Angels

What are angels?

An angel is a pure spirit created by God. The Old Testament theology included the belief in angels:
the name applied to certain spiritual beings or intelligences of heavenly residence, employed by
God as the ministers of His will.

Genesis 16:7-1
The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is
beside the road to Shur. And he said, "Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from,
and where are you going?" "I'm running away from my mistress Sarai," she answered.
Then the angel of the LORD told her, "Go back to your mistress and submit to her."
The angel added, "I will so increase your descendants that they will be too numerous to count."
The angel of the LORD also said to her: "You are now with child and you will have a son.
You shall name him Ishmael, [Ishmael means God hears] for the LORD has heard of your
misery. He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone's
hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers." She gave this name to the
LORD who spoke to her: "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "I have now seen the One who sees me."

Angels are purely spiritual or bodiless persons, some of whom behold the face of God and thus
are in bliss (Matthew 18:10 "See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you
that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.). These spiritual beings comprise the celestial court and are called angels (from the Greek for "messenger") because, according to the Bible, they carry out missions at God's command. In order to complete these missions, they can at times assume bodily form. According to the Bible, their missions are
sometimes of great importance - eg,

the Annunciation Luke 1:26-38
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,
to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's
name was Mary. And he came to her and said, "Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!"
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting
this might be. And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor
with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his
name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will
give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and
of his kingdom there will be no end." And Mary said to the angel, "How shall this be, since I have
no husband?" And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son
of God. And behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son; and
this is the sixth month with her who was called barren.For with God nothing will be impossible."
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

the Birth of Christ - Luke 2:9-14
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, "Be not afraid; for behold, I bring
you good news of a great joy which will come to all the people; for to you is born this day
in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will
find a babe wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, "Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!"

at the tomb of Christ - John 20:11-12
But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb;
and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one
at the feet.

Like us , the angels are the objects of God's grace and love. But because, unlike us they are
non-bodily creatures, their response to God's love did not require time and reflection to grow and mature. As soon as they were created and received grace, they had the opportunity to respond to God's love and thus be welcomed into bliss. While many did so, some did not.

How do we know angels exist?

The Scriptures give us no indication of the precise time of the creation of angels; their existence is assumed at the earliest times.

Our Lord often spoke of angels; in the New Testament they are numerous and seven orders are mentioned: Angels, Powers, Principalities, Dominions (ations), Thrones and Archangels the Old Testament specifically mentions two others Seraph (im) and Cherub(im).

God bestowed upon angels great wisdom, freedom, and power, and their many appearances
in the New Testament are indication of the lead role assigned to them.

Both the New Testament and Old Testament refer also to the fallen angels. The Temptation of
Adam and Eve presupposes the existence of bad spirits or demons who were cast into hell from
which they have no hope of redemption.

Genesis 3:1-6
Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God had made.
He said to the woman, "Did God say, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden'?"
And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but
God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, neither
shall you touch it, lest you die.'" But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not die.
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,
knowing good and evil." So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it
was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took
of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, and he ate.

Genesis 3:13-15
Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?"
The woman said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I ate."
The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all
cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the
days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

The Nine Choirs of Angels

Angels are ranked in the celestial hierarchy of Nine Orders:

Seraphim
Hebrew for the burning ones.These are the highest order or choir of angels. They are the angels
who are attendants or guardians before God's throne. They praise God, calling,
"Holy Holy Holy is the Lord of Hosts".

Isaiah 6:2
    Seraphim were stationed above; each of them had six wings: with two they veiled their faces,
with two they veiled their feet, and with two they hovered aloft.

Isaiah 6:6
    Then one of the seraphim flew to me, holding an ember which he had taken with tongs from
the altar.

Ezekiel 1:13
    In among the living creatures something like burning coals of fire could be seen; they seemed
like torches, moving to and fro among the living creatures. The fire gleamed, and from it came
forth flashes of lightning.

Cherubim
Cherubim rank after the seraphim and are the second highest in the nine hierarchies or choirs of angels.

The Old Testament does not reveal any evidence that the Jews considered them as intercessors
or helpers of God. They were closely linked in God's glory. They are manlike in appearance
and double-winged and were guardians of God's glory. They symbolized then, God's power
and mobility.

Genesis 3:23-25
He drove out the man; and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim, and a
flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

Exodus 25: 15-22
The poles shall remain in the rings of the ark; they shall not be taken from it. And you shall
put into the ark the testimony which I shall give you. Then you shall make a mercy seat of
pure gold; two cubits and a half shall be its length, and a cubit and a half its breadth.
And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work shall you make them,
on the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub on the one end, and one cherub on the
other end; of one piece with the mercy seat shall you make the cherubim on its two ends.
The cherubim shall spread out their wings above, overshadowing the mercy seat with their
wings, their faces one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.
And you shall put the mercy seat on the top of the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony
that I shall give you.There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between
the two cherubim that are upon the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you of all that I will
give you in commandment for the people of Israel.

In the New Testament, they are alluded to as celestial attendants in the Apocalypse (Rv 4-6).
Catholic tradition describes them as angels who have an intimate knowledge of God and
continually praise Him.

Thrones
Thrones derived from the Greek Thronos (sing.) and Thronoi (pl.) refering to the seat of majesty,
i.e. human (king or queen) or divine (god)

Colossians 1:16
[only reference in Scripture]
    For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers all things were created through him and for him.

Dominions
Domination/Dominion in Greek Kyriotes (sing) and Kyriotetes (pl.). The word implies:
lordship, constituted authority or sovereignty. The source word Kyrios is used in the Greek
translation of the Old Testament known as the Septuagint to refer to God at the places where
The Name of God (YHWH), which the Jews would not pronounce, appears. In the New
Testament "Jesus is Kyrios," and while for a Greek this could be a human master, for a Jew this
could only mean God (John 20:28 Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my God!"). Elizabeth
thus calls Mary the Mother of my Kyrios (Luke 1:43, 45 But why am I so favored,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me? Blessed is she who has believed that what the
Lord has said to her will be accomplished!"), that is, the Mother of God.

Ephesians 1:21
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.

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; all things were created by him and for him.

Virtues
Virtues from the Latin virtus (sing.) and virtutes (pl.). The Greek of the New Testament is
dunamis (sing.) and dunamies (pl.), which suggests strength, especially the ability to do something.
In contemporary translations (e.g. NAB, RSV) this word is often translated power(s) and the Greek
word traditionally associated with the choir of Powers (exousia) is translated authorities, leading to confusion between the Virtues (dunamies) and the Powers (exousiai).

Ephesians 1:21
    far above every principality, power, virtue, and dominion, and every name that is named not
only in this age but also in the one to come.

1 Peter 3:22
    who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, powers and virtues
subject to him.

Powers
Powers from the Latin potestas (sing) and potestes (pl.). The Greek words exousia (sing.) and
exousiai (pl.) used in the New Testament suggest connatural power, power that is "out of"
(ex) the substantial being (ousia) of a thing. Some modern translations translate authorities,
since authority is also power that is rooted in being. However, in connection with the angels
this leads to confusion with the virtues, which they translate as powers.

Ephesians 1:21
    far above every principality, power, virtue, and dominion, and every name that is named not
only in this age but also in the one to come.

1 Peter 3:22
    who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, powers and virtues
subject to him.

Principalities
Principalities/Princes derived from Latin princeps (sing.) and principates (pl.). The Greek of the Septuagint Old Testament and of the New Testament is arche (sing.) and archai (pl.), from
archomai, beginning or commencement. The implication is that the arche or prince is the principle
of order, the ruler of a principality. The Hebrew word used is sar, and carries the same meaning.

In the New Testament Principalities refers to one type of spiritual (metaphysical) being which
are now quite hostile to God and human beings.

Daniel 10:13
    But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael,
one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia.

Romans 8:38
For I am sure that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present,
nor things to come, nor powers,

Ephesians 1:21
    far above every principality, power, virtue, and dominion, and every name that is named not
only in this age but also in the one to come.

Ephesians 3:10
    so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the principalities and authorities in the heavens.

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; all things were created by him and for him.

Along with the principalities are the powers (Rom 8:38; Eph 1:21); and cosmological powers
(Eph 1:21; 3:10 );Dominions (Eph 1:21; Col 1:16) and thrones (Col 1:16).

The clarity of the New Testament witness helps see that these beings were created through Christ
and for Him (Col 1:16). Given their hostility to God and humans due to sin, Christ's ultimate rule over them (ibid) expresses the reign of the Lord over all in the cosmos. This is the Lordship of
Christ, which reveals God's tremendous salvation in conquering sin and death at the cross,
and now takes place in the Church. (Eph 3:10)

Archangels
Archangels are generally taken to mean "chief or leading angel" (Jude 1:9 Yet the archangel
Michael, when he argued with the devil in a dispute over the body of Moses, did not venture
to pronounce a reviling judgment upon him but said, "May the Lord rebuke you!" ), they are the
most frequently mentioned throughout the Bible. They may be of this or other hierarchies as St. Michael Archangel, who is a princely Seraph. The Archangels have a unique role as God's
messenger to the people at critical times in history and salvation (Tb 12:6, 15; Jn 5:4; Rv 12:7-9)
as in The Annunciation and Apocalypse. A feast day celebrating the Archangels Michael,
Gabriel and Raphael is celebrated throughout the Church Sepetember 29. A special part of the Byzantine Liturgy invokes the "Cherubic Hymn" which celebrates these archangels and the
guardian angels particularly.

Of special significance is St. Michael as he has been invoked as patron and protector by
the Church from the time of the Apostles. The Eastern Rite and many others place him
over all the angels, as Prince of the Seraphim. He is described as the "chief of princes"
and as the leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over Satan and his followers.

Daniel 10:13
    but the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood in my way for twenty-one days, until finally
Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me. I left him there with the prince of the
kings of Persia,

Daniel 10:21
    but I shall tell you what is written in the truthful book. No one supports me against all these
except Michael, your prince,

Daniel 12:1
    "At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people;
    It shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time.
    At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book.

Revelations 12:7
    Then war broke out in heaven; Michael and his angels battled against the dragon. The dragon
and its angels fought back,

The angel Gabriel first appeared in the Old Testament in the prophesies of Daniel, he
announced the prophecy of 70 weeks. He appeared to Zechariah to announce the birth
of St. John the Baptist. It was also Gabriel which proclaimed the Annunciation of Mary to
be the mother of our Lord and Saviour.

Daniel 8:16
    and on the Ulai I heard a human voice that cried out, "Gabriel, explain the vision to this man."

Daniel 9:21
    I was still occupied with this prayer, when Gabriel, the one whom I had seen before in vision,
came to me in rapid flight at the time of the evening sacrifice.

Luke 1:11
Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense.

Luke 1:19
    And the angel said to him in reply, "I am Gabriel, who stand before God. I was sent to speak
to you and to announce to you this good news.

Luke 1:26
    In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth,

The angel Raphael first appeared in the book of Tobit (Tobias). He announces "I am the Angel Raphael, one of the seven who stand before the throne of God."

Tobit 3:17
    So Raphael was sent to heal them both: to remove the cataracts from Tobit's eyes,
so that he might again see God's sunlight; and to marry Raguel's daughter Sarah to
Tobit's son Tobiah, and then drive the wicked demon Asmodeus from her.
For Tobiah had the right to claim her before any other who might wish to marry her.
     In the very moment that Tobit returned from the courtyard to his house, Raguel's daughter
Sarah came downstairs from her room

Tobit 5:4
     Tobiah went to look for someone acquainted with the roads who would travel with him
to Media. As soon as he went out, he found the angel Raphael standing before him,
though he did not know that this was an angel of God.

Tobit 5:12-13
    Raphael said: "Why? Do you need a tribe and a family? Or are you looking for a hired man to travel with your son?" Tobit replied, "I wish to know truthfully whose son you are,
brother, and what your name is." Raphael answered, "I am Azariah, son of Hananiah
the elder, one of your own kinsmen."

Tobit 12:15
    I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord."

Tobit 12:17
    But Raphael said to them: "No need to fear; you are safe. Thank God now and forever.

Angels
(Regular)
Angel (Hebrew: malach/malachim; Greek: aggelos/aggelois; Latin: angelus/ angeli) means
messenger or one who is deputed. It can refer to angels of the lowest choir, who have
the greatest interaction with mankind, to the angelic nature of any spiritual creature who
comes to man in God�s name, or even to a human messenger. In my research I
for written that there are some 227 references to angel(s) in the in the Bible.
I have added only a few.

Genesis 19:1
    The two angels reached Sodom in the evening, as Lot was sitting at the gate of Sodom.
When Lot saw them, he got up to greet them; and bowing down with his face to the ground,

Genesis 48:16
    The Angel who has delivered me from all harm, bless these boys That in them my name be recalled, and the names of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, And they may become
teeming multitudes upon the earth!"

Exodus 3:2
    There an angel of the LORD appeared to him in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed.

Numbers 20:16
    and how, when we cried to the LORD, he heard our cry and sent an angel who led us out of
Egypt. Now here we are at the town of Kadesh at the edge of your territory.

Psalm 91:11
    For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways.

Psalm 103:20
    Bless the LORD, all you angels,mighty in strength and attentive, obedient to every command.

Matthew 1:20
    Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and
said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her.

Luke 1:13
    But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard.
Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall name him John.

Luke 2:13
    And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:

John 1:51
    And he said to him, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you will see the sky opened and the angels
of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."

Acts 7:30
    "Forty years later, an angel appeared to him in the desert near Mount Sinai in the flame
of a burning bush.

Hebrews 2:9
    but we do see Jesus "crowned with glory and honor" because he suffered death, he who
"for a little while" was made "lower than the angels," that by the grace of God he might taste
death for everyone.

1 Peter 3:22
    who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and
powers subject to him.

2 Peter 2:4
    For if God did not spare the angels when they sinned, but condemned them to the chains of Tartarus and handed them over to be kept for judgment;

Jude 1:6
    The angels too, who did not keep to their own domain but deserted their proper dwelling,
he has kept in eternal chains, in gloom, for the judgment of the great day.

Revelations 5:11
I looked again and heard the voices of many angels who surrounded the throne and the living
creatures and the elders. They were countless in number,