Angeloi is a Greek word which means "messenger". Most likely this is where the word angel is derived as the angels are indeed God's messengers. If you have made yourself familiar with the Bible, usually God does not directly speak to to the people. God uses angels as liasons. It is the angels who bring about plague, famine, destruction, good news, good fortune, peace and hope as God wills it. An angel was responsible for revealing to Mary that she was to bear the Son of God.

When we think of Angels.......or when we see them depicted, they are much like the graphic. Blond, female, halos, white gowns, wings.....the whole schpiel. Angels are able to take on a multitude of forms and shapes, actually. They are described as appearing in the not only human forms, but various forms, whimsical to hideous, as those described in Ezekiel 1:16-21, Isaiah 6:1-3, and throughout the book of Revelation. They can take whatever form they choose. I would say that they would want to choose a human form when speaking to humans. I mean really.....which would you be more receptive to, a 6 headed beast the size of Montana or a pretty Blonde with wings?

At any rate, it should also be noted that angels are immortal and divine beings created by God. However, they are not all powerful or as infinite and eternal as God, but have existed since the beginning of all Creation and do not grow old or die.

Now angels are indeed divine......but they are capable of great Sin, as witnessed by the takeover attempt of Satan and his army. Don't ask me.....that's just the story ;-).

Hierarchy of the Angels

First Choir

Seraphim

Cherubim

Thrones

Second Choir

Dominations

Virtues

Powers

Third Choir

Principalities

Archangels

Angels

Chapter 20 – BOOK OF ENOCH

1,2 And these are the names of the holy angels who watch. Uriel, one of the holy angels, who is 3 over the world and over Tartarus. Raphael, one of the holy angels, who is over the spirits of men. 4,5 Raguel, one of the holy angels who takes vengeance on the world of the luminaries. Michael, one 6 of the holy angels, to wit, he that is set over the best part of mankind and over chaos. Saraqael, 7 one of the holy angels, who is set over the spirits, who sin in the spirit. Gabriel, one of the holy 8 angels, who is over Paradise and the serpents and the Cherubim. Remiel, one of the holy angels, whom God set over those who rise.

Seraphim:

These are the four angels closest and encircling the throne of God. They chant the Trisagion, "Holy, holy, holy..." and exist only off the love emanated by God. They are given the name of "fiery serpents". It is said that the intense light they give off prevents anyone, even another divine being, from looking upon them. God is the only being able to cast a glance in their direction. They are known as the four holy beasts in the book of Revelation and are also described as angels with four faces and six wings.

Cherubim:

The cherubim hold the infinite knowledge of God. They are usually the Angels chosen to go to Earth with the greatest of missions; the expulsion of Man from the Garden of Eden and the Annunciation of Christ were both performed by cherubim. Cherubim are depicted incorrectly a great deal of the time. They are not cute, chubby little babes.They are indeed an impressive looking bunch, described as the sphinx like creatures in Assyrian lore, or the angels gracing the Ark of the Covenant and Solomon's temple, according to the bible.

Thrones:

The Thrones are alternativly known as the Ophanim, and they serve the primary function of being God's chariot. They are also noted as bringing forth God's judgment; acting with impartialness and humility to bring about the desires of the Lord. Their description is rather unusual. They are The Great, Glowing Wheels in the Sky. They are described also as being covered with thousands of eyes. Good Lord! I would imagine that these things would scare the bejeebers out of anything in their way. Perhaps this is why they are "God's Chariot"......to clear the way for him.

Dominations:

The Dominations receive the orders from the seraphim and cherubim and then regulate the duties of the lower angels. So, in effect, they are the coordinators......the middle management of the Celestial Host. Probably just as underpaid and frustrated. They are the ones that oversee the banal matters.....such as the order of the universe. They are almost never seen by mortals, as they are often quite busy just concerning and limiting themselves with the details of existence.

Virtues:

Basically, these angels have but two tasks, albeit rather essential tasks. Virtues direct the movement of planets and all other celestial bodies, as well as are responsible for the weather. All storms, tornadoes, hurricanes and the like can be attributed the these angels. Their second job involves taking the orders given to them and converting them into miracles for the mortals who hold God's favor. Malakim and the Tarshishim are alternate names for the Virtues.

Powers:

These angels have the most dangerous responsibilities and there are more of these angels listed as Fallen than any other. The Powers maintain the integrity of the border between Heaven and the Earthly realm. They are the guardians, ever watchful of Demonic presence or attack. They are Heaven's military, so to speak, and are the first and major line of defense during heavenly warfare. They also are responsible for ensuring the safe and pleasant journey of souls from Earth to Heaven.

Principalities:

These guys have the task of watching over the mortal world directly, guiding and protecting the earth's nations, cities, towns, religion and.... believe it or not.... politics. They are also given to the responsibiliy of managing the angelic duties of their inferior angels.

Archangels:

Well now here's some confusion. You always thought Archangels were the "Big Four". Not so. The confusion comes mainly from the ancient Hebraic terms of defining angels: Simple angel and Archangel. It was not until later that the hierarchy was defined, and many of the angels previous named as simply archangels were given new names and ranks. This class of archangels are given the resposibility of overseeing the duties of the simple angels and also acting as the leaders in the divine army during battle.

Angels:

The "blue-collar working class" of angels and the lowest on the hierarchial totem pole. These are the Guardian Angels. They watch over humankind, guarding them against demonic attacks and gently assisting in the day to day matters of humans. Also, they are the messengers of God's word to his human creations, as well as acting as couriers to both God and the upper ranks of angelkind as well. In Hebrew, they are called mal'akh, meaning "messenger", in Persian the word is angaros or "courier".