Angelic Acts and Hierarchy

Angels are ministering spirits that God has sent out for the sake of us who are inheriting salvation (Heb. 1:14). This should encourage us greatly, for we know that angels are among the most powerful beings that God has created. For instance, one angel “cut off all the mighty warriors and commanders and officers in the camp of the king of Assyria” (2 Chron. 32:21) at a critical point when Israel needed rescue. Truly, they are greater in might and power than ordinary human beings (2 Peter 2:11).

The English word angel comes from the Greek word angelos, which also means “messenger.” Thus, it is not surprising that Scripture often depicts angels as bringing messages from God to His servants (Judg. 13; Luke 1:5–25). We also know that they are powerful fighters and can come together in a large army to battle the enemies of the Lord and to deliver His people (2 Kings 6:8–23; Rev. 12). They can even exert control over the animal kingdom, such as when the angel shut the lions’ mouths to protect Daniel (Dan. 6:22).

Most of the angels in Scripture are not given proper names, with the exception of Gabriel and Michael (Luke 1:19; Jude 9). From this, we may infer that angels have names even if we do not know them. Some angels are named in extrabiblical Jewish literature, such as Raphael, but since that name does not come from a divinely inspired work, we do not know whether any angel actually bears it.

In church history, theologians such as Thomas Aquinas have inquired into the hierarchy of the angelic realm, sometimes producing lists of specific ranks and orders. That an angelic hierarchy of some kind actually exists is seen in that at least one angelic being, Michael, has the title “archangel” (Jude 9), which comes from the Greek word for “angel” and the Greek word for “first” or “beginning.” This would imply that Michael and other archangels (if there are any) have some kind of authority over other angels. That the angelic realm would be arranged hierarchically makes good sense given that we know that God likes things to be done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40). Since Scripture does not tell us a lot about this order, there is not much more that we can say. We would be wise to follow the advice of the Reformed theologian Francis Turretin, who writes, “Of what kind that order [of angels] is (Scripture being silent) no one ought too curiously to inquire, much less rashly to define.”