Will We Become Angels When We
Die?
by Ruth Willms Copyright 2008. All rights
reserved worldwide.
I love Valentine's Day. I love going out for a
candle light dinner with my husband, Ed. I love the flowers and chocolate
exchange we do every year. I love baking and decorating those valentine heart
sugar cookies with my grandkids.
I never appreciated those naked little cherub
figures on valentine cards, though. I know they have great appeal to most
people. They stand for love. They say: "I'm smitten with you." That part I like,
but their looks don't appeal to me.
I think the greeting card industry got that
angelic cherub look from the cherubim in the Bible. In Billy Graham's book,
Angels, he refers to these. The golden cherubim watch over the mercy-seat in the
Ark of the Covenant. They had four wings. You can read about them in Exodus
25:18
During the Christmas week our family once again
watched the movie,"It's a Wonderful Life" starring James Stewart as George
Bailey. In the movie George attempts suicide and is met by his guardian angel,
Clarence. Clarence's mission is to save George from suicide and if he succeeds
he will get his wings. The movie may be cute and entertain us but it is a far
cry from a Biblical view.
People do not become angels when they die. Not
even good people. Not even Christians. Angels were created by God as angels to
worship Him and to be His messengers. The Bible doesn't say exactly when He made
the angels but it seems it was before He created the world. In Job 38:4 and 7
the Bible tells us that the angels witnessed the creation of the world.
Lucifer, the head of the angels, led a
rebellion against God, and was thrown out of heaven with a third of the angels
who sided with him. Lucifer became Satan and the angels cast out with him became
demons. Isaiah 14: 12-17 refers to this time.
So people do not become angels after they die
but the Bible says that after Christians enter heaven we become even greater
than the angels. You see, God will give us and not the angels the right to rule
over His creation. We even get to judge the angels. I believe that refers to the
fallen angels. You can read about this in Hebrews 2:5 to verse 8 and 1
Corinthians 6:2 and verse 3.
I think some people may have arrived at the
idea of us becoming angels when we go to heaven because of what it says in
Matthew 22 verse 30. Here Jesus is teaching the Sadducees that we won't marry or
be given in marriage in heaven. He says instead we will be like the angels. He
doesn't say we will be angels but only like the angels in that we won't marry.
We will be even greater than the angels. We are and will be saints.
Blessings,
Ruth
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