Good Angels, Bad Angels and Us...

                                                               Messenger from God
Angels and/or Angelic Beings  have been a controversial subject of biblical scholars since very early in the OT. I saw, "Angels and Demons," and have read about these heavenly personages in the Bible many times. They too were created by God, predating the creation of man, but who they are and what are they, remains clouded by mystics and interpreters for well over 5,000 years? Some believe they were created just before the creation story in Genesis, others believe these heavenly beings have been in existence much longer. Regardless of when they actually were created by God, they make appearances or are discussed a total of 373 times in the Word of God. That's 108 times in the OT and 165 times in the NT. Don't know about you, but that tells me that this part of creation is worth some serious study and divine understanding. Here are some of the things we know about them:

1. There are at least "a thousand thousand," or 1,000,000 angels. That's one angel for every 7 people on the earth today. If you figure that they were all created together, then back in the early days of mankind there we many more angels than humans. 
2. As a group they are referred to as, "the heavenly host," and they have specific groups with specific duties, that were set up by their Creator as well. 
3. Angels were created incorporeal, smarter than man, stronger than man and immortal. They have the ability to go back and forth between heaven and earth at will, and also have the ability to become corporeal at will, often appearing as one of us throughout the scripture. For example, three angels assumed the appearance of men to get Lot's family prepared to leave Sodom & Gomorrah.
4. Archangels, Cherubim, and Seraphim are just three job descriptions of angels. Many of the their names we have known since we were children, but many are found in other writings that were never canonized centuries ago. My concentration will be on the ones found in our current Bibles, but I believe strongly that their are others whose aid and assistance will remain largely ignored, despite authentic, historical record. Judaism has an angelic hierarchy that calls for 10 different types of angels.
5. Cherubim are not nice "baby" angels as many artists have pictured, they are a group of adult angels whose responsibility it is to be in God's presence at all times, almost like a layer of protection, but mostly used to protect others. Ezekiel described them as having the stature of a man with four faces and two sets of wings.
6. Seraphim according to Isaiah are the "burning ones," with 3 sets of wings hovering above the Throne of God, singing, "Holy, Holy, Holy."
7. Archangels are purported to be the "Chief Angels." This is the highest rank of angel, and they were used by God for specific missions, and they each had a particular skill set. For example Michael was a Warrior, and Gabriel was used to deliver special messages to people on earth.

                                                                         Michael

It's important to understand angels, because chances are you have been in contact with them and never knew. Sometimes they reveal themselves, but mostly they work quietly behind the scenes, like the stagehands in a Broadway play or musical. If you ever see a stagehand, something went very wrong. Usually you only see the results of their impeccable timing and graceful movements. Despite their wonderful characteristics and amazing talent, angels at some point divided into at least two groups. It appears that one group of angels turned away from God, the Creator and decided to begin a heavenly civil war of sorts. Lucifer and God had a falling out, so God let Satan and those he infected by his arrogance and pride, fall from grace and into sin, just like man fell in the Garden of Eden. Even some angels, who were given life by the same God that created us, could not be happy in their paradise any more than we could. The only difference is that most angels continue to live in perfect harmony with their Creator, while all humans have fallen from grace. 

So now you see that the "serpent" in the Garden of Eden was out to get revenge against our Heavenly Father by destroying the creation of man. I wonder what percentage of all angels decided to follow Satan and become independent of the one who created and cared for them all? Satan got Eve, then Adam, then Cain and so on throughout our existence. Today, just like back then, Satan's band of disenfranchised angels are working overtime to build their ranks at our expense. Every soul he controls or steals completely is done without remorse and only to exact his revenge on the Almighty, Creator of the Universe. 

                                                                        Seraphim

                                                                        Cherubim                                

This is not a temper tantrum thrown by an unhappy child...It is and will remain a bitter tug of war between good and evil at the highest level. The rope that they tug on every day is made of our immortal souls. You see, while we remain covered by flesh and blood, underneath that cloak we are made of the same material as the angels. When we shed our human exteriors what are we left with? Only the single most important gift God gave to us all, our what? Our immortal souls! They are incorporeal, they are stronger than we know, they are smarter than we know, and the best news is that they are immortal. Does it sound familiar? It should because that is just how we described the angels several paragraphs back. We are flesh on the outside, but angelic souls on the inside. Satan knows this and wants to build his army of angels with our angelic souls, so that he can defeat the Almighty at Armaggedon.

From my soul to yours, God bless.

The Digital Disciple

                                                                 "Narrow Is The Path"