I Saw Angels Descending

In the middle of Nephi’s vision of the life of the Savior’s mortal ministry, he saw that angels would be sent down among men in the meridian of time: “And it came to pass that the angel spake unto me again, saying: Look! And I looked, and I beheld the heavens open again, and I saw angels descending upon the children of men; and they did minister unto them” (1 Nephi 11:30). There are indeed several stories related to angels during the Savior’s time in mortality that Nephi could have seen. In the temple Zacharias saw a temple to announce to him the future birth of John the Baptist: “And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John” (Luke 1:11-13). Mary learned of her role as the mother of the Son of God through an angel: “And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God” (Luke 1:26-30). Joseph similarly learned of Mary’s great responsibility through the words of an angel: “The angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 1:20). An angel also helped him to escape Herod: “The angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him” (Matthew 2:13). And an angel later told him when to come back to Palestine: “But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel” (Matthew 2:19-20). The visit of angels to Joseph was crucial for him to know what he should do to take care of Jesus and Mary.

               Other stories in the gospels also highlight the importance of angels. The shepherds at the time of the birth of Jesus were visited by an angel: “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” They didn’t just see this one angel but beheld a whole multitude of angels: “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:8-14). Jesus Himself was supported by angels: “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him” (Matthew 4:11). Later during His great suffering in Gethsemane, and angel came to help Him: “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” (Luke 22:43). Angels were also involved in His resurrection. Matthew recorded, “And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for two angels of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. And their countenance was like lightning, and their raiment white as snow.” When Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw that the tomb was empty, “The angels answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for we know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay” (JST Matthew 28:2-6).

               These stories highlight the fact that there were angels who were very involved in the birth and resurrection of the Savior. And yet, we do not have many stories in the gospels about angels ministering to the people during the mortal ministry of the Savior. Reading Nephi’s vision in context, the angel who spoke to him seemed to be referring to the time when Jesus was “going forth among the children of men” and ministering Himself to them, healing the sick and casting out unclean spirits. It may be that we simply do not have some of the stories of how angels ministered along with Him when He performed these miracles. We know that when He visited the Nephites after His resurrection, angels came down as He was among them (e.g. 3 Nephi 17:24). So, it would not be surprising if something similar took place among those He taught in the Galilee and Judea. As the stories that we do have suggest, their most important role is to help point mortals to the Savior “by declaring the word of Christ unto the chosen vessels of the Lord, that they may bear testimony of him” (Moroni 7:31).