Seraphim and Cherubim Angels Hebrews 1:14

GRACE BIBLE CHURCH
The Tree of Life is a weekly teaching summary.
For the week ending 08/03/03
Seraphim and Cherubim Angels
Hebrews 1:14

Revelation 12:6 "And the woman [true Israel, the believing Jews] fled into the high desert country in order that there [in a specific location, the desert country of Edom, Moab, and Ammon] she might be nourished [sustained] for one thousand two hundred and sixty days."

We have noted that during the Tribulation period, guardian angels will be used by God to nourish and sustain believers from any of the satanic attacks made upon them. Hebrews 1:14">HEB 1:14 says concerning angels, "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" The Bible reveals the presence of angels and their role as guardians. They will function in that role for the Jews especially during the Tribulation period.

MAT 18:10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you, that their angels in heaven continually behold the face of My Father who is in heaven."

Angels play an important role in the protection of God's people, especially in light of the invisible enemy we face, namely Satan and the fallen angels, EPH 6:12, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

In LUK 16:22, angels are used to protect God's people when they face situations of death: "Now it came about that the poor man died and he was carried away by the angels to Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died and was buried."

Many of us have been delivered and saved from situations of death without even knowing it. In MAT 1:20, guardian angels are used by God for the purpose of comfort through divine intervention: "An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, 'Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.'"

Our Lord said in JOH 14:27, "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."

He could say this because of the presence of the invisible elect angels. We have a protection and a comfort described in 1CO 2:9, "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him."

This is another reason why the Apostle Paul could say in PHI 4:7, "And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

In MAT 2:13, an angel was used to warn God's people of coming tragedy or disaster: "Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, 'Arise and take the Child and His mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.'"

Guardian angels have saved people from situations of physical death; we may call it "coincidences," but God calls it divine intervention. In MAT 2:19-21, a guardian angel was used to guide and direct God's people: "But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 'Arise and take the Child and His mother, and go into the land of Israel; for those who sought the Child's life are dead.' And he arose and took the Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel."
Many of you have been guided and directed by angels through providential circumstances and so-called "coincidences."

There are three categories of guardian angels given from God to the human race. 

1. A guardian angel over the client nation, DAN 10:13.

2. A guardian angel for every child, believer or unbeliever, MAT 18:10.

3. A guardian angel for every believer, Hebrews 1:14">HEB 1:14. This angel is sent to minister to you because you are an heir of salvation.

Remember what Satan was in eternity past. He was a created being in PSA 148:5, "Let the angels praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created."

He was a cherub angel, EZE 28:14, "You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire."

We have noted that as a result of the prehistoric angelic conflict, that certain elect angels received blessings and rewards, and that the majority did not. Angels are shown with wings in many pictures, but in reality, the majority of them do not have wings at all. Wings represent rank in the angelic realm. Just as in the human race, there are also degrees of rank and privilege in the angelic realm.

The highest-ranking angels are called seraphim and have 6 wings, ISA 6:2. The Hebrew term "seraphim" means "burning ones"; their title speaks of their consuming devotion to God. Seraphim were also noted for their priestly service to God, ISA 6:1-7.

ISA 6:1-7 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. 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. And one called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory." And the foundations of the thresholds trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was filling with smoke. 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." Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. And 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."

The seraphim are apparently angels who became winners by understanding and honoring the righteousness and justice of God. This should be comforting to us as believers because these powerful angels are used by the Lord to control and protect human history. Seraph angels are known for having great authority and strength, REV 5:2, 10:1, 14:18.

REV 10:1 And I saw another strong angel coming down out of heaven, clothed with a cloud; and the rainbow was upon his head, and his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire.

Seraphim are the highest-ranking angels in the Word of God, and these powerful creatures are in authority over our guardian angels, helping to guard us from all the evil in the invisible realm.

The cherub-ranked angels (cherubim) have two or four wings. We know that the cherub was the highest-ranking angel in eternity past, because Satan, whose name was called the "son of the morning," was a four-winged cherub, and he was the highest of all angels. Satan was a beautiful, wise angel, and took millions of angels with him in rebellion against God. Now the seraph angel has become higher, because the seraphim have glorified God against Satan.

The angels with wings can undertake great endeavors and can carry heavy loads. They are actually the ones who hold leadership positions over the wingless angels in the angelic realm; they even lead and direct the guardian angels assigned to us. The cherubim are the ones who guarded the gates of Eden in GEN 3:24. In EZE 1:4-12, and Eze 10:9-10, the cherubim also are used as the vehicle of divine judgment in the Old Testament.

EZE 1:6-12 Each of them had four faces and four wings. And their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straightforward. As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man, all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. And each went straightforward; wherever the spirit was about to go, they would go, without turning as they went.

The four Gospels of the New Testament, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John correspond to the visionary depictions of the cherub angels-the four faces of a man, a lion, an ox (or bull), and an eagle.

· In the Gospel of Matthew, the Lord Jesus Christ is identified as the Lion of the Tribe of Judah.

· In the Gospel of Mark, the emphasis is placed on the Lord Jesus Christ laboring to fulfill the plan of God, and therefore the ox is in view.

· In the Gospel of Luke, the emphasis is on the humanity of Christ.

· In the Gospel of John, the emphasis is on the deity of Christ, identified by the eagle.

In the book of Revelation, the man, lion, ox and eagle appear together, REV 4:7, "And before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. And the first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle."

Each one of these creatures is related to one of the Gospels. 

In REV 7:1-2, we see a cherub who commands four wingless angels who control the weather system of the earth. 
REV 7:1-2, After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea&ldots;

In REV 14:6, there is another cherub who is in charge of what we call crisis evangelism. There will come an unprecedented crisis on this earth in the Tribulation.
REV 14:6-7 And I saw another angel flying in midheaven, having an eternal gospel to preach to those who live on the earth, and to every nation and tribe and tongue and people; and he said with a loud voice, "Fear God, and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made the heaven and the earth and sea and springs of waters."

A major crisis will hit the earth during the Tribulation period when the Church is gone. At that time God will have cherub angels teaching the Gospel in the midst of these terrible circumstances-this is called crisis evangelism. Now that the Church has been raptured, this angel will be preaching to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people.

God also uses another cherub to announce the fall of religion in the Tribulational period, REV 14:8, "And another angel, a second one, followed, saying, 'Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great, she who has made all the nations drink of the wine of the passion of her immorality.'" When the Rapture takes place, the church is gone, but religion stays. InREV 14:9 we see a cherub who warns the human race about the consequences of accepting the ecumenical religious system.

When the church is gone, Satan promotes religion. Satan promotes religions such as the Jehovah's witnesses, the Muslims, the Buddhists, and the Catholics; he promotes any form of religion that is un-Christian and unbiblical. After the church is gone, he still has a religious system, and the cherub angel warns the human race about this deception,REV 14:9-10, "And another angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, 'If anyone worships the beast and his image, and receives a mark on his forehead or upon his hand, he also will drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is mixed in full strength in the cup of His anger; and he will be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels and in the presence of the Lamb.'" During the Tribulation period Satan will force people to worship him. In the second half of the Tribulation, God also uses another cherub angel to administer judgment to those on earth, REV 14:17, "And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, and he also had a sharp sickle."

The cherub seems to have indescribable powers and beauty, and throughout the Word of God, the visible appearances of the cherubim differ-some with four wings and some with two, depending on their glorification of God.

Revelation 12:6">REV 12:6 "And the woman fled into the high desert country in order that there she might be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.

The time is listed by days under the principle that every believer must live one day at a time, as unto the Lord. The exact time is 1,260 days, which is 42 months, or 3½ years on the Jewish calendar. This is the time of Satan's desperation, which begins with the "abomination of desolation" (MAT 24:15) in Jerusalem, and ends at the Second Advent. During the second half of the Tribulation, Satan will launch the greatest attack in history against the Jews. The objective will be to wipe out all Jews prior to the Second Advent of Christ, so that when Christ returns there will be no Jews to re-gather, and therefore no Jews to receive the unconditional promises of the Abrahamic, Palestinian, Davidic, and New Covenants to Israel.

In the first half of the Tribulation, regenerate Jews must understand the eschatology of the abomination of desolation. Once they have arrived in the place of refuge, they must remain there, and they cannot afford to be deceived. These Jews are to stand fast for 1,260 days; they are to do nothing except remain where they are. Their God has provided for them a wall of fire, and there they are protected, but nowhere else. They must live one day at a time until the Lord returns.

For a more detailed study, order tapes IA11-295 to IA11-297.