Angels

Angels - God's Messengers are one of the mysterious creatures of God. This is because not much is known about them. In this article we will be looking at some of the things known about them. Let us begin with the definition of the word angels. Angels means messengers. Sometime the bible uses the word to refer to the leaders of the Church (Revelation 3-4). In this instance we are limiting the discussion to the celestial beings who were created by the LORD GOD Almighty and serve Him day and night.

Origin of Angels

Angels like human beings are part of God’s creation. Their authority, power and might is from the LORD GOD Almighty. In the book of Ezekiel 28:12-19, the bible made us understand how an angel was created. In that verse the bible described how beautiful angels are. Also in Genesis 1:1 the bible made us to understand that God created the heavens and the earth; we believe that God created the angels when HE formed the heavens.

How many angels are in existence?

The total number of angels is not known to human beings. The bible did not give us the total number of angels in existence. It is believe that, there are more angels in existence than the total number of human beings. In the book of Revelation 5:11; Apostle John heard and saw angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousands angels; surrounding the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In this vision the Apostle was not able to count and give us the total number of angels he saw.

Known Angels

The two most popular angels mentioned in the Holy Bible; that is the sixty-six books, are angel Michael and angel Gabriel. The third is angel Raphael; he is mentioned in the apocrypha book named Tobit. Stated differently, the three popular angels are Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. There other known angels such as Uriel, Sariel, Saraqael, Raguel and Remiel. These angels are mentioned in other apocrypha text that is not considered as part of the biblical canon. But this article will focus on Michael, Gabriel and Raphael; the others will be discussed in a later article.

Angel Michael:

The name Michael means who is like God, gift from God or like God. In the Holy Bible, angel Michael is portrayed as a warrior and the captain of the LORD’s army. In the book of Daniel he is described as a chief prince (Daniel 10:13) and in book of Jude 1:9 he is described as an archangel. Angel Michael is the commander of the Lord’s army who fight to defend the throne of God and protect the people of God. The book of Revelation 12 described a war in heaven were Michael and his angels fought against the dragon (Satan or the devil) and his angels (Revelation 12:7). Similarly, Prophet Daniel also wrote about Michael. He describes a battle between angel Michael and the prince of Persia who had detained another angel of the Lord for twenty-one (21) days. Angel Michael fought the prince of Persia to set the angel free (Daniel 10:13). Finally angel Michael is also mentioned in the book of Jude 1:9. In this passage angel Michael was in dispute with the devil over the body of Moses. In this instance Michael called on the LORD to rebuke the devil, showing that angels take or get their authority from the LORD.

Angel Gabriel:

The name Gabriel in Hebrew means 'God is my strength' or Might of God. This angel is first mentioned in the book of Daniel 8:16 and 9:21. He appeared to Daniel to give him explanation to his vision. Angel Gabriel is also mentioned in the New Testament. In the first instance he appeared to Zechariah; he appeared to inform Zechariah about the birth of John the Baptist - a prophet who will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the father to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous to make ready a people prepared for the Lord (Luke 1:11-20). The angel Gabriel also appeared to Virgin Mary to inform her about the birth of the Messiah (Luke 1:26). Throughout the bible Gabriel is always seen delivery messages to people. This is why many Christians believe he is the messenger angel of the Most High.

Angel Raphael:

Raphael in Hebrew means 'It is God who heals' or 'God Heals'. This angel was not mentioned in the sixty-six books of the Holy Bible. He appeared in an apocrypha text named Tobit. In this text the angel provide guidance to a young man called Tobit and save a young lady from demonic influence.

Some Activities of Angels on Earth

Angels usually appears to human beings in the human form (Genesis 18:2, Judges 13:10). Their key assignments on earth is to bring good news to the children of God, protect and give guidance to God’s children, fight for the children of God, and carryout God’s judgment on earth.

1. Bring good news to the children of God
   In some instance God send angels to bring us answers to our prayers. A case in point is in Daniel 10. They are also sent to deliver good news. An example is the message about the coming and the birth of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. First, angel Gabriel appeared to Zechariah to bring him answer to his prayer (Luke 1:5-25). Mary also received good news from angel Gabriel; the message of about her being the mother of the savior of the world (Luke 1:26-33).


2. Protect and give guidance to God’s children
   Angels do not only bring good news to mankind, they also protect the children of God from harm. In the book of Exodus 14:19-20, the angel of God defended the children of Israel from Pharaoh and his army. Psalm 91:11-12 states “For the Most High will command His angels concerning you (those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High) to guard you in all your way. They (angels) will bear you in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone”. The Most High has task angels to always protect His children from the evil one.


3. Carryout God’s judgment on earth
   Angels carry out God's judgment on earth. Some examples of angels executing God's punishment are in the book of Genesis 3:24. In this text God placed cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way to prevent human beings from gaining access to the tree of life. In Genesis 19 God sent His angels to Sodom and Gomorrah to investigate and destroy the cities, two cities that engaged in abominable practice. In the book of Exodus 12 the LORD sent His angel to take the life of the first born son of the Egyptians and all who did not have the blood of the lamb on their door. Again in Exodus the angels of God punish the King and people of Egypt with plagues and death.

Categories or Group of Angels

Different authors have different ways of grouping angels. In this article we will group the angels in the categories below:

1. Seraphim
2. Cherubim
3. Thrones
4. Authorities
5. Powers
6. Dominions
7. Angels

Seraphim

Seraph (single) Seraphim are the angelic being regarded as the highest order of angels in the kingdom of God. The prophet Isaiah wrote about them in his book. He tells us that the Seraphim are six-wing fiery angels who stand above the throne of the Most High. They use two wings to cover their face, two to cover their feet and two to fly. They constantly call to one another saying “Holy Holy Holy is the LORD GOD Almighty” (Isaiah 6:1-7).

Cherubim

The second order of angels is the Cherubim. They were first mentioned in the book of Genesis 3:24. In this text, they were charged to protect the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve were drove out of the garden for disobeying God’s law. They were mentioned and described by the prophet Ezekiel in his book Ezekiel 9-10. According to the prophet, the Cherubim had the appearance of a man, each had four faces – one face was that of the cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the face of a lion and the fourth the face of an eagle. They did not turn as they move. They can move forward, side back without turning. They move as fast as the lightening and had eyes all over (Ezekiel 1-3, 10). Each Cherub had a wheel beside them. These wheels move as the Cherubim move. Some ancient text describes these wheels beside the Cherub as another group of angels called the thrones.

Thrones

As mention above the thrones are the wheels beside the Cherubim. They always move with the Cherubim.

Authorities

These are angels who have been given ability to control the power of nature such as the power of fire, wind, air and earth. An example is the angel who appears in the book of Daniel to save Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, the three friends of Daniel from the fire. The angel toke away the power that fire had to burn and consume (Daniel 3).

FQA

Should Human beings worship angels?

Angels are powerful creation of God. Their power is beyond us human; however we do not worship them. That is not to say we don't have to honor them. What we mean here is that we do not worship them as if they are God. Human beings are suppose to worship and serve God alone. In Revelation 19:10 and Revelation 22:8-9 the apostle John tried twice to worship the angel who had assisted him in the vision, but the angel stop him twice. The angel said 'See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.' The angel made it clear to apostle John that, angels and human beings are obligated to serve God alone and not any other angel.

How do angels move?

The book of Ezekiel gave us or described how the Cherubim move. He wrote “The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightening”. In simple terms some group of angels move as fast as light (Ezekiel 1:14).

Summary and Conclusion

Angels are part of God’s creation just like human beings. Their primary purpose is to serve the Most High God and help humans (children of God) to face life. Although angels are powerful beings, they do not accept worship from human being because the Lord Most High is God over them. God bless you SHALOM (PEACE)!!!

Diana Efua Duodu aka Dnash

God bless you for such a wonderful message, shalom

Date: 2024-08-21 15:53:22