One of the most mysterious things in this world is the existence of spiritual beings. Angels and demons are not just the fabrications of fantasy and science fiction, but the Bible also speaks of these entities. As we know, it is likely that many fantasy authors got their ideas of angels from the Bible.
But are angels really the way they are portrayed in books and movies? In Paradise Lost, John Milton describes one or the angels, Uriel, as guardian of the sun. When Uriel travels, he surfs on beams of light and moves at great speeds. There is a film called City of Angels, in which an angel falls from the sky, becomes human and falls in love with a woman.
In a more recent film called Good Fortune, Keanu Reeves is a clumsy angel whose job is to keep people from getting into accidents while texting and driving. In other movies, angels are portrayed as fierce warriors and as immortal beings. And in these portrayals, angels always have wings. But what exactly does the Bible say?
Join me as we try to figure out what angels are really like through scripture. The Bible mentions angels and demons many times. Once we know where to find them, we can learn many things about these mysterious beings.
Firstly, the Bible records many instances of Angels appearing to people. Because they appear to people often, we can deduce that they are workers for God in fulfilling His purpose. In fact, the Bible even says so:
14 Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Hebrews 1:14
Often before or after big Biblical events, angels appear to people. After Jesus’ death, there were angels in the tomb to proclaim that he has resurrected:
5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.
Mark 16:5
When Jesus was ascending to heaven after his resurrection, there were also angels present. The Bible describes “two men dressed in white” that suddenly appeared:
10 They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. 11 “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”
Acts 1:10-11
Also, just as Jesus was born, the Bible describes the angels appearing to the shepherds:
8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.
Luke 2:8-11
These scriptures indicate to us that whenever spiritual events take place, angels appear to people to help them make sense of it. In this way, angels carry out the important work of God and helps God to communicate with people. It is difficult for people to see God, we presume, but easier to see angels, since they are ministering spirits.
At some points in the Bible, whenever very important events take place, arch angels are mentioned. The NIV translation of the Bible gives us the names of two, Michael and Gabriel. One of the famous scriptures from Revelation explains how the angel Michael hurls the devil to the earth:
7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 12:7-9
From this scripture, we can conclude that Michael is in charge of God’s army. He is the warrior angel that leads the other angels when there are spiritual wars. Another is the messenger angel, Gabriel, who appears to deliver important messages. In this scripture, Gabriel appears to Mary to tell her that she will give birth to the Messiah:
19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.
Luke 1:19
Gabriel even appears to the prophet Daniel in the Old Testament. In the book of Daniel, Gabriel reveals many important things about Israel’s future:
21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
Daniel 9:21
Finally, we know of another arch angel, who became Lucifer. An interesting scripture in Isaiah tells us a bit more about him:
12 How you have fallen from heaven,
Isaiah 14:12-15
morning star, son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
you who once laid low the nations!
13 You said in your heart,
“I will ascend to the heavens;
I will raise my throne
above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,
on the utmost heights of Mount Zaphon.
14 I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;
I will make myself like the Most High.”
15 But you are brought down to the realm of the dead,
to the depths of the pit.
From this scripture, we see that the “morning star”, the most beautiful of all the angels, became proud and arrogant. He wanted to become equal to God and so he was thrown into the “depth of the pit”, or Hell.
It is clear from this discussion that angels interact with human beings quite often. We can also see that angels are spiritual beings that are immortal. In some ways, angels are similar to us, because they seem to experience human emotions. For example, the devil’s pride and arrogance are feelings that we, as humans, also have.
Unlike angels, however, we are not spiritual beings that were created as spirits from the beginning. Humans have physical bodies and with our physical bodies, we are often tempted by the things of the flesh and the physical world. But does this mean that angels do not have temptations? Two small books in the Bible actually reveals to us that angels have free will:
6 And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
Jude 1:6
The other is from Saint Peter’s writing:
4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
2 Peter 2:4
Because angels have free will, they can also sin, and so we can see that even though angels are spirits that are immortal, they are not perfect. Angels truly are mysterious and fascinating beings, and it is clear why so many artists and writers are enamoured by them.
