Angels—What Does the Bible Say About Them? The 8 Roles of Heavenly Beings
Are we alone? No, we are not alone!
There are other beings God created because He is the Creator of the universe and all that dwells in it. Christians and even those who don’t believe in the Bible or the Church believe in angels, and a great number of scientists believe we are not the only living creatures in the universe. Evolutionists who do not believe in God are searching the heavens in hope of finding life. In fact, the world has a hypnotic fascination with angels and is quite obsessed with so-called extraterrestrial creatures. Yet, most of the literature on the subject of angels and aliens is fiction. Truth is secondary. For example, angels in the Bible never appear as cute, chubby infants! They are always full-grown in size. When people in the Bible saw an angel, their typical response was to fall on their faces in fear and awe, not to reach out and tickle an adorable baby. What is true about angels is what is recorded in Scripture.
What Does the Bible Say About Angels?
The Bible clearly declares that everything was created by God.
“For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on Earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Colossians 1:16-17).
Angels are mentioned over 100 times in the Old Testament and over 160 times in the New Testament. Angels are not glorified human beings or those who have graduated to Heaven. The word “angel” actually comes from the Greek word aggelos, which means “messenger.” The matching Hebrew word mal’akh has the same meaning. There seems to be ranks among the angels in Scripture, perhaps seven levels, with Seraphim, Cherubim and the Archangels being at the top.
Angels are essentially “ministering spirits,” to believers in Jesus Christ (Hebrews 1:14), and do not have physical bodies like human beings.
“Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” (Hebrews 1:14, NIV).
Angels can take on the appearance of a human as we learn in the book of Hebrews,
“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it” (Hebrews 13:1, 2, NIV).
We learn that Abraham was visited by three heavenly messengers who appeared in the form of men (Genesis 18). At first he probably welcomed these three angelic guests as nothing more than travelers. Yet, soon Abraham became aware that they were not ordinary men. In the following chapter (Genesis 19), two of the three angelic beings went to Sodom to rain down fire and brimstone upon it. In this case, authority was given to the angels to control and override the laws of nature, causing major upheavals in the physical world, even destroying human beings.
Since angels are spirits, rather than physical beings, they are not always visible. We read in the Old Testament when Elisha prayed for his servant to see the armies of angels that were surrounding the city, the young man’s eyes were suddenly opened to see the invisible world of angelic beings! (2 Kings 6:17).
Angelic Appearances
Sometimes an angel appears to have unusual features. Daniel saw an angel with arms and legs resembling burnished bronze, eyes like torches of fire, and a face like lightning (Daniel 10:5, 6). Other Scriptures reveal an angel’s appearance can be absolutely dazzling white or blazing glory as if covered in light. The angel who rolled back the stone from Christ’s tomb was radiating a blinding light with clothes whiter than snow (Matthew 28:3). Some Scriptures give wings to angels (Isaiah 6:2, 6). Others reveal angels flying (Daniel 9:21). There are holy angels who enjoy the continuous presence of God (Matthew 18:10).
In the Book of Revelation we read the description of some highly unusual creatures that sound like something out of the twilight zone.
“In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under his wings. Day and night they never stop saying: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come” (Revelation 4:6-8, NIV).
Scripture reveals that angels are physically stronger than men, but they are not omnipotent like God (Psalm 103:20; Hebrews 1:13). They possess greater knowledge than men, but they are not omniscient like God (2 Samuel 14:20; Matthew 24:36). Neither are angels omnipresent like God. The Bible makes it clear that angels can only be in one place at a time. They must have some localized presence.
We have been given the names of two powerful angels: Gabriel and Michael. Gabriel is mentioned three times in Daniel and twice in Luke, introducing himself to Mary as, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God” (Daniel 8:15, 16; 9:21; Luke 1:19, 26). Michael, who also is mentioned three times in Daniel, is described as “the great prince who stands watch over the sons of your people (Israel)” (Daniel 10:13, 21; 12:1).
Worship and Praise
Every angel has an appointed function and purpose. The Bible describes their main activities:
To declare: Serving as messengers to communicate God’s will to men, they assisted God in revealing the law to Moses (Acts 7:52-53), and served in delivering much of the information in the books of Daniel and Revelation.
To guide: Delivering instructions to Joseph about the birth of Jesus (Matthew, chapters 1-2), to the women at the tomb (Matthew 28:5-8), to Philip (Acts 8:26), and to Cornelius (Acts 10:1-8).
To provide: Providing physical needs such as food for Elijah (1 Kings 19:6) and Christ after His temptation (Matthew 4:11).
To protect: Guarding God’s people from physical danger, as in the cases of Daniel in the den of lions, and his three friends in the fiery furnace (Daniel, chapters 3 and 6).
To deliver: Rescuing God’s children from danger. Angels released the apostles from prison in Acts, chapter 5, and again with Peter in Acts, chapter 12.
To strengthen and encourage: Strengthening Jesus after His temptation (Matthew 4:11), encouraging the apostles to keep preaching after releasing them from prison (Acts 5:19, 20), and confirming to Paul that everyone on his ship would survive the impending shipwreck (Acts 27:23-25).
To answer prayer: Answering the prayers of God’s people (Daniel 9:20-24; 10:10-12; Acts 12:1-17).
To care for believers at the moment of death: In the story of Lazarus and the rich man, angels carried the spirit of Lazarus to “Abraham’s bosom,”—a term describing peace and security. (Luke 16:22).
Warning
You cannot trust every angel. One-third of the angels went with Lucifer when he left Heaven. There is actually a great, unseen conflict that rages in the heavens which goes beyond anything one can imagine. However, it is not a fight between two equal or eternal forces. God, Who created all angels, is so far superior that even comparing a battle between an elephant and an ant cannot accurately describe this reality. Even though Satan has mounted a mighty war against God and His purposes for His beloved human race, in the end, God’s justice will reign, and He will bring Satan and his evil angels (demons) to their day of judgment. Satan’s cosmic treason is a futile attempt to dethrone God and His sovereign authority.
“And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10, NIV).
