Everyone has an idea in their mind about what angels might be like. We have heard about them since childhood. Many of us were told that we have a gaurdian angel that watches over us, and the idea of the "gaurdian angel" has progressed, much like we have, over time. But what does the Bible, and other ancient, historical & religious texts have to say about angels? This Page is dedicated to providing that very answer.
The Word, "Angel," is found in the KJV version of The Bible 213 times, within 194 different verses.
מַלְאָךְ
mal'âk
mal-awk'
From an unused root meaning to despatch as a deputy; a messenger; specifically of God, that is, an angel (also a prophet, priest or teacher): - ambassador, angel, king, messenger.
There are both good and evil angels, and special categories too, such as cherubim, seraphim, and the archangel:
cherub
Plural: cherubim
the name of certain symbolical figures frequently mentioned in Scripture
Cherubim are first mentioned in connection with the expulsion of our first parents from Eden (Genesis 3:24). There is no intimation given of their shape or form.
They are next mentioned when Moses was commanded to provide furniture for the tabernacle (Ex. 25:17-20; 26:1, 31).God promised to commune with Moses “from between the cherubim” (25:22).
This expression was afterwards used to denote the Divine abode and presence (Num. 7:89; 1 Sam. 4:4; Isa. 37:16; Ps. 80:1; 99:1).
In Ezekiel’s vision (10:1-20) they appear as living creatures supporting the throne of God. From Ezekiel’s description of them (1:10; 41:18-19), they appear to have been compound figures, unlike any real object in nature; artificial images possessing the features and properties of several animals.
Two cherubim were placed on the mercy-seat of the ark; two of colossal size overshadowed it in Solomon’s temple.
Ezekiel (1:4-14) speaks of four; and this number of “living creatures” is mentioned in Rev. 4:6. Those on the ark are called the “cherubim of glory” (Hebrews 9:5), i.e., of the Shechinah, or cloud of glory, for on them the visible glory of God rested. They were placed one at each end of the mercy-seat, with wings stretched upward, and their faces “toward each other and toward the mercy-seat.” They were anointed with holy oil, like the arkitself and the other sacred furniture.
The cherubim were symbolical. They were intended to represent spiritual existences in immediate contact with Jehovah. Some have regarded them as symbolical of the chief ruling power by which God carries on his operations in providence (Ps. 18:10). Others interpret them as having reference to the redemption of men, and as symbolizing the great rulers or ministers of the church.
Many other opinions have been held regarding them which need not be referred to here. On the whole, it seems to be most satisfactory to regard the interpretation of the symbol to be variable, as is the symbol itself.
Their office was, (1) on the expulsion of our first parents from Eden, to prevent all access to the tree of life; and (2) to form the throne and chariotof Jehovah in his manifestation of himself on Earth. He dwelleth between and sitteth on the cherubim (1 Sam. 4:4; Ps. 80:1; Ezek. 1:26, 28).
Seraphim
Seraphim: This word means fiery ones, in allusion, as is supposed, to their burning love. They are represented as “standing” above the King as he sat upon his throne, ready at once to minister unto him. Their form appears to have been human, with the addition of six wings.
Mentioned only 7 times in The King James Version:
"2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.
3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is YHWh of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.
4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, YHWH of hosts.
6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:
7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged." -Isaiah 6:2-7
This word, in the original, is used elsewhere only of the “fiery serpents” (Num. 21:6,8; Deut. 8:15; compare Isa. 14:29;30:6) sent by God as his instruments to inflict on the people the righteous penalty of sin.
:"6 And YHWH sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against YHWH, and against thee; pray unto YHWH, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
:8 And YHWH said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live." -Numbers21:6-8
Deu 8:15 Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint;
Isa 14:29 Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent.
Isa 30:6 The burden of the beasts of the south: into the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the young and old lion, the viper and fiery flying serpent, they will carry their riches upon the shoulders of young asses, and their treasures upon the bunches of camels, to a people that shall not profit them.
archangel
Greek: “archaggelos”
Meaning: a chief angel; the prince of the angels
“archangel” appears twice in the Bible:
For Yahushua himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of YHWH: and the dead in the Messiah shall rise first: 1 Thess. 4:16
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, YHWH rebuke thee. Jude 1:9
Other mentions of The archangel Michael in scripture:
"But the [spirit]prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia." Daniel 10:13
"And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, " Revelation 12:7
The angel Gabriel, as mentioned in scripture:
Daniel 8:16 And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, and he called and said, Gabriel, make this one understand the vision.
Daniel 9:21 yea, while I am speaking in prayer, then that one Gabriel, whom I had seen in vision at the commencement, being caused to fly swiftly, is coming unto me at the time of the evening present.
Luke 1:19 And the messenger answering said to him, `I am Gabriel, who have been standing near before God, and I was sent to speak unto thee, and to proclaim these good news to thee,
Luke 1:26 And in the sixth month was the messenger Gabriel sent by God, to a city of Galilee, the name of which is Nazareth,
The Origin of Angels
The Origin of Angels
The Scripture speaks about the creation of angels, therefore, it is clear that they have not existed from all eternity:
“6 You alone are He, O Jehovah; You have made the heavens, and Heaven of the heavens, and all their host; the earth and all which is on it; the seas, and all that is in them; and You shall preserve them all alive. And the host of the heavens bows down to You.” Nehemiah 9:6
“2 Prayse ye him, all ye his Angels: praise him, all his armie. 5 Let them praise the name of Jehovah; for He commanded, and they were created.” Psalms 148:2,5
“15 Who is the image of the invisible Elohim, the firstborn of every creature: 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: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Colossians 1:15-17
The time of their creation is never definitely specified, but it is most probable that it occurred in connection with the creation of the heavens in Genesis 1:1. It may be that God created the angels immediately after He had created the heavens and before He created the earth—for according to Job 38:4-7, “the sons of God shouted for joy” when He laid the foundations of the earth.
“4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding…7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of Elohim shouted for joy?” Job 38:4,7
How many angels are there?
While the Scriptures give no definite figures, we are told that the number of angels is very great:
“10 A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened.” Daniel 7:10
“53 Or do you think that I am not able now to call on My Father, and He will place beside Me more than twelve legions of angels?” Matthew 26:53
“22 But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living Elohim, the heavenly Ierusalem, and to an innumerable company of Angels; 23 To the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to YHWH the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, Hebrews 12:22,23
It appears that all angels were created at one time. No new angels are being added to the number. Angels are not subject to death or any form of extinction; therefore they do not decrease in number.
It seems reasonable to conclude that there are at least as many spirit beings in existence as there will have been human beings in all their history on earth.
Angels are essentially “ministering spirits,” (“14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”Hebrews 1:14) and do not have physical bodies like humans. Jesus declared that “a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have” (“36 And as they thus spake, Yahushua himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 36 And as they thus spake, Yahushua himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 38 And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have." Luke 24:37-39).
The Bible does, however, make it clear that angels can only be in one place at a time. They must have some localized presence.
Angels can take on the appearance of men when the occasion demands. How else could some “entertain angels unaware” (“2 Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.” Hebrews 13:2)?
On the other hand, their appearance is sometimes in dazzling white and blazing glory (“2 And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of YHWH descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3 His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: 4 And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.” Matthew 28:2-4).
Elisha once prayed that his servant would see the armies of angels surrounding the city, and the young man discovered that he had overlooked a lot of invisible beings (17 And Elisha prayed and said, I beg You, O Jehovah, open his eyes so that he may see. And Jehovah opened the eyes of the young man. And he looked, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17)!
Since angels are spirits rather than physical beings, they don’t have to be visible at all (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: Colossians 1:16).
When angels do appear, they generally appear in the form of men. In Genesis 18, Abraham welcomed three angelic guests who appeared at first to be nothing more than some travelers. In the following chapter, two angels went to Sodom where they were assumed to be simply a pair of human visitors.
With the possible exception of one debatable passage, (9 And I lifted up my eyes, and looked and saw two women, coming with the wind in their wings. And they had wings like the wings of a stork, and they lifted up the ĕphah-measure between earth and the heavens. Zechariah 5:9), angels always appear as males rather than females (5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. Mark 16:5).
The book of Revelation describes some highly unusual beings who may be a variety of angel (6 And before the throne there was a sea of glass, like crystal. And in the midst of the throne, and around the throne, were four living creatures, covered with eyes in front and in back 7 And the first living creature was like a lion, and the second living creature like a calf, and the third living creature had a face like a man, and the fourth living creature was like a flying eagle. 8 And the four living creatures each one had six wings around, and within being full of eyes. And they had no rest day and night, saying, "Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty," the One who was, and is, and is coming! Isa. 6:3 Revelation 4:6-8.)
Sons of Elohim &
Dauhgters of Men
Are they not all ministering spirits,
sent forth to minister for them
who shall be heirs of salvation?
Angels In The Night (While You Dream)
In the Bible angels sometimes appear to wide awake people, as when Gabriel appeared to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). But other times, including the four times an angel came to Joseph (Matthew 1:18-25), it's in dreams.
Just as in Biblical times, angels come to people when they are dreaming. Perhaps God chooses this way because we are more relaxed and open to his presence when we are asleep. While most people never have such an angelic visitation, it is more common than most people think.
In Dreams:
“11 And the angel of Elohim spake unto me in a dream, saying, Jacob: And I said, Here am I.” Genesis 31:11
12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of Elohim ascending and descending on it.” Genesis 28:12
12 Now a thing was secretly brought to me, and mine ear received a little thereof. 13 In thoughts from the visions of the night, when deep sleep falleth on men, 14 Fear came upon me, and trembling, which made all my bones to shake. 15 Then a spirit passed before my face; the hair of my flesh stood up: 16 It stood still, but I could not discern the form thereof: an image was before mine eyes, there was silence, and I heard a voice, saying, 17 Shall mortal man be more just than Eloah? shall a man be more pure than his maker? 18 Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly:” Job 4:12-18
“20 But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of YHWH 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 Spirit.” Matthew 1:20
“3 He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of YHWH coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. 4 And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Master? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before Elohim.” Acts 10:3-4
At Night:
“1 And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground;” Genesis 19:1
“12 And the angel of YHWH appeared unto him, and said unto him, YHWH is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. 13 And Gideon said unto him, Oh my master, if YHWH be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not YHWH bring us up from Egypt? but now YHWH hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. 14 And YHWH looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? 15 And he said unto him, Oh my master, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house. 16 And YHWH said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man…... 25 And it came to pass the same night, that YHWH said unto him, Take thy father's young bullock, even the second bullock of seven years old, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath, and cut down the grove that is by it:… 28 And when the men of the city arose early in the morning, behold, the altar of Baal was cast down, and the grove was cut down that was by it, and the second bullock was offered upon the altar that was builgoings” Judges 6:12-16,25,28
“5 And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, Arise and eat. 7 And the angel of YHWH came again the second time, and touched him, and said, Arise and eat; because the journey is too great for thee.” 1 Kings 19:5,7
2 And Ahaziah fell down through a lattice in his upper chamber that was in Samaria, and was sick: and he sent messengers, and said unto them, Go, inquire of Baal-zebub the elohim of Ekron whether I shall recover of this disease. 3 But the angel of YHWH said to EliYah the Tishbite, Arise, go up to meet the messengers of the king of Samaria, and say unto them, Is it not because there is not an Elohim in Israel, that ye go to inquire of Baal-zebub the elohim of Ekron? 4 Now therefore thus saith YHWH, Thou shalt not come down from that bed on which thou art gone up, but shalt surely die. And EliYah departed.” 2 Kings1:2-4
35 And it came to pass that night, that the angel of YHWH went out, and smote in the camp of [Asshur] the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand: and when they arose early in the morning, behold, they were all dead corpses.” 2 Kings 19:35
“19 Then the king arose very early in the morning, and went in haste unto the den of lions. 20 And when he came to the den, he cried with a lamentable voice unto Daniel: and the king spake and said to Daniel, O Daniel, servant of the living Elohim, is thy Elohim, whom thou servest continually, able to deliver thee from the lions? 21 Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. 22 My Elohim hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: forasmuch as before him innocency was found in me; and also before thee, O king, have I done no hurt.” Daniel 6:19-22
“8 I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there red horses, speckled, and white. 9 Then said I, O my master, what are these? And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what these be. 10 And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said, These are they whom YHWH hath sent to walk to and fro through the earth. 11 And they answered the angel of YHWH that stood among the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest.” Zecheriah1:8-11
“8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. 9 And, lo, the angel of YHWH came upon them, and the glory of YHWH shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.” Luke 2:8-9
“19 But the angel of YHWH by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth” Acts 5:19
“23 For there stood by me this night the angel of YHWH, whose I am, and whom I serve,” Acts 27:23