What About Guardian Angels
OK well, the Bibles actually not too clear on this one.
Jesus does warn that little children have angels who stand before God the Fatherbut it is a warning against causing children to stumble. It could mean that at the time of Jesus, little children received special attention from angels. But Jesus message seems to have more to do with the deep trouble youll be in if you mess with these kids than it does with the angels protecting them.
Theres one other passage that indicates there may be angels assigned to watch over specific humans. When Peter escapes from jail in the book of Acts, he goes to a nearby house where a group of believers has gathered. A girl answers the door and sees Peter outside, and before letting him in, announces to the group that Peter is out of jail and their prayers are answered. The whole group thinks the girl is crazy, and insists that shes just seeing Peters angel which is weird, because an angel did just release Peter from prison.
I used my favorite Bible study tool, Logos Bible software, to do research that made this post possible. If you’re a Bible geek like me, you might want to check it out.
+ Bible Verses About Angels
Categories Faith, Angelology, Topical Bible Verses
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In this article we look at this collection of Bible verses about angels. A helpful aide and guide in studying on the topic of angels. So, lets get started
For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. Colossians 1:16
I felt it would be helpful with my other articles about angels, which you can check out on my Angelology: The Doctrine of Angels.
Because of the vast amount of verses about angels This will be somewhat a guide to help you study and discover scripture on angels
Just the term angel is mentioned 280 times in the KJV. Then throw in cherubim with its 126 mentions and host another 192 times. Thats a lot of references to the angelic.
So, I thought the best way to go about this is to break down key bible verses on angels into sections. You can use the table of content to skip around or just scroll through.
What Do We Know About Angels From The Bible
We can see in Job that not all angels can be seen for they work in the spirit realm. We know that they are created as ranking a little higher than we are.
48. Job 4:15-19 Then a spirit passed by my face The hair of my flesh bristled up. It stood still, but I could not discern its appearance A form was before my eyes There was silence, then I heard a voice: Can mankind be just before God? Can a man be pure before his Maker? He puts no trust even in His servants And against His angels He charges error. How much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, Who are crushed before the moth!
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Cherubs Aren’t Cute Little Babies
One of the most vivid descriptions of angels in the Bible comes from the prophet Ezekiel’s inaugural vision, found in Ezekiel 1. It describes two main types of angels. The first are the cherubim . Per Medium, cherubs have been assigned a variety of tasks by God, one of the most important of which is to guard the Garden of Eden.
Now, if you’ve heard of cherubim before, you probably don’t think of them as the scary guard type today, cherubs are typically depicted as chubby little babies. But the Bible disagrees. According to Ezekiel’s vision, every cherub “had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox each also had the face of an eagle.” If the combined faces of four different species aren’t frightening enough, cherubs also have two sets of wings one for flight, and the other to conceal their bodies. Additionally, per Medium, cherubs have straight legs and shiny bull hooves.
The Bible’s frightening depiction of cherubs is a far stretch from how they’re traditionally shown today. But the second type of angel described in Ezekiel 1 is even more bizarre. Meet the ophanim .
Purposes Of God’s Angels
Having looked at the real, created, limited, spirit nature of angels, lets evaluate the practical purposes behind Gods creation of angels. Scripture separately delineates cherubim from seraphim, and biblical accounts reveal different roles for Gabriel and Michael. Different angels serve different purposes. However, viewing all revealed angelic activity with a wide lens, we can identify four broad roles that they fulfill:
Angels are messengers, ministers, warriors and worshipers.
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Role #: Angels Are Ministering Spirits
The role angels play as ministering spirits is perhaps the most comforting aspect of their nature.
Hebrews 1:14 explains their ministry this way, Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation? Other passages of Scripture provide vivid examples of angelic ministry.
In 1 Kings 19:5, an angel appeared to Elijah when he was fleeing from Jezebel in great despair. The angel provided life-giving food and water that sustained him for forty days and nights. After Jesus Christ was tempted by the Devil in Matthew 4, Scripture states that angels came and ministered to Him. The Greek word translated ministered implies that they fed Him.
In Luke 16, Jesus tells a parable that introduces the idea of angels ministering to mankind by carrying Gods children home to heaven. Other passages are less descriptive but point to this truth with phrases including carried up into heaven, received up into heaven, and taken up .
As if the blessed assurance of our salvation werent enough, God provides angels to transport our loved ones home. Praise God for these ministering spirits!
And He Will Send His Angels With A Great Sound Of A Trumpet And They Will Gather Together His Elect From The Four Winds From One End Of Heaven To The Other Matthew 2: 30
Angels will be at the forefront of activities concerning the second coming of Christ. In this scripture passage Jesus was telling His disciples about the signs of His return. At His second coming He will send His angels to gather the elects of the earth. This event will mark the end of the cosmic conflict and will usher in a new era of eternal protection from the ruins of a sin cursed earth.
1 Thessalonians 4: 16,17 also describes the events of Christ’s return. It states, “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven…with the voice of an archangel… And the dead in Christ will rise first. ¹Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds…”
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Fact #: Angels Are Not Defined By Us
Because they are real, angels are not defined by our notions about them. There are some popular ideas about angels that simply arent true.
Angels are commonly depicted as everything from chubby babies to demure, ivory-skinned women with wings. When someone dear to our hearts passes on, its not uncommon to hear a family member say, So-and-so is watching over us now. Or theyll say, We havent lost a person. Weve gained an angel. Let me tell you, you can search Scripture from cover to cover, and you will find no such description.
Do you realize that every time Scripture describes angels, it uses masculine terms?
And, if you recall our examination of Psalm 104, you will recollect that angels were created on a different day than humans, and they were created all at the same time. Heaven does not gain angels. Im sorry if it offends you, but angels are neither women nor babies nor departed loved ones they are nothing other than supernatural masculine warriors unlike anything known to us in our material world.
Do Not Forget To Entertain Strangers For By So Doing Some Have Unwittingly Entertained Angels Hebrews 1: 2 Nkjv
The Bible has many stories and texts that are helpful for reinforcing the importance of and the need for hospitality. The story of the good Samaritan and that of Abraham are great examples of showing hospitality.
The children of Israel were also warned to be kind to strangers because they had firsthand experience of being strangers while they were in Egypt.
In extending hospitality to strangers, we extend the love of God to others. It also helps us to live together in brotherly love. More importantly, we show hospitality to our Heavenly Father when we care for others. Matthew 25:40 states, “And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me”.
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What Does The Bible Say About The Appearance Of Angels
How angels really appear in the Bible.
The Bible tells us, will give His angels charge of you to protect you in all your ways . Angels are heavenly beings, superior to humans, who serve as messengers of God and guardians of human beings. They were also created to worship and serve God as well as protect us.
Angels are organized in three hierarchies and nine orders so that they can be classified and ranked. The ones that are revealed to us are broken down as follows: The First hierarchy contains Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones. The Second hierarchy contains Dominions, Virtues and Powers. The Third and Final hierarchy contains Principalities, Archangels and Angels.
The Bible plainly teaches that angels exist. There are more than 250 mentions of angels in Scripture from Genesis to Revelation. The Bible also indicates that angels are everywhere: Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing so, you have unwittingly entertained angels . It is possible youve even seen these messengers from God without even realizing it.
Another visual that people have when they hear angel are halos. The halo, also called a nimbus, represents a radiant light above the head of a divine or sacred being. If you were asked to describe an angel, you would probably mention a halo in your characterization. While halos are commonly associated with angels, particularly in art and popular culture, angels were never mentioned as having a halo. In fact, halos are found nowhere in the Bible.
And The Angel Of The Lord Appeared To The Woman And Said To Her Indeed Now You Are Barren And Have Borne No Children But You Shall Conceive And Bear A Son Judges 1: 3 Nkjv
This angelic appearance came with a blessing for Manoah and his wife and deliverance for the children of Israel. In Judges 13:5 the angel told Manoahs wife that, no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.
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Bible Verses On Not To Worship Angels
Colossians 2:18 NKJV 18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
Revelation 19:10 NKJV 10 And I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, See not ! I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.
Revelation 22:8-9 NKJV 8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel who showed me these things. 9 Then he said to me, See not . For I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep the words of this book. Worship God.
I hope this list of Bible verses about angels has helped you understand a little more about these celestial creatures. If you would like to study and learn more on the topic here a few posts to get you started:
We Dont Know When Angels Were Created
Genesis 2:1 tells us that the angels were made at some point before the seventh day of creation: Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them .
Exodus 20:11 is even more explicit: In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. We can at least confirm that all the angels were created by the sixth day of creation.
But can we be any more specific? There may be a hint at the creation of angelic beings on the first day of creation, when we read that in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth , immediately followed by, the earth was without form and void . Theres no mention of the heavens in this second verse. This may be intended to contrast the emptiness of the earth is with the heavens, where God already created angelic beings. This idea could 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 cornerstone of the earth and sunk its bases . If the angels shouted for joy when God was forming the earth, this could imply that God created the angelic beings early on the first day. However, this is only speculation.
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Now The Angel Of The Lord Found Her By A Spring Of Water In The Wilderness By The Spring On The Way To Shur And He Said Hagar Sarais Maid Where Have You Come From And Where Are You Going Genesis 1: 78 Nkjv
An angel appeared to Hagar to provide her with consolation and hope for the future. She had moved from a position of pride to sorrow. After she became pregnant for Abram, and started to consider herself above Sarai, harsh treatment was meted out to her. As a result of the harsh treatment Hagar ran away from Sarai.
When the angel appeared to Hagar, she received: direct instructions to return to her mistress and a promised blessing. In Genesis 16:9,10 the angel provided instructions, hope for the future, and a blessing for Hagar and her son.
Angels Worship The Lord
Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.
The angels not only obey and submit to the Lord, but they also worship Him. We find several references in Scripture about angels praising and worshipping God . In Hebrews 1:5-6 and Revelation 5:11-12, the angels worship is directed to Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
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What Do Cheribum Seraphim And Other Angels Look Like
In addition to the verses that talk about angels appearing as humans, we can glean from all of Scripture that they have an otherworldly appearance.
One that strikes fear into us. We probably cannot come up with an adequate description for them, since human words do not suffice on supernatural matters.
This does not nearly cover the breadth of angels, or even touches on the nature and appearance of fallen angels. After all, we have several ranks of angels. A cherub will look far different than an archangel. And an angel will look far different than a demon.
But because Scripture offers some bizarre imagery for these beings, we cannot definitely know what one looks like unless we see one ourselves. And something tells me that would be a horrifying experience.
Although we don’t have descriptions of every angel, here is a brief overview at what some of them look like.
Cheribum: These creatures have four faces, and are described in Ezekiel 1:15-16 as such: “As I looked at the living creatures, I saw a wheel on the ground beside each creature with its four faces. This was the appearance and structure of the wheels: They sparkled like topaz, and all four looked alike. Each appeared to be made like a wheel intersecting a wheel.”
Seraphim: An angelic being with six wings, two covering the eyes because they cannot stare at God’s holiness directly.
Angels Announce The Birth Of Jesus
Luke 1:30-33
And the angel said to her, Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.
Luke 2:8-10
And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.
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