"He Has A Short Time"

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

What are angels? Just the mention conjures up myriad images in the minds of Christians and unbelievers alike. A great deal of the time, angels are portrayed as some variation on the image of Shirley Temple with wings. Naked, winged babies are another popular image. In general, popular imagination sees angels as something cute, something beautiful, something peaceful and calm. But what are angels, really?

To begin with, angels are not Shirley Temple with wings. Angels have no gender – no male or female – and who knows if they have hair. Angels are spiritual beings, and the Scriptures make no representation that they look anything at all like human beings. Cupid is a fictional character, a product of the Roman mythological world, and he bears no connection to real angels. Angels have much better things to do than wander around and zap humans with love-arrows.

One other misconception about angels which has become somewhat entrenched in our culture is the idea that somehow when a person dies, he becomes an angel in heaven. That is false. Angels are of a lower order of creation than mankind, and so there is no reason to think that we would ever become angels. Jesus Christ did not die for the angels, and so if you say that someone became an angel when he died, you are saying that Christ did not die for him. It would be much better, much more comforting to remember that those who have fallen asleep in faith have been carried by the angels to the side of Christ in His kingdom.

So, then, what are angels? They are heavenly, spiritual beings, created as lower than mankind, even though they far outstrip us in holiness and in power. The word “angel” means “messenger or envoy” – one sent in the stead of the master. Angels are created to serve, both to serve God in heaven and to serve men on earth. Angels serve by carrying the Word of God from the mouth of God to His people. In the Old Testament, the Angel of the Lord – who is Christ before His incarnation – came to the prophets and patriarchs to instruct them in the will of the Lord. The angel Gabriel came to Zechariah to herald the coming birth of John the Baptist, and then again to announce the conception of our Lord Jesus Christ in the womb of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The angels also serve as guardians for mankind. Regardless of how one might talk of this work, the Scriptures promise that the holy angels always keep watch over the people of God, lest great evil befall us. The Psalmist records God's promise that “He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” (Psalm 91:11-12) Luther instructs us to pray morning and night, “Let thy holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me.” The holy angels stand between you and the forces of sin, death, and Satan. Without their aid and protection, you would suffer great loss and woe in both body and soul. The angels are the agents of God's providence and mercy, to spare you from calamity and evil death.

Thirdly, the angels are warriors. They fight the battle between Satan and God. Of course, that is a lop-sided match, because Satan himself is an angel, and could never hope to defeat his creator. But the war in heaven was fought between Lucifer, the bearer of light who became the father of darkness, and Michael, the helper of God, who defeated the dragon and his hosts by the power of the Blood of the Lamb.

Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon. And the dragon and his angels fought back, but he was defeated, and there was no longer any place for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

War arose in heaven because the dragon – Lucifer, Satan the accuser – presumed to set himself as equal to God. He wanted to be like God. There is a tradition among the Church Fathers that Lucifer was angry and jealous because God had chosen that His Son would become a man, and so elevate humans over the ranks of angels. So he chose to rally his forces and wage war against the Lord of Hosts.

Therefore, Michael led the holy angels in battle against the dragon, and they cast the forces of evil down out of heaven. The holy will not tolerate the unholy, and the holy angels could not tolerate the pride and arrogance of Satan and his angels. And war broke out in heaven, with the forces of God prevailing by the blood of the Lamb.

Now, the devil and his minions are cast down to the earth, where they roam about, seeking whom they may devour. He is defeated in heaven, and may not accuse the saints before God, but he certainly has as much rein as God allows on earth, and he is well capable of accusing you with your own conscience. The devil delights in tormenting men with all manner of evil tidings – calamity by fire and water, flood and famine, violence and sedition, sudden and evil death. He will seize you in your body and afflict you with pain and suffering. He will tempt you into as much sin and vice as he can by convincing you that it is really not hurting anybody, that God is just an old fuddy-duddy who does not want you to have any fun in life. And then he will use the Law of God to show you what a poor miserable sinner you are, and how much you have failed and deserve to go to hell with him, instead of going to heaven with Jesus.

So how is Satan defeated? How is the devil cast down? Michael and the holy angels defeated the dragon not by their own power and strength, but “by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.” The outcome of the war in heaven was secured by the death of Jesus Christ upon the cross. It is His blood, shed for the forgiveness of your sins, which gives the power to defeat sin, death, and the devil. God has become man, and there is nothing the dragon can do about that. The Son of Man has died and shed His blood to pay for the sins of you and of all people. That has stripped the devil of all his power and might over you.

You see, the great power the devil has over you is the power to accuse you of your sins. He needs to be able to hold up your sins in front of you and show you what a miserable failure you are and why you do not deserve the love of God or a place in heaven. But you have been covered with the blood of the Lamb. Therefore, when the accuser holds up the mirror of the Law, what shows is not your sin, but the righteousness of Christ for you. This is the weapon that disarms the devil. He cannot harm your soul because Christ has redeemed you.

The devil is defeated on this earth by the preaching of the Word of God into the hearts of men. That is why he works so hard to see that the preaching of the Word is silenced. A heart which is full of the Spirit of God and the grace of God has no room for the devil's lies and deception. Therefore, Satan is cast down every time the words ring forth: I forgive you all your sins! Where the Spirit of God is, the devil cannot be. Where the cross of Christ shines forth, the darkness is vanquished and the light has come.

Beware the devil and his forces. “Therefore, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to you, O earth and sea, for the devil has come down to you in great wrath, because he knows that his time is short!” He seeks to devour all that he may, in retaliation against God and His holy angels, who threw him down.

But take heart, because he has been overcome by the blood of the Lamb, and he has been cast down by the holy angels. He has been cast down from the throne of your heart and banished from your midst. His forces are held in check by the holy angels who serve you at the command of God. When you see great evil befall your fellow man, pray for him, that he be delivered from his vale of sorrow. And thank God for the protection of His holy angels watching over you and protecting you from the assaults of the devil. Your holy angels always see the face of God who is in heaven.

Lord, let at last Thine angels come,

To Abr'ham's bosom bear me home,

That I may die unfearing;

And in its narrow chamber keep

My body safe in peaceful sleep

Until Thy reappearing.

And then from death awaken me,

That these mine eyes with joy may see

O Son of God, Thy glorious face,

My Savior and my fount of grace.

Lord Jesus Christ, my prayer attend, my prayer attend,

And I will praise Thee without end. (LSB 708.3).

In the Name of Jesus. Amen.