How the Bible describes angels

The Bible describes angels in the following manner:

• Angels are messengers of God
• Angels are spiritual beings
• Angels are superior to mankind
• Angels reside in heaven
• Angels do not marry
• Angels can fight for God’s people
• Angels can protect and deliver people from danger
• Angels can strike people with blindness
• Angels can preach
• Angels can sing
• Angels can sin
• Angels can fly
• Angels can cause destruction
• Angels do not die
• There are God’s angels and Satan’s angels

The following discussion about angels is strictly based on what the Holy Bible documents.

1. The Bible describes angels as messengers of God

The Bible has shown several instances where God has used His angels as carriers of important information to his servants. We will consider a few examples to get a better understanding of this point.

Our first example is the story of Hagar, who fled from her mistress, Sarah, citing mistreatment. An angel of the Lord appeared to her by the spring on the way to Shur. The angel told Hagar to go back to her mistress, Sarah, and be submissive to her. Furthermore, the angel told her that she was pregnant with a boy child, whom she was to name Ishmael (Genesis 16:7).

The second example is the case of Samson’s parents, who were visited by an angel of God. At first, the Angel of God appeared to Samson’s mother and informed her that she would conceive and bring forth a male child. According to the angel, this child would deliver the children of Israel from the hands of the Philistines.

After the Angel had departed, the woman went to her husband, called Manoah, and told him all that had transpired. On hearing the news, Manoah prayed to God to send His Angel so as to properly instruct them on how to prepare for the birth and upbringing of the child. God granted Manoah’s request and again sent the same Angel to them. The Angel once again repeated what he had told Manoah’s wife and then departed (Judges 13:9–21).

In the book of Luke 1:11–20, the Bible tells us that God sent His Angel called Gabriel to inform Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist, about the birth, upbringing, and assignment of John. The angel brought this news to Zacharias while he was ministering in the House of God.

On hearing the news, Zacharias expressed doubt because both he and his wife, Elizabeth, were past the childbearing stage. On seeing this unbelief, Angel Gabriel declared that Zacharias would become mute until the birth of John. And it so happened that when he came out of the house of God after ministering, he could not speak until the day John the Baptist was born.

Our last example of angels being messengers of God comes from the story of the birth of Jesus. Before the birth of Jesus, God sent His Angel Gabriel to Mary to make the announcement. By this time, Mary was engaged to a man named Joseph (Luke 1:26-38). On discovering that Mary was expecting, Joseph planned to leave her quietly. However, God sent the Angel Gabriel to Joseph to inform him that the child Mary was carrying was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thus, Joseph remained with Mary and did not abandon her (Matthew 1:18–25).

2. The Bible describes angels as spiritual beings

The Bible tells us that angels are spirits. We read this in Hebrews 1:7, which says

“And of the angels He says: ‘Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire?”

This means that angels are invisible to the human eye. However, they can choose to be visible when they want to interact with humans.

The same scripture also gives us an idea of how angels were created. It tells us that angels were made from fire, unlike man, who was made from dust.

Hebrews 1:14 describes angels as ministering spirits to individuals who are born again. This is what the scripture says

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”

So if you are a born-again Christian, always be aware that God has an angel assigned to you for purposes of ministry. This is confirmed by David in Psalms 34:7, that says

“The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them.”

3. The Bible describes angels as superior to mankind

The book of Psalms 8:4-5 tells us that angels rank higher than men in the order of creation. This is what the scripture says

“What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.”

4. The Bible describes angels as heavenly beings

Angels live in heaven. They only visit the earth when God sends them on special missions. Let us pick a few examples that back up this point.

Genesis 22:11

“But the Angel of the LORD called to him FROM HEAVEN and said, ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ So he said, ‘Here I am.”

Genesis 22:15

“Then the Angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time OUT OF HEAVEN,”

Matthew 22:30

“For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like ANGELS OF God IN HEAVEN.”

Matthew 28:2

“And behold, there was a great earthquake; for AN ANGEL OF THE LORD DESCENDED FROM HEAVEN, and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it.”

Revelation 5:11

This scripture documents an event that took place in heaven when Jesus Christ took the scroll from the Hand of God and opened its seals. This is what followed

“Then I looked, and I heard the VOICE OF MANY ANGELS AROUND THE THRONE, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory and blessing.’”

Revelation 20:1

“Then I saw AN ANGEL COMING DOWN FROM HEAVEN, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.”

All these scriptures tell us that angels reside in heaven.

5. Angels in the Bible do not marry

Angels do not marry. These were the words of Jesus to the Sadducees, who came to inquire about marriage after the resurrection. The story is recorded in Matthew 22:29–30, which says

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, BUT ARE LIKE ANGELS OF GOD IN HEAVEN.’”

6. Angels can do battle for God’s people

There are several instances in the Bible where we see angels engaging in battle. Let us consider one example.

During the reign of King Hezekiah, the king of Assyria, called Sennacherib, came to fight against Israel. He mocked God and threatened King Hezekiah with death if he would not surrender. On his part, King Hezekiah cried out to God for help. God answered King Hezekiah by sending an angel into the camp of the Assyrians, who slaughtered one hundred and eighty-five thousand soldiers. This is recorded in Isaiah 37:36 as follows:

“Then THE ANGEL OF THE LORD WENT OUT AND KILLED IN THE CAMP OF THE ASSYRIANS ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-FIVE THOUSAND; and when people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses—all dead.”

7. Angels can protect and deliver God’s people from danger

Lot was rescued by angels from the destruction visited upon Sodom and Gomorrah. We read this in the book of Genesis 19:15–17.

“When the morning dawned, THE ANGELS URGED LOT TO HURRY, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.’ And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, Escape for your life! Do not look behind you or stay anywhere on the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.’”

When the children of Israel left Egypt, the Angel of God went before them to lead the way. When the armies of Pharaoh pursued them, the Angel of God moved behind the people to shield them from any attacks of the enemy. This is recorded in Exodus 14:19, that says

“And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all night.”

In the book of Daniel 3, we find the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who were saved by an angel of God from getting burned in the fiery furnace. This is because the trio refused to bow to the golden image that had been set up by Nebuchadnezzar, King of Babylon. We read about this account in Daniel 3:28 as follows:

“Nebuchadnezzar spoke, saying, ‘Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, WHO SENT HIS ANGEL and delivered His servants who trusted in Him, and they have frustrated the King’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they should not serve nor worship any god except their own God.’”

When Daniel was falsely accused by his enemies and later thrown into the den of lions, God sent His angel to keep the lions from hurting him. This is recorded in the book of Daniel 6:21–22 as follows:

“Then Daniel said to the king, ‘O king, live forever! My God sent His angel and shut the lion’s mouths, so that they have not hurt me, because I was found innocent before Him; and also, O king, I have done no wrong before you.’”

During the persecution of the church, some of the apostles were arrested and locked up in prison in order to intimidate them into stopping preaching. On one occasion, Peter was arrested and shut up in a cell awaiting his prosecution. However, the Bible tells us that God sent His angel at night, who opened the gates of prison, making way for Peter to escape (Acts 12:5–10).

8. Angels can strike people with blindness

When the men of Sodom and Gomorrah came to Lot’s house in order to have sex with the angels of God, they were struck with blindness. We read this in Genesis 19:9–11 as follows:

“And they said, ‘Stand back! Then they said, ‘This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge; now we will deal worse with you than with them.’ So they pressed hard against the man, Lot, and came near to break down the door. But the men reached out their hands and pulled Lot into the house with them, and they shut the door. AND THEY STRUCK THE MEN WHO WERE AT THE DOORWAY OF THE HOUSE WITH BLINDNESS, both small and great, so that they became weary trying to find the door.’”

9. Angels can preach

During the great tribulation, the Bible teaches that at some point, an angel of the LORD will be released from heaven to preach the everlasting gospel to the inhabitants of the earth. We read this in Revelation 14:6–7. It says

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea and springs of water.’”

10. Angels can sing

The Bible also tells us that angels have the ability to sing. When Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem, the Bible records that the Angels of God came and sang songs of joy to shepherds who were taking care of their sheep in the fields (Luke 2:8–15).

In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John talks of angels who sang when Jesus Christ took the scroll from the hand of God and opened its seals. Revelation 5:7–12 says

“Then He came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne. Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints. And THEY SANG A NEW SONG, SAYING:

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals; for You were slain and have redeemed us to God by Your blood out of every tribe, tongue, people, and nation, and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.

Then I looked, and I heard the VOICE OF MANY ANGELS around the throne, the living creatures, and the elders; and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice:

‘Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honour and glory and blessing!’”

11. Angels can sin

The Bible also tells us that angels can sin by disobeying God. The Bible informs us that in the beginning, some angels left heaven and came down to the earth with the aim of marrying the daughters of men. This was contrary to God’s purpose for both the angels, who are spirits, and man, who is flesh. Consequently, God ordered some of His faithful angels to bind the rebels in some place in hell awaiting judgment. This is recorded in the following scriptures:

2 Peter 2:4

“For if God did not spare the ANGELS WHO sinned but CAST THEM DOWN TO HELL and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment;”

Jude 1:6

“And the ANGELS WHO DID NOT KEEP THEIR PROPER DOMAIN, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day;”

The book of revelation also talks of angels who joined Satan in rebelling against God in heaven. Consequently, Satan and his angels engaged in battle with God’s angels, who were led by the angel Michael. In the end, Satan and his angels were defeated and ejected from heaven. This account is recorded in Revelation 12:7 as follows:

“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the GREAT DRAGON WAS CAST OUT, THAT SERPENT OF OLD, CALLED THE DEVIL AND SATAN, WHO DECEIVES THE WHOLE WORLD; HE WAS CAST TO THE EARTH, AND HIS ANGELS WERE CAST OUT WITH HIM.”

12. Angels can fly

There are several scriptures that indicate the ability of angels to fly. Let us consider a few of them.

Revelation 14:6

“Then I SAW ANOTHER ANGEL FLYING IN THE MIDST OF HEAVEN, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who made heaven and earth, the sea, and springs of water.”

Isaiah 6:1–2 talks of a special category of angels called seraphim. It says

“In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two HE FLEW.”

13. Angels have ability to cause destruction

The Bible teaches that angels have the capacity to cause massive destruction, including death. Let us examine a few examples.

On a certain occasion, King David made a wrong decision to take a census of the children of Israel. Joab, the commander of David’s army, tried to persuade the king to abandon the mission, but the king was adamant. So the census was done.

However, the thing did not please God, who released an angel of destruction upon Israel. This angel killed so many people until David pleaded with God for mercy. This is recorded in 2 Samuel 24:15

“So the LORD sent a plague upon Israel from the morning till the appointed time. From Dan to Beersheba, seventy thousand men of the people died. And when the angel stretched out His hand over Jerusalem to destroy it, the LORD relented from the destruction, and said to the angel who was destroying people, ‘It is enough; now restrain your hand.’ And the angel of the LORD was by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

In the book of Acts 12:20–23, we find the story of King Herod, who was struck dead by an angel of God because of pride. This is what the scripture says

“Now Herod had been very angry with the people of Tyre and Sidon; but they came to him with one accord, and having made Blastus the king’s personal aide their friend, they asked for peace, because their country was supplied with food by the king’s country.

So on a set day, Herod, arrayed in royal apparel, sat on his throne and gave an oration to them. And the people kept shouting, ‘The voice of a god and not of a man!’ Then immediately an ANGEL OF THE LORD STRUCK HIM, BECAUSE HE DID NOT GIVE GLORY TO GOD. And he was eaten by worms and died.”

14. Angels do not die

According to Luke 20:36, angels do not die. This is what the scripture says

“Nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”

These words were spoken by Jesus when He was explaining to the Sadducees about the resurrection. He told them that individuals who will be resurrected will be like angels, as in, they will not marry or get married, and that DEATH WILL HAVE NO POWER OVER THEM (Luke 20:36–38).

15. There are God’s angels and Satan’s angels

According to the Bible, there are two categories of angels: those who serve God and those who serve Satan. God’s angels are the good ones, while Satan’s angels are evil. God’s angels reside in heaven, while Satan’s angels were cast out of heaven to the earth. We know this from the book of Revelation 12:7.

Conclusion

This article discussed the attributes of angels as described in the Bible. In summary, we have established that the Bible describes angels as follows:

• Angels are messengers of God
• Angels are spiritual beings
• Angels are superior to mankind
• Angels reside in heaven
• Angels do not marry
• Angels can fight
• Angels can protect and deliver people from danger
• Angels can strike people with blindness
• Angels can preach
• Angels can sing
• Angels can sin
• Angels can fly
• Angels can cause destruction
• Angels do not die
• There are God’s angels and Satan’s angels

This article sought to add to the body of knowledge that already exists about the subject of angels. Please note that the above list has not exhausted all the points on the subject as documented in the Bible. Therefore, there is a need for further research to cement our understanding of the topic.

I hope the information was helpful. Thank you, and God bless.

Related Post: How does the bible describe Jesus Christ

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