Lesson: The Angelic Host (No. CB28

Goal:

To familiarize the children with answers to their questions about the Angelic Host and help them to understand God’s Plan for the Host.

Objectives:

1. Teach the children what the Bible says about the angelic host.

2. Help the children become familiar with characteristics or attributes of angels.

3. Help the children become familiar with the types / ranks of angels.

4. Help the children to know what will happen to Satan and the demons.

Resources:

The Angelic Host (CB28)

Memory Verse:

Hebrews 13:2: Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. (RSV)

Format:

Open with prayer

Lesson on The Angelic Host – interactive questions with the children.

Activity associated with the lesson

Close with prayer

Lesson:

Read through the paper The Angelic Host (CB28) unless it is read as a sermonette with the children present.
Children’s questions are in bold. This is a general review of the material covered in the lesson. Rotate asking the questions to the children with each child participating. Not all the questions need to be reviewed – it is up to the facilitator to determine how many (which ones) should be reviewed.

Q1. At some point was God alone?

A. Yes, He is the only thing that has always existed and always will exist.

Q2. What is the first thing that was issued forth from God?

A. The Holy Spirit.

Q3. What or who did God create next?

A. The Spiritual sons of God (or the angels). They were united to God through the Holy Spirit.

Q4. What does the word angel mean?

A. Messenger. It refers to both spiritual messengers sent by God (Gen. 32:1-2), and also human messengers (Gen. 32:3).

Q5. How many angels are there? Does the Bible tell us?

A. Although the Bible doesn’t say specifically, there are possibly over 100 million angels.

Daniel 7:9-10 A stream of fire issued and came forth from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened. (RSV).

Q6. When angels appeared to mankind, what did they look like?

A. Usually they appeared in human form (Gen. 18:2; Acts 1:10). Hebrews 13:2 tells us that we may meet an angel without knowing it. (Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. – RSV)

Q7. Do they look like humans with two wings and a halo when they are not on the Earth?

A. No. Some angels have wings and some have multiple faces, including the faces of animals. Many times they have a brightness around them and appear in bright white clothes.

Q8. Why did God create the angels?

A. He created them to be members of His family, and He gave them jobs to do.

Q9. What are some of the jobs angels are given to do?

A. Messenger – an angel foretold the birth of John the Baptist (Lk. 1:11-20) and Jesus Christ (Lk. 1:26-38).

Servants of God (Ps. 91:11; 103:20; Heb. 1:14).

Provide protection (Gen. 48:16; Ps. 34:7; Acts 12:11,15; Mat. 18:10).

Provide food at special times (1Kgs. 17:6,15-16).

Roam the Earth and report back to God (cf. Job 1:6-7).

Worship and minister at the Throne of God (Rev. 4:4; Dan. 7:10).

Q10. Who is the most important messenger sent by God?

A. The Angel of the Lord, or Angel of God, or Angel of Yahovah. He was frequently called Yahovah because he carried the authority of God and represented God. This was the Being that later became the man Jesus Christ.

Q11. There are many different categories of angels. Can we name some of them?

A. Seraphim, archangels, cherubim, morning stars, fallen Host.

Q12. What are the Seraphim? What do they look like?

A. The Seraphim have six wings, which might indicate a higher rank or that they have achieved immortality. Their form appears to be somewhat human in that they have faces, hands and feet in addition to their wings. They are represented as “standing” above the King as he sat upon his throne, ready to minister to him. (Isa.6:2 - Above him stood the seraphim; each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. -- RSV)

Q13. What are the Cherubim? What do some of them look like?

A. Ezekiel describes them as having four faces – one that looks forward, one backward and one on each side. The faces are like a bull, man, lion, and eagle. They have four wings – and hands under their wings. They are described as having eyes on their body, back, hands, wings, and wheels (Isa.10:12,21: And their whole body, and their backs, and their hands, and their wings, and the wheels, [were] full of eyes round about, [even] the wheels that they four had. Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; and the likeness of the hands of a man [was] under their wings. -- KJV)

Q14. How many Cherubim surround the Throne of God? What do they look like?

A. Four: Revelation 4:7-9: And the first beast [was] like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast [was] like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever – RSV

Q15. Can you name the two archangels in the Bible? (There are four others found in the Book of Enoch, Chp. XX.) Do we know what they look like?

A. Michael - the one in charge of the best part of mankind.

Gabriel – in charge of the serpents, the Garden, and the Cherubim.

The archangels’ appearance is not described in the Bible. It seems from their conversations with Daniel, Elizabeth, and Mary that they appeared to them as humans.

(Note – Michael and Gabriel are the only two archangels specifically named in the Bible. The other four listed in the Book of Enoch are Uriel: the angel over the world and Tartarus; Raphael: the angel of the spirits of men; Raguel: who takes vengeance on the world and the lights; and Saraqael: set over the spirits of the children of men, whose spirits have sinned.

Q16. What are the Morning Stars? Do we know what they look like?

A. Morning Star, Day Star or Light-bringer are ranks and not names of the spiritual Host. The Morning Stars appear to have duties as Cherubim. At the creation of the planet the Morning Stars were gathered and sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy (Job 38:7). The Bible does not describe the Morning Stars so we don’t know what they look like.

Q17. Who is currently the Morning Star of the planet?

A. Satan holds the rank of Morning Star.

Q18. Will Satan always be Morning Star of the planet?

A. No. That rank and function will be taken over by Christ at his second coming (Rev 22:16).

Q19. What will happen to Satan at the return of Jesus Christ?

A. He will be bound for 1000 years. (Rev. 20:1-3: Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain. And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years were ended. After that he must be loosed for a little while. -- RSV)

Q20. Which Holy Day pictures the 1000 years that Satan is bound?

A. The Feast of Tabernacles.

Q19. What is the final destination of Satan and the bad angels?

A. They will be made into man, in the same way as the resurrected humans, and ultimately brought to repentance. They will all have the opportunity to repent and be changed to spiritual sons of God.

Activity: The Angelic Host

Since today’s society is constantly portraying angels as cute human-like figures with wings, a halo, and a harp, this activity will help the children understand what the Bible says about the angels’ appearance. If the children point out that the Bible tells us not to make representations of anything that is in Heaven, remind the children that we are not making the angels for purposes of worship or any form of protection, rather we are visualizing what different kinds of angels may look like.

Supplies:

One empty toilet paper roll for each child. (Can also use an empty paper towel roll holder and cut it in two.)

Googly eyes – assorted sizes.

Construction paper for wings, faces and other body parts.

Feathers, cotton balls, or any other scrap material that the kids might use to make faces or wings.

Activity:

Have the children make an angel based on characteristics that were discussed in the lesson. Show them that every interpretation could be correct, as the Bible doesn’t give us every detail. We know that the Cherubim have four faces, many eyes, and four wings – but each child may create that picture differently.

Close with prayer.

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