In continuing his contrast of Jesus with angels, the author of Hebrews writes, “Of the angels he says, ‘He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.’ But of the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.’”
Of the three elements; earth, wind, and fire, the author uses the last two of them to describe the work of angels. This is not unusual in the Old Testament. Daniel says, “I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea.” (Daniel 7:2) Dwight Pentecost comments on this verse and says, “In his vision Daniel first saw the great sea churned by the action of four winds. The word translated ‘winds’ may also be rendered ‘spirits,’ or angels. Elsewhere in Scripture this word is used to refer to God’s providential actions in the affairs of men through angels (Jer. 23:19; 49:36; 51:1; Zech. 6:1–6; 7:14; Rev. 7:1–3).”[1] In Genesis 19, Angels were sent to Sodom and Gomorrah. They destroyed those two cities and the surrounding area with “flames of fire” out of the sky! Angels are nothing more than messengers that God uses to intercede in the affairs of men. They are simply sent forth for certain tasks to accomplish and they obey.
Jesus on the other hand, is the one who sends them. He is “God forever and ever.” The authority of His scepter is over all creation including the angels. He commands and they obey. Angels are simply messengers of God. It’s interesting that both the Greek and the Hebrew word for angel means “messenger.” We refer to Jesus as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. This comes from Paul’s letter to Timothy when he closes the first letter (1 Timothy 6:15). He describes Jesus as, “he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.” Again we see it in Revelation 19:16, “On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” He sits on the throne and wields the scepter. He directs all the affairs of the angels from His position and they obey. Their tasks are temporary, but Jesus reign is “forever and ever.” I believe John tells us what the angels do when their missions are finished. He writes in Revelation 5:11-12, “Then I looked, and I heard around the throne… the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!’” He deserves our focus now and will have it forever and ever. We should say “worthy is the Lamb who was slain.”
[1] J. Dwight Pentecost, “Daniel,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 1350.