“I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19)
December 27, 2021
The Angels world in the Kingdom of heaven was dark in the primitive creations of God till Archangel Saint Gabriel asserted for the honor and wisdom of God, whilst the deception of Satan, the then angle tempting to be above all. His faith powerful saying, “We shall persist till we realize our Creator” brought all into the light of God, affirmed by His word, “Let it be light.”
The Angel of God Saint Gabriel has persisted to stand before Him every since, for the good news and the intercession of those in need. He is also the angel who announced the conception and Birth of Lord Jesus to Holy virgin Saint Mary for the salvation of mankind saying, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:35)
Archangel Saint Gabriel is the one who foretold Zacharias the Priest that his sterile wife will give birth to a son who will be called John. We witness his honor and vow with his own words, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God.” (Luke 1:13, 19)
The Ethiopian Orthodox Incarnation Church celebrates colorfully the annual Feast of Saint Gabriel on feasts on December 28 and July 26. On December 28, Holy Church is dedicated to commemorate the deliverance of the three youths (Sidraq, Misaq and Abdenago) from the burning fire of Nebuchadnezzar through the help of Saint Gabriel.
As the story is in scripted in Holy Scriptures, during the reign of King Nebuchadnezzar, the Israelites were taken captive by the Babylonians. Amongst, there were three children of God named Azariah, Hananiah and Mishael who were hold captive as the King then was capturing young boys holding them hostage in his castle for they would learn and be trained. The king chose handsome and royalists, to teach them art, governance and the language of the Babylonians nurturing them. He then named the three as “Sidraq, Misaq and Abdenago.” However, as the King’s servant served them meat and wine, the three children refused and only they requested only few cereals and water. The servant warned the children about the King’s punishment. But, they only asked for ten days time to prove their faith. He agreed only to see if there thought comes true. He left them enclosed and when the days were over, the servant witnessed was amazed witnessing their grace even brighter than those who ate meat and drink wine. He brought them inform of the king and their intelligence was also praised by the king as well.
Meanwhile, King Nebuchadnezzar was disturbed by a dream and his spirit was troubled that he forgot it. The king then summoned renowned magicians and sorcerers of the country forcing them to tell him his dream with its explanation. Unfortunate to them, they were unable to know the meaning of the dream. Thus, the King decided to destroy them and the men were killed as per to his command. The king’s soldiers were hunting Prophet Daniel and the three children. Then, Prophet heard and went to the king asking for a time to interpret the dream. Along with the three children, they prayed pleading God for he would give them the wisdom. Then, God revealed the mystery of it. (Daniel 2:1-17)
Onwards, Prophet Daniel went to King Nebuchadnezzar and reminded him about the dream. “You, O king, were watching; and behold, a great image! This great image, whose splendor was excellent, stood before you; and its form was awesome. This image’s head was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its belly and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.” (Daniel 2: 31-35)
Prophet Daniel then explained the meaning. “This is the dream. Now we will tell the interpretation of it before the king. You, O king, are a king of kings. For the God of heaven has given you a kingdom, power, strength, and glory; and wherever the children of men dwell, or the beasts of the field and the birds of the heaven, He has given them into your hand, and has made you ruler over them all you are this head of gold. But after you shall arise another kingdom inferior to yours; then another, a third kingdom of bronze, which shall rule over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron, inasmuch as iron breaks in pieces and shatters everything; and like iron that crushes, that kingdom will break in pieces and crush all the others. Whereas you saw the feet and toes, partly of potter’s clay and partly of iron, the kingdom shall be divided; yet the strength of the iron shall be in it, just as you saw the iron mixed with ceramic clay. And as the toes of the feet were partly of iron and partly of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly strong and partly fragile. As you saw iron mixed with ceramic clay, they will mingle with the seed of men; but they will not adhere to one another, just as iron does not mix with clay. And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever. Inasmuch as you saw that the stone was cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it broke in pieces the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver, and the gold the great God has made known to the king what will come to pass after this. The dream is certain, and its interpretation is sure.” (Daniel 2:36-45)
King Nebuchadnezzar admired their wisdom, appointed Prophet Daniel and the three children to three districts. But then, Babylonians got jealous pressuring the King for the construction of an image of himself as just as the dream. Trusting it was for his own good, the King ordered for an image of gold, sixty cubits high and six cubits wide and it was erected in his name on the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylon. He then, summoned for the Princes, the elders, the governors, the counselors and the provinces, to come to the commemoration of the image. (Daniel 3:1-2)
A herald cried aloud saying: “To you it is commanded, O peoples, nations, and languages, that at the time you hear the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, you shall fall down and worship the gold image that King Nebuchadnezzar has set up; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast immediately into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.” (Daniel 3:4-6)
Later on, people heard that the three children had disobeyed the command of King Nebuchadnezzar and so they told him. “They spoke and said to King Nebuchadnezzar, “O king, live forever! You, O king, have made a decree that everyone who hears the sound of the horn, flute, harp, lyre, and psaltery, in symphony with all kinds of music, shall fall down and worship the gold image; and whoever does not fall down and worship shall be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace. There are certain Jews whom you have set over the affairs of the province of Babylon: Azariah, Hananiah, and Mishael; these men, O king, have not paid due regard to you. They do not serve your gods or worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:9-12)
Furious assuming his honor was deprived, the King called upon them. He then asked the reason for their defiance reminding them about the sound of the trumpet, the harp, the psaltery, the cormorant and all the instruments as the announcement for bowing and worships. He also warned them about the punishment to be thrown into a fiery furnace. The three children replied saying, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter. If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.” (Daniel 3:16-18)
Their responses made the King very angry that made him set the furnace on fire seven times balmy. The flames were burning and killed those servants. However, the three children walked in the midst of the fire without fear, praising God, praying to save them. Instantly, God’s angel Saint Gabriel came down from heaven and struck the furnace fire that the flame tuned into cold water. Ananias, Azariah and Mishael were saved where God in middle of the fire praised. (Daniel 3:19-23)
After that, King saw their survival and heard their praise. He was amazed that made him witness amongst his counselors about God’s miracle. He then said, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God. Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Ananias, and Azariah, and Mishael, you servants of the highest God, come forth, and come hither. Then Ananias, and Azariah, and Mishael, came forth of the midst of the fire. And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counselors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.” (Daniel 3:25-27)
Then, King Nebuchadnezzar bowed before God and even commanded his people not to worship any other gods or idols except HIM. He ordered that those who insult God’s name will be punished for blasphemy and subdued all the Jews for three children. (Daniel 3:28-30)
May Archangel Saint Gabriel intercession be with us, Amen!
