Angels are God's
Messengers
Philip Muringoor
The late Mr Philip
Muringoor was one who was engaged in the ministry of the word, as a prayer
group leader in the Gulf countries. It is two years since he passed away.
We publish here an article of his, written before his death, for Vachanolsavam.
Let us pray that his soul may rest in peace.
-Editor
"He is the image of the
invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; for in him all things in
heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible"(Col 1:15-16).
The Holy Spirit is giving
us, through the above-mentioned word of God, a concise description of the
work of creation of the all-powerful God. These verses make it clear that
the work of creation took place in heaven and earth, and that there are
visible and invisible things in creation. The Creed which we recite daily
reveals this fact. "We believe in God the Father almighty. Creator of heaven
and earth, of all that is seen and unseen". The invisible cannot be easily
seen by human eyes. Only that which has an external form can be seen by
the naked eye. However, that which cannot be seen by the external eye,
can be seen by the power of the Holy Spirit.
"God gives it a body as
he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. Not all flesh is
alike, but there is one flesh for human beings, another for animals, another
for birds, and another for fish. There are both heavenly bodies and earthly
bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is one thing, and that of the earthly
is another"(1 Cor 15:38-40).
Invisible creatures
Angels are invisible creatures.
Yet, in several parts of the Bible it is recorded that angels speak to
human beings, and bring them messages from God. Though they are spirits,
they are capable of appearing in human form. We understand from the Book
of Tobit that Angels appear to man through visions.
"I was sent to you to test
you. And at the same time God sent me to heal you and Sarah your daughter-in-law.
I am Raphael, one of the seven Angels who stand ready and enter before
the glory of the Lord...I was not acting on my own will, but by the will
of God. Bless him each and everyday; sing his praises. Although you were
watching me, I really did not eat or drink anything-but what you saw was
a vision"(Tobit 12:14-19).
Angels are God's
messengers
The meaning of the Hebrew
"Mala'akh" and the Greek "Ang' ge lose" is messenger. Angels are God's
messengers. They sing his praises and obey his commands.
Names
There are seven denominations
of Angels. Yet only two are mentioned by name in the Bible -Cherubs (Gen
3:24) and Seraphs (Isa 6:2). Every angel has an individual name. They will
reveal their names only on an express order from God. This is so because
they are God's messengers, they work for him, in his name. There are occasions
mentioned in the Bible when the angels reveal their names and other times
when they do not. "Jacob asked him, 'Please tell me your name.' But he
said, 'Why is it that you ask my name?' And there he blessed him. So Jacob
called the place Pe-ni'el"'(Gen 32:29-30). In St Luke's Gospel the angel
Gabriel reveals his name to Zachariah, the priest and to the Virgin Mary.
In Joshua 5:14 and Judges 13:17-18 the angels do not reveal their names.
Individual names
In the Catholic Bible three
angels are known by their names.
Raphael
"Raphael was sent to heal
both of them"(cf Tob 3:17) Tobias looked for someone to accompany Tobit
to Media. He came across Raphael, an angel who was a messenger of God.
But Tobias did not realise that (cf Tob 5:4-5). "I am Raphael, one of the
seven angels who stand ready and enter before the glory of the Lord"(Tob:12:15).
Gabriel
"The angel replied, 'I am
Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak
to you and to bring you this good news'"(Lk 1:19). "In the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David"(Lk
1:26-27).
Michael Archangel
"At that time Michael, the
great prince, the protector of your people, shall arise. There shall be
a time of anguish, such as has never occurred since nations first came
into existence"(Dan 12:1).
"And war broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels
fought back"(Rev 12:7).
"When the archangel Michael
contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not
dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, 'The Lord
rebuke you!"'(Jude 1:9).
Creation
The angels were created
before man.
"On what were its bases
sunk, or who laid its cornerstone when the morning stars sang together
and all the heavenly beings shouted for joy"(Job 38:6-7)?. Mankind was
created as male and female. "God created humankind in his image, in the
image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed
them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth
and subdue it'"(Gen 1:27-28). Human beings multiplied through reproduction.
God's will was that the earth should be filled with divine life. Among
the angels there is no male or female. They do not need to be multiplied.
God has ordained individual creation in their regard. "Jesus answered them,
'You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of
God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but are like angels in heaven'"(Mt 22:29-30). Human bodies too will undergo
transformation at the resurrection with no distinction between male and
female.
"He will transform the body
of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by
the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself"(Phil
3:21). "What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood
cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the
imperishable. Listen, I will tell you a mystery! We will not all die, but
we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the
last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable,
and we will be changed"(1Cor 15:50-53).
Angels have their own
language.
"It I speak in the tongues
of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a
clanging cymbal"(1 Cor 13:1). Though angels have their own language, God
has given them the power to speak in the tongues of mortals and to exchange
ideas with them.
Angels constantly see
the face of God.
"Take care that you do not
despise one of these little ones; for, I tell you, in heaven their angels
continually see the face of my Father in heaven"(Mt 18:10-11).
Angels are in the presence
of God.
"The angel replied, 'I am
Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God'" (Lk 1:19).
Angels obey God's commands.
"Bless the Lord, you his
angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, obedient to his spoken word.
Bless the Lord, all his hosts, his ministers that do his will"(Ps 103:20-21).
They protect mankind.
"This poor soul cried, and
was heard by the Lord, and was saved from every trouble. The angel of the
Lord encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them"(Ps 3:6-7).
"For he will command his
angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways"(Ps 91:11-12).
"Then the high priest took
action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees),
being filled with jealousy, arrested the apostles and put them in the public
prison. But during the night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors,
brought them out, and said, 'Go, stand in the temple and tell the people,
the whole message about this life'".
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