Picture by Gilbert Williams

The concept of a celestial messenger or guide has been with mankind for as long as he has believed in religion. Even in this modern day and age, people are still fascinated by the idea of a semidivine being of both goodness and power. Perhaps it is partly due to the attention that angels still receive from society. Ask someone to name things associated with christmas, and many times the word "angel" will be mentioned before the word "Jesus". Many facets of the New Age movement deal with angels, as do parts of mainstream religion. People enjoy the idea of a creature that is perhaps easier to comprehend than an eternal Maker and so feel more comfortable around the idea of angels then they do around the idea of God. Whatever the reasons, angels are here to stay.

Before one can begin to understand many of the attributes of angels and who they are, it is necessary to understand just what an angel is. The word angel is thought to be derived from the Greek word angeloi which means "messenger". Angels are considered to be the ones who do God's commands, who bring his Word to the earth and are the bringers-about of God's will. Throughout the Bible, it is not God directly who speaks to most of his followers, but angels sent by him. It is the angels who brings about plague and famine and destruction when God is ired, and angels who bring hope, safety and peace to those who please him.

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