Today’s blog is something I believe
is extremely cool and interesting. One that doesn’t get so much attention in
the protestant west, and though there are many references to Angels in scripture
we don’t really get the full picture of angels. We know they exist; we know
that God created them, we know that some fell into sin and rejection, but what
about their presence? What about why they are designed the way they are? We
know that God must have a purpose for their presence. We know that God doesn’t
do anything without an intention. Therefore, it is safe to say that angels are
important. Even in religions outside of Christianity we see the acceptance of
these beings. Angels even get a lot of attention though in the media and television
in general. We have had shows like Angels in the Outfield, Touched by an Angel
and Highway to Heaven to name a few. But I dare say people cannot name the
ranks of angels, the titles of various angels, and even the meaning the word
angel. Today we look at what the Orthodox Church says about angels and why they
are important to the salvation of the world.
Angels themselves are messengers.
In fact, the meaning of the word is just that, messenger. In doing so, we understand
that this means that angels were there from the very beginning and were sent to
be the helpers to mankind. They are there to provide us with a guide to God.
They are not to be worshipped, or given sacrifice to, and you certainly would
not want to mess with them if you are an enemy of God. The first known scriptural
reference to angels comes from the Garden of Eden, when God places a cherubim
with a flaming sword at the entrance to the Garden after Adam and Eve’s fall
(Genesis 3:24). From there Abraham has an encounter with an Angel in Genesis 24
when he sends his servant out to retrieve Rebekah for Isaac. Jacob the son of
Isaac saw angels both when he was asleep and awake. He fought an Angel of the
Lord and was only defeated when the angel took his hip out of socket. The Psalms,
Job, and other books of the Bible reference angels in such a way that they form
the Council of God, the council which helps God govern the world. In 1 Kings 22:19-23,
we see that God takes the advisement of the angels under consideration on how
to deal with Ahab, though God knew everything that was to take place. Daniel
sees the thrones of these angels placed before God as they decided the fate of
the empires. All of this is to show that angels have a place in helping God
shape the fate of mankind and are his servants to do his bidding. They as a
sign of God’s abundant love are allowed to share in God’s rule over the
universe, though God as the Most High does not need them. They then share in the glory of announcing the
births of St. John the Forerunner, and Jesus Christ himself. Eventually in the
book of revelation they are used to pass judgement on the world for the sins
committed by the people. All in all, the angels have been there since the
beginning and are God’s servants. They are his messengers both of good tidings
and judgement.
As I stated
they have been there since the beginning. In the Nicene Creed, the Symbol of
Faith, we say, I believe in God the Father Almighty, creator of Heaven and
Earth, and of all things both seen and unseen. It’s not every day one sees an
angel. Though I have referenced scripture as to when mankind has been granted a
vision of an angel, for most people they will never see the unseen world. St.
Ambrose, St. Gregory the Great, St. Jerome, and other great early church fathers
all say that Angels were created long before the creation of the world and
already stood before the throne when the universe was created. They were also given the ability to be incorporeal,
meaning they do not have fleshly bodies, and are not confined by time and space
as us humans are. Though they do not have the ability to be in two places at once,
they can travel great distances an a single moment. St. Peter says they have
power and strength that surpasses all earthly authority. They are not bound to
this world like we are. They are there for a single purpose, to guide mankind
and to serve God with all their heart. They do this freely and openly and to
reject God brings about their downfall like the third of the angels who fell
with Satan. They are not all knowing, and the best example of this is when St.
Gabriel the Archangel appears to Mary and announces that she will conceive the
Son of God. St. Gabriel for the first time was hearing the salvation of the
world, just like Mary was. That is why he was so amazed at the love of God in
the Gospel of Luke. And lastly, we get to the heart of this article, the ranks
of angels. We know that heaven is a kingdom and within a kingdom there is a hierarchy.
This is mirrored in the church, with the ranks of patriarchs, archbishops, metropolitans,
bishops, priests, deacons, subdeacons, and readers. So too the ranks of angels
are divided into a hierarchy and are grouped according to the purpose that they
serve within the divine plan of God.
The
first set of angels, the first hierarchy of angels is simple enough. These are
the closest to God and the throne of God. The Seraphim, of whom St. Seraphim of
Sarov, the saint I was named after was granted this name. They are the closest
to God and the closest to the throne. They are said to be flames of fire,
because of their closeness to God. The
are kindled by their love of God and they also kindle the flame of love for God
in others. That is their purpose-to light the world on fire for God and bring
the love of God into the hearts of all men. The Cherubim are the second highest
in the order of angels and stand continuously before the throne of God. They
kindle the wisdom and understanding of God to the people, and are constantly filled
with understanding and knowledge from God himself. They enlighten the eyes of
the soul and show the truth of God to others.
The thrones, the third of this first hierarchy are the ones who
mystically bear God on his throne. They are given the grace and office of bearing
God upon his throne, and in doing so, have a special connection to God through
this office. They pour out his power, his justice to the world. God is a just God
and in doing so he must dispense justice upon the world to maintain the world.
The
second hierarchy of angels are the powers, dominions, and principalities. The
powers are so named because they have authority and power over the evil ones.
They are called to help those who are tempted by the evil one to resist that
power and to dwell in the light of God. The powers are called to strengthen
those who live an ascetical life, like the monks who pray without ceasing. The dominions
are those who having abandoned fear and restraint are able to have dominion
over the other angels and serve God with joy. They control the passions of
mankind, and help people to understand their place within God’s kingdom. They
give wise management to the rulers of the world, though many rulers reject this
counsel. They help to teach us how to subdue our thoughts and desires and
replace them with God’s thoughts and desires for our lives. The principalities,
also called authorities are those who direct and guide the lower ranks of
angels into completing and conforming to the divine will of God. They do not
seek honor or glory for themselves, but rather want to spread the glory of God
in all the lands and principalities of the world. They help teach us to submit
to the authority of the church, and of the government and are charged with maintaining
all the lands of earth.
The third
hierarchy is that of the virtues, archangels, and angels. The virtues are those
who fulfill the full power of God with strength and vigor. They help heal the
sick, send divine grace down to the saints to perform miracles, and at the
request of God, they too perform their own miracles. They help maintain the
obedience that is placed on people to their superiors and help carry the
burdens placed on them. Thus they give courage to those who would otherwise
faint without the help of God through them. The archangels are those who spread the good
news to the people of the world. There are seven which I shall detail in the
next paragraph. These are the messengers of the gospel of God. They reveal the prophecies and knowledge of
God. They give their messages to the lower rank of angels and through them to
men. The angels are the lowest class of the ranks of angels. They are the bodiless powers of heaven and
the messengers of God. They relay the messages God wants for his people to all
mankind. Thus being the lowest of the
ranks they are the closest to mankind.
I said I
would discuss the archangels a little more before I ended this blog. And I shall.
There are seven archangels of which we have a name and those are the ones that
we will focus on. St. Michael and St. Gabriel are the two most well-known of
the archangels. St. Michael is known through Holy Tradition to have been
instrumental in several key old testament events, including: appearing to Joshua
at Jericho, helping Gabriel defeat the Persians, being the pillar of smoke and
fire that led the Israelites out of Egypt, smiting 185,000 Assyrians, protecting
the three Holy Youths in the fiery furnace, transporting Habakkuk to the lions
den to feed Daniel, and contesting with the devil over the body of Moses. He
also saved a young man cast to sea by robbers on Mount Athos. He saved the
church of Colossae by carrying a cross and diverting two rivers that were meant
to destroy the church underwater and protecting the Christians there in that city.
Gabriel is the leader of the heavenly hosts, and though Michael is the general
of God’s army, Gabriel is the leader of the host. He was sent to give Moses the
ability to write Genesis, he foretold the birth of Mary to Joachim and Anna, he
announced the birth of Christ to Mary and to St. Joseph. Gabriel announced the
resurrection to the myrrh-bearing women on the third day. He taught Joseph in
Egypt the seventy languages with which to be the second in command to Pharoah,
though it is not recorded in scripture. The name of Raphael is completely contained
within the Book of Tobit, probably a book unfamiliar to my protestant readers.
There is too much to relay here, but he guided Tobit in his life and helped him
with many miracles as Tobit completed his journey to God. It is also said that
at the pool of Bethesda that Raphael was the one who would stir the waters so
that one might be healed. Uriel is another of the four great archangels. While
not much is known about Uriel, it is said that along with other three
archangels he surrounds the throne of God. His missions are not detailed in any
writing that I can find, nor in scripture, but his existence is confirmed by
the number of orthodox writers who have detailed his name and status as an
archangel. The other archangels are Salathiel, Jehudial, and Barachiel. This we
get from the history and writings of the church.
The
angels are an important part of the world around us. We may not see them, we
may not be able to understand that they are there, but we must accept their
presence in our lives. May we pray that God will show us the unseen world for
the benefit of our salvation, and for the love of mankind. I pray that all the
angels will intercede for us on our behalf before the throne of God and that
the love they have for God will enter us.
Amen.
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