“Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.” (Psalm 103:20-21)
The unseen realm of angels is constantly described in the Bible not as a distant reality, but as a present one. Angels are not just occasionally present in the Bible, they are constantly mentioned. The word Angel occurs over 294 times in the pages of God's Holy Word. Surprisingly enough, though, very few Christians know much about them. Here in Psalm 103:20-21 it tells us that angels exist to serve God in five ways.
- To “bless the Lord” (in worship and service)
- To “do His Word” (concerning activities here on earth)
- To heed the “voice of God's Word” (as it is spoken through the saints on earth)
- To minister on God’s behalf (as described in Hebrews 1:14, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”)
- To do God’s pleasure (as His hosts are at His direction)
There is an organized rank structure in the angelic realm. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him” (Colossians 1:16). Though opinion differs as to the placement of angelic offices, it is clear that the angelic hosts are part of a highly organized world of angel beings. For example, Daniel 10:13 shows that warring angels have a Chief Prince, Michael, who is also called an archangel, that is one who rules over others. Then you have seraphim and cherubim, which seem to be of a slightly lower ranking, just ahead of ministering spirits. However, it may also be that the seraphim and cherubim fill a leadership role in worship while Michael leads the warring angels. And then the last rank is mentioned in the New Testament only, Zoa, or living creatures. There is definitely an organized angelic rank structure.
Angels have influence over nations. “But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:13). According to this, some angels have influence over nations. This verse gives us insight into the powerful control that such angels, whether good or evil, may exercise over nations and national issues. In this one chapter we see three angelic princes who rule nations. The Prince of Persia, Michael, the Prince of Israel, and the Prince of Greece, another territorial ruler.
There are guardian angels that watch over us. “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12) [italic emphasis mine]. Each of us has our own private guardian angel(s). Pay attention to the (s) on that word, angels. It is plural, not singular. For decades, the Church has been taught that each person has only one guardian Angel. Why? I don't know. Especially since over and over throughout the Bible it uses the same terminology as here in verse 11, angels, plural. Dr. Billy Graham stepped out first many years ago to break this thought in his book Angels, Angels, Angels, where he showed how he believed every believer to have two guardian angels. I have done intensive studies into angelology though, and I have found out something very interesting. I have found that in the original Hebrew text concerning angels and their guardianship over us, they teach that every individual has four guardian angels. Not one or two, but four. “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them” (Psalm 34:7 NKJV) [italic emphasis mine]. Here is their prayer, “In the name of the Lord, the God of Israel, may Michael be at my right hand, Gabriel at my left, before me Uriel, behind me Raphael, and above my head the divine presence of God.”
So far, we have seen that angels are very real, that there is an organized hierarchy to their ranks, that they have influence over nations, and that we each have guardian angels to watch over us. Now, let’s move into talking about God’s Angelic Strike Force. We have already seen that God does indeed have warring angels, which Michael is the chief Prince over. Now, let's see them in action.
“And it shall be, when thou shalt hear a sound of going in the tops of the mulberry trees, that then thou shalt go out to battle: for God is gone forth before thee to smite the host of the Philistines” (1 Chronicles 14:15). I must admit that the King James translation is sort of confusing at first. I mean, what does “a sound of a going” even mean? Looking deeper into it though, I have discovered something truly remarkable. The “sound of a going” really means “a sound of marching” (NKJV). And who marches? Troops! And who do troops belong to? An army! Furthermore, I have even discovered that several leading Hebraic researchers interpret this to mean angels marching. One Hebrew interpretation says it this way, “And it shall be, when you hear the sound of an army of angels, marching over tops of the baca trees, then you shall go out to battle.” That God’s Angelic Strike Force in action!
How does this strike force move? Psalm 68:17 will give you that answer–in chariots! And how many chariots does it take to move this strike force? “The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels” Thousands of thousands stand for a myriad, and a myriad is an innumerable amount! Now, do chariots move on their own? Of course not. Then how do the chariots move? 2 Kings 2:11 (ESV) will tell us that: “And as they still went on and talked, behold, chariots of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven” [italic emphasis mine]. God's angelic strike force rides in fiery chariots pulled by fiery spirit horses throughout the heavens to do the will and work of God. Can you imagine what it was like to look up and see horses of fire coming down out of heaven?
One of the most predominant examples in the Bible about this angelic strike force is found in the story of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6:15-17 (ESV): “When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ He said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O Lord, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” This is God's angelic strike force in action. And verse 16 says it all, “Do not fear for those who are with us, or more than those who are with them!”
Look at how Elisha responded to his servant. His servant was freaking out. He came back into Elisha’s room screaming, “What are we going to do? The Syrian army is out there, and they have us surrounded!” Elisha, just as nonchalant as you please, just prayed “Lord, let this boy see what I have already seen.” The Syrian army didn’t bother him. Their numbers didn’t bother him. Why? Simple. Because he could do math! Yep, math. He knew that those who were with them, were more than those who were with them!
And the same should be true for us today, spiritual warfighters. Lucifer may have talked one-third of the heavenly hosts into following him in his failed coup of overthrowing God, but common sense alone tells us that if he only took one-third with him, that means he left two-thirds with God. So, any way you look at it, we have them outnumbered two-to-one!