In recent times, there’s been an undeniable “angel craze” sweeping popular culture, with myriad depictions of angels gracing everything from art to literature. However, these modern portrayals often diverge from the biblical angels described in the Bible.
The appearance of angels in the Bible is far removed from the gentle, winged beings we’re familiar with today. We’re going to dive into the Biblically accurate angels in the following manner:
- What is the definition of angels in the Bible?
- The nature of angels
- The names of angels according to the Bible
- The work and duties of angels
- The physical description of angels
- Truth about angels: Superiority of man over angels
- Fall of angels
What are angels in the Bible?
“Angel” means ministering spirits.
Hebrews 1:13-14: “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?”
Nature of Angels
Here are biblical descriptions of what angels can do.
- They can enter locked prison doors.
Acts 12:7: “And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.” - They can open prison doors.
Acts 5:19: “But the angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them forth, and said,” - They can ascend with fire/in a flame.
Judges 13:19: “So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on.” - They can travel long distances at great speed.
Daniel 10:12: “Then said he unto me, Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words.” - They are wiser than men.
2 Samuel 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.” - They are strong.
Psalm 103:20: “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.”
2 Samuel 24:15-16: “So the LORD sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to Beersheba seventy thousand men. And when the angel stretched out his hand upon Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that destroyed the people, It is enough: stay now thine hand. And the angel of the LORD was by the threshingplace of Araunah the Jebusite.”Here, 1 angel wiped out 185,000 men.
2 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.”
- They are immortal.
Luke 20:35: “But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage:” - They don’t have blood.
1 Corinthians 15:50: “Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption.” - They are holy.
Mark 8:38: “Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” - They are innumerable.
Hebrews 12:22: “But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,”
Names of Angels
Angels have multiple names in the Bible, Here’s a detailed description of the names that occur in the place of “angels”.
Angels are called “morning stars” and “sons of God”.
Job 38:7: “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
“sons of God”
Both angels and sons of God praise the Lord.
Psalm 148:2: “Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.”
cf Job 38:7: “When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
Sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Matthew 18:10 says that angels live in heaven.
Job 2:1: “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.”
cf Matthew 18:10: “Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.”
The fourth man in the fire (son of God) is an angel.
Daniel 3:25: “He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.”
cf Daniel 3:28: “Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.”
“morning stars”
Stars here are the angels.
Revelation 1:20: “The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.”
“the great dragon” = Satan; “the third part of the stars” = Satan’s fallen angels
Revelation 9:1: “And the fifth angel sounded, and I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth: and to him was given the key of the bottomless pit.”
cf Revelation 12:4: “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.”
Revelation 12:9: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
The Works or Duties of Angels
- Honor, serve and worship God.
Revelation 5:11: “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands;”
Revelation 8:3: “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.” - Run errands on earth. (giving a message, executing judgments)
- Exercise God’s judgment.
Acts 12:23: “And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost.”
Matthew 13:41: “The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;” - Guide believers.
Acts 8:26: “And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.”
- Assist, protect, and strengthen believers.
Daniel 6:22: “My God 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.”
Matthew 4:11: “Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.”
Luke 22:43: “And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” - Accompany the Lord when He returns.
Matthew 25:31: “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:”
2 Thessalonians 1:7-8: “And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ:” - Transport men.
Luke 16:22: “And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;”
- Participate in giving of the law.
Acts 7:53: “Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.”
Galatians 3:19: “Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.”
What do angels look like?
The descriptions of angels in the Bible is that they have human bodies and they look like men. Interestingly, the Bible never mentions that angels have wings or halos.
Therefore, all the following are not biblical and are secular false belief:
– Angels with wings (angels in artwork)
– Chubby babies with wings
– Female angels
– Guardian angels
God forbids them from marrying, but that doesn’t mean that they’re unable to reproduce (Genesis 6:1 shows that they can). Giants were produced when angels (in human form) intermingled with the daughters of men.
Matthew 22:30: “For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”
They are men (since they reproduce with women), can marry, and produce children. 1 Corinthians 15:50 says that angels do not have blood, so the question is how can they reproduce without blood? They must obtain blood from somewhere.
Genesis 6:1: “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,”
Every time the Bible mentions an angelic appearance, it is the appearance of a man.
The men of Sodom (homosexuals) wanted to rape the 2 angels, who were men.
Genesis 19:1: “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 19:5: “And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night? bring them out unto us, that we may know them.”
“Man” of God. This “man” had the countenance of God.
Judges 13:6: “Then the woman came and told her husband, saying, A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible: but I asked him not whence he was, neither told he me his name:”
Here, Paul is serving/worshipping an angel.
Acts 27:23: “For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve,”
This is not an ordinary angel, since they are not allowed to worship anyone but God. (Revelation 22:8)
Angels of God look like Jesus Christ.
Galatians 4:14: “And my temptation which was in my flesh ye despised not, nor rejected; but received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.”
Jesus as He was turning 30 years old at the beginning of his ministry.
Luke 3:23: “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,”
He attended 3 Passover feasts, which take place once a year.
1st Passover : John 2:23
2nd Passover : John 6:4
3rd Passover : John 11:55-57
He was 33.5 years of age when he went back to heaven.
Superiority of Man Over Angels
Men are going to judge angels one day.
1 Corinthians 6:3: “Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?”
Angels will serve Christians who are saved by the blood of Jesus.
Hebrews 1:13: “But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?”
The Fall of Angels
- The first fall.
Satan used to be called “Lucifer” and was the anointed cherub that covered the throne of God. (Ezekiel 28:14)
This fall had to have happened before Adam and Eve because, in Genesis 3, Satan was already in his fallen state.Isaiah 14:12: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!”
Hell was prepared for Satan and the angels that followed him.
Matthew 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:”
- The second fall.
The fallen angels left their habitation and came to earth to intermingle with the daughters of men.
In Genesis 6:3, God is fed up with sinful man, and in vs. 13, He sets out to drown all flesh, including the angels.Genesis 6:1-3: “And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”
The angels that were drowned are now in hell, bound by chains, awaiting their judgment.
2 Peter 2:4-5: “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; And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;”
2 Peter 2:5, the context is Noah’s flood, cf to:
Jude 1:6: “And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.”
- The third fall.
Michael and his angels will fight against Satan and his angels. Satan will lose, and they will be cast down into the earth.Revelation 12:4-9: “And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne. And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
For further reading,
– Types of angels mentioned in the Bible (cherubims, seraphims, archangels)