1 Nephi 20:2
Angels
to watch over you
What
2 Nevertheless,
they call themselves of the aholy
city,
but they do bnot stay
themselves upon the God of Israel, who is the Lord of Hosts; yea, the
Lord of Hosts is his name.
Why
Jerusalem is the Holy city. They claim
to be the Holy people but they do not rely upon God.
Pattern
Isa.
52:1
1 Awake,
awake; put on thy strength,
O Zion;
put on thy beautiful garments,
O Jerusalem,
the holy city: for henceforth there shall no more come into thee the
uncircumcised and the unclean.
Ezek.
16:2
Matt.
23:37
37
O Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, thou
that killest the
prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how
often would I
have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens
under her wings,
and ye would
not!
D&C
130:
In
answer to the question—Is not the reckoning of God’s atime,
angel’s time, prophet’s time, and man’s time, according to the
planet on which they reside?
5 I
answer, Yes. But there are no aangels who bminister to
this earth but those who do belong or have belonged to it.
7 But athey reside
in the bpresence of
God, on a globe clike a dsea of
glass andefire,
where all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and
future, and are continually before the Lord.
Christ
God
of Israel, who is the Lord of Hosts; yea, the Lord of Hosts is His
name.
[Meaning
hosts of angels]
See
guide to Scriptures under Angels.
Donald
W. Parry (BYU Speeches 7/31/12
The Angels of the Lord of Hosts
How
many angels are
there? There are hosts of angels.
The Old Testament expression “Lord of hosts” sometimes
refers
to the Lord of hosts of angels. The Bible Dictionary states: “The
Lord of Sabaoth was a title
of Jehovah; the hosts were the armies
of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45), but also included the angelic armies
of
heaven.”3Hebrew lexicons agree with this interpretation. One
prominent Hebrew lexicon
states that the term Lord of
hosts sometimes refers to “the heavenly beings” of the
Lord4 or “the heavenly entourage” of the Lord.5 Another
Hebrew lexicon agrees
with this definition, referring to a host as
an “(organized body) of
angels.”6
The
title “Lord of hosts” is so important that it is found some 250
times in the Old Testament; Isaiah alone used the term about fifty
times. This title, then, is a
frequent reminder that the Lord has
hosts of angels. How many angels belong to the Lord of hosts of
angels? The singular host,
by definition, refers to “a large number of people or
things.”7 The plural, hosts, multiplies
this number. The Lord of hosts of angels
refers to immense
numbers.
Other
passages of scripture also indicate that there are great
numbers
of the Lord’s angels. For example, Lehi envisioned “God sitting
upon his throne, surrounded
with numberless concourses of angels”
(1 Nephi 1:8). Two passages of scripture—Hebrews 12:22 and
Doctrine and Covenants 76:67—use the expression “an innumerable
company of angels.” Furthermore,
John the Revelator recorded:
And
I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels
round about the
throne . . . : and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and
thousands of thousands. [Revelation 5:11]
Conference
Donald
W. Parry BYU Speeches quotes conference addresses in his address
The
title of my presentation is “Angels, Chariots,
and the Lord of
Hosts.”1 Please know that I have, through various means,
sought for the
Spirit of the Lord. Please know also that the
Lord’s angels exist and are empowered by Jesus Christ
through
His infinite Atonement.
The Ministry of Angels
Since
the days of Adam and Eve
angels have had significant
responsibilities in the Lord’s great plan of happiness. Angels
figure
prominently in ancient and modern scripture. Angels have
ministered to or communicated with such
notables as Adam, Hagar
(see Genesis 16:7–11), Manoah’s wife (see Judges 13:3, 6, 19–21),
Daniel,
Mary the mother of Jesus (see Luke 1:26–38), Mary
Magdalene, Salome, Joanna, Mary the mother of
James, other women
(see Mark 16:4–6; Luke 24:2–4; John 20:11–12), Peter, Paul,
John the Revelator,
and many others. Angels have also ministered
to Book of Mormon characters, including Nephi (see
1 Nephi
11:14; 2 Nephi 4:24), King Benjamin (see Mosiah 3:2), Alma the
Younger (see Mosiah 27:10–11;
Alma 8:14), Amulek (see Alma
10:7), Samuel the Lamanite (see Helaman 13:7), and
others.
Furthermore,
in our own dispensation prophets and apostles have testified of the
eminence and considerable standing of angels. In fact, our
dispensation has been a period of
extraordinary angelic activity.
Joseph Smith received dozens of communications from angels.
Additional Church authorities and others have been recipients of
angelic
communications.
The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was restored, in part,
when angels imparted revelations and truths to the Prophet Joseph
Smith. A passage in the Doctrine
and Covenants summarizes:
The
voice of Michael, the archangel; the voice of Gabriel,
and of
Raphael, and of divers angels, from Michael or Adam down to the
present time, all declaring
their dispensation, their rights,
their keys, their honors, their majesty and glory, and the power
of their priesthood. [D&C 128:21]
Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland reminded us that
it is appropriate to speak
about angels. He wrote, “I believe we need to speak of and
believe in and
bear testimony of the ministry of angels more than
we sometimes do.”2
For
a
definition of angels, see the Bible Dictionary. In this
presentation I will refer to the Lord’s
angels unless otherwise
stated.
The Angels of the Lord of Hosts
How
many angels are
there? There are hosts of angels.
The Old Testament expression “Lord of hosts” sometimes
refers
to the Lord of hosts of angels. The Bible Dictionary states: “The
Lord of Sabaoth was a title
of Jehovah; the hosts were the armies
of Israel (1 Sam. 17:45), but also included the angelic armies
of
heaven.”3Hebrew lexicons agree with this interpretation. One
prominent Hebrew lexicon
states that the term Lord of
hosts sometimes refers to “the heavenly beings” of the
Lord4 or “the heavenly entourage” of the Lord.5 Another
Hebrew lexicon agrees
with this definition, referring to a host as
an “(organized body) of
angels.”6
The
title “Lord of hosts” is so important that it is found some 250
times in the Old Testament; Isaiah alone used the term about fifty
times. This title, then, is a
frequent reminder that the Lord has
hosts of angels. How many angels belong to the Lord of hosts of
angels? The singular host, by definition, refers to “a
large number of people or
things.”7 The
plural, hosts, multiplies this number. The Lord of
hosts of angels
refers to immense numbers.
Other
passages of scripture also indicate that there are great
numbers
of the Lord’s angels. For example, Lehi envisioned “God sitting
upon his throne, surrounded
with numberless concourses of angels”
(1 Nephi 1:8). Two passages of scripture—Hebrews 12:22 and
Doctrine and Covenants 76:67—use the expression “an innumerable
company of angels.” Furthermore,
John the Revelator recorded:
And
I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels
round about the
throne . . . : and the number of them was ten thousand times ten
thousand, and
thousands of thousands. [Revelation 5:11]
Indeed,
ten thousand times ten thousand
angels, which equals 100 million,
symbolizes a great number. To sum up, there are numberless
concourses of angels, an innumerable company of angels, and hosts of
angels—all of whom are in the
service of our Lord and God.
Angels as Agents of Power
Angels
are agents of power.
Each of the Lord’s angels possesses
extraordinary capabilities and powers, making them formidable
beings. Their power ultimately exists because of Jesus Christ and His
Atonement. Consider the
following examples of the power of angels:
When
Daniel was cast into the lions’ den, a
stone was placed over the
den’s opening to prevent Daniel’s escape. Then, to ensure that
possible
coconspirators with Daniel would not remove the stone
without detection, the king and his officers
used their signets to
seal the stone (see Daniel 6:17). Had the seals been broken during
the night,
the king and his officers could have claimed deception
or trickery on the part of Daniel. But
neither the rock nor the
seals prevented the angel from entering the den and stopping the
lions’
mouths. We note that the angel was not only empowered to
save Daniel but that the angel himself was
also immune from the
lions’ destruction. Because of Daniel’s faith and righteousness,
the angel
saved him from a horrific death. Daniel would later
testify, “My God hath sent his angel, and hath
shut the lions’
mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency
was found in
me” (Daniel 6:22).
We
live during a day of wars and rumors of wars. News organizations
regularly report conflicts taking place in various parts of the
world. However, we as Latter-day
Saints should have a high degree
of comfort in knowing the power of the Lord’s angels with regard
to
such conflicts. The Bible sets forth the following account of a
powerful angel.
During
the
reign of King Hezekiah the Assyrian army was advancing toward
Jerusalem with the intent of
conquering it. With scores of
thousands of enemy soldiers camped outside of Jerusalem’s gates,
waiting to destroy the city’s inhabitants, Hezekiah petitioned the
Lord through prayer in the
temple. In response to Hezekiah’s
humble prayer, the Lord sent his prophet Isaiah to the king,
promising deliverance from the Assyrian army. Soon thereafter “the
angel of the Lord went forth, and
smote in the camp of the
Assyrians a hundred and fourscore and five thousand” (Isaiah 37:36;
see
also Isaiah 37:33–35; 2 Chronicles 32:21). It is sometimes
difficult to comprehend such
extraordinary dominance: one angel
versus some 185,000 disciplined soldiers—and the angel was
victorious. Such an angelic operation is permitted only according to
the Lord’s divine
will.
Church
authorities and others often liken this account to us.
President
Henry B. Eyring, for example, provided us with the following
encouragement:
I
know that the promise of angels to bear us up is real. You
might
want to bring to memory the assurance of Elisha to his frightened
servant. That assurance is
ours when we feel close to being
overwhelmed in our service. Elisha faced real and terrible
opposition. . . .
Like
that servant of Elisha, there are more with you than those
you can
see opposed to you. Some who are with you will be invisible to your
mortal
eyes.9
Elder
Jeffrey R. Holland related the account of Elisha and
then applied
this important story to each of us:
In
the gospel of Jesus Christ
we have help from both sides of the
veil. When disappointment and discouragement strike—and they
will—we need to remember that if our eyes could be opened, we would
see horses and chariots of fire
as far as the eye can see, riding
at great speed to come to our protection. They will always be
there, these armies of heaven, in defense of Abraham’s seed.10
The
account of Elisha reminds us also of when Elijah and Elisha were
walking and talking near the Jordan
River, and “there appeared a
chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder;
and
Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.” When Elisha
witnessed this scene, he cried out, “My
father, my father, the
chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof” (2 Kings 2:11–12).
For multiple
reasons this is a marvelous and incredible show of
power: a chariot of fire, horses of fire, and
Elijah ascending to
heaven in a whirlwind create a magnificent scene.
On
April 3, 1836,
this same Elijah visited Joseph Smith and Oliver
Cowdery in the Kirtland Temple. Joseph wrote,
“Another great and
glorious vision burst upon us; for Elijah the prophet, who was taken
to heaven
without tasting death, stood before us” (D&C
110:13).
The
protective theme of horses
and chariots of fire continues in our
day. Some individuals who attended the dedication of the
Kirtland
Temple beheld angels, horses of fire, and chariots. The Prophet
Joseph Smith recorded: “The
heavens were opened unto Elder
Sylvester Smith, and he, leaping up, exclaimed: ‘The horsemen of
Israel and the chariots thereof.’”11
Additionally,
Joseph Smith wrote that
Elder
Roger Orton saw a mighty angel riding upon a horse of fire, with a
flaming
sword in his hand, followed by five others, encircle the
house [temple], and protect the
Saints, even the
Lord’s anointed, from the power of Satan and a host of evil
spirits, which were
striving to disturb the Saints.12
This
account makes it unmistakable
that the angels who encircled the
temple did so to protect the Saints from Satan’s host of evil
spirits. This account also features angels with swords in their
hands—a demonstration of angels’
power to protect us from harm
and danger.
Angels
with swords are found in the Old
Testament as well as in accounts
during the Restoration. We are reminded, for instance, that Joseph
Smith envisioned
Elder
Brigham Young standing in a strange land, in the far south
and
west, in a desert place, upon a rock in the midst of about a dozen
men . . . , who appeared
hostile. He was preaching to them in
their own tongue, and the angel of God standing above his head,
with a drawn sword in his hand, protecting him, but he did not see
it.13
President
Packer provided the following significant
statement:
Angels
attend the rank and file of the Church. . .
.
Who would dare to say that angels do not now attend the rank and file of the Church who—
answer the calls to the mission fields,
teach the classes,
pay their tithes and offerings,
seek for the records of their forebears,
work in the temples,
raise their children in faith,
and have brought this work through 150 years? 14
Who would dare to say that angels do not now attend the rank and file of the Church who—
answer the calls to the mission fields,
teach the classes,
pay their tithes and offerings,
seek for the records of their forebears,
work in the temples,
raise their children in faith,
and have brought this work through 150 years? 14
This
statement of President Packer’s clearly shows that
angels attend
the Church’s rank and file as they raise children in faith, pay
tithing, conduct
sacred temple work, teach classes, and more.
President
Packer provided the following significant
statement:
Angels
attend the rank and file of the Church. . .
.
Who would dare to say that angels do not now attend the rank and file of the Church who—
answer the calls to the mission fields,
teach the classes,
pay their tithes and offerings,
seek for the records of their forebears,
work in the temples,
raise their children in faith,
and have brought this work through 150 years?14
Who would dare to say that angels do not now attend the rank and file of the Church who—
answer the calls to the mission fields,
teach the classes,
pay their tithes and offerings,
seek for the records of their forebears,
work in the temples,
raise their children in faith,
and have brought this work through 150 years?14
This
statement of President Packer’s clearly shows that
angels attend
the Church’s rank and file as they raise children in faith, pay
tithing, conduct
sacred temple work, teach classes, and more.
President
Joseph F. Smith spoke of the love of heavenly messengers:
I
believe we
move and have our being in the presence of heavenly
messengers and of heavenly beings. We are not
separate from them.
. . . I claim that we live in their presence, they see us, they are
solicitous
for our welfare, they love us now more than ever. . .
. Their love for us and their desire
for our well
being must be greater than that which we feel for
ourselves.19
I
will now share two stories wherein angels
communicated love to
mortals. At one point in his life Parley P. Pratt remained captive
for months
in a Missouri dungeon. He was very discouraged. After
fasting and praying for a number of days,
Elder Pratt experienced
a powerful answer to his prayer. He wrote:
A
personage . . .
stood before me with a smile of compassion in
every look, and pity mingled with the tenderest love
and sympathy
in every expression of the countenance. . . . A well known voice
saluted me, which I
readily recognized as that of the wife of my
youth, who had for near two years been sweetly sleeping
where . .
. the weary are at rest.20
This
personage, as an angelic
messenger, delivered her message to Elder
Pratt and then departed.
Apply
President
Packer provided the following significant
statement:
Angels
attend the rank and file of the Church. . .
.
Who would dare to say that angels do not now attend the rank and file of the Church who—
answer the calls to the mission fields,
teach the classes,
pay their tithes and offerings,
seek for the records of their forebears,
work in the temples,
raise their children in faith,
and have brought this work through 150 years?
Who would dare to say that angels do not now attend the rank and file of the Church who—
answer the calls to the mission fields,
teach the classes,
pay their tithes and offerings,
seek for the records of their forebears,
work in the temples,
raise their children in faith,
and have brought this work through 150 years?
President
Packer gives the criteria for us to to follow so that we are worthy
to be attended by angels.
I
love this scripture.
88 And
whoso areceiveth you,
there I will be also, for I will go bbefore your
face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my c
Spirit shall
be in your hearts, and mine dangels round
about you, to bear you up.
. D&C
84:88
Hymns
328-An
Angel From On High
203
Angels We Have Heard On High
Children
86-An
Angel Came to Joseph Smith
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