An angel quoted prophecy to Joseph in a dream from Isaiah 7:14 as he struggled with what was going on in his life. Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’ ” [1]
Joseph was engaged to Mary but decided to break their engagement quietly when he found out she was pregnant. Joseph was a righteous man who planned to start a new life with Mary until he discovered she was pregnant. The text does not say if Mary tried to explain to Joseph that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
I can’t blame Joseph for not believing such a story if she had. All this would change as an angel quoted a passage from Isaiah the prophet and told Joseph Mary was pregnant by the Holy Spirit. The angel also tells Joseph not to be afraid to take Mary as your wife.
Angels are God’s Messengers
Scripture gives us insight into the work of angels. Hebrews 1:14 Therefore, angels are only servants—spirits sent to care for people who will inherit salvation. [2] The angel quoted a prophecy from Isaiah, which shows us how much angels are intertwined with humanity as God directs them. God could have spoken to Joseph but chose to work through His creation.
Just as angels interacted with Joseph, they also minister to God’s children today. Although angels can come to us in dreams or make themselves visible to the human eyes, primarily, they operate in the invisible realm. In the invisible realm, angels guard and protect people from spiritual dangers they are unaware of.
The Work of Angels
The Bible mentions angels, but we do not know much about them. Paul tells us in Ephesians chapter six that angels belong to different orders and exist in a hierarchy, but there are few details. The books of Daniel and Revelation tell us that they influence human affairs, but it isn’t clear how they do that. The book of Hebrews tells us Jesus is superior to all the angels and more powerful than any demon. (Ref. Hebrews 1:4-14.)
The Scriptures are clear: we are not to worship angels, as stated in Revelation 19:10. Angels are to serve us as we serve God. In addition, angels were created Holy by God, but satan, also an angel, rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven with all the angels who followed him. As you go about your daily life, don’t forget to thank the Lord for sending angels to minister to you.
To learn how an angel quoted prophecy, listen here:
https://podpoint.com/light-of-christ-church-podcast/a-dream-reveals-the-truth
[1,2] Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation. Tyndale House Publishers.