Don Stewart :: What Did Angels Do in the Ministry of Christ?

As angels were active ministering during the Old Testament period, the same can be said for life of Jesus. The New Testament stresses the fact that the ministry of Christ was viewed by angels.

Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in flesh, vindicated in spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among Gentiles, believed in throughout the world, taken up in glory (1 Timothy 3:16).

Angels appeared at various times in the ministry of Jesus.

1. Predicted His Birth

The angel Gabriel predicted the birth of Christ to Mary.

And the angel said unto her, Do not be afraid, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And behold, you shall conceive in your womb, and bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:30-33).

2. Present At Birth

Angels were present at the birth of Christ.

And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom He favors!" (Luke 2:13,14).

3. Warned Joseph

An angel warned Joseph about Herod's plot to kill Jesus.

When Herod died, the angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Get up, take the child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child's life are dead" (Matthew 2:19,20).

4. Temptation Of Christ

Angels ministered to Christ after His temptation by the Devil.

Then the Devil left Him, and behold, angels came and began to minister to Him (Matthew 4:11).

5. Gethsemane

When Christ was praying at the Garden of Gethsemane, an angel was there ministering to Him.

Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him and gave Him strength (Luke 22:43).

6. Ready To Help At Betrayal

Angels were ready to help when Jesus was betrayed.

Do you think that I cannot now appeal to My Father, and He will at once send Me more than twelve legions of angels? (Matthew 26:53).

7. Rolled Stone From Tomb

An angel rolled back the stone from the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

And suddenly there was a great earthquake - for an angel of the Lord, descended from heaven, came and rolled back the stone and sat on it (Matthew 28:2).

8. Resurrection

An angel announced the resurrection of Christ.

But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus Who was crucified. He is not here; for He has been raised, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was laying (Matthew 28:5,6).

9. Ascension

Christ ascended into heaven with angels present.

While He was going, and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them (Acts 1:10).

10. Second Coming

The Bible says angels will be with Christ at His Second Coming.

And He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other (Matthew 24:31).

11. Execute Christ's Judgment

When Christ comes again, angels will execute His judgment.

and to give relief to you who are afflicted, as well as to us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with His mighty angels (2 Thessalonians 1:7).

12. Separate Righteous From Unrighteous

Angels will separate the righteous from the wicked.

The Son of Man will send His angels, and they will collect out of His kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous (Matthew 13:41,49).

13. Hear Christ Acknowledging Or Denying

After the separation of the unrighteous from the righteous, angels will hear Christ either acknowledging or denying each person.

And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges Me before others, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God (Luke 12:8).

Had Seen Deity, Now Humanity

It is important to remember that angels had seen Jesus, as God, previously to Him becoming a man. When Jesus humbled Himself in becoming human, they saw the Lord of the universe make Himself into a servant. These same angels, who had seen Jesus banish the angel who became the Devil after the original rebellion, now see this same fallen angel tempting Jesus. The angels observed Jesus suffering at the hands of sinful humanity, agonizing in the Garden of Gethsemane, and dying a humiliating death between two robbers. Indeed, they observed the great love that Jesus showed toward humanity.

Summary

The ministry of angels can be found throughout the life of Christ. From His birth, to His ascension into heaven, angels played an important role in the ministry of Christ. The fact that angels had an attentive role around the ministry of Jesus is another testimony of His Deity. Just as they surround the throne of God the Father and serve Him, they also were around Jesus - attending to God the Son.