Christmas Character Study: The Angels

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Emma Danzey
Contributing Writer
Christmas Character Study: The Angels

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to see an angel? Maybe you believe that you have had an encounter with an angel? There seems to be one common response to those who see angels in the Scriptures, “Do not be afraid.” I think any of us would naturally go into a fearful state if our eyes were unveiled to the spiritual realm.

Angels play a crucial role in the biblical history of the birth of Jesus, from the messages to Mary and Joseph to the shepherds in the field, the angels were sent by God to fulfill His purposes.

“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, ‘Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.’ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.’ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about’” (Luke 2:8-15).

The Role of Angels in the Birth of Jesus

Messengers

Angels were sent by God as messengers to tell of the Messiah’s birth. We read about the angel of the Lord (in this case, Gabriel) telling Zechariah that his wife Elizabeth would give birth to the forerunner for Jesus – John the Baptist (Luke 1:11-22). It is interesting that the angel of the Lord is identified here as Gabriel. We can estimate that Gabriel could have been the messenger throughout the entirety of Jesus’ birth. However, we do not know this for certain, only where it is mentioned.

Gabriel is the one who delivers the good news to Mary about her miracle birth (Luke 1:26-38) and an angel of the Lord (possibly Gabriel again) shows up in a dream to Joseph (Matthew 1:19-25). In our reading for this week, the shepherds were told that the Savior had been born in Bethlehem and that He was lying in a manger. The angel is identified as “angel of the Lord.” This could be Gabriel, or another angel. However, these specific encounters that surrounded Jesus’ birth all were angels sending messages.

Later in Matthew 2:13-23, after the visit of the wise men, Joseph is provided two messages in dreams by an angel of the Lord. The first warns him to flee to Egypt to protect Jesus from Herod, and the second occurred after Herod died and the angel told Joseph to take his family and return home to Israel to settle in Nazareth.

Worship Leaders

The multitude of heavenly hosts praised the Lord for His coming. “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). As these shepherds stood there, initially terrified at what they saw and excited about the news they had received, the angels glorified the Lord. Could you imagine being led to praise the Savior in the fields with a gathering of many glorious angels? These angels led the simple shepherds in praising the one true God. The Messiah had finally come.

Roles of Angels throughout Scripture

It is important to note that angels have been around since before humanity and the world was created. Two-thirds of them followed God and 1/3 of them fell with Satan when he desired to be god (Matthew 25:41). These fallen angels are what we would call demons now. Angels have played a variety of roles: 

2 Things to Know about Angels

1. There Are Three Named Angels in Scripture 

Gabriel: Often known as the “Messenger angel,” Gabriel appears in Daniel 8:16, 9:21, Luke 1:19, and 1:26. He shares the meaning of visions, provides warnings for protection, and reveals God’s plans/good news.

Michael: Often known as the “archangel,” Michael is a warrior angel for the Lord. He is seen in Daniel 12:1, Jude 1:9, and Revelation 12:7. We can think about spiritual battles when we think about Michael.

Lucifer/Morning Star: Satan was a fallen angel. He initially was created to serve God, but he wanted to be god. He is known as the morning star or Lucifer. In Isaiah 14:12 hê·lêl is translated to the name Lucifer. Satan reveals his pride, jealousy, and selfishness led to his great fall. Satan masks himself as an angel of light. He is seen in Isaiah 14:12-15, Luke 10:18-20, John 8:44, 2 Corinthians 11:14, Jude 1:6, and Revelation 12:7-9.

2. You Might Have Encountered an Angel without Knowing It

“Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:2).

Hebrews makes it clear that some of us may have shown hospitality or kindness to strangers who were actually angels. How amazing is this? Whether the Lord is using these moments to test our faith, provide opportunities for us to share His love, or it is an incredible moment where the spiritual and physical worlds collide, we can remember as we minister to others that we might even be ministering to angelic beings who are serving the Lord.  

Lessons We Can Learn from the Angels

Jesus is the only one worthy of glory. The angels and we ourselves are creations of God and only He is to be praised.

Angels model evangelism, genuine worship, and spiritual strength in the Lord. We can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to live this way as well.

Hospitality does not go unnoticed to God.

There are fallen angels known as demons who exist, but they hold no power over believers who are sealed by Jesus’ Spirit.

Angels remind us of our eternal calling and purpose: delighting in praising our great God.

More from this series

The Shepherds
The Animals
Baby Jesus
Joseph
Mary
The Inn Keeper

Photo credit: Unsplash/laura adai

Emma DanzeyEmma Danzey’s mission in life stems from Ephesians 3:20-21, to embrace the extraordinary. One of her greatest joys is to journey with the Lord in His Scriptures. She is wife to Drew and mom to Graham. Emma serves alongside her husband in ministry, she focuses most of her time in the home, but loves to provide articles on the Bible, life questions, and Christian lifestyle. Her article on Interracial Marriage was the number 1 on Crosswalk in 2021. Most recently, Emma released Treasures for Tots, (Scripture memory songs) and multiple books and devotionals for young children. During her ministry career, Emma has released Wildflower: Blooming Through Singleness, two worship EP albums, founded and led Polished Conference Ministries, and ran the Refined Magazine. You can view her articles on her blog at emmadanzey.wordpress.com and check out her Instagram @Emmadanzey.