1. The Identity and Mission of Angels

World Scripture

Who makes His angels spirits; His ministers a flaming fire.
Psalm 104.4

He created man of clay like the potters, and the Jinn did He create of smokeless fire.²⁴
Qur’an 55.14-15

Are they [the angels] not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?
Hebrews 1.14

The angels celebrate the praises of their Lord, and pray for forgiveness for all beings on earth.
Qur’an 42.5

Those who have said, “Our Lord is God,” then have gone straight, upon them the angels descend, saying, “Fear not, neither sorrow; rejoice in Paradise that you were promised. We are your friends in the present life and in the world to come; therein you shall have all that your souls desire.”
Qur’an 41.30-31

For He will give His angels charge over you, to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Psalm 91.11-12

Anything evil refrain from doing; all good deeds do! So you will be released forever from the influence of evil stars, and always be encompassed by good guardian angels.
Tract of the Quiet Way (Taoism)

When a man walks on the highway, a company of angels goes before him, proclaiming, “Make way for the image of the Holy One!”
Midrash on Psalm 17.8 (Judaism)

It [the Qur’an] is naught but an inspiration that is inspired, which one of mighty powers [Gabriel] has taught him, one vigorous; and he grew clear to view when he was on the uppermost horizon. Then he drew near and came down till he was two bows’ length away or even nearer, and he revealed unto His slave that which He revealed.²⁶
Qur’an 53.4-10

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed of a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And he came to her and said, “Hail, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus.
Luke 1.26-31

Lord Scripture Glory says, “For seventeen generations I have been incarnated as a high mandarin, and I have never oppressed my people nor maltreated my subordinates. I have helped them in misfortune; I have rescued them from poverty; I have taken compassion on their orphans; I have forgiven their transgressions; I have extensively practiced secret virtue which is attuned to Heaven above. If you are able to keep your hearts as I have kept mine, Heaven will surely bestow upon you blessings.”²⁷
Tract of the Quiet Way (Taoism)

I [the Bodhisattva Samantabhadra] relieve the distress of the beings of all evil realms, and equally bestow happiness on them. I continue to do so through the lapse of boundless kalpas, and in the extent of the ten quarters of the universe. The benefits of all are eternal, and omnipresent.²⁵
Gandavyuha Sutra 39 (Buddhism)

Teachings of Sun Myung Moon

God created the angelic world prior to creating the physical universe. Then, with the help of the angels, God utilized the elements of creation to form human beings.
(83:155, February 8, 1976)

Angels, like all beings, were created by God. God created them prior to any other creation. In the biblical account of the creation of heaven and earth, we find that God spoke in the plural: “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” (Gen. 1.26) This is not because God was referring to Himself as the Holy Trinity, as many theologians have interpreted the passage. Rather, He was speaking to the angels, whom He had created before human beings.
God created angels to be His retainers, who would assist Him in creating and sustaining the universe. In the Bible we find many instances of angels working for the Will of God. Angels conveyed to Abraham important words of God’s blessing (Gen. 18.10); an angel heralded the conception of Christ (Matt. 1.20); an angel unchained Peter and led him out of prison and into the city. (Acts 12.7-10) The angel who escorts John in the Book of Revelation calls himself “a servant” (Rev. 22.9), and in Hebrews angels are referred to as “ministering spirits.” (Heb. 1.14) The Bible often portrays angels honoring and praising God.
(Rev. 5.11-12, 7.11-12) Let us investigate the relationship between human beings and angels from the perspective of the Principle of Creation. Because God created us as His children and gave us dominion over all creation (Gen. 1.28), we are meant to rule over the angels as well. It is written in the Bible that we have the authority to judge the angels. (1 Cor. 6.3) Many who communicate with the spirit world have witnessed hosts of angels escorting the saints in Paradise. These observations illustrate the fact that angels have the mission to minister to human beings.
(Exposition of the Divine Principle, Fall 2.2.1)

In front of God, the angels were supposed to fulfill the duties of servants and serve as a protective fence for Adam and Eve. They were supposed to create a glorious environment for them to live eternally in God’s Kingdom. Then they would have lived happily with Adam and Eve in God’s love. In short, God created the angels and archangels for the sake of Adam and Eve. God, in His parental love for Adam and Eve, created the angels for their sake.
(15:238, October 17, 1965)

Good spirits who passed away after living on Earth belong to the realm of angels in terms of their mission. Why? God created angels before creating Adam. Therefore, before the perfection of [the new] Adam on earth, good people are assigned the role of angels by a certain procedure.
(76:324, March 15, 1975)

Men are in the position of an archangel—not the archangel who caused the Fall but a restored archangel.²⁸ The angels in the Garden of Eden were given the mission to protect and nurture Adam and Eve to fulfill the ideal of God’s family, and assist them to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. However, they failed to fulfill their mission, and instead they became gangsters, following the king of hell.
(281:313, March 9, 1997)

For this reason, the angels should come down to the earth and work hard, sacrificing themselves for the citizens of the Kingdom to be established by the coming Messiah. Through shedding sweat in this way, they can be restored. The spirit world is the world of angels, and the physical world is Adam’s world. Since both worlds have fallen under the power of the Devil, angels in the spirit world and “substantial” angels in the physical world should work for their liberation. Liberation is not possible only through the activities of angels in the spirit world. We need to create a substantial world of [people fulfilling the mission of] angels.
(62:247, September 25, 1972)