There are THREE angels mentioned: Gabriel, Michael, and Lucifer. Gabriel and Michael are “unfallen angels” and Lucifer is a “fallen angel” (whose name has been changed because of his fall).

GABRIEL could be called God’s “MESSENGER ANGEL to the people of Israel.” The first mention of him is in Daniel 8:15-27 where he appeared to the prophet Daniel who had just seen a vision which he couldn’t understand. We read in verses 15-17, “And it came to pass, when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, and sought for the meaning, then, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. And I heard a man’s voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision. So he came near where I stood: and when he came, I was afraid, and fell upon my face: but he said to me, Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.” If you read through verse 27 you will see Gabriel explaining the vision in detail. Gabriel also appeared to Daniel again to give him another prophetic message (see 9:20-27). In the New Testament we read of Gabriel appearing to the priest Zechariah to announce the birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:5-25) and then later to Mary to announce the miraculous virgin birth of a son who she would call Jesus (Luke 1:26-37).

MICHAEL is God’s “CHIEF ANGEL to protect the people of Israel.” He is called “Michael, one of the CHIEF PRINCES” in Daniel 10:13 where he was summoned by another angel (most likely Gabriel) to help him fight a fallen angel. In Daniel 10:21 he is called “Michael YOUR PRINCE” and in 12:1 we read, “And at that time shall Michael stand up, the GREAT PRINCE which standeth for the children of thy people.” He is God’s “chief angel” who has been commissioned as “Israel’s WARRIOR ANGEL” to protect them. In Revelation chapter 12 we have a prophecy regarding Israel during the coming Tribulation Period and in verses 7-9 we read, “And there was war in heaven: MICHAEL and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, the old serpent, called the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” Michael is only mentioned once again by name in Jude 9: “Yet Michael the ARCHANGEL, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses.” In 1 Thessalonians 4:16 he is referred to simply as “the archangel” in connection with the Rapture of the church and Old Testament saints: “For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of THE ARCHANGEL…”

LUCIFER is only mentioned once in Scripture. In Isaiah 14:12 we read, “How are thou fallen from heaven, O LUCIFER, son of the morning.” You can read about the “high place” he had as God’s greatest angel and then his “great fall” in Ezekiel 28:11-19 and Isaiah 14:12-15. After he rebelled against God his name was changed to SATAN. The Lord Jesus referred to this in Luke 10:18, “I beheld Satan as the lightning fall from heaven.” He is also known by other names of ill-repute as we saw in Revelation 12:9, “And the GREAT DRAGON was cast out, that OLD SERPENT, called the DEVIL and SATAN.” Another name mentioned several times is “BEELZEBUL, the prince of demons” (see Matthew 12:24-27 and Luke 11:14-19). Again, he once occupied the “highest place in heaven” but in a future day he will find himself in the “lowest place in hell.” We see this in Revelation 20:10, “And the DEVIL that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone…and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”  (DO)  (659.3)