We’ve talked about kings. We’ve talked about kingdoms. We’ve talked about the patriarchs, and so many more who lived and breathed throughout history. Before moving on to more human beings, how about a detour to spiritual beings? In fact, we talk about them so much more frequently than many individuals that it serves us well to know who they are, what they are called, and yes, how many are out there.
Angels 天使
These are no strangers to us. And no, I’m not talking about those chubby children with wings and harps. I’m talking about majestic heavenly creatures who are sent to represent God in various situations. In fact, the name “angel” literally means “messenger” or “representative”. They protect; they instruct; they guide; they fight; they destroy. Only, they never act on their own.
Less than a handful of them are named. They are also known as archangels. Michael 米迦勒 {mi3-jia1-le4} supported another angel who was on his way to help Daniel. Gabriel 加百列 {jia1-bai3-lie4} brought Mary the good news of her conceiving the Messiah.
There are also specialized heavenly creatures such as cherubims 基路伯 {ji1-lu4-bo2} which are described in detail in Exodus 25, and seraphim 撒拉弗 {sa4-la1-fu2} in Isaiah 6. And there are various kinds of living creatures 四活物 {si4-huo2-wu4} in Ezekiel and Revelation. People may like the idea of having an angel watching over their bed, but I highly doubt that living creatures are what they have in mind.
Demons 鬼
Then there are the demons. Predominantly we read about them in New Testament as the spiritual beings that possessed people, which were subsequently driven out by Jesus and His disciples. They are also known as evil spirits, unclean spirits, impure spirits 邪靈 {xie2-ling2}, 惡鬼 {e4-gui3}, 污鬼 {wu1-gui3}. For the purpose of interpretation, you can keep things simple by calling them demons and 邪靈.
Devil 魔鬼
The devil and demons are in fact different things. While demons come in different numbers and forms, there is only one devil. We should also be mindful to not confuse one with the others during interpretation. The devil also has other names such as Satan 撒旦 {sa3-dan4}, serpent 古蛇 {gu3-she2}, dragon 龍 {long2}, and the evil one 惡者 {e4-zhe3}.
Collectively, the devil (one) and the demons (many) are the enemies 仇敵 {chou2-di2} of Christians and God, whereas the angels are the servants of God. All of them being created things, none can contend or compare with God on the same level. Remember that.
Photo from Public Domain