Saint Luke tells us in his Gospel, “Suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, ‘Glory to God in high heaven, peace on earth to those on whom his favor rests.’”
There is no reason for us to be sentimental with these angels, for the typical reaction to one in the Bible is fear. We are dealing here with some fearsome creatures.
We have translated these fearsome creatures as “host” or “multitude,” sometimes even an army. And Caesar Augustus was able to dominate the world because he had the biggest army. But Saint Luke is saying that the baby king actually possesses a bigger army, though it is one that fights, not with the weapons of the world, but with those of heaven.
