Biblically Accurate Angels:
(everything you need to know)

The word angel is written 960 times in the Bible. Beginning in Genesis 16. These angels were God’s messages and oftentimes called “angels of the Lord” and were in human form.

There are many interesting renditions of people describing angels in virtually frightening forms. We will explore the topic at length as you read on and reveal the creations of God’s glory.

The first appearance of angels is when Adam and Eve were commanded to leave the Garden of Eden and an angel blocked the entrance with a flaming sword so that they could never return to the tree of life.

Throughout Genesis, angels were sent to give messages to humans from God or to provide protection as they traveled. No one seemed to be frightened or even surprised to see these angels. We assume from these verses that the people visited by the heavenly beings saw them in the form of men.

These angels were described as powerful beings with human faces, and servants of God which possessed supernatural abilities.

Angel Appearances:

Many of the spiritual beings came into the natural world in an earthly form however as you will read, Ezekiel had a pretty startling event. None of these unimaginable things were recorded anywhere else in the Bible.

Works of art can hardly do justice to these living creatures. Many simply ascribe evil angels as having a set of wings that are black and good angels have wings that are white and both are seen in human-like figures.

Artists like Getty show a sweet chubby baby with tiny wings nestled into a cuddly cocoon of sorts. While the authority figures believe the following verses show a more true form of these sons of God.

Exodus 3:2 says There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. Verse 5-6 explains this sighting.

“Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

In the words of Moses this was first thought to be an angel, yet God Himself spoke from inside the flaming bush. Since God is a spirit He has the potential to appear in any form He desires. Not all angel sightings were God.

In the book of Acts the Holy Spirit of God appeared as tongues of fire on the heads of the 120 people in the secret upper room.

In the book of Numbers chapter 22 is the story of Balaam who beat his donkey for stopping in the road and crushing his foot into the wall. The donkey was able to see a powerful angel with a drawn sword ready to kill Balaam. Balaam didn’t see the angel, implying that he was invisible.

Then the Lord opened Balaam’s eyes, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road with his sword drawn. So he bowed low and fell facedown. (verse 31)

Judges 2:1 The angel of the Lord went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, “I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land I swore to give to your ancestors. I said, ‘I will never break my covenant with you. Once again humans wrote that the angel of the Lord… then God spoke.

Many times it is assumed that the one before them is simply an angel when in fact it turns out to be God in human form. Many have come to the conclusion, as these verses have been studied at great length, that Jesus was the one many presumed to be an angel.

Most of the people visited by angels were terrified. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 2 Corinthians 11:14

New Testament References to Coincide With That Understanding of angelic beings:

I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword.

His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance. When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelation 1:12-18)

Long after His resurrection, Jesus appeared to John, His favored disciple, with eyes like fire and feet like bronze glowing from a furnace, and a voice like a rushing sound of water. John was so afraid he passed out and Jesus picked him up and comforted him.

I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head, his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. Revelation 10:1

What are some of the reasons angels are sent?

In First Kings 19 Elijah was fed by an angel and then led to the cave where he would hear from God.

Many times God sent angels to destroy enemy territories and desperately sinful people. He sent the angel of death to kill those who worshiped other gods. Including entire armies that have been trying to destroy His people.

According to Psalm 91:11 God gives His angels charge over His people so that they can not be destroyed or even hurt. This may be the guardian angels that children say that they talk to and see. That verse was also one of the scriptures Satan used during his endeavor to tempt Jesus in the wilderness.

Some angels, known as fallen angels or demons, chose to rebel against God and were cast out of heaven. These angels serve Satan and tempt humanity towards sin.

In the book of Daniel, Angels went to the rescue of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego when they refused to bow to a gold statue of the king. They were also sent to the lion’s den to shut the starving lion’s mouths and spare Daniel a horrifying death when wicked men trapped him with lies.

What Are Fallen Angels?

In the Old Testament book of Job, Satan, the one also called the serpent, the dragon, the devil, the deceiver, the father of lies, and Beelzebub came into the presence of God and accused the saints of all sorts of sins. God allowed him to destroy Job’s life and family and home.

Job did not deny or curse God and therefore everything and more was restored and he was great among his people.

Not one angel is outside of God’s judgment either. Including the fallen angels of which Lucifer, AKA Satan. Job 4:18 If God places no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error…

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ( 1 Corinthians 6:3)

What is a mortal that you remember him or the Son of Man that you take care of him? You have made him a little lower than yourself*. You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him rule what your hands created. You have put everything under his control: (Psalm 8:4-6 Names of God Version)

*Some versions say …a little lower than the angels.

We as human beings were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27) And we have been given dominion over all things on Earth and will one day judge the angels. That is powerful!

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 18:9) Jesus said this when explaining the importance of children in the Kingdom of Heaven.

What that says is that Satan and the fallen angels he leads do know the scriptures. James 2:19 tells us that “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”

What does it mean to be a Christian then? Find out on this other post.

What Do Angels Do In Heaven?

Psalm 103:20 Praise the Lord, you His angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. Psalm 148:2 Praise him, all his angels; praise him, all his heavenly hosts.

Luke 15 tells us an amazing story and ends with this passage… 10 “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Psalm 56:8 says that God keeps our tears in a bottle and a record of all our ways. Some angels are keepers of the celestial records.

Crying out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!” All the angels stood around the throne and the elders and the four living creatures, and fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, Rev 7:10-11

Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne of God.

Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar. He was given much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all the saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.

And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, ascended before God from the angel’s hand. Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. Revelation 8:4-5

And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, (Rev 12:7 throughout chapter 12 the devil is called the great serpent.)

Angels do all that God bids them to do. They worship at His throne. They rejoice at the salvation of each human.

Angels are given charge over the prayers of the saints. They also engage in war in the spiritual realm since they are spiritual beings.

How much authority do angels have?

They only have the authority given to them by God. Again looking back at the book of Job 1:9 So Satan answered the Lord and said, “Does Job fear God for nothing? then verse 12 is God’s reply: And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.”

Galatians 1:8 But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.

Remember, that Satan is the father of lies. He goes throughout the earth trying to find human beings that he can trick into turning away from God.

Colossians 2:18 Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,

1Timothy 5:21 Not all angels are the same…I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.

Is Jesus greater than the angels?

Hebrew 1:1-8God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;

who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

For to which of the angels did He ever say: “You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”?

And again: “I will be to Him a Father, And He shall be to Me a Son”?

But when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says: “Let all the angels of God worship Him.”

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

But to the Son He says: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; A scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

(Verse 13-14) But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

What will happen to the fallen angels?

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; 2 Peter 2:4

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; Jude 1:6

And they had as king over them the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon, but in Greek he has the name Apollyon.9 Rev.9:11) 13-15

(Verses 13-15) Then the sixth angel sounded: And I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God, saying to the sixth angel who had the trumpet, “Release the four angels who are bound at the great river Euphrates.” So the four angels, who had been prepared for the hour and day and month and year, were released to kill a third of mankind.

We can read here of the judgment planned for the fallen angels in the future, and at this time many are waiting for their release from bondage under the Euphrates River.

Go back to Rev 20:1 Satan Bound 1,000 Years: Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, having the key to the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand.

How many angels are there?

And suddenly there was with the angel of God, a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying: Luke 2:13

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, Rev.5:11

What are the different types of angels?

We tend to think of angels as all good angels wearing white robes, or the beautiful creatures of greeting cards. Biblical angels, accurate angel descriptions are much more detailed than celestial beings with a face of a human being. Many works of art portray cute little chubby babies or something like morning stars.

The classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life gives us the popular understanding of angels, that they have to earn their wings. Good news! God created the angelic beings and living creatures as unique as he made everything in the physical world. The most vivid description of angels is found in Ezekiel.

Living creatures Ezekiel 1:5-25 { I copied it exactly how they are described in the New King James Version of the Christian Bible so as to not miss anything. as you will see it is striking and almost unfathomable.}

Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance: they had the likeness of a man. Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the soles of calves’ feet.

They sparkled like the color of burnished bronze. The hands of a man were under their wings on their four sides; and each of the four had faces and wings. Their wings touched one another. The creatures did not turn when they went, but each one went straight forward.

As for the likeness of their faces, each had the face of a man; each of the four had the face of a lion on the right side, each of the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and each of the four had the face of an eagle. Thus were their faces.

Their wings stretched upward; two wings of each one touched one another, and two covered their bodies. And each one went straight forward; they went wherever the spirit wanted to go, and they did not turn when they went.

As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches going back and forth among the living creatures. The fire was bright, and out of the fire went lightning. And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning.

Now as I looked at the living creatures, behold, a wheel was on the earth beside each living creature with its four faces. The appearance of the wheels and their workings was like the color of beryl, and all four had the same likeness. The appearance of their workings was, as it were, a wheel in the middle of a wheel.

When they moved, they went toward any one of four directions; they did not turn aside when they went. As for their rims, they were so high they were awesome; and their rims were full of eyes, all around the four of them.

When the living creatures went, the wheels went beside them; and when the Wherever the spirit wanted to go, they went, because there the spirit went; and the wheels were lifted together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

When those went, these went; when those stood, these stood; and when those were lifted up from the earth, the wheels were lifted up together with them, for the spirit of the living creatures was in the wheels.

The likeness of the firmament above the heads of the living creatures was like the color of an awesome crystal, stretched out over their heads. And under the firmament their wings spread out straight, one toward another. Each one had two which covered one side, and each one had two which covered the other side of the body.

When they went, I heard the noise of their wings, like the noise of many waters, like the voice of the Almighty, a tumult like the noise of an army; and when they stood still, they let down their wings. A voice came from above the firmament that was over their heads; whenever they stood, they let down their wings.

How Do we know this is true?

Rev 4:6-9
As the Bible says in Psalm 119:160, “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” (NIV)

Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Hebrews 13:2

P.S. (Plain and Simple)

Biblically accurate angels are astounding and beautiful as well as powerful and faithful to God their King and Creator. They do His bidding leading, guiding, and protecting the humans God assigns to them. They are not necessarily tender young girls or cute little babies as in artwork.

They are depicted as those who follow God and those who have betrayed Him. They were not made in His image as we were, but they are each unique and ready to serve their leader. We will judge them in the future and they will watch as we are judged by The Almighty God.

Every angel, like men, will either spend eternity in Heaven with God forever, or in the abyss where they hate themselves and everyone there. In this human life, on this side of eternity, we still have the ability and responsibility to accept God as the one we will worship rather than the angels.