Welcome and thank you again for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word. This week's question:

"While they were there, the days were completes for her to give birth. And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them , and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. But the angel said to them, 'Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David, there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. This will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.' And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and upon earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.' When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, 'Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.' So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in a manger. When they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured all these things, pondering them in her heart. The shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them." (Luke 2:6-20).

When we think of angels, this passage will probably most often come to mind, as it is a wonderful group of scriptures to treasure. But this does bring us to our question, "Do angels exist?". To come to the conclusion that angels exist or do not exist, as they are mentioned in the scriptures some 280 times, one must look to the scriptures, and upon studying them, as Jesus asks, "But what do you think?..." (Matthew 21:28) (when referring to the parable of the two sons), and so Jesus also expects us to "think" when searching the scriptures for truth, for they can be distorted (Galatians 1:6-10).

So, when we get ourselves set for the "accept" or "reject" mode, it all comes down to this: "Do you accept the word of God as truth?" That is the bottom line for the answer to our question, as it is undeniable that the word of God speaks very clearly about angels. Do you only accept the "red letters" as they are the "real words" as spoken by Jesus? Well, let us start there as we read, "Sanctify them in truth, thy word is truth" (John 17:17)! And so we begin by understanding the word of God is truth and that Jesus is the "Word of life" (1 John 1:1), "but whoever keeps His word, in Him the love of God has truly been perfected. By this we know that we are in Him." (1 John 2:5).

Let us, "Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workmen who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth." (2 Timothy 2:15) , and again, "All scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

So we understand now that "all scripture" is inspired and does equip us with all knowledge for life eternal, as well as answer our question today, and so that brings us around to this little, but, oh, so important merry-go-round: "What do you think?" "Since the "word is the truth" (1 Corinthians 6:14), then we must conclude by hearing the "word of truth (Ephesians 1:13), we can truly come to the "knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4), and as we "acknowledge the truth" (Titus 1:1) and set aside fables of men, that interestingly enough-say that angels do not exist. And since God does not lie (Hebrews 6:17:20), the answer to our question should be oh so clear, for it is a resounding "YES"! What a sight to have beheld as those shepherds did on that night near the city of David! The Lord says that the angels stand before Him and perform the commands given by God (Psalms 103:19-22).

I'm not sure about you, but when I finally grasped that the word of God is indeed truth, the Red Sea parted (Exodus 14:21-31), and the angels did indeed ascend and descend from heaven for me for the first time (John 1:51)! What a glorious day it was! So, "What do you think?" I hope and pray the Red Sea is parting for you to!