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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As the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the Lord's messenger went up in it while Manoah and his wife watched. They fell facedown to the ground.
and a messenger came to Job, saying, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing beside them,
when the morning stars sang in chorus, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
His raging anger lashed out against them, He sent fury, rage, and trouble as messengers who bring disaster.
For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.
Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees and obey his orders!
Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees and obey his orders!
He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant.
Do not let your mouth cause you to sin, and do not tell the priest, "It was a mistake!" Why make God angry at you so that he would destroy the work of your hands?"
Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly.
Seraphs stood over him; each one had six wings. With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and they used the remaining two to fly. They called out to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord who commands armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!"
They called out to one another, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord who commands armies! His majestic splendor fills the entire earth!" The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke.
The sound of their voices shook the door frames, and the temple was filled with smoke. I said, "Too bad for me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies."
I said, "Too bad for me! I am destroyed, for my lips are contaminated by sin, and I live among people whose lips are contaminated by sin. My eyes have seen the king, the Lord who commands armies." But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs.
But then one of the seraphs flew toward me. In his hand was a hot coal he had taken from the altar with tongs.
My servant is truly blind, my messenger is truly deaf. My covenant partner, the servant of the Lord, is truly blind.
As I watched, I saw on the platform above the top of the cherubim something like a sapphire, resembling the shape of a throne, appearing above them.
A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened and the books were opened.
yes, while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, around the time of the evening offering. He spoke with me, instructing me as follows: "Daniel, I have now come to impart understanding to you. read more. At the beginning of your requests a message went out, and I have come to convey it to you, for you are of great value in God's sight. Therefore consider the message and understand the vision:
Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's word to the people: "I am with you!" says the Lord.
For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the Lord who rules over all.
"I am about to send my messenger, who will clear the way before me. Indeed, the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his temple, and the messenger of the covenant, whom you long for, is certainly coming," says the Lord who rules over all.
When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
This is the one about whom it is written: 'Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, who will prepare your way before you.'
It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous
"See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see 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 say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?
Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord. read more. This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger." Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along, they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him,
I tell you, in the same way there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to repent.
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents."
"Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me
For this reason a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him -- all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers -- all things were created through him and for him.
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?
But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly
But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect,
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment,
"To the angel of the church in Ephesus, write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has a firm grasp on the seven stars in his right hand -- the one who walks among the seven golden lampstands:
"To the angel of the church in Smyrna write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who is the first and the last, the one who was dead, but came to life:
"To the angel of the church in Pergamum write the following: "This is the solemn pronouncement of the one who has the sharp double-edged sword:
And I saw a powerful angel proclaiming in a loud voice: "Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?"
Then I looked, and I heard an eagle flying directly overhead, proclaiming with a loud voice, "Woe! Woe! Woe to those who live on the earth because of the remaining sounds of the trumpets of the three angels who are about to blow them!"
Then war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
So that huge dragon -- the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world -- was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him.
Then one powerful angel picked up a stone like a huge millstone, threw it into the sea, and said, "With this kind of sudden violent force Babylon the great city will be thrown down and it will never be found again!
So I threw myself down at his feet to worship him, but he said, "Do not do this! I am only a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Then I saw one angel standing in the sun, and he shouted in a loud voice to all the birds flying high in the sky: "Come, gather around for the great banquet of God,
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them, I threw myself down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me. But he said to me, "Do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey 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/net'>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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The Lord's angel found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert -- the spring that is along the road to Shur.
I will greatly multiply your descendants," the Lord's angel added, "so that they will be too numerous to count." Then the Lord's angel said to her, "You are now pregnant and are about to give birth to a son. You are to name him Ishmael, for the Lord has heard your painful groans.
Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
Abraham looked up and saw three men standing across from him. When he saw them he ran from the entrance of the tent to meet them and bowed low to the ground.
The two men turned and headed toward Sodom, but Abraham was still standing before the Lord.
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while Lot was sitting in the city's gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while Lot was sitting in the city's gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
So the men inside reached out and pulled Lot back into the house as they shut the door.
"The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and the land of my relatives, promised me with a solemn oath, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' He will send his angel before you so that you may find a wife for my son from there.
He answered, 'The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father's family.
and had a dream. He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it
So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him.
So Jacob was left alone. Then a man wrestled with him until daybreak.
So Jacob named the place Peniel, explaining, "Certainly I have seen God face to face and have survived."
For the Lord will pass through to strike Egypt, and when he sees the blood on the top of the doorframe and the two side posts, then the Lord will pass over the door, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses to strike you.
"I am going to send an angel before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared. Take heed because of him, and obey his voice; do not rebel against him, for he will not pardon your transgressions, for my name is in him.
So now go, lead the people to the place I have spoken to you about. See, my angel will go before you. But on the day that I punish, I will indeed punish them for their sin."
I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanite, the Amorite, the Hittite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite.
So when we cried to the Lord, he heard our voice and sent a messenger, and has brought us up out of Egypt. Now we are here in Kadesh, a town on the edge of your country.
When Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him holding a drawn sword. Joshua approached him and asked him, "Are you on our side or allied with our enemies?"
The commander of the Lord's army answered Joshua, "Remove your sandals from your feet, because the place where you stand is holy." Joshua did so.
The Lord's angelic messenger went up from Gilgal to Bokim. He said, "I brought you up from Egypt and led you into the land I had solemnly promised to give to your ancestors. I said, 'I will never break my agreement with you, but you must not make an agreement with the people who live in this land. You should tear down the altars where they worship.' But you have disobeyed me. Why would you do such a thing? read more. At that time I also warned you, 'If you disobey, I will not drive out the Canaanites before you. They will ensnare you and their gods will lure you away.'" When the Lord's messenger finished speaking these words to all the Israelites, the people wept loudly.
The Lord's angelic messenger came and sat down under the oak tree in Ophrah owned by Joash the Abiezrite. He arrived while Joash's son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress so he could hide it from the Midianites. The Lord's messenger appeared and said to him, "The Lord is with you, courageous warrior!"
The Israelites again did evil in the Lord's sight, so the Lord handed them over to the Philistines for forty years. There was a man named Manoah from Zorah, from the Danite tribe. His wife was infertile and childless. read more. The Lord's angelic messenger appeared to the woman and said to her, "You are infertile and childless, but you will conceive and have a son.
The Lord's angelic messenger appeared to the woman and said to her, "You are infertile and childless, but you will conceive and have a son. Now be careful! Do not drink wine or beer, and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. read more. Look, you will conceive and have a son. You must never cut his hair, for the child will be dedicated to God from birth. He will begin to deliver Israel from the power of the Philistines." The woman went and said to her husband, "A man sent from God came to me! He looked like God's angelic messenger -- he was very awesome. I did not ask him where he came from, and he did not tell me his name. He said to me, 'Look, you will conceive and have a son. So now, do not drink wine or beer and do not eat any food that will make you ritually unclean. For the child will be dedicated to God from birth till the day he dies.'" Manoah prayed to the Lord, "Please, Lord, allow the man sent from God to visit us again, so he can teach us how we should raise the child who will be born." God answered Manoah's prayer. God's angelic messenger visited the woman again while she was sitting in the field. But her husband Manoah was not with her. The woman ran at once and told her husband, "Come quickly, the man who visited me the other day has appeared to me!" So Manoah got up and followed his wife. When he met the man, he said to him, "Are you the man who spoke to my wife?" He said, "Yes." Manoah said, "Now, when your announcement comes true, how should the child be raised and what should he do?" The Lord's messenger told Manoah, "Your wife should pay attention to everything I told her. She should not drink anything that the grapevine produces. She must not drink wine or beer, and she must not eat any food that will make her ritually unclean. She should obey everything I commanded her to do." Manoah said to the Lord's messenger, "Please stay here awhile, so we can prepare a young goat for you to eat." The Lord's messenger said to Manoah, "If I stay, I will not eat your food. But if you want to make a burnt sacrifice to the Lord, you should offer it." (He said this because Manoah did not know that he was the Lord's messenger.) Manoah said to the Lord's messenger, "Tell us your name, so we can honor you when your announcement comes true." The Lord's messenger said to him, "You should not ask me my name, because you cannot comprehend it." Manoah took a young goat and a grain offering and offered them on a rock to the Lord. The Lord's messenger did an amazing thing as Manoah and his wife watched. As the flame went up from the altar toward the sky, the Lord's messenger went up in it while Manoah and his wife watched. They fell facedown to the ground. The Lord's messenger did not appear again to Manoah and his wife. After all this happened Manoah realized that the visitor had been the Lord's messenger.
When the angel extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from his judgment. He told the angel who was killing the people, "That's enough! Stop now!" (Now the Lord's angel was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.) When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the Lord, "Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep -- what have they done? Attack me and my family."
He stretched out and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
Now the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord -- and Satan also arrived among them.
and a messenger came to Job, saying, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys were grazing beside them,
If God puts no trust in his servants and attributes folly to his angels,
when the morning stars sang in chorus, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
The Lord's angel camps around the Lord's loyal followers and delivers them.
The Lord's angel camps around the Lord's loyal followers and delivers them.
Man ate the food of the mighty ones. He sent them more than enough to eat.
For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.
Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees and obey his orders!
He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant.
He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant.
My servant is truly blind, my messenger is truly deaf. My covenant partner, the servant of the Lord, is truly blind.
Through all that they suffered, he suffered too. The messenger sent from his very presence delivered them. In his love and mercy he protected them; he lifted them up and carried them throughout ancient times.
He answered, "But I see four men, untied and walking around in the midst of the fire! No harm has come to them! And the appearance of the fourth is like that of a god!"
Nebuchadnezzar exclaimed, "Praised be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent forth his angel and has rescued his servants who trusted in him, ignoring the edict of the king and giving up their bodies rather than serve or pay homage to any god other than their God!
While I was watching in my mind's visions on my bed, a holy sentinel came down from heaven.
As for the king seeing a holy sentinel coming down from heaven and saying, 'Chop down the tree and destroy it, but leave its taproot in the ground, with a band of iron and bronze around it, surrounded by the grass of the field. Let it become damp with the dew of the sky, and let it live with the wild animals, until seven periods of time go by for him' --
A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened and the books were opened.
Then a hand touched me and set me on my hands and knees.
However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one days. But Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was left there with the kings of Persia.
However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one days. But Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was left there with the kings of Persia.
He said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Now I am about to return to engage in battle with the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece is coming. However, I will first tell you what is written in a dependable book. (There is no one who strengthens me against these princes, except Michael your prince.
"At that time Michael, the great prince who watches over your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress unlike any other from the nation's beginning up to that time. But at that time your own people, all those whose names are found written in the book, will escape.
Then Haggai, the Lord's messenger, spoke the Lord's word to the people: "I am with you!" says the Lord.
Then I asked one nearby, "What are these, sir?" The angelic messenger who replied to me said, "I will show you what these are."
The riders then agreed with the angel of the Lord, who was standing among the myrtle trees, "We have been walking about on the earth, and now everything is at rest and quiet."
For the lips of a priest should preserve knowledge of sacred things, and people should seek instruction from him because he is the messenger of the Lord who rules over all.
When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.
and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers.
It will be this way at the end of the age. Angels will come and separate the evil from the righteous
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
"See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
"See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
"But as for that day and hour no one knows it -- not even the angels in heaven -- except the Father alone.
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?
Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.
Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him.
The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying. read more. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there.' Listen, I have told you!" So they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
"But as for that day or hour no one knows it -- 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 to bring you this good news.
In the sixth month of Elizabeth's pregnancy, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. read more. The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!" But she was greatly troubled by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. So the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God! Listen: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and you will name him 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 never end." Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with a man?" The angel replied, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God. "And look, your relative Elizabeth has also become pregnant with a son in her old age -- although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! For nothing will be impossible with God." So Mary said, "Yes, I am a servant of the Lord; let this happen to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.
Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
When John's messengers had gone, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind?
For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.
He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along, they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him,
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents."
"Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
In fact, they can no longer die, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
In fact, they can no longer die, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
In fact, they can no longer die, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
[Then an angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him.
While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men stood beside them in dazzling attire.
And she saw two angels in white sitting where Jesus' body had been lying, one at the head and one at the feet. They said to her, "Woman, why are you weeping?" Mary replied, "They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!"
As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them
As they were still staring into the sky while he was going, suddenly two men in white clothing stood near them and said, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand here looking up into the sky? This same Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will come back in the same way you saw him go into heaven."
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said,
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road.)
About three o'clock one afternoon he saw clearly 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 prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly!" And the chains fell off Peter's wrists.
Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.
For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me
far above every rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come.
for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him -- all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers -- all things were created through him and for him.
Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.
Before God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels, I solemnly charge you to carry out these commands without prejudice or favoritism of any kind.
Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs.
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?
By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of the blood, so that the one who destroyed the firstborn would not touch them.
But you have come to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the assembly and congregation of the firstborn, who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect,
For if God did not spare the angels who sinned, but threw them into hell and locked them up in chains in utter darkness, to be kept until the judgment,
But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses' body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, "May the Lord rebuke you!"
The mystery of the seven stars that you saw in my right hand and the seven golden 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, and the dragon and his angels fought back.
So that huge dragon -- the ancient serpent, the one called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world -- was thrown down to the earth, and his angels along with him.
So I threw myself down at his feet to worship him, but he said, "Do not do this! I am only a fellow servant with you and your brothers who hold to the testimony about Jesus. Worship God, for the testimony about Jesus is the spirit of prophecy."
Hastings
ANGEL
1. Old Testament.
See Verses Found in Dictionary
the sons of God saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days (and also after this) when the sons of God were having sexual relations with the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. They were the mighty heroes of old, the famous men.
I will greatly multiply your descendants," the Lord's angel added, "so that they will be too numerous to count."
So Hagar named the Lord who spoke to her, "You are the God who sees me," for she said, "Here I have seen one who sees me!"
Abraham then took some curds and milk, along with the calf that had been prepared, and placed the food before them. They ate while he was standing near them under a tree.
The Lord went on his way when he had finished speaking to Abraham. Then Abraham returned home.
The two angels came to Sodom in the evening while Lot was sitting in the city's gateway. When Lot saw them, he got up to meet them and bowed down with his face toward the ground.
At dawn the angels hurried Lot along, saying, "Get going! Take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or else you will be destroyed when the city is judged!"
But God heard the boy's voice. The angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and asked her, "What is the matter, Hagar? Don't be afraid, for God has heard the boy's voice right where he is crying.
"The Lord, the God of heaven, who took me from my father's house and the land of my relatives, promised me with a solemn oath, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' He will send his angel before you so that you may find a wife for my son from there.
He answered, 'The Lord, before whom I have walked, will send his angel with you. He will make your journey a success and you will find a wife for my son from among my relatives, from my father's family.
and had a dream. He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it
and had a dream. He saw a stairway erected on the earth with its top reaching to the heavens. The angels of God were going up and coming down it
So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him.
So Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him. When Jacob saw them, he exclaimed, "This is the camp of God!" So he named that place Mahanaim.
He commanded them, "This is what you must say to my lord Esau: 'This is what your servant Jacob says: I have been staying with Laban until now.
The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from within a bush. He looked -- and the bush was ablaze with fire, but it was not being consumed!
When the Lord saw that he had turned aside to look, God called to him from within the bush and said, "Moses, Moses!" And Moses said, "Here I am."
"I am going to send an angel before you to protect you as you journey and to bring you into the place that I have prepared.
Then I sent messengers from the Kedemoth Desert to King Sihon of Heshbon with an offer of peace:
by serving other gods and worshiping them -- the sun, moon, or any other heavenly bodies which I have not permitted you to worship.
He answered, "Truly I am the commander of the Lord's army. Now I have arrived!" Joshua bowed down with his face to the ground and asked, "What does my master want to say to his servant?"
From the sky the stars fought, from their paths in the heavens they fought against Sisera.
He sent messengers throughout Manasseh and summoned them to follow him as well. He also sent messengers throughout Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali, and they came up to meet him.
When you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the trees, act decisively. For at that moment the Lord is going before you to strike down the army of the Philistines."
So your servant said, 'May the word of my lord the king be my security, for my lord the king is like the angel of God when it comes to deciding between right and wrong! May the Lord your God be with you!'"
Your servant Joab did this so as to change this situation. But my lord has wisdom like that of the angel of God, and knows everything that is happening in the land."
When the angel extended his hand to destroy Jerusalem, the Lord relented from his judgment. He told the angel who was killing the people, "That's enough! Stop now!" (Now the Lord's angel was near the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.) When he saw the angel who was destroying the people, David said to the Lord, "Look, it is I who have sinned and done this evil thing! As for these sheep -- what have they done? Attack me and my family."
The old prophet then said, "I too am a prophet like you. An angel told me with the Lord's authority, 'Bring him back with you to your house so he can eat and drink.'" But he was lying to him.
He stretched out and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
He stretched out and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger touched him and said, "Get up and eat."
But the Lord's angelic messenger told Elijah the Tishbite, "Get up, go to meet the messengers from the king of Samaria. Say this to them: 'You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are on your way to seek an oracle from Baal Zebub the god of Ekron.
The Lord's angelic messenger 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, "O Lord, open his eyes so he can see." The Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw that the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Then Elisha prayed, "O Lord, open his eyes so he can see." The Lord opened the servant's eyes and he saw that the hill was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Queen Esther replied, "If I have met with your approval, O king, and if the king is so inclined, grant me my life as my request, and my people as my petition.
Now the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord -- and Satan also arrived among them.
Again the day came when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also arrived among them to present himself before the Lord.
If God puts no trust in his servants and attributes folly to his angels,
He draws near to the place of corruption, and his life to the messengers of death. If there is an angel beside him, one mediator out of a thousand, to tell a person what constitutes his uprightness;
A psalm of David. Acknowledge the Lord, you heavenly beings, acknowledge the Lord's majesty and power!
Taste and see that the Lord is good! How blessed is the one who takes shelter in him!
May their path be dark and slippery, as the Lord's angel chases them!
His raging anger lashed out against them, He sent fury, rage, and trouble as messengers who bring disaster.
a God who is honored in the great angelic assembly, and more awesome than all who surround him?
For he will order his angels to protect you in all you do.
Praise the Lord, you angels of his, you powerful warriors who carry out his decrees and obey his orders!
He makes the winds his messengers, and the flaming fire his attendant.
A king's wrath is like a messenger of death, but a wise person appeases it.
I heard the voice of the sovereign master say, "Whom will I send? Who will go on our behalf?" I answered, "Here I am, send me!"
Here is a message about Egypt: Look, the Lord rides on a swift-moving cloud and approaches Egypt. The idols of Egypt tremble before him; the Egyptians lose their courage.
At that time the Lord will punish the heavenly forces in the heavens and the earthly kings on the earth.
Look, ambassadors cry out in the streets; messengers sent to make peace weep bitterly.
"To whom can you compare me? Whom do I resemble?" says the Holy One. Look up at the sky! Who created all these heavenly lights? He is the one who leads out their ranks; he calls them all by name. Because of his absolute power and awesome strength, not one of them is missing.
I post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they should keep praying all day and all night. You who pray to the Lord, don't be silent!
I post watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they should keep praying all day and all night. You who pray to the Lord, don't be silent!
As he spoke to me, a wind came into me and stood me on my feet, and I heard the one speaking to me. He said to me, "Son of man, I am sending you to the house of Israel, to rebellious nations who have rebelled against me; both they and their fathers have revolted against me to this very day. read more. The people to whom I am sending you are obstinate and hard-hearted, and you must say to them, 'This is what the sovereign Lord says.'
He said to me, "Son of man, eat what you see in front of you -- eat this scroll -- and then go and speak to the house of Israel." So I opened my mouth and he fed me the scroll. read more. He said to me, "Son of man, feed your stomach and fill your belly with this scroll I am giving to you." So I ate it, and it was sweet like honey in my mouth. 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 and difficult language, but to the house of Israel -- not to many peoples of unintelligible speech and difficult language, whose words you cannot understand -- surely if I had sent you to them, they would listen to you!
Then a wind lifted me up and I heard a great rumbling sound behind me as the glory of the Lord rose from its place,
"And you, son of man, take a brick and set it in front of you. Inscribe a city on it -- Jerusalem.
In the sixth year, in the sixth month, on the fifth of the month, as I was sitting in my house with the elders of Judah sitting in front of me, the hand of the sovereign Lord seized me.
While I listened, he said to the others, "Go through the city after him and strike people down; do no let your eye pity nor spare anyone!
Next I noticed the man dressed in linen with the writing kit at his side bringing back word: "I have done just as you commanded me."
Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and said to me, "Say: This is what the Lord says: 'This is what you are thinking, O house of Israel; I know what goes through your minds.
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 the city was struck down, on this very day, the hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me there.
When he brought me there, I saw a man whose appearance was like bronze, with a linen cord and a measuring stick in his hand. He was standing in the gateway.
But those three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell into the furnace of blazing fire while still securely bound.
While I was watching in my mind's visions on my bed, a holy sentinel came down from heaven. He called out loudly as follows: 'Chop down the tree and lop off its branches! Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit! Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches!
He called out loudly as follows: 'Chop down the tree and lop off its branches! Strip off its foliage and scatter its fruit! Let the animals flee from under it and the birds from its branches!
This announcement is by the decree of the sentinels; this decision is by the pronouncement of the holy ones, so that those who are alive may understand that the Most High has authority over human kingdoms, and he bestows them on whomever he wishes. He establishes over them even the lowliest of human beings.'
Then I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It called out, "Gabriel, enable this person to understand the vision."
However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one days. But Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was left there with the kings of Persia.
However, the prince of the kingdom of Persia was opposing me for twenty-one days. But Michael, one of the leading princes, came to help me, because I was left there with the kings of Persia.
He said, "Do you know why I have come to you? Now I am about to return to engage in battle with the prince of Persia. When I go, the prince of Greece is coming. However, I will first tell you what is written in a dependable book. (There is no one who strengthens me against these princes, except Michael your prince.
Lend your aid and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves to that place." Bring down, O Lord, your warriors!
Lend your aid and come, all you surrounding nations, and gather yourselves to that place." Bring down, O Lord, your warriors!
I was attentive that night and saw a man seated on a red horse that stood among some myrtle trees in the ravine. Behind him were red, sorrel, and white horses. Then I asked one nearby, "What are these, sir?" The angelic messenger who replied to me said, "I will show you what these are."
Then I asked one nearby, "What are these, sir?" The angelic messenger who replied to me said, "I will show you what these are." Then the man standing among the myrtle trees spoke up and said, "These are the ones whom the Lord has sent to walk about on the earth."
On that day the Lord himself will defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the weakest among them will be like mighty David, and the dynasty of David will be like God, like the angel of the Lord before them.
Then you will escape through my mountain valley, for the mountains will extend to Azal. Indeed, you will flee as you fled from the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah. Then the Lord my God will come with all his holy ones with him.
What follows is divine revelation. The word of the Lord came to Israel through Malachi:
When he had contemplated this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
When they saw the star they shouted joyfully.
Then the devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to his needs.
and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
For the Son of Man will come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done.
"See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.
"See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see 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.
And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
"But as for that day and hour no one knows it -- not even the angels in heaven -- except the Father alone.
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?
But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
He was in the wilderness forty days, enduring temptations from Satan. He was with wild animals, and angels were ministering to his needs.
For if anyone is ashamed of me and 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."
The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!"
So when the devil had completed every temptation, he departed from him until a more opportune time.
For whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person 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 also acknowledge before God's angels. But the one who denies me before men will be denied before God's angels.
In the same way, I tell you, there is joy in the presence of God's angels over one sinner who repents."
"Now the poor man died and was carried by the angels to Abraham's side. The rich man also died and was buried.
In fact, they can no longer die, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, since they are sons of the resurrection.
and when they did not find his body, they came back and said they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive.
He continued, "I tell all of you the solemn truth -- you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
He continued, "I tell all of you the solemn truth -- you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man."
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said,
But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the prison, led them out, and said, "Go and stand in the temple courts and proclaim to the people all the words of this life."
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, "Get up and go south on the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza." (This is a desert road.)
So he said, "Who are you, Lord?" He replied, "I am Jesus whom you are persecuting!
About three o'clock one afternoon he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God who came in and said to him, "Cornelius."
He informed us how he had seen an angel standing in his house and saying, 'Send to Joppa and summon Simon, who is called Peter,
Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the prison cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up, saying, "Get up quickly!" And the chains fell off Peter's wrists. The angel said to him, "Fasten your belt and put on your sandals." Peter did so. Then the angel said to him, "Put on your cloak and follow me."
But they said to her, "You've lost your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was Peter, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!"
Immediately an angel of the Lord struck Herod down because he did not give the glory to God, and he was eaten by worms and died.
(For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.) There was a great commotion, and some experts in the law from the party of the Pharisees stood up and protested strongly, "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?"
For last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve came to me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul! You must stand before Caesar, and God has graciously granted you the safety of all who are sailing with you.'
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor heavenly rulers, nor things that are present, nor things to come, nor powers,
For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to die, because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to people.
You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot take part in the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
For this reason a woman should have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels.
For I did not receive it or learn it from any human source; instead I received it by a revelation of Jesus Christ.
for all things in heaven and on earth were created by him -- all things, whether visible or invisible, whether thrones or dominions, whether principalities or powers -- all things were created through him and for him.
Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.
Let no one who delights in humility and the worship of angels pass judgment on you. That person goes on at great lengths about what he has supposedly seen, but he is puffed up with empty notions by his fleshly mind.
and to you who are being afflicted to give rest together with us when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels.
But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses' body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment, but said, "May the Lord rebuke you!"
I, John, am the one who heard and saw these things, and when I heard and saw them, I threw myself down to worship at the feet of the angel who was showing them to me. But he said to me, "Do not do this! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets, and with those who obey 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 humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose.
"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you possess understanding!
when the morning stars sang in chorus, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
God has countless chariots; they number in the thousands. The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor.
A river of fire was streaming forth and proceeding from his presence. Many thousands were ministering to him; Many tens of thousands stood ready to serve him. The court convened and the books were opened.
Then I heard a human voice coming from between the banks of the Ulai. It called out, "Gabriel, enable this person to understand the vision."
yes, while I was still praying, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen previously in a vision, was approaching me in my state of extreme weariness, around the time of the evening offering.
However, I will first tell you what is written in a dependable book. (There is no one who strengthens me against these princes, except Michael your prince.
Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?
"After forty years had passed, an angel appeared to him in the desert of Mount Sinai, in the flame of a burning bush.
This same Moses they had rejected, saying, 'Who made you a ruler and judge?' God sent as both ruler and deliverer through the hand of the angel who appeared to him in the bush.
But they said to her, "You've lost your mind!" But she kept insisting that it was Peter, and they kept saying, "It is his angel!"
(For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, or angel, or spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.)
Why then was the law given? It was added because of transgressions, until the arrival of the descendant to whom the promise had been made. It was administered through angels by an intermediary.
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavens.
Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Do not neglect hospitality, because through it some have entertained angels without knowing it.
You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day.
You also know that the angels who did not keep within their proper domain but abandoned their own place of residence, he has kept in eternal chains in utter darkness, locked up for the judgment of the great Day.