Angels in Jesus’ later life

1) Last Sunday night we examined information about angels during Jesus early years on the earth.

2) Tonight we want to pick up with a later time in the Lord’s life—the time when He was an adult.

3) 1 Tim. 3:16 says Jesus was “seen of angels” (angels were involved with Jesus’ life).

4) Certainly were part of Jesus’ early earthly life as well as His later human years.

5) For instance, we see angels at the end of His temptations.

a) According to Mt. 4:2, Jesus has “fasted for 40 days and nights.”

b) The devil then came to the Lord with 3 very powerful temptations.

c) Angels were part of this time period.

d) We heard this for our Scripture reading, Mt. 4:5-7.

6) Satan cited the Bible to make a point about angels and his citation shows us some things.

a) First, what Satan said shows us he is familiar with the Word of God.

b) Some may think the devil has no interest in God’s word.

c) If Satan does not follow the Bible, why would he be interested in it?

d) Mt. 4 tells us the devil is very, very interested in the Bible.

e) Satan is not attracted to it because he wants to one day obey it.

f) Jesus said the devil is a “liar” (Jn. 8:44). Satan’s interest in the Word is for twisting the Scriptures.

g) The best way to pervert or twist a product is to know it and know it very, very well.

h) At the present time the serpent can use this knowledge to promote false religion.

i) If he cannot get the word away from people, he wants to corrupt God’s plan in the Scriptures.

7) One example of Him lying about God and His word is found in the Garden of Eden.

8) Eve said if the fruit were eaten death would come (Gen. 3:1-4); Satan said that was not true.

9) Studying angles is one way to learn that Satan cannot be trusted; he really is a liar.

10) Satan talked about angels but what he said was not right.

11) He tried to make a Bible passage say one thing when it really meant something else.

12) Jesus did not trust the devil’s offer in His temptations and neither should we.

13) Mark’s account of the temptation has some unusual material.

14) Listen to what he said in the first chapter of his book, 1:13 – READ.

a) We read about “wild beasts” and “angels ministering to Jesus after the temptations.”

b) Mark does not expand on what he meant, and this information is not mentioned by any other writer.

c) Someone angels and wild beasts were involved with Jesus after the temptations.

d) There may be some parallels to this information in other parts of the Bible (the Old Testament).

e) We know about Daniel and the lion’s den (Dan. 6).

f) What closed the mouths of lions and kept God’s prophet safe? Angelic intervention.

g) Based on this Old Testament account, angels may have driven off wild beasts that Mark mentions.

h) If these beasts were threatening the Lord, angels may have repelled them.

i) In 1 Kgs. 19:5-8 we read about Elijah; God’s prophet needed food.

j) God’s prophet was fed; he received food from an angel.

k) After the Lord’s temptations He would have been very hungry.

l) How did He get fed? It is certainly possible that angels provided Him with nourishment.

m) Jesus faced significant hardship so it is not surprising to see angels coming to minister to Him.

15) Towards the beginning of the gospels were thus see angels in Jesus’ ministry.

16) Then, all the sudden, they disappear (at least from the Biblical record) until the end of Jesus’ life.

17) The gospel writers concentrate on the Lord and His disciples, not angels.

18) We are not told about angelic activity, but we see Jesus teaching about angels.

a) Here are some of the things He said about them.

b) He said angels will serve as “reapers” at His second coming (Mt. 13:39-42; 47-50).

c) Angels will somehow help separate the saved from the lost.

d) All people who have ever lived will be somehow directed to the right place by angels.

e) A lot of people in this life want to see an angel.

f) At the end of time, people will get to see angels—a lot of angels.

g) Many will get their wish but it will not be what they want because of where angels put them.

h) Angels are waiting to perform this very special and crucial task.

19) Jesus also said (Mt. 16:27) that angels will come with the Lord at the Second Coming.

20) The Lord will not return by Himself; heaven’s angles will be with Him.

21) According to Mt. 25:31, “all” heaven’s angels will return with the Lord (none will be left behind).

22) In previous studies we have examined how innumerable the heavenly host is.

23) The second coming will be a time like the world has never seen.

24) A great company of heavenly beings will descend at the end of time.

25) Jesus said something else about angels in Mt. 18:10.

a) He said “do not despise one of these little ones” and then used the word angel.

b) Some think “little ones” refer to small children.

c) Jesus said this and then launched into a presentation about a single lost sheep.

d) If the two ideas are connected, the “little one” is a weak Christian.

e) Mt. 18 seems to indicate angels have special concern for Christians who are not too strong.

f) In previous lessons we have also introduced Mt. 22:30.

g) Jesus said that in eternity the saved will be “like” (as) angels.

h) Men will not become angels but we will be similar to them in many ways.

i) Angels will apparently undergo no changes after the second coming but men and women will.

j) Good things are in store for the saved.

26) Angels are mighty in many ways, but Jesus said they “do not know the hour” of His return (Mt. 24:36).

27) Why God has not disclosed this information to angels we are not told.

28) Heaven has a prepared time for Jesus to come back and angels are waiting for it.

29) Man is, therefore, not the only one waiting for the Lord’s final return.

30) Another passage that is familiar to us but we may not have noticed something from is Mt. 25:41.

a) Jesus will say to them “on His left hand, Depart from me ye cursed.”

b) He will also say to those on His left, go into the eternal fire prepared for the devil.”

c) We probably know all those words, but what about the rest of the verse?

d) Jesus said, “the devil and his angels.”

e) Does the devil have angels (servants, messengers)? Yes.

f) There are spiritual forces and servants that serve Satan and these powers are not inactive.

31) If Satan were the only force on the side of evil, we might not have much of a foe.

32) We do not face the devil alone.

33) It is the devil plus his wicked servants who oppose the people of God.

34) We do not know how strong his force is, but the Bible shows he has done a lot of damage.

35) Our world continues to show the effects of Satan and his army of evil.

36) Satan’s abilities are not small, inefficient or ineffective.

37) Just as angels were able to interact with the Lord, evil angels can and do interact with the devil.

38) Most of us are familiar with Mt. 10:32-32, another angel verse from Jesus’ life.

a) Jesus spoke about confessing Him before men and He will confess us before His Father.

b) Luke’s account of this (12:8-9) is slightly different.

c) Jesus spoke about confessing the saved “before the angels” or “denying people before the angels.”

d) Angels not only serve God, in some ways it seems like they are an audience.

e) It is like God allows them to attend school (Eph. 3:10).

f) They receive instruction by seeing what happens to man and continually learn.

g) Going back to Lk. 12, let’s consider the point Jesus made: names confessed before the angels.

39) Imagine the thrill of having one’s name called out by Jesus before the angels of God.

40) Many are enthused about having their name called out when they graduate from high school or college.

41) Others feel privileged when their name is called to receive an honor.

42) Imagine personal recognition by the savior of mankind in front of all heaven’s angels.

MOVING NOW FROM WHAT JESUS SAID ABOUT ANGELS TO THE END OF THE LORD’S PHYSICAL LIFE WE SEE ANGELS ONCE AGAIN.

a) Lk. 22:41-44 tells us Jesus began to pray, and pray fervently.

b) Sweat as drops of blood were coming from His body.

c) Lk. 22:43 says an angel appeared. We are also told what this angel did.

d) Luke says the angel “strengthened” Jesus. The idea behind this word seems to be physical strength.

2) Jesus’ condition at this time was already stressed (drops of sweat as blood).

3) He was going to face a difficult trail.

4) His body was beaten so badly that someone else had to carry part of the cross.

5) Jesus needed physical strength to get to the cross and Luke says an angel came and provided that.

6) We can be grateful that this angel did what it did.

7) As important as this act was, this angel was only a savior. The Bible centers our attention upon Jesus.

8) Some in the first century believed in worshipping angels (Col. 2:18).

9) Paul told the Colossians this was wrong, and this point is also implied in the Gospels.

10) In looking at Lk. 22 we find another important point.

a) We can have times in our lives when there is something we do not want to do.

b) For whatever reason a task is very unattractive.

c) The cross was not a pleasant experience for Jesus.

d) We know that because of what Jesus said during His final hours.

e) There was a need for Jesus to be strengthened and He welcomed it.

f) He accepted the strength from this angel.

g) We can apply this same principle today.

h) When times are difficult, we should seek strength to do the difficult tasks of life.

i) We may pursue power from the Scriptures, prayer, and fellow Christians.

11) Jesus did make it to the cross and He died for the sins of mankind.

12) Then we come to the good news of the resurrection. With the resurrection we again find angels.

13) An angel came from heaven and rolled back the stone (Mt. 28:2) and then sat on it.

14) We do not know what happened to this angel.

15) We do know (Mk. 16:5) that an angel is said to have been actually inside the Lord’s tomb.

16) Whether this angle was the same one that rolled back the stone or not we are not told.

17) We have angelic appearances after the resurrection and these angels had some things to say.

a) God’s word tells us what angels were thinking about and saying 2,000 years ago.

b) Listen to Mt. 28:5-7 – READ.

c) Angels were messengers of the resurrection.

d) Out of all the things they could have communicated to man, they stressed the resurrection.

e) Angels did not talk about themselves; they did not say, “look at us.”

f) The pointed men to Jesus and His coming back from the dead.

g) Today this is still the message God wants people to hear. Jesus came, died, and has been raised.

18) Angels are fascinating creatures, but they are only a tool in the hands of God.

19) One day angels will help separate each one of us to a place of safety or condemnation.

20) If that separation took place tonight, where would an angel direct us?