Sola Scriptura-7
Angels, Cherubim, and Seraphim are all created beings but angels are simply messengers. Cherubim and Seraphim are throne guards who do have wings, angels do not have wings. Every recorded introduction of angels indicate that they appear as male and often as ordinary men. We are first introduced to them in Genesis and then again in Exodus.
Genesis 3:22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— 3:23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 3:24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Exodus 37:7 He made two cherubim of gold; he made them of hammered work at the two ends of the mercy seat;
37:8 one cherub at the one end and one cherub at the other end; he made the cherubim of one piece with the mercy seat at the two ends. 37:9 The cherubim had their wings spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings, with their faces toward each other; the faces of the cherubim were toward the mercy seat.
There are 58 verses in 13 books of the Old Testament that refer to Cherubim.
Psalms 99:1 The LORD reigns, let the peoples tremble; He is enthroned above the cherubim, let the earth shake!
Isaiah 37:16 "O LORD of hosts, the God of Israel, who is enthroned above the cherubim, You are the God, You alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth.
Seraphim have only two mentions but both in Isaiah.
Isaiah 6:1 In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple.
6:2 Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 6:3 And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory." 6:4 And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke.
6:5 Then I said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I live among a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts." 6:6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a burning coal in his hand, which he had taken from the altar with tongs. 6:7 He touched my mouth with it and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away and your sin is forgiven.
There are a number of references to appearances of angels, some appear as mere men but different, others as heavenly messengers that instill great fear in those who see them. Perhaps the most well known illustration of this is when the LORD visited Abraham.
Genesis 18:1 Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. 18:2 When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth,
Abraham was a very wealthy and powerful man who was not accustomed to bowing in front of anyone. But, he saw something in these three ‘men’ that was exceptional and supernatural. Was he right in his initial assessment?
Genesis 18:9 Then they said to him, "Where is Sarah your wife?" And he said, "There, in the tent." 18:10 He (the LORD) said, "I will surely return to you at this time next year; and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door, which was behind him.
18:11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in age; Sarah was past childbearing. 18:12 Sarah laughed to herself, saying, "After I have become old, shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?"
18:13 And the LORD said to Abraham, "Why did Sarah laugh, saying, 'Shall I indeed bear a child, when I am so old?' 18:14 "Is anything too difficult for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son."
18:15 Sarah denied it however, saying, "I did not laugh"; for she was afraid. And He said, "No, but you did laugh."
So the LORD revealed himself in a very unique way. But, there is more.
Genesis 18:16 Then the men rose up from there, and looked down toward Sodom; and Abraham was walking with them to send them off. 18:17 The LORD said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do, 18:18 since Abraham will surely become a great and mighty nation, and in him all the nations of the earth will be blessed? 18:19 "For I have chosen him, so that he may command his children and his household after him to keep the way of the LORD by doing righteousness and justice, so that the LORD may bring upon Abraham what He has spoken about him."
18:20 And the LORD said, "The outcry of Sodom and Gomorrah is indeed great, and their sin is exceedingly grave. 18:21 "I will go down now, and see if they have done entirely according to its outcry, which has come to Me; and if not, I will know.
Genesis 18:31 And he said, "Now behold, I have ventured to speak to the Lord; suppose twenty are found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it on account of the twenty." 18:32 Then he said, "Oh may the Lord not be angry, and I shall speak only this once; suppose ten are found there?" And He said, "I will not destroy it on account of the ten." 18:33 As soon as He had finished speaking to Abraham the LORD departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
These men were indeed angels, sent by the LORD to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah and rescue Lot and his family. Abraham recognized them as not being normal men, as did Lot and all the sinful men.
Genesis 19:1 Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them and bowed down with his face to the ground. 19:2 And he said, "Now behold, my lords, please turn aside into your servant's house, and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go on your way." They said however, "No, but we shall spend the night in the square." 19:3 Yet he urged them strongly, so they turned aside to him and entered his house; and he prepared a feast for them, and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.
Genesis 19:4 Before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, all the people from every quarter; 19:5 and they called to Lot and said to him, "Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may have relations with them."
19:6 But Lot went out to them at the doorway, and shut the door behind him, 19:7 and said, "Please, my brothers, do not act wickedly. 19:8 "Now behold, I have two daughters who have not had relations with man; please let me bring them out to you, and do to them whatever you like; only do nothing to these men, inasmuch as they have come under the shelter of my roof."
19:9 But they said, "Stand aside." Furthermore, they said, "This one came in as an alien, and already he is acting like a judge; now we will treat you worse than them." So they pressed hard against Lot and came near to break the door.
19:10 But the men reached out their hands and brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door. 19:11 They struck the men who were at the doorway of the house with blindness, both small and great, so that they wearied themselves trying to find the doorway.
19:12 Then the two men said to Lot, "Whom else have you here? A son-in-law, and your sons, and your daughters, and whomever you have in the city, bring them out of the place; 19:13 for we are about to destroy this place, because their outcry has become so great before the LORD that the LORD has sent us to destroy it."
19:14 Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who were to marry his daughters, and said, "Up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy the city." But he appeared to his sons-in-law to be jesting. 19:15 When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, "Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city."
19:16 But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city.
What have we learned?
Angels can appear as ordinary men.
Angels have tremendous power to use as the LORD commands them.
They appear as men, but they are different.
The LORD gave them the power and authority to save Lot and destroy Sodom, Gomorrah, and all living things within these two wicked cities.
The appeal of the world and sensual desires will blind most.
More next Saturday.