Hierarchy of God's Angels
Angels are divided into two basic categories according to their nature. These two groups are Angels of God or the devil and his angels.
John 1:51 "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man."
Matthew 25:41 "Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels." The Bible indicates that there are several special classifications of angels. It does not, however, say how these
groups are organized or state clearly what their separate functions are. Over time, many schemes have been proposed for organizing groups of Angels according to importance. Starting in the 6th century, these hierarchies (originally meaning "sacred rule") mirrored Angels to the chain of command in the Church, as if human bureaucracy applied. The schemes were implied from the Scriptures and other writings.
Cherubim
One class is the Cherubim. They are so exalted that they are not able to be described in human terms. The Cherubim were created by God with unspeakable power and beauty. The duty of the Cherubim (plural for Cherub) is different from that of other God's Angels. The exact Hebrew meaning for the title Cherub is not known, but it has been suggested that it means "to guard." They are not messengers. They are to proclaim the glory, holiness and sovereignty of God. Representations of Cherubim or Cherubs, range from bizarre winged animals to adorable little winged children.
The Cherubim are first seen in the garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:24 "So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."
The Cherubim are also seen as golden images on the mercy seat and ark of the covenant.
Exodus 25:17-22 "You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold; two and a half cubits shall be its length and a cubit and a half its width. And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. Make one cherub at one end, and the other cherub at the other end; you shall make the cherubim at the two ends of it of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Isreal."
Hebrews 9: 3-5 "And behind the second veil, the part of the tabernacle which is called the Holiest of All, which had the golden censer and the ark of the covenant overlaid on all sides with gold, in which were the golden pot that had the manna, Aaron's rod that budded, and the tablets of the covenant; and above it were the cherubim of glory over-shadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail."
Cherubim and Wheels are seen in the prophecy of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 1:4-28 "Then I looked, and behold, a whirlwind was coming out of the north, a great cloud with raging fire engulfing itself; and brightness was all around it and radiating out of its midst like the color of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves' feet. They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. The hands of a man were under their wings on this four sides, and each of the four had faces and wings. Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward. As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces. Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies. And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went. As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning. Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them. When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the living creatures were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up. Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels. The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body. When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings. And above the firmament over their heads was the likeness of a throne, in appearance like a sapphire stone; on the likeness of the throne was a likeness with the appearance of a man high above it. Also from the appearance of his waist and upward I saw, as it were, the color of amber with the appearance of fire all around it, and from the appearance of His waist and downward I saw, as it were, the appearance of fire with brightness all around. Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord. So when I saw it, I fell on my face, and I heard a voice of One speaking."
Ezekiel 10:1-22 "And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like a sapphire stone, having the appearance of the likeness of a throne. Then He spoke to the man clothed with linen, and said, 'Go in among the wheels, under the cherub, fill your hands with coals of fire from among the cherubim, and scatter them over the city.' And he went in as I watched. Now the cherubim were standing on the south side of the temple when the man went in, and the cloud filled the inner court. Then the glory of the Lord went up from the cherub, and paused over the threshold of the temple; and the house was filled with the cloud, and the court was full of the brightness of the Lord's glory. And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard even in the outer court, like the voice of Almighty God when He speaks. Then it happened, when He commanded the man clothed in linen, saying, 'Take fire from among the wheels, from among the cherubim,' that he went in and stood beside the wheels. And the cherub stretched out his hand from among the cherubim to the fire that was among the cherubim, and took some of it and put it into the hands of the man clothed with linen, who took it and went out. The cherubim appeared to have the form of a man's hand under their wings. And when I looked, there were four wheels by the cherubim, one wheel by one cherub and another wheel by each other cherub; the wheels appeared to have the color of a beryl stone. As for their appearance, all four looked alike - as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel. When they went, they went toward any of their four directions; they did not turn aside when they went, but followed in the direction the head was facing. They did not turn aside when they went. And their whole body, with their back, their hands, their wings, and the wheels that the cour had, were full of eyes all around. As for the wheels, they were called in my hearing, 'Wheel.' Each one had four faces: the first face was the face of a cherub, the second face the face of a man, the third face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle. And the cherubim were lifted up. This was the living creature I saw by the River Chebar. When the cherubim went, the wheels went beside them; and when the cherubim lifted their wings to mount up from the earth, the same wheels also did not turn from beside them. When the cherubim stood still, the wheels stood still, and when one was lifted up, the other lifted itself up, for the spirit of the living creature was in them. Then the glory of the Lord departed from the threshold of the temple and stood over the cherubim. And the cherubim lifted their wings and mounted up from the earth in my sight. When they went out, the wheels were beside them; and they stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house, and the glory of the God of Israel was above them. This is the living creature I saw under the God of Israel by the River Chebar, and I knew they were cherubim. Each one had four faces and each one four wings, and the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings. And the likeness of their faces was the same as the faces which I had seen by the River Chebar, their appearance and their persons. They each went straight forward."
Seraphim
Another of the special classes of angels are the Seraphim. They too are associated with the glory of God. The Seraphim surround the throne of Glory and unceasingly intone - Holy, Holy, Holy.
The name Seraphim in Hebrew means the "burning ones." They are afire with adoration for God.
Isaiah 6:1-7 "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said: 'Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!' And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said: 'Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, And I swell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; For my eyes have seen the King, The Lord of hosts.' Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a live coal which he had taken with the tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth with it, and said: 'Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged.'"
Archangel(s)
The Angel Michael is designated as the Archangel.
Jude 9: "Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, 'The Lord rebuke you!'"
Revelation 12:7 "And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought;"
Daniel 10:13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, on of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia."
It is not certain if there are others.
1 Thessalonians 4:16 "For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God."
Revelation 8:2 "And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets."
Other Classes
Other classes of Angels include: Thrones, Dominions, Authorities, Powers, Principalities.
Colossians 1:16 "For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him."
1 Peter 3:22 "Jesus Christ, who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers having been made subject to Him."
Ephesians 1:20-21 "Which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power and might (authority) and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come."
God's Angels come as a result of prayer and belief in God.
A simple and powerful way of prayer is:
1. Say Thank You. Be grateful and thankful. Speak to God who sends His angels. "Father I thank you for the angels you have sent before me . . ."
2. Ask. Be specific. 3. Believe. Trust that if what you are asking for is the right thing for you, then it will happen in the right way at the right time. Expect positive results. 4. Let It Happen. Allow God and God's Angels to do Their work.
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Angels of the Lord, Bless the Lord, Praise and Exalt Him Above All Forever.
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