All Christians and many people who do not live a spiritual life believe in
angels. However, let us point out: what do we know exactly about these
creatures and what does the Holy Scripture say about them? Here are 9 biblical
facts about angels.
1.
Messengers
The angels’ role is already explained in their name.
The word “angel” is Greek by its origin and it means “herald”. Angels bring us
messages from God, announce His will to us and tell us about His decisions. Angels
are service spirits, ambassadors and postmen of the great King. In the Holy
Scripture, it is stated several times about how the angels were sent to people
to bring them the answers to their prayers. It the book of Daniel we read: “And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly
beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I
have now been sent to you.” While he was speaking this word to me, I stood
trembling. Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day
that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God,
your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. But the prince of
the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of
the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the
kings of Persia. Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to
your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come”
(Daniel 10:11-14).
2.
Angels’ Hierarchy
As we can see in the text above, a fallen angel named
in the text as the Persian prince, prevented God’s angel from coming to Daniel.
Only the help of the more powerful angel – Archangel Michael, who is one of
“the first princes” – made it possible for the angel to complete his mission.
The tradition says, and the Scriptere proves it as well, that there is a
certain angelic hierarchy, which is fully subject to the King of Glory –
Christ. So, the being of angels is hierarchical “for God is not the author of confusion but of peace” (1 Corinthians
14:33).
3. There
are good and bad ones
The previous point stated that there are God’s angels,
which are good, and there are evil ones – the fallen angels – which did not
preserve their high spiritual dignity but have certain advantages because of
their spiritual nature. This is why we should remember that not any
spirituality comes from God and consequently, far not any spirituality is safe
and beneficial. Lord Jesus Christ says about satan, the main fallen angel: “You are of your father the devil, and the
desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning,
and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he
speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father
of it” (John 8:44). In another excerpt, He says: “And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold,
I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the
power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you” (Luke 10:18-19).
From the Scripture it is also known that “Satan
himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
This is why we must stay always prudent and remember about the words of Apostle
John the Theologian: “Beloved, do not
believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because
many false prophets have gone out into the world” (1 John 4:1).
4.
Service
Angels serve God. One of the main parts of their
service is the service to God’s supreme creature – the human being. “Are they not all ministering spirits sent
forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14) “For He
shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways” (Psalm
91:11).
5.
Material and other help
If there is a necessity, angels can not only protect
us from the devil and announce God’s will, but also help us in case of a
material need. We can see an example in the story of the Prophet Elijah and in
the life stories of many other saints: “But
he himself went a day’s journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down
under a broom tree. And he prayed that he might die, and said, “It is enough!
Now, Lord, take my life, for I am no better than my fathers!” Then as he lay
and slept under a broom tree, suddenly an angel touched him, and said to him,
“Arise and eat.” Then he looked, and there by his head was a cake baked on coals,
and a jar of water. So he ate and drank, and lay down again. And the angel of
the Lord came back the second time, and touched him, and said, “Arise and eat,
because the journey is too great for you.” (1 Kings 19:4-7).
6. Joy
about people’s salvation
Being bright and good creatures, angels rejoice about
every sinful person who reaches salvation. The Lord Himself said: “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the
presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).
7. Angels
are praying all the time
Angels are the ceaseless servants of God’s glory and they
are constantly praising our common Creator. “I
saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe
filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he
covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one
cried to another and said: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole
earth is full of His glory!” (Isaiah 6:1-3)
8. Angels
must not be worshiped
Angels and all the heavenly powers are just the same
creatures of God as we people are. Although they are the first minds and are
always close to our Lord Jesus Christ, they are still the elements of the created world. This part of the creation is more exquisite than out rough
material world. We can worship only God, our Creator. Here is what the angel
said to Apostle John when the latter intended to bow to him: “And I fell at his feet to worship him. But
he said to me, “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow servant, and of
your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony
of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Revelation 19:10).
9. Angels
must be honored
Despite the fact that in no case we can worship angels
like God, the Scripture and the Church Tradition call us upon to honor angels
and pay to them liturgical signs of respect such as bows, censing in
front of the icons of angels and appealing to them in prayers. The Scripture testifies
about the religious usage of the images of angels in the Tabernacle and the
Temple: “You shall make a veil woven of
blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with
an artistic design of cherubim. You shall hang it upon the four pillars of
acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of
silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the
ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for
you between the holy place and the Most Holy” (Exodus 26:31-33).
In the Book of Exodus, we read that God Himself ordered
to create the images of angels and that He appeared among the images of
cherubims: “And there I will meet with
you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two
cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will
give you in commandment to the children of Israel” (Exodus 25:22). Asking
angels for help, we must remember that we ask them to pray to God from our
behalf, but it is only God Who gives His blessing and answers to our questions,
since everything happens only by His holy will.
By John Nichiporuk,
a Bachelor of Theology, a student of
the Minsk Theological Academy .
The Catalog Of Good Deeds, 2018
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