A few weeks ago, one of our friends here at the Fellowship asked me to do a study on the topic of angels, on what the Bible says about angels and the angelic world. I found this to be an intriguing topic, so I wanted to look at this in our study today.
If you are curious about the topic of angels, than this is the study for you. But there are really only a couple of words used in the Bible translated as “angel” or “angels.”
If you have your Bibles, we are going to take a look today at both the Old and New Testaments to see what it says about angels. So let us try to see what we can learn about this topic.
We will start in the Old Testament. The very first time that the word “angel” is used by God is found in Genesis 16. The Hebrew word that is most often translated as “angel” is the word mal’ak. It is sometimes translated as something other than “angel,” but most often it is translated as “angel.” It is Strong’s #4397, and the first mention of it is in Genesis 16.
So let us read a little bit here because it is intriguing as to what this reference to “angel” really is. It defines it for us in this chapter. So, thankfully, the first time God uses the word mal’ak in the Hebrew in Genesis 16, this term is defined for us. It is probably a little different than what you thought at first.
We will begin in Genesis 16:6 where we read:
But Abram said unto Sarai, Behold, thy maid is in thy hand; do to her as it pleaseth thee. And when Sarai dealt hardly with her, she fled from her face.
Do you remember this story? This was when where Sarai was jealous of her handmaid, Hagar, so she was told by Abraham that she could do whatever she wanted with her. Then in verse 7 is the first time that we see the Hebrew word mal’ak. Genesis 16:7-8:
And the angel of JEHOVAH found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai.
Then, once again, we are going to see the term used in Gen 16:9-10:
And the angel of JEHOVAH said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. And the angel of JEHOVAH said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude.
Let us stop here. We see that the “angel of JEHOVAH” has been mentioned three times already. The first thing that we notice is that this angel is speaking, so this is the first thing that we want to take note of. This angel is speaking to Sarai and saying these words to her, but let us look again at verse 10 that we just read. Genesis 16:10:
And the angel of JEHOVAH said unto her, I…
The “angel of the JEHOVAH” used the personal pronoun, “I.”
I will multiply thy seed exceedingly…
So this angel seems to be saying something that only God would say, because this is not something that an angel could do.
But let us see where this goes as we continue reading the next two verses. Genesis 16:11-12:
And the angel of JEHOVAH said unto her, Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son, and shalt call his name Ishmael; because the LORD hath heard thy affliction. And he will be a wild man; his hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.
We are going to read one more verse, verse 13, and this next verse is going to define for us who the “angel of JEHOVAH” is in this passage. Genesis 16:13:
And she called the name of JEHOVAH that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?
So what do we see here? We see that Hagar “called the name of JEHOVAH that spake unto her.”
First she said that the “angel of JEHOVAH” was speaking to her. Now Hagar is recognizing and saying that the “name of JEHOVAH” who “spake under her” is called “Thou God seest me.” In other words, she is saying, “God, you see me.”
Sure enough, this “angel of JEHOVAH” is most likely Jesus Christ Himself because most of the references in the Old Testament to the “angel of JEHOVAH,” and there are a lot of them, are references to God Himself and to Jesus Christ.
If you want more on this topic, I remember that Dave Morrell did a study on this a few years ago. It was called “The Angel of the Lord.” The whole study was based on the many times that the phrase “The Angel of the Lord” is used and how it is referring to Jesus Christ Himself. This is not what I am going to focus on entirely here; but if you want more information on this, I would direct you to that study that was given about two years ago.
So we have seen some references where the “angel of JEHOVAH” is referring to God Himself as He spoke with Hagar. Yet this word for “angel” is also translated as “messenger” and is used a lot of other times to refer to something other than God Himself and is, instead, referring directly to a person on this earth. So Strong’s #4397 is the Hebrew word mal’ak and it is translated either “angel” or “messenger” in the Old Testament. This word can also refer to God Himself.
Now let us take a look at Genesis 48. In Genesis 48, we will see something that is very similar to what we just read in Genesis 16. This is referring to Jacob before he dies, and we read in Genesis 48:15:
And he blessed Joseph, and said, God…
Jacob is now going to say a few things about God:
…before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
So he is defining God in a couple of different ways. He first says:
…God, before whom my fathers…did walk, the God which fed me all my life long…
Then in Genesis 48:16, he uses a synonym:
The Angel…
This is the word mal’ak again. It continues:
…which redeemed me from all evil…
So, once again, we see the term “angel” being used. It is the word mal’ak and he is talking about God.
Jacob said in Genesis 48:15:
…God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,
And in Genesis 48:16, this is the same One who:
…redeemed me from all evil…
This is referring to the same One and he happened to use the word “Angel” to describe Him. So this is definitely referring to God as well; it has to be. Therefore, the term “angel” many times can refer to God and, a lot of times, it is referring to the Person of Jesus Christ.
But this word is also translated as “messenger.” So we are going to look at one passage from 1 Samuel 11 to see how this is used. In this passage, take note that this is talking about a king. We will see the analogy shortly; but in 1 Samuel 11:6, we read:
And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings…
We are breaking into a story here.
…and his anger was kindled greatly.
We want to pick up the word “messenger” and see how it is used, so let us keep reading. 1 Samuel 11:7:
And he took a yoke of oxen, and hewed them in pieces, and sent them…
So he sent these pieces of the oxen:
…throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers…
Here we find the word mal’ak in the plural. This is the same Hebrew word for “angels.”
So he is sent:
…by the hands of messengers saying, Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done unto his oxen. And the fear of JEHOVAH fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.
So we can see here how the word for “angel” is used for “messenger,” for someone who truly was a messenger.
Picture the King Saul. He has this oxen chopped up into pieces and he sends the pieces to all the coasts of Israel. And who was doing this? Men probably brought these pieces to the different areas and said, “Whoever does not come forth after Saul and Samuel is going to be like this oxen that has been cut into pieces.”
So the messengers of the king sent this call and this charge out to the people; and in this term in which mal’ak is used, it is not talking about God, of course, but it is talking about real messengers. This was like an ambassador to a king being sent out to deliver a certain message to the people, and this was a pretty harsh message in this example that we just read. So the term “angel” can be referring to God or it can be referring to a messenger of God the King.
Let us now take a look at the position of an angel. We are going to take an overall look at what the Bible says about the position of angels.
Let me ask a question. Are angels higher or lower than mankind? Let me give you an example before you try to answer this. When Jesus told the woman of Canaan, “It is not meet to take the children’s bread, and cast it to dogs,” He was giving her a story. She wanted Him to heal her daughter who was “grievously vexed with a devil.”
In answer to her, Christ gave this phrase that clearly shows us that human beings are higher than animals. We also know this because God placed human beings in charge over the creation, so we know that animals are not on the same level as humans.
So are angels higher or lower than humans? They are higher; their position is higher. Let us see what the Scriptures say.
In Psalm 8 in the Old Testament, we are going to find the word mal’ak translated as “angels.” [note: correction made—speaker inadvertently confused the Hebrew word ‘elohiym (translated as “angels” in Psalm 8) for mal’ak] Psalm 8:4-5 says:
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him…
This is talking about man now.
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
So mankind is made a little lower than the angels. Therefore, from a positional sense, angels are higher than mankind. Also, as this word for “angels” is used in the New Testament, it says the same thing.
This will be our first look into the New Testament at the word for “angel.” Let us look at 2 Peter 2:10-11 where Peter says under the inspiration of the Spirit of God:
But chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might…
So we see here the word that is translated “angels” from the Greek in the New Testament. In the Greek, it is the word aggelos [ang’-el-os]. As in the Old Testament, it is translated as “angel” or “messenger” in the New Testament. It is has the same meaning.
We know that they are higher than mankind because 2 Peter 2:11 says:
…angels, which are greater in power and might, bring not railing accusation against them before the Lord.
So both from the Old Testament and the New Testament, we have confirmation that angels were made higher than mankind. 2 Peter 2:11 told us that they are “greater in power and might” than human beings are.
So we just wanted to define and understand this. If we are going to try to understand angels, then we want to see everything that Scripture says about them.
So when this word is not referring to God, when it does not mean God Himself as messenger—as in when we read of Jesus Christ Himself, the Chief Messenger—then what is the job of an angel? What are they? When it is not referring to a messenger, like the one from King Saul’s kingdom who sent all the pieces of oxen out, what are they? What is their job?
As we study the Scriptures, we find that they are “ministering spirits.” Psalm 104 tells us this where, again, we will see the word mal’ak. In Psalm 104:1, we read:
Bless JEHOVAH, O my soul. O JEHOVAH my God, thou art very great; thou art clothed with honour and majesty.
The Psalmist here is talking about Jehovah. In other words, in Psalm 104:4, Jehovah is the One who:
…maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:
So His angels, the messengers of God, they are spirits and they are ministers. They are ministering spirits. If we put these two terms together from Psalm 104:4, angels are ministering spirits.
Now let us look in the New Testament at the same thing. Remembering what Psalm 104:4 says, we read in Hebrews 1:13-14:
But to which of the angels…
This is the word aggelos in the Greek, which is the word for “angel” or “messenger.”
But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits…
Next we are going to find a little bit of a definition here:
…sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
So here we see the term “ministering spirits,” whatever that means, but who are they ministering to? Who are the angels employed to minister to? What is their job?
They minister to God’s elect, those who will be “heirs of salvation.” This is the role that these spirits of God have. These ministers of God are set forth to minister to God’s elect people, those who will be saved and those who are already saved.
Now we have to try to define what “ministering” means. If this is their job, what does this mean that they are going to do?
Well, let us look at Ephesians 4, because this term “minister” that we read in Hebrews 1 is picked up in Ephesians 4:12. So let us read a little bit here in order to understand what it means to minister and whether or not angels have a role in this. In Ephesians 4:11-13, we read:
And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints…
Here again, we see that this is talking about the saints, the elect, the people who are going to be saved and who are already saved.
For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry…
Here we find the same word for “minister” that we read in Hebrews 1.
…for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
So this “work of the ministry” is for “the edifying of the body of Christ” as well.
Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
So this term in Ephesians is referring to how people are used. Whether apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, or teachers, their job is for the “perfecting of the saints,” to minister and edify the body of Christ. And Angels are given this same job or task, which is to minister to those who will be “heirs of salvation.”
So this might give us a little bit of a look at what their main task is, as far as how they minister to human beings and how God employees them, how they are used. But did these ministers of God minister to Jesus Christ when He was on earth as a human being? Yes, they did.
In Matthew 4, we read about angels. Do you remember what we read there? Did Christ need ministering to by angels? Let us look at Matthew 4:5-6:
Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
What is insinuated here? What would the angels be doing for Christ, the Son of God? They would be ministering to Him. In particular, we read:
…in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.
In other words, the insinuation is that they would protect Him.
Luke 22 talks about the same thing, so let us look in Luke 22 to underscore what we just read. This is when Jesus was in agony in the garden. We read in Luke 22:41-43:
And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel…
So this is referring to one angel.
…unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
What kind of strength or protection would Christ need here? This was not a physical need. In this case, it was more an emotional or spiritual need. If we remember, all of the apostles had fallen asleep and there was no one who stayed awake with Christ. So Christ was in agony and an angel came and strengthened Him, however that happened.
So this was one of the jobs given by God the Father to one of the angels. They were to help Jesus Christ in this one particular instance in His flesh.
We see that angels are employed for our sakes, too, for the sake of the elect as well, which is interesting because it is really great that God would do this for us, as aware or unaware we may be that this is happening around us.
Do you remember Daniel when he was in the lions’ den? Do you remember what happened in Daniel 6 and how he was protected? Did God send someone there to help him? Yes, God sent an angel to help him. In Daniel 6:21-22, we read:
Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God hath sent his angel…
Here is the word mal’ak in the Hebrew again.
…and hath shut the lions’ mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.
So Daniel was physically protected in this instance. The angel was sent to him by God to keep the lions’ mouths shut, just like Satan had said to Christ, “He shall give his angels charge concerning thee…lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.” Here we see that God sent an angel to Daniel to help him and to keep him safe.
Do you understand where the concept of “guardian angel” comes from then? Have you ever heard the term “guardian angel” used? There is also a group in New York City that call themselves “The Guardian Angels.” Have you ever seen them with the berets? They kind of police the subways to help keep people safe from crime. So this is what the term “guardian angel” means.
The term “guardian angel” comes from what the Bible describes about angels, that they are being given charge to minister to God’s elect. As we saw with Jesus Christ and with Daniel, they were kept from physical harm through the ministration of angels. And there was a spiritual ministration that we had read about in Ephesians 4.
Since this is what they are sent to do and because they have such a great position, they are higher than human beings. But is it acceptable to worship angels or to put them in this kind of regard? Some people do this, you know.
Have you ever seen someone with a statue of Michael the Archangel with wings? They sometimes put this in their car because they believe that this protects them while they are in the car. You might have a family member who does this or you might know someone who does this, and yet, obviously, we know that this is wrong. But is the knowledge of this being a wrong thing to do intuitive or does Scripture tell us that this is wrong? Thankfully, Scripture tells us this.
Let us look at Revelation 19:9 where John becomes so overwhelmed with all that he is being shown that he wants to worship this angel. In Revelation 19:9, we read where John is told:
And he saith unto me, Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me, These are the true sayings of God.
Then John says in verse 10, Revelation 19:10:
And I fell at his feet to worship him…
So John is falling down to worship this angel.
…And he said unto me, See thou do it not: I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren that have the testimony of Jesus: worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
He is telling John, “No, you worship God only; not me.” This is why we know that the worship of angels or to put them in a different regard where we are giving them any honor at all is wrong. He said, “I am thy fellowservant.” Angels are “ministering servants” sent on behalf of us.
We also read in Colossians 2 that we are not to worship angels. We read in Colossians 2:18:
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels…
This is the word aggelos in the plural.
…intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
The reason for this is found in the next verse, Colossians 2:19:
And not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God.
Who is the Head of this body? It is Jesus Christ. So, once again, we are told to worship Christ and not angels. This worshipping of angels is wrong. We are clearly not to do this, so do not fall into this trap. Do not think that there is anything special about angels to where they deserve any type of honor.
Now what are the angels are doing in Heaven, the ones that are the “good” angels? When they are not employed to the earth to do this ministering on behalf of the elect, for the “heirs of salvation,” what do you think they are doing in Heaven? Does the Bible tell us what they are doing? Are they working?
What they are doing is they are worshipping God. We know this from Hebrews 1, so let us look at this again. By the way, does this not sound familiar to what we read about in the book of Revelation in relation to the saints who have died before us? What are these saints in Heaven doing? They are worshipping God, and so are these angels.
Let us go back to Hebrews 1:1-2 where we read:
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;
This is talking about Jesus Christ and the elevation of Him who “made the worlds” and is “heir of all things.”
Then we read in Hebrews 1:4-6:
Being made so much better than the angels…
So Jesus Christ is made “better than the angels”:
…as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him.
So all of the angels of God are to worship God. When they are in heaven, they are worshipping God. When they are not in Heaven, they are deployed to minister to the elect on this earth. Remember that an angel was sent to strengthen Christ when He was in the garden, for instance, but the angels in Heaven are there worshipping God.
One last thing on angels is that we know that they are not all good and that they are not all in Heaven. There are some who are banished from Heaven. They are the fallen angels. What happened to them?
Isaiah 14 tells us what happened to Satan, the leader, and those who fell with him. We read in Isaiah 14:12-14:
How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.
So as soon as one of the angels wanted to be like God instead of recognizing their position—which is, of course, lower than God—God says in Isaiah 14:15:
Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
This is what happened to Satan. He was banished and, ultimately, reserved for judgment.
What do we read in 2 Peter 2 about these angels? What is going to happen to these fallen angels? Are they going to live forever? The unsaved humans are going to be burned up on that last day, but the fallen angels will not live forever either. We read in 2 Peter 2:4:
For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell…
We just read about that in Isaiah 14. The ones who were with Satan were cast down to hell.
…and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
So at judgment, they are going to be burned up like everyone else on this earth. The angels who fell know what their end is going to be. It is going to be the end of them and there will be no more. Therefore, that was a bad choice made by Satan, as we know from Isaiah 14.
There was another question that one of my friends asked me a few weeks ago on this topic of angels that relates. I am going to give you four synonyms that are all very similar: soothsayers, psychics, sorcerers, and witches. Are these part of this discussion?
They are and here is why. A soothsayer is someone who attempts to foretell events. However, it is the manner in which they go about this that labels them. We know this because of something that we read from the Old Testament from the book of Daniel.
In Daniel 2, we read about soothsayers in Nebuchadnezzar’s kingdom. Daniel 2:27-28 says:
Daniel answered in the presence of the king, and said, The secret which the king hath demanded cannot the wise men, the astrologers, the magicians, the soothsayers, show unto the king; But there is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets…
So soothsayers are people who try to foretell future events.
How about those who had a familiar spirit? Do you remember that term from the Old Testament? It is the same thing.
Let us look at 1 Samuel 28. Do you remember when Saul went to the witch at Endor? She was referred to as someone who had a familiar spirit. A familiar spirit is a spirit or a demon that serves or prompts an individual. These are the fallen angels that are doing these things and this is why this is related to the angelic world and to the study of angels.
In 1 Samuel 28:7, we read:
Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at Endor.
So Saul went to someone whom we would refer to as a witch. She had a familiar spirit and it was not a good spirit; it was not a good angel. We know that this is not how God works.
Then we read in 1 Samuel 28:11-13:
Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel. And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul. And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.
So here this witch at Endor saw “spirits” ascending out of the earth, and she thought she saw Samuel. Who deceived her? Satan or one of the fallen angels was used as a familiar spirit in her. This is why people went to her because she seemingly had knowledge of future events.
So this is what happens. This is how the bad angels, the fallen angels, are used in regard to this earth.
Do you remember that in the Old Testament a lot of people were possessed with devils? In the New Testament, this still happened. But these fallen angels are working a lot through these psychics and soothsayers.
Their shops are all over the place. When I go out for lunch, I cannot help but to pass by a little shop that will say something like, “Psychic—Palm Reading.” They are legion. They are all over the place and people go to them because they think they have some kind of power. But these sorcerers, these psychics, if they have any kind of supernatural power, it is all because of the fallen angels. It is satanic in other words.
Let us look at what Acts 13 has to say about this. In Acts 13, it talks about this activity. In Acts 13:6-10, we read:
And when they had gone through the isle unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus: Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God. But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, And said, O full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness…
So this is a definition of what a sorcerer is according to the Bible’s terminology. He was referred to as a “child of the devil.” This is not just fun and games. It is demonic, so stay away from it.
The whole idea of fortunetelling, whether it is a fortune cookie at a Chinese restaurant or it is a psychic set up in a shop, it is just something you want to distance yourself from because what about the judgment? God forewarns of a huge judgment in the Bible on this whole demonic activity: the psychic world, the witches, the soothsayers, the sorcerers.
Let us go to Micah 5 where we can read about this judgment. In Micah 5:12-15, we read:
And I will cut off witchcrafts out of thine hand; and thou shalt have no more soothsayers: Thy graven images also will I cut off, and thy standing images out of the midst of thee; and thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands. And I will pluck up thy groves out of the midst of thee: so will I destroy thy cities. And I will execute vengeance in anger and fury upon the heathen, such as they have not heard.
This is heathen activity and we are to stay away from it. Do you remember what God told Moses in the book of Exodus concerning the punishment for a witch? Also, do you remember the Salem witch trials in this country’s beginnings back several hundred years ago? Where do you think that they got this idea from? Were they just being mean when they sentenced witches to death at the stake? Was there a Biblical precedence for this? Yes! We read in Exodus 22:18:
Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live.
In other words, do not allow a witch to live; kill her. Then the very next verse says, Exodus 22:19:
Whosoever lieth with a beast shall surely be put to death.
So God puts these two things together. Put these people to death: those who practice bestiality and those who practice witchery. No matter if it is a male or a female witch, put them to death. It is demonic and it is part of the fallen angelic world; therefore, we want to stay away from it.
But the good angels who are employed to minister to the “heirs of salvation” are a wonderful gift that God has given to all those who would be saved and who are saved. We can thank God for this and for those angels who are used in whatever way God so decides and designs, in order to protect His people and to bless His people.
For this, we can thank God for. May it be on that last day, we all—angels and humans—will worship God forever and ever in the new heaven and the new earth. We look forward to this time when the Lord will usher in all righteous. Amen.