INTRODUCTION

Misconceptions about “good” angels, or unfallen celestial beings, are rampant: It has been taught that angels are merely transient emanations from God, or permanent emanations from God. Some hold that angels are glorified human beings (a person dies, goes to heaven and becomes an angel). Unbelievers generally deny the existence of angels. They may believe that Jesus mentioned angels just to accommodate Himself to the popular thinking of His day, but that He Himself knew better than to believe such nonsense.

But the Bible is very clear about the existence, nature and purpose of angels. God uses two specific titles for unfallen angels throughout the Scriptures. They are called the “elect angels” (I Tim. 5:21), which means they were elected or chosen not to fall and have been confirmed in their holiness. After creating the angels, the Lord tested them to see if they would be obedient or disobedient, just as He later did with Adam and Eve. One-third of the angels chose to disobey God and followed Satan in his fall; these angels became demons. (In addition to this study of good angels, Satanology and Demonology comprise the three main divisions of the overall doctrine of angels, Angelology.) But two-thirds of the angels chose not to follow Satan, and these have been confirmed in their holiness, meaning they are no longer capable of falling. When believers receive their resurrection bodies, they will also be confirmed in their holiness, i.e., not capable of sinning. The second scriptural title for unfallen angels is “holy angels,” as contrasted with fallen angels who are wicked and unholy (Mk. 8:38; Lk. 9:26).

The Existence of Angels

Does the Bible really teach that angels exist? Angels are mentioned in more than half of the books of the Scriptures – 273 times, in fact, in 34 of the 66 books. They are found from the first to the last book of the Bible, and not merely in the older, more primitive books. In the Old Testament, angels are not only mentioned by the visionary writers but even by those who wrote basic history. Furthermore, Yeshua Himself clearly taught the existence of angels, doing so, in fact, in every gospel (Matt. 13:39, 41, 49; Mk. 12:25; Lk. 12:8-9; Jn. 1:51).

The Names of Angels

The Bible uses several names for these celestial beings:

The first is the most common – angel, the general term used for all celestial beings, but most commonly referring to the lower angels. Both the Hebrew and Greek words for angel mean the same thing: “a messenger,” referring to both human messengers (Gen. 32:3) and divine messengers (Gen. 32:1). When used of a divine messenger, it refers to an angel. This name emphasizes the office, that of a messenger, as well as the function, that of service (Heb. 1:7). A second name, strictly an Old Testament one, is the sons of God. The Hebrew is bnei elohim. In the Old Testament, the term sons of God is always plural and always a reference to angels (Gen. 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). A third name is the sons of the mighty or the sons of the mighty one. It is similar to the sons of God, because God is the mighty one (Ps. 29:1; 89:6). A fourth name is that of the holy ones, emphasizing their unfallen state as opposed to the angels who fell and became demons (Ps. 89:5, 7; Dan. 4:13, 17; 8:13). A fifth name is watcher, and this highlights the function of observing. Angels observe whether God’s will is being carried out, watching to make sure that, indeed, it is (Dan. 4:13, 17). The sixth name is watchman, also emphasizing the function of observation. Whereas watcher purely stresses the aspect of observation to see if God’s will is being carried out, watchman also involves the concept of guarding over a situation (Is. 62:6). The seventh name is spirits, as angels are spirit beings (Heb. 1:14). The eighth name is stars. With the exception of Numbers 24:17, whenever the word star is used symbolically, it is always a symbol for angel (Job 38:7; Rev. 1:20; 9:1; 12:4). A ninth name is ministers. This name affirms the fact that angels are ministers of God carrying out His will (Ps. 103:21; 104:4; Heb. 1:7). A tenth name for angels is host, an English translation of the Hebrew word that means “army.” The host comprises the heavenly army of God; that is why God is often referred to as Jehovah of hosts, the Lord of hosts, for He is the Lord of this angelic army (I Kings 22:19; Ps. 103:20-21; 148:2). An eleventh name for angels is chariots, underscoring their speed in carrying out the will of the Lord (II Kings 6:16-17; Ps. 68:17; Zech. 6:1-8). The twelfth name for angels is elohim, a word that means “god.” It is used of the one true God and the many false gods. It is also used of angels, because angels are the representatives of God and have God's delegated authority to speak in His name.

The Creation of Angels

Four things should be mentioned concerning the creation of angels. First is the fact of their creation. The fact that angels were created is taught in Colossians 1:16, where three points are revealed. First, all angels were created simultaneously. God did not create some angels at one point and more angels at another point. Second, then, the number of angels does not increase, as God is not continually creating new angels. And, third, neither does the number of angels decrease. Angels cannot be destroyed; they exist forever.

The second thing about the creation of angels is the timing of their creation. According to Job 38:4-7, angels were already in existence when God created the heavens and the earth in Genesis 1:1. So, angels were created prior to the creation of the material universe and, of course, prior to man as well.

The third point about the creation of angels is that they were created holy with the power of contrary choice, i.e., the ability to choose contrary to their nature (Mk. 8:38; Jude 6). They had the ability to make an unholy choice, which one-third of them eventually did to become demons. The other two-thirds later became confirmed in their holiness and, therefore, could no longer choose to sin and no longer have the power of contrary choice.

The fourth thing about the creation of angels is the two-fold position of angels. First, they are inferior to Yeshua with respect to His deity (Heb. 1:4 - 2:3) and His humanity (Heb. 2:5-8). Second, they are superior to man (Ps. 8:4-5; Heb. 2:5-7; II Pet. 2:11).

The Number of Angels

How many angels are there? There are several Scripture passages that give hints concerning the number of angels, ranging from ten thousands (Deu. 33:2) to a whole mountain full (II Kings 6:17) to thousands and thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand (Dan. 7:10) to twelve legions of angels (one legion consists of 3,000-6,000 individuals; Matt. 26:53); etc. The best answer as to how many angels there are is the one given in Hebrews 12:22: innumerable hosts of angels. How many angels are there? They are innumerable, myriads and myriads innumerable. Because of the concept of guardianship, we know that there are always at least as many angels as there are human beings on the face of the earth. This could also very well mean that there are as many angels as there are humans that will ever exist or that have existed, in combination or in totality.

The Appearance of Angels

The Scriptures contain records of angels appearing to people, revealing three key features about the appearance of angels. First, angels appeared in three main ways: Sometimes they appeared in a dream as with Jacob and the ladder (Gen. 28:12); visions were a second way in which angels appeared to humans, as they did with Daniel, Zechariah, and the Apostle John in the Book of Revelation; a third and more common method by which angels became visible was by simple appearance, manifesting suddenly as people, just as the angels appeared at the tomb of Jesus. The second aspect of the appearance of angels is that they always appeared as young men (Gen. 18:1-2, 16, 22; 19:1-22; Mk. 16:5; Lk. 24:4; Acts 1:10-11). Nowhere in the Scriptures do angels appear in the form of women or children (such as cupids) or old men. The third thing about the appearance of angels is their effect, namely, that they generally aroused fear (Dan. 10:4-9; Matt. 28:2-6; Lk. 1:11-12; 1:26-30; 2:9).

The Personality of Angels

Some teach that angels are not personal beings but merely emanations, powers, rays, etc. However, as the three main attributes of personality are intellect, emotion, and will, we will now see that angels do, indeed, have personality.

First, angels have intellect: The wisdom of an angel is spoken of in II Samuel 14:20; Psalms 148:2 points out angels’ ability to praise, something that certainly requires intellect. From Matthew 24:36, we learn that angels have the ability to know things; a few chapters later, we read that they have the ability to communicate (28:5). Ephesians 3:10 and I Peter 1:12 are two more passages that prove the intellect of angels.

A second component of personality – emotion – is also present in angels. Job 38:8 and Luke 15:10 tell us that angels have the emotion of joy.

The third personality element is will, and this, too, is characteristic of these celestial beings. In Luke 2:13, the angels praise God, an act that exercises will. In the same way, they worship Him (Heb. 1:6). Finally, another display of will is found in Jude six, where some angels chose to leave their proper abode.

The Nature of Angels

Angels are created beings (Col. 1:16). As such, they are limited. A created being can never have all the powers, attributes, and abilities of its Creator. So, while they are far superior to humans, they are greatly inferior to God. For example, angels are not omnipresent, but are limited in space (Dan. 9:21-23; 10:10-14). Neither are they omnipotent (Dan. 10:10-14; II Pet. 2:11), though they are powerful and mighty (Ps. 103:20). For this reason, Michael the archangel needed divine assistance (Jude 9). Angels are not omniscient either: They do not know when Christ is going to return (Matt. 24:36); and their continued learning also reveals limitation in their knowledge (Eph. 3:10; I Peter 1:11-12). And, of course, angels are not divine, which is why it is forbidden to worship them (Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:8-9).

According to Hebrews 1:14, angels are spirit beings, meaning they are immaterial and generally not visible. However, they do have some kind of corporeality (they are not ghosts), though it does not consist of flesh and bone (Lk. 24:39). The angelic body is composed of a spirit body, but one that allows appearance in bodily form (Gen. 18-19; Matt. 1:20; Lk. 1:11; Jn. 20:12; Heb. 13:2). Another interesting fact about the angelic body is that it is not limited to the human concept of space. A legion of angelic spirit bodies may exist in a very limited space – the space, even, of one man (Lk.8:30).

Also noteworthy regarding the angelic body is that they do not reproduce after their kind (Mk. 12:25), as angels are always male. In the case of Genesis six, some fallen angels reproduced a grotesque race after intermarrying with human women, but their offspring were not angels after their kind.

The Work of Angels in Relation to Believers

The Bible has a great deal to say on this subject: First, the good angels rejoice when one is saved (Lk. 15:10).

Second, angels have guardianship over believers through general protective care. All children have guardian angels (Matt. 18:10), and every believer has a guardian angel (Heb. 1:14). In fact, a guardian angel is “assigned” to a person as soon as he is saved. Psalms 34:7 and 91:11 teach that nothing can happen to a believer outside of God’s will because of the general protective care of angels. These verses do not teach that nothing bad can happen to believers, but that nothing can happen outside of God’s will.

Third, angels are often used to save or rescue believers from specific situations. For example, angels were used to rescue Lot (Gen. 19:1-22). Other instances abound, including Genesis 32:1-2; I Kings 19:5-6; II Kings 6:17; Dan. 3:24-28; 6:22; Acts 5:17-20; and 12:6-11.

The fourth work of angels is to guide believers into truth and actions. In Matthew 1:20-21, an angel instructed Joseph to believe Mary’s story that she really was a virgin, although she was pregnant. And an angel instructed Cornelius to send for Peter that he might preach the Gospel to him (Acts 10:3-8). In Acts 27:23-24, an angel guided Paul as well.

The fifth function of angels in relationship to believers is that of answering prayer. In Daniel’s case, for example, this happened twice, when an angel was used to answer the prophet’s prayer for more revelation (Dan. 9:20-23; 10:12-13). In the New Testament, prayers for Peter’s release from prison were answered by an angel’s rescue of the apostle (Acts 12:1-19).

The sixth purpose of angels in relationship to believers is one of encouragement (Acts 5:18-20; 27:23-25). The seventh work of angels is to carry the soul to its abode in heaven when a believer dies (Lk. 16:22).

The eighth role of angels is to serve as spectators of believers, observing to see how we are acting and responding: In Luke 12:8-9, the faith of a believer is confessed before the angels. Later, angels observe when one is saved (Lk. 15:10). Angels also observe the sufferings of believers (I Cor. 4:9). Other examples are seen in I Corinthians 11:10, I Peter 1:10-12 and I Timothy 5:21.

The ninth ministry of angels in regard to believers is to serve as guardians over local churches. Not only do individual believers have guardian angels, but every local church has a guardian angel. This is seen in Revelation two and three, where each letter is addressed to the angel of a specific church.

Finally, what should the believer’s relationship to angels be in light of the nine previous works? First, like Daniel, believers may certainly feel wonderment and amazement at the ability and work of angels (Dan. 8:16-17; 10:1-9). Second, believers can appreciate their ministry (Heb. 1:14). Third, believers may not worship angels (Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:9). Fourth, in the future, believers will judge angels (I Cor. 6:3) – fallen angels, of course – at the Great White Throne judgment.