There are at least four people who figure prominently in the Christmas story:  There is Mary and Joseph and Jesus … and Gabriel.  Gabriel the angel is representative of a large number of angels who were actively involved in the birth of Christ.  They are heaven’s representatives! 

             The first place we find Gabriel is in the Temple during the time when a priest by the name of Zacharias is doing his duties.  Zacharias and his wife Elizabeth are an older couple and they have never had any children:

Luke 1:5

5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias … and His wife … was Elizabeth.

11 … an angel of the Lord appeared to him …

13 … the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.

18 And Zacharias said to the angel, "How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."

19 And the angel answered and said to him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you ….

20 …behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words …

            Zacharias was quite astounded by the appearance of an angel, and even more so by the message which the angel brought to him, and he responded in disbelief:  “How can I know this is true!  We’re too old to have children!”  And Gabriel responds with firmness:  “I am Gabriel and I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to you by God.”

            Gabriel is God’s man!  Take note that he was one who was at Jehovah’s side on a regular basis.  He wasn’t on his first outing with a message of importance!  This is God’s man!  It is noteworthy that Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer are the only three angels mentioned by name in the Bible.  We know that Lucifer held an extremely high position of authority in heaven, and he fell into the sin of pride and rebellion and took a third of the angels with him in his fall.

           In the ninth verse of the Book of Jude Michael is named as an archangel, which is angel of a high order in heaven.  Paul describes the appearing of Jesus in the heavens being announced by the sound of a trumpet and the voice of the archangel.  In the book of Daniel the angel who was sent with a message to Daniel was assisted in spiritual warfare by Michael.

            It is in the Book of Daniel that we are first introduced to this powerful angel by the name of Gabriel.

Dan 8:15-16

15 I, Daniel, had seen the vision and was seeking the meaning, that suddenly there stood before me one having the appearance of a man.

16 And I heard a man's voice … who called and said, "Gabriel, make this man understand the vision."

            The timeless presence of heaven’s eternal existence is brought to mind as we realize that God the Father and Gabriel the archangel have been working together for the good of mankind from the beginning, until now, and on throughout eternity.  Gabriel’s appearance to Daniel is about 600 years before he appeared to Zacharias in the Temple, but Gabriel is tirelessly responding to the command of God for all this time!  God’s work is eternal!  His plans and purpose are for everlasting!  And those who have worked with Him in Heaven have an unspoiled view of God’s mercy as they watch mankind’s response to God.

            Gabriel may have appeared at other times in the Bible.  We know he appeared to Daniel, then to Zacharias, and then to Mary:

Luke 1:26-27

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary.

            When you have an important message to convey you send your most faithful messenger!  It’s the announcement to Mary that she has been chosen by God to give birth to the Son of God that Gabriel now has the privilege of sharing!  What an exciting time in heaven!

            When Peter described the working of God’s grace and forgiveness he made note of the curiosity of the angels as they watched God dealing with mankind.

1 Peter 1:10-12

10 Of this salvation the prophets … prophesied of the grace that would come to you,

12  … things which angels desire to look into.

            Gabriel and all the other angels in heaven were created by God and had the privilege of knowing the glory of God’s presence.  Yet they saw God doing something with this creation called mankind which they do not understand!  They see the expression of God’s love and forgiveness on a magnificent scale!  All of heaven is excited about our salvation!

          Angels have been a part of God’s ministry to mankind both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.  We don’t have time to read all the passages where angels are mentioned but take a look at a few of them:

Matt 1:20 an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream

Luke 2:9 an angel of the Lord stood before the shepherds

Luke 2:13-14 and suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: 14 "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"

Matt 2:13 an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, "Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt,

Matt 2:19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt

Matt 4:11 (The Temptation) Then the devil left Jesus, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him

Luke 22:43 (Gethsemane) Then an angel appeared to Him from heaven, strengthening Him.

John 20:12 (The Resurrection) And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

Acts 5:19 (Peter and John in jail) But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors

Acts 8:26 (Philip’s missionary work) Now an angel of the Lord spoke to Philip

Acts 10:3 an angel of God coming in and saying to him, "Cornelius!"

Acts 12:8 (Peter in jail) the angel said to him, "Gird yourself and tie on your sandals"

           What on earth are the angels doing?  They are apparently involved in the lives of God’s people throughout the ages!  The writer of the Book of Hebrews wrote:

Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

           God has given them a ministry to those who will inherit salvation.  Christians have received grace from God, and with that grace comes a ministry into our lives which is supernatural and powerful!  The angels of the Lord are sent to minister to us.

            Now with that knowledge, please understand that the angels do not obey your command nor do they do your bidding.  They are under the authority of God alone!  When you pray to your Father in heaven and He sends an answer, it is in the hands of this heavenly band of brothers who watch over us that the answer comes.  They do not have authority to do anything except what God has told them to do.

           As a matter of fact, I don’t even want to encourage you to seek a conversation with an angel.  Lucifer is a fallen angel and he took a third of the angels with him in his fall.  These were angels of light which may continue to look as they did when they were in heaven!  How are we to know which angel we might attempt to talk to! 

           If an angel of God does appear to you, he will encourage you to obey Scripture, honor Jesus as Lord and worship God alone.  When John was given a revelation of heaven he was accompanied by an angel.  Near the end of the book of Revelation John wrote these words:

Rev 22:8-9

8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things.

9 Then he said to me, "See that you do not do that, for I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book.  Worship God."

            Angels are created by God just as we are, they have a ministry much like the prophets and preachers of this world, and they are committed to obeying the commands of God which are written in the Word of God just as you and I are.  They have a different job than yours, they have a different place to live than ours, and they have been given the opportunity to do the work of God on our behalf!  They are involved in our salvation just as they were involved in the story of the birth of Christ.

            The Christmas story is complete when you know that the angels brought heaven’s plan together with the need of mankind, and a Savior was born!  The angels still are involved in heaven’s plan and the need of mankind:  they minister to our needs on God’s behalf.  We are workers together to bring God’s glory to the earth!