Angels are a staple in our society. Hallmark has made millions of dollars off of their figurines and ornaments, countless movies and books have been made about them, and two of the world's major religions have an angel as the focal point (Mormonism and Islam). Unfortunately, the angels that are portrayed do not accurately reflect God's Word.
This lesson will cover what the Bible says about angels including:
Physical appearance
Purpose
Names
Abilities
Angels are extremely powerful creatures, but we must always keep in mind that they are created beings (Ps. 148:2,5) and that they are not to be worshipped (Rev. 19:10, 22:8-9).
The Appearance of Angels
Contrary to paintings, literature, and It's A Wonderful Life, angels are never described in the Bible as having wings. Rather, they are depicted as men. The Apostle Paul commanded us in Hebrews, "be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares" (13:2).
To properly understand this verse, we must understand what "entertain" means. According to Webster's Dictionary, the term means the following:
ENTERTA'IN, verb transitive [Latin tenco.]
1. To receive into the house and treat with hospitality, either at the table only, or with lodging also.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Hebrews 13:2.
2. To treat with conversation; to amuse or instruct by discourse; properly, to engage the attention and retain the company of one, by agreeable conversation, discourse or argument. The advocate entertained his audience an hour, with sound argument and brilliant displays of eloquence.
3. To keep in one's service; to maintain. He entertained ten domestics.
You, sir, I entertain for one of my hundred.
4. To keep, hold or maintain in the mind with favor; to reserve in the mind; to harbor; to cherish. Let us entertain the most exalted views of the Divine character. It is our duty to entertain charitable sentiments towards our fellow men.
5. To maintain; to support; as, to entertain a hospital.
6. To please; to amuse; to divert. David entertained himself with the meditation of God's law. Idle men entertain themselves with trifles.
7. To treat; to supply with provisions and liquors, or with provisions and lodging, for reward. The innkeeper entertains a great deal of company.
Furthermore, the Greek term used in the translation was "xenizo" which means "to host". The Apostle Paul was clearly talking about physically communicating with angels. If an angel had wings, how could we speak with one unawares? However, we should never take one verse to form doctrine (2 Tim. 3:16), so let's look at other verses that give us a description of angels.
When the Lord appeared to Abraham to inform him of Sarah's pregnancy and that He would be pronouncing judgment on Sodom and Gomorrah, three angels appeared with Him. The Bible described these three angels as "men".
"And the Lord appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day; And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground..." - Genesis 18:1-2
When the two angels came to Sodom and Gomorrah and stayed with Lot, the angels were described as "men".
“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... 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." - Genesis 19:1,5
Another example can be found in Judges when an angel appeared to the wife of Manoah:
"And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and said unto her, Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor strong drink, and eat not any unclean thing: For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines. 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: But he said unto me, Behold, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and now drink no wine nor strong drink, neither eat any unclean thing: for the child shall be a Nazarite to God from the womb to the day of his death. Then Manoah intreated the Lord, and said, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didst send come again unto us, and teach us what we shall do unto the child that shall be born. And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah; and the angel of God came again unto the woman as she sat in the field: but Manoah her husband was not with her. And the woman made haste, and ran, and shewed her husband, and said unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me, that came unto me the other day." - Judges 13:3-10
Other examples of angels being called men can be found in Joshua 5:13-14 and Mark 16:5. As you can see, nowhere are wings attributed to angels. There are times when angels allow their full glory to be revealed (which we will look at momentarily), however, wings are still not listed in their description.
When the angel appeared at the tomb of Jesus in Matthew 28, it was a frightening scene. The angel that was there was so glorious that he caused men to faint (v4). The Bible describes the glory of angels to be magnificent and beautiful.
"His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow." - Matthew 28:3
Primary Purpose
The term "angel" is a transliteration from the Greek word "angelos" which means "messenger or one that brings tidings". Angels can perform this task in many ways. The first method is in person.
When Zacharias was told that he would be having a son, the angel had a conversation with him:
"And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And 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. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season." - Luke 1:11-20
Other examples of conversations with angels can be found in Acts 5:19-20 and 27:23-24. Angels can also appear to people in dreams when giving a message.
Upon discovery of Mary's pregnancy, Joseph was going to divorce her until an angel intervened:
"But 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." - Matthew 1:20
An angel also appeared to Cornelius in a dream:
"He 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. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God." - Acts 10:3-4
When Peter was freed from prison by an angel, he believed it to be a vision (Acts 12:9).
Angels are also given the responsibility to proclaim a message to groups of people. An example of this can be found in Luke 2:8-10 when the angel told the shepherds where to find the newborn Savior. While in Heaven, an angel asked "who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" to the Heavenly host (Rev. 5:2). During the Tribulation period, there will be one angel that will fly around proclaiming the Gospel and another angel that will proclaim the destruction of Babylon (Rev. 14:6-8). Please do not use this verse to justify the notion that angels have wings. Jesus ascended into the sky and He does not have wings (Acts 1:9). A pop culture example of a person flying without wings is Superman. Later in this lesson, we will look at the incredible abilities that angels have and it will be obvious that flight without wings is quite simple given their remarkable powers.
Other Purposes
In addition to proclaiming God's messages, angels have other roles to play as well.
They are involved in worshipping and praising God (Job 38:7, Lk. 2:13, Heb. 1:6)
They minister to the saints (Heb. 1:14)
They ministered to Jesus after he was tempted for 40 days (Matt. 4:11)
Encouraged Jesus before the cross (Lk. 22:43)
Protect the saints (Ps. 91:11, Matt. 18:10, Acts 12:15)
Establish/ordain (Gal. 3:19)
Carry out God's judgments (Rev. 8, 9, 14, 16, 18)
Rapture the Tribulation saints (Matt. 24:31) *please see Multiple Raptures YouTube video here
Carried the souls of pre-cross saints to Abraham's Bosom (Lk. 16:22)
Names
The Bible gives the names of two angels in Scripture and both angels play important roles. The first angel that was named is Gabriel.
Gabriel made his first appearance in the book of Daniel when he visited Daniel in chapter eight. Gabriel's role was to explain a vision that God had given Daniel (8:16). He also appeared to Daniel to explain the 70 Weeks prophecy (9:21). The next time Gabriel appears in Scripture is in Luke 1 regarding the births of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
What is interesting about Gabriel's messages is that they all center around Christ. Daniel chapters 8 and 9 involve the two Advents of Christ. His message to Zechariah in Luke chapter 1 is about the messenger that would make way for the Messiah. His message to Mary was about the birth of the Messiah and His everlasting kingdom.
The other angel mentioned by name is Michael. Like Gabriel, Michael makes his first appearance by name in the book of Daniel. Daniel is called "one of the chief princes" (10:13) and is first described as the one responsible for helping Gabriel get to Daniel (10:13-14). During the Tribulation period, he will stand up for Israel and protect them (Dan. 12:1). Michael contended with Satan over the body of Moses (Jude v9). Michael and his army will battle Satan with his army to permanently cast them out of Heaven (Rev. 12:6-7).
Michael is the only angel given the title of archangel (Jude v9). Archangel is also a transliteration similar to angel. The Greek term is "archaggelos" which means "chief" or "superior" making him the "chief angel". Revelation 12:6 states that Michael and his angels will fight against Satan. This is important because it shows us that he has angels under his command. The military aspect is important to observe because there may be an earlier appearance in the Bible than his first mention in the book of Daniel.
"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the Lord am I now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so." - Joshua 5:13-15
I can only speculate, but personally, I do believe that this is the first appearance of Michael in the Bible for the following reasons:
1) The angel is dealing with an Israelite battle
2) The rank of the angel
3) The angel is a military figure
These three reasons match what we have learned above about the archangel Michael.
Although only two angels are given names in the Bible, angels are also called the sons of God in the Old Testament (Gen. 6:2; Job 1:6, 38:7). It is important to note that in the New Testament, it is believers that are called sons of God (Jn. 1:12, Rom. 8:14, Php. 2:15, 1 Jn. 3:2).
In addition to being given names, angels also share similar traits as man such as curiosity (1 Peter 1:12) and freewill (Gen. 6:2, Job 4:18).
Abilities
If you've read the Days of Noah and Lot lesson, then you know that during the Tribulation Period, mankind will desire to be like the angels. The reason is quite simple: angels are more than just messengers.
The Bible describes the incredible power of angels in great detail. We've already discussed their majestic and terrifying appearances, but they have amazing abilities as well. Angels are able to:
Cause blindness (Gen. 19:11)
Cause loss of speech (Lk. 1:20)
Create healing pools (Jn. 5:4)
Fly (Rev. 8:13, 14:6)
Take on physical form (Acts 5:19, 12:7)
Immense strength (Rev. 5:2)
Control the weather (Rev. 7:1-3)
Seal the Tribulation Saints (Rev. 7:3)
Angels are remarkable creatures. The Bible tells us that when an angel appears in its full glory, they are quite frightening (Mk. 16:5; Lk. 1:12, 2:9). When you look at what the Bible says about the abilities of angels and their glorious appearance, it is no wonder that the Apostle John lost control of his senses and worshipped an angel twice!