Hebrews 1:7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?
This passage of scripture is of great value and encouragement to all members of the human family, for it teaches us that the angels of God are sent on missions of mercy, to retrieve those who would be heirs of salvation from the shackles of sin, in which we all have been entrapped. The passage also alludes to the fact that God uses His foreknowledge in proactive ways by taking the initiative in saving all those who will eventually become citizens of heaven. This sacred truth is worthy of the deepest thought, for although we may not be always able to trace the chain of circumstances leading up to our conversion, yet the scriptures show that it is God alone, working behind the scenes, and putting situations, experiences, and the necessary human and angelic agencies in place, so that those whom He knows will eventually accept Christ, may have ample opportunity to do so. Let's read:
John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. 15 As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.
A typical example of what the apostle Paul is speaking of took place in the experiences of Ruth and Naomi who were brought together through very extraordinary circumstances, so that Ruth, who in His foreknowledge, God saw would accept the truth, could be provided with the opportunity to do so. But the circumstances of Ruth's conversion did not start merely with the preaching of any sermon, but rather by a devastating famine in the land where Naomi dwelt, which then forced her to move to the pagan country of the Moabites, where she somehow met Ruth and Orpah, who then married her two sons. Now although the intermarriage of God's people with pagan nations was strictly forbidden in the law, yet in this circumstance God worked through the choices of Naomi's sons, so that Ruth and her sister could be brought to a knowledge of the true God. Let's read:
Ruth 1:1 Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehemjudah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons. 3 And Elimelech Naomi's husband died; and she was left, and her two sons. 4 And they took them wives of the women of Moab; the name of the one was Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth: and they dwelled there about ten years. 5 And Mahlon and Chilion died also both of them; and the woman was left of her two sons and her husband.
It's worthy of note that not long after Naomi's sons had chosen wives from a Moabite country, both of them died for some unknown reason, yet their wives outlived them, and thus were provided the opportunity of choosing to serve God with no strings attached. And when it came time for Naomi to return to her native land, the two bereaved sisters were given the choice of remaining in their home country, or returning with Naomi to the land where The God of Israel was worshiped. The choices then made reveal in no uncertain terms, that although Ruth had been raised without a knowledge of God all her life, yet in the deep recesses of her mind, God saw the potential for her to become a daughter of the kingdom, and then having foreseen her choices in His omniscience, He then set a train of circumstances in motion, through the ministry of holy angels who then ministered to her unspoken need, and thereby brought her into a saving knowledge of the one and only true God. Let's read:
Ruth 1:8 And Naomi said unto her two daughters in law, Go, return each to her mother's house: the Lord deal kindly with you" .... 9 The Lord grant you that ye may find rest, each of you in the house of her husband. Then she kissed them" ..... 14 And they lifted up their voice, and wept"... .... "Orpah kissed her mother in law; but Ruth clave unto her. 15 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. 16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God.
Ruth then went on to marry Boaz, a wealthy, God faring man in Israel, and so she became one of the progenitors of The Lord Jesus, all through the ministry of angels who are sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation. It's amazing what lengths God will go to, to save one person, whom in His foreknowledge He sees will one day accept of His gracious overtures, and in this we are comforted tremendously, because we have the assurance that He will not leave any stone unturned, until all those would-be citizens of heaven are brought into the fold.
The silent ministry of unseen angels continues to this day, and many people who have no knowledge of God, but who are disposed to accept the truth when opportunity presents itself, are still benefiting from the ministry of holy angels, and therefore we should be doing everything we can in our neck of the woods, to facilitate as much as possible, the conversions of those who are now sitting darkness. We therefore end with a passage of scripture which gives us the assurance that God will make every effort through the ministry of angels and human agencies, in saving to the uttermost, those who will be heirs of His kingdom. Let's read:
Hebrews 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 26 For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled" ..... 'and made higher than the heavens.
May God add His blessing to the study and practice of His word."Good night" and God bless!