Hiarchy of angels
Hiarchy of angelsHiarchy of angels
"Angels are spirits," proclaimed St.Augustine! St. Thomas Aquinas believed that
angels were pure spirit, having no matter or mass, and taking up no space; but Thomas believed
angels could assume bodies at will. The purpose of angels is the same as mankind: to love and
serve the Lord. However, being that angels are not material beings, and possibly from a different
dimension, they can serve the Lord in many different ways. Angels have far greater will and
intellect than we have. Whereas mankind must sift through and experiment with natural laws,
angels can grasp all natural laws with a single thought. Eventually we find that angels cannot
work miracles, but they can perform many special effects that appear miraculous, such as
protecting Daniel from the lions in Daniel 6. When angels appear to man, they usually appear
with wings, but the wings are not the method of locomotion. The angels seem to slip in and out
of the fourth dimension; thus travel is more or less instantaneous.
The primary general duty of angels is as messengers of God. (The word "angel" means
messenger in Greek.) But angels can do God's chores, such as busting Peter out of jail in Acts 5,
or destroying Sodom and Gomorrah in Genesis 19. But some angels obey only the devil, and
those angels are known as "demons", as is Satan himself. Satan had been an angel, but decided
to do his own thing. Angels can see all aspects of a situation instantly, since they are so very
wise.
Angels, and the dimensions they live in, were apparently created before our visible
world and universe. (The Bible tells us inGenesis ch.1-2 that mankind was created (or evolved)
last.) The number of angels are countless. One reason they are countless is that the Bible holds
that each person who is or has lived, in the universe, has a guardian angel (Matthew 18:10).
Additionally, some people who have died may have been transformed into lower angels.
Many people witness "small miracles", and attribute them to God, when, in fact, angels
may likely author the event. Speaking of miracles, some people believe that the reason more
asteroids don't hit and damage planets is because each planet also has a guardian angel. In this
school of thought, we owe our very existence to angels guiding our destiny.
There are many stories of loved ones appearing after they have died and helping the
loved ones. Possibly the loved one never did appear; possibly the loved ones physical
appearance was taken over by an angel. The Bible tells us to respect strangers, as they may
actually be disguised angels, as in Genesis 19 and Hebrews 13:2. They also intercede for us
before God, such as was proposed in Job 33:23, and Psalms80:1-2.
ANGELIC ORGANIZATION: There are three hierarchies of angels: the Supreme
Hierarchy, the Middle Hierarchy, and the Lower Hierarchy. Within each hierarchy there are
three choirs (or ranks) of angels making a total of nine choirs. The choirs within the hierarchies
differ because of angelic form rather than matter or quantity within the choir. The Supreme
Hierarchy is always in God's inner circle, meditating on Him. The Middle Hiearchy keeps the
universe running according to God's physical laws. The lower hirarchy carries out particular
tasks.
SUPREME HIERARCHY: The Seraphim (Singular, Seraph) is the first choir of the
Supreme hierarchy. The name means "the burning ones",or "ardor". They sit at God's throne, or
a little above it, and unceasingly sing praise to Him, and bear light and love to lesser angels. The
Seraphim are completely ruled by divine love, for there is nothing more important than love
according to 1 Corinthians13:13. Isaiah 6:2 tells us the Seraphim have three sets of wings, one
set to cover the face out of reverence, one set to cover the feet out of modesty and respect, and
one set to fly with. (But as I previously wrote, they don't actually use their wings to fly.)
The Cherubim (singular, Cherub) is the second choir of the Supreme Hierarchy. The
Cherubim sit beside God's throne and act as throne bearers, keeping unwanted entities away.
(This is illustrated in Catholic Bibles, in Ecclesiasticus ch.49.) They have a great insight of
God's secrets, and the workings of the universe. Exodus ch.25 also tell us that the Cherubim
guard churches and tombs. Ezekiel ch.10 tell us the Cherubim have four faces, four wings, and
four hands. Whereas the Seraphim are angels of love, the Cherubim are angels of wisdom, and
provide wisdom to the lower angels. Satan was most probably a Cherub before he fell and
became the Devil; thus, only God and the Seraphim can overcome the Devil. A Cherub probably
also closed the Garden of Eden. Beelzebul may also be a Cherub, since he is next in rank to
Satan. Beelzebul's name is peppered throughout the gospels. The Thrones are the lowest choir
of the highest hierarchy. Their main characteristics are submission and peace. Since they are of
the highest order of angels they have the exalted dignity and glory of being closer to God than
most of the other angels. This being the case, the divine mysteries are also brought to them
before most of the other angels. The purpose of the thrones is to convey God's spirit to the lesser
angels. A very detailed description of them appears in Ezekiel Ch. 1. See also Colossians 1:16.
MIDDLE HIERARCHY: The highest order of the middle hierarchy are the
Dominations (sometimes called Dominions). They rule over the angelic orders charged with the
execution of God's commands, and maintenance of God's authority. The Dominations enjoy a
certain unbounded elevation to the supernatural, and are immune to discord and tyranny. They
are true Lords, not turning themselves towards vain shadows, but wholly giving themselves to
God. See Colossians1:16, Ephesians 1:21, and 1 Peter 3:22 (in some versions).
The second order are the Sovereignties (often called theVirtues or Rulers). Their
primary duty is to carry out the orders of the Dominations; therefore, they have wide powers in
heaven and the physical universe, although many of their orders are carried out (in turn) by the
lesser angels. The Sovereign's strength is in its courage to give all of its energies to God's will.
The Sovereign Angel demonstrates virtue flowing forth to those angels of lesser rank, thereby
filling those lesser angels with virtue. See Ephesians 1:21, 1 Corinthians 15:24, and Colossians
1:16 (someversions).
The lowest order of the middle hierarchy are the Powers. A Power Angel seemingly
has great reception and regulation of intellectual and supernatural power. It can lead,
beneficially, angels of lower rank to God. Provided the Power angel is a "loyalist" to God, his
duties would be to fight evil spirits. There is evidence that many of the Power angels decided to
follow Satan, and are no longer holy. See Ephesians 1:21, 3:10, 6:12, 1 Peter 3:22, Colossians
1:16, and(in a Catholic Bible) Daniel 3:61.
LOWER HIERARCHY: The highest order of the lowest angels are the Principalities.
(Some newer Bibles refer to them as Authorities.) They are augustly in their authoritative ways.
Unlike the other orders of angels, the Principalities are made in the likeness of God, as is also
true of mankind; therefore, a Principality has the closest appearance to mankind. One of their
purposes is to be leaders to the two lower choirs of angels. The other purpose is to help mankind
through the protection of the earthly nations, and the ultimate destinies of our souls. If you ever
meet a Principality angel, find out who's side it is on. It is believed that this choir is the primary
source of Satan's diciples. It is also believed that the Principalities that jumped ship for Satan
are what is discussed in Jude 1:6. Another warning about them comes in Ephesians 6:12. But
take heart: most of the Principalities are loyalists, as in any other angelic choir. See also
Colossians 1:16, Ephesians 1:21, and1 Peter 3:22 (in some versions).
The middle order are the Archangels. The Archangels are the best known of all the
angels, if for no other reason than they materialize on earth more often. As the name implies,
the Archangls are to provide guidance, and are leaders of the angels in the next choir down.
They also seem to be entrusted with the more important missions of mankind, and are the
guardian angels of important people such as religious and political leaders. They protect and
defend the church, probably receiving their orders from the Cherubim and Power angels. We
even have some specific names in this choir. Archangel Michael first appears in Daniel 10:13,
and again in 10:21 and 12:1. Michael's primary duty seems to be in fighting Satan, although he
cannot win because Satan and his cohorts outrank him; so Michael must continually seek help
from God and the Seraphim in his fight. Even so, Michael is usually called upon to lead souls to
heaven, as well as being invoked during exorcisms. The name Michael means "Who is as
God?", and that is his war cry as he attacks Satan and his cohorts. Archangel Michael is the
guardian angel of the Israelites. Archangel Gabriel is first mentioned inDaniel 8:16, and 9:21,26.
Practically all of his appearances are connected with the coming of the Messiah, but he also
announced the conception of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19,26) . His conversations in Luke also
show Gabriel's wisdom, tact, and adroitness. He was most probably the angel who rounded up
the three wise men, and got them to come to Bethlehem (Luke 2:9). Then Gabriel saved the
Holy Family(Matthew 2:13). It is also believed Gabriel was the angel mentioned in Luke 22:43,
and Matthew 28:2. Just imagine: of all the countless beings that God created, Gabriel got the
honor of doing all the above things; additionally, tradition has it that Gabriel will have the honor
of calling the dead to life, on judgement day, according to 1 Thessalonians 4:16. It goes to show
that eventhough Archangel Gabriel belongs to a relatively low order of angels, God still chose
him to be one of the greatest angels that was ever created. And then there is Archangel Raphael.
His story is extensive, if you would give credence to the Catholic Bible, check out Tobit, starting
with the third chapter. Folklore also has it that Michael was the one that busted Peter from Jail,
which I mentioned in the second paragraph; likewise, folklore has it that Michael and Gabriel
appeared together to the prophet Muhammad.
The lowest of the angelic realm is simply called "Angels", and truly are messengers of
God. That is because their primary duty is to be more in direct contact with visible and earthly
things. They are also known as "Guardian Angels". They protect us when the Lord wills it, such
as in Psalms 91:11-13. I also mentioned in the fifth paragraph that they act as intercessories to
God. Some people also believe that if you say a prayer to your guardian angel, asking for
reconcilliation with another person, your Guardian Angel will intercede to the other person's
Guardian Angel, thereby improving your chances at the reconcilliation. There are many tales of
people narrowly escaping death, and many people believe that Guardian Angels are responsible
for those favors, rather than God himself (see fourth paragraph). That is because in the many
Bible references I indicated, the passages say that angels were sent to do a specific task, rather
than God effecting the task himself. These angels are not disheartened that they are of the
lowest rank, because they know that to serve God in any capacity is a great honor. They are
referenced in 1 Peter 3:22.