ANGELS IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

One of the remarkable features of the New Testament is the appearance of angels. Chronologically, almost the first thing mentioned in the New Testament account in Luke's Gospel, is the visit of the angel Gabriel to Zacharias, father of John the Baptist who was to prepare the way for Jesus.

A little later we read about the same angel appearing to Mary to announce her conception and that she would be the mother of Jesus. Then, again, the angel came to the shepherds in a field and after he had made his announcement, the whole sky was filled with a multitude of many angels.

In the Gospel of Matthew there are three more references to angels in striking incidents especially involving Joseph. First of all the angel appeared to Joseph to allay his fears about taking Mary to be his wife. Then he appeared again to Joseph to warn him about Herod's anger and tell him to take Jesus and Mary to Egypt. And finally the angel appeared again to Joseph to tell him that, because Herod was dead, they could leave Egypt.

There is another, seventh, time that angels appear in the Christmas story and it comes in the appearance of the star which led the wise men to the birthplace of Jesus.

It is only from reading what Swedenborg wrote about the inner, or spiritual, meaning of the Gospel story that we find out that the star was a company of angels. We also know that the number seven has a special meaning throughout the Bible; it represents especially holy circumstances. In this case the circumstances were a complete readiness for God to be on earth.

But what is so significant about these angels and their importance to the preparations needed for Jesus to be born on earth? In order to get the whole picture clearly, we need to see at least a little of the specific symbolism of the main elements of the stories. We need to know not only the Bible stories, but also the stories' inner meaning in order to understand their message to us.

For example, when we read about an angel we are reading about something of the Divine. What is an angel? It is God's messenger presenting a message of truth to humanity or to an individual person.

Angels in the Bible represent truths in our own lives, truths that come to us to lead and guide and protect us. The angel Gabriel specifically refers to the greatest of all truths - about the Divine advent into the world.

The word Gabriel actually means "God is mighty" and in no other way did God more fully express His might than by His advent into the world in human form so that He could confront the forces of evil and prepare the way for our spiritual development, and salvation.

Zacharias was standing on the right side of the altar of incense when the angel appeared to him. Now it may seem a curious thing that such specific information would be given but in the inner meaning of the Bible this is important information! The appearance of the angel on the right side of the altar represents the fact that truth becomes evident to us only in a state of good; radiant good which is the source of truth and the only basis for the reception of truth in life and work.

Again, altars in the Bible represent any attitude of worship. When burned, the smoke of the incense, would rise up from the altar and so, in that image, we have the idea of what is pleasant and gratifying to God rising up as an offering from our hearts to Him.

We are not told how Zacharias became aware of the angel but if we think about angels as messengers, representing the message of truth, how might that appear to us when we are in a situation of worship, receptive of truth? Doesn't truth appear as a kind of new awareness, a new idea, perhaps a sudden new perception? That new idea of the truth from God, that actually is an angel to us.

But the angel also appeared to Mary, whose name means bitterness. She represents a condition we may experience as struggle and longing when we are searching for what is true and yet not always finding fulfillment. It is an incomplete state that the angel comes to fulfill; a fulfillment like that of the angel coming to announce her conception and motherhood of Jesus.

The shepherds also had an angel appear to them. In this particular story the shepherds represent the state of those willing to learn from God and lead other people into His fold. Notice too, when the shepherds had once seen and accepted the message of the single angel, their eyes opened up to a vision of a whole host of angels, a multitude of angels praising and glorifying the Lord. So it is when we once see some glimmer of truth it tends to open our eyes to other truths that we hadn't been aware of before.

Initially, the angel appeared to Joseph to comfort him and to quiet his concerns about Mary. Later, he appeared to Joseph telling him to flee away from the dreadful evil of Herod, and so an angel of truth can come to us and warn us to flee away from what is evil and false, not to be ashamed to run away and go to a place where we can be protected from that influence.

Egypt, the place where Joseph and Mary were able to keep Jesus safe has a particular meaning. It represents a time of learning and preparation, a state of confidence in literal knowledge necessary for the survival of spiritual affections.

Then a third time, the angel appeared to Joseph telling him when he could return from Egypt. As our knowledge and insight grows, we may realize that we have the strength and protection of God's truth, at that point we can return to the integrity of heavenly life "in Canaan."

But what about that star? Just as stars can guide us at night, so knowledge of truth guides us in times of spiritual darkness. We learn from what Swedenborg wrote, that the star was actually an appearance of a company of angels from the spiritual world leading the wise men, through a message of truth, to the birthplace of Jesus.

Each time an angel appears there is a message of truth specifically related to the presence of Jesus on this earth, but it is also a message about His presence in our minds and our hearts. Just as there was a long wait for the Messiah, we may also wait and feel a lack of God's presence until we come to the point of acknowledging our need for Him. We may not see the angel but when we are really ready, receptive and open to the possibility that God can reveal new things to us then the angel of truth appears.

Copyright © Michael Gladish 1998

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