Who is this mighty angel?
Luke 1:19
Though there are over one hundred million angels (Daniel 7:10), only two are given names in the Bible. Gabriel is one of them… the other is Michael. The giving of names to angels shows that they are personal beings with intellect, emotions, identities, and personalities. The name “Gabriel” means “God is my strength,” or perhaps “God is a mighty warrior.” Since Gabriel appears to Daniel in Daniel 8:16 and 9:21 and then appears to both Zechariah to announce the future birth of John the Baptist and to Mary to announce the conception of Jesus, it is obvious that angels are immortal. The time span between Daniel and Mary is over 500 years. Gabriel hadn’t aged a day!
Not only that, but Gabriel was also a privileged angel with special access to the throne of God. He told Zechariah, “I stand in the presence of God.” In Revelation 5:11, angels are depicted standing in circles around the throne of God, implying differing levels of proximity and access. Gabriel was ministering directly to God and was sent from the throne of God four different times in scripture with key messages to the servants of God. In Daniel 8, he was sent to tell Daniel the meaning of a vision of Alexander the Great. In Daniel 9, he came “in swift flight” to Daniel to answer his prayer and reveal to him the mysterious “seventy weeks,” the timespan that would lead to the rebuilding of the temple and the coming of the Messiah.
In Luke 1:11, Gabriel was sent to Zechariah while he was burning incense in the temple and gave him the news that he and his barren wife Elizabeth would have John. Because Zechariah did not believe Gabriel, the angel struck him mute until his words would be fulfilled. Gabriel established that, because of who he was and his honored position of standing in the presence of God, who cannot lie, it would be impossible for Gabriel to be telling a lie about John’s coming birth.
“Gabriel was ministering directly to God and was sent from the throne of God four different times in scripture with key messages to the servants of God.”
Best of all, it was Gabriel who was sent to the Virgin Mary to give her the astounding news that she would conceive by the power of the Holy Spirit and give birth to the Son of God (Luke 1:26-38). The astonishing nature of his announcement was so great that he finished with the words, “For nothing shall be impossible with God.” Gabriel was thus highly honored with such a message, and he fulfilled it perfectly.
I wonder how much he fully understood about that last and greatest message. Daniel 12 depicts angels openly questioning other angels about information being revealed about the future. And 1 Peter 1:12 says that angels had longed to inquire about details related to the coming of the Christ. They were learning in a way very similar to human beings, although without the hindrance of the sinful flesh. So, I believe that both angels and redeemed saints in heaven will spend eternity learning the glory of Christ, studying the majesty of his person and his works.
And Gabriel, the mighty messenger of God, will be among us, learning, marveling and celebrating the full implications of this announcement to Mary, the final message he brought in scripture:
“You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:31-33).
