GOD'S MINISTRY
THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST OF
BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Revs. Mr. and Mrs. H. Dean Daniels
E-mail: gods-ministry@hdd-gods-ministry.com
Web-site: http://www.hdd-gods-ministry.com/
ANGELS - PART II
The words angel and angels
are used 297 times in the King James Version of Scripture. Coming from a
root meaning “to dispatch as a deputy,” the Hebrew word mal’ak
means messenger or ambassador, specifically of God. A related word, mal’akuwth, is translated “message” in Haggai
Our English word angel comes from the Greek angelos which also means messenger. The Septuagint (which is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament) usually translates mal’ak with angelos.
The Reality of Angels
The reality of angels is plainly evident in Scripture, as they are mentioned throughout the Bible. Jacob’s dream in Genesis 28 gives us a glimpse of their ongoing activity:
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 God ascending and descending on it . . . . And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely the LORD is in this place; and I knew it not. And he was afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! this is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven. (Gen. 28:12, 16-17)
Likewise, the book of Job reveals the presence of angels in heaven. Referring to them as “sons of God,” Job states that “there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them” (Job 1:6). Job describes another such day in the first verse of the second chapter. In the midst of God’s questioning of Job we learn that these same sons of God were present at creation:
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
In short, if one accepts the authority of the Bible, one must likewise accept the reality of angels. They are attested to throughout Scripture, as we shall see.
Angels Are Innumerable
Using a Hebraism for countless numbers, Daniel described the scene around the
throne of the Ancient of Days, saying that “thousand thousands ministered unto
him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him” (Dan.
Only Four Angels Are Named in Scripture
Of the myriads mentioned above, there are only four angels who are actually called by name in Scripture:
• Michael (Dan.
• Gabriel (Dan.
• Lucifer (Isa.
• Abbadon or Apollyon (Rev. 9:11)
Angels Stand Before God
When Jehoshaphat allied himself to fight with Ahab, he wanted assurance of God’s blessing. Ahab had four hundred false prophets, but only one prophet of God, Micaiah the son of Imla. After prophesying Israel’s loss in battle, Micaiah revealed a glimpse of the activity in heaven: “I saw the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left” (2 Chr. 18:18; 2 Ki. 22:19).
Angels Dwell in Heaven and Worship Regularly
When the angel announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds who were “abiding
in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night,” he was joined by “a
multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the
highest, and on earth peace, good will
toward men.” When these angels departed, Luke says they returned to
heaven (Lk. 2:8-15).
Angels are exhorted in Psalm 103:20-21 to worship God: “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure.” In Psalm 148:2 a similar command is found: “Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.”
We have already seen that there are times when the sons of God present themselves before the Lord (Job 1:6; 2:1), and we know from Isaiah’s vision that angels gather around the throne of God:
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. 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. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. (Isa. 6:1-3)
In Revelation 4:8 John gives us the same idea: “And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Angels Were Created by Christ Before
the Earth
In Colossians 1:16 Paul says Christ created the angels in their various orders: “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.” Yet as we have already seen from Job 38:4-7, angels “shouted for joy” as God created the earth. They had to be present before the earth was created in order to shout for joy at that time!
Christ Is Better Than the Angels
Paul declared in Hebrews 1:4 that Christ was “made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.” There is no question about this when we follow the rest of Paul’s argument:
For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail. 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? (Heb. 1:5-14)
And because there is no comparison between Christ and angels as to honor and position, the word of Christ commands greater respect:
Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was stedfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him. (Heb. 2:1-3)
Paul continues this argument
throughout the rest of Hebrews 2, showing that the world was made subject to
Christ, not angels. This same theme is also presented in Ephesians where Paul declares that
after Christ was raised from the dead, He sat down at the right hand
of God, “far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion,
and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is
to come” (Eph. 1:21). Peter agrees with Paul as well, stating that
Christ has “gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and
authorities and powers being made subject unto him” (1 Pet.
Knowing these things, we can understand all the more Paul’s exhortation not to worship angels:
Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of God. (Col. 2:18-19)
Angels Have Been Tested
In writing to Timothy, Paul charged him “before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ,
and the elect angels” (1 Tim.
Some Angels Fell
Peter tells us that when angels sinned, God “cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment” (1 Pet. 2:4). Jude likewise states that “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” (v. 6). In Jude 7 we are told these angels will suffer “the vengeance of eternal fire.” Jesus declared that this everlasting fire was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt. 25:41).
Two Classes of Angels—Good and Bad
Since God tested the angels and some fell, there are now both good and bad angels. Both classes are spoken of throughout Scripture. As noted above, God’s angels are commanded, “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word. Bless ye the LORD, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that do his pleasure” (Ps. 103:20-21). However, hell was “prepared for the devil and his angels” (Mt. 25:41).
Angels Are Organized Into Ranks
Christ created thrones, dominions, principalities and powers (Col. 1:16), and,
having been seated at the right hand of God, He is far above them (Eph.
This organization of angels is clearly seen in fallen angels, as Paul makes clear in this admonition:
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. (Eph. 6:10-13)
These are spirit beings in rebellion against God with whom we as saints must wrestle. Principalities are beings of the highest rank and order in Satan’s kingdom. The powers derive their authority from and execute the will of the chief rulers. Then there are the world rulers of the darkness of this age, followed by wicked spirits in the heavenlies.
Daniel gives us an example of wrestling with such beings. After Daniel prayed and fasted for three weeks, Gabriel appeared and said,
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. But the prince of the
The prince of Persia here is the satanic prince who is ruling the kingdom of Persia for Satan who is recognized in Scripture as being the god and ruler of this world (2 Cor. 4:4). More will be said about this when we study the devil in the fourth chapter.
God also has trusted angels who have various ranks. Michael is mentioned
as “one of the chief princes,” the prince of
Angels Are Interested in Earthly Affairs
Jesus indicated that heavenly angels are fully aware every time a sinner repents: “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance” (Lk. 15:7); and again: “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth” (Lk. 15:10). This interest is further illustrated in Paul’s words to Timothy: “I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality . . .” (1 Tim. 5:21). The word charge here is from the Greek word diamarturomai which means to call solemnly to witness. It is an intensive form of martureo which means to bear witness or testify. It is from the noun martus, witness, that we get our word martyr. Timothy’s ministerial behavior was going to be witnessed by elect angels. Paul also declared that the apostles were “made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men” (1 Cor. 4:9).
Angels Desire to Look Into the Things of Salvation
As indicated by their rejoicing over a sinner’s repentance, the angels’
interest in earthly affairs is particularly focused on the subject of
salvation. Peter said the things of salvation are “things the angels
desire to look into” (1 Pet.
Angels Are Being Taught Wisdom by the Church
In Ephesians Paul describes “how that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery . . . which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel” (Eph. 3:3-6). That Gentiles were to be called and saved was made known from Abraham on through the Old Testament, but that they should be saved without observing the law and that both Jews and Gentiles would be liberated from it, being made a new body under the terms of the new covenant, was not made known. This was a new revelation. Consequently, grace was given to Paul to
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Eph. 3:8-11)
God is making Jews and Gentiles one new body to demonstrate to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places the manifold wisdom of God. By the submission of the church to God and Christ, and by the manifold wisdom of God to the church, both angelic and demon powers are being taught the eternal purpose of God.
Angels Are to be Judged or Ruled by Saints
Not only is Christ better than the angels, but the saints will rule them
as well. When he was correcting the Corinthians’ practice of
taking legal action against each other, Paul said, “Know ye not that we shall
judge angels?” (1 Cor. 6:3). This does not refer to passing sentence on
angels, or sending them to punishment. It does mean that saints
will be exalted higher than angels and will rule them, making decisions
for the administration of the universe. Saints, not angels, become
heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to inherit all things.
NATURE OF ANGELS
In addition to the above facts, Scripture has much to say regarding the nature of angels, the different types of angels, and the work they do—all of which will be discussed in the following chapters.
Having acquired some general information on angels, our attention turns now to specific facts concerning their nature. What are they like? What type of temperament do they possess? In what ways are they similar to men? We know they are supernatural creatures, but what attributes do they exhibit? Scripture itself tells us all we need to know regarding these matters.
SIMILAR TO MEN
The Bible reveals that angels have a three-part nature consisting of a body, soul and spirit, and all the faculties associated with each. They are similar to men in this respect, as Scripture abundantly proves. They wield swords and wage physical combat. They can be bound by chains and confined to material places. They ride horses, drive chariots, guard gates, and do many other things, as we shall see when we study their works in the last chapter. Angels also have feelings, passions and desires. They have minds to think with, the ability to communicate, and they act on their own volition. They walk and talk and can even cook! They are indeed similar to men, as proved by the points below.
Angels Have Spirit Bodies
Angels have always appeared in Scripture as men. Contrary to many
representations of angels, not one Bible verse portrays them as beautiful
women or fat little babies! They look like real men in real
bodies. We know, however, that their bodies are spirit bodies
because Hebrews
Bodies Seen by O.T. Saints:
•
• Jacob: In a dream, Jacob saw angels ascending and descending on a ladder to heaven (Gen. 28:10-12).
• David: When God was angry with
David for numbering
• Ornan: While he was threshing wheat, Ornan saw the same angel David saw.
• Elijah: An angel cooked for him
when he was fleeing Jezebel (1 Ki. 19:5-7). Another angel directed him
concerning messengers from the king of
• Elisha and his servant: In answer to
Elisha’s prayer, his servant’s eyes were opened to see the angelic army
outnumbering the Syrian army (2 Ki.
• Micaiah: Micaiah, Ahab’s one true prophet of God, saw “the LORD sitting upon his throne, and all the host of heaven standing on his right hand and on his left” (2 Chr. 18:18).
• Isaiah: Isaiah both saw and heard the seraphim above the Lord’s throne (Isa. 6:1-7).
• Ezekiel: Ezekiel saw, heard, and interacted with cherubim (Ezek. 1; 8; 10).
• Nebuchadnezzar: When he looked into
the fiery furnace, Nebuchadnezzar saw an angel with Shadrach, Meshach and
Abednego (Dan.
• Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego:
These men surely saw the same angel that Nebuchadnezzar saw.
• Daniel: Daniel knew the Lord had
sent an angel to shut the mouths of the lions (Dan.
• Zechariah: Zechariah saw and
spoke with angels (Zech. 2:1-3;
Bodies Seen by N.T. Saints:
• Zacharias: Gabriel appeared to Zacharias while he was administering his priestly duties and brought the prophetic message of the birth of John the Baptist (Lk. 1:5-20).
• Mary: In
• Joseph: The angel of the Lord
appeared to Joseph in a dream to tell him the child Mary carried was the
Messiah (Mt.
• Shepherds: An angel accompanied by a heavenly host proclaimed the birth of Christ to the shepherds (Lk. 2:8-15).
• Women at the tomb: Several women saw angels at the empty tomb (Mt. 28:1-7; Mk. 16:1-7; Lk. 24:1-7; Jn. 20:1-13).
• Disciples: Angels appeared to
the disciples after they witnessed Christ’s ascension (Acts
• Peter and John: An angel
released Peter and John from prison (Acts
• Philip: It was an angel that
directed Philip to head toward
• Cornelius: God used an angelic visitation to Cornelius to thrust Peter into ministry to the Gentiles (Acts 10:1-8, 30-32).
• Peter: Peter was released from prison a second time by an angel (Acts 12:5-11).
• Paul: An angel visited Paul at night in the midst of a storm at sea, assuring him of deliverance for himself and all who were with him (Acts 27:21-25).
• John: John saw angels while on
the isle of
Angels Have Manifested Bodily Parts:
Along with the evidence of angelic bodies being seen, we also have records of things angels have done in their bodies:
• No unusual mode of travel was mentioned when
Abraham saw the angels go toward
• The entire encounter at
• Elijah was awakened by the touch of an angel and discovered that food had also been cooked for him (1 Ki. 19:5-7).
• The angel saw during the judgment of
pestilence was holding a sword (1 Chr.
• An angel rolled away the stone from Christ’s tomb (Mt. 28:2).
• Like God (Dan. 7:9), Jesus (Mt. 17:2), and
the twenty-four elders (Rev. 4:4), angels wear white garments (Mt. 28:3;
Jn.
• The book of Revelation is full of the physical activity of angels which will be discussed in the chapter on their work.
Angels Have Souls
In addition to their bodily attributes, angels also demonstrate faculties associated with souls.
Joyful Worship:
John records their joyful worship in Revelation:
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; saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever. (Rev. 5:11-14)
They shouted with joy at creation
(Job 38:4-7), they praised the Lord at the birth of Christ (Lk.
Wrath in Judgment:
Since angels so exult in God’s glory, it is easy to imagine their zeal when His wrath and judgment are revealed. When David sinned in numbering the people, it was an angel who carried out the judgment that resulted in the deaths of seventy thousand people (2 Sam. 24; 1 Chr. 21). Similarly, a single angel killed 185,000 Assyrians in one night. They will surely not be emotionless “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” (2 Th. 1:7-8).
Contending in Spiritual Warfare:
We will study the work of angels in spiritual warfare in chapter five, but for
now imagine the soul passions they must feel in those conflicts. Gabriel
and Michael were surely emotional when they fought with the demonic prince of
Good Desires:
In addition to joyful worship, vengeance in judgment and the hostilities of
warfare, angels also know desire. Peter uses this word to express
the intensity of the angels’ interest in things pertaining to the gospel,
“which things the angels desire to look into” (1 Pet.
Evil Desires:
Some angels, however, have allowed themselves to be governed by wrong desires. Such was the pattern followed by the sons of God who took the daughters of men for wives in Genesis 6:1-4, their sin and judgment being further described in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6-7. These angels imitated the devil whose lusts Jesus mentioned in John 8:44. Such angels will also experience torment in the hell created for them (Mt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10).
Holiness:
But on a more positive note, those angels who have not rebelled are called
holy angels (Mt. 25:31; Mk.
Angels Have Spirits
Not only do they manifest bodily parts and perform actions requiring bodies, and not only do they exhibit a wide range of passionate experiences common to the soul, but Scripture reveals that angels have spirit faculties as well.
Volition:
It is obvious that they have a will, as Lucifer exercised his to the point of rebellion:
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! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isa. 14:12-14)
Obviously, the angels who followed Lucifer in his rebellion, including those sons of God who committed sin with the daughters of men (Gen. 6:4; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7), also exercised their wills against God. In contrast, the myriads of angels who remained true to the Lord did so by choice.
Intelligence:
Angels also have intelligent minds. Jesus said of heaven and earth passing away that not even the angels of heaven knew the day and hour when it would happen (Mt. 24:35-36). This would seem to imply that they had a great deal of knowledge about many other things, so much so that one might think they would also know of the timing of this particular event.
Communication:
Related to intelligence is the ability to communicate. As discussed above, many people have interacted with angels, having no difficulty understanding them or making themselves understood in the process. Paul states that angels have languages of their own, distinguishing between “tongues of men and of angels” (1 Cor. 13:1).
Wisdom:
Beyond intelligence, angels also have the capacity for wisdom. Paul said
that one of the results of his preaching “the unfathomable riches of Christ” was
that “the principalities and powers in the heavenly places” might have “the
manifold wisdom of God” made known to them by the church (Eph. 3:8-11).
It was even a compliment in David’s day to compare one’s wisdom to that of an
angel (2 Sam.
Meekness:
Speaking of “them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and
despise government,” Peter says they are “presumptuous” and “self-willed,” and
“are not afraid to speak evil of dignities” (2 Pet.
Obedience:
David said, “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel
in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word”
(Ps. 103:20). From this verse we can see that even their worship is an
act of obedience, for the word “bless” is an imperative or command. Such
obedience may have led to concern regarding submission and propriety in
worship, prompting Paul’s admonition for women to be veiled when praying or
prophesying, “because of the angels” (1 Cor. 11:10). Indeed, the very
idea of angels as messengers implies obedience to the One sending them.
It is for good reason they are called “holy angels” (Mt. 25:31; Mk.
SUPERNATURAL
BEINGS
Scripture teaches then that angels are very similar to men in that they have bodies, souls, and spirits. But that is where the similarities end. Though in initial encounters they were frequently mistaken for men (Gen. 19:1-5), the Bible is quite clear that angels are not natural beings, but supernatural. Men certainly aren’t capable of ascending and descending between heaven and earth, as angels did in Jacob’s vision (Gen. 28:12).
The natures of men and angels are sharply contrasted when Paul says that Christ
“took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham”
(Heb.
Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (1 Cor. 15:51-54)
But in the meantime, we are as
David stated, made “a little lower than the angels” (Ps. 8:5). The word lower
here is from the Hebrew chacer which has the
sense of lacking, having want or need. It was
used to describe the flood waters abating and decreasing from the earth (Gen.
8:3, 5). Abraham used it in his intercession for
Ministering Spirits
We have already seen that angels are capable of operating within the material realm, as illustrated by the numerous appearances and accomplishments described above. But angels are not of this realm in the sense human beings are. Rather, Scripture says God “maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire” (Ps. 104:4). Paul appeals to this as well, asking a question that illustrates the superiority of Christ over angels: “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1:14).
So, though angels have appeared visibly and interacted with men on several occasions, these events are relatively rare, given the span of human history. More often than not, it seems these ministering spirits are unseen in the material sense.
An excellent example of this occurred during one of the periods of war between
Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (vv. 16-17)
They were there all the time, but they couldn’t be seen apart from God opening the natural eyes. On the other hand, even when they are seen, they are apparently able to keep their nature a secret, as Paul indicates: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb. 13:2).
In addition, angels have been known to appear in dreams. Such was the
case on three occasions in the life of Joseph, the husband of Mary. In
the first instance, when he reacted to her state of pregnancy and considered
divorcing her privately, “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” (Mt.
Immortal
One day some Sadducees attempted to confound Jesus by posing a hypothetical question about the outcome if seven brothers each widowed the same woman in succession: “In the resurrection whose wife of them is she?” (Lk. 20:27-33). Correcting their error,
Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection. (Lk. 20:34-36)
Though the point of this passage
is the defense of the doctrine of the resurrection, it does show that angels
are immortal. They simply do not die. The book of Revelation even
says there are four angels which have been bound in the
Powerful and Mighty
The very mention of the word supernatural suggests things that are
powerful and mighty, and angels certainly qualify. Comforting a
persecuted people, Paul mentions the time “when the Lord Jesus shall be
revealed from heaven with his mighty angels” (2 Th. 1:7). Mighty
comes from the Greek word dunamis from which we get our word dynamite.
The word is used 120 times in the New Testament, in a variety of ways.
Its first occurrence is in the close of the Lord’s prayer,
“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever” (Mt.
The same idea is communicated in the Old Testament with the Hebrew word koach which means strength or power. It is
translated strength in Ps. 103:20 which says, “Bless the LORD, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments,
hearkening unto the voice of his word.” Using this word, Moses declared
that the Lord had brought forth the nation of
Great Feats of Strength:
When we think of such incredible, supernatural power and might, we naturally
imagine great feats of strength. One amazing display of such ability
occurred during the reign of Hezekiah. When the Assyrian armies
surrounded
Tremendous Speed:
The book of Revelation also comments on angelic speed. John writes in Rev. 9:1-3,
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. And he opened the bottomless pit; and there arose a smoke out of the pit, as the smoke of a great furnace; and the sun and the air were darkened by reason of the smoke of the pit. And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.
There was the appearance of a meteor or shooting star, but personal pronouns and personal acts are ascribed to this “star.” Only an intelligent being could be given a key to a material place and a command to obey, as here. Even Satan’s angels are referred to as stars (Rev. 12:3-9). There is no indication, however, that this is a fallen angel. He will descend from heaven to open the abyss, liberating the creatures who will fulfill the vision in chapter 9. He must be a holy and trusted angel to have the key to the pit. But he moves with such speed that he has the appearance of a star falling from heaven.
Ability to Fly:
We aren’t told how this angel moves so quickly, but flying seems most reasonable. And we do know from Revelation that angels fly. Verse 13 of chapter 8 records “an angel flying through the midst of heaven,” and we see the same thing in Rev. 14:6.
No Need to Rest:
Awesome feats of strength and incredible flying speed aren’t the only facets of the angels’ supernatural power. Even the strongest of natural creatures need sleep and rest, but apparently angels do not. In his vision of the scene surrounding the throne of God, John describes the worship of four special angels, saying that “they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come” (Rev. 4:8).
Glorious
When the angel of the Lord came to the shepherds to announce the birth of Christ, the Bible says “the glory of the Lord shone round about them” (Lk. 2:9). Glory is significantly associated with the presence of God. It is described in Exodus:
the glory of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the
cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the
midst of the cloud. And the sight of the glory of the LORD was like
devouring fire on the top of the mount in the eyes of the children of
As a result of being in the
presence of God, Moses’ face shone so brightly that he had to be veiled when
talking with the children of Israel (Ex. 34:29-35). In Paul’s words, “the
children of
Jesus was more fully revealed in glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. Matthew says the face of Jesus shone like the sun (Mt. 17:2). Indeed, not only His face, but even His clothing “was white as the light,” or as Mark puts it, “his raiment became shining, exceeding white as snow; so as no fuller on earth can white them” (Mk. 9:3).
Angels also have a glory of their own. Jesus said, “For whosoever shall
be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when
he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father’s, and of the holy angels”
(Lk.
And I looked, and, behold, a whirlwind came out of the north, a great cloud,
and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was
about it, and out of the midst thereof as the colour
of amber, out of the midst of the fire. Also out of the midst thereof
came the likeness of four living creatures . . . . As for the likeness of the
living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, and like the
appearance of lamps: it went up and down among the living creatures; and the
fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living
creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning.
(Ezek. 1:4-5, 13-14)
No wonder Psalm 104:4 declares that God’s angelic ministers are “a flaming fire!”
Thus, while we see that angels are similar to men in many respects, they are nevertheless supernatural beings whose majestic appearance occasionally required the encouragement, “Fear not” (Mt. 28:5).
One doesn’t have to search long and hard, however, to discover that there are several types of angels described in Scripture. For our purposes, we shall divide these into the general categories of common and special angels.
COMMON ANGELS
There is a sense of irony in the use of a word like common to describe angels, for as we have seen, they are anything but common! Hence, the term is somewhat of an oxymoron. Its purpose, though, is simply to distinguish the larger community of angels from those whose nature and work are more specialized.
In addition to their common designation as “angels,” these beings are known by several names in Scripture, each portraying a different aspect of their nature or function. Below are various terms by which common angels are sometimes known in the Bible.
Hosts
Repeatedly throughout Scripture, large groups of people are collectively known as “hosts.” This is especially true of military groups. For this reason God is often called the Lord of hosts.
Angels are quite naturally referred to as hosts. When Jacob was preparing
to meet Esau, Scripture records that “the angels of God met him. And when
Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host” (Gen.
32:1-2). Elisha’s servant awoke early one morning to discover that “an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots” (2
Ki.
Spirits
Declaring the superiority of Christ over angels, Paul asks, “Are they
[angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall
be heirs of salvation?” (Heb. 1:14). David states that God “maketh his
angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire” (Ps. 104:4). This term also
refers to fallen angels, as when Jesus “went and preached unto the spirits in
prison” (1 Pet.
Sons of God
Used only five times in the Old Testament, this term first occurs in Genesis 6:1-4 which reads:
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. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Who were these sons of God? As always, it is a good rule to let Scripture interpret Scripture. Job uses the same Hebrew expression in 1:6 and 2:1, describing times “when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.” Angels are clearly in view here, as is plain from the only other occurrence of the term “sons of God” in the Old Testament:
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
It is without doubt that God is referring here to angels rejoicing at creation. So, if the term refers to angels here, and the same Hebrew words are used in the other two passages in Job and the two in Genesis 6, then it is reasonable to understand the term “sons of God” to be an Old Testament designation for angels.
Some translations (such as the Septuagint, the Moffatt and others) read “angels
of God” in Genesis 6:1-4, which is the only view that fully explains the text
in Genesis 6 and harmonizes this passage with the
New Testament. Peter makes mention of “the spirits in prison; which
sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the
days of Noah” (1 Pet.
So, we have good angels rejoicing at creation and presenting themselves before God in the days of Job; and we have fallen angels who sinned with the daughters of men in the days of Noah—both of which are known as “sons of God.”
Sons of the Mighty
Revealing something of praise in the heavenlies, Ethan the Ezrahite declared,
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. (Ps. 89:5-7)
It seems evident from the context that the sons of the mighty here are angels who cannot compare to the Lord. In fact, in the Moffatt translation, the second half of verse 6 reads, “what angel can compare with the Eternal?”
Saints
As in the case of the “sons of the mighty” above, the “saints” in Psalm 89:5-7 can also be understood as referring to angels. For though the poetic imagery shifts throughout the text, the heavenly context remains the same. Moffatt indicates this in his translation of v. 5, rendering what the King James calls “the congregation of saints” with the phrase “heaven’s own host.”
In addition, we know angels have been called saints by a comparison of Deuteronomy 33:2 which says “the LORD came from Sinai . . . with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them,” with Psalm 68:17 which states “the chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place.” Both of these texts seem to refer to the same thing, yet Moses called the angels saints and David just called them angels.
Congregation of the Mighty
Psalm 82:1 states, “God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.” The Hebrew for “mighty” here is el, a word frequently translated “God.” It is appended to many names, such as Samuel, which means “His name is El”; Joel, “Jehovah is God”; and Daniel, “God is my judge.” However, el can also be used more generally, having the sense of things that are mighty in nature (as reflected in the KJV translation, “mighty”), or simply in the abstract sense of “power” (as in Gen. 31:29; Neh. 5:5; Pr. 3:27; Mic. 2:1). It is not difficult, therefore, to see this “congregation of the mighty” as a reference to the angelic hosts in heaven. Indeed, Lamsa’s translation of the Peshitta reflects this understanding: “God stands in the congregation of angels; he judges among the angels.”
Watchers
Daniel 4 records a prophetic dream which warned Nebuchadnezzar of what would occur if he did not humble himself. In v. 13 he states, “I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven.” The watcher seems to be an angel sent from heaven announcing the decree of the Most High. Apparently, these watchers oversee the affairs of men to enable them to bring about the will of God in the earth.
Please click here
for the next document in this series: Angels - Part III
Revs. Mr. and Mrs. H.
Dean Daniels Sui Juris