Here on earth we are often encompassed with illnesses of the body, mind and soul; we are besought by temptations, spiritual sorrow, dark thoughts and doubts. There are few manifestations of light, and many people feel that there is nothing more than birth, a short, often difficult life and then death and eternal nothingness. Yet in that realm where God reigns and His will is truly loved and obeyed, that "kingdom" which is being prepared for Christ's Holy Church, there is a wondrous existence which is the complete opposite of what we experience in this transitory life. There, one encounters neither fear nor illness, nor sorrow, neither pain, grief nor suffering of the soul. In that life, there is the Light of God's love and the flame of His glory, eternal peace and eternal joy. (1) Even in this present life, we are given such a taste of that great joy when we receive only a small ray of divine truth. If you have experienced this foretaste of heavenly joy, then what wonder and ecstasy will you enter when you see its full radiance! If a single spark of divine love sets your soul aflame and fills it with blessedness, then how great will be that wondrous fire and joy when the flame of the fulness of eternal love (2) pours forth into your heart, when you become engulfed in the peaceful sea of God's love and goodness? Your own heart will be enlarged without measure in love for God. In the Heavenly Kingdom, there is no more time, there is only joyous, limitless eternity in which the faithful will reign with God, ever increasing in love, rising from glory to glory, and becoming like God.

O child of this earthly pilgrimage, you cannot understand the joys of your heavenly homeland. They are so far above all earthly experience that even your guardian angel is unable to give you an understanding of them. When the three holy youths, in captivity in Babylon, refused to betray God and worship the idols, they were thrown into a fiery furnace. In the midst of the raging fire, they beheld, as it were, a mere glimpse of the glory of the redeemer when the Angel of Great Council appeared to them, and the flames became as a heavenly dew upon their flesh. They came forth from the flames unharmed and full of joy, crying our, "Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of fathers." When the holy first martyr, Deacon Stephen was being beaten and stoned to death, and suffering with many wounds, he saw in a vision only a flickering ray of the glory of Jesus Christ. Having beheld this vision, he did not even notice the cruelty of his tormentors or the pain as stone broke his skin and crushed his skull, but rather he was at complete peace and full of joy. The holy martyr Lawrence was thrown onto a red hot grating, but in his soul he felt such a cooling dew of the anticipation of heaven that he felt no bodily pain and endured his torture with peaceful ecstasy. In like manner all the holy martyrs, having been granted only a small glimpse of the glory that awaits the faithful, went forth rejoicing to torture and death for the sake of Christ's gospel. A righteous person forgets everything earthly when the contemplation of beauty and blessedness of heaven is revealed to him. For he knows that the heavenly life is one of eternal joy, love and Grace-filled participation in the blessedness of God Himself. No, your heart is not in a condition to truly sense what God has prepared for you. But when your guardian angel inspires you and when you open your heart and become aware of his presence, then in that moment you have some small touch of the light of that other, higher world which is above and beyond all the temporary pleasures and enjoyments of this poor life. Yet for now we are wanderers, pilgrims, travellers far away from our longed-for homeland. A traveller who is journeying in a strange, distant place, is greatly rejoiced if he suddenly meets a friend who can guide him. In our journey, wandering through this earthly life, we are given a faithful friend to guide us. God has sent him to us to instruct us on the difficult path where moral and spiritual darkness surround us. If we wish to follow him, then under his protection we will be led safely to our homeland. We know that our Father has willed His angels to guide us along our paths and to preserve us from the power of the evil-one (Ps.90:10-11). Although we cannot see them with our bodily eyes, we can see them clearly with the eyes of faith. Are we really so poverty stricken in sensitivity and spiritual awareness that we do not wish to believe anything except the easily visible world of coarse matter? Are our hearts so occupied with worldly vainglory that they love nothing which does not pertain to wealth and temporary pleasure? God has sent us angels as co-travellers and guides to Christian life. But this fact, which is so important and of such concern for everyone, crosses the minds of very few Christians in our time. For this reason, we hope to re-awaken their awareness and revitalize their faith, while explaining to them the teaching of the Holy Scripture about angels. God grant that this explanation will serve as a source of refreshing water to the souls of the faithful.

1. Introduction on the Nature of Angels

The fact that there are other reasoning beings besides us and more elevated than we is testified to by the most ancient and general beliefs of mankind. This truth was deformed among fallen humanity by ignorance and the influence of the evil-one, as people confused good and evil and began to worship idols. The entire Bible, from the first book to the last, presents us with the reality of angels as living, acting beings who serve God and aid people. A cherub with a fiery "sword" in his hand was stationed at the gate of paradise to turn away any who would enter after the fall of man (Gn.3:24). The patriarchs were made worthy of visitations by Angels. Abraham once hosted two such divine messengers and the Son of God who appeared with them in the form of an angel (Gn.18:1-2). An angel restrained the hand of Abraham when he would have sacrificed his son Isaak (Gn.22:11). Hagar was comforted and sustained in the wilderness after she had been driven out of Abraham's tent (Gn.21:17). Jakob saw a whole congregation of angels going up and down the steps of a mysterious ladder, at the top of which the Lord (God the Word) was seated (Gen.28:12-13). An angel accompanied the children of Israel in the wilderness and led them to the promised land (Ex.23:20). Under the guidance of these heavenly messengers, Gideon and the other judges of Israel carried out the commands of God (Jdg. 6:12-18); David entreats them to chant the psalms together. Isaiah saw the heavens opened and the Lord, God the Word, seated on a throne with a host of angels chanting an eternal hymn before Him (Is.6:1-3). The angel Rafael accompanied the young Tobias on his long journey, brought him back to his homeland and restored the sight of his aged father. When the Jews were in captivity in Babylon, three Hebrew youths were sentenced to a fiery furnace for refusing to worship an idol, but God the Word appeared in the midst of the flames in the form of an angel, protecting them from the flames (Dn.3:25). Holy Prophet Daniel was protected from the jaws of lions by an angel who appeared in the midst of the lion pit (Dn.6:22). Archangel Gabriel informed the Prophet Simeon of the approaching appearance of the Saviour in the world, and the same angel appeared to the high priest Zachary in the temple to inform him of the birth of John the Baptist who was ordained to be the Forerunner of the Saviour (Lk.1:11-19). Archangel Gabriel was sent to Nazareth to the Virgin Mary to announce to her that she would be the mother of God the Word when He was born into this world (Lk.1:26-27). Angels appeared to the shepherds in the field in Bethlehem to proclaim the nativity of the Eternal Child, chanting: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth, peace to men of good will" (Lk.2:13). The Lord Himself gives us some understanding about holy angels. He tells us of the love which causes the angels to rejoice over our salvation and to watch over us on all our paths (Lk.15:10; Mt.18:10). Angels proclaimed the Resurrection of Christ to the myrrhbearing women (Mt.28:5-6), and at His ascension into heaven, angels appeared to His disciples and told them that, just as He had ascended, He would also return again to judge the living and the dead (Acts 1:9-11). An angel appeared to Apostle Peter in prison and freed him from his bonds (Acts 5:19), and to Cornelius, telling him to send for Peter to hear the words of salvation (Acts 10:7-8). In his "Revelation," John the Theologian shows us what force angels have in the course of earthly kingdoms and of the Churches. But we cannot go on to mention every place in Scripture where angels are spoken of. The existence of angels as powerful, individual, created beings is undeniable, from these few places which we have mentioned. Our belief in holy angels and in their service and power is firmly rooted in Holy Scripture, and affirmed by the teachings of our holy and God-bearing fathers and the experience of the saints and faithful of all times and places. Clear teachings about the holy angels have been left to us by St Dionysios the Areopagite, St Gregory the Theologian, St Basil the Great, St John Chrysostom and others. Moreover, the divine services of the Holy Church constantly remind us of the close bond between angels and men. It is clear, therefore, from all these sources, what part angels play in fulfilling God's will, and what their service to mankind is.

2. The Origin and Nature of Angels

God's love caused Him to give existence to reasoning beings, capable of knowing and loving Him, and participating in His blessedness. The first creation of this love was the angels, bodiless, immaterial spirits who served Him and fellowshipped with Him. God brought them into being, bestowed rich gifts upon them and established them in heavenly dwellings. Although they were rich in gifts and grace, as created beings, they were not all-perfect. The angels, having reason and free-will, were able to render genuine love to God. But they could also choose to turn away from God. Some of the angels, led by the most splendid of them, began to admire their own limited perfection and gave themselves up to arrogance and pride. Pride, says the Holy Scripture, was the reason for the fall of many (Sir.11:15-16; 2Tm.3:2-,6). The greatest of the angels became envious and proud, and led many angels away from the Creator. These rebellious angels fell from God's presence and became angels of darkness and falsehood; the evil angels fell, tormented by their own envy and anger. Those angels who remained faithful to God were strengthened with Divine grace and became completely blessed. They are reflections of glory and the radiance of the Holy of Holies encompasses them. Delighting in the ecstasy of the contemplation of eternal beauty, they are possessed of immeasurable love and drink freely from the wellspring of blessedness. They unceasingly praise and acclaim the Almighty God, Who pours forth love on them and gives them a service to fulfil in the fulfilling of His providence. These angels are sent forth to announce the greatest events in God's economy of salvation. As His heralds, they are representatives of His Majesty. They are above all human limitations, limited only by the fact that they are created beings and servants. Still one might ask: "How can bodiless, immaterial angels, being spirits, appear to human senses in a form like man's?" (3) We reply, "With God, all things are possible." But we cannot penetrate the depths of God's wisdom and knowledge. We cannot say how bodiless angels appear to us in man-like forms. Do they appear physically? Or are they seen by revelation in the mind's inner eye? Certainly they are seen by revelation, and certainly the Creator has power over all that He has created, to do as He wills.

3. The Order and Hierarchy of Angels

According to the words of Holy Scripture, the host of blessed, heavenly angels is beyond number (Lk.10:17-20; Rev.12:4). When the Prophet Daniel saw his vision of Jesus Christ as both Ancient of Days and Son of Man, there were thousands of angels standing before His throne (Dn.7:10). The great Prophet of the New Testament saw a similar vision and saw around God's throne so many angels that "their number was in the thousands of thousands" (Rev.5:2). Despite their huge number, a perfect and harmonious order exists among the heavenly angels. This order is the very beauty of perfection, wisdom, truth and love. God's wisdom gave order to everything. Only that which has fallen away from Him is disorderly and unstable. The angels are established into nine orders: Heralds, Archangels, Powers, Dominions, Principalities, Authorities, Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim (Col.1:16; 1Pt.3:22). These beings are subject to one another in perfect love and humility. Light pours from the higher to the lower ones. The river of life, flowing from the Divine heart, pours like a flood into all of them. St Dionysios the Areopagite and other Church fathers, show us that the nine orders of angels are divided into three ranks. To the first rank belong: Thrones, Cherubim and Seraphim. To the second __ Authorities, Dominions and Powers; to the third rank __ Archangels, Angels and Principals. The first are the Seraphim. The name "seraph" signifies the radiant fervour of divine love, by which they are inflamed and which they radiate to others. They are wholly inflamed with love. The name of the second, "cherub", signifies a fulness of knowledge and wisdom. According to St Dionysios the Areopagite, and many other holy fathers, these blessed spirits are called cherubim because they are penetrated with the most abundant rays of light, directly contemplating the pre-eternal Source of Lights. They know the fulness of all that is given by God for created beings to know. Two cherubim spread their wings over the Old Testament covenant. In addition to knowledge and wisdom, the Hebrews attributed great power to them. The thrones dwell near to God also, and through them, He manifests justice on earth in the fulness of time. Authorities rule with glory over the lesser angelic beings and direct their service. The powers are, according to the words of many Holy Fathers, those spirits through which the Lord accomplishes His miracles. Dominions curtail the power of the evil spirits in their war to ruin mankind. The word "angel" means "heralds" or "messengers". The rank of angels specifically called heralds are those whom the Lord sends with His commands throughout the universe. The archangels are the commanders of these divine messengers. They are the ones who announce the greatest and most significant mysteries to mankind. Thus, it was the Archangel Gabriel who announced the coming birth of the Saviour to the Virgin Mary. Angels are depicted in ikons with wings, to show that, while they seem to appear in bodily form, they do not have carnal bodies. The wings signify bodilessness and immaterialness and show that angels are not limited in their movements as is man, but with great swiftness, they can be in any part of the universe. Angels are created. They are not perfect spirits as God is, and they are limited in time and space so that, though they know much, they, as individual beings, are not present everywhere at once (omnipotent). We do not know how angels converse with one another, but we know that they do. They also understand the voiceless language of our souls which cry out to them, and they hear our cries with love and compassion.

4. The Fallen Angels

We see what terrible consequences befell the fallen angels. These wretched creatures were deprived of blessedness and holiness and all hope for eternity. They were not, however, deprived of the natural gifts of their being __ certain powers and penetrating intelligence, although the abilities which remain with them serve them only for torment, and not for repentance and salvation. They became totally cut off from the source of love, and so their existence is given over to malice and hatred. All their powers and intelligence are devoted to attempts to lead all mankind into their miserable and destructive rebellion. Our Saviour calls Satan, the former Archangel, the "prince of this world" (Jn.12:31), because Satan inspires the evil pride and rebelliousness of this world, which causes wars, crime, cruelty and rejection of God. Apostle Paul refers to Satan as the Prince of the Powers of the air, and distinguishes between the ranks of demons, calling them: "principals, powers and rulers of the darkness of this age" (Eph.6:12; Col.2:15). From this, one may conclude that the fallen angels exist in the same hierarchical order as do God's angels, and are subject to Satan, who is the most powerful and evil of them all. The power and warfare of evil spirits against mankind is well known. The understanding and awareness of their existence and power is common to all peoples from the most primitive to the most sophisticated, and only the foolish and light-minded would desire to deny or ignore the presence of these personal, evil powers and their destructive force of delusion, deceit and corruption in the world. Satan always strives to deceive us by the hope of sensual satisfaction, worldly pleasures and greed. But how does he reward those who follow him? With destruction, broken consciences, diseases, wars, and eternal torment. The book, On Evil Spirits , a companion to this work, teaches about the warfare which demons wage against us, and how we might be the victors in this war.

5. The Guardian Angel

Life is a field of battle. Woe to him who does not fight and win. But he who struggles with courage and patience and gives himself over to God's will, will be delivered from the evil-one and led by God's grace to victory and eternal blessedness in the Heavenly Kingdom. The person who loves God and places his faith in Him, is stronger than all demons. In order to support and protect the faithful in this field of unceasing battle and lead us safely along the path of life, which is filled with the merciless destroyers, the Lord sends us His angels as guardians and protectors of our lives. Each one of us is given a guardian angel to journey through life with us protecting us from the malice of the evil demons and helping guide our consciences. Our Saviour Jesus Christ Himself assures us of this (Mt.18:10) and in the Book of Acts, the apostles thought that Peter's guardian angel had appeared in his form (12:15). The holy and God-bearing fathers repeatedly comfort us with assurance of the help of our guardian angels (see, for example, St Dionysios the Areopagite, The Heavenly Hierarchy , St Basil the Great, Against Eunomios , Book 3 and also St Gregory the Theologian and Theodoret) . Not only does each person have his own guardian angel, but so does family, each pious society, each state. Unfortunate are those who refuse to accept the help and guidance of the guardian angel, or who, like the ruler of Persia, "withstand the angel of God" and do not follow his counsel (see Dn.10:13). The Holy Orthodox Faith tells us that the Church on earth and the Church in heaven are one grace-filled society. The angels and blessed ones who dwell in heaven are friends, and brothers and sisters of the faithful on earth. The love which is from God penetrates the hearts of all His children, uniting them in one thought and one feeling. The action of this love is all the stronger in the angels, in that they are nearer to God and behold His glory and share in His eternal love and goodness which longs for our salvation. The angels love us with a pure, holy love. They love us despite our faults, sins and weaknesses. They love us, and strive to influence us toward the path of salvation. Although we cannot see them with our bodily eyes, we can see them clearly with the eyes of faith. Are we really so poverty stricken in sensitivity and spiritual awareness that we do not wish to believe anything except the easily visible world? Are our hearts so occupied with worldly vainglory that they love nothing which does not pertain to wealth and temporary pleasure?God has sent us angels as co-travellers and guides to Christian life. But this fact, which is so important and of such concern for everyone, crosses the minds of very few Christians in our time. For this reason, we hope to re-awaken their awareness and revitalize their faith, while explaining to them the teaching of the Holy Scripture about angels. God grant that this explanation will serve as a source of refreshing water to the souls of the faithful.

1. Joy, not happiness. Happiness is a delusion of this world, a sickness of man's soul. To anticipate happiness in the next life is to expect to be in the condition we call "hell," not heaven. The Church as a spiritual hospital has first and foremost to heal us of the happiness seeking sickness of mankind which holds us in bondage to a delusion and prevents us from coming to a knowledge of Truth.

2. The "flame of God's glory" and the "flame of His love..." See The River of Fire , Dr Alexandre Kalomiros, St Nectarios Press, 1978. Available from Monastery Bookstore, 37323 Hawkins Road, Dewdney, B.C., Canada, V0m-1H0, $5.00.

3. Some people seem to have difficulty grasping these ideas. This is usually because they think in Western scholastic terms. Angels are not perfect spirits like God. They are created, and thus belong to the realm of the created, material universe. Of course, energy is also material in this sense. When the Divine Services call the angels bodiless and immaterial it means that they do not have any form of body at all, and that they have no form of physical being. Rays of sunlight are immaterial, and yet they belong to the material, created world. Sunlight has no physical "body" and yet it acts and moves. A pagan or neo-Platonistic mentality cannot really accept this and wants to define angels in a "philosophical" manner by suggesting that they have a subtle material body with human features. They cannot grasp the concept that created energy has a completely immaterial "subtle body," and so they end up with a Gnostic concept of both angels and the human soul.