Introduction

There are many questions about angels today. There are also many misconceptions about them. So, let’s take a look at exactly what the Bible says about them.

I. A Biblical description of angels

a. “angel”= “messenger”

b. They were created by God as superior beings to man (Psalm 8:4-5 – “⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? ⁵For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.”) (Hebrews 2:7,9- “⁷Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands:… ⁹But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.”)

c. They serve God (Psalm 103:20- “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.”)

i. As messengers. Some examples are:

1. Jacob (Genesis 32:24-30- “²⁴And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. ²⁵And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob' thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. ²⁶And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. ²⁷And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. ²⁸And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. ²⁹And Jacob asked him , and said, Tell me , I pray thee, thy name. And he said, Wherefore is it that thou dost ask after my name? And he blessed him there. ³⁰And Jacob called the name of the place Peniel: for I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved.”)

2. Daniel (Daniel 10:5-6 – “⁵Then I lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and behold a certain man clothed in linen, whose loins were girded with fine gold of Uphaz: ⁶His body also was like the beryl, and his face as the appearance of lightning, and his eyes as lamps of fire, and his arms and his feet like in colour to polished brass, and the voice of his words like the voice of a multitude.”)

3. Joseph & Mary (Matthew 1:19-20- “¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. ²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.”) (Luke 1:26-27 – “²⁶And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, ²⁷To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgins name was Mary.”)

ii. As a guardians or protectors (Ps. 91:11- “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”)

iii. As a means of or enforcers of judgment (Gen. 3:24- “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”) (II Kings 19:35- “And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the LORD went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.”)

d. They are spirits (Hebrews 1:14- “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”)

i. However, they can assume human form when needed. (Luke 24:4, 23- “⁴And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:…²³And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.”) (Acts 10:3, 30- “³He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius….³⁰And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and, behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing,”)

e. They have a free will, just as man does.

i. Lucifer and some other angels chose to rebel against God. (Matt. 25:41- “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:”) (II Pet. 2:4- “For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;”)

f. They are not to be worshipped (Colossians 2:18- “Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,”)

i. We are to worship the Creator, not any created being. (Romans 1:24-25 – “²⁴Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: ²⁵Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”)

g. They have no gender (Matthew 22:30- “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”)

h. They have vast knowledge, but they are not omniscient. (II Sam. 14:20- “To fetch about this form of speech hath thy servant Joab done this thing: and my lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel of God, to know all things that are in the earth.”) (Matt. 24:36- “But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.”)

i. They have great power, but they are not omnipotent. (Ps. 103:20- “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.”) (II Thess. 1:7- “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels,”)

II. Specific angels mentioned in Scripture

a. Michael- the archangel (Jude 9- “Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.”)

i. The archangel is the head angel.

b. Gabriel- the messenger

i. Gabriel is referred to more often than any angel in Scripture.

ii. He appears 4 times in Scripture (Dan. 8:16- “And I heard a man' voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.”) (Dan. 9:21- “Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.”) (Luke 1:19, 26- “¹⁹And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings…. ²⁶And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,”)

c. Lucifer (Satan)- the rebellious angel (Is. 14:12-14- “¹²How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! ¹³For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: ¹⁴I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.”)

i. Scripture describes him before his rebellion. (Ez. 28:12-17- “¹²Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. ¹³Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. ¹⁴Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so : thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁵Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. ¹⁶By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. ¹⁷Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.”)

Conclusion

I hope that this study has helped you to better understand who and what angels really are. Don’t let the world’s ideas about them blind you to the truth about them.