Angels Essay, Research Paper

“Angels are spirits,” proclaimed St.Augustine! St. Thomas Aquinas believed that

angels were pure spirit, having no matter or mass, and taking up no space; but Thomas believed

angels could assume bodies at will. The purpose of angels is the same as mankind: to love and

serve the Lord. However, being that angels are not material beings, and possibly from a different

dimension, they can serve the Lord in many different ways. Angels have far greater will and

intellect than we have. Whereas mankind must sift through and experiment with natural laws,

angels can grasp all natural laws with a single thought. Eventually we find that angels cannot

work miracles, but they can perform many special effects that appear miraculous, such as

protecting Daniel from the lions in Daniel 6. When angels appear to man, they usually appear

with wings, but the wings are not the method of locomotion. The angels seem to slip in and out

of the fourth dimension; thus travel is more or less instantaneous.

The primary general duty of angels is as messengers of God. (The word “angel” means

messenger in Greek.) But angels can do God’s chores, such as busting Peter out of jail in Acts 5,

or destroying Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. But some angels obey only the devil, and

those angels are known as “demons”, as is Satan himself. Satan had been an angel, but decided to

do his own thing. Angels can see all aspects of a situation instantly, since they are so very wise.

Angels, and the dimensions they live in, were apparently created before our visible world

and universe. (The Bible tells us inGenesis ch.1-2 that mankind was created (or evolved) last.)

The number of angels are countless. One reason they are countless is that the Bible holds that

each person who is or has lived, in the universe, has a guardian angel (Matthew 18:10).

Additionally, some people who have died may have been transformed into lower angels.

Many people witness “small miracles”, and attribute them to God, when, in fact, angels

may likely author the event. Speaking of miracles, some people believe that the reason more

asteroids don’t hit and damage planets is because each planet also has a guardian angel. In this

school of thought, we owe our very existence to angels guiding our destiny.

There are many stories of loved ones appearing after they have died and helping the

loved ones. Possibly the loved one never did appear; possibly the loved ones physical appearance

was taken over by an angel. The Bible tells us to respect strangers, as they may actually be

disguised angels, as in Genesis 19 and Hebrews 13:2. They also intercede for us before God, such

as was proposed in Job 33:23, and Psalms80:1-2.

ANGELIC ORGANIZATION: There are three hierarchies of angels: the Supreme

Hierarchy, the Middle Hierarchy, and the Lower Hierarchy. Within each hierarchy there are three

choirs (or ranks) of angels making a total of nine choirs. The choirs within the hierarchies differ

because of angelic form rather than matter or quantity within the choir. The Supreme Hierarchy is

always in God’s inner circle, meditating on Him. The Middle Hiearchy keeps the universe running

according to God’s physical laws. The lower hirarchy carries out particular tasks.

SUPREME HIERARCHY: The Seraphim (Singular, Seraph) is the first choir of the

Supreme hierarchy. The name means “the burning ones”,or “ardor”. They sit at God’s throne, or

a little above it, and unceasingly sing praise to Him, and bear light and love to lesser angels. The

Seraphim are completely ruled by divine love, for there is nothing more important than love

according to 1 Corinthians13:13. Isaiah 6:2 tells us the Seraphim have three sets of wings, one

set to cover the face out of reverence, one set to cover the feet out of modesty and respect, and

one set to fly with. (But as I previously wrote, they don’t actually use their wings to fly.)

The Cherubim (singular, Cherub) is the second choir of the Supreme Hierarchy. The

Cherubim sit beside God’s throne and act as throne bearers, keeping unwanted entities away.

(This is illustrated in Catholic Bibles, in Ecclesiasticus ch.49.) They have a great insight of God’s

secrets, and the workings of the universe. Exodus ch.25 also tell us that the Cherubim guard

churches and tombs. Ezekiel ch.10 tell us the Cherubim have four faces, four wings, and four

hands. Whereas the Seraphim are angels of love, the Cherubim are angels of wisdom, and provide

wisdom to the lower angels. Satan was most probably a Cherub before he fell and became the

Devil; thus, only God and the Seraphim can overcome the Devil. A Cherub probably also closed

the Garden of Eden. Beelzebul may also be a Cherub, since he is next in rank to Satan.

Beelzebul’s name is peppered throughout the gospels. The Thrones are the lowest choir of the

highest hierarchy. Their main characteristics are submission and peace. Since they are of the

highest order of angels they have the exalted dignity and glory of being closer to God than most

of the other angels. This being the case, the divine mysteries are also brought to them before

most of the other angels. The purpose of the thrones is to convey God’s spirit to the lesser angels.

A very detailed description of them appears in Ezekiel Ch. 1. See also Colossians 1:16.

MIDDLE HIERARCHY: The highest order of the middle hierarchy are the

Dominations (sometimes called Dominions). They rule over the angelic orders charged with the

execution of God’s commands, and maintenance of God’s authority. The Dominations enjoy a

certain unbounded elevation to the supernatural, and are immune to discord and tyranny. They

are true Lords, not turning themselves towards vain shadows, but wholly giving themselves to

God. See Colossians1:16, Ephesians 1:21, and 1 Peter 3:22 (in some versions).

The second order are the Sovereignties (often called theVirtues or Rulers). Their

primary duty is to carry out the orders of the Dominations; therefore, they have wide powers in

heaven and the physical universe, although many of their orders are carried out (in turn) by the

lesser angels. The Sovereign’s strength is in its courage to give all of its energies to God’s will.

The Sovereign Angel demonstrates virtue flowing forth to those angels of lesser rank, thereby

filling those lesser angels with virtue. See Ephesians 1:21, 1 Corinthians 15:24, and Colossians

1:16 (someversions).

The lowest order of the middle hierarchy are the Powers. A Power Angel seemingly has

great reception and regulation of intellectual and supernatural power. It can lead, beneficially,

angels of lower rank to God. Provided the Power angel is a “loyalist” to God, his duties would be

to fight evil spirits. There is evidence that many of the Power angels decided to follow Satan, and

are no longer holy. See Ephesians 1:21, 3:10, 6:12, 1 Peter 3:22, Colossians 1:16, and(in a

Catholic Bible) Daniel 3:61.

LOWER HIERARCHY: The highest order of the lowest angels are the Principalities.

(Some newer Bibles refer to them as Authorities.) They are augustly in their authoritative ways.

Unlike the other orders of angels, the Principalities are made in the likeness of God, as is also true

of mankind; therefore, a Principality has the closest appearance to mankind. One of their

purposes is to be leaders to the two lower choirs of angels. The other purpose is to help mankind

through the protection of the earthly nations, and the ultimate destinies of our souls. If you ever

meet a Principality angel, find out who’s side it is on. It is believed that this choir is the primary

source of Satan’s diciples. It is also believed that the Principalities that jumped ship for Satan are

what is discussed in Jude 1:6. Another warning about them comes in Ephesians 6:12. But take

heart: most of the Principalities are loyalists, as in any other angelic choir. See also Colossians

1:16, Ephesians 1:21, and1 Peter 3:22 (in some versions).

The middle order are the Archangels. The Archangels are the best known of all the

angels, if for no other reason than they materialize on earth more often. As the name implies, the

Archangls are to provide guidance, and are leaders of the angels in the next choir down. They

also seem to be entrusted with the more important missions of mankind, and are the guardian

angels of important people such as religious and political leaders. They protect and defend the

church, probably receiving their orders from the Cherubim and Power angels. We even have

some specific names in this choir. Archangel Michael first appears in Daniel 10:13, and again in

10:21 and 12:1. Michael’s primary duty seems to be in fighting Satan, although he cannot win

because Satan and his cohorts outrank him; so Michael must continually seek help from God and

the Seraphim in his fight. Even so, Michael is usually called upon to lead souls to heaven, as well

as being invoked during exorcisms. The name Michael means “Who is as God?”, and that is his

war cry as he attacks Satan and his cohorts. Archangel Michael is the guardian angel of the

Israelites. Archangel Gabriel is first mentioned inDaniel 8:16, and 9:21,26. Practically all of his

appearances are connected with the coming of the Messiah, but he also announced the conception

of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19,26) . His conversations in Luke also show Gabriel’s wisdom, tact,

and adroitness. He was most probably the angel who rounded up the three wise men, and got

them to come to Bethlehem (Luke 2:9). Then Gabriel saved the Holy Family(Matthew 2:13). It

is also believed Gabriel was the angel mentioned in Luke 22:43, and Matthew 28:2. Just imagine:

of all the countless beings that God created, Gabriel got the honor of doing all the above things;

additionally, tradition has it that Gabriel will have the honor of calling the dead to life, on

judgement day, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16. It goes to show that eventhough Archangel

Gabriel belongs to a relatively low order of angels, God still chose him to be one of the greatest

angels that was ever created. And then there is Archangel Raphael. His story is extensive, if you

would give credence to the Catholic Bible, check out Tobit, starting with the third chapter.

Folklore also has it that Michael was the one that busted Peter from Jail, which I mentioned in the

second paragraph; likewise, folklore has it that Michael and Gabriel appeared together to the

prophet Muhammad.

The lowest of the angelic realm is simply called “Angels”, and truly are messengers of

God. That is because their primary duty is to be more in direct contact with visible and earthly

things. They are also known as “Guardian Angels”. They protect us when the Lord wills it, such

as in Psalms 91:11-13. I also mentioned in the fifth paragraph that they act as intercessories to

God. Some people also believe that if you say a prayer to your guardian angel, asking for

reconcilliation with another person, your Guardian Angel will intercede to the other person’s

Guardian Angel, thereby improving your chances at the reconcilliation. There are many tales of

people narrowly escaping death, and many people believe that Guardian Angels are responsible

for those favors, rather than God himself (see fourth paragraph). That is because in the many

Bible references I indicated, the passages say that angels were sent to do a specific task, rather

than God effecting the task himself. These angels are not disheartened that they are of the lowest

rank, because they know that to serve God in any capacity is a great honor. They are referenced

in 1 Peter 3:22.

Work Cited

In compiling this, I have used several different Bibles, but where I indicate a Catholic

Bible, I used the Jerusalem Bible. Most of you probably know that the Catholic Bible has

books and passages which do not appear in Protestant Bibles. Many may question the

authenticity of these passages in the Catholic Bible, but I decided to use them as the

Catholic Church is the ONLY Christian church which seriously attempts to explain about

angels, and why they were created, and how they fit in the angelic realm of things. My

book source was primarily “Beyond Space”, written by Father Pascal Parente in 1957. I

also used “St. Michael and the Angels”, put out by the Marion Publications. They are

privately published books, so you won’t find them at book stores or the library. If you’d

like the books, you can order them from Tan Books P.O. Box 424, Rockford, IL 61105. I

also used “A Book of Angels” written by Sophie Burnham in 1990, and “Do you have a

Guardian Angel” written by John Ronner in 1985.