Unveiling the Heavenly Hosts: Cherubim, Seraphim, and Encounters with The Angel of God
We begin our study with the Cherubim and Seraphim angels, their ministry to God, and the Tabernacle of Moses. Cherubim first appeared at the Garden of Eden entrance and later in constructing the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant.[i] Inferring a correlation to the Garden of Eden, Cherubim were woven into the inner veil that separated the holy of holies.[ii] Our Sages wrote that Cherub angels have a child-like appearance, hence their portrayal in Christian art as babies with wings. Ezekiel refers to them nineteen times, with many believing they are synonymous with the four living creatures described in Revelation.[iii] In his vision, he saw four Cherubim angels in the midst and around the throne of God, ministering to the Lord.
The Hebrew word for “Cherub” is “Keruv,” which translates as “angel of destruction or judgment.” Hence, they are correlated with God’s righteousness and the majesty of His throne. Interestingly, only two Cherubim and not four were placed on top of the Ark of the Covenant, and two were placed at the entrance to the Garden of Eden. Each pair of Cherubim may represent a partial aspect of God’s judgment and subsequent redemption through atonement for humanity: the dispelling of man from the Garden and the blood of the atoning sacrifice placed upon the Mercy Seat for the sins of Israel. Hence, the Cherubim are not only associated with God’s majesty. They are correlated with the righteousness and justice of God’s throne.
Studying Israel’s encampment in the wilderness reveals a more profound understanding of the Cherubim. The Tabernacle of Moses sat at the center of Israel’s encampment—three tribes on each side, including the half tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, and the Levites and sons of Aaron camped in the middle (Figure 1). The head of each encampment carried a unique flag. Our early Sages taught that the banner of Reuben featured the figure of a man, and the flag of Judah had the picture of a lion. The flag of Ephraim showed an ox, and Dan’s was decorated with the image of an eagle.[iv] These four symbols appeared in the faces of Cherubim, seen by the prophet Ezekiel,[v] and appeared in the four living creatures found in the Book of Revelation.[vi]
Figure 1 - The Encampment of Israel and the Tabernacle of Moses.
Inside the Tabernacle, two Cherubim angels made of pure gold stood facing each other on either side of the Mercy Seat, which sat on top of the Ark of The Covenant. The rabbis tell us the angels would embrace each other to show God’s affection towards Israel. Their wings extended toward heaven and stretched out over the Mercy Seat to symbolize their earthly dominion and service to our Lord and Savior upon the earth. Two long wooden poles were used on either side of the Ark so the Levites could carry it. Like the Cherubim, the priests stood similarly facing each other while holding the Ark. The spiritual picture here is that the priests were to convey God’s glory and presence upon their shoulders. Their stance was also an expression of admiration and submission towards the Lord.
The Mercy Seat and the blood sprinkled on it symbolized the final Atonement of Jesus on the cross. After His death, he was laid in a tomb carved from stone. On the day of the resurrection, we see two angels standing on either side of the stone bed, appearing in the same form as the two gold Cherubim over the Mercy Seat.[vii] The Ark and its two angels made for the Tabernacle were, in essence, a prophetic image of what Christ would fulfill many years later.
On this basis, we can understand the profound significance of the camp of Israel. The Cherubim and the Tabernacle that Israel built is the chariot that carries the manifest presence of God in this world, and the nation of Israel—the armies of the Lord—is God’s escort; each person within their tribe encamped around the Tabernacle holding their unique banner with an image that represents a unique aspect of Jesus’ ministry.[viii]
The Gospels contain four accounts of Jesus’ life and ministry.[ix] These correlate directly to the four living creatures and the four encampment flags of Israel (Figure 2).
Figure 2 - The Four Gospels and Four Ministries of Jesus.
Seeing God’s throne on high, His feet touching the earth and resting upon a chariot of angels surrounded by an immeasurable host of God’s people, it is easy to visualize the poetry of God’s love for Israel. We read: “He has not observed iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen wickedness in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, And the shout of a King is among them” (Numbers 23:21); “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! Like valleys that stretch out, Like gardens by the riverside, Like aloes planted by the Lord, Like cedars beside the waters” (Numbers 24:5-6, NKJV).[x]
Isaiah also had a vision of God’s throne and saw mighty Seraphim, each having six wings, standing, and flying above the Lord and ministering to Him.[xi] They praise God and cry to one another, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of His glory!” Their voices were so powerful that they shook the pivots on the thresholds and filled the Temple with smoke. It is not that God has set angels to be higher than Himself, but this vision shows that He is at the center of all things that are heavenly and earthly.
The word “seraphim” means “the burning ones.”[xii] In Isaiah’s vision, a Seraphim flies over with a burning coal in his hand, touches Isaiah’s mouth, and says, “Behold, this has touched your lips; Your iniquity is taken away, And your sin purged” (Isaiah 6:7). This act of cleansing is a significant part of the Seraphim’s ministry to the Lord, purifying all who come into God’s presence, and it prepared Isaiah for his ministry.
Scofield suggests that the Cherubim are associated with the altar and the Seraphim with the laver.[xiii] The laver (kîyōr) contained water for the priests’ ritual purification and washing of the sacrifices in the temple service. From an Ecclesiastical perspective, it represents the font or water of baptism.[xiv] The Altar of Burnt Offering (mizbeach), also called the Brazen Altar, is where the animal and bird sacrifices were offered.[xv]
The altar of sacrifice in the Temple was associated with fire and blood, and the laver with water. Again, we are reminded of the sacrifice of the Red Heifer to remove the impurity of death, sin leading to death. The placing of mikvah water (living water) into the ashes of the Red Heifer (blood commingled with fire), called the “sanctification of the purifying waters” (Kiddush mei’chatat),” is believed (Messianic emphasis added) “to draw down the ultimate revelation of God the Father through the manifestation of Christ. The correlation is that the Cherubim and Seraphim are actively connected to our salvation; more than messengers of Christ, they are ministers to Him and us. This brings greater understanding to this verse: “Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14).
In addition to the Cherubim and Seraphim, Michael and Gabriel are two other angels that we know were sent to Israel, and both are mentioned in the Book of Daniel. While several other angels are called out in rabbinic discourses, only these two are found in scripture. The name Michael means “who is like God?” He is spoken of as the one who stands up for Israel in their defense, either militarily or legally, as in a court of law. In Revelation, Michael wages war against the dragon and the fallen angels, so we infer that Michael is a warring angel who defends Israel.[xvi] Since we read in Daniel that Michael is said to be your prince (sar in Hebrew, also translated as “minister”), as in Israel’s prince, we could say that Michael is the principality who rules over Israel in the spiritual realm and fights to protect them.[xvii]
In the Book of Jude, Michael is called an archangel and is the only angel mentioned in scripture to whom this title belongs.[xviii] The term “archangel” denotes an angel of high rank who has authority over and commands other angels.[xix] Archangels are considered the heads of differing groups of angels, known as “hosts” (tzvah), “camps” (machaneh), and “banners” (degel) of angels.[xx]
Gabriel, a “warrior of God,” is not called an archangel, although Jewish scholars believe is shares this title with Michael. While Michael is portrayed exclusively as a warring angel, Gabriel is described as a bearer of information or instructions concerning God’s purposes for Israel. His most significant announcement was the birth of the Messiah, Jesus-Yeshua, and Jesus’ forerunner, John the Baptist.[xxi] Gabriel was called upon to explain the visions of the end times to the prophet Daniel, and it is conceivable he is the one who delivers God’s prophetic messages to the apostle John in the Book of Revelation.[xxii]
In the Midrash, Michael is called the “prince of kindness (chessed) and water” and Gabriel “the prince of severity (gevurah) and fire.” Therefore, Michael is considered an expression of God’s kindness, and Gabriel is an expression of God’s severity and judgment.[xxiii] These two expressions are associated with Israel’s redemption. The living water is for our cleansing and inner healing, and the communion with wine (symbolizing the blood and fire of Christ) is for our purification and sanctification. We find an angel in scripture connected to water and healing, as it says, “An angel went down at a certain time into the pool and stirred up the water; then whoever stepped in first, after the stirring of the water, was made well of whatever disease he had” (John 5:4). This pool is known as the pool of Bethesda, derived from the Hebrew or Aramaic, Beit Chesda (בית חסד/חסדא), meaning “house of mercy” or “house of grace.”[xxiv]
We see another angel connected to God’s severity and the atonement for judgment with the sacrifice burned with fire. We read, “When the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the Lord relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying the people, ‘It is enough; now restrain your hand.’ And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite… And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel” (2 Samuel 24:16 & 25). Although not explicitly named, it is conceivable these are the archangels, Michael, and Gabriel.
But here, we find another angel expressed repeatedly throughout the Old Testament—the Angel of the Lord. The Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar when she fled Sarah’s house, Abraham as the sacrifice of Isaac, Moses at the burning bush, Gideon when he was threshing wheat, the parents of Sampson, and Elijah as he fled from Jezebel.[xxv] Also, the Angel of the Lord fought for King Hezekiah and Israel, smiting 185,000 Assyrian soldiers.[xxvi]
Although appearing earlier in the Bible, we see a transition from a visible God to the Angel of the Lord in Genesis chapter sixteen when the Angel of the Lord appeared to Hagar. The Angel appeared again to Abraham in chapter twenty-two when Abraham prepared to sacrifice his only son, Isaac, to the Lord. We read, “But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” (Genesis 22:11). Abraham immediately recognizes God’s voice, never asking the Angel to reveal His identity. The Angel had spoken to Abraham, so His voice is distinguished from God’s. But God immediately commends Abraham for not withholding his son from “me” (now speaking in the first person). The Hebrew word here is Mal-ach (angel), but the text’s narrative blurs the distinction between God and the Angel of the Lord by moving the angel into the position of God.
God would reveal Himself again to Isaac and Jacob, wrestling with Jacob in a tangible and corporeal form. We read, “Then Jacob was left alone; and a Man (Ish) wrestled with him until the breaking of day… So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel (Peney-El): For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved” (Genesis 32:24 & 30). The Angel here is referred to as a man, Ish (אִישׁ), and God, El (אֵל).[xxvii] The prophet Hosea describes Jacob’s encounter with God at Bethel, equating the man to an Angel who is God, saying, “He took his brother by the heel in the womb, And in his strength he struggled with God [Elohim]. Yes, he struggled with the Angel [Mal-ach] and prevailed; He wept, and sought favor from Him. He found Him in Bethel, And there He spoke to us—That is, the Lord God of hosts. The Lord [YHVH] is His memorable name.” (Hosea 12:3-5).
The actual location where Jacob wrestled with God was in Jabbok, not Bethel. Still, Hosea spiritually compares the site to Beth-El, which translates as “house of God (Elohim).” Hence, Jacob wrestled with God, who was physically embodied as an Angel. Abraham acknowledged this Angel as God, calling Him God most high (Elyon), whom the prophet Hosea says is the God of Bethel. Therefore, we understand that “God most high is the Elyon of the house of the elohim.” He is the Lord God of all the hosts, spiritual and natural.
Before Jacob died, he gathered his twelve sons to bless them, saying to Joseph: “May the God [Elohim] before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God [Elohim] who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel [Mal-ach] who has delivered [goel] me from all harm (rah)—may he bless these boys” (Genesis 48:15-16). Here, the narrative again equates God (Elohim) with an Angel (Mal-ach). However, the more accurate translation of the Hebrew is that God “redeemed” Jacob from evil, not delivered him from harm. In Hebrew, goel (גואל), literally translates as “redeemer,” and only God is called Israel’s redeemer. In rabbinical tradition, a goel is a person who, as the nearest relative, is tasked with restoring that person’s rights, which is justification. One duty of the goel was to purchase back a relative who had been sold into slavery.[xxviii]
Jacob is not merely speaking of his enemies but rejoicing in the Lord for delivering him from evil. Paul said, “The Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen!” (2 Timothy 4:18). In Isaiah, we read, “You have lovingly delivered my soul from the pit of corruption, For You have cast all my sins behind Your back” (Isaiah 38:17). Similarly, Jacob declares His future salvation, and that of his children, in the God of Israel.
The Angel of the Lord appears again in scripture to Moses at the burning bush, not in corporeal form, but as a consuming fire. Although, miraculously, the bush did not burn. When Moses asked whom shall I say, is sending me to the children of Israel, “God said [vayomer] to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM [Eheye Asher Eheye].’ And He said [vayomer], Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM [Eheye] has sent me to you.’ Moreover God said [vayomer] to Moses, Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations’” (Exodus 3:14-15).
God’s response is highly enigmatic with the repetition of His words, and as we have previously discovered, He is not repeating Himself three times to make a point. Speaking amid the burning bush, the Triune Godhead is communicating to Moses: Tell the children of Israel I am their heavenly Father; by these attributes, my character is known. Tell the children of Israel I am the Holy Spirit, their comforter, and I will be with them in their trouble and evil. And tell the children of Israel, I am the Son of God, and I will be broken for their iniquity. In this dialogue between the Angel of the Lord and Moses, the Angel is presented as equal with God (YHVH) and is mysteriously revealed in three co-equal but different persons: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
Before the Exodus, the Lord tells Moses He will send an angel before them, instructing Israel to obey this angel, saying, “Behold, I send an Angel before you to keep you in the way and to bring you into the place which I have prepared. Beware of Him and obey His voice; do not provoke Him, for He will not pardon your transgressions; for My name is in Him. But if you indeed obey His voice and do all that I speak, then I will be an enemy to your enemies and an adversary to your adversaries” (Exodus 23:20-22). By the Lord saying His name was in this Angel, He inferred that His presence or essence was also in Him. Hence, the Angel has the power and authority to forgive sin. And yet, we know that only God can do that. Our salvation is only found in God the Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, who were sent into the world to redeem us—the Holy Spirit convicting us of sin and drawing us to the Son and the Son atoning for our sins with His blood and leading us to the Father.
Jesus, the word of God made flesh, is the visible appearance of God as a man. While God appeared to Israel as the Angel of the Lord, often in human form, Jesus confounded the Jewish people when He referred to God in the third person and prayed to Him. How could God visibly appear in the physical realm and be in the spiritual realm? Most Jews consider Christianity to be an idolatrous polytheistic religion that worships two or three gods, one being a man-god or demigod. And yet, God appears in plural form throughout the Old Testament.
Isaiah speaks of “the Angel of the Presence” (מַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו), translated as “angel of His face.” In Isaiah, we read, “In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old” (Isaiah 63:9). This verse gives us a clear indication that this angel is unique from all other angels, and is none other than the Lord Himself. The Angel of the Lord is the visible embodiment of the very presence of God.
However, we are reminded that God is not an angel, but this angel is God in every sense. Some scholars associate this angel with Jesus, the appearances in the Old Testament being Theophanies or Christophanies, pre-incarnate manifestations of Christ. This distinction is fitting, given the “Angel of His Presence” is associated with affliction and redemption. We know Christ died for us so we might live in Him; Jude telling us that it was Jesus who saved the Israelites out of the land of Egypt and afterward destroyed those who did not believe.[xxix]
Yet, we also see the Father and Holy Spirit in this Angel, whose name and presence are in Him. This is fitting given Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9); “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). The apostle John affirms that Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit are one, said, “Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).
Because God is uncreated, has no corporeal form, and there is no created substance in Him, for God to reveal Himself to the created world, both seen and unseen, He must appear visibly and tangibly in ways that enable us to encounter God will all our senses: our vision, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting. We read, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Psalm 34:8). “Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have” (Luke 24:39).
While angels, even the Angel of the Lord, can materialize at times in the physical realm, they are not corporeal. For God, who is invisible, to reveal His physical presence in this created world entirely, He had to become a man. Not an angel, but one born like us, yet fully God in every way. We read, “When the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons” (Galatians 4:4-5); “That in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth—in Him” (Ephesians 1:10).
While Christ, it says, was made a little lower than the angels, in His glory and honor, He is lifted high above all creation.[xxx] His name is above every name and the only name by which men can be saved. We read, “For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens” (Hebrews 7:26). Jesus was glorified when He died on the cross as it says, “But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone” (Hebrews 2:9). All authority in heaven and earth has been given to Jesus; He forever stands in the congregation of the mighty and judges among all the gods.[xxxi]
[i] Genesis 3:24. Exodus 37:6-9. 2 Kings 19:15.
[ii] Exodus 26:1.
[iii] Revelation 4:6-5:14.
[iv] Bamidbar Rabba (2:7), and Ibn Ezra.
[v] Ezekiel 1:5 & 10.
[vi] Revelation 4:6-7.
[vii] Luke 24:3-4.
[viii] Exodus 17:5, Song of Solomon 2:4.
[ix] Luton, L. Grant. In His Own Words. Beth Tikkun Publishing. 2005.
[x] All Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Bible (NKJV) unless otherwise noted, Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982.
[xi] Isaiah 6:1-2.
[xii] Duffield, Guy P. and Van Cleave, Nathaniel M. Foundations of Pentecostal Theology. Foursquare Media. 1910.
[xiii] Scofield, Cyrus I. The New Scofield Reference Bible. New York: Oxford University Press, 1967. 718.
[xiv] Dictionary.com.
[xv] Wikipedia. Altar (Bible).
[xvi] Revelation 12:7-9. 1 Thessalonians 4:16.
[xvii] Daniel 10:13, 21, 12:1.
[xviii] Jude 9.
[xix] Shurpin, Yehuda. What are archangels? Chabad.org.
[xx] Ibid.
[xxi] Luke 1:11-13, 19, 26-38.
[xxii] Daniel 8:15-27, 9:20-27. Revelation 19:9-10.
[xxiii] Midrash Tanchumah, Vayigash 6.
[xxiv] Wikipedia. Pool of Bethesda.
[xxv] Genesis 16:7-14, 22:11-18. Exodus 3:2-5. Judges 6:11-23, 13:2-23. 1 Kings 19:5-7.
[xxvi] 2 Kings 19:35.
[xxvii] Wikipedia. Jacob wrestling with the angel.
[xxviii] Wikipedia. Goel (Judaism).
[xxix] Jude 5:5.
[xxx] Psalm 8:5. Hebrews 2:7.
[xxxi] Philippians 2:9. Acts 4:12. Psalm 82:1.