I also imagine that the angels were so excited for mankind to meet their friend Jesus. They had known him for thousands of years, known him fully as God. They had to have loved him so much, as evidenced in their song of praise, right?
Yesterday, I thought that maybe they didn't know God's plan for Jesus to die. But I've changed my mind. This is strictly my opinion, of course. They surely would have known the prophecies that God had given His people through the centuries. And the prophecies were fairly clear about Jesus' fate. Yet still they were excited! Because they also knew God in a way beyond our understanding, and they surely knew God was the ultimate winner!
Let's look at Luke chapter 2 again:
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 of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ 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, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." (verses 9-14)
We know that one angel delivered the initial message (WOW!! Wouldn't you love to have been picked for this job?). Then he was joined by a great company. They are the heavenly host. We don't know how many angels are in a company. Since angels are God's warriors, let's look at it from a military standpoint. Dictionary.com defines a company as a body of troops consisting of two or three platoons. A platoon is made up of two or more squads. A squad is made of around 12 soldiers. So . . . conservatively speaking . . . two squads of 12=24. Two platoons of 24=48. So 48 soldiers would very conservatively be one company. But Luke refers to a "great" company. So let's just say that a company of heavenly hosts is 100 angels. Now let's look at the type of angels.
First, there are cherubim. Cherubim, despite the earthly depictions as child-like, cupid-type creatures, are said to be guardians. They have four faces: one of a man, an eagle, an ox, and a lion. They also have four wings, and under the wings, human-like hands. They are guardians: they have guarded the Ark of the Covenant, and the Tree of Life in the garden of Eden. Cherubim are mentioned in Genesis 3:24 ; Ezekiel 10:17–20 , 28:14-16; and 1 Kings 6:23–28
The next angels described in the Bible are Seraphim. Seraphim serve as the caretakers of God's throne. In Isaiah 6 they continually shout praises to God: "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts. All the earth is filled with His Glory." Seraphim have six wings: two covering their faces, two covering their bodies, and two with which they fly. The word "saraph," the singular of Seraphim, is translated as "fiery" or "burning ones", and it is said that they burn eternally with love and zeal for God. Seraphim are mentioned in Isaiah 6:1-7, Revelation 4:8, and Ezekiel 1:27.
The third set of angels are the archangels. There are two archangels mentioned by name in the Bible: Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel appears to be the messenger angel and Michael is the warrior. While no physical descriptions are given of them, both angels are mentioned by name in both the Old and New Testaments. It's quite easy to imagine that Gabriel is the angel who first appeared to the shepherds. Some religions cite references to seven archangels. They are traditionally thought of to be the protectors of nations.
That's a fairly short description . . . but NOW imagine the scene on the hillside where the shepherds lay. Imagine 100 multi-winged creatures streaming through the sky. Imagine guardians, warriors, messengers and caretakers, joyfully singing praises to God, worshiping the fact that His child had finally been born. Imagine their beautiful voices, see their breathtaking flights through the starry sky.
Can you imagine? How wonderful it must have been, how long they must have waited to deliver this good news! Just imagine . . . just imagine . . .
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