The angel is a heavenly being, superior to humans, who serves as an attendant and messenger of God, or a guardian for someone on Earth. Angels typically have wings, are delicately beautiful and either glow or are surrounded by halos. Angelology is the study of angels. In 1978, over half the people in the U.S. who were asked, said they believed in angels. Angels are drawn on greeting cards, painted on ceilings and mentioned in one of every top ten songs. Angelfood cake, the California Angels baseball team, and the city of Los Angeles (Spanish for “city of angels” ) all show our fondness for and fascination with angels. Whether you are an “angelologist” or not, you’ll want to know all about angels.
Angel Profile
- Appearance: Bright, glowing, ethereal, winged
- Characteristics: Intellect and powers superior to humans
- Habitat: Heaven
- Specialties: Messengers, guardians
Who’s Who of Angels
Archangel Gabriel is described as having 140 pairs of wings!
| According to the Jewish faith, each child has 11,000 guardian angels at birth. |
Archangel Michael is considered the “greatest” of angels, a hero who defeated Satan. Michael takes souls to the “other world.”
Archangel Raphael is the angel of healing who is the friendliest and merriest of all the angels.
Archangel Uriel is the angel of repentance and the angel who warned Noah of the flood. Uriel is also the angel of the month of September.
Lucifer is Satan, once the mightiest Seraphim, now the fallen angel, the Devil.
Angels in Order
There are nine orders, or groups, of angels that surround God. These nine are further divided into groups of three, or triads. The angels in the first triad communicate directly with God, then pass their knowledge on to the second triad, who pass it on to the third triad, who pass it on to human beings. Here is the order of angels, from highest to lowest.
First Triad
| Seraphim |
Cherubim |
Thrones |
| Angels closest to God who appear to humans with 6 wings and 4 heads. They are angels of love. |
God’s charioteers who have 4 wings and 4 heads. They are angels of knowledge. |
Huge, they are known as “many-eyed ones.” They make up God’s chariot. |
Second Triad
| Dominions |
Virtues |
Powers |
| Angels who oversee other angels to make sure they do their duties. |
Known as “the shining ones,” they are miracle makers. |
The “border guards” between the first and second level of heaven. They are also the guardians of human souls. |
Third Triad
| Principalities |
Archangels |
Angels |
| Angels in charge of Earth’s nations and cities. |
The go-betweens or messengers from God to humans who also fight the Devil. |
The “watchers” who never sleep. Among these are the guardian angels who are assigned to every human at birth. |
Angel Lore
Hell’s angels are fallen angels, now the devils and demons of the underworld. One named Zephon planned to set fire to heaven but was cast out before succeeding.
| Some believe fairies to be fallen angels who weren’t bad enough for Hell. |
Angel wings, as painted by the great artists, were modeled after large and beautiful birds such as eagles and swans.
Angel music is thought to be the vibration of the universe, the song of creation and life. Angels make music with their voices and by beating their wings.
Angel dress is almost always a long, flowing robe of blue or white with gold belts and gold jewelry.
Angels speak all languages and always know which ones humans will understand.
Angel fever peaked in the 13th century when angels were thought to move the stars and govern the planets, seasons, months, days, and hours.
