And
at that time shall Michael stand up,
the
great prince which standeth for the children of thy people:
and there shall be a time of trouble, such as
never was
since
there was a nation even to that same time:
and
at that time thy people shall be delivered,
every
one that shall be found written in the book.
And
many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake,
some
to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.
And
they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament;
and
they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
One of the more ancient
Christian festivals on her ecclesiastical calendar is Michaelmas, or the
Feast of St. Michael. Later ages would
come to celebrate and reflect upon all the Holy Angels on this feast day, contemplating
what the Scriptures teach the world about the angelic servants of God. In our day, where modernity often shuns the
spiritual realities of both angels and demons, the spiritual essence of
mankind, and increasingly of God himself, it is worth taking some time to
understand the reality of the world in which we live. As even modern Physics reveals, there is much
more about the universe that cannot be seen, than can be, echoing the opening
confession of the Nicene Creed where we declare our faith in a God who has created
all things—seen and unseen.
What are Angels? In the strict sense, angels are purely
spiritual creatures, made by God for their specific service and work, and given
particular powers according to their callings.
There is some theological speculation regarding when the angels were
created (either before the creation of the earth and material universe, during,
or after that creation,) but regardless of when they were created, it is clear
that they were. They appear early in the
story of mankind, rejoicing with God in the creation. There is also a distinction between angels who
remain faithful to God, and those who do not—as evidenced by the work of the
devil in our first parent’s temptation (a rebellious angel who we later learn
is named Lucifer or Satan,) and a warrior angel with a flaming sword sent to
guard the way to the Tree of Life after man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden
(a holy angel, fulfilling God’s will to prevent man from living forever in his
fallen state, without hope of redemption).
In this we learn that the angels are powerful, intelligent, ancient
spirits, either fulfilling their created purpose as servants of the Living God,
or corrupted in their wickedness by rebellion against God. Elsewhere throughout the Scriptures, as in
Revelation 12, we learn that they are many in number; though the multitude of
their total is not revealed, it is indicated that roughly one third of the
angels followed Lucifer in rebellion against God.
What do the Angels do? Often, though the angels are only rarely named,
their work is indicated by their names and what they say or do in Scripture. St. Michael the Archangel is captain of the
heavenly armies, defender of God’s people (the Jewish people of the Old Covenant,
and the Christian people of the New Covenant,) and the one who cast down the
devil out of heaven when Jesus’ victory over sin, death, hell, and the devil
were accomplished via His Vicarious Atonement on His Cross. St. Gabriel the Archangel is known for his annunciations
of God’s Word to Daniel in the Old Testament, as well as to the parents of St.
John the Baptist, and to Mary the Mother of Jesus in the New Testament. St. Raphael the Archangel is recorded in the deuterocanonical
book of Tobit, and connected with the healing of Tobit’s son, and driving away a
demon who tormented his son’s future wife.
Both in Tobit and in Revelation, there are references to seven chief or Archangels
who stand before the throne of God, but only three are named in Scripture
(other ecclesiastical writings have offered names of the remaining four, but
these are sometime contradictory and hard to nail down.) Jesus, in our Gospel reading for today in
Matthew 18, notes that some angels are guardians for people, especially
children—cementing the warning Jesus gave about trying to harm a child in any
way. It is clear from Scripture that the
Holy Angels do the will of God according to their callings, and that the demons
work against that will, even though they are ultimate constrained by God’s will
and providence.
Ultimately, what the Holy
Angels do in the service of God, is help people to know and be reconciled to
God through Jesus Christ. As evidenced
across history and Scripture, they do not seek their own glory, and most often
are completely unknown to people in this world, even as their work can be quite
harrowing, doing battle in our defense against the evil angels who roam
throughout the world, seeking souls to deceive and devour. This means that everyone who is reconciled to
God, baptized into Jesus Christ and living by grace through faith in Jesus Christ
alone, is also befriended and aided by all the Holy Angels. Those angels are not our saviors, but they
are our fellow servants according to their created order and callings, so that
we become members of the same Kingdom of God by the saving work of Jesus. The Holy Angels live forever in the love and service
of God, just as every redeemed soul of man shall live forever in His grace, and
together we will sing of His wonders and love unto ages of ages without
end. The demons, and human souls who
partner with them, will eventually be cast into the fiery prison of hell by
those same Holy Angels, when the final trumpet of God sounds, and the return of
Jesus to judge the living and the dead is complete. Yet until then, the Holy Angels are our
mostly unseen encouragers, guardians, and defenders, fellow workers in God’s
Kingdom whom we shall see someday when the Lord of Glory calls us home.
While
we wrestle not against flesh and blood in this world, but against the spiritual
powers of darkness in high and low places, we do not wrestle alone—for the
victory of Jesus Christ over every dark power is accomplished through His life,
death, and resurrection, and His Kingdom shall have no end. In that Kingdom we serve alongside every
other creature who enjoys the friendship, providence, and grace of Almighty
God, including the Holy Angels whom God has sent to draw us closer to Himself through
His Word and Spirit. Give thanks, O saints
of God, for the gift of salvation which comes to us by Christ alone, in faith
alone, and by grace alone—and that we do not strive nor serve our God alone,
but in the marvelous and unmatched company all His holy saints and angels. Soli Deo Gloria! Amen.
