination.
• But they are not connected to Christ, the Head to
  which all of us who are his body are joined for
  we are joined together by his strong sinews, and
  we grow only as we get our nourishment and
  strength from God.

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John Wanted to Worship an Angel

• I, John, am the one who heard and saw these
  things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to
  worship at the feet of the angel who showed me
  these things.
• But he said to me, "Do not do that. I am a fellow
  servant of yours and of your brethren the
  prophets and of those who heed the words of this
  book. Worship God."
• Revelation 228-9 NASU

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But dont ignore them either

• Don't forget to be kind to strangers, for some
  who have done this have entertained angels
  without realizing it!
• Hebrews 132 TLB

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Angels Wish They Could Be Us?

• As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied
  of the grace that would come to you made careful
  searches and inquiries, seeking to know what
  person or time the Spirit of Christ within them
  was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of
  Christ and the glories to follow.
• It was revealed to them that they were not
  serving themselves, but you, in these things
  which now have been announced to you through
  those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy
  Spirit sent from heaven--things into which angels
  long to look.
• 1 Peter 110-12 NASU

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Acts 1224-25

• God's Good News was spreading rapidly and there
  were many new believers.
• Barnabas and Paul now visited Jerusalem and as
  soon as they had finished their business,
  returned to Antioch, taking John Mark with them.