Angels - Dylan Stewart

a subject that is one that's rather difficult when you really get into it but one that the Bible has much to say on and that is the subject of angels I thought it would be good since in since while we're in the Book of Revelation on Wednesday nights with brother Hall there is certainly a recurring line that is said in addressing the seven churches of Asia and that is the subject of this angel or multiple Angels rather an angel uh of the Church of those respective churches and I don't intend to step on brother Hall's study I don't really intend to get into uh Revelation 2 and 3 this evening this is very much intended to be kind of a broad overview of some of the facts that we know about angels um I recommend to you I brought a copy with me brother Mike Johnson has about a 55 page booklet on the subject of angels called understanding Angels uh if you'd like a link to that a digital copy that just let me know and I'll provide that to you as far as uh materials that Brethren have written on it I think it's the most concise as well as possibly the most detailed at the same time examination of this subject when I was 18 or 19 years old when Mike was at elen I remember us going through that and that was kind of getting thrown into the fire after having just obeyed the gospel okay let's start studying angels and then about eight months later now let's start studying Revelation I thought what have I got myself into to but it is still I highly recommend that I want to give credit to brother Mike because he's helped me better understand this subject a lot over the years again this is very much intended to be a broad overview we certainly can't get into everything tonight regarding this subject but if you do have questions you do have comments I certainly encourage you to bring those up this is a subject where I have actually more notes on things that I don't have prepared to discuss but of questions and comments that might be raised those of you who teach class you may probably know what I mean by that there's a a lot of things that may be discussed tonight but may not but first let's just ask why study this subject why study Angels well first off angels are not just some mythical some figurative some symbolic being although they can be symbolic they can be figurative we know that Jesus referred to angels as real literal beings we could look at several passages but just one that I grabbed was Luke 12: 8 and9 Jesus recognized angels as real creatures there he said verse 8 also I say to you whoever confesses me before men him the son of man also will confess before the angels of God but he who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God so there Jesus recognized angels as real beings so I would say just on that fact alone I think it's reason enough for us to want to study this subject and you may be like me where for a long time I felt like angels are more of an Old Testament thing you know in the Old Testament we see God acting um throwing out his power very differently although similar to how he does in the New Testament but we see some events that happen that we can only prescribe by the miraculous nature of God throughout the Old Testament and so as such I would for a long time think angels are more of an Old Testament matter but they're really not in fact Angels appear more often in the new Testament than they do the Old Testament I'm using the new King James this evening and by my account Angels appear 34 times in 66 excuse me in 34 of the 66 books in the Bible so it certainly a prevalent uh subject the singular word Angel appears in 190 separate verses throughout the Bible and the plural form Angels appears a 93 separate verses and in the New Testament in the first five books it is very prevalent you look at Matthew 19 times angels are mentioned and mark five times it's mentioned Luke 24 times John four times and what was surprising to me in the book of Acts 21 times angels are mentioned Angels played a prominent role in the first century in the church in the accomplishment of the Great Commission and it's interesting when you think about it in that context just how active Angels were in doing the Lord's will in the first century and since Angels certainly are as we see a Bible subject then that is why we should study it 2 Timothy 3:16 through1 17 we know if it's in the Bible then it's profitable for us to consider so I hope this evening we will count this as a profitable time together to look into God's word hopefully provide more answers than maybe uh questions regarding this subject I I hopefully we won't dwell too much on things that we don't know this evening but rather some things that we do know about this subject and first off we know that angels are interested in the Affairs of man Paul said in 1 Corinthians chapter 4:9 for I think that God has displayed us the apostles last as men condemned to death for we have been made a spectacle to the world both to angels and to men this word here spectacle is an interesting word when you look at it in the Greek uh the Greek word their translated spectacle carries with this the connotation of a gladiator in an arena or a Someone putting on a performance in an Amphitheater that's the connotation or the guess the denotation of that word and James and faucet Brown says this about this idea of the Apostles being made a spectacle to the world and to angels as Jesus was seen of angels 1 Timothy 3:16 so his followers are a spectacle to the Holy Angels who take a deep interest in all all the progressive steps of redemption Ephesians 3:10 1 Peter 1:12 Paul tacitly implies that though last and lowest in the world's judgment Christ servants are deemed By Angels a spectacle worthy of their most intense regard so we have the picture here painted as the apostles Paul specifically but he says we the apostles are persecutions our trials our sufferings we've been put on display for the world and certainly having it contained within God's book it has been put on display for the world for however long this world may stand all will know what the apostles endured but Paul says it's not just for man the spectacle has not just been made known to man but it's also the spectacle known to angels angels have an interest in the affair in the Affairs of man specifically here in the Affairs of the Apostles but we also know from other passages that they have an interest in you and I uh Ruben went through on Sunday morning poor attitudes uh towards Sinners and I thought that was an excellent lesson and in Luke chapter 15 we actually provide or Jesus provides rather information indirectly regarding Angels there and their interest in US you'll remember in Luke 15:7 in the parable of the lost sheep Jesus says that when a sinner repents when one sinner repents that there is joy in heaven Luke 15:7 but then as Jesus continues and he goes into the parable of the lost coin he provides a little more detail on what this joy in heaven looks like Luke 15:10 Jesus says likewise I say to you there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents so certainly angels have an interest in us they have an interest in our Salvation so much so that when a sinner repents there's joy in the presence of the angels of God we also know that not only are angels interested in our Affairs but we also know that are our ministering Spirits Hebrews 1: 13-4 the Hebrew writer says but to which of the angels has he ever said sit at my right hand till I make your enemies your foot stol are they not all ministering Spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation so we learn here two things number one angels are spirits they are spirits they're different from you and I but they're not just Spirits they're ministering spirits it's interesting but this is the verse that I always think of whenever this subject comes up about angels I think of this particular verse I don't know why but this is the one that I think of angels are ministering spirits and the irony in that is I'm not sure what that means I'm not totally sure what it means that an angel is a ministering Spirit what I do know is that Angels literally ministered Aid to Christ in Matthew chapter 4 you'll remember the Temptations that Jesus faced and after facing those Temptations perfectly without sinning we then read of how the Angels Came and ministered to him those were literally ministering Spirits in that circumstance and we also know in Luke 22: 43 as Jesus was in The Garden of Gethsemane that Angels also came to him to strengthen him in that trial so Angels literally ministered Aid to Christ in those two circumstances uh and as such some will view uh this idea of Angels being ministering Spirits they'll take that to mean that Angels act on behalf of God to Aid to strengthen us God's people when we're in need or when we're struggling with the Temptation that's one of the views another view is sort of along these lines but it deals more with physical protection and physical deliverance and there's a lot of passages that we can consider especially the Old Testament really throughout the Psalms but one Psalm in particular that I think really supports this idea is Psalm chapter 34: 7 the psalmist said the angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them and when you look at that in its context we're we're obviously talking about a physical Deliverance there's a also another example in Genesis 19 you'll remember the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah there and you'll remember how an angel came to lot and told him of this impending destruction and delivered him from uh from God's Wrath in that circumstance again physical Deliverance physical quote unquote salvation another instance now moving to the New Testament uh in the book of Acts we see the same thing happening in Acts chapter 5 when Peter and the other apostles were imprisoned in verse 19 we read how an angel came opened the prison doors and allowed the apostles to escape physical Deliverance again and Peter would have this happen another time in Acts 12 verse 7-8 so that's another view of what it means possibly what it means uh for angels to be ministering spirits and then the third one that I really don't have any scriptures uh to provide because I I can't find scriptures uh to support this concept is that possibly Jesus or possibly the Hebrew writer is discussing Guardian Angels if you were to ask me what my opinion was I would say I lean more towards the first view but at the same time I I couldn't find a way to dispute somebody with a different view does anybody have any comments or questions or things that they would like to add regarding this idea of angels being ministering Spirits one other thing that we know about angels is that we are not authorized to worship them angels are Celestial beings they're Spiritual Beings but they're not Divine beings they're not not they're not God they are uh created by God and Lord willing will'll get into that uh in just a few minutes but they are not Divine they're not God therefore we are not permitted to worship them Paul warns in Colossians chapter 2 verse 18 let no one cheat you of your reward taking Delight in false humility and worship of angels intruding into those things which he has not seen vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind is very interesting to me the equal weight here that Paul gives about false humility which I take that just to mean another another way to describe pride he says false humility and worship of angels he puts these two in equal camps equal weights and shows how both of them are wrong it's apparently just as wrong in the Lord's eyes to be prideful as it is to worship Angels it's an interesting note to consider and We Know by the example of John uh Lord willing brother Hall will get there eventually in revelation 22 how John provides an example of just why it is the case that we should not worship angels in revelation 22 John is seemingly overwhelmed by the presence of an Angel he begins to Bow Down and Worship Him and verses 8 and N we read that account that goes like this now I John saw and heard these things and when I heard and saw I fell down to worship before the feet of the Angel who showed me these things then he referring to to the angel said to me see that you do not do that for I am your fellow servant and of your brethren the prophets and of those who keep the words of this book worship god did you note that the way the angel describes himself he says I am your fellow servant and there's a comparison is made there just like your brethren and the prophets of those who keep the words of this book We Do Not Bow Down and Worship one another we are Brothers and Sisters in Christ but that doesn't mean that we're authorized to Bow Down and Worship one another we are fellow servants fellow laborers uh in the vineyard of our Lord and essentially that's exactly what the angel tells John he says I am your fellow servant that's an interesting note that though angels are Celestial beings we certainly share a similarity in that we are Servants of God now of course I don't know many Protestant churches that literally worship Angels there are plenty of them that elevate angels I know uh the Methodist Pres iians numerous others Elevate Angels they may not necessarily worship them but they do Elevate them but of course the Catholic church is notorious for worshiping angels and they have their their many reasons that they try to justify that but as the Angels said they're just simply worship God we have no right to worship angels we also know that although angels are Celestial beings although they are um spiritual beings they are not omniscient they do not have all knowledge as God does in fact they did not fully understand it appears the Prophecies of Christ they did not fully understand uh the scheme of redemption The Plan of Salvation now we won't read the whole passage uh just for the sake of time but I encourage you to read it in your spare time it's one of my one of my favorite passages in the Bible uh First Peter chapter 1 we'll just note verse 9 we talk about the salvation of our souls that's our context and then you continue into verse 10 of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully who prophesied of the grace that would come to you searching what or what manner of time the spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow to them it was revealed that not to themselves but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit Sent From Heaven things which Angels desire to look into there are a lot of passages that illustrate the point that angels are intelligent beings eligent or angels have uh knowledge they are intelligent beings and yet God for whatever reason chose fit not to reveal certain things to them we know of course God has chosen not to reveal certain things to us the secret things belong to the Lord and that's why we don't need to dwell on those Secret secret things too much because there are some things that just God has recognized in his omniscience and his U power that is just not needed for us here on this side of Eternity well apparently the same is true for Angels there are some things that God chose fit not to reveal to them and one such thing is salvation of man yet Angels again as we said earlier have a deep interest it says here that they desired these are things that the Angels desire desired to look into the prophets of course desired to look into these things as well the prophets often did not fully understand what it is that they were prophesying but because of their faith and obedience to God they they prophesied it it's an interesting study um if you look at the book of habach for example the first two chapters are very unique although neither of those chapters deal with any uh Prophecies of Christ it is the rare instance in the Old Testament where you have one of God's prophets openly questioning God habach had a hard time understanding how God could use the calans as wicked people to fulfill his purpose and so it is interesting we see there though God was working through these men that they did not have all knowledge and these angels as well they did not have at all knowledge either but again they were interested in the Salvation they are interested in the salvation of man any comments or questions or things anyone would like to add another fact about angels that we know from the Bible is that one day we will be like them one day we will be like the angels as you'll recall during Jesus's Ministry the Sadducees came to him at one point in Matthew chapter 22 and they brought this very complex hypothetical question to support uh what they thought was the truth and of course Jesus saw right through that through his knowledge through his wisdom and in his response he actually shed some light on the nature of angels and our relationship with them uh in the fact that we will one day be like them Matthew chap 22: 23 the gospel records this same day the Sadducees who say there is no Resurrection came to him and asked him saying teacher Moses said that if a man dies having no children his brother shall marry his wife and raise up Offspring for his brother now there there were with us Seven Brothers the first died after he had married and having no Offspring left his wife to his brother likewise the second also and the third even to the seventh last of all the woman died also therefore in the resurrection whose wife of the seven will she be for they all had her and then the scriptures record Jesus's response as follows you are mistaken not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God for in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the an like angels of God in heaven but concerning the resurrection of the Dead have you not read what was spoken to you by God saying I am the god of Abraham the god of Isaac and the god of Jacob God is not the god of the dead but of the living and when the multitudes heard this they were astonished at his teaching you'll notice there that Jesus says that when we die we will be like the Angels there's a big difference there in Jesus saying we will be like the Angels versus we will be Angels one of my earliest memories I would have been five or six years old uh when my mother's mother passed away uh she had cancer she the the treatment is really uh What uh led to her passing away and I was asking my mom you know where's mimal and my mom told her they told me she's uh they're fitting her for her angel wings for whatever reason that's a memory that stands out in my head and for the long time even as a kid I knew like that's not right we don't actually become Angels but certainly most not well I say actually most uh religious people have that idea that when we die when the righteous die they become Angels but there's a big difference in Jesus saying that we will be like the Angels versus we will be Angels Rodney I thought about this whenever I asked you the question coming out of Pat's debate up and Kentucky uh one of the arguments that uh I think his name is Mr Baker one of the arguments that Mr Baker had and he believe that there are many reasons that a person can divorce their spouse scripturally um and one of his arguments was a Believer can divorce an unbelieving spouse and he said he quoted the scripture many times that if your uh your spouse becomes Unfaithful an Unfaithful Christian that's grounds for divorce you try to get them to repent they won't repent they've broken Covenant with you and you can divorce them and that's based on a misunderstanding of he believes that an unbeliever excuse me a Believer who won't repent is a literal unbeliever in that sense you remember Jesus said that if your brother sins against you you go to him alone you try to get him to repent if he doesn't repent take one or two with you try to get him to repent if he doesn't repent take it to the church and if the church can't get him to repent and again I'm paraphrasing very much so here you withdraw from him you he is to be unto you as a heathen as a Publican as a tax collector as an unbeliever as many different terms are used there AC cross translations but be unto you as or like not a literal unbeliever but you he is like an unbeliever Jesus is essentially using the same language here he says we're not going to be literal Angels when we die but he says we will be like the Angels we're going to share some similarities and some of those similarities of course are that we will not be given to marriage it's a big difference isn't it versus uh Jesus saying we will be Angels or we will be like the angels we will share that similarity one day but we also share a present similarity as we speak and that is that angels are created beings in Colossians 1: 16 Paul describes Christ and he says for by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth visible and invisible whether Thrones or dominions or principalities or Powers all things were created through him and for him angels are created beings all things it says visible and invisible created through him created for him there is a brother that met through Pat um I think he recognized my name Pat had used one of my articles and there's a brother in Nigeria who reached out to me and I've been in contact with him for a year or so now and uh he's a gospel preacher in Nigeria and he wrote an article uh refuting some of the false arguments uh saying that Jesus was a created being it's an outstanding article if you want to link to it I'll provide that to you and unfortunately I wish that was I don't wish but I wish it was rather denominational preachers who are the ones preaching this but he encountered gospel preachers out in Texas preaching that Jesus is a created being Jesus is not a created being as Rodney got into Sunday night it's not just Jehovah's Witness apparently who are turning uh Jesus into a little G God it's even apparently our own Brethren who are saying that that he really wasn't in the beginning he wasn't with God he wasn't actually God of course when you look at the Genesis account you see that all three of godhead were there in the creation God spoke things into existence the spirit hovered over the deep and then in John 1 we learned that in the beginning was the word the word was with God the Word was God all things as Colossians chapter 1 says was created by Him for him through him there's a lot of uh prepositions there but they all mean different things Jesus is not a created being we are created beings angels are created beings psalm 148 veres 1-5 really proves that point Beyond any shadow of a doubt that angels are in fact created beings the psalmist said Psalm 40 148 veres 1-5 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 you stars of light Praise Him you heavens of heavens and you Waters above the heavens let them praise the name of the Lord for he commanded and they were created who's the they In this passage well it's the Angels it's the hosts the sun and moon the stars of light the heavens of Heavens the waters above the heavens for he commanded and they were created angels are the first thing listed in this this Psalm as one of the things that God created so angels are Celestial beings they're these unique beings but they are created beings now we don't know exactly when God created angels I don't think the Bible provides a specific pinpoint in history if you want to call it that as to when Angels were created we know for certainty when Man was created based on the Genesis account but we don't know when Angels actually were created but Job 38 veres 4-7 does provide at least some insight into this job 38: 4-7 God said where were you when I laid the foundations of the Earth tell me if you have understanding who determined its measurements surely you know or who stretched the line upon it to what were its foundations fastened or who laid its Cornerstone when the morning Stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for Joy now you don't see the word Angels In this passage but in the Book of Job the term the phrase sons of God is synonymous at points with angels if you look look at Job chap 1:6 Job chapter 2:1 you can see how sons of God and angels are used synonymously now I do want to make a caveat that although at many points in the Bible sons of God can refer to Angels there are also many points where it is certain that sons of God does not refer to Angels there's an instance in the Book of Genesis that is one of the questions that I have U prepared for if it comes up that it is although there's a lot of debate on that issue uh it is clear that sons of God does not always refer to Angels but in the Book of Job it appears to be synonymous with angels and just like the celestial bodies just like Humanity just like everything else described in Genesis uh angels are created beings it says there regarding these sons of God that when God laid the foundations the Angels shouted for Joy the Angels shouted for Joy the sons of God shouted for Joy so we can at least conclude that no we don't know exactly when Angels were created but I think we can say that they were created at some point before the creation of the world I have any comments or questions or additions anything anyone would like to bring up we also presently share a similarity with angels in the fact that angels are free moral agents they have free will to commit sin just like you and I have free will to commit sin Angels according to the scriptures have the ability to choose between right and wrong they have the ability to choose righteousness or choose sin sticking with the Book of Job if you look in job 4: 18-9 elifaz questioned job and in questioning job he asked can a mortal be more righteous than God can a man be more pure than his maker if he puts no trust in his servants if he charges his angels with error how much more those who dwell in houses of clay elifas here is questioning the difference between man and angels and he says here that God can even charge angels with air now we know from The Book of Job that elifaz is not always um reliable now the Bible of course is reliable and we know for a certainty that this is exactly what elifaz said but you may when you look at this think well maybe elaz was wrong maybe elaz didn't have a a good understanding of what he said here because just within the chapter itself you look at verses seven and eight of Job chapter 4 for example you can see elifaz isn't always reliable however it appears that elas had a good understanding of angels especially when we look in the New Testament in the New Testament when you look at and have a typo on there that shouldn't be First Peter chapter 2 that should say second Peter chapter 2 in second Peter chapter 2 verse 4 we read for if God did not spare the Angels who sinned but cast them down to Hell and delivered them into chains of Darkness to be Reser reserved for judgment this verse shows that there are angels who sinned and I've never thought about it in just these Simplicity of terms uh that means that angels are under Divine Law you remember what Sin is Sin 1 John 3:4 is a transgression of the law the King James version translates 1 John 3:4 as whosoever committeth Sin transgresseth also the law for sin is the transgression of the law and second Peter 2:4 says there are angels who have sinned they transgress the law they're under Divine Law just like you and I live under Divine Law the law of God and Peter shows that yeah what elas said there are angels who can be charged with air just like man can be charged with air this verse shows that these angels who sinned are in hell and this isn't U gehenna hell the Eternal the bad place the Eternal Abode of the wicked but this is the Greek word torus which I think is what we see being discussed as well in Luke Luke 16 with a rich man this isn't Eternal uh condemnation but rather this is that temporary place where the souls go who who have been unrighteous in contrast to one like Lazarus who's sitting in Abraham's bosm right now there are these angels who have who sinned who are reserved for judgment and I always equate that that reserve for judgment as you checked into a hotel you're going to be checking out at one point well those angels they're going to be checking out at one point and they're gonna be checking into a hotel that they U Bay and you and I certainly don't ever want to check into because there will be no checking out of that one but that's where they are they are reserved for judgment and their stay is not permanent but they will eventually be along with uh Satan and his angels Matthew 25: 41-46 illustrate they'll be cast into Everlasting fire Everlasting punishment on the day of judgment now Jude Jude 6 this is similar language as that we see in 2 Peter 2:4 and this shed some light on the Disobedience of certain Angels similar to 2 Peter 2:4 Jude says in Jude 6 and the angels who did not keep their proper domain but left their own Abode he talking about God has reserved in Everlasting chains under Darkness for the Judgment of the great day now hell tarus is not mentioned here like it is in second Peter 2 verse4 but there is that similar description of being reserved being reserved in Everlasting chains under darkness and again this verse does give some information as well about the nature of the sin of these angels the English Standard Version translates uh Jude 6 like this the Angels who did not stay within their own position of authority they didn't stay within their own position of authority but they left their proper dwelling he has kept in Eternal chains under gloomy Darkness till the Judgment of the great day so again although Angels Are Spiritual Beings although they are Celestial beings they're very different from you and I in many respects they can sin um question I have is whether or not they still do I don't know I know Satan has his angels Patricia you brought up the question to me on Facebook uh this week about that the idea of uh angels and uh actually I brought up the question to you rather about do we know if there are still angels that presently sin if there are still Satan Satan's Angels uh active I don't know I know Satan is active and that's enough to keep me on my toes but there these there are these Spiritual Beings Angels uh who like us are free moral agents who have sinned and the warning to me in these two passages is that if angels will receive punishment for their sin then you can be you can be sure that we will too we will certainly receive our punishment uh if we don't uh meet God's conditions for forgiveness and here's a stark contrast that I believe that I can I can prove from the scriptures and I I certainly invite you to uh test what I'm about to say and if you have anything to add I encourage you to I don't believe that the scriptures indicate that Angels Have A Plan of Redemption we know man has a Plan of Redemption but I don't believe the scriptures in indicate that and I say that because of Hebrews 2 Hebrews 2: 16 we read how Christ came in the flesh to redeem mankind he didn't come in the flesh to redeem Angels Hebrews 21:16 this is the new King James translation for indeed he does not give Aid to Angels but he does give Aid to the Seed of Abraham it's fascinating this phrase give Aid it is apparently an incredibly difficult word to translate from the Greek into English when you go looking down a list of translations there are so many different translations of that phrase give Aid the King James version and the English revised version for example say he took not on him the nature of angels but you look at Young's literal translation the literal Standard Version it translates it of Messengers it does not lay hold and now the vast majority of translations I just listed a few up there uh we'll translate it as it is not angels that he helps or something along Ong those lines the new King James is unique from what I could tell in this idea of giving aid but the Greek word you can read it for yourselves on screen I I don't want to butcher it strong says that Greek word means to lay hold of take hold of sees sometimes with beneficient sometimes with hostile intent the Amplified Bible has a a very unique way of translating it and it's actually uh my understanding of the passage when you look at it in its entire context I think even though this is just a paraphrase I think it actually does a good job of getting the point they paraphrase it as saying for as we all know he Christ does not take hold of the Fallen Angels to give them a helping hand but he does take hold of the Fallen descendants of Abraham extending to them his hand of Deliverance again this is just a paraphrase it's not exactly reliable as a translation but before we look at the chapter and I try to contextually prove the point that I believe that this passage teaches that there is no scheme of redemption for angels that the only reason not the only reason but the purpose of Christ's death was to redeem man and Mankind alone from his sin let's consider some commentaries here Albert Barnes says and they're all addressing this phrase here that Greek word here it means to lay hold with reference to Aid or help and the meaning is that he did not seize the nature of Angels or take it to himself with reference to rendering them aid but he assumed the nature of man in order to Aid him he undertook the work of human Redemption and consequently it was necessary for him to be man so really speaking to more so taking on the nature of man why it was necessary for Christ to become a man he didn't become an angel to redeem Angels he became a man to redeem man I think that's the point Mr Barnes is getting at Elliott's commentary says the natural Fitness of such a phrase and words addressed to Jews we May doubt if any other language would have been equally expressive for as to the means it was by becoming a child of Abraham that the Savior took hold of our race to raise it up Gil's Exposition says the word here used signifies to catch hold of anyone ready to perish or to lay hold on a person running away and with great vehement and affection to hold anything fast that it be not lost and to help persons and do good unto them all which may be observed in this act of Christ um if you look at commentaries on this verse what I'm about to say is not the pre the prevailing Viewpoint by any means and so that's why I want to invite you to test my reasoning here uh when you look at Hebrews 2 in its entirety it's obvious that salvation is the recurring theme Throughout the chapter that's what the point of the Hebrew writer is trying to make salvation and he keeps beating this uh this point in hammering at home for example verse one therefore we must give the more Earnest heed to the things we have heard lest we drift away drift away from what drift away from Christ lose your salvation right that's what he's warning about that's a lot of what the Hebrew writer warns about throughout the entire book is take heed lest you fall don't fall don't lose your salvation contining with verse two for if the word spoken through Angels uh Pro steadfast and every transgression and Disobedience received a just reward how shall we escape if we neglect so great a Salvation there's salvation again which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed To Us by those who heard him now if we skip down to verse 10 the Hebrew writer says for it was fitting for him for whom all for whom are all things and by whom are all things and bringing many sons to glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through suffering so again we Circle back around to the point in verse 10 salvation now let's skip ahead to verses 14- 15 now the word salvation doesn't appear here but I think it's written all over the text in as much then as the children have partaken of Flesh and Blood he himself likewise shared the same shared in the same that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death what type of death we're talking about physical death talking about of course spiritual death Eternal Eternal condemnation of our souls so contrasted to Salvation that is the devil and release those who through fear of death same death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage so again I think we got salvation written all over this passage so now looking back at verse 16 for indeed he does not give Aid to Angels but he does give Aid to the Seed of Abraham I think this giving Aid here is talking about salvation uh it certainly it is implied there through the passage that he took on the nature of man but I don't think verse 16 is talking about that I don't think it's talking about him taking on flesh to redeem flesh you and I I think it's saying here that he took on flesh to redeem flesh because it was not in God's plan to redeem Angels he came to redeem man and not Angels now I will say I'm not saying that there absolutely for sure is no Plan of Redemption for Angels I'm saying this passage seems to indicate that salvation that God's Plan of Redemption through Christ who as Peter said in Acts 4 verse2 there is salvation in no other name than Christ this verse is telling me that Christ is not providing salvation to man or pardon me to Angels he's simply providing salvation to man and man alone any comments questions disagreements I'd love to hear any disagreements anyone has because I know this is a a unique and strange thing that I just went through for five minutes was there a question about whether he uh I have a question about whether there are active that there are angels continuing to sin presently please do Hebrews 132 do not forget to entertain strangers for by doing so some have unwittingly entertained angels question is defition active way don't know and a question I have about that passage is that talking about literal Angels because I don't know I thought about that does anybody have anything they'd like to add addition to that I appreciate that passage talk I'm not sure the word there if I recall correctly and I may be wrong is not Angelos if I recall correctly I think it is a different word but I could be wrong on that so I don't want to say that definitively I appreciate you bringing that up anyone have anything else they'd like to bring up well we didn't get anywhere near close to what I wanted to get through this evening but I appreciate your your patience with me uh your the kind way that you listened thank you