An angel is a spiritual supernatural being found in many religions. They are usually viewed as emanations of a supreme divine being, picture of angel sent to do the tasks of that being.

Christianity holds angels to be beings created by the Lord prior to the creation of man who act as mediators between the Lord and mankind. Psalms 86 “You have made him (man) a little less than angels…”

Many of the Romance languages derive their words for these beings from the Latin word angelus which is derived from the Ancient Greek word greek word for angel , which translates to angelos or messenger. These include the English word angel, the Old English and German word Engel, and the Old French word angele to name a few.

Hebrew and Arabic refer to angels as malakh, malaika or malak and are derived from words which mean “to send”, “message” and “work”. The English word “cherub” is derived from another Hebrew word kruv which describes young children.

Angels appear to humans in many different forms which have changed over the years. Some for instance depicted angels as rotating wheels with wings. Around the fifth century, angels took on definite characteristics in both theology and art.

Types

There are nine types of angels within three major groups known as choirs with distinct jobs. Like us, all angels are individuals but unlike us, they are able to see beyond a mortal timeline. For this reason, they are extremely patient and forgiving and are assigned to help us without interfering with our free will.

First Choir

The first choir sends vibrations or waves of devotional love into the universe. In their celestial form, they are frequencies of sound and wavelengths of light. They include

Seraphim: The angels who are closest to God and encircle his throne, emitting an intense fiery light which signifies his love. There are only four of these beings which have four faces and six wings each. They are considered “fiery serpents” and not even other divine beings are able to look at them. Fortunately, when they come to Earth, they leave their serpent look behind becoming glowing, tall, thin, clean cut human embodiments with wings.

Cherubim (Cherubs): The keepers of the knowledge of God and celestial records, these supreme beings are only sent to Earth for great tasks such as expelling man from the Garden of Eden. In ancient art, cherubim were winged sphinx-like creatures with human faces. Current art depicts them as fat babies with wings. Known cherubim include Ophaniel, Rikbiel, and Zophiel. Satan was a cherub prior to his fall from grace.

Thrones: These angels serve as God’s chariot and dispense his judgment. They are said to look like great glowing wheels covered with many eyes.

Second Choir

The second choir also known as the middle angels often exit in a state of transition between the celestial and human world. They are the servants of the first choir and heavenly governors who strike a balance between good and bad, matter and spirit. They include

Dominions or Dominations: In the human world, dominations would be considered middle management. Seraphim and cherubim issue orders to these angels who then assign the duties to the worker angels of the lower orders. Their main job is to keep order in the cosmos by sending power down to top government officials and other authority figures. The head angels of this order is Zadkiel who is sometimes called Hashmal.

Virtues: These are the angels who receive orders from the upper tier and convert them into miracles for the deserving. In their heavenly form they are sparks of light and are in charge of maintaining the natural world and providing inspiration to the living. On Earth, they take on the form of musicians, artists, healers, and scientists.

Powers: These are the border patrol angels between heaven and Earth. They preside over birth and death and serve as advisers of religion, theology and ideology. Some believe that they also preside over the demons of the world. They are brightly colored, hazy fumes in their celestial form.

Third Choir

The third choir is closest to mankind and vulnerable to the act of sinning. They include

Principalities: Shaped like rays of light, it is the job of principalities to oversee everything. Besides guiding the entire world from nations to towns, they are in charge of religion, politics and managing the earthly duties of the angels below them.

Archangels: Guardians of mankind and all things physical, these angels have only human form. These angels deal with global matters and don’t offer individual help. They function on earth as explorers, philosophers and human rights leaders. Mentioned by name in the Bible (Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael), this is the most commonly known order of angels.

Angels: The true intermediaries between God and individual people. These are the angels known as guardian angels who watch over single households and individuals, keeping them safe from demons, nurturing, counseling and healing. Everyone is said to have their own personal guardian angel.

Angels Today

There are many different ways that people experience an angelic visitation.

As a vision dispensing a warning
As a sense of being touched, pushed or lifted, generally to avoid a dangerous situation
As a pleasant fragrance, usually associated with someone’s death

Visual sightings are generally described in one of three ways.

The classical human form with wings
An extraordinarily radiant or beautiful person
As a being of light

The beauty of angels is that they are a blessing provided to us, free of charge regardless of our personal religion (or lack of) and despite our many faults and flaws.