For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Thessalonians 4:16 Of late, they have been portrayed in popular fiction and other mass media as the ultimate immortal spiritual beings who protect people (more specifically some damsels in distress). But did you know that references to angels and archangels are not new? In fact, religions and mythologies around the world have some or the other references of archangels. Archangels or higher-ranking angels have been mentioned in Judaism, Christianity, Islam and other world religions like Zoroastrianism . The word angel is derived from the ancient Greek word ángelos which refers to the bearers of messages or news while archangel in literal terms is the ruler of these angels. Distinguished by their different characteristics, these archangels are allotted different responsibilities by God himself. While references to the presence of archangels is not contested, there is a lot of debate on who they are, what they do and their number. Every religion has a different take on their number and duties. Here, we try to unravel the mystery of the archangels and their duties in different religions. In Christianity, there are several references to angels who are often represented as spiritual messengers between God and men. However, the word archangel occurs in only two verses in the New Testament. In Jude 1:9, But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him, but said, The Lord rebuke you! and in Thessalonians 4:16. Traditional Jewish culture has held a belief in angels that fulfill divine commands and carry spiritual messages from the divine one. However, early references of specific archangels are hard to find. It is only in post-Biblical Judaism especially in the apocalyptic literature that certain angels gained prominence and were named. In the first book of Enoch the archangels to be listed are Michael, Uriel, Raphael, Raguel, Gabriel, Sariel and Remiel. The rabbinic literature, Hebrew Bible and Talmud also classifies angels into high and low hierarchies. The Kabbalah accounts for ten archangels, each leading a choir of angels and corresponding to a Sephirot. Among these Metatron leads the highest order of angels known as Chayot Ha Kodesh. Islam also believes in the hierarchy of angels. Along with the cherubim that sing praises to Allah, there are four archangels as well. These include: Mikal or Michael, the provider: He is charged with the distribution of nourishment to the creatures, and also brings with him thunder and lightning on earth. Jibril or Gabriel, the revealer: The archangel responsible for revealing the Qur'an to the Prophet Muhammad. Izra'il of Azrael, the angel of death: He is responsible for parting the souls of the human from their body. Based on the person's good or bad deeds the soul is either ripped out painfully or separated like a "drop of water dripping from glass." Israfil, the angel of Last Judgment: Although his name is not directly mentioned in the Qu'ran, but according to the Haadith he is the angel who blows the horn on Judgment day Apart from these four archangels there are several other angels mentioned in the Qu'ran like

• Maalik, the angel who governs Hell and its Fire.
• Ridwan, the angel charged for governing Paradise.
• Kiraman Katibin the two angels who sit on a man's shoulder and record his good and bad deeds.
• Munkar and Nakir the angels who are responsible for questioning a person about his good and bad deeds in the grave
• Harut and Marut are the angels who were like man and committed the sins of man when sent to earth.

Besides the Supreme Being (Ahura Mazda), Zoroastrianism recognizes various other spiritual beings. Among them are the Amesha Spentas or the archangels. These beneficent immortals are the highest spiritual beings of the religion. Their names and roles are:

• Vohu Mano (Phl. Vohuman) means Good Mind: Presides over cattle.
• Asha Vahishta (Phl. Ardwahisht) means Highest Asha: The Amahraspand presiding over Asha and fire.
• Khshathra Vairya (Phl. Shahrewar) means 'Desirable Dominion': The Amahraspand presiding over metals.
• Spenta Armaiti (Phl. Spandarmad) means 'Holy Devotion', the Amahraspand presiding over the earth.
• Haurvatat (Phl. Hordad) means 'Perfection or Health': Presides over water.
• Ameretat (Phl. Amurdad) means 'Immortality': The Amahraspand presiding over the Earth.

Despite the confusion about the number of archangels, three of these angels have been prominent in most religions. Archangels have served as an inspiration to artists and there are many depictions of these divine beings. Their existence in almost all monotheistic world religions including Judaism, Christianity, and Islam proves their importance in the belief system.