A SPIRITUAL WORLD
Angels are fascinating beings! Unlike Michelangelo’s angel, they are not of our own making. They are witnesses to a spiritual world beyond our human comprehension; a world first documented in the ancient scriptures.
The Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote of his own encounter with angels. They were the seraphim that cover their faces in the presence of their Creator; but it was not only the seraphim that felt convicted by the holiness of the Divine, but also Isaiah himself. "I am ruined!" he cried. "I am a man of unclean lips, ..., and my eyes have seen the King, the LORD Almighty." Actually experiencing the presence of God undermines all of our neat excuses and points to the root of the problem, our corrupt and selfish hearts. Isaiah wrote that despite his wayward past, God forgave him and gave him the role of a prophet. It's part of the Divine character to forgive and forget.
Michael the Archangel is a great warrior, described as "one of the chief princes." He is recorded as leading the angelic army that fought victoriously against the dragon (i.e. the devil) and his angels, leading to the devil's departure from heaven. According to the scriptures, Michael also holds the responsibility of protecting God's chosen people, the Hebrew race. All of this shows that the Divine is not an "absentee landlord", but in fact is actively involved in the care and nurture of His creation, and from holding back the evil forces that threaten to destroy our society. Certain critics view tragedy and suffering as evidence for God's apathy, powerlessness or even non-existence, but it's also fair to ponder how much worse this world would be without the unseen intervention of a loving creator, often through His angelic forces.
Gabriel is one of the most famous angels recorded in the ancient scriptures. He was sent to Daniel in Babylon to explain visions of future events. At the same time he foretold the death of the Messiah, and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. In approximately 5 BCE. Gabriel appeared to the elderly priest, Zechariah in Jerusalem, to tell him he would have a son, Yochanan (John) the Baptizer. "I am Gabriel," he announced. "I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to ... tell you this good news." Six months later Gabriel appeared to Miriam (Mary), to give her the news, remarkable for an unmarried Jewish girl in those days, that she would have a real "miracle" baby, Yeshua the Messiah. Through these events we see that Gabriel was a messenger of the highest standing. We also learn that the Divine loves to communicate with His creation, and that we are all of utmost importance to Him. He loves to send us encouragement and to share good news.
Some of the most awesome angels can be found in the Biblical books of Ezekiel and Revelation. In the latter we may be surprised to find that just as angels are sent to protect and serve the humble, they will also be involved in bringing judgement upon those who cling to their dishonest, cruel and selfish ways. Free will is one of the most precious gifts we are given. Even if freedom itself should be denied us, we still have freewill as to how we respond, whether with anger and bitterness or forgiveness and love. Not an easy choice, but a choice all the same. We can be assured that no matter how much injustice and evil we encounter in our world, a day will come when the Creator will expect us to answer for the choices we have made. Of course, none of us can say we are perfect, even though many of us have tried our best. Just one man in history has been shown to have lived a perfect life, and perhaps not surprisingly, Greek texts tell of angels’ extraordinary involvement, two thousand years ago, in the life of Yeshua - Jesus of Nazareth.