What are Angels?
Attributes of Angels
Creation of Angels
Ranks of Angels
The "Angel of the Lord"
The Ministry of the Angels
The Devil & Fallen Angels
Excursus - Good Angels
Angels from Start to Finish
The Hebrew word for angel is "malak." It occurs more than 100 times in the Old Testament. The term means "to dispatch as a deputy or messenger, particularly a messenger of God." The Greek word for angel is "angelos". It occurs 165 times in the New Testament and also refers to a messenger. The following specific Scriptural applications of the term may be observed:
A. a human messenger or ambassador; cf. II Samuel 2:5; Luke 7:24.
B. a human messenger speaking or writing by divine inspiration; cf. Haggai 1:13; Malachai 3:1; Galatians 4:14.
C. impersonal acts of supernatural intervention in human affairs; cf. II Corinthians 12:7.
D. fallen spirits who serve Satan; cf. Matthew 12:24; 25:41.
E. bishops or pastors; Revelation 2:1; 3:14.
F. heavenly beings who serve God by ministering to His people; cf. Genesis 32:1,2.
G. one pre-eminent spirit with the distinctive title "the Angel of the Lord;" cf. Exodous 3:2.
The New Testament letter to the Hebrews provides a succinct definition of the angels: "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrew 1:14). Angels are "spirits," that is, "personal beings without physical substance (Cf. Luke 24:30). "Scriptures clearly reveal that angels possess faculties that indicate personality. They are conscious and rational; they possess the ability of intelligent speech. They can experience emotions; they have the faculty of cognition." (Hoenecke) The personality of angels is further indicated by the fact that in some instances they bear personal names and are arranged in a variety of ranks. The Bible makes it clear that angels may take on physical appearance or form when it suits their purposes(cf. Genesis 18:1-8; 19:1-5; Hebrews 13:2). Having no physical substance, angels do not occupy space. Although angels, like God (John 4:24), are spirits, they do not possess the divine characteristic of "omnipresence." They can only be in one place at any given time (cf. Daniel 10:4-14). Angels are finite, unlike the creator, God, who is infinite. Some of our theologians thus describe the angels as having an "Illocal presence." ("illocal" = having no location in space)
The Bible ascribes to angels a rich variety of names and titles. Each of these titles provides helpful insight into the nature and activities of the angels. Angels are called:
A. "Holy Ones" - The angels of God are "set apart," pure and without sin; cf. Deuteronomy 33:2; Job 5:1; 15:15; Psalm 89:5-7; Zechariah 14:5.
B. "Sons of God" - This title indicates that God is the source of the angels and emphasizes their close relationship with Him; cf. Genesis 6:2; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Psalm 29:3.
C. "Morning Stars" - This graphic designation expresses the purity and brilliance of the angels; cf. Job 38:7.
D. "Servants of the Lord" - The role of the angels is to minister to God through the service of His people; cf. Psalm 103:21; Hebrews 1:7,14.
E. "Mighty Ones" - The angels of the Lord are beings of great power and strength; cf. Psalm 103:20.
F. "Warriors of the Lord" - Our God is the "Lord of Hosts" ("Yahweh sabaoth"). The soldiers in that mighty army of God are His angels. (cf. Psalm 103:21; see Revelation 12:7-9)
G. "Watchers" - The text of Daniel identifies the angel as a vigilant guardian; one who observes and protects; cf. Daniel 4:13.
"An angel is a spiritual creature without a body created by God for the service of Christendom and the Church." MartinLuther
"The name ‘angel' does not describe the nature of the being, but its office, and signifies ane sent, a legate, a messenger. Hence Augustine: ‘Do you ask for the name of their nature? It is spirit. Do you inquire concerning the name of their office? It is angel.' The word angel etymologically signifies messenger. But by the universally received usage and style of Scripture language it designates a nature and a specific creature. Yet, because the word is originally nothing more than a designation of office it is used in Scripture also in reference to the Son of God and to men." Quenstedt
"‘Angel' is an official title (nomen offici); it does not describe the essence of the angels. That is described by the term ‘spirit.' That the term ‘angel' is an official title, designating an ambassador or messenger, is clear from the fact that Scripture also calls men, in particular the preachers of God's Word, angels...The angels are spirits (pneumata), that is, immaterial beings...The difference between God and ‘pneumata' is the difference between God as the Creator, and the angels as finite spirits, finite creatures. As distinct from the immaterial human soul, the angels are complete beings while the human soul is ‘spiritus incompletus,' since the body belongs as an integral part to man; soul and body make a complete man...The angels are illocal, that is to say that while they may be at a definite place they are, as immaterial beings, independent of space; they occupy no space; they can be in the space occupied by another body." Franz Pieper
It is of great importance to carefully distinguish between what art, tradition, and folklore say about the angels and Scriptural doctrine. The Bible assigns the following angelic attributes:
A. Mighty: As noted above, the angels of the Lord are designated as "the Mighty Ones" (Psalm 103:20). They are beings of great power and strength. Peter tells us that the angels are "stronger and more powerful" than men (2 Peter 2:11). Paul warns of the day when the Lord Jesus will be "revealed from heaven in blazing fire with His powerful Angels." (2 Thessalonians 1:7) The mighty deeds of the angels reveal their great power (i.e. 2 Kings 19:35; Matthew 28:2; Acts 5:17-20). The angels are not omnipotent. Unlike God, their power is limited.
B. Immortal: Jesus promises that those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come will be like the angels in that they "can no longer die." (Luke 20:36). Angels are not subject to the "bondage of decay" which afflicts the material world (Romans 8:21).
C. Innumerable: Scripture testifies that the angels of God exist in numbers beyond the power of human imagination. In the majestic vision of St. John the hosts of angels that surround the heavenly throne of God number "thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand." (Revelation 5:11; cf. Daniel 7:10; Hebrews 12:22) When God gave Moses the law upon Sinai, "He came with myriads of His holy ones from the south, from His mountain slopes." (Deuteronomy 33:22; cf. Psalm 68:17). Our Lord asserted that he could instantly summon "twelve legions of angels" (Matthew 26:53) if he so desired. A Roman legion included 6,000 soldiers!
D. Intelligent: When the wise woman of Tekoah sought to flatter David for his great wisdom he remarked, "My lord the king is like an angel of God in discerning good and evil." 92 Samuel 14:17). They learn to understand the "manifold wisdom of God" as His plan is made known to them through the Church (Ephesians 3:10). They demonstrate a lively interest in the unfolding of God's plan of salvation (1 Peter 1:10-12). Angels are not, however, omniscient. Only the Lord knows all things (Mark 13:32).
E. Emotion: Angels are capable of experiencing feelings. They rejoiced at the world's creation (Job 38:7). They experience a sense of humble reverence and awe in the majestic presence of the Almighty God (Isaiah 6:3). The repentance of a single sinner brings great happiness to the angelic hosts of heaven (Luke 15:10).
F. Swift: The Bible describes angels as being able to move very quickly from one place to another. Gabriel came to Daniel "in swift flight" (Daniel 9:21). The imagery of the Old Testament depicts the angels of God racing through the heavens on the storm clouds with the speed of lightening (Ezekiel 1:4-6,11). The prophet Ezekiel represents the incredible swiftness if the cherubim spinning within wheels in every direction. (Ezekiel 1) Sometimes angels have four wings (Ezekiel 1) and other times they have six (Isaiah 6). Revelation tells of angels flying across the face of the earth (Revelation 14:6).
God is the source of all existence. He alone is eternal, without beginning and without end. Angels are created beings. They do not exist independently, nor have they always been. They owe their origin to a creative act of God. This is the clear teaching of the Scripture:
"You alone are the Lord. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you." Nehemiah 9:6
"Praise the Lord, O my Soul. O Lord my God, You are clothed with splendor and majesty. He wraps Himself in light as with a garment; He stretches out the heavens like a tent and lays the beams of His upper chambers on their waters. He makes the clouds His chariot and rides on the wings of the wind. He makes His angels winds, His servants flames of fire." Psalm 104:1-4
"Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights above. Praise Him all his angels, Praise Him all His heavenly hosts. Praise Him you highest heavens and you waters above the skies. Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commanded and they were created." Psalm 148:1-5
"He (Christ) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together." Colossians 1:15-17
Thus, the angels, as part of the created universe, came into being within the six days of God's creative activity. The precise moment or day of their creation is not defined in Scripture. References in the Book of Job would seem to suggest that God made the angels early in creation week as the foundations of the earth were laid. "Where were you when I laid the earth's foundation? Tell me, if you understand. Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring line across it? On what were its footings set, or who laid its cornerstone - while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? Job 38:4-7 In the absence of more specific information, Christians would do well to exercise prudent caution in offering definitive answers to this question.
"Here Moses seems to be forgetting himself because he does not deal at all with two very important matters, namely , the creation and fall of the angels, and relates only the state of affairs of physical things, although there is no doubt that the angels were created. But concerning their creation, their battle and their fall there is nothing at all in Scripture except that Christ says (John 8:44) ‘He did not abide in the truth,' and Moses - below in chapter three - mentions the sad account of the serpent. It is surprising that Moses should remain silent about such weighty matters...So it happens that where there are no clear statements on the subject, rash people usually consider themselves free to come up with imaginary ideas." Martin Luther
"Since Moses did not describe the creation of angels, many curious inquiries have arisen as, for example, when were they created? But as the scriptures do not describe the precise time and day of the creation of the angels, we gladly remain in ignorance of that which we neither can nor ought to know. It is enough, therefore, for us to know (1) that the angels did not come into existence of their own accord, nor were begotten of the substance of God, but were created; (2) that the angels did not exist from eternity, nor indeed before the beginning when all things which are in heaven and earth, visible and invisible, began to be. For to have been in the beginning can be said of Him alone through whom all things were made, and who is eternal." Martin Chemnitz
"They were not created before the heavens and the earth, for these were created in the beginning, and so were the first among all created things (cf. Genesis 1:1). And besides it is well known that the eternity of God is described by His existing before the foundation of the world (cf. Psalm 90:2; Isaiah 48:13). Moreover, they were created not after but within the six days, for after that interval God rested from the ordinary work of creation. That the angels were created before man is usually proved form Job 38:7. And some believe that we are also to understand from this passage that the angels were created upon the first day; namely, because when God founded the earth, then the angels are said to have praised God. But these matters are not altogether clear." Johann Baier
Scripture refers to a number of different categories or ranks of angels. However, the Bible does not provide further detail as to the differences between them and their relationship with one another.
"That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given not only in the present age, but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way." Ephesians 1:19-23
"His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to His eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ephesians 3:10,11
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12
"For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority...And having disarmed the powers and authorities He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross." Colossians 2:9-10,15
Scripture provides little more than the titles themselves for these various kinds of angels. Based upon, and extrapolating from, these Biblical texts the great theologians of the Middle Ages, most notably Pseudo-Dionysius and Thomas Aquinas, created an order of "celestial hierarchy" which categorized the angels in nine different ranks or choirs. Much of the information upon which this system is based was derived from Jewish apocryphal literature written during the inter-testamental period, a time of intense interest in the subject of angels. The nine choirs of angels were clustered into three groups of three (triads) which surrounded God's throne of Glory. In descending order, from highest to lowest, the rankings are:
1. Seraphim
2. Cherubim
3. Thrones
4. Dominions
5. Virtues
6. Powers
7. Principalities
8. Archangels
9. Angels
As you proceed through the ranking from the highest to the lowest you move further from God and closer to man. Thus human beings have had the greatest amount of contact with the two lowest celestial ranks, the arch angels; while the highest ranks are revealed only in the great heavenly visions of the prophets and apostles.
"In order to make some sense of what first appears to be an unholy mess, we will adopt the most standard and orthodox hierarchy of the angels. According to both the two foundational texts, The Celestial Hierarchies of Dionysius and the Summa Theologica by Thomas Acquinas, there are nine celestial orders orbiting the throne of glory, rather like that of our own planetary system... "The entire hierarchy of angels can best be described as an endlessly vast sphere of beings, who surround an unknowable center point which is called God." (Godwin) We will review each of the nine ranks in turn.
1. The First Choir - The Seraphim
The Hebrew word "seraph" (Hebrew plural - "seraphim") occurs twice in Scripture in both instances as part of the great throne room vision of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 6:1-8). The term is a combination of two Hebrew words: "ser" ("to burn") and "Rapha" ("healer"). In Numbers 21:6-8 a form of the same word is used to refer to the venomous snakes (KJV - "fiery serpents") which invaded the camp of Israel. Thus the English word serpent comes from the same Hebrew root. In Jewish tradition the seraphs are designated as "the fiery flying serpents of "lightening" who "roar like mighty lions" when aroused. Isaiah tells us that these majestic creature surround the throne of God and eternally sing his praises:
"In the year the Kind Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphs, each with six wings; with two wings they covered their faces; with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another: ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of His glory.' At the sound of their voices, the doorstops and the thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. ‘Woe to me,' I cried, ‘I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips and I live among a people of unclean lips, and mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.' Then one of the seraphs flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, ‘See, this has touched your lips, your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.' Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send and who will go for Us?' And I said, ‘Here am I, send me!"(Isaiah 6:1-8)
The Order of Divine Service utilizes this awe-inspiring song in the form of the "Sanctus" to prepare the congregation for the coming of the Lord in the celebration of Holy Communion. Luther's splendid "German Sanctus", "Isaiah Mighty Seer In Days of Old" superbly captures the essence of the ancient chant.
Isaiah Mighty Seer In Days of Old
by Martin Luther
"Isaiah, mighty seer in days of old
The Lord of all in spirit did behold
High on a lofty throne in splendor bright,
With flowing train that filled the temple quite.
Above the throne were stately seraphim;
Six wings had they, these messengers of Him.
With twain they veiled their faces, as was meet,
With twain in rev'rent awe they hid their feet,
And with the other twain aloft they soared,
One to the other called and praised the Lord:
Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!
Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!
Holy is God, the Lord of Sabaoth!
Behold, His glory filleth all the earth!
The beams and lintels trembled at the cry,
And clouds of smoke enwrapped the throne on high."
Many commentators believe that the "four living creatures" who surround the throne of God in St. John's vision of heavenly glory are also seraphs, although the title does not appear in the text of Revelation. Like Isaiah's seraphs, John's "living creatures" have six wings and proclaim an eternal "trisagion."
"In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, and the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings, and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty, who was, and is and is to come.' Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, and who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and worship Him who lives forever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say: ‘You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they were created and have their being." Revelation 4:6-11
In Revelation's imagery, the seraph's six wings are augumented with all-seeing eyes and the four faces representing the basic divisions of animal life on earth. In the hierarchy of heaven, the seraphim are in direct communion with God and as such are beings of pure light and thought who resonate with the fire of love.
2. The Second Choir - The Cherubim
The cherub (Hebrew Plurar - "Cherubim") is the first angel to be mentioned in the Bible. "After He drove the man out, He placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24)." The word "cherub" means "one who prays or intercedes." In ancient Assyrian art the cherubim are depicted with bodies of bulls and faces of men or lions. They were placed at the entrances of palaces or temples as guardian spirits. Curved golden cherubs extended their wings over the Ark of the Holy of Holies (cf. Exodous 25:18,19; Hebrews 9:5). In the Temple of Solomon two massive golden cherubs, 15 feet tall, stood behind the Ark in the Most Holy Place, and figures of cherubim, palm trees, and flowers were carved into the walls and the doors (cf. I Kings 6:23-35). The word occurs 89 times in the Book of Ezekiel. The prophet's vivid imagery tells of many eyed creatures with four great wings and fantastic forms:
"I looked and I saw a windstorm coming out of the north - an immense cloud with flashing lightning and surrounded by brilliant light. The center of the fire looked like glowing metal and in the fire was that of a man, but each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight; their feet were like those of a calf and gleaned like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had the hands of a man. All four of them had faces and wings and their wings touched one another. Each one went straight ahead; they did not turn as they moved. Their faces looked like this: each of the four had the face of a man, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left side the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out upward; each had two wings, on touching the wing of another creature on either side, and two wings covering its body. Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go without turning as they went. The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright and lightening flashed out of it. The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightening." (Ezekiel 1:4-14)
A few chapters later, the prophet repeats and amplifies his inspired description of these amazing creatures and labels them as the "Cherubim". (Ezekiel 10:1-22) In dealing with the apocalyptic visions of Scripture it is always important not to confuse the reality of the vision with the actual reality. All of these visual images are symbols, intended to convey profound truth. The eyes of the cherubim, for example, are indicative of knowledge and wisdom. They are angels off light and glory; the keepers of the celestial records.
The transformation of the mighty cherubim of Scripture into the tubby little winged babies, or "putti" as they are commonly called (from the Latin "putus" - little boy) that fill the corners of baroque ceilings must remain a mystery. These are figures from Greek and Roman mythology where the chubby infants with tiny wings are mischievous Cupids who play the games of the pagan gods using the power of love to bring both happiness and sorrow to human lives. The artists of the Renaissance simply combined this endearing pagan image with the Biblical title and the result is millions of naked little fat boys fluttering around churches across Europe on diminutive wings. One of the most striking examples of this unlikely combination is Raphael's masterpiece, "The Vision of Ezekiel," in which the artist ignores the prophet's description of the majestic cherubim and presents them as two cute little putti, holding up the arms of God.
Only one Cherub is named in Scripture. He is a figure of majesty and power, the supreme angel of the choir of the cherubim. His name is "Lucifer," the Son of the Morning (Isaiah 14:12). In the aftermath of his fall he becomes Satan, the Adversary. In a dirge over the King of Tyre, the prophet Ezekiel addresses the spiritual power behind the throne of this heathen monarch. As Ezekiel laments the downfall of the highest of the cherubim, he provides an intriguing description of the lofty position that Satan enjoyed before his rebellion against God.
"You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the Garden of God; every precious stone adorned you; ruby, topaz, emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day that you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. Your heart became proud on account of your beauty and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings." (Ezekiel 28:12-17)
3. The Third Choir - The Thrones
The designation of the third choir of angels as "Thrones" is based upon Colossians 1:16 - "For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities." The Hebrew title for these angels is "Galgallin" from the Hebrew noun "galgal" which has the double meaning of "wheel" and the "pupil of the eye." Given the prophet Ezekiel's depiction of these creatures spinning wheels covered with eyes, that dual significance would seem to be most appropriate. In the prophet's vision, the Galgallin are the chariot of God.
"As I looked at the living creatures I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with it four faces. This was the appearance and the structure of the wheels: they sparkled like chrysolite, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel. As they moved, they would go in any one of four directions the creatures faced; the wheels did not turn about as the creatures went. Their rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes around. When the living creatures moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the living creatures rose from the ground, the wheels also rose." (Ezekiel 1:15-19)
Ezekiel's dramatic vision recalls the "fiery chariot" which carried the prophet Elijah up to heaven in the whirlwind (2 Kings 2:11-12). In Jewish lore these beings are described as "the great wheels" or "the many eyed ones.." Dionysius indicates that the dominant virtue of these beings is steadfastness.
4. The Fourth Choir - The Dominions
With the Dominions, we enter the second angelic triad. St. Paul uses this title twice, in Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 1:16. "That power is like the working of His mighty strength, which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come." (Eph.1:19-21) The Greek term is "kuriotes" which literally means "lordship." In the Dionysian scheme of things, "they regulate angels' duties and are perpetually aspiring to true lordship; through them the majesty of God is manifested.
5. The Fifth Choir - The Virtues
The principle duty of the virtues is to work miracles on earth. They are said to be the chief bestowers of grace and valor. Second Enoch calls them "the brilliant shining ones." In the legends and lore of the Hebrews and the early church fathers they are most often associated with heroes, martyrs, and those who struggled for good. It is said that they instill courage at the moment of greatest need. The ancient traditions hold that the two angels who appeared at Christ's ascension were Virtues, sent to escort the triumphant Savior home to heaven. The classic Ascension hymn "Look the Sight Is Glorious" by Thomas Kelly captures the scene as Jesus passes up through endless ranks of angels. The hymn enables us to imagine the Virtues' victorious song of praise.
1. Look, oh look, the sight is glorious, see the Man of Sorrows now;
From the fight returned victorious, every knee to Him shall bow.
Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him!
Crown Him! Crown Him!
Crowns become the Victor's brow. Crowns become the Victor's brow.
2. Crown the Savior! Angels crown Him! Rich the trophies Jesus brings
On the seat of pow'r enthrone Him while the vault of heaven rings.
Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him!
Crown Him! Crown Him!
Crown the Savior, King of Kings! Crown the Savior King of Kings!
3. Sinners in derision crowned Him, mocking thus the Savior's claim;
Saints and angels crowd around Him, own His title, praise His name.
Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him!
Crown Him! Crown Him!
Spread abroad the Victor's fame! Spread abroad the Victor's fame!
4. Hark! Those bursts of acclamation! Hark those loud triumphant chords!
Jesus takes the highest station; Oh, what joy the sight affords!
Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him! Crown Him!
Crown Him! Crown Him!
King of Kings and Lord of Lords! King of Kings and Lord of Lords!
6. The Sixth Choir - The Powers
The angels of the Sixth Choir are also called "Dynamis," "Potentiates," and "Authorities (Cf. Ephesians 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Colossians 1:16; 2:10; 2:15)." In Hebrew tradition they were the first angels to be created by God. "The powers inhabit the perilous border region between the first and the second heavens. Dionysius accredits them with resisting the efforts of demons to take over the world. They appear to act as a kind of border guard who patrol the heavenly pathways on the lookout for devilish infiltration. These patrols are obviously risky business and St. Paul sternly warned his various flocks that powers can be both good and evil(Godwin)." "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 6:12)." The writings of the Intertestamental period indicate that at the time of Satan's fall the greatest defection came from the ranks of powers.
7. The Seventh Choir - The Principalities
We now enter the final triad of the nine ranks of angels. With each level we draw closer to the temporal and material world. The principalities are also called "Princedoms." They are the guardians of nations and the great cities. Dionysius asserts that the members of the Seventh Choir "watch over the angelic lore of the Jews the leader of the Principalities is "Aneal." He is described as the governor of the second heaven, who controls all the kingdoms and leaders of the earth.
8. The Eighth Choir - The Archangels
In the New Testament, the term "archangel" is used only twice. The prefix "arch" means "chief" or "principal." "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first (1 Thessalonians 4:16)." "In the very same way, these dreamers pollute their own bodies, reject authority, and slander celestial beings. But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses did not dare bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you.'" (Jude 8,9) Most commentators agree that St. John's mention of "the seven angels who stand before God" in Revelation 8:2 refers to the seven archangels as Uriel, Raguel, Michael, Sariel, Gabriel, Remiel, and Raphael. Michael is the only angel whom Scripture specifically designates as an "archangel." In Luke 1:19, Gabriel says to Joseph: "I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you the good news." As one of the angels of the presence Gabriel has traditionally been identified as an archangel. The archangels are messengers bearing divine decrees. "They are considered the most important intercessionaries between God and humans and it is they who command the legions of heaven in their constant battle with the sons of darkness. The traditional names of the seven archangels emphasize their close relationship with God.
Michael - "He Who is Like God"
Gabriel - "God is My Strength"
Raphael - "God Has Healed"
Sariel - "God's Command"
Uriel - "Fire of God"
Raguel - "Friend of God"
Ramiel - "Mercy of God"
Michael is certainly the most prominent of the archangels. He is "one of the chief princes" (Daniel 10:13) and Michael is the prince who leads the hosts of heaven in battle against the hordes of Satan (Revelation 12:7). The Old Testament presents Michael as the guardian angel of the nation of Israel. The prophet Daniel had been told of the coming day of "Michael the great prince who protects your people (Daniel 12:1; cf. Also 10:21)." The rabbis believed that it was Michael who ravaged the Assyrian army of Sennacherib (2 Kings 19:35-36), and who disputed with Satan over the body of Moses (Jude 9). The fathers of the early Christian church held that it was Michael who descended from heaven with "the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand" (Revelation 20:1) to bind the ancient dragon. In Christian tradition it is his St. Michael who carries the souls of the faithful departed home to the eternal light of heaven. Michael is also known as the "Angel of the Last Judgement." The popular imagination of the Middle Ages often burrowed from pagan imagery to depict Michael as the "Weigher of Souls" who determined the eternal fate of the dead. Michael is usually shown as a magnificent figure with outstretched wings and an unsheathed sword which signifies his role as the great champion of God and slayer of the dragon. In the War of the Sons of Light Against the Sons of Darkness discovered among the Dead Sea Scrolls, Michael is called the "Prince of Light" who leads the armies of God against the legions of Hell under the command of the demon prince. Michael shed over the sins of the faithful. There are some Lutheran commentators who argue that Michael ("He Who Is Like God") is not an angel at all but is, in fact, our Lord Jesus Christ. If this were the case, then the designation "archangel" (which never occurs in the plural in Scripture) would not mean "ruling angel," as it is usually understood, but "ruler of the angels." This could lead to the conclusion that the "ruler of the angels" is the Son of God. In fact, when "the Angel of the Lord," generally considered by Lutherans to be the preincarnate Christ, appears to Joshua, He calls Himself "the captain of the Host of the Lord (Joshua 5:13-6:2)." The most compelling argument against this intriguing view is Daniel's identification of Michael as "one of the chief princes (Daniel 10:13)."
Gabriel is the only other angel named in Scripture. In Judea-Christian tradition he is the angel of the annunciation, resurrection, mercy, revelation, and death. It is Gabriel who is sent to the prophet Daniel to explain the visions of the ram and he-goat and the seventy weeks (cf. Daniel 8:16-17; 9:20-23). It is Gabriel who comes to Zacharias to announce the birth of John the Baptist, and to Mary to announce the birth of Jesus (cf. Luke 1:19,26). In the rabbinical legends, Gabriel is the chief of the angelic guards placed over Paradise and the ruler of the cherubim. As the ruling prince of the first heaven he is said to sit at the left hand of God. According to legend, it was Gabriel who rained death and destruction upon the wicked cities if Sodom and Gomorrah. The angel is typically presented in art as a graceful figure bearing a white lily in his hands. "Gabriel, the angel who stands in the presence of God (Luke 1:19), appears to be God's special messenger. Whenever he appears, it is to communicate God's revelation and interpretation concerning God's kingdom development. His name means "mighty one of God." In Scripture he appeared in the form of a man, spoke with a man's voice, and had the power of touch as humans do. He has great strength and is the angel described in Daniel as flying swiftly. Nowhere is he called an "archangel" (which means it may not be Gabe who blows the trumpet on that great gettn' up moening)(Law)."
9. The Ninth Choir - The Angels
The lowest rank in the celestial hierarchy is also the order closest to humanity. The angels are God's messengers, "ministering spirits" who glorify their divine Creator by serving His people (Hebrew 1:14). These are the spirits most familiar to mankind and most intimately involved in the affairs of the material world. They are capable of assuming whatever physical form necessary for the accomplishment of the mission upon which they have been dispatched by God. They are variously described in Scripture as "Watchers" and Guardians." A 19th century children's bedtime prayer expresses this guardian function with great beauty. "Four angels to my bed. Four angels round my head. One to watch and one to pray, and two to bear my soul away. Amen." The scholastics of the Middle Ages, a period obsessed with angels, calculated that there were precisely 301,655,722 of these creatures hovering at the borders of our temporal universe.
The Bible includes hundreds of references to the angels and their various ranks and activities. There is, however, in the midst of this abundance of amazing angelic information one being that stands out as truly unique. Scripture calls Him, "the angel of the Lord" (Hebrew "Malakh Jahweh") or "the angel of God" ("Malakh Elohim").
"In addition to these references to God's angels, which all will admit involve created spiritual beings, there are a large number of appearance and references to a Malakh or angel whose actions can often be called elemental, they are so tremendous. His actions and appearances are always associates with the formation, the protection, the judging, the delivering of God's history, judge nations, and wields almighty powers. Whatever the Malakh does seems to affect a people, a nation of the world. These references quite evidently do not refer to created beings but to the uncreated Messenger of God, Christ Jesus, carrying out his Savior role in the Old Testament...The Old Testament presents a wide variety of pictures of this special, divine Malakh, for he appears often. He is recognized as God; he is called God by Scripture; He accepts sacrifices, is worshipped, forgives sin, carries out God's judgements, is obeyed by angels, rebukes Satan, is obeyed by, loved by, and known by the Old Testament saints simply as "the Malakh," "the Malakh Jahweh," or "the Malakh Elohim." (Kauffeld)
The major Old Testament texts that present the activities of the "Malakh Jahweh" include the following:
Genesis 16:7-14 - The Promise of a Nation to Hagar
Genesis 21:14-21 - The Deliverance of Hagar and Ishmael
Genesis 22:9-18 - The sacrifice of Isaac
Genesis 28:12-22 - Jacob's Ladder (cf. 31:11-13)
Genesis 32:24-30 - Jacob wrestles with God (cf. Hosea 12:3-5)
Genesis 48:15-16 - The Blessing of Joseph's Sons
Exodous 3:2-6 - Moses at the Burning Bush
Exodous 14:19 - The Pillar of Cloud and Fire (cf. 13:21,22; 23:20-23)
Numbers 22:22-35 - Balaam and the Donkey
Joshua 5:13-6:5 - The Call of Joshua
Judges 2:1-5 - The rebuke of Israel
Judges 6:11-24 - The Call of Gideon
Judges 13:2-23 - The Announcement of Samuel's Birth
2 Samuel 24:15-17 - King David's Census
2 Kings 1:13-17 - The Lord's Judgement on Ahaziah
2 Kings 19:35-36 - The Destruction of Sennacherib
1 Chronicles 21:11-30 King David's Census (cf. 2 Chronicles 3:1)
Psalm 34:7 - The Angel of the Lord Encamps
Psalm 35:5,6 - The Angel of the Lord Pursuing His Enemies
Isaiah 63:8-9 - The Angel and Israel
Daniel 3:19-28 - The Three Men in Fiery Furnace
Daniel 6:16-24 - Daniel in the Lion's Den
Zechariah 1:7-13 - A Prayer for Mercy
Zechariah 3:1-7 - The Angel of the Covenant
Acts 7:30-39 - The Testimony of Stephan
Thus, in the Old Testament "The Angel of the Lord" is the pre-incarnate Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. He is active and involved in the unfolding plan of salvation. As the divine messenger of God, He appears in divine majesty, acts with divine power and authority, and conveys a saving message of divine love. The Malakh Jaweh is a figure who was well-known to the children of Israel; a beloved demonstration of their God's concern and care for them. At the same time, the Malakh, was a scourge of heavenly judgement upon enemies of God's people.
To the theologians of classic Lutheranism, the Old Testament texts from Genesis to Malachi which speak of the Angel of the Lord are a clear indication of the doctrine of the Trinity. The ease with which the passages ascribe divine names and attributes to the Angel of the Lord, while at the same time distinguishing Him from God the Father are completely consistent with a Trinitarian understanding of the one God in three separate and distinct persons. "The Angel of the Lord is different from Jehovah in regard to His Person, and yet one with Him in essence...In their native sense these passages teach that the Angel of the Lord is the uncreated angel; identical with Jehova, to whom divine attributes, works, names and worship are ascribed. If we found in these passages only oriental hyperbolism, then we would sacrifice the solid basis for Scripture interpretation, and, following such a course consistently, would with the rationalist dissolve and cancel even the firmest and most indestructible revelation (Philipi)."
Scripture identifies the angels as "ministering spirits." (Hebrews 1:14) According to the Bible, the ministries that they perform are many and varied, both in heaven and on earth. The ministry of the angels is carried out all around us constanlty, unseen and largely unrecognized. One recent author has aptly described the angels as "God's Secret Agents." Angelic activity may be summarized under the following categories:
A. The angels continually worship, adore, and praise the Triune God, before His heavenly throne. The perpetual trisagion of the seraphim ("Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory!") is an eternal song of celebration as these beings of pure light and thought, closest to the heavenly throne, resonate with the fire of divine love. (Psalm 103:20-21; Isaih 6:1-3; Revelation 5:6-14; 7:9-12; 8:1-14; 11:15-19) The angels are avid observers of events on earth. They rejoice in celebration as the mighty deeds of God unfold and the plan of salvation is accomplished. Each sinner's repentance is the cause of great happiness among the hosts of the angels (Job 38:7; Luke 15:7,10; Hebrews 12:22). The earthly worship of men anticipates and echoes the heavenly adoration of saints and angels. Our acts of worship take on a much more profound significance when we remember their celestial dimension. The German Lutheran theologian Peter Brunner writes: "Angels are creatures. But they are creatures that are immediately face to face with the Triune God. They are not subject to the space and time conditions of our world. Therefore the angels are those creatures upon whom God's glory lights immediately and who reflect this glory of God immediately. Because the angels are part of God's heavenly world, they are the first and immediate witnesses of the divine plan of salvation; for God's plan of salvation has its origin in heaven and descends from His heaven to the earth. God's history, which runs its course on earth, has its origin in heaven and is directly known to the angels before it is indirectly known to us men. In its execution God's history on earth has a side that is turned to the heavenly world, which the angels perceive but which is disclosed to us only through their ministry. (Luke 2:10ff.; Mark 16:6) From the beginning (Job 38:7) the angels are the immediate and truest mirrors of the divine might and glory. As such living mirrors and witnesses of God, the angels are, above all other creatures , the agents for God's glorification. They are the exemplary bearers of the praise of God. The offering of God's praise by the angels constitutes the heavenly worship... In his perfected praise of God the angel is himself protected. The praise of God has become the inviolable nature of the angel. He finds his being exclusively and definitively in the praise of God...Therefore the praise of the heavenly beings suffers no interruption (Rev. 4:8). Since this act of praising is the angel's nature and existence in one, his praise of God is nothing other than the reality of his being...a song rendered in uninterrupted, perfect spontaneity. The praise of the angel is the hymn in which the creature melts away in praise before God...The worship of the angels revolves around the same center as that of the church on earth, even though the real presence of Jesus and of his blood in heaven is of a different type and form than His real presence in the worship of the church on earth. But He who is present is the same: Jesus with His shed blood. Therefore, inasmuch as the worship of angels is entirely oriented to God, it is simultaneously oriented to the worship of the church on earth. To be sure, the worship of the earthly church is, with regard to intensity, purity, and fullness, only a dim and fragmentary reflection of what is done in heaven. To be sure, the worship of the angels excels the worship of the church on earth in every respect. But the worship of the angels and the worship of the church are not separated by an iron curtain. Because they have the same center, the Lamb that was slain, they stand in real communion with each other. The church on earth may already join the praises of the angels and pray God to grant that its voice on earth may unite with the Sanctus of the angels in heaven...One day these two will merge. The church's worship on earth will blend into the worship of the angelic hosts. They who were privileged to make their way through the contending and suffering church on earth to the Church Triumphant are already participating in the administration of the heavenly worship. Despite all the differences in the type and form of being, the worship of the church on earth and that of the angels in heaven is an inseparable activity. The worship of the church on earth is in immediate touch with the worship in the heavenly Jerusalem and takes place in real association with it (Revelation 7:9-12; Hebrews 12:22-24)." Peter Brunner, Worship in the Name of Jesus
B. God uses His angels to guard, protect, and guide His people. (Genesis 24:7,40; Exodus 33:2; 2 Kings 6:8-23; Psalm 34:7; 91:11; Daniel 3:28; 6:22; 12:1; Acts 12:11. The concept that everyone has a personal guardian angel is a time honored and widespread conviction among Christians. Biblical support for this idea is found in Matthew 18:10 where Jesus says: "See that you do not lookdown on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." Some have suggested on the basis of Acts 12:15 that a guardian angel takes on the appearance of the mortal to whom he is assigned. A belief in the ministry of guardian angels was also widespread in Judaism. In the book of Jubilees, Rebecca seeks to comfort Isaac with the assurance that his younger son's life is safe because: "the protector of Jacob is greater and mightier, and more honored and praised than the protector of Esau (35:17)." The Apocryphal Book of Tobit details the story of Tobias and his guardian angel Raphael. The early church father John Chrysostom writes: "Hence it is evident, that the saints have angels, or even all men. For the apostle too says of the woman, ‘That she ought to have a power on her head because of the angels (1Corinthians 11:10)." And Moses, ‘He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God (Deuteronomy 32:8).'" A 19th Century author described the role of these celestial watchers this way: "It would require the tongues of angels themselves to recite all that we owe to these benign and vigilant guardians. They watch by the cradle of the new-born babe, and spread these celestial wings around the tottering steps of infancy...Wonderful the fervor of their love who endure from day to day the spectacle of the unveiled human heart with all of its miserable weakness and vanities." With the 9th century Church Father Rhabanus Maurus we can sing:
"Jesus Brightness of the Father, Life and Strength of all who live,
For creating guardian angels glory to Thy name we give
And Thy wondrous praise rehearse, singing in harmonious verse.
Blessed Lord by their protection shelter us from harm this day,
Keep us pure in flesh and spirit; save us from the Foe we pray,
And vouchsafe us by Thy grace in Thy Paradise a place."
The Roman Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Guardian Angels each year on October 2.
Scripture also alludes to angels with specific assignment to individual nations (Deuteronomy 32:8; Daniel 10:12-21; 12:1) who seek to influence the direction of that nation either for good or evil. Thus reality in the material world is constantly being influenced and affected by the parallel reality of the spiritual world in which both good and evil angels contend on behalf of their respective masters. Any world view which fails to take this spiritual reality into account is woefully incomplete and inadequate. This is particularly true in regard to the cause of the Gospel and the Christian's struggle to remain faithful to God and His Word. As St. Paul reminds us: "For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." (Ephesians 6:12) As is so often the case in the realm of angelology, Rabbinical tradition provides a great deal more information than Scripture itself on the subject of national guardian angels. "These are the angels which are in charge of nations, states, and cities. It turns out that this is really high risk country. Angels have little resistance to corruption when they over identify with their charges. This is evident even in the early Scriptures. Rabbis only actually mention four nations with their angel guardians by name. But from those, we are left in no doubt as to where the Jewish writers stood and where those angels fell. Michael, in charge of Israel, remains unimpeachable, but his fellow tutors seem to have been very much changed by their charges, who, of course, are all arch-enemies of Israel anyway. Dubbiel (the bear deity) was angel for Egypt, and Samael (the Adversary, Prince of Darkness) was the guardian of Rome. They were all corrupted by their wards and fell. The Egyptian guardian, Rahab, even has the distinction of having been slaughtered by the Lord for refusing to separate the upper and lower waters at the time of creation. He is then somehow resurrected, only to be destroyed a second time for attempting to stop the Hebrews from escaping across the Red Sea. So of all the seventy tutelary angels, only Michael managed to stay uncorrupted. It is perhaps uncharitable to ascribe this to the fact that his charges were God's chosen people (Godwin)." Many commentators believe that the "angels" of the seven churches in the opening vision of the Book of Revelation are guardian spirits assigned to watch over every Christian congregation (Rev. 2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,14).
C. Angels serve as the messengers of God. Their title emphasizes the central importance of this activity. The angel Gabriel is the divine messenger par excellence. Gabriel is sent as God's messenger to Daniel on two occasions to provide explanations for the visions the prophets have received (Daniel 8:1-27; 9:20-27). Gabriel received the greatest assignment ever entrusted to an angelic messenger when he was dispatched to carry God's Word to the Virgin ary informing her that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38). The Annunciation, as this momentous announcement has come to be known, has been depicted in Christian art more frequently than any other angelic event in Scripture.
"Other angels, besides Gabriel, are used by God to carry messages of significance to men and women. In the Old Testament, angels told Hagar to return to Sarah (Genesis 16:7-14; 21:17,18), informed Abraham and Sarai that they would have a son (Genesis 18:10), warned Lot to flee from Sodom (Genesis 19:12,13), told Abraham not to slay his son (Genesis 22:11,12), spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Exodus 3:2-4), promised Manoah the Israelites on their Exodus from Egypt (Exodus 23:21), promised Manoah and his wife that they would have a son (Judges 13:3-20), gave instruction to Elijah before meeting a king (2 Kings 1:3,15), told the prophet Gad to give a message to King David (1 Chronicles 21:18), and gave numerous messages to the prophet Zechariah (Zechariah 1:1-19). In the New Testament angels continue their work of giving messages to key people. Joseph, husband of Mary, was favored with a number of visits from the angels of God (Matthew 1:19-24; 2:13, 19-20). An angelic host announced the birth of Jesus to lowly Judean shepherds (Luke 2:9-15). Angels told the women at the empty tomb that Christ had risen (Matthew 28:5-7; John 20:12). An angel told Phillip to leave his successful work in Samaria and go into the desert (Acts 8:36). Angels instructed Cornelius to send for Peter (Acts 10:3-7), and assured Paul that he would not be harmed in a storm at sea (Acts 27:23-25). It was an angel that gave John the revelation of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1) (Knowles).
Scripture also informs us the Law was given to Moses on Mt. Sinai through the ministry of God's angelic messengers (cf. Deuteronomy 33:2; Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19; Hebrews 2:2,3).
"Millions of spiritual creatures walk the earth unseen,
Both when we wake and when we sleep...For
God will deign to visit oft the dwellings of just men,
delighted and with frequent intercourse thither will send
His winged creatures messengers on errands of supernatural grace."
John Milton - "Paradise Lost"
D. Angels minister to the physical needs of the saints in times of crisis. In the aftermath of his climactic confrontation with the 450 prophets of Baal and desperate flight from wrathful Jezebel, the prophet Elijah was ready to give up and die. He laid down under a bush in the wilderness and asked God to take his life. Instead the Lord sent an angel. "All at once an angel touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat.' He looked around and there by his head was a cake of bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again. The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, ‘Get up and eat for the journey is too much for you.' And so he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God." (1 Kings 19:5-8)
The Psalmist describes the manna which the children of Israel ate in the wilderness "the bread of angels." (Psalm 78:25) The caring ministry of the angels is also well illustrated by the angel who came to stir the water in Jerusalem's Pool of Bethseda for the healing of the sick and crippled who gathered there (John 5:3,4).
Matthew and Mark both report that after his ordeal and temptation in the wilderness Jesus Himself received the ministry of angels (Matthew 4:11; Mark 1:13). Later, in the Garden of Gethsemane an angel of Mercy is dispatched to soothe the Savior as he agonizes in fervent prayer. "An angel from heaven appeared to Him and strengthened him. And being in anguish he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood to the ground." (Luke 22:43)
E. Angels serve as the agents of God's judgement, bringing death and destruction upon those who oppose His kingdom and refuse His divine will. Our holy and righteous God cannot allow sin to go unpunished. Those who deny and defy Him will incur His righteous wrath. Scripture tells us that the angels are often called upon to be His holy messengers of wrath, using the awesome power which He has given them to execute His judgement. The first reference to an angel in the Bible tells of the mighty cherubim with fiery swords who stood watch at the gates of the Garden of Eden to prevent sinful mankind's access to the Tree of Life (Genesis 3:24). The Psalmist affirms that those who fight against God and His people will be pursued by an avenging angel, "May they be like chaff before the wind, with the angel of the Lord driving them away; may their path be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them (Psalm 35:5,6)." When the plagues of God humbled mighty Pharaoh, devastating the land of Egypt, it was "a band of destroying angels" (Psalm 78:49) who unleashed God's judgement upon that stubborn king. On the eve of the exodus, the angel of the Lord swept across the land striking down the firstborn of every household whose doorsteps were not marked with blood from the lamb. (Exodus 11) The New Testament tells us that when the children of Israel murmured and complained against God in the wilderness they "were killed by the destroying angel (1 Corinthians 10:10)." The angels who were sent into Sodom to bring forth Lot and his family before that wicked cities' destruction smote the men of Sodom with blindness when attempted to hinder their mission (Genesis 19:11). The same fate befell the army of the King of Aram when the Arameans besieged the village of Dothan in pursuit of the prophet Elisha. The prophet's servant was paralysed with fear when he saw the great army that surrounded their village. Then Elisha prayed and the servant's eyes were opened so that he might also see the great host of angels with their horses and chariots of fire that surrounded the home of God's spokesman. As Elisha confidently asserted, "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." (2 Kings 6:16) When the Aramean army advanced they were all struck with blindness. The mighty angel of the Lord cut down 185,000 soldiers in one night to deliver Jerusalem from the siege of Sennacherib, King of Assyria (2 Kings 19:35). When David defied the Lord His angel destroyed 70,000 Israelites and was about to destroy the entire city of Jerusalem when the Lord stayed his hand (2 Sammuel 24:15-17). The eyes of the terrified king were opened and he saw "the angel of the Lord standing between heaven and earth, with a drawn sword in his hand extending over Jerusalem." (1 Chronicles 21:16) David cried out to God for mercy and the Lord heard his repentant prayer. When vain King Herod blasphemously allowed the crowd to hail him as a god, "the angle of the Lord struck him down and he was eaten by worms and died." (Acts 12:23) The vivid imagery of St. John's Revelation vividly depicts the angels as the agents of divine judgement. Each of the seven bowls of God's wrath are poured out upon the earth by angels bringing death and devastation upon rebellious humanity (Revelation 16).
F. The angels minister to the people of God in their hour of their death and carry the souls of the redeemed home to the "bosom of Abraham." In the intriguing story of the rich man and poor Lazarus, Jesus teaches us that "The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham's side." (Luke 16:22) St. John Chrysostom affirms: "If we need a guide in passing from one city to another, how much more will the soul need someone to point out the way when it breaks the bonds of flesh and passes on to the future life." The "Subvenite," a medieval anthem from the liturgy of Christian burial echoes this theme as it prays: "Come, ye saints of God. Hasten, ye angels of the Lord, take his soul, bear it before the Most High, may the angels guide it to the bosom of Abraham." In the symbolism of medieval art, this scene is represented by the image of an old man, sitting and holding on his lap a number of little children. The old man is father Abraham and the children are the souls of the saints, safe at home. The classic American Gospel Song "O Come Angel Band by Jefferson Hsacall expresses the same joyful confidence: "I've almost gained my heavenly home, my spirit loudly sings; the holy ones, behold, they come! I hear the noise of wings! O come, angel band. Come and around me stand. O bear me away on your snowy wings to my eternal home.
G. Angels will serve as the heralds of Christ's Second Coming on the great and terrible day of the Lord. "For the Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels and then He will reward each person according to what he has done (Matthew 16:27)." The arrival of our Lord with His resplendant host of angels will be announced with the mighty blast of a judgement trumpet. "And He will send His angels with a loud trumpet call and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other (Matthew 24:31)." "For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first (I Thessalonians 4:16)." Jude describes the majestic scene in this way: "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of His holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of the ungodly acts they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh words the ungodly sinners have spoken against Him (Jude 14,15)."
In His parable of the Tares and the Wheat Jesus identifies the angels as his "heavenly harvesters" who will separate the wicked from the righteous and will throw the wicked into the fiery furnace where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 13:41,43).
In the vision of Revelation 19 an angel standing in the sun summons the birds of prey to gorge themselves on the carrion left by the battle of Armageddon and in chapter 20 it is a mighty angel who holds the key to the bottomless pit and who binds Satan with the great chain for 1,000 years. John's series of seven wonderful visions concludes with the last reference to angels in the Bible: "I, Jesus have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)."
THE DEVIL - MANKIND'S ANCIENT FOE
"Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." I Peter 5:8
The Bible teaches that the devil and his demons are fallen angels who committed the sin of pride, rebelled against God, and were expelled from heaven.
Isaiah 14:12-15 "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to earth, you who once laid low the nations. You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned upon the mount of assembly , on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.' But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit."
Ezekial 12-15 "You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz, and emerald, chrysolite, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until wickedness was found in you."
I Timothy 3:6 "He must not be a recent convert, or he may become conceited and fall under the same judgement as the devil."
II Peter 2:4 "For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to Hell, putting them into gloomy dungeons to be held for judgement..."
Jude 6 "And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home-these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains on the great day."
Revelation 12:7-9 "And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down-that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him."
Satan is known by many names and titles in Scripture which are descriptive of his nature and his work. They include: Satan - the Accuser (Hebrew) (Zechariah 3:1-2); Devil - the Accuser (Greek) (I Peter 5:8); Belial - Lawless One (II Corinthians 6:15); Beelzebul - Lord of the flies (Matthew 10:25); Adversary (I Peter 5:8); Deceiver of the whole world (Revelation 12:9); Murderer (John 8:44); Lucifer - Morning Star (Isaiah 14:12); Great Dragon, Ancient Serpent (Revelation 12:8); Prince of Demons (Matthew 12:24); Tempter (Matthew 4:3); God of this World (II Corinthians 4:4); Unclean Spirit (Matthew 12:43); and, Wicked One (Matthew 13:19).
The Bible warns that the Devil is a powerful foe whom we dare not underestimate (Matthew 10:28; I Peter 5:8). The demons who serve him in his implacable war against God and his people are many. "Then Jesus asked him, ‘What is your name?' ‘My name is Legion,' he replied, ‘for we are many (Mark 5:9).'" But even Satan himself operates within the contraints of God's power. To use Luther's phrase, he is "Gottes Teufel" (God's Devil) cf. Job 1:6-12. His most diabolical schemes serve the purposes and plans of God. Cf. Genesis 50:20. The Word of God assures Christians that this fearsome enemy has been defeated. Standing firm in the faith, we have a share in Christ's victory over sin, death, and the power of the devil. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7)."
"Evil angels also exist. Their existence dates back , not to creation, but to that time following creation and before the temptation of Eve when some angels left their first and beatific state. Note that their original status was beatific, no less than that of the angels who did not fall. It is apparent, the angels' fall into sin was not God's fault; He had not created some angels to be evil; He did not deprive some angels of qualities possessed by other angels. All angels were rational beings; in their primeval state all were endowed with a perfect freedom of will. As was true in the case of human beings, the angels enjoyed a state of probation. They were not compelled to remain good angels; they possessed liberty which allowed for the possibility of remaining sinless or becoming sinners. God also permitted the angels, or their free will, to serve their wonderful Creator. In that way, their gratitude and appreciation would be pleasing to their God. The fall of the angels is proof of the liberty they once possessed. Of their own volition, some angels elected to sin. As is true in the case of every sin thereafter, the first sin of all time was a voluntary act; it was a misuse of the freedom granted in creation. The fall which occurred was consequential. Immediately it created a sharp division in the once united heavenly host. It caused two classes of angels henceforth to exist, the good and the evil angels...There can be no question about it: fallen angels and fallen human beings received different treatment from the One whom both equally offended with their sinning. It is apparent that God showed no pity to the fallen angels. He sentences them to hell; the chains which hold them in the place of torture are ‘everlasting chains.' No chance of being released is possible. The angels' fate is an uninterrupted and unmitigated suffering from fire which, though burning, does not annihilate. The case of the fallen angels is hopeless. At their fall, they were confirmed in their damnation (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:9) (Hoenecke)."
"In Satan's primal rebellion it seems that he drew with him a great multitude of lesser celestial beings. These fallen angels are divided into two classes: (1)those that are free, and(2)those that are bound. Those who are free are abroad in the heavenlies under their prince leader Satan, who alone is given particular mention in Scriptures. He is called "Beelzebub, Prince of the Demons" (Matthew 12:24), "Satan and his angels" (Matthew 25:41), and "the dragon and his angels"(Revelation 12:7). These unconfined wicked Spirits under Satan's kingdom and dominion, who are his emissaries and subjects (Matthew 12:26) and who are so numerous as to make his power practically ubiquitous, seem to be identical with the demons...Satan's methods of activity and his highly organized empire of roving spirits in the heavenlies are set forth in Ephesians 6:11-12. His methods are suggested by the expression "wiles of the devil," while his organization is gradated as "principalities," "powers," "world rulers of this darkness," and "spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places," The serried spirits can be none other than his angels or demons with different stations of rank and responsibility, who are unseen though real agents behind the visible human actors in the great world drama enacted in his wicked world system. It is thus in the heavenlies that Satan has his abode and base of operation - not, however, in the third heaven, or heavens (2 Corinthians 12:2), where the ascended Christ is seated "far above all rule and authority and power and dominion" (Ephesians 1:21). From it Satan and his demons are barred. From that all glorious sanctum he was cast out, evidently not at the time of his primeval fall, but consequent upon Christ's finished redemptive work and glorious ascension (cf. Job 1:6)(Unger).
"The evil angels did not lose, through their natural knowledge, or that which they had by the light of nature; for they know God and other supernatural things after a certain manner. But that knowledge of supernatural things is joined, (1)with great hatred and murmuring against God; (2)with jealousy, envy, and rage, against good angels, godly men and saints in heaven; (3)with ignorance, doubt, error and forgetfulness. (Matthew 4:6; John 13:2; 1 Corinthians 2:8). Yet they have altogether lost the knowledge derived from the light of grace... The evil angels know God but they dreadfully shudder at this divine knowledge... Their intellect is deprived, not only of the light of grace but also of te light of glory; and, being fixed upon the contemplation of the divine wrath and their own misery, it is, as it were, blunted, and lacks sound judgement concerning the doing of that which is good... The doings of the wicked angels are of various kinds, but they are all directed to the injury of the divine glory (Revelation 12:7), and to the temporal as well as eternal ruin of individual men and of the ecclesiastical estates (by scattering heresies - Matthew 13:27, 28; by hindering the efforts of godly ministers of the church - 1 Thessalonians 2:18; by averting the minds of hearers from the meditation and practice of the divine Word - Luke 8:12; by exciting persecutions against the kingdom of Christ - Revelation 12:7); in the political estate - I Kings 22:21; I Chronicles 22:1; and the domestic estate (by alienating the minds of married persons, as the devil was a murderer from the beginning who delighted in sowing contentions - John 8:44; by lying in wait for the children and possessions of parents - Job 1:11-19) (Schmidt)."
Orthodox Lutheran theologians comment on the fall of the devil and his angels as follows: "The generic form of the diabolical fall consisted in the free and spontaneous turning away from God and the rule of right. For they were able to persevere in truth and concreated holiness and not fall away from it; they were able by the grace of creation to keep the rule of right; of their own accord, therefore, and freely they sinned, by the abuse of the of the freedom that was bestowed upon them. For they did not sin by any defect or importance of their nature, but from pure malice and stubborn disobedience, and by the spontaneous abuse of the free will conferred upon them...The crime having been committed, all those angels lost the grace that had been concreated with them, and so fell into the most horrible misery without hope of restoration...The punishment of the wicked angels is partly the eternal desertion of God, whence they can never be converted; partly rejection to infernal torments to be endured forever." To the question, Why may not the wicked angels be restored to favor? John Gerhardt writes: "It is better to proclaim the wonderful philanthropy and mercy of the Son of God towards the fallen race of man, by which for our account and for our salvation He descended from heaven and became man, not taking on him the nature of the angels, but the seed of Abraham (Hebrews 2:16), than to scrutinize beyond due limits that most just judgement, by which God delivered the angels who had fallen away from Him to be cast in chains of darkness into Hell, to be reserved for judgement."
Excursus - Good Angels - "Confirmed in Their Bliss"
"This is the nature of good angels: (1) They are steadfast in the truth, John 8:44; (2) They see the face of the Father, Matthew 18:10; they enjoy eternal bliss and thus they are called "the angels of heaven"...And in this righteousness they are so confirmed that they cannot fall either into sin or into death; as will also be the case with us after "that great gulf has been fixed," Luke 16:26, when we shall be "like the angels," Luke 20:36. Also St. Paul in 1 Timothy 5:21 speaks of "the elect angels (Chemnitz)."
"The counterpart of the evil angel's eternal damnation? Eternal salvation for the angels who kept their primeval state. "They always see the face of my Father in heaven." Matthew 18:10 In their case, too, a confirmation at once occurred; God fixed eternally the bliss of the good angels. Uninterruptedly and unalteringly the good angels have and will have the joy of seeing the face and the full majesty of God. They will forever be in the presence of the Holy One, not one whit more deserving than the angels sentenced to eternal damnation. To pry beyond that which can be known from God's Word is to attempt a search of the unsearchable judgements of God. God's free grace dare never be impugned. As we can see, a twofold confirmation occurred. When? Its time is not especially mentioned. The occasioning circumstance was the moment when sin first entered God's perfect creation. Then God's sentence occurred. Then, it seems likely, the confirmation also took place. To fix exactly the precise moment beyond the point of an assumption would be presumptuous. We must leave the time unresolved (Cf. also: Genesis 1:31; 3:1; Luke 1:19) (Hoenecke)."
"The good angels who continued in concreated true wisdom and holiness, and are so illuminated by God with the light of glory and so confirmed in the Good that, free from the danger of sinning, they clearly behold God and perpetually enjoy His goodness...The formal reason, therefore, why they are designated as ‘good angels' is because they persevered in the truth and goodness in which they have been created and are now so confirmed in it that they will never either wish or be able to fall from it...After the good angels had steadfastly exhibited to God their obedience in the state of probation, while other angels had fallen away, it pleased God to fill them with the light of glory, so that they were able clearly and intuitively to recognize God (for this is to see the face of the heavenly Father. But this vision of God was followed by a most intense love, by which the will of the angels cleaves to God in such a manner that it cannot be turned away from Him. And thus was effected their confirmation in the Good, of the determination of their will towards the Good; so that, whatsoever they do, they do with reference to God as the infinitely perfect and perfectly known Good, without any blemish, without any defect...He who clearly beholds God, the chief Good, cannot but burn with perpetual love towards Him, for he beholds nothing in Him but what is good and to be loved; but he who perpetually loves God cannot sin. The good angels then are confirmed in the Good when the light of glory is infused into them by God, so that their confirmation in the Good is practically nothing else than the infusion of the light of glory, in which they intuitively recognize God. That the angels, after having once been admitted into the light of glory, cannot possibly sin, is inferred principally from Luke 20:36...The glory of the angels who are confirmed in the Good is to be attributed not to an absolute divine decree, nor to the merit of Christ, nor to angelic merit, but to the most liberal goodness of God, who remunerates the persevering goodness of the angels far beyond their desert (Schmid)."
In Genesis:
Genesis 3:24 - Cherubim to guard the gates of Eden
Genesis 6:1-4 - The Sons of God Intermarrying with the Daughters of Man
(Cf. Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:6,7; Daniel 3:25; Psalm 89:6,7; 1 Enoch 6:1-9:9; 10:11-13; Jubilees 5:1-11; 2 Peter 2:4-5; 1 Peter 3:19; Jude 6; on the use of "Nephillim" cf. Numbers 13:13)
Genesis 16:7-11 - Hagar and the Angel of the Lord
Genesis 18:1-22 - Abraham's three visitors (Cf. Hebrews 13:2)
Genesis 19:1-22 - The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah
Genesis 21:17-19 - Hagar in the wilderness
Genesis 22:9-18 - The sacrifice of Isaac
Genesis 24:7, 40 - A wife for Isaac
Genesis 28:10-17 - Jacob's Ladder
Genesis 31: 10-13 - Jacob's Dream
Genesis 32:1, 22-32 - Jacob wrestles with an angel (Cf. Hosea 12:2-4)
In Revelation:
Revelation 1:1; 19:9-10; 218-11 - God sends His angel to John
Revelation 1:20; 2:1; 2:12; 2:18; 3:1; 3:7; 3:14 - the Angels of the Seven Churches
Revelation 4:6-11; 5:6,8,14; 6:1,6,7; 14:3; 15:7 - The four living beings before the Throne
Revelation 5:2 - A mighty angel proclaims
Revelation 5:11-12; 7:11-12 - The Song of the angel choir
Revelation 7:1,2 - Four Angels at the four Corners of the Earth
Revelation 7:2-4 - The Angel with the Seal of God
Revelation 8:2; 8:6-9:21; 10:7; 11:15 - The Seven Angels who Stand before the throne with Seven Trumpets
Revelation 8:3-5 - The Angel with the Golden Censer
Revelation 10:1-11 - A Mighty Angel Robed in Cloud
Revelation 12:1-13:1 - War Among the Angels in Heaven
Revelation 14:6-7 - An Angel Flying with the Eternal Gospel
Revelation 14:8 - An Angel Announcing the Fall of Babylon
Revelation 14:9-12 - An Angel Warning those who Follow the Beast
Revelation 14:13-16 - An Angel from the Temple Announces the Harvest
Revelation 14:17-20 - The Angels with the Fire and the Sickle
Revelation 15:1; 15:5-16:21 - The Seven Angels with the Seven Last Plagues
Revelation 17:1-8 - The Angel Reveals the Punishment of the Whore of Babylon
Revelation 18:1-3 - The Angel Announces the Fall of Babylon
Revelation 18:21-24 - The Angel hurls a boulder into the Sea
Revelation 19:17-18 - The Angel Standing in the Sun
Revelation 20:1-3 - The Angel with the Key to the Abyss
Revelation 21:9-22:6 - The Angel shows John the New Jerusalem
Revelation 22:16 - The Last Mention of an Angel in the Bible