Angels: Heralds of God

By Robert F. Feller

This book depicts angels as the heralds of God in the special areas of Joy, Peace, Salvation, Protection, Communication, Death, and Judgement. Archangel Michael is featured as well as Gabriel, Seraphim, and Cheribim. The author has interposed some humor in order to interest the reader. There is an Angel Quiz that readers will fill out and ponder before reading the book as well as an Opinion Poll asking their concept of an angel as a child and now is an adult.

• Language: English
• Publisher: WestBow Press
• Release date: Jan 23, 2024
• ISBN: 9798385016242

Robert F. Feller

Robert F. Feller is a retired Lutheran Pastor who has served congregations in S.D.; N.Y.; Il: MI; CA; AZ. During these 64 years of ministry, 25 years were in Chicago, Illinois. When he retired, he continued his education by qualifying as an Interim Pastor. He served 4 churches in California and 3 churches in Arizona as an Interim Pastor. He is also the author of “Branded for Christ-Effective Evangelism Techniques.” He earned the degree of M.S.W. from the University of Illinois.

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Copyright © 2024 Robert F. Feller.

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All Scripture quotations are taken from The Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

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ISBN: 979-8-3850-1623-5 (sc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1738-6 (hc)

ISBN: 979-8-3850-1624-2 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2024901217

WestBow Press rev. date: 01/23/2024

CONTENTS

Introduction

Angel Quotient Quiz

Angel Opinion Poll

Chapter 1 Heralds and Angelology

Chapter 2 Herald of Joy

Chapter 3 Herald of Peace

Chapter 4 Herald of Salvation

Chapter 5 Herald of Protection

Chapter 6 Herald of Communication

Chapter 7 Herald of Death

Chapter 8 Herald of Judgment

Chapter 9 Heralds––Past, Present, Future

Chapter 10 Angel of the Lord

Chapter 11 Closing Prayer

Answers to the Angel Quotient Quiz

Bibliography

In Memoriam

To my dear wife of sixty years, Elaine, who

inspired the writing of my second book.

Elaine’s soul was summoned from this veil of

tears to Jesus in heaven on May 22, 2023.

She would say, with the apostle Paul, "For me to live

is Christ, and to die is gain" (Philippians 1:21).

INTRODUCTION

I have been in the ministry for sixty-four years as a Lutheran pastor and have studied dogmatics and doctrine many times. I have a curiosity and a drive to pursue an intensive but comprehensive study of angels.

If we were to take a mike to the streets of either Chicago or New York and ask the people what their concepts are of an angel, I imagine there would be myriad answers––some possibly would be correct, but others might shrug their shoulders and say, What are you talking about, man?

I belong to a small but growing mission congregation that another retired pastor and I started five years ago, and we now also have a young, caring pastor. On December 5, 2021, I administered this Angel Quotient quiz to the congregation, which included teenagers, young adults, middle-aged and senior citizens, and three Lutheran pastors. Most of the true-or-false questions were quite easy, but others were not. Here are the results:

Members had some difficulty with the illocal presence of angels; angels assuming human form; the day of creation when angels were created; guardian angels; and especially the number of times angels are recorded in the Bible––no one had the correct answer to that question. When asked to list examples of angels in the Old Testament and the New Testament, they drew a blank. I mentioned that I was not looking for one answer, as the Bible has a plethora of examples to choose from the scriptures.

Let us discuss the opinion poll. As children, their concepts of angels included a human form or white being with wings and halos; smiling, chubby cherubs with harps; invisible beings; and God’s helpers, who were guardians.

As adults, the members’ concepts of angels were of strong messengers of God and soldiers; that they are all about us; and that they are spirits or spiritual beings that protect us from evil.

How did they score on their general knowledge of angels? It was 50 percent little knowledge and 50 percent sketchy knowledge. Several people had no answer. Let’s see how you do with the Angel Quotient quiz that follows.

I have inserted humor throughout my book for the entertainment and enjoyment of my readers.

ANGEL QUOTIENT QUIZ

Answer true or false:

Write down two examples of angels in the Old Testament

1.

2.

Write down two examples of angels in the New Testament.

1.

2.

(Answers on page 131 and 132)

ANGEL OPINION POLL

1. Describe your childhood concept of an angel.

2. Describe your concept of an angel now.

3. Presently, how much do you know about angels?

(Choose one)

Nil ___

Bits and pieces ___

A little ___

A lot ___

I have an insatiable desire to read this book and learn more about angelology and the role angels have in my life. Yes ___ No ___

CHAPTER ONE

HERALDS AND ANGELOLOGY

What is a herald?¹ It is a person who proclaims or announces significant news. Other terms used are harbinger, messenger, and forerunner. In this book, we will study intensively angels as angelos (messengers). What role do angels have in the lives of Christians? Angels are proclaimers.² To proclaim is to declare or to publish abroad.³ The word herald appears in Hebrew, such as herald,⁴ ambassador,⁵ and messenger. Christian hymnody is replete with references to angels.⁶ According to some scholars, angels are recorded in three hundred Bible locations.

Christians ask, When were angels ‘created’? We do not know the day. We can only postulate that angels were created sometime within the hexaemeron (six days of the creation).

Christians also ask about personal guardian angels, Is a certain angel assigned by God to every believer for his or her protection? Not just one but many good angels are given to the individual believers for their protection; this is clearly stated in scripture. Whether a certain angel, however, is assigned to every single believer from the day of his or her birth as that person’s guardian––as well as whether the guidance and government of the church is assigned to certain angels and whether a special angel presides over providence––is partly uncertain and partly false.⁷

Therefore, we conclude that Christians do not have a personal guardian angel.

In the early 2020s, Redbook. Ladies’ Home Journal, and Time magazines published articles about angels. In 1994, ABC featured a two-hour program called Angels: The Mysterious Messengers. On November 28, 1994, an article was published, titled In Search of the Sacred. We must be cognizant of the fact that angels are ministering spirits, sent out by God to those who will inherit salvation.

The term host⁸ is ascribed to these heavenly messengers. This term presents four concepts:

1. God’s angels engage in spiritual warfare (Psalm 89:6, 8; 1 Samuel 1:11, 17:45).

2. A multitude of heavenly beings surrounds and serves God (Isaiah 6:3f; Revelation 12:7).

3. Angels are messengers of God (Daniel 9:22; Luke 1:11, 26; 2:9; Revelation 1:1).

4. Angels are ministers to God’s people (Hebrews 1:14).

A Modern-Day Disaster

In December 2021, a devastating tornado practically leveled a small town in Kentucky. Many lives were lost, but some were saved. Several survivors related that they huddled in an inner steel compartment, while others took refuge in a bathtub. President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited the decimated area. He promised all aid would be given for the town to rebuild their homes.

I was a native of St. Louis until I was twenty-six and received my first divine call to serve congregations in South Dakota. When I was a young person, living on West Florissant Avenue, I saw a huge black tornado cloud coming from the Bellefontaine Cemetery across the street. It didn’t hit our area but destroyed the arena on Oakland Avenue, numerous miles away. Where were the angels?

Sometimes, we try to second-guess God’s divine will. God may protect, provide, and encourage us through His angels, but it does not always guarantee a deliverance. We must keep in mind that God does not always deliver us from danger or come to our rescue in miraculous methods, whether by angels or by His direct intervention. According to His wise will, the opposite may occur (Hebrews 11:36–40).

The Personalities of Angels

What are the personalities of angels?

• Intellect (1 Peter 1:12)

• Emotions (Luke 2:13)

• Will (Jude)––able to leave their first estate

The Nature of Angels

• Angels are spirit beings (Hebrews 1:14) who are capable of taking on physical form (Revelation 18–19).

We have the account of angels visiting Abram in Genesis 18:1–5.

In his book Angels: God’s Secret Agents, Billy Graham writes,

Dr. S.W. Mitchell, a celebrated Philadelphia neurologist, had gone to bed after an exceptionally tiring day. Suddenly he was awakened by someone knocking on his door. Opening it he found a little girl, poorly dressed and deeply upset. She told him her mother was very sick and asked him if he would please come with her. It was a bitterly cold, snowy night, but though he was bone tired, Dr. Mitchell dressed and followed the girl. As Reader’s Digest reports the story, he found the woman desperately ill with pneumonia. After arranging for medical care, he complimented the sick woman on the intelligence and persistence of her little daughter. The woman looked at him strangely and then said, My daughter died a month ago. She added, her shoes and coat are in the clothes closet there.

Dr. Mitchell, amazed and perplexed, went to the closet and opened the door. There hung the very coat worn by the little girl who had brought him to tend