Reference: Angel
American
The original word, both in Hebrew and Greek, means messenger, and is so translated, Mt 11:10; Lu 7:24. It is often applied to an ordinary messenger, Job 1:14; 1Sa 11:3; Lu 9:52; to prophets, Isa 42:19; Hag 1:13; to priests, Ec 5:6; Mal 2:7; and even to inanimate objects, Ps 78:49; 104:4; 2Co 12:7. Under the general sense of messenger, the term, angel is properly applied also to Christ, as the great Angel or Messenger of the covenant, Mal 3:1, and to the ministers of his gospel, the overseers or angels of the churches, Re 2:1,8,12, etc. In 1Co 11:10, the best interpreters understand by the term "angels" the holy angels, who were present in an especial sense in the Christian assemblies; and from reverence to them it was proper that the women should have power (veils, as a sign of their being in subjection to a higher power) on their heads. See under VEIL.
But generally in the Bible the word is applied to a race of intelligent beings, of a higher order than man, who surround the Deity, and whom he employs as his messengers or agents in administering the affairs of the world, and in promoting the welfare of individuals, as well as of the whole human race,
Mt 1:20; 22:30; Ac 7:30. Whether pure spirits, or having spiritual bodies, they have no bodily organization like ours, and are not distinguished in sex, Mt 22:30. They were doubtless created long before our present world was made, Job 38:7.
The Bible represents them as exceedingly numerous, Da 7:10; Mt 26:53; Lu 2:13; Heb 12:22-23; as remarkable for strength, Ps 103:20; 2Pe 2:11; Re 5:2; 18:21; 19:17; and for activity, Jg 13:20; Isa 6:2-6; Da 9:21-23; Mt 13:49; 26:53; Ac 27:23; Re 8:13. They appear to be of divers orders, Isa 6:2-6; Eze 10:1; Col 1:16; Re 12:7. Their name indicates their agency in the dispensations of Providence towards man, and the Bible abounds in narratives of events in which they have borne a visible part. Yet in this employment they act as the mere instruments of God, and in fulfilment of his commands, Ps 91:11; 103:20; Heb 1:14. We are not therefore to put trust in them, pay them adoration, or pray in their name, Re 19:10; 22:8-9. Though Scripture does not warrant us to believe that each individual has his particular guardian angel, it teaches very explicitly that the angels minister to every Christian, Mt 18:10; Lu 16:22; Heb 1:14. They are intensely concerned in the salvation of men, Lu 2:10-12; 15:7,10; 1Pe 1:12; and will share with saints the blessedness of heaven forever, Heb 12:22.
Those angels "who kept not their first estate," but fell and rebelled against God, are called the angels of Satan or the devil, Mt 25:41; Re 12:9. These are represented as being "cast down to hell, and reserved unto judgment," 2Pe 2:4. See SYNAGOGUE, ARCHANGEL.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the Angel of the Lord went up in its flame. When Manoah and his wife saw [this], they fell facedown on the ground.
a messenger came to Job and reported: "While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby,
while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
He sent His burning anger against them: fury, indignation, and calamity- a band of deadly messengers.
For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.
Praise the Lord, [all] His angels of great strength, who do His word, obedient to His command.
Praise the Lord, [all] His angels of great strength, who do His word, obedient to His command.
and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
Do not let your mouth bring guilt on you, and do not say in the presence of the messenger that it was a mistake. Why should God be angry with your words and destroy the work of your hands?
Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth.
And one called to another: Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Hosts; His glory fills the whole earth. The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke.
The foundations of the doorways shook at the sound of their voices, and the temple was filled with smoke. Then I said: Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, [and] because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.
Then I said: Woe is me, for I am ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips and live among a people of unclean lips, [and] because my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts. Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs.
Then one of the seraphim flew to me, and in his hand was a glowing coal that he had taken from the altar with tongs.
Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like My messenger I am sending? Who is blind like [My] dedicated one, or blind like the servant of the Lord?
Then I looked, and there above the expanse over the heads of the cherubim was something like sapphire stone resembling the shape of a throne that appeared above them.
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands served Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering. He gave me this explanation: "Daniel, I've come now to give you understanding. read more. At the beginning of your petitions an answer went out, and I have come to give it, for you are treasured [by God]. So consider the message and understand the vision:
Haggai, the Lord's messenger, delivered the Lord's message to the people, "I am with you"-the Lord's declaration.
For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts.
"See, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me. Then the Lord you seek will suddenly come to His temple, the Messenger of the covenant you desire-see, He is coming," says the Lord of Hosts.
But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.
This is the one it is written about: Look, I am sending My messenger ahead of You; he will prepare Your way before You.
So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,
"See that you don't look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven. [
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.
Then He will also say to those on the left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!
Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?
Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?
But the angel said to them, "Don't be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people: today a Savior, who is Messiah the Lord, was born for you in the city of David. read more. This will be the sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough." Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
After John's messengers left, He began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?
He sent messengers ahead of Him, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for Him.
I tell you, in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous people who don't need repentance.
I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents."
One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me,
This is why a woman should have [a symbol of] authority on her head: because of the angels.
because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?
Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering,
Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,
For if God didn't spare the angels who sinned, but threw them down into Tartarus and delivered them to be kept in chains of darkness until judgment;
"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: "The One who holds the seven stars in His right hand and who walks among the seven gold lampstands says:
"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write: "The First and the Last, the One who was dead and came to life, says:
"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write: "The One who has the sharp, two-edged sword says:
I also saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, "Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?"
I looked, and I heard an eagle, flying in mid-heaven, saying in a loud voice, "Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth, because of the remaining trumpet blasts that the three angels are about to sound!"
Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought,
So the great dragon was thrown out-the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
Then a mighty angel picked up a stone like a large millstone and threw it into the sea, saying: In this way, Babylon the great city will be thrown down violently and never be found again.
Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers who have the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out in a loud voice, saying to all the birds flying in mid-heaven, "Come, gather together for the great supper of God,
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."
Easton
a word signifying, both in the Hebrew and Greek, a "messenger," and hence employed to denote any agent God sends forth to execute his purposes. It is used of an ordinary messenger (Job 1:14; 1Sa 11:3; Lu 7:24; 9:52), of prophets (Isa 42:19; Hag 1:13), of priests (Mal 2:7), and ministers of the New Testament (Re 1:20).
It is also applied to such impersonal agents as the pestilence (2Sa 24:16-17; 2Ki 19:35), the wind (Ps 104:4).
But its distinctive application is to certain heavenly intelligences whom God employs in carrying on his government of the world. The name does not denote their nature but their office as messengers. The appearances to Abraham at Mamre (Ge 18:2,22. Comp. Ge 19:1), to Jacob at Peniel (Ge 32:24,30), to Joshua at Gilgal (Jos 5:13,15), of the Angel of the Lord, were doubtless manifestations of the Divine presence, "foreshadowings of the incarnation," revelations before the "fulness of the time" of the Son of God.
(1.) The existence and orders of angelic beings can only be discovered from the Scriptures. Although the Bible does not treat of this subject specially, yet there are numerous incidental details that furnish us with ample information. Their personal existence is plainly implied in such passages as Ge 16:7,10-11; Jg 13:1-21; Mt 28:2-5; Heb 1:4, etc.
These superior beings are very numerous. "Thousand thousands," etc. (Da 7:10; Mt 26:53; Lu 2:13; Heb 12:22-23). They are also spoken of as of different ranks in dignity and power (Zec 1:9,11; Da 10:13; 12:1; 1Th 4:16; Jude 1:9; Eph 1:21; Col 1:16).
(2.) As to their nature, they are spirits (Heb 1:14), like the soul of man, but not incorporeal. Such expressions as "like the angels" (Lu 20:36), and the fact that whenever angels appeared to man it was always in a human form (Ge 18:2; 19:1,10; Lu 24:4; Ac 1:10), and the titles that are applied to them ("sons of God," Job 1:6; 38:7; Da 3:25; comp. Da 3:28) and to men (Lu 3:38), seem all to indicate some resemblance between them and the human race. Imperfection is ascribed to them as creatures (Job 4:18; Mt 24:36; 1Pe 1:12). As finite creatures they may fall under temptation; and accordingly we read of "fallen angels." Of the cause and manner of their "fall" we are wholly ignorant. We know only that "they left their first estate" (Mt 25:41; Re 12:7,9), and that they are "reserved unto judgement" (2Pe 2:4). When the manna is called "angels' food," this is merely to denote its excellence (Ps 78:25). Angels never die (Lu 20:36). They are possessed of superhuman intelligence and power (Mr 13:32; 2Th 1:7; Ps 103:20). They are called "holy" (Lu 9:26), "elect" (1Ti 5:21). The redeemed in glory are "like unto the angels" (Lu 20:36). They are not to be worshipped (Col 2:18; Re 19:10).
(3.) Their functions are manifold. (a) In the widest sense they are agents of God's providence (Ex 12:23; Ps 104:4; Heb 11:28; 1Co 10:10; 2Sa 24:16; 1Ch 21:16; 2Ki 19:35; Ac 12:23). (b) They are specially God's agents in carrying on his great work of redemption. There is no notice of angelic appearances to man till after the call of Abraham. From that time onward there are frequent references to their ministry on earth (Gen 18; 19; Ge 24:7,40; 28:12; 32:1). They appear to rebuke idolatry (Jg 2:1-4), to call Gideon (Jg 6:11-12), and to consecrate Samson (Jg 13:3). In the days of the prophets, from Samuel downward, the angels appear only in their behalf (1Ki 19:5; 2Ki 6:17; Zech 1-6; 13/type/hcsb'>Da 4:13,23; 10:10,13,20-21).
The Incarnation introduces a new era in the ministrations of angels. They come with their Lord to earth to do him service while here. They predict his advent (Mt 1:20; Lu 1:26-38), minister to him after his temptation and agony (Mt 4:11; Lu 22:43), and declare his resurrection and ascension (Mt 28:2-8; Joh 20:12-13; Ac 1:10-11). They are now ministering spirits to the people of God (Heb 1:14; Ps 34:7; 91:11; Mt 18:10; Ac 5:19; 8:26; 10:3; 12:7; 27:23). They rejoice over a penitent sinner (Lu 15:10). They bear the souls of the redeemed to paradise (Lu 16:22); and they will be the ministers of judgement hereafter on the great day (Mt 13:39,41,49; 16:27; 24:31). The passages (Ps 34:7; Mt 18:10) usually referred to in support of the idea that every individual has a particular guardian angel have no such meaning. They merely indicate that God employs the ministry of angels to deliver his people from affliction and danger, and that the angels do not think it below their dignity to minister even to children and to the least among Christ's disciples.
The "angel of his presence" (Isa 63:9. Comp. Ex 23:20-21; 32:34; 33:2; Nu 20:16) is probably rightly interpreted of the Messiah as the guide of his people. Others have supposed the expression to refer to Gabriel (Lu 1:19).
See Verses Found in Dictionary
The Angel of the Lord found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur.
The Angel of the Lord also said to her, "I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count." Then the Angel of the Lord said to her: You have conceived and will have a son. You will name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your [cry of] affliction.
He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed to the ground.
He looked up, and he saw three men standing near him. When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed to the ground.
The men turned from there and went toward Sodom while Abraham remained standing before the Lord.
The two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting at Sodom's gate. When Lot saw [them], he got up to meet them. He bowed [with his] face to the ground
The two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting at Sodom's gate. When Lot saw [them], he got up to meet them. He bowed [with his] face to the ground
But the angels reached out, brought Lot into the house with them, and shut the door.
The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from my native land, who spoke to me and swore to me, 'I will give this land to your offspring'-He will send His angel before you, and you can take a wife for my son from there.
He said to me, 'The Lord before whom I have walked will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's household.
And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching heaven, and God's angels were going up and down on it.
Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
Jacob then named the place Peniel, "For," [he said,] "I have seen God face to face, and I have been delivered."
When the Lord passes through to strike Egypt and sees the blood on the lintel and the two doorposts, He will pass over the door and not let the destroyer enter your houses to strike [you].
"I am going to send an Angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to Him and listen to His voice. Do not defy Him, because He will not forgive your acts of rebellion, for My name is in Him
Now go, lead the people to the place I told you about; see, My angel will go before you. But on the day I settle accounts, I will hold them accountable for their sin."
I will send an angel ahead of you and will drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites.
When we cried out to the Lord, He heard our voice, sent an Angel, and brought us out of Egypt. Now look, we are in Kadesh, a city on the border of your territory.
When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in His hand. Joshua approached Him and asked, "Are You for us or for our enemies?"
The commander of the Lord's army said to Joshua, "Remove the sandals from your feet, for the place where you are standing is holy." And Joshua did so.
The Angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bochim and said, "I brought you out of Egypt and led you into the land I had promised to your fathers. I also said: I will never break My covenant with you. You are not to make a covenant with the people who are living in this land, and you are to tear down their altars.But you have not obeyed Me. What is this you have done? read more. Therefore, I now say: I will not drive out these people before you. They will be thornsin your sides, and their gods will be a trap to you." When the Angel of the Lord had spoken these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.
The Angel of the Lord came, and He sat under the oak that was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash, the Abiezrite. His son Gideon was threshing wheat in the wine vat in order to hide it from the Midianites. Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior."
The Israelites again did what was evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines 40 years. There was a certain man from Zorah, from the family of Dan, whose name was Manoah; his wife was barren and had no children. read more. The Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "It is true that you are barren and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son.
The Angel of the Lord appeared to the woman and said to her, "It is true that you are barren and have no children, but you will conceive and give birth to a son. Now please be careful not to drink wine or other alcoholic beverages, or to eat anything unclean; read more. for indeed, you will conceive and give birth to a son. You must never cut his hair, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth, and he will begin to save Israel from the power of the Philistines." Then the woman went and told her husband, "A man of God came to me. He looked like the awe-inspiring Angel of God. I didn't ask Him where He came from, and He didn't tell me His name. He said to me, 'You will conceive and give birth to a son. Therefore, do not drink wine or other alcoholic beverages, and do not eat anything unclean, because the boy will be a Nazirite to God from birth until the day of his death.' " Manoah prayed to the Lord and said, "Please Lord, let the man of God you sent come again to us and teach us what we should do for the boy who will be born." God listened to Manoah, and the Angel of God came again to the woman. She was sitting in the field, and her husband Manoah was not with her. The woman ran quickly to her husband and told him, "The man who came to me today has just come back!" So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he came to the man, he asked, "Are You the man who spoke to my wife?" "I am," He said. Then Manoah asked, "When Your words come true, what will the boy's responsibilities and mission be?" The Angel of the Lord answered Manoah, "Your wife needs to do everything I told her. She must not eat anything that comes from the grapevine or drink wine or other alcoholic beverages. And she must not eat anything unclean. Your wife must do everything I have commanded her." "Please stay here," Manoah told Him, "and we will prepare a young goat for You." The Angel of the Lord said to him, "If I stay, I won't eat your food. But if you want to prepare a burnt offering, offer it to the Lord." For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord. Then Manoah said to Him, "What is Your name, so that we may honor You when Your words come true?" "Why do you ask My name," the Angel of the Lord asked him, "since it is wonderful." Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord, and He did a wonderful thing while Manoah and his wife were watching. When the flame went up from the altar to the sky, the Angel of the Lord went up in its flame. When Manoah and his wife saw [this], they fell facedown on the ground. The Angel of the Lord did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. Then Manoah realized that it was the Angel of the Lord.
Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, but the Lord relented concerning the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough, withdraw your hand now!" The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, "Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand be against me and my father's family."
Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, "Get up and eat."
One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.
a messenger came to Job and reported: "While the oxen were plowing and the donkeys grazing nearby,
If God puts no trust in His servants and He charges His angels with foolishness,
while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.
For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.
Praise the Lord, [all] His angels of great strength, who do His word, obedient to His command.
and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
Who is blind but My servant, or deaf like My messenger I am sending? Who is blind like [My] dedicated one, or blind like the servant of the Lord?
In all their suffering, He suffered, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. He redeemed them because of His love and compassion; He lifted them up and carried them all the days of the past.
He exclaimed, "Look! I see four men, not tied, walking around in the fire unharmed; and the fourth looks like a son of the gods."
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Praise to the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego! He sent His angel and rescued His servants who trusted in Him. They violated the king's command and risked their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God.
As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind an observer, a holy one, coming down from heaven.
"The king saw an observer, a holy one, coming down from heaven and saying, 'Cut down the tree and destroy it, but leave the stump with its roots in the ground and with a band of iron and bronze around it, in the tender grass of the field. Let him be drenched with dew from the sky, and share [food] with the wild animals for seven periods of time.'
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands served Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
Suddenly, a hand touched me and raised me to my hands and knees.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.
He said, "Do you know why I've come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come. No one has the courage to support me against them except Michael, your prince. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth.
At that time Michael the great prince who stands watch over your people will rise up. There will be a time of distress such as never has occurred since nations came into being until that time. But at that time all your people who are found written in the book will escape.
Haggai, the Lord's messenger, delivered the Lord's message to the people, "I am with you"-the Lord's declaration.
I asked, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who was talking to me replied, "I will show you what they are."
They reported to the Angel of the Lord standing among the myrtle trees, "We have patrolled the earth, and right now the whole earth is calm and quiet."
For the lips of a priest should guard knowledge, and people should seek instruction from his mouth, because he is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts.
But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.
Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him.
the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather from His kingdom everything that causes sin and those guilty of lawlessness.
So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will go out, separate the evil people from the righteous,
For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done.
"See that you don't look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven. [
"See that you don't look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven. [
He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
"Now concerning that day and hour no one knows-neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son -except the Father only.
Then He will also say to those on the left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!
Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?
Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached [the tomb]. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it.
Suddenly there was a violent earthquake, because an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and approached [the tomb]. He rolled back the stone and was sitting on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow.
His appearance was like lightning, and his robe was as white as snow. The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men.
The guards were so shaken from fear of him that they became like dead men. But the angel told the women, "Don't be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
But the angel told the women, "Don't be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here! For He has been resurrected, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. read more. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead. In fact, He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.' Listen, I have told you." So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news.
"Now concerning that day or hour no one knows-neither the angels in heaven nor the Son-except the Father.
The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.
In the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. read more. And [the angel] came to her and said, "Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you." But she was deeply troubled by this statement, wondering what kind of greeting this could be. Then the angel told her: Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Now listen: You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will call His name JESUS. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Mary asked the angel, "How can this be, since I have not been intimate with a man?" The angel replied to her: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. And consider your relative Elizabeth-even she has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren. For nothing will be impossible with God." "I am the Lord's slave," said Mary. "May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel left her.
Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying:
After John's messengers left, He began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and that of the Father and the holy angels.
He sent messengers ahead of Him, and on the way they entered a village of the Samaritans to make preparations for Him.
I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents."
One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
For they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
For they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
For they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
Then an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him.
While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood by them in dazzling clothes.
She saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet, where Jesus' body had been lying. They said to her, "Woman, why are you crying?" "Because they've taken away my Lord," she told them, "and I don't know where they've put Him."
While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them.
While He was going, they were gazing into heaven, and suddenly two men in white clothes stood by them. They said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come in the same way that you have seen Him going into heaven."
But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said,
An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: "Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to desert Gaza."
At about three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, "Cornelius!"
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, "Quick, get up!" Then the chains fell off his wrists.
At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died.
For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me,
far above every ruler and authority, power and dominion, and every title given, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.
I solemnly charge you, before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, to observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing out of favoritism.
So He became higher in rank than the angels, just as the name He inherited is superior to theirs.
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?
By faith he instituted the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn might not touch them.
Instead, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God (the heavenly Jerusalem), to myriads of angels in festive gathering, to the assembly of the firstborn whose names have been written in heaven, to God who is the judge of all, to the spirits of righteous people made perfect,
For if God didn't spare the angels who sinned, but threw them down into Tartarus and delivered them to be kept in chains of darkness until judgment;
Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses' body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
The secret of the seven stars you saw in My right hand, and of the seven gold lampstands, is this: the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also fought,
So the great dragon was thrown out-the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.
Then I fell at his feet to worship him, but he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow slave with you and your brothers who have the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, because the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Hastings
ANGEL
1. Old Testament.
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the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.
The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterwards, when the sons of God came to the daughters of man, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.
The Angel of the Lord also said to her, "I will greatly multiply your offspring, and they will be too many to count."
So she named the Lord who spoke to her: The God Who Sees, for she said, "Have I really seen here the One who sees me?"
Then Abraham took curds and milk, and the calf that he had prepared, and set [them] before the men. He served them as they ate under the tree.
When the Lord had finished speaking with Abraham, He departed, and Abraham returned to his place.
The two angels entered Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting at Sodom's gate. When Lot saw [them], he got up to meet them. He bowed [with his] face to the ground
At the crack of dawn the angels urged Lot on: "Get up! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city."
God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, "What's wrong, Hagar? Don't be afraid, for God has heard the voice of the boy from the place where he is.
The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and from my native land, who spoke to me and swore to me, 'I will give this land to your offspring'-He will send His angel before you, and you can take a wife for my son from there.
He said to me, 'The Lord before whom I have walked will send His angel with you and make your journey a success, and you will take a wife for my son from my family and from my father's household.
And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching heaven, and God's angels were going up and down on it.
And he dreamed: A stairway was set on the ground with its top reaching heaven, and God's angels were going up and down on it.
Jacob went on his way, and God's angels met him. When he saw them, Jacob said, "This is God's camp." So he called that place Mahanaim.
He commanded them, "You are to say to my lord Esau, 'This is what your servant Jacob says. I have been staying with Laban and have been delayed until now.
Then the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire within a bush. As Moses looked, he saw that the bush was on fire but was not consumed.
When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called out to him from the bush, "Moses, Moses!" "Here I am," he answered.
"I am going to send an Angel before you to protect you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.
"So I sent messengers with an offer of peace to Sihon king of Heshbon from the Wilderness of Kedemoth, saying,
and has gone to worship other gods by bowing down to the sun, moon, or all the stars in the sky-which I have forbidden-
"Neither," He replied. "I have now come as commander of the Lord's army." Then Joshua bowed with his face to the ground in worship and asked Him, "What does my Lord want to say to His servant?"
He sent messengers throughout all of Manasseh, who rallied behind him. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, who [also] came to meet him.
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the balsam trees, act decisively, for then the Lord will have marched out ahead of you to attack the camp of the Philistines."
Your servant thought: May the word of my lord the king bring relief, for my lord the king is able to discern the good and the bad like the Angel of God. May the Lord your God be with you."
Joab your servant has done this to address the issue indirectly, but my lord has wisdom like the wisdom of the Angel of God, knowing everything on earth."
Then the angel extended his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy it, but the Lord relented concerning the destruction and said to the angel who was destroying the people, "Enough, withdraw your hand now!" The angel of the Lord was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite. When David saw the angel striking the people, he said to the Lord, "Look, I am the one who has sinned; I am the one who has done wrong. But these sheep, what have they done? Please, let Your hand be against me and my father's family."
He said to him, "I am also a prophet like you. An angel spoke to me by the word of the Lord: 'Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.' " The old prophet deceived him,
Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, "Get up and eat."
Then he lay down and slept under the broom tree. Suddenly, an angel touched him. The angel told him, "Get up and eat."
But the angel of the Lord said to Elijah the Tishbite, "Go and meet the messengers of the king of Samaria and ask them, 'Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baal-zebub, the god of Ekron?'
The angel of the Lord said to Elijah, "Go down with him. Don't be afraid of him." So he got up and went down with him to the king.
Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, please open his eyes and let him see." So the Lord opened the servant's eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Then Elisha prayed, "Lord, please open his eyes and let him see." So the Lord opened the servant's eyes. He looked and saw that the mountain was covered with horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Queen Esther answered, "If I have obtained your approval, my king, and if the king is pleased, spare my life-[this is] my request; and [spare] my people-[this is] my desire.
One day the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them.
One day the sons of God came again to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came with them to present himself before the Lord.
If God puts no trust in His servants and He charges His angels with foolishness,
He draws near the Pit, and his life to the executioners. If there is an angel on his side, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what is right for him
He made darkness His hiding place, dark storm clouds His canopy around Him.
Give the Lord-you heavenly beings- give the Lord glory and strength.
Taste and see that the Lord is good. How happy is the man who takes refuge in Him!
Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them.
He sent His burning anger against them: fury, indignation, and calamity- a band of deadly messengers.
God is greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, more awe-inspiring than all who surround Him.
For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways.
Praise the Lord, [all] His angels of great strength, who do His word, obedient to His command.
and making the winds His messengers, flames of fire His servants.
Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying: Who should I send? Who will go for Us? I said: Here I am. Send me.
An oracle against Egypt: Look, the Lord rides on a swift cloud and is coming to Egypt. Egypt's idols will tremble before Him, and Egypt's heart will melt within it.
On that day the Lord will punish the host of heaven above and kings of the earth below.
Listen! Their warriors cry loudly in the streets; the messengers of peace weep bitterly.
"Who will you compare Me to, or who is My equal?" asks the Holy One. Look up and see: who created these? He brings out the starry host by number; He calls all of them by name. Because of His great power and strength, not one of them is missing.
Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen on your walls; they will never be silent, day or night. You, who remind the Lord, no rest for you!
Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen on your walls; they will never be silent, day or night. You, who remind the Lord, no rest for you!
As He spoke to me, the Spirit entered me and set me on my feet, and I listened to the One who was speaking to me. He said to me: "Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites [and] to the rebellious nations who have rebelled against Me. The Israelites and their ancestors have transgressed against Me to this day. read more. The children are obstinate and hardhearted. I am sending you to them, and you must say to them: This is what the Lord God says.
He said to me: "Son of man, eat what you find [here]. Eat this scroll, then go and speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth, and He fed me the scroll. read more. "Son of man," he said to me, "eat and fill your stomach with this scroll I am giving you." So I ate [it], and it was as sweet as honey in my mouth. Then He said to me: "Son of man, go to the house of Israel and speak My words to them. For you are not being sent to a people of unintelligible speech or difficult language but to the house of Israel. [You are] not [being sent] to many peoples of unintelligible speech or difficult language, whose words you cannot understand. No doubt, if I sent you to them, they would listen to you.
The Spirit then lifted me up, and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me-praise the glory of the Lord in His place!-
"Now you, son of man, take a brick, set it in front of you, and draw the city of Jerusalem on it.
In the sixth year, in the sixth [month], on the fifth [day] of the month, I was sitting in my house and the elders of Judah were sitting in front of me, and there the hand of the Lord God came down on me.
To the others He said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him and start killing; do not show pity or spare [them]!
Then the man clothed in linen with the writing equipment at his side reported back, "I have done as You commanded me."
Then the Spirit of the Lord came on me, and He told me, "You are to say: This is what the Lord says: That is what you are thinking, house of Israel; and I know the thoughts that arise in your mind.
In the twenty-fifth year of our exile, at the beginning of the year, on the tenth day of the month in the fourteenth year after Jerusalem had been captured, on that very day the Lord's hand was on me, and He brought me there.
He brought me there, and I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring rod in his hand. He was standing by the gate.
And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego fell, bound, into the furnace of blazing fire.
As I was lying in my bed, I also saw in the visions of my mind an observer, a holy one, coming down from heaven. He called out loudly: Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.
He called out loudly: Cut down the tree and chop off its branches; strip off its leaves and scatter its fruit. Let the animals flee from under it, and the birds from its branches.
This word is by decree of the observers; the matter is a command from the holy ones. This is so the living will know that the Most High is ruler over the kingdom of men. He gives it to anyone He wants and sets over it the lowliest of men.
I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: "Gabriel, explain the vision to this man."
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia opposed me for 21 days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me after I had been left there with the kings of Persia.
He said, "Do you know why I've come to you? I must return at once to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I leave, the prince of Greece will come. No one has the courage to support me against them except Michael, your prince. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth.
Come quickly, all you surrounding nations; gather yourselves. Bring down Your warriors there, Lord.
Come quickly, all you surrounding nations; gather yourselves. Bring down Your warriors there, Lord.
I looked out in the night and saw a man riding on a red horse. He was standing among the myrtle trees in the valley. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. I asked, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who was talking to me replied, "I will show you what they are."
I asked, "What are these, my lord?" The angel who was talking to me replied, "I will show you what they are." Then the man standing among the myrtle trees explained, "They are the ones the Lord has sent to patrol the earth."
On that day the Lord will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the one who is weakest among them will be like David on that day, and the house of David will be like God, like the Angel of the Lord, before them.
You will flee by My mountain valley, for the valley of the mountains will extend to Azal. You will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come and all the holy ones with Him.
But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, don't be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.
When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure.
Then the Devil left Him, and immediately angels came and began to serve Him.
the enemy who sowed them is the Devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.
For the Son of Man is going to come with His angels in the glory of His Father, and then He will reward each according to what he has done.
"See that you don't look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven. [
"See that you don't look down on one of these little ones, because I tell you that in heaven their angels continually view the face of My Father in heaven. [
For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like angels in heaven.
He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other.
"Now concerning that day and hour no one knows-neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son -except the Father only.
"When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory.
Then He will also say to those on the left, 'Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the Devil and his angels!
Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?
But the angel told the women, "Don't be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified.
He was in the wilderness 40 days, being tempted by Satan. He was with the wild animals, and the angels began to serve Him.
For whoever is ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels."
And [the angel] came to her and said, "Rejoice, favored woman! The Lord is with you."
After the Devil had finished every temptation, he departed from Him for a time.
For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory and that of the Father and the holy angels.
"And I say to you, anyone who acknowledges Me before men, the Son of Man will also acknowledge him before the angels of God, but whoever denies Me before men will be denied before the angels of God.
I tell you, in the same way, there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents."
One day the poor man died and was carried away by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
For they cannot die anymore, because they are like angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
and when they didn't find His body, they came and reported that they had seen a vision of angels who said He was alive.
Then He said, "I assure you: You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
Then He said, "I assure you: You will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said,
But an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail during the night, brought them out, and said, "Go and stand in the temple complex, and tell the people all about this life."
After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
An angel of the Lord spoke to Philip: "Get up and go south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to desert Gaza."
"Who are You, Lord?" he said. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," He replied.
At about three in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, "Cornelius!"
He reported to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa, and call for Simon, who is also named Peter.
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. Striking Peter on the side, he woke him up and said, "Quick, get up!" Then the chains fell off his wrists. "Get dressed," the angel told him, "and put on your sandals." And he did so. "Wrap your cloak around you," he told him, "and follow me."
"You're crazy!" they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, "It's his angel!"
At once an angel of the Lord struck him because he did not give the glory to God, and he became infected with worms and died.
For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all. The shouting grew loud, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees' party got up and argued vehemently: "We find nothing evil in this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"
For this night an angel of the God I belong to and serve stood by me, saying, 'Don't be afraid, Paul. You must stand before Caesar. And, look! God has graciously given you all those who are sailing with you.'
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
For I think God has displayed us, the apostles, in last place, like men condemned to die: we have become a spectacle to the world and to angels and to men.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot share in the Lord's table and the table of demons.
This is why a woman should have [a symbol of] authority on her head: because of the angels.
For I did not receive it from a human source and I was not taught it, but it came by a revelation from Jesus Christ.
because by Him everything was created, in heaven and on earth, the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities- all things have been created through Him and for Him.
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.
Let no one disqualify you, insisting on ascetic practices and the worship of angels, claiming access to a visionary realm and inflated without cause by his fleshly mind.
and [to reward] with rest you who are afflicted, along with us. [This will take place] at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His powerful angels,
Yet Michael the archangel, when he was disputing with the Devil in a debate about Moses' body, did not dare bring an abusive condemnation against him, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things. When I heard and saw them, I fell down to worship at the feet of the angel who had shown them to me. But he said to me, "Don't do that! I am a fellow slave with you, your brothers the prophets, and those who keep the words of this book. Worship God."
Watsons
ANGEL, a spiritual, intelligent substance, the first in rank and dignity among created beings The word angel, ???????, is not properly a denomination of nature but of office; denoting as much as nuncius, messenger, a person employed to carry one's orders, or declare his will. Thus it is St. Paul represents angels, Heb 1:14, where he calls them "ministering spirits;" and yet custom has prevailed so much, that angel is now commonly taken for the denomination of a particular order of spiritual beings, of great understanding and power, superior to the souls or spirits of men. Some of these are spoken of in Scripture in such a manner as plainly to signify that they are real beings, of a spiritual nature, of high power, perfection, dignity, and happiness. Others of them are distinguished as not having kept their first station, Jude 1:6. These are represented as evil spirits, enemies of God, and intent on mischief. The devil as the head of them, and they as his angels, are represented as the rulers of the darkness of this world, or spiritual wickednesses, or wicked spirits, ?? ?????????? ??? ???????? ?? ???? ???????????, Eph 6:12; which may not be unfitly rendered, "the spiritual managers of opposition to the kingdom of God." The existence of angels is supposed in all religions, though it is incapable of being proved a priori. Indeed, the ancient Sadducees are represented as denying all spirits; and yet the Samaritans, and Caraites, who are reputed Sadducees, openly allowed them: witness Abusaid, the author of an Arabic version of the Pentateuch; and Aaron, a Caraite Jew, in his comment on the Pentateuch; both extant in manuscript in the king of France's library. In the Alcoran we find frequent mention of angels. The Mussulmen believe them of different orders or degrees, and to be destined for different employments both in heaven and on earth. They attribute exceedingly great power to the angel Gabriel, as that he is able to descend in the space of an hour from heaven to earth; to overturn a mountain with a single feather of his wing, &c. The angel Asrael, they suppose, is appointed to take the souls of such as die; and another angel, named Esraphil, they tell us, stands with a trumpet ready in his mouth to proclaim the day of judgment.
The Heathen philosophers and poets were also agreed as to the existence of intelligent beings, superior to man; as is shown by St. Cyprian in his treatise of the vanity of idols; from the testimonies of Plato, Socrates, Trismegistus, &c. They were acknowledged under different appellations; the Greeks calling them daemons, and the Romans genii, or lares. Epicurus seems to have been the only one among the old philosophers who absolutely rejected them.
Authors are not so unanimous about the nature as about the existence of angels. Clemens Alexandrinus believed they had bodies; which was also the opinion of Origen, Caesarius, Tertullian, and several others. Athanasius, St. Basil, St. Gregory Nicene, St. Cyril, St. Chrysostom, &c, held them to be mere spirits. It has been the more current opinion, especially in later times, that they are substances entirely spiritual, who can, at any time, assume bodies, and appear in human or other shapes. Ecclesiastical writers make a hierarchy of nine orders of angels. Others have distributed angels into nine orders, according to the names by which they are called in Scripture, and reduced these orders into three hierarchies; to the first of which belong seraphim, cherubim, and thrones; to the second, dominions, virtues, and powers; and to the third, principalities, archangels, and angels. The Jews reckon four orders or companies of angels, each headed by an archangel; the first order being that of Michael; the second, of Gabriel; the third, of Uriel; and the fourth, of Raphael. Following the Scripture account, we shall find mention made of different orders of these superior beings; for such a distinction of orders seems intimated in the names given to different classes. Thus we have thrones, dominions, principalities, or princedoms, powers, authorities, living ones, cherubim and seraphim. That some of these titles may indicate the same class of angels is probable; but that they all should be but different appellations of one common and equal order is improbable. We learn also from Scripture, that they dwell in the immediate presence of God; that they "excel in strength;" that they are immortal; and that they are the agents through which God very often accomplishes his special purposes of judgment and mercy. Nothing is more frequent in Scripture than the missions and appearances of good and bad angels, whom God employed to declare his will; to correct, teach, reprove, and comfort. God gave the law to Moses, and appeared to the old patriarchs, by the mediation of angels, who represented him, and spoke in his name, Ac 7:30,35; Ga 3:19; Heb 13:2.
Though the Jews, in general, believed the existence of angels, there was a sect among them, namely, the Sadducees, who denied the existence of all spirits whatever, God only excepted, Ac 23:8. Before the Babylonish captivity, the Hebrews seem not to have known the names of any angel. The Talmudists say they brought the names of angels from Babylon. Tobit, who is thought to have resided in Nineveh some time before the captivity, mentions the angel Raphael, Tob. 3:17; 11:2, 7; and Daniel, who lived at Babylon some time after Tobit, has taught us the names of Michael and Gabriel, Da 8:16; 9:21; 10:21. In the New Testament, we find only the two latter mentioned by name.
There are various opinions as to the time when the angels were created. Some think this took place when our heavens and the earth were made. For this opinion, however, there is no just foundation in the Mosaic account. Others think that angels existed long before the formation of our solar system; and Scripture seems to favour this opinion, Job 38:4,7, where God says, "Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?
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the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves.
Where were you when I established the earth? Tell [Me], if you have understanding.
while the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
God's chariots are tens of thousands, thousands and thousands; the Lord is among them in the sanctuary as He was at Sinai.
A river of fire was flowing, coming out from His presence. Thousands upon thousands served Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him. The court was convened, and the books were opened.
I heard a human voice calling from the middle of the Ulai: "Gabriel, explain the vision to this man."
while I was praying, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the first vision, came to me in my extreme weariness, about the time of the evening offering.
No one has the courage to support me against them except Michael, your prince. However, I will tell you what is recorded in the book of truth.
Or do you think that I cannot call on My Father, and He will provide Me at once with more than 12 legions of angels?
After 40 years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
"This Moses, whom they rejected when they said, Who appointed you a ruler and a judge? -this one God sent as a ruler and a redeemer by means of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
"You're crazy!" they told her. But she kept insisting that it was true. Then they said, "It's his angel!"
For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all.
Why the law then? It was added because of transgressions until the Seed to whom the promise was made would come. [The law] was ordered through angels by means of a mediator.
For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve those who are going to inherit salvation?
Don't neglect to show hospitality, for by doing this some have welcomed angels as guests without knowing it.
and He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling.
and He has kept, with eternal chains in darkness for the judgment of the great day, angels who did not keep their own position but deserted their proper dwelling.