The golden statue depicts an angel sounding a trumpet facing the east. The concept comes from a biblical depiction in the book of Revelation, chapter 14, verses 6-7: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters."
The fulfillment of John's prophecy was realized when the angel Moroni appeared to the prophet Joseph Smith, and brought a message that led to the translation of the Book of Mormon, which contains a record that confirms the divinity of Jesus Christ and his everlasting gospel, and is actively being distributed to nations all over the world.
The concept of an angel bringing a message from God is not unique to the coming of the Book of Mormon. The Bible names the angel Gabriel as the messenger who brought the news of Christ's birth to Mary. There are numerous passages where angels have come to bring messages, warnings, or instruction from heaven. Even going back to the garden of Eden, God placed Cherubim and a flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life.
Over time, popular culture has influenced the impressions men have had of how angels appear and interact with people. Small, plump, nude babies with feathered wings are popular in some depictions, perhaps portraying some sort of innocence. Elegant figures with ornate dresses are common sights at the tops of Christmas trees.
Though I know they are not accurate representations, I confess to being impressed with fantasy portrayals of angels with majestic wings, bright armor, and shining swords. Though I do not typically include images in my posts, I thought these might be enjoyable:
As entertaining as these fantasy characters are, the actual divine messengers do not appear like this. In fact, because they are messengers it is rare that visibility is important at all in their work... The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi expounded a bit on this when he was trying to explain the concept of "speaking with the tongue of angels" (2 Nephi 32:2-3)
The idea is that angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost. The methods by which the Holy Ghost, or the Spirit of God communicates are found in various places in the scriptures.
Consider the disciples on the road to Emmaus who spoke with the resurrected Christ. After hearing his teachings, they confirmed with one another this spiritual influence by saying "Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Luke 24:32)
Consider the word of the Lord coming to the prophet Elijah on Horeb. He recognized the messenger that prepared him for his journey as an angel, and he knew enough to realize that the wind and the fire and the earthquake were not the voice of the Lord... After these things came a still small voice, which he recognized, and answered. (1 Kings 19)
Consider the teachings of the Apostle Paul in Galatians: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." (Galatians 5:22-23)
The other important emphasis of Nephi is not just the method by which they speak, but the message they speak: "Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." (2 Nephi 32:3)
The message of angels is the message of God. When the voice of the Father has been heard, it is almost always to point us toward his son, Jesus Christ. (Mark 1:11, 2 Nephi 31:11, 2 Peter 1:17, Matthew 17:5, JSH 1:17)
Because the teaching of Christ is to have faith, to repent, and to follow him... so is the message of an angel. Of course there may be certain circumstances where more specific guidance is needed, but for the vast majority of people... they are probably already aware of things they ought to be doing better. Anyone who has felt persuaded to change their life to become a better person has, most likely, been persuaded by the tongue of angels.
While it is fine for fantasy stories to portray angels as powerful divine warriors, for the vast majority of the time, they need not seem aloof or withdrawn... in truth, the tongue of angels can be heard by those who listen.
