The famous Christian angelologist Dionysius Areopagite describes this angelic choir in his work The Heavenly Hierarchy: The Choir of Holy Archangels and their roles. They are on the same level as Heavenly Primates, the Choir of Holy Angels. They communicate with both the Holy Incarnates and the Holy Angels. With the Angels because it is at the same time also a translating step. Receiving the Godly Enlightenments from the Primates in a hierarchical manner and proclaiming them to the Angels in a divine image, and further through the Angels, revealing them to us, according to the holiness of each one of us, and thus enlightening us in a Godly Image.
The Archangels and their roles are part of the Hierarchy of Archangels, the third angelic triad. The Archangels are God’s divine messengers to humanity and are primarily intermediaries between the higher angelic hierarchies and humankind. Having been created since the beginning of the world, God has named them saints and sealed those who did not become fallen angels.
Archangels lead, coordinate and supervise angels, guardian angels, and angelic belts with their various missions. Each archangel is the leader of a great legion of angels in the myriad of religious activities that must be carried out in multiple places in the Universe and the battle against the forces of darkness.
Who created the archangels?
The Archangels and their roles came with the good news of Jesus’ birth to Mary and Joseph. And about the birth of the Baptist to Elizabeth and Zechariah. The prison doors where children of God were unjustly imprisoned were also opened by angels, such as Peter, Paul, and Silas. To spread the Gospel, the angels also came to speak.
God, the Almighty Creator and Maker of the world, also created archangels and angelic hosts, and he appointed the archangels to be His perfect servants. We see how the Lord sends angels to deliver messages to His people. The angels also guide the people in the call they have received, as in the case of Gideon or Samson. In His love, God uses angels to give food to His servants in times of trouble, as He did with Elijah. The mouths of lions were closed by His angels.
God shows His presence when we see His love manifested when He sends angels to lead Lot and his family to safety, leading them out of Sodom. We see the Lord involving angels to encourage and strengthen His children when they are afraid, as in the case of Jacob, for example. God promised to send angels before his people in battle to drive out their enemies.
What does an archangel do?
The Archangels and their roles are to reveal to us the Infinite Divine Reality. The Archangels and their roles offer us guidance, direction, support, protection, revelations, and everything necessary for spiritual evolution and daily life. Each archangel is traditionally described as having specific attributes so that their help is sought in particular situations.
Always, without exception, the friendship and solicitude that the archangels show towards us are exemplary; it is sublime and even ideal. When we accept their presence, all we do is invite miracles into our lives.
Archangels have as essential attributes:
- the glorification of God
- the confession of their faith by deeds
- unconditional service of Divine Justice
The human being who succeeds in entering into communion with the Archangels through their purity and openness of soul can awaken and amplify through them an extensive range of states, such as joy, fulfillment, humility, love of God, spiritual aspiration, peace, detachment, clarity, refinement, and love for all other human beings.
Who was God’s first archangel?
Saint Michael the Archangel, whose name means “one who is God” or “who is like God,” is frequently seen as a protector, one of the most powerful angels. He is seated in people’s beliefs as the supreme chief in angelic lands, as one of the highest rulers in righteousness, mercy, and justice.
According to biblical accounts, the first archangel of God was Michael. The archangel Michael was created by God first. This is why he sometimes carries the keys to heaven and is a fierce fighter against the devils. He often joins St. Elijah when the last thunders and claps his thunder or orders hail with his cannon. Archangel Michael watches over the sick, at their head when they are doomed to die, and at their feet if they are doomed to live.
Michael, the Archangel, supports you when you fear for your safety. He helps us put aside our fear, make essential changes in our lives, and deepen the spiritual side of our existence.
Biography of Michael
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What are the archangel’s powers?
The Archangels and their roles have almost unlimited availability and powers, especially when we urgently need their help. We can firmly and faithfully invoke the corresponding archangel in our inner universe while being attentive when we do so. And also afterward, thus seeing that the divine help of the archangel in question does not delay in appearing.
The angelic powers of the angels are described in the Holy Books and the Apocrypha and are as follows:
- invisibility
- the ability to give love
- absolute forgiveness
- happiness
- the possibility of offering health
- possibility to fly
There is always the possibility to call upon the help, guidance, and divine, the great and wise inspiration of the archangels when we want to undertake something good, something divine, which integrates into the religious harmony of being, which does not violate the Divine Laws.
Key Verse related to Archangels
“In the Most Holy Place, he made two archangels of wild olive wood, ten cubits high. Each of the two wings of one of the cherubs was five cubits high, making ten cubits from the end of one wing to the end of the other. The second cherub also had ten cubits. The size and face were the same for both cherubs.”
What are archangels’ wings made of?
If the iconography of Christ and the saints depicts their human faces, as they were during their life in the flesh on Earth, representations of angels cannot do so. While it is true that angels sometimes appeared in human guise, this was only one of many forms in which they could appear.
The wings of the archangels are made of pure white linen and a veil of stardust and fire. God created them to be perfect. And to breathe the beauty around them. Wings are, in Byzantine art, an established and recognizable hallmark of the service and angelic nature, symbolizing, according to John Chrysostom, transcendence, incorporeality, rapidity, and ceaseless activity. The Holy Archangels and their roles use the projection of Divine light into the Absolute Mind to give form to the material aspect in the material worlds and substance to the bodies of light in the higher and more real Astral Angelic worlds of existence.
The iconography of the angels faithfully reproduces certain appearances under which the envoys of God appeared on Earth. In Christian art, angels are represented as young, mostly winged, their figures are generalized to the point of anonymity, and inscriptions consistently identify only the archangels.
Primary Takeaways
- In some writings, archangels are called “Sons of God.” Archangels are also called Holy Seers, equating to the Greek archangel. As in the word monarch, art means to rule, to govern, and Angelos means angel.
- There are many archangels, some of which are well-known in the Christian world and celebrated on specific dates.
- There are many descriptions and interventions of archangels and their roles in the Old and New Testaments. Currently, the archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael are mentioned in the Bible.
Conclusion
The Archangels help us to awaken, energize fully, and manifest the love of life. But also joie de vivre, self-denial, harmony, balance, practical intelligence, courage, and capacity to react quickly. Power to overcome obstacles, efficiency, sense of humor, perfect health, and physical indestructibility.
If you enjoyed our article, please check out the following Bible Trivia about Archangels. You may even want to access the section for Multiple Bible Quizzes. Thank you! Have a good day, and may God bless you!
Quizlet about Archangels
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Explanation of biblical words
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Bibliography
- Johnson, R. F. (2005). Saint Michael the Archangel in Medieval English Legend. Boydell Press. Viljoen, F. P. (2020).
- Quartier, T. (2011). A PLACE FOR THE DEAD:‘ANGELS’AND ‘HEAVEN. ’ Dying and death in 18th-21st century Europe, 43.
- The Matthean characterization of Jesus by angels. HTS: Theological Studies, 76(4), 1-7.
- Carrell, P. R. (1997). Jesus and the Angels: Angelology and the Christology of the Apocalypse of John (Vol. 95). Cambridge University Press.
