
#12785 Why Do Angels Matter? – Every Question About Angels - Joe Heschmeyer
About this episode
“Are angels real?” This question opens a discussion about their nature and purpose, addressing whether they are merely symbolic representations of God’s presence. The conversation also touches on the relevance of angels in our lives today and explores the distinction between angels and humans, including the popular belief that deceased loved ones become angels.
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Questions Covered:
- 03:35 – Let’s start at the bottom of the ladder. Are angels real, or are they symbolic ways of talking about God’s presence?
- 06:10 – So okay — if angels are real, can we just ignore them and get on with our lives? If they don’t do much nowadays, why should I care?
- 11:35 – Let’s define our terms cleanly. What exactly is an angel — and how much of what we believe comes from Scripture, versus theological speculation?
- 14:55 – Here’s one everyone has heard at a funeral: that grandma is an angel now, watching over us — that we get our wings when we die. Do human beings become angels when they die?
- 19:00 – Have angels always existed alongside God, or were they created like everything else?
- 23:00 – If angels are bodiless spirits, then how do we get all these accounts of angels appearing, speaking, even sharing a meal? How does a spirit with no body show up and get
- 29:25 – Roughly how many angels are there? Are we talking about a handful of major players, or something vaster — are there more angels or more humans?
- 34:45 – Most people have heard there are nine choirs of angels — seraphim, cherubim, archangels, and so on. Where does that come from, and what are these nine choirs of angels?
- 49:20 – We’ve talked a lot about praying to saints on this show — but why should we specifically pray to angels? Isn’t that more dangerous? Let’s steelman it. Twice in Revelation, John falls down to worship an angel, and both times the angel stops him cold and says, ‘Worship God.’ Paul warns the Colossians against the worship of angels. In light of all that, why would we ever pray to an angel?
- 53:10 – How do we even know angels can hear us?
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