Light for the Journey: 11.10.08 A Glimpse of Heaven (5)

Day 1. Facts for the Journey

A Glimpse of Heaven

Heaven is a real place, a beautiful place and a city of light without temples, a city that God has prepared for you and for me. We have gotten a glimpse of what heaven looks like on the inside and now we ask the question ... who will be in heaven? First and foremost, Jesus will be there - and so will angels. Last week, we talked about the nature and characteristics of angels and this week we will look at the names of angels. Angels are called by many general names in Scripture.

Guardians
Sons of the Mighty
Sons of God
The congregation of the mighty
Saints
Hosts
Spirits
The elect

Only five specific names of angels are recorded in Scripture. Michael, which means "who is like God." Gabriel which means "the might one of God." Most of us are familiar with Satan, the fallen angel. Apollyon was another fallen angel called "the destroyer." Then there is Palomi, the "numberer" in the book of Daniel.

Angels not only have names but jobs as well. Michael is God's chief military commander. Wherever Michael appears, he is leading the forces of God against evil and is still doing that today. Michael will also announce the return of Jesus. Daniel 10:21 No one stands with me against these enemies except Michael, the angel ruling over your people.

Gabriel always appears as a messenger as Luke reports in Luke 1:26-28. During Elizabeth's sixth month of pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin. She was engaged to marry a man named Joseph from the family of David. Her name was Mary. The angel came to her and said, Greetings! The Lord has blessed you and is with you. Gabriel goes on to tell Mary that she will give birth to Jesus.

Cherubim and seraphim are a separate class of angels who surround God's throne in heaven. Guardian angels are also mentioned in the bible. When a child is born, an angel is assigned to that child. Matthew 18:10 "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. I love the fact that being a guardian angel is a lifetime assignment and that angels can intervene to protect us from harm.

Angels help us in times of need and strengthen us in trials. Dr. Mitchell was a famous neurologist in Philadelphia. After a tiring day, he went to bed early but woke up to a loud knocking at the door. It was a little girl, poorly dressed and very upset. She begged him to come help her mother who was very sick. It was cold an snowing, but the doctor got dressed and followed the little girl. He found the mother very sick with pneumonia. After treating her, he complimented the mother on her daughter's persistence and courage. The woman gave him a strange look and said, "My daughter died a month ago. Her shoes and coat still hang in that closet." When the doctor opened the door, he saw the same coat worn by the little girl at his door, but it was warm and dry and could not have been in the snow.

Angels can appear to men in dreams to warn, encourage and comfort us. Just before my mom went into the hospital for what would turn out to be the last time, she told me about a dream. A golden-haired little girl stood at the foot of her bed and showed her a beautiful place with a sparkling river running through the middle of it. As my mother talked, her face seemed to glow and I realized that she was describing heaven. The little girl told mom that she would come for her soon and that they would "run through the river" on their way home. My mom had been paralyzed for two years as a result of her long battle with cancer. She was a "no nonsense" kind of woman who was more likely to believe in tangible evidence than dreams, but this dream was a reality to her and brought us all comfort then and still does today.

God sometimes uses angels to bring answers to our prayers. John Paton was a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands.  Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning them out and killing therm. Paton and his wife prayed all night and at dawn, were amazed to see their attackers simply turn and leave. A year later, the chief of that tribe became a believer. Paton asked him what had kept him and his men from killing them that night. The chief answered with a question "Who were all those men you had there with you?" Paton answered "There was no one with us. My wife and I were all alone." The chief said they had seen hundreds of men standing guard - big men in shining garments with drawn swords.

When we get to heaven and look back on our life, I believe we will be amazed at the times our life was touched by angels.  It is exciting to know that heaven is filled with angels.