Michael and Gabriel

The Court of God's Angels

We have been discussing the Biblical witness concerning the Angel of the LORD in the Old Testament. I have argued that the Angel of the LORD is a distinct character with a recognizable constellation of qualities throughout the Hebrew Bible. He is the heavenly high priest who forever bears the presence of God to creatures. The temple of God is the palace of God: the liturgical language of priesthood and cult thus intersects with and explains the civic language of kingship, state, and power. In other words, the place in which the heavenly liturgy is conducted by the Angelic High Priest is also the place from which God rules the world by His Word. The Holy of Holies is God’s throne room. With this in mind, I believe we can offer some informed speculation as to the structure of that heavenly court and the relationship between the angelic administration of the old covenant with the human administration of the new.

Michael and Gabriel seem to be the two principal angelic counselors to the preincarnate Lord Jesus Christ, ruling as Angel of The LORD. As priests are responsible for announcing the coming of the Lord and teaching God’s truth, Gabriel is the priestly angel, and as kings are warriors and conquerors, Michael is the kingly angel.