Later on in the chapter, we again read that Michael stood with this angel and opposed the spiritual ruler of the kingdom of Persia:
And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince.)(vv. 20–21)
In Daniel 12:1, Michael is called “the great prince” who stands guard over the people of God at “the time of the end”:
At that time Michael shall stand up, the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book.
In the New Testament, Jude records the sobering fact that when Moses died on Mount Nebo, the devil came and tried to claim his body. But Michael, God’s angelic general, withstood the devil and rebuked him in the name of the Lord:
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!”(Jude 9)
The archangel Michael also battled Satan in the great conflict recorded in the book of Revelation:
And war broke out in heaven: [the archangel] Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.(Revelation 12:7–9)
The mighty archangel Michael is always mentioned with respect and admiration by those in the Bible. He should be an inspiration to us to be faithful and obedient to God as we serve His purposes in His kingdom.
Gabriel, Chief Messenger Angel
The only other angel mentioned by name in the Bible is Gabriel. Gabriel means “man of God.” (See Strong’s #H1403.) Tradition holds that he is an archangel, although, again, the Bible does not specifically say this. However, he is a very important messenger angel “who stands in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19) and plays a prominent role in Scripture.
Gabriel appears in the Bible four different times, and each time his appearance is related to the mission of announcing God’s purpose and program concerning Jesus the Messiah and “the time of the end.” Daniel wrote about his encounter with Gabriel after receiving a second vision from God:
Then it happened, when I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice...who called, and said, “Gabriel, make this man understand the vision.” So he came near where I stood, and...he said to me, “Understand, son of man, that the vision refers to the time of the end.”(Daniel 8:15–17)
Daniel also told of another visit from Gabriel after Daniel had humbled himself, confessed his sins and the sins of the nation, and interceded with God for the people of Israel:
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God...yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.”(Daniel 9:20–23)
Gabriel went on to explain to Daniel the events of the “seventy weeks” (v. 24) and that they would be a turning point in Israel’s history. He interpreted God’s purpose and program for the people of Israel and the Messiah. (See verses 24–27.)
In the New Testament, Gabriel announced the birth of John the Baptist to his elderly parents. Zechariah (or Zacharias), a priest, was burning incense in the temple, when
an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John....He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah...to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.” And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.”(Luke 1:11–13, 16–19)
This same hallowed messenger also announced the birth of Jesus Christ to His mother Mary:
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”(Luke 1:26–33)
While Matthew, the writer of the first gospel, did not name him by name, it was probably Gabriel who assured Joseph that he should go ahead with his plan to marry Mary:
An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”(Matthew 1:20)
It is also likely that it was Gabriel who took messages to Joseph in order to protect the life of Christ until His time:
Now when [the wise men] had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.” When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”...When Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.” Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.(Matthew 2:13–15, 19–21)
Gabriel is often depicted as a celestial trumpet player. This idea probably comes from the Scripture about Jesus’ return that says, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). This verse doesn’t say that the archangel will sound the trumpet. However, the archangel does appear to be announcing to the earth that the Messiah has returned.
Gabriel is God’s trustworthy messenger angel who stands in His presence and brings important news to His people concerning His plan for the world. This angel’s reverence for God, His Word, and His work should inspire us to love and serve God as He carries out His purposes in our own lives and in the lives of all humanity.
Cherubim and Seraphim
Two special kinds of angels are prominent in the Bible: cherubim and seraphim. Both are connected with the presence of God.
Cherubim
Cherubim or cherubs are not at all like today’s popular depictions of them as plump little babies with wings. They are powerful and holy beings. The first time the Bible mentions cherubim is in Genesis 3:24 when Adam and Eve were banished from the Garden of Eden because of their rebellion against God: “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 origin of the name cherubim is unknown, but these angels are closely associated with God. In seven different places in the Bible, we read that our great Lord is the God who “dwells between the cherubim” (1 Samuel 4:4; 2 Samuel 6:2; 2 Kings 19:15; 1 Chronicles 13:6; Psalm 80:1; Psalm 99:1; Isaiah 37:16). In 2 Samuel 22:11, David said that when God answered his prayer and came to his rescue, “He rode upon a cherub, and flew; and He was seen upon the wings of the wind.” (See also Psalm 18:10.)
When God gave Moses the plans for the ark of the covenant, or ark of testimony, in the tabernacle, He instructed Moses to place replicas of two cherubim on each end of the mercy seat, upon which the blood of atonement would be sprinkled:
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 there I will meet with 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.
(Exodus 25:17–22)
God’s presence dwelt between these cherubim in the tabernacle, and from that place, He also spoke to Moses. (See also Numbers 7:89.) The Bible says that curtains and the veil in the tabernacle were decorated with cherubim, as well (Exodus 26:1, 31; 36:8, 35).
When Solomon built the temple in Jerusalem, he decorated it with elaborate and elegant carvings, engravings, and sculptures of cherubim, and he had the temple curtain embroidered with cherubim. (See 1 Kings 6:22–35; 7:29, 36; 2 Chronicles 3:7, 10–14.) In exile in Babylon, Ezekiel saw a vision of the future temple, and it still contained rich carvings of cherubim (Ezekiel 41:18–20, 25).
What are cherubim like? Ezekiel mentioned them in chapter one of his book, but he described them in detail in chapter ten:
And I looked, and there in the firmament that was above the head of the cherubim, there appeared something like 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 four 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 the 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...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.(Ezekiel 10:1–21)
Imagine these magnificent beings connected with God’s presence, purity, and glory that reflect the majesty of the Lord!
Yet there is a sober note related to cherubim, as well. As I wrote earlier, Lucifer was apparently a cherub before he fell and became Satan. In Ezekiel 28, the prophet was probably referring to the devil when he said he was “the anointed cherub who covers” and who was “on the holy mountain of God” (v. 14). Because of Lucifer’s sin, God said, “I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones” (v. 16). It is almost unimaginable to think of how low Satan fell when he succumbed to pride, rebelled against God, and was cast out of heaven. He went from being an “anointed cherub” to “the dragon, that serpent of old” (Revelation 20:2) who will be “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone” (v. 10). What a terrible fall!