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.
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but after he had planned this, there appeared an angel of the Lord to him in a dream saying, "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary your wife home, for what is begotten in her comes from the holy Spirit.
This is he of whom it is written, Here I send my messenger before your face to prepare the way for you.
So will it be at the end of the world. The angels will go out and separate the evil from among the just
See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always look on the face of my Father in heaven.
At the resurrection people neither marry nor are married, they are like the angels of God in heaven.
At the resurrection people neither marry nor are married, they are like the angels of God in heaven.
Then he will say to those on the left, 'Begone from me, you accursed ones, to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
What! do you think I cannot appeal to my Father to furnish me at this moment with over twelve legions of angels?
What! do you think I cannot appeal to my Father to furnish me at this moment with over twelve legions of angels?
but the angel said to them, "Have no fear. This is good news I am bringing you, news of a great joy that is meant for all the People. To-day you have a saviour born in the town of David, the Lord messiah. read more. And here is a proof for you: you will find a baby wrapped up and lying in a stall for cattle." Then a host of heaven's army suddenly appeared beside the angel extolling God and saying,
When John's messengers had gone, he proceeded to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
He sent messengers in front of him. They went and entered a Samaritan village to make preparations for him,
So, I tell you, there will be joy in heaven over a single sinner who repents, more than over ninety-nine good people who do not need to repent.
So, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over a single sinner who repents."
Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died too, and was buried.
At the close of forty years an angel [of the Lord] appeared to him in the flames of a burning thorn-bush, in the desert of mount Sinai.
For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve, stood before me,
Therefore, in view of the angels, woman must wear a symbol of subjection on her head.
Are not all angels merely spirits in the divine service, commissioned for the benefit of those who are to inherit salvation?
Are not all angels merely spirits in the divine service, commissioned for the benefit of those who are to inherit salvation?
You have come to mount Sion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels in festal gathering,
You have come to mount Sion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels in festal gathering, to the assembly of the first-born registered in heaven, to the God of all as judge, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
For if God did not spare angels who had sinned, but committing them to pits of the nether gloom in Tartarus, reserved them under punishment for doom:
To the angel of the church at Ephesus write thus: ??These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who moves among the seven golden lampstands:
Then to the angel of the church at Smyrna write thus: ??These are the words of the First and Last, who was dead and came to life:
Then to the angel of the church at Pergamum write thus: ??These are the words of him who wields the sharp sword with the double edge:
And I saw a strong angel exclaiming with a loud voice, "Who is fit to open the scroll, to break the seals of it?"
Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying in mid-heaven with a loud cry, "Woe, woe, woe to the dwellers on earth, for the rest of the trumpet-blasts that the three angels are about to blow!"
And war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting with the dragon; the dragon and his angels also fought,
So the huge dragon was thrown down ??that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, the seducer of the whole world ??thrown down to the earth, and his angels thrown down along with him.
Then a strong angel lifted a boulder like a huge millstone and flung it into the sea, crying, "So shall the great city, Babylon, be hurled down, hurtling, and never be seen any more:
Then I fell before his feet to worship him; but he said to me, "No, not that! I am but a servant like yourself and your brothers, who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God" (for the testimony borne by Jesus is the breath of all prophecy).
Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, who shouted aloud to all the birds that fly in mid-heaven, "Come, gather for the great banquet of God,
I John saw and heard all this; and when I heard and saw it, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who had shown me it all. & 10] And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and genuine, for the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets has sent his angel to show his servants what must very soon come to pass.
But he said to me, "No, not that! I am but a servant like yourself and your brothers the prophets, who lay to heart 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/moffatt'>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).
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but after he had planned this, there appeared an angel of the Lord to him in a dream saying, "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary your wife home, for what is begotten in her comes from the holy Spirit.
At this the devil left him, and angels came up and ministered to him.
the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are angels.
the Son of man will despatch his angels, and they will gather out of his Realm all who are hindrances and who practise iniquity,
So will it be at the end of the world. The angels will go out and separate the evil from among the just
For the Son of man is coming in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward everyone for what he has done.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always look on the face of my Father in heaven.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always look on the face of my Father in heaven.
He will despatch his angels with a loud trumpet call to muster his elect from the four winds, from the verge of heaven to the verge of earth.
Now no one knows anything about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, but only my Father.
Then he will say to those on the left, 'Begone from me, you accursed ones, to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
What! do you think I cannot appeal to my Father to furnish me at this moment with over twelve legions of angels?
But a great earthquake took place; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and went and rolled away the boulder and sat on it.
But a great earthquake took place; an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and went and rolled away the boulder and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow.
His appearance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow. For fear of him the sentries shook and became like dead men;
For fear of him the sentries shook and became like dead men; but the angel addressed the women, saying, "Have no fear; I know you are looking for the crucified Jesus.
but the angel addressed the women, saying, "Have no fear; I know you are looking for the crucified Jesus. He is not here, he has risen, as he told you he would. See, here is the place where he [the Lord] lay. read more. Now be quick and go to his disciples, tell them he has risen from the dead and that 'he precedes you to Galilee; you shall see him there.' That is my message for you." Then they ran quickly from the tomb in fear and great joy, to announce the news to his disciples.
Now no one knows anything about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, not even the Son, but only the Father.
The angel replied, "I am Gabriel, I stand before God; I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazaret, to a maiden who was betrothed to a man called Joseph, belonging to the house of David. The maiden's name was Mary. read more. The angel went in and said to her, "Hail, O favoured one! the Lord be with you!" At this she was startled; she thought to herself, whatever can this greeting mean? But the angel said to her, "Fear not, Mary, you have found favour with God. You are to conceive and bear a son, and you must call his name Jesus. He will be great, he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father; he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and to his reign there will be no end." "How can this be?" said Mary to the angel, "I have no husband." The angel answered her, "The holy Spirit will come upon you, the power of the Most High will overshadow you; hence what is born will be called holy, Son of God. Look, there is your kinswoman Elizabeth! Even she has conceived a son in her old age, and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month; for with God nothing is ever impossible." Mary said, "I am here to serve the Lord. Let it be as you have said." Then the angel went away.
Then a host of heaven's army suddenly appeared beside the angel extolling God and saying,
the son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
When John's messengers had gone, he proceeded to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind?
For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
He sent messengers in front of him. They went and entered a Samaritan village to make preparations for him,
So, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over a single sinner who repents."
Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died too, and was buried.
for they cannot die any more; they are equal to angels and by sharing in the resurrection they are sons of God.
for they cannot die any more; they are equal to angels and by sharing in the resurrection they are sons of God.
for they cannot die any more; they are equal to angels and by sharing in the resurrection they are sons of God.
[And an angel from heaven appeared to strengthen him;
They were puzzling over this, when two men flashed on them in dazzling raiment.
and noticed two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet. "Woman," they said to her, "why are you sobbing?" She said, "Because they have taken away my master, and I do not know where they have put him!"
As he went up, their eyes were fixed on heaven; but just then two men stood beside them dressed in white,
As he went up, their eyes were fixed on heaven; but just then two men stood beside them dressed in white, who said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking up to heaven? This Jesus who has been taken from you into heaven will come back, just as you have seen him depart to heaven."
but an angel of the Lord opened the prison-doors during the night and brought them out, saying,
but an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south, along the road from Jerusalem to Gaza" (the desert-route).
About three o'clock in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God entering and saying to him, "Cornelius."
But an angel of the Lord flashed on him, and a light shone in the cell; striking Peter on the side he woke him, saying, "Quick, get up!" The fetters dropped from his hands,
and in a moment an angel of the Lord struck him, because he had not given due glory to God; he was eaten up by worms and so expired.
For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve, stood before me,
above all the angelic Rulers, Authorities, Powers, and Lords, above every Name that is to be named not only in this age but in the age to come ??22 he has put everything under his feet and set him as head over everything for the church,
Let no one lay down rules for you as he pleases, with regard to fasting and the cult of angels, presuming on his visions and inflated by his sensuous notions,
In the presence of God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels, I adjure you to be unprejudiced in carrying out these orders; be absolutely impartial.
and thus he is superior to the angels, as he has inherited a Name superior to theirs.
Are not all angels merely spirits in the divine service, commissioned for the benefit of those who are to inherit salvation?
Are not all angels merely spirits in the divine service, commissioned for the benefit of those who are to inherit salvation?
It was by faith that he celebrated the passover and performed the sprinkling by blood, so that the destroying angel might not touch Israel's first-born.
You have come to mount Sion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to myriads of angels in festal gathering, to the assembly of the first-born registered in heaven, to the God of all as judge, to the spirits of just men made perfect,
For if God did not spare angels who had sinned, but committing them to pits of the nether gloom in Tartarus, reserved them under punishment for doom:
Now the very archangel Michael, when he disputed the body of Moses with Satan, did not dare to condemn him with scoffs; what he said was, The Lord rebuke you!
As for the secret symbol of the seven stars which you have seen in my right hand, and of the seven golden lamp stands ??the seven stars are the angels of the seven churches, and the seven lampstands are the seven churches.
And war broke out in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting with the dragon; the dragon and his angels also fought,
So the huge dragon was thrown down ??that old serpent called the Devil and Satan, the seducer of the whole world ??thrown down to the earth, and his angels thrown down along with him.
Then I fell before his feet to worship him; but he said to me, "No, not that! I am but a servant like yourself and your brothers, who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God" (for the testimony borne by Jesus is the breath of all prophecy).
Hastings
ANGEL
1. Old Testament.
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but after he had planned this, there appeared an angel of the Lord to him in a dream saying, "Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary your wife home, for what is begotten in her comes from the holy Spirit.
When they caught sight of the star, they were intensely glad;
At this the devil left him, and angels came up and ministered to him.
the enemy who sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world, and the reapers are angels.
For the Son of man is coming in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will reward everyone for what he has done.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always look on the face of my Father in heaven.
See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you, their angels in heaven always look on the face of my Father in heaven.
At the resurrection people neither marry nor are married, they are like the angels of God in heaven.
He will despatch his angels with a loud trumpet call to muster his elect from the four winds, from the verge of heaven to the verge of earth.
Now no one knows anything about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, but only my Father.
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 say to those on the left, 'Begone from me, you accursed ones, to the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
What! do you think I cannot appeal to my Father to furnish me at this moment with over twelve legions of angels?
but the angel addressed the women, saying, "Have no fear; I know you are looking for the crucified Jesus.
and in the desert he remained for forty days, while Satan tempted him; he was in the company of wild beasts, but angels ministered to him.
Whoever is ashamed of me and my words in this disloyal and sinful generation, the Son of man will be ashamed of him when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.
The angel went in and said to her, "Hail, O favoured one! the Lord be with you!"
And after exhausting every kind of temptation the devil left him till a fit opportunity arrived.
For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, of him will the Son of man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
I tell you, whoever acknowledges me before men, the Son of man will acknowledge him before the angels of God; and he who disowns me before men will be disowned before the angels of God.
So, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over a single sinner who repents."
Now it happened that the poor man died, and he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom. The rich man died too, and was buried.
for they cannot die any more; they are equal to angels and by sharing in the resurrection they are sons of God.
and could not find his body, but they came to tell us they had actually seen a vision of angels who declared he was alive.
He said to him, "Truly, truly I tell you all, you shall see heaven open wide and God's angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man."
He said to him, "Truly, truly I tell you all, you shall see heaven open wide and God's angels ascending and descending upon the Son of man."
but an angel of the Lord opened the prison-doors during the night and brought them out, saying,
but an angel of the Lord opened the prison-doors during the night and brought them out, saying, "Go and stand in the temple, telling the people all about this Life."
At the close of forty years an angel [of the Lord] appeared to him in the flames of a burning thorn-bush, in the desert of mount Sinai.
but an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south, along the road from Jerusalem to Gaza" (the desert-route).
"Who are you?" he asked. "I am Jesus," he said, "and you persecute me.
About three o'clock in the afternoon he distinctly saw in a vision an angel of God entering and saying to him, "Cornelius."
He related to us how he had seen the angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa for Simon who is surnamed Peter;
But an angel of the Lord flashed on him, and a light shone in the cell; striking Peter on the side he woke him, saying, "Quick, get up!" The fetters dropped from his hands, and the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and put on your sandals." He did so. Then said the angel, "Put on your coat and follow me."
"You are mad," they said. But she insisted it was true. "It is his angel," they said.
and in a moment an angel of the Lord struck him, because he had not given due glory to God; he was eaten up by worms and so expired.
For while the Sadducees declare there is no such thing as resurrection, angels, or spirits, the Pharisees affirm them all. Thus a loud clamour broke out. Some of the scribes who belonged to the Pharisaic party got up and contended, "We find nothing wrong about this man. What if some spirit or angel has spoken to him?"
For last night an angel of the God I belong to and serve, stood before me, saying, 'Have no fear, Paul; you must stand before Caesar. And God has granted you the lives of all your fellow-voyagers.'
For I am certain neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future,
For it seems to me that God means us apostles to come in at the very end, like the doomed gladiators in the arena! We are made a spectacle to the world, to angels and to men!
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and also the cup of daemons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and also of the table of daemons.
Therefore, in view of the angels, woman must wear a symbol of subjection on her head.
no man put it into my hands, no man taught me what it meant, I had it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
Let no one lay down rules for you as he pleases, with regard to fasting and the cult of angels, presuming on his visions and inflated by his sensuous notions,
Let no one lay down rules for you as he pleases, with regard to fasting and the cult of angels, presuming on his visions and inflated by his sensuous notions,
and repay you who are troubled (as well as us) with rest and relief, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven together with the angels of his power
Now the very archangel Michael, when he disputed the body of Moses with Satan, did not dare to condemn him with scoffs; what he said was, The Lord rebuke you!
I John saw and heard all this; and when I heard and saw it, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who had shown me it all. & 10] And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and genuine, for the Lord God of the spirits of the prophets has sent his angel to show his servants what must very soon come to pass.
But he said to me, "No, not that! I am but a servant like yourself and your brothers the prophets, who lay to heart 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?
See Verses Found in Dictionary
What! do you think I cannot appeal to my Father to furnish me at this moment with over twelve legions of angels?
At the close of forty years an angel [of the Lord] appeared to him in the flames of a burning thorn-bush, in the desert of mount Sinai.
The Moses they refused, when they said, 'Who made you ruler and umpire?' ??that was the very man whom God sent to rule and to redeem them, by aid of the angel who had appeared to him in the bush.
"You are mad," they said. But she insisted it was true. "It is his angel," they said.
For while the Sadducees declare there is no such thing as resurrection, angels, or spirits, the Pharisees affirm them all.
Then what about the Law? Well, it was interpolated for the purpose of producing transgressions till such time as the Offspring arrived to whom the Promise was made; also, it was transmitted by means of angels through the agency of an intermediary
For we have to struggle, not with blood and flesh but with the angelic Rulers, the angelic Authorities, the potentates of the dark present, the spirit-forces of evil in the heavenly sphere.
Are not all angels merely spirits in the divine service, commissioned for the benefit of those who are to inherit salvation?
Never forget to be hospitable, for by hospitality some have entertained angels unawares.
while the angels who abandoned their own domain, instead of preserving their proper rank, are reserved by him within the nether gloom, in chains eternal, for the doom of the great Day ??7 just as Sodom and Gomorra and the adjacent cities, which similarly glutted themselves with vice and sensual perversity, are exhibited as a warning of the everlasting fire they are sentenced to suffer.
while the angels who abandoned their own domain, instead of preserving their proper rank, are reserved by him within the nether gloom, in chains eternal, for the doom of the great Day ??7 just as Sodom and Gomorra and the adjacent cities, which similarly glutted themselves with vice and sensual perversity, are exhibited as a warning of the everlasting fire they are sentenced to suffer.