St. Michael and All Angels – Revelation 12:7-12
7 And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, 8 but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. 9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10 Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, “Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. 11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. 12 Therefore rejoice, O heavens, and you who dwell in them! Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and the sea! For the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has a short time.”
In the name of Jesus: Amen.
Many people today understand angels more from culture and Hollywood than from the Bible. For example, for those of you older in the congregation, you may think of Michael Landon’s character in the show “Highway to Heaven.” In this series, Michael Landon portrays an angel in a very humanized, compassionate, and beloved way. Those of you who are middle-aged may think of angels as portrayed in the movies “City of Angels,” starring Nicholas Cage and Meg Ryan, and “Michael,” starring Jon Travolta. Or you may think of angels as portrayed in the popular show “Touched by an Angel.” Those of you who are younger probably have a different view of angels, as you have seen angels portrayed as a bit more complex, mysterious, and even aggressive in the movie “Constantine” or the series “Supernatural.” But let us not forget the most famous angel of all time, Clarence, in the film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” Clarence was a compassionate angel who was eager and inexperienced – lacking wings. But, as you know, soft and kind Clarence finally gets his wings at the end of the movie by helping George Bailey.
Now, besides movies, angels seem to be everywhere in popular Christian culture. For example, angels are depicted in porcelain statues, pictures, female lingerie ads, and church Christmas Programs as feminine, with delicate and gentle qualities. As one person bluntly put it, “Most people think angels are blond chicks with wings!”
The point is that we Americans know more about angels from contemporary culture and Hollywood than the Bible itself. Furthermore, what we know about angels from culture and Hollywood is varied and conflicting.
And so, today, since we commemorate the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, let’s take everything we know about angels from culture and Hollywood and throw it away. Then, let us hear straight from the Bible about angels.
First, we should be perfectly clear that when Grandma died, she did not become an angel. Contrary to what people say, when our loved ones die, God does not call them to heaven because He needs another angel. This is foolishness. Humans do not become angels. We do not get wings when we die. In fact, except for cherubim and seraphim, the Bible does not even speak of angels having wings to begin with. And so, angels are not humans, but rather, they are created intelligent spiritual beings. From time to time, though, they have appeared to humans assuming a body, but this is the exception and not the norm. Again, angels are created spiritual beings who do not have a body, are invisible to us, do not grow old or decay, are intelligent, and do not die.
Secondly, it is crucial to note that angels typically are not feminine beings with flowing robes and beautiful hair. Furthermore, angels are not chubby babies with fat and chubby cheeks lying on Charmin toilet paper in the clouds while playing harps. No, they are genderless spirits, neither male nor female. Yet, even though they are genderless, the Bible uses masculine names for angels. Furthermore, as seen in the Bible, angels impart fear in mankind, not warm, fuzzy feelings. For example, the Angel of Death destroyed the firstborn in Egypt. In the Old Testament, another angel killed 185,000 Assyrians. And then, as we see in the New Testament, as the shepherds were working near the birthplace of Jesus, they were brought to terror when angels appeared before them. In fact, the most common words from angels when they encounter humans is the declaration, “Fear not.” And so, the point is that angels typically instill fear in humankind; they are not tame, feminine, or cuddly.
Thirdly, among the tens of thousands of angels, there is rank. Yes, there are different kinds of angels – they differ from one another, and there are different ranks. Some are higher, and some are lower. Many theologians believe that the terms principalities, powers, authorities, dominions, and thrones are names of various angelic ranks.
Thirdly, there are good and evil angels. Initially, all angels were good; however, some angels fell away from God into sin by their own decisions and rebellion. And so, make no mistake about it, there are evil angels; we call them demons. They direct their hatred of God against Christ’s Church. These demons work to destroy the church, prevent people from hearing the Word of God, spread false doctrine, and work to kill, steal, and destroy the faith of Christians through persecution, attacks, and even death. Furthermore, it is clear from Scripture that demons work hard to destroy the estate of the family (See 1 Tim. 4:1-3, 1 Cor. 7:5, Job 1:11-19), as well as to wreak havoc on the State (See 1 Chronicles 21:1, 1 Kings 22:21-22). In other words, where you often find sin in the family and government, you will also find a demon in the shadows fanning the flames of rebellion and perversion.
And so, make no mistake about it: there are evil angels that work against you and this church to bring about our destruction. Do not be so naïve as to think that there is not a spiritual war that we are a part of. As Christians, the world and your sinful nature are your enemies. And the Devil and his demons are your enemies as well. These demons are incredibly cunning; left to ourselves, we don’t stand a chance. Tragically, many in this world are following and worshipping a bunch of idols, so-called gods, and ideological systems that have demons hiding behind the curtains. Yes, you heard that correctly: behind all the world religions and all the godless ideologies of the world, you will find a cunning demon harmonizing its scheming evil with mankind’s sin.
Perhaps you might be a little uneasy or even afraid at this point in the sermon. If so, that is good. You see, when we consider good and evil angels, we should feel small. We should understand that forces bigger than us are at war.
But, where shall we go from here? Well, two further points need to be shared about angels.
First, good angels not only serve families and fight for goodness in the realm of the state, but good angels work to protect the saints of God. Good angels work to protect you and your faith; you and I are under constant guardianship of angels, as we ought to pray Luther’s morning and evening prayers, which specifically petition God to “let your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me.” In other words, angels battle the devil and his demons by silencing their mouths with the Word of God. Furthermore, as already stated, good angels protect you and me from harm and danger. And so, for all the times when disaster is averted in our lives – when we have a close call – we can be certain that the Lord’s holy angels were involved in protecting us, serving God’s sovereign plan. And when our last hour comes upon us, we can take comfort that the Lord’s angels will take us to be with our Lord forever. The job of angels is never finished until we are secure with our Lord for eternity. As we sing in the hymn, “Lord, let at last thine angels come, to Abram’s bosom bear me home, that I may die unfearing.” In fact, angels are present with us in this sanctuary for worship right now, not only protecting us but worshipping and giving praise to our God. And so, we admire angels because they serve us by ensuring God’s divine providence and plans for us. Though we should never pray to angels, we do thank God for the angels who work the goodness of God on our behalf.
Finally, and perhaps one of the most comforting things we can know about angels is this: angels not only worship the ascended Christ but will accompany Christ on the last day of final judgment when everyone gives an account, and everything will be made right. And then, on that last day, after your flesh is resurrected from the grave and you are given a new body, there will be a final judgment. Those who have rejected the truth of Christ, as well as Satan and all the evil angels, will be judged. And here is what is profound: evil will not be judged by good angels, but Scripture says that the righteous – that is, you as a Christian – will judge the world, the devil, and his evil angels. This is a great dignity that Christ will confer upon you and me as His redeemed children.
And so, today, we thank the Lord for the blessing of angels – His servants to you and me. We not only thank the Lord God, but we pray in Luther’s morning and evening prayers,
“For into your hands, I commend myself, my body and soul, and all things. Let Your holy angel be with me, that the wicked foe may have no power over me. Amen.”
God be praised for the gift of angels, for they are ministering spirits sent forth to serve you and me for our salvation and well-being. (Hebrews 1:14).
In the name of Jesus: Amen.