What Does The Bible Say About Angels

What Does The Bible Say About Angels

Who are angels? How many are there? Do I have a guardian angel? Are they male or female?

The Bible does not spell out the angelic world in detail, but does leave us pieces. Lets explore what it does say and leave the rest a mystery as it is not integral to our salvation. That relies fully upon Jesus!

MORE: This text was taken from my new faith-based Instagram account, House of Palms. I hope youll come join us over on Instagram as we talk about FEAR next week!

Role #: Angels Are Warriors

While the idea of angels ministering to our needs is deeply comforting, the thought of angels as supernatural warriors might be downright concerningunless you study it carefully. Our modern military protects the nation from invasion and is comprised of specialists who work together to strategically outwit aggressors. It is similar with angels.

Throughout Scripture, we find story after story of Gods people emerging victoriously from physical and spiritual battles as they face insurmountable odds. It was angelic visitors who ushered Lot out of Sodom before destroying it . It was angelic guards who went ahead of the Israelites, protecting them as they departed Egypt and entered Canaan . It was the Angel of the Lord who killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in 2 Kings 19. And when our risen Lord rides into the Battle of Armageddon, He will be followed by armies of angels .

Psalm 34:7 summarizes it this way, The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. I dont know about you, but Im sure glad we have these warriors on our side!

And on the story goes. In case Jacob has any doubts as to the mastermind behind this selective breeding program, Scripture tells us the Angel of God appeared in Jacobs dreams and confirmed Gods role . Gods people do not have to worry about outcomes they must only worry about obedience to Gods plans.As provisioners, angels equip Gods people for victory.

Do Angels Know Our Needs

The angels know our weaknesses and needs. The angel of the Lord came to Elijah when he was fleeing from Jezebel …and touched him, and said, Arise and eat, because the journey is too great for you. So he arose, and ate and drank and he went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights as far as Horeb, the mountain of God. .

When our Saviour was in the wilderness of temptation, angels came and ministered unto him . And at last in the Garden of Gethsemane, when all the world was against Him and the burden of our sins rested upon Him, we read that an angel appeared unto Him from heaven, strengthening Him

The angels are interested in our salvation. In 1 Peter 1:12 we read that they desire to look into God’s redeeming plans. Then, too, they are filled with joy when a sinner repents

Don’t Miss: Does The Bible Forbid Tattoos

Who Is The King Of The Angels

Jesus the Christ, God incarnate, is above all angels and is the King of the angels, as explained by the author of Hebrews.

God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.For to which of the angels did He ever say,

• ANGELS AND WOMENDid angels have sexual intercourse with human women in Genesis 6? AnswerOr were the sons of man aliens, as some have suggested?

• Who is the being of light encountered in near-death experiences?Answer

Also see the book by Fred C. Dickason, Angels: Elect and Evil .

Editor: Paul S. Taylor, Christian Answers.

1996, 1998, 2002, 2017, 2021, Christian Ansdwers, All Rights Reservedexcept as noted on attached Usage and Copyright page that grants ChristianAnswers.Net users generous rights for putting this page to work in their homes, personal witnessing, churches and schools.

Angels Have A Hierarchy

Angels in the Bible appear to have a rank and order. The angel hierarchy is supported by Jude 9, when the angel Michael is called an archangela title that indicates rule or authority over other angels. Hes also called one of the chief princes in Daniel 10:13, and appears to lead Gods angelic army in Revelation 12: Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought, but they were defeated . Paul also tells us that the Lord will return from heaven with the archangels call . Scripture doesnt tell us if this refers to Michael, or if there are other archangels as well.

Recommended Reading: Bible Say About Depression

Angels Of Good And Evil

Speaking of lions, Peter reminds us there are two types of angels those for God and those for Satan.

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

With as much intensity as our angels work to guard us, the devil and his angels seek to devour us like a lion. We are no match for the devil and his angels. We need our angels to shut their mouths lest we be destroyed.

Paul reminds us that there is more going on than we can see.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

I think if there was such a thing as a spiritual strobe flashlight that we could shine at night into the spaces around us, we would see a lot more spirit activity than we ever imagined.

While it is true from Scriptures that there is a spirit world made up of both good and evil, and we have not one but many angels watching out over us, there are two things we must remember that the Bible tells us about angels:

What Angels Look Like

Above it stood seraphim each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.

We know that angels are spiritual beings. They dont have physical bodies . However, the Bible presents a few different descriptions of angels:

• Angels with human form: Genesis 18:1-3, Daniel 9:21, Luke 24:4-5.
• Angels with wings: Exodus 25:20, 1 Kings 6:27, Isaiah 6:2.
• Some impressive descriptions: Ezekiel 1:5-14, Matthew 28:2-3, Revelation 10:1-6.
• In some cases, even though the angels looked like men, they still struck fear upon those who saw them .

Recommended Reading: Does The Bible Say We Are Born Sinners

Does The Bible Say Family Members Become Angels

• The Kansas City Star

• Save

The Rev. Penny Ellwood, Blue Springs, Mo., campus pastor, United Methodist Church of the Resurrection: It isnt unusual these days to hear someone express the notion that their deceased loved one has gone to heaven and become an angel one who watches carefully over the remaining family. While this is a lovely thought, it is not supported in Scripture.

Angels are an entirely different order of being than humans. Hebrews 12:22-23 says that when we get to the heavenly Jerusalem, we will be met by thousands of angels and the spirits of righteous men made perfect two different and separate groups. Matthew 22:30 explains that resurrected saints will be like the angels in heaven but not the same. Angels do not marry or reproduce like humans.

Angels are not glorified saints, and human beings do not become angels after they die. The angels are represented throughout the Christian Bible as spiritual beings intermediate between God and men .

I think we pose this idea of our loved ones becoming angels because we cannot comprehend the beauty of heaven. From our human perspective, we cannot imagine, nor can we experience, the physical and temporal dimensions of heaven.

How Do Angels Compare To Human Beings

• Angels never die .

• They are stronger than man, but not omnipotent .

• They are greater than man in knowledge, but not omniscient .

• Good angels are more noble and holy than man .

• Good angels can take on the appearance of men when the occasion demands. How else could some entertain angels unaware ? On the other hand, their appearance is sometimes in dazzling white and blazing glory .

• Like us, angels have a free will and can be tempted.

• Angels do not or reproduce . Angels are a company or association, not a race descended from a common ancestor . We are called sons of men, but angels are never called sons of angels.

Editors Note: The Creator gave Adam and Eve, and their descendants, the wondrous ability to reproduceultimately creating billions of new eternal souls. In his wisdom, the ability to reproduce was withheld from angels. One might guess that this may have enraged prideful Lucifer, who led a great many angels into rebellion against God and devoted to the deceit and destruction of mankindrather than being encouragers, ministers and protectors to humanity .

You May Like: Born Sinners Bible Verse

The Division Of Angelsgood And Evil

While all the angels were originally created holy and without sin, there was a rebellion by Satan, who, being lifted up by his own beauty, rebelled and sought to exalt himself above God. In his rebellion, he took with him one-third of the angels . This rebellion and fall is probably described for us in Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:15 embodied in the kings of Babylon and Tyre.22 Prophesying of a future angelic conflict that will occur in the middle of the Tribulation, John wrote, And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. And the dragon and his angels waged war . In other words, there are good angels and there are evil angels. Regarding their fall, Bushwell writes:

We infer that the angels which sinned did so in full knowledge of all the issues involved. They chose self-corruption, knowing exactly what they were doing. They sinned without remedy, and there is no atonement for them . On the other hand, it seems that the holy angels, being faced with the same ethical choice and possessing the same God-given ability to choose, remained and are confirmed in their state of holiness. They have never known the experience of sin.23

What Is The Job Description Of An Angel

We dont know whether every angel carries out the same tasks, or whether some of them specialize in certain areas. The Bible does speak about classes of angelic beings like cherubim and seraphim . We also know the names of two notable angels: Michael and Gabriel .

The unnamed angels who appear most often in Scripture carry out a variety of tasksall designed to serve God

• GuidersAngels gave instructions to Joseph about the birth of Jesus , to the women at the tomb, to Philip , and to Cornelius .

• ProvidersGod has used angels to provide physical needs such as food for Hagar , Elijah , and Christ after His temptation .

• ProtectorsKeeping Gods people out of physical danger, as in the cases of Daniel and the lions, and his three friends in the fieryfurnace .

• DeliverersGetting Gods people out of danger once theyre in it. Angels released the apostles from prison in Acts 5, and repeated the process for Peter in Acts 12.

• Strengtheners and EncouragersAngels strengthened Jesus after His temptation , encouraged the apostles to keep preaching after releasing them from prison , and told Paul that everyone on his ship would survive the impending shipwreck .

• Answering prayerGod often uses angels as His means of answering the prayers of His people .

• Caring for believers at the moment of deathIn the story of Lazarus and the rich man, we read that angels carried the spirit of Lazarus to Abrahams bosom when he died .

Recommended Reading: What Does The Bible Say About Eating Fat

What Is The Purpose Of Angels

angelsTo serve the people God saves.ministering spiritsTo deliver messages.angelangel GabrielTo wage spiritual battle.Michael the archangelTo worship God.LuciferTo serve.temptation in the wildernessTo execute judgment.To aid in the transmission of Godâs Word.Christians

Recommended Resources

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.

You May Like: Apocalypse In The Bible Verse

What Do Angels Look Like

There are several descriptions in the Bible of angels’ appearing in their glory. In Daniel, the tenth chapter, we read the prophet Daniels description of Gabriel, His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude .

Of the angel that rolled away the stone from Christ’s tomb, we read the following, His countenance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. And the guards shook for fear of him, and became like dead men .

How Can Humans Win In Spiritual Warfare

Spiritual warfare is real and it does play out on earth, but people tend to do one of two things: 1) ignore it all together or 2) give Satan too much credit and think him more powerful than he is.

The key to successful spiritual warfare is finding the biblical balance. Jesus sometimes cast demons out of people other times He healed people with no mention of the demonic. The apostle Paul instructs Christians to wage war against the sin in themselves and warns us to oppose the schemes of the devil . GotQuestions.org

Read Also: Chronical Order Of The Bible

Can People Become Angels

Heaven gained another angel, you might hear someone say when someone has passed, but people cannot become angels. There are set number of angels and angels do not procreate. Angels are neither born nor die, they are a separate entity, a separate order from humans. Angels, in turn, cannot become human.

FOLLOW for more faith questions! Next week well be talking about fear and how to squash it!

Gabriel Appears To Zechariah

The book of Luke, one of the four Gospels, opens after a short introduction with the story of Zechariah, a priest. Luke records that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, were righteous in the sight of God .

One day, as Zechariah went into the temple to burn incense before God, an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense . This angel was Gabriel. Gabriel gave Zechariah the news that his wife, Elizabeth, would bear a son.

This seemed outlandish, as both were old and Elizabeth had been unable to have children, but Gabriel told Zechariah that he was to name the son John. Gabriel set out special directives for John and told Zechariah that John would bring back many to God and would prepare the way for the Lord that Lord being Jesus, whose birth Gabriel would soon announce as well.

The baby, John, was none other than John the Baptist, and he would be the one to baptize Jesus at the beginning of Jesus ministry.

You May Like: What Does The Bible Say About Leadership Qualities

Different Types Of Angels In The Bible

We are told of a few specific types of angels that form a hierarchal structure. These are the Thrones, Powers, Rulers and Authorities. There are Archangels, Cherubim, Seraphim also. We do not know whether they are one and the same or are different categories.

34. Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.