Names and Ranks of Holy Angels

This is the second in a brief series of posts on angels.

If God calls the stars by name (Isa. 40:26), do all angels and demons have names? Are some more important than others? Do they have different responsibilities? Various levels of authority? Is God’s angelic host a true heavenly army – with each soldier assigned a name, rank, and serial number? Our study this week focuses on how angels are named and organized.

Angelic names

Angels are called by many names in Scripture. General names include:

Angel. The Greek word angelos and the Hebrew word malak mean messenger. These words are used of angels, men, demons – even occasionally of the pre-incarnate Christ.

Minister. The Greek word leitourgos means servant or minister, especially in connection with religious duties. The Hebrew word mishrathim is used in much the same way.

Host. The Hebrew word sava encompasses all of God’s heavenly army (Ps. 103:21).

Chariots. This term applies to angels in the sense that they are part of God’s army (2 Kings 6:16-17; Ps. 68:17).

Watchers. This term denotes angels as supervisors and agents under God, employed by Him in the control of world government (Dan. 4:13, 17).

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A Brief Introduction to Angels

The Bible provides specific references to angels in 34 of its 66 books, and the word “angel” appears nearly 300 times in Scripture. The Bible classifies angels as either good (“elect” or “holy”) or evil. Good angels worship God and serve him faithfully. Evil angels include Satan and demons, who oppose God and his servants. 

In Angels Elect & Evil, C. Fred Dickason writes, “These two armies engage in a great warfare that exceeds human thought and affects the course of nations and the world.”

This brief study of angels focuses, not on subjective human experience or the popular media, but on the Word of God — the only truly reliable source of information on angels and demons.

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Thrown into the Lake of Fire

This is another in a series of excerpts from What Every Christian Should Know About the Return of Jesus, released by High Street Press and available at Amazon. 

While followers of Jesus enjoy everlasting life in glorified bodies on a restored earth, the ultimate destiny of the wicked is the same habitation created for Satan and demons: gehenna.

It’s a place in English we call “hell,” and a place Jesus and the New Testament writers describe in various ways, among them: outer darkness (Matt. 8:12), the second death (Rev. 2:11; 20:14; 21:8), and the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20; 20:10, 14, 15; 21:8).

While the Hebrew term sheol and the Greek hades generally depict the temporary abode of the dead, gehennaand its associated terms describe the place of everlasting future punishment for those whose names are not written in the book of life (Rev. 20:15).

The term gehenna is derived from the Valley of Hinnom. Located southwest of Jerusalem, this steep, rocky valley is the scene of human sacrifices to pagan deities (2 Kings 23:10; 2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6). Jeremiah declares it the “Valley of Slaughter” (Jer. 7:31-34 ESV). To the Jewish mind, the images of fire and destruction become appropriate representations of the fate of idol worshipers.

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Armor for Spiritual Battle (Part 2)

The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

In the previous post, we began exploring the full armor of God — the offensive and defensive means of engaging in battle with the evil one. Now, we complete our review with the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit.

The helmet of salvation

The helmet, of course, protects the head. This is perhaps the most vital part of our bodies since it is the seat of thought and the core of action. In the first century, Roman soldiers wore helmets called galeae. These were fashioned out of bronze or iron, with leather or linen padding, hinged flaps to protect the jaws, a flange in back to shield the neck, and a crest of colored horsehair on top. Each helmet typically weighed 1.3 pounds. Some were fitted with visors to protect the face. 

Like a helmet, salvation – deliverance from Satan, sin, and death through a covenant relationship with Christ – is our most vital possession. The gift of everlasting life encompasses all that God has done, is doing, and will do for us. It stretches from eternity past in foreknowledge, election, and predestination into the present in regeneration, justification, and sanctification, and out into eternity future in glorification. Salvation is a finished work with ongoing benefits. Paul makes this clear in Romans 8:29-30 as he lays out the golden chain of redemption:

For those he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, so that he would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And those he predestined, he also called; and those he called, he also justified; and those he justified, he also glorified. 

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Armor for Spiritual Battle (Part 1)

The following excerpt is taken from What Every Christian Should Know About Satan. Order your copy in print, Kindle, or Audible versions here.

In the previous post, we introduced God’s plan for engaging the evil one: the full armor of God. Now, let’s turn our attention to the individual pieces of armor. The order in which they are described generally is the order in which soldiers put them on. 

Truth like a belt

While many modern translations refer to “truth like a belt” (CSB) or “the belt of truth” (ESV, NIV), the KJV renders it, “having your loins girt about with truth.” Similarly, the NASB 1995 says, “having girded your loins with truth.” The latter understanding may be more to the point. 

Ancient warriors and athletes, like other people of the time, wore loose-fitting clothing, which needed to be gathered and secured before any physical activity could ensue. This was done in different ways and for different purposes (see 2 Kings 4:29; Luke 12:35-36; John 13:4-5). The metaphor of girding is used in Scripture because it describes the need to prepare oneself for the spiritual work ahead.

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