What Do We Actually Know About Them?
There has been a lot of talk about Angel lately. Everywhere I go people are talking about angels even the prophets talk about angels these days. But what does the Bible actually say. I decided to do a study on angels, I thought I would share my findings.
For centuries, angels have been portrayed as beautiful human beings with wings and glowing light, complete with halos, harps, and flowing white gowns. But is that what angels really look like? Angels have inspired all sorts of imaginative stories and depictions. What’s let when we separate fact from fiction? What does the Bible actually say about angels?
- God created Angels
Angels have an always existed. According to scripture, they are part of the universe God created. The Bible refers to angels as “host” or “armies” of heaven, Nehemiah 9:6 says, “You are, the Lord you alone made the heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their hosts… and the host of heaven worships you.” In the New Testament, Paul tells us that God created all things “visible and invisible,” and specifically includes the angelic world in that phrase “Whether thrones or dominions, or principalities or authorities” (Colossians 1:16).
While Bible verses tell us that God created angels, the Bible also suggests that they don’t “exist” in the same way we do. Hebrews 1:13-14 suggests that all angels are spirits. When Jesus appears to the disciples, He asserts that “spirits” don’t have bodies like He does (Luke 24:39). Angels, can’t usually be seen by humans unless God reveals them (Numbers 22:31, 2 Kings 6:17, Luke 2:13). However, from time to time, Andrew took on bodily form and appeared to various people in scripture (Matthew 28:5, Hebrews 13:3).
- There are three types of angels in the Bible
Scripture names three types of heavenly beings that appear to be types of Angels:
Cherubim
Seraphim
Living creatures
Cherubim
Cherubim are mentioned in several places throughout scripture,
– They guarded the entrance to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24).
– Gods is enthroned above them (Ezekiel 10 1-22).
– God rides on them (Psalm 18:10).
– Two golden figures of Cherubim sit above the Ark of the Covenant, where God promised to dwell among His people (Exodus 25:22; 18:21).
Seraphim
Another type of angel, the Seraphim, are only mentioned once in the Bible. They appear in Isaiah 6:2-7, Where they continually worship will Lord saying “ Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His glory.”
Living Creatures
Ezekiel and Revelation Speak of other kinds of heavenly being known as “living creatures” around God’s throne (Ezekiel 1:5-14, Revelation 4:6-8). They appear like a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, representing various parts of God’s creation – wild beasts, domesticated animals, human beings, and birds. They, too, worship God continually: “Day and night, they never cease to sing, “Holy, Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!” (Revelation 4:8).
- Angels have a hierarchy
Angels in the Bible appear to have rank in order. Angel hierarchy is supported by Jude 9, when the Angel Michael is called an “archangel” a title that indicates rule or authority over other angels. He’s also called “one of the chief princes” in Daniel 10:13, and appears to lead God’s angelic army in Revelation 12: Now war, a rose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought but were defeated” (Revelation 12:7-8). Paul also tells us that the Lord will return from heaven “with the archangels call” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Scripture doesn’t tell us if he refers to Michael, or there are other archangels as well.
- Only two angels have names in the Bible
Only to Andrew‘s first pacifically named in scripture. As said above. the archangel Michael is mentioned in Jude 9, Revelation 12:7-8, and Daniel 10:13, 21).
Gabriel is the only other angel named in the Bible. He’s mentioned and Daniel 8:16 and 19:21 as a messenger who comes from God to speak to Daniel. He’s also identified as God’s messenger and Luke 1. He tells Zachariah, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God” (Luke 1:19). Then we read, “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin…and the virgins name was Mary” (Luke 1:26-27).
- Angels are not omnipresent
Angels frequently appear as messengers in the Bible, traveling from one place to another.
The fact that angels are not omnipresent is made explicit when the angle comes to Daniel and says:
“I have come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty one days; but Michael, one of the chief princes came you help me; so I left him there with the prince of the kingdom of Persia and came to make you understand what it is to befall your people in the latter days.” – Daniel 10:12-14.
If Angels were omnipresent, Michael wouldn’t have “came to help” because who would’ve already been there, and this angel wouldn’t need to leave Michael to bring this message. Unlike God, who is omnipresent, angels are finite creatures, limited to one place at one time.
- We don’t know how many angels exist
The Bible doesn’t tell us how many angels God created. But apparently, there are a lot of them. Here are a few ways the Bible tells us how many angels there are:
– On Mount Sinai, God “came from the tens of thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at His right hand“ (Deuteronomy 33:2).
– We also learned that, “the chariots of God or tens of thousands and thousands and thousands“ Psalms 68:17 NIV).
– When we come to worship, we come into the presence of “innumerable angels” (Hebrews 12:22).
– John says, I heard around the throne and a living creatures, and the elders, a voice of many elders John says, “I heard around the throne and the living creatures, and the elders, a voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands” (Revelation 5:11).
Every biblical reference to the total number, angels suggest, that they are beyond counting.
- We can’t prove that guardian angels exist
The Bible clearly tells us that God sends angels to protect people. “He will give his angels charge over you and guide you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11-12).
But are these what we think of as “guardian angels”? Jesus’s words in Matthew 18:10 seem to support the idea that individual people have guardian angels. In heaven, their angels always behold the face of the Father , who is in heaven. But Jesus, not only meant angels were assigned to protect little children in general.
When the disciples in Acts 12:15 say that Peter’s ‘angel” must be knocking at the door, this doesn’t necessarily imply that they believe in guardian angels. It’s possible that they believe in angels were simply guarding Peter at the time.
While arguments can be made, there seems to be no definitive biblical proof for the existence of “guardian angels.”
- Angels do not marry
Jesus taught that in the resurrection people, “neither marry or are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30; Luke 20:34-36). Yes, clearly suggest that angels don’t marry
No other scripture addresses relationships between angel, so anything beyond this is simply speculation.
- Angels are very powerful
Angles are called “mighty ones to do his word“ (Psalm 103:20), “powers” (Ephesians 1:21) and “dominions” and “authorities” (Colossians1:16). They are certainly “greater in Mike and power” than humans (2 Peter 2:11; Matthew 28 2)). Angels use their power to battle against Satan, demonic forces (Daniel 10:13; Revelation 12:7-8, 20:1-3).
During our earthly lives, we are lower than the angels (Hebrews 2:7). But as powerful as Angels are,when Jesus returns, followers of Christ will be raised higher than them (1 Corinthians 6:3).
- We don’t know when angels were created
Genesis 2:1 tells us that the angels were made at some point before the seventh day of creation. The heavens and the Earth were finished, and all the host of them, host, referring to heavenly beings.
Exodus 20:22 is even more explicit In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. We can at least confirm that all the angels were created by the sixth day of creation.
But there’s a hint of the creation of Angelic beings on the first day of creation, when we read “ in the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1), immediately followed by, “the earth was without form and void” (Genesis 1:2). There is no mention of heavens in the second verse. This might be intended to contrast the emptiness of the earth is with the heavens,where God already created angelic beings. This idea may be supported by Job, where we read that the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy” when God laid the “corner stone” of the earth and sunk its “bases” (Job 38:6-7). If the angels shouted for joy when God was forming the earth, this could imply that God created the angelic being on the first day. But, this is only speculation.
- Angels carry out some of God’s plans
There are numerous ways and with angels carry out God planned on earth:
– They frequently bring God messages to people (Luke 1:11-19, Acts 8:26, 10:3-8, 22, 27:23-24).
– They carry out with some of God judgments, bringing a plague upon Israel (2 Samuel 24:16-17), smiting the leaders of the Assyrian army (2 Chronicles 32-21), striking King Herod dead because he did not give God glory (Acts 12:23), pouring out bowls of God’s wrath on the earth (revelation 16:1).
– When christ returns, angels will come with him as a great army accompanying their King and Lord (Matthew 16:27, Luke 9:26, 2 Thessalonians 1:7).
– They patrol earth as God’s representatives (Zachariah 1:10-11).
– They carry out war against demonic forces (Daniel 10:13; Revelation 12:7-8).
– John records, that an angel, seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the Devil, and bound him for1000-years, and threw him into the pit…” (Revelation 20:1-3).
– When Christ returns, and Arcángel will proclaim His coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16, Revelation 18:1-2, 21, 19:17-18).
- Angels directly glorify God
Humans are the only intelligent, moral creatures, who glorify God. In Psalm 130:20, 148:2.
“Angels, glorify, God for who he is in Himself, for His excellence. Bless the Lord, O you Bis angels, you mighty ones who do His word, hearkening to the voice of His Word.”
The seraphim continually praise God for His holiness (Isaiah 6:2-3), and so do the living creatures (Revelation 4:8).
Angles also walk by God as a witness His plan and unfold. When Christ was born in Bethlehem, a multitude of angels, praised God, and said, “ Glory to God, in the highest, and on earth, peace among men with whom He is pleased” (Luke 2:14; Hebrews 1:6). Jesus tells us, “There is joy before the angels of God, over one sinner, who repents” (Luke 15:10), indicating that angels rejoice when someone turns from sin, and trust in Christ.
Peter tells us that “angels long to look” (1 Peter 1:12) into the glories of the plan of salvation as it works out in the lives of believers each day. To emphasize the seriousness of particular command, Paul reminds us that our actions are carried out in the presence of angelic witnesses:
“In the presence of God, and of Christ Jesus, and the elected angels I charge, you to keep the rules without favor doing nothing from partiality” – 1 Timothy 5:21; 1 Corinthians 4:9
If Timothy follows Paul’s instructions, angels will witness his obedience and glorify God. If you neglect to obey, angles will also see and be grieved.
- Angels are not to be worshipped
“Worship of angels”, with one of the false doctrines being taught at Colossae (Colossians 2:18). In the book of Revelation and angel warns John not to worship him. “You must not do that! I am a fellow servant with you, and your brethren who holds the testimony of Jesus Worship God” (Revelation 19:10).
We shouldn’t pray to Angels either. God is able to answer prayer Paul, warns us against thinking that any other mediator can come between us and God, “ for there is one god, and it was one mediator between God and man, the man in Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). If we were to pray to angels, it would implicitly give them a status equal to God. There are no examples in scripture of anyone praying to an angel or asking for an angel’s help.
Scripture gives us no warrant who seek appearances of angels. They manifest themselves and unsought. 26 such appearances would seem to indicate an unhealthy curiosity, or a desire of some kind of spectacular event, rather than love of God, and devotion to Him and His work.
Though angels did appear to people at various times in scripture, the people apparently never sought those appearances. Our role is rather to talk to the Lord, who is himself, the commander of all angelic forces. However, it would not seem wrong to ask God to fulfill His promise in Psalm 91:11 to send angels to protect us in times of need.
Much of what we see, or hear about angels in culture is based on speculation, non-biblical sources, or just plain fantasy. The Bible has a lot to say about them – so much in fact that it can be hard to say which of the things we hear about are rooted in scripture.
From Pity to Praise 