Angels: A Meditation on Revelation 12 for Michaelmas

Just who are the Angels, and what do they mean to us?  It is a valid question, and one worth chewing on.  Cultures all over the world have beliefs and experiences of Angels, and while they may share similarities, they also have vast differences.  Some cultures see the Angels as helpful, terrible, or terrifying; others see them as guardians, tricksters, or destroyers.  They are presented in both fictional works, and works that present themselves as first-hand accounts.  Abraham saw Angels, as did some of the Prophets and Apostles.  But then, Muhammad claims to have seen an Angel who gave him the Koran, and Joseph Smith claims to have received the Book of Mormon from an Angel.  New Age religions and various forms of witchcraft encourage the worship of Angels, as well as communing with them.  What is the Christian to make of all the confusion and conflicting accounts regarding Angels?

This Sunday is set aside in the Church year to remember St. Michael the Archangel, and all the heavenly host of Angels, and is a good time to sift the truth from the error.  In reality, we know very little about the Angels, and what we do know can be unsettling.  Since human experience is a dangerous place to start evaluating spiritual things, our safest place to examine the question, is Holy Scripture.

In Revelation chapter twelve, a vision is given to St. John that encapsulates the history of the Church in a brief series of images.  A Woman (variously understood to be the Blessed Virgin Mary, and the Holy Church,) who gives birth to a male Child who is to rule the world with a rod of iron (Christ, whose reign is absolute, in heaven and on earth.)  The great Dragon (the devil,) attempts to kill the Child as He is born, but fails (Mary and Joseph take Jesus to Egypt, fleeing the murderous intentions of King Herod,) and eventually the Child is taken up into heaven to His throne (Jesus ascension in Heaven, and His reign forever at the Right Hand of the Father.)

Then a great war erupts in heaven, and the Dragon with one third of the Angels of heaven, does battle with St. Michael the Archangel and the whole heavenly host.  The Dragon is defeated and his rebel Angels with him, being cast down out of heaven to the earth.  The Holy Angels rejoice that the accuser of the people of God is cast out of heaven, defeated by the Blood of the Lamb (the Cross of Christ,) but speak warning and woe to the inhabitants of the earth below—for the Devil has come down with fury against the people of God, knowing that His time is short, and everlasting hell looms before him.

So, who are the Angels?  They are powerful, spiritual beings, created by God.  In their created holiness and purity, they reflect the very light and life of God.  But for those who are fallen, they are dark and demonic, filthy, twisted, and evil.  The Holy Angels of God serve Him in righteousness and purity, while the Fallen Angels work to ravage and destroy all that is holy and good.  The Angels, good or evil, are supremely more powerful, more wise, more cunning, and more astute than any human being—and while we humans may walk the earth for 80 years or so, they have been around since the very beginning.  No human being is a match, by strength or wit, to any Angel, be they Holy or Fallen.

It’s also worth noting, that the Holy Angels, in communion with the life and light and power of Almighty God, are more powerful than the Fallen Angels who have lost their connection to Him.  The Holy Angels won the war that threw the Devil and his legion out of heaven, and they won it decisively.  The Holy Angels and the Fallen Angels are not equals, but rather the Fallen are defeated by the Holy.  St. Jude recounts a story in his Epistle where St. Michael the Archangel confronts the Devil with a simple and devastating Word:  “The Lord rebuke thee.”

As human beings, we should be cognizant of the Angels, if for no other reason than that they are here among us.  Knowing that in our humanity we are no match for the Fallen Angels, and that they make war against the people of God to destroy us, we should be aware of them and their activity.  What does the human being have to hope in, what refuge can he find, if the Devil and his legion are roaming about the world seeking whom they may devour?

Our hope, is Jesus Christ.  His Blood shed for us upon His Cross, is the power that the Holy Angels used to cast the Devil from heaven, and stopped his blasphemous mouth from breathing out accusations against the people of God.  Jesus’ Blood is what reconciles human beings to God, paying for our sin and evil and rebellion, giving to us communion once again with our Creator.  The shed Blood of Jesus puts us into the restored fellowship of the Most Holy Trinity, so that we, like the Holy Angels, share in His divine and eternal life.

So what should the Christian think about the Angels?  We should remember that the Fallen Angels are powerful and wicked, bent upon the destruction of all mankind, but especially of the Church of Jesus Christ.  We should remember that we are hopeless to resist their power and tyranny in our own fallen human condition.  However, we should give thanks and praise to God, that through Jesus Christ our Savior, we are given His power over all the forces of evil, to tread upon their serpents and scorpions, and to cast out the Fallen Angels with the power of His Holy Name.  We should remember, that we now fight alongside the Heavenly Host of Holy Angels, who live by the same power and might that flows from the Lord God Almighty, King of Heaven and earth.

We should remember, that we are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, and that by the shed Blood of Jesus Christ, the Holy Angels are our friends, guardians, and fellow soldiers, in a war that is already won through His Cross.  And for this, we give Him our thanks and praise forever more.  Amen.