The Truth About Angels

Have you ever seen an Angel? Not the kind that you see depicted on T.V. or in gift shops, but a TRUE Angel? Believe it or not, you probably have and didn't even know it. The word ANGEL conjures an image of something with wings, a harp and a halo. Or maybe you think that an angel is someone that has died and came back with wings, a harp and a halo; sitting on a cloud plucking the harp and waiting to arrive at some unknown destination. Maybe you just think that angels are "naked babies". While these are all "cute", they have no foundation in scripture.

Over the years, I have heard many erroneous statements and false concepts about angels. The people who make these statements truly believe in what they are saying, but cannot offer any scriptural proof or justification for their standpoint. If you call yourself a Christian, then you shouldn't mind seeing what the Bible says about the subject. So, let us look into THE TRUTH ABOUT ANGELS from the HOLY BIBLE where the facts about angels originate.

NOTE: All scriptural references were taken from DAKE'S ANNOTATED REFERENCE BIBLE AND CONCORDANCE - KING JAMES VERSION and the "BOOKMAN" ELECTRONIC BIBLE - KING JAMES VERSION.

WHAT ARE ANGELS?

The Hebrew word for angel is mal'ak, which means to dispatch as a deputy; messenger; ambassador. The Greek word for angel is aggelos, which means to bring tidings; a messenger. The word angel is used, in one form or another, 198 times in the Bible. Common angels are real personal beings with personal bodies and personal souls including feelings, emotions, passions and desires as well as personal spirits including all intellectual powers as we know them.

In Hebrews 1:13-14 we find the following: 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? Reading down a little further we find Hebrews 2:7 which says: Thou madest him (man) a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over thy works of thy hand.

Angels can be visible or invisible, depending on what their particular mission happens to be, at any given time. Invisible things are made up of material substance which is visible in it's own realm. Created things, including spirit beings such as angels, cherubim, seraphim, etc. are all of material substance. Some substances are of a higher order than others. Though all are visible in their own realms, some may not be visible to others of lower realms. Spirit beings are of a higher substance than flesh and blood beings and ordinary material that we see. They are not limited to ordinary substance as we know it, because they can go through closed doors, walls, and other solid objects. This is proved by what is recorded in Scripture of angels and others. Even the material, spiritual, and immortalized body of Jesus, a real flesh and bone body (Luke 24:39) can go through material walls without an opening (John 20:19; Luke 24:31, 35-43).

An angel can manifest himself in all his God given glory or he can appear as a mere mortal (or not at all) depending on what he is sent to do. It is evident that angels can and do appear in the form of a man as stated in Hebrews 13:2 which says: Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

WHAT ANGELS ARE NOT.

Angels are not naked babies with feeble little rudimentary wing stubs as depicted in Catholic art, or the ceramic figurines that you see at your local gift shop. Angels are mighty beings of large stature as shown in Thessalonians 1:7-8; And to you who are troubled rest with us, 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 obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. "In flaming fire taking vengeance"? That doesn't sound much like the act of a naked baby. Those pink little things would be burnt to a crisp in short order.

Another account of the power of an angel can be seen in Num. 22:22-23, 33: And God's anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two servants were with him. And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand... And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. "I had slain thee"? Those "sweet" little babies couldn't split someone's skull open as this TRUE angel of the Lord was about to do. They couldn't even lift the sword. NOTE: I didn't reprint the entire thirteen verses here but, if you are truly seeking the truth, you should look it up and read it for yourself.

Angels are not people (humans) who have died. Nowhere in the Bible does it give even the slightest hint that angels come from deceased people. That's just not true. What is true? Lets look in the Bible and see.

One of the many tasks that angels perform is seen in Luke 16:22-25 which says: And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels unto Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. And he cried and said, Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented.

So, one of the things that angels do is to transport departed spirits after death. It doesn't say that Lazarus (or anyone else, for that matter) turned into an angel. This also shows that seemingly good (rich) people don't always go to heaven, and seemingly bad (poor) people don't always go to hell.

Another thing that angels are often confused with is cherubim (or cherub), but a cherub is a whole new creature entirely. A good description of a cherub can be found in Ezekiel 1:5-28. There are 42 attributes listed in Ezekiel that describe a cherub. Starting in verse 5, we find: they have the likeness of four living creatures; The likeness of a man; Each had four faces; Each had four wings, one on each side; They had straight feet; The soles of their feet were like the feet of calves; They sparkled like the color of burnished brass; They had hands of a man under their wings on their four sides (four hands);

Their wings were joined to each other; They didn't turn when they went but went straight forward; The front face was like a man's; The right face was like a lion; The left face was like an ox; The back face was like an eagle; Their wings were stretched upward; Two wings of each were joined to another; Two wings covered each body; They appeared like burning coals, and like lamps; The fire went up and down among them; The fire was bright; Lightning came out of the fire;

They move as fast as lightning; One wheel was on the earth by each side of the living creatures; The appearance of the wheels and their work was the color of beryl; They all looked alike; They looked like a wheel inside a wheel; When they went, they traveled on all four sides; they didn't turn when they went; The outer rims of the wheels were high and dreadful; The rims were full of eyes; The wheels went with the living creatures; When the living creatures flew, the wheels flew; The spirit of the living creature was in the wheels, which is why they stayed together; There was a likeness of a firmament stretched over their heads, the color of transparent crystal; Two wings of the living creatures under the firmament were straight towards each other and two covered their bodies;

When they went, they made the noise of wings, the Almighty, raging water, voices, a crowd; When they stopped, they put their wings down; The firmament over their heads spoke; There was a throne that looked like a sapphire on the firmament over their heads; There was the likeness of a man on the throne; There was the color of amber, like fire from within it; There was a bright rainbow around it.

Now, this is some STRANGE stuff. Even Stephen Speilberg, on his best day, hasn't come up with anything like this. However, if you think about it, God has created some bizarre things in this world, too. We have animals (and insects) that use chemical warfare such as skunks, rattle snakes and stink bugs. There are animals that can "spear" and perforate you such as porcupines. And then there is the strangest creature of all: the platypus, which lays eggs, has a bill, a beaver's tail, ducks feet, and in the male, poisonous spurs on it's hind feet! Not to mention the insect world. It has the strangest creatures of all. God is indeed a creative entity; he cannot be content nor confined to just what we see in this world.

A CHERUB IS "BORN".

We all remember the Oklahoma City bombing. In it, a lady lost her two children. Afterward, that lady (and others) could be heard saying that the children had become "cherubs". Someone had even made a portrait of the children, complete with wings, etc. So, where are the many eyes? Or the wheels? Or the four faces, etc. that the Bible says are part of a cherub?

No matter how well meaning this lady and others are, they couldn't be more wrong. Yet, somewhere some "sweet old lady" is saying "Isn't that cute" as she swallows this concept of an angel. It's NOT true. It's NOT Christian. It is a LIE! This is just another example of how this bologna is invented. You may be quick to notice that the word "CHERUBIM" or "CHERUB" does not appear in the first chapter of Ezekiel, but don't discount it as a description of a cherubim, because you can find the same description in Ezekiel 10:1, where it clearly states that it is a cherub. This, and many other scriptures, indicate that cherubim DO have wings.

Now for Seraphims. They are called "The Burning Ones". They only appear in one place in the Bible - Isaiah 6:2-6. Not much is said about them; but one important thing is mentioned: They ALSO have wings. Six, to be exact. They cover their feet with two, their head with two and they fly with two. (How do they see where they are going)?

In this article, I am dealing mainly with COMMON angels, as most people don't even know about them, much less that the others even exist.

ANGELS DON'T HAVE WINGS!

Angels don't have wings! That's right, they don't have any wings. Of the 90 scriptural references to the words WING, WINGS and WINGED, 45 of them specifically refer to cherubim. The rest refer to: God, seraphims, animals, eagles, turtle doves, doves, fowl, peacocks, ostriches, hawks, wind, morning, riches, shadow, Moab, Bozrah, lions, leopards, two women, woman, sun, hens, beasts and locusts. None refer to angels.

They are: Genesis 1:21; Exodus 19:4; 25:20; 37:9; Leviticus 1:17; Deuteronomy 4:17; 32:11; Ruth 2:12; 1 Samuel 27:11; 1 Kings 6:24, 27; 8:6, 7; 1Chr 28:18; 2Chr 3:11, 12, 13; 5:7, 8; Job 39:13, 26; Psalms 17:8; 18:10; 36:7; 55:6; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 68:13; 91:4; 104:3; 139:9; Proverbs 23:5; Ecclesiastes 10:20; Isaiah 6:2; 8:8; 10:14; 18:1; 40:13; Jeremiah 48:9, 40; 49:22; Ezekiel 1:6, 8, 9, 11, 23, 24, 25; 3:13; 10:5, 8, 12, 16, 19, 21; 11:22; 17:3, 7, 23; Daniel 7:4, 6; Hosea 4:19; Zechariah 5:9; Malachi 4:2; Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34; Revelation 4:8; 9:9; 12:14. Of all references to the words ANGEL or ANGELS, there is no mention of the words WING, WINGS or WINGED. So, the only way to conclude that angels have wings is to twist what little knowledge of angels there is and blindly accept the preconceived and prevalent notion of what is commonly presented as an "Angel", without asking "Where did we get that from?"

Here are just some examples. In Acts 1:10,11 it says ...And while they looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven. The next example can be seen in Matthew 28:2,3 ...And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow. It seems that, in all the descriptions of angels found in the bible, they are always described as wearing white raiment. Now, if you were to describe someone, which would be the more notable feature, white raiment or wings? You know that if they had wings, that would be the more remarkable feature; that would be the outstanding feature that would be used to describe one, not white raiment. Since there was an effort made to recount the image of an angel in the first place, do you think that they simply forgot this remarkable feature? Or, could it be that there simply weren't any wings to recount?

Let's look at another reference. Mark 16:5,6 which says: And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. And he said unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him. Again, white raiment - no wings.

You can search all you want; you won't find anywhere in the bible that states that angels have wings. You can't even find anywhere that it is implied that angels have wings. It's just not there!

WHERE DO SUCH UNFOUNDED BELIEFS COME FROM?

The first thing to realize is that people have a God shaped void in them that they are constantly trying to fill with whatever they can get hold of, regardless of how near or far from the truth it may be. They are willing to accept just about any religious concept, no matter how far fetched it is, especially if it doesn't require any true commitment to God and/or his word (the reading of it). That, coupled with a nagging sin consciousness, and they will embrace anything that makes them feel religious or closer to God.

So, on one hand we have all these people who's spirits are starving for God and on the other hand we have a godless media called T.V. that not only doesn't know any more than the common man, but does all it can to AVOID the truth of the Bible, lest it offend the majority of viewers. That leaves producers with a bit of a problem. What to do? Invent some fiction! Ever since you were a child, you have been programmed with it. Who hasn't seen a cartoon where a character has expired and then reappeared with wings, and sometimes even a harp and a halo. Think about it. Year after year; show after show; whether animated or not - it's the same basic thing: Someone dies and turns into an angel and gets wings (or has to earn them). And the concept that an angel (or dead human?) has to earn his wings is totally ludicrous: it just can't be found in the Bible.

All this tends to give the subconscious impression that EVERYONE automatically goes to heaven, regardless of what is written in Revelation 20:12-15 which says: And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. And you thought you'd be an angel. People can't handle the concept that they might go to hell, so they invent fairy tales to believe in, to make them feel better; until it's too late.

WHAT SEX ARE ANGELS?

The show "Touched By An Angel" portrays a female angel. Once again, this is not scriptural. ALL references to angels are in the masculine form; You can't find one single feminine reference to an angel at all. One prime example is found in Genesis 19:5 ...And they called unto Lot, and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night.?... Then read on down to Genesis 19:8 ...Behold now, I have two daughters which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you, and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing; for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof... This clearly illustrates that angels do appear as men. In fact, they were so masculine that the homosexual population of Sodom wanted to have sex with them. So, there are NO female angels. Sorry ladies, that's the way it is - deal with it.

OTHER STUFF ABOUT ANGELS:

There are some other interesting things about angels that are worth mentioning. They are not necessarily supported by scripture nor denied by it; they are simply experiences, etc. that people have had. NOTE: The Bible doesn't list everything there is to know about angels, but it does give a good example of what angels are like.

Angels are always in a hurry. They have places to go and things to do and they don't waste any time doing it. This can be seen in a number of scriptures. For example: Acts 12:7- And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. There are many other indications that angels go about their business, without delay. And, if God told them to wait somewhere, they would even be waiting in a hurry.

In all recorded instances where it is strongly suspected that an angel has intervened in human affairs, the angel in question is always very tall; over six feet. Not tiny little babies. They can't be traced. They have no relatives; no permanent address; no verifiable roots that can be looked up. This makes sense, if you think about it. If they could, that would blow their cover and interfere with their mission.

They travel lite. They never have any baggage or belongings (unless, of course, there is something that they need to accomplish their mission, such as a sword).

They have a tendency to vanish once their mission is accomplished; they don't hang around and they don't care to be thanked. And they certainly refuse to be worshipped, in any way, shape, or form. Revelation 22:8-9 says: And I, John, saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, "See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God."

They travel at inconceivable speeds. An angel can literally witness someone shoot a gun at you, go to heaven, ask God what he should do, and return in time to catch the bullet if need be. They don't talk much. They say what they came to say and that's it. They don't engage in long winded conversations, or small talk. (And they don't boast about being an angle or show off their powers). They stick to the business at hand and no more.

A good source of more information about angels is a book by Billy Graham entitled "ANGELS: GOD'S SECRET AGENTS".

ANGELS HAVE HARPS, DON'T THEY?

NO. Out of 54 references to the words HARP, HARPED, HARPERS, HARPING and HARPS, there is no mention of angels. The harps of the bible were 3 to 5 string instruments and were often mentioned in conjunction with the psaltery, which is a 10 string instrument. They are also mentioned most often in conjunction with the praising of God by man, not angels. So, the idea that all angels have harps is just another facet in this intricate myth that gullible and easily deceived people have so willingly swallowed. (No, you don't automatically get one when you die, either).

WHAT ABOUT THAT "HALO"?

Another fallacy commonly associated with angels is the "Halo". This, too, has NO foundation in scripture. After spending several hours at the library trying to look up the word HALO, the closest that I could get was AURA. A total search of the bible led nowhere, either. It just isn't there. So, where did we get that from?

The "Halo", as we know it today, regardless of whether it is associated with angels or as seen in Catholic "art", etc. is another example of how religion has reduced the magnificent Shekinah Glory of God to a mere wisp of a ring.

In the beginning, before Adam and Eve sinned, they were clothed in the (shekinah) Glory of God; they were literally covered with a glow which was the Glory of God. This glow was why they did not perceive that they were naked. God has this glow (Psalms 104:2), and being created in his image (and sinless), so did Adam and Eve, as seen in Genesis 2:25 ...And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Then, when they transgressed the commandment of the Lord, that glory departed and they perceived that they were naked. No more glow; no more clothing. From then on, the majority of mankind has been ashamed of their nakedness. Also, they could no longer endure the presence of God, since sin cannot exist in the presence of God; it is terminally fatal. Since then, God has had to shield man from his glory with a cloud to prevent man from being "burned to a crisp".

Look at Exodus 24:16 which says ...And 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...

There are many more references to God using a cloud to protect man from his glory. A perfect example of this can be seen in 2 Chronicles 5:13, 14 where the cloud became so thick that they had to stop the service. Now THAT'S worship!

Angels, who are in the presence of God daily, also share the glory of God and have this glow, but it is much more than a diminutive little ring. It is a majestic and magnificent garment that is suitable to be worn in the presence of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY! (And, it doesn't go sliding off and rolling away as is depicted in the childhood fairy tale "The Littlest Angel").

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

Now, you have Truth and you have Lies; Honesty and Dishonesty; Fact and Fiction: which will you choose? Will you continue to perpetuate an unfounded myth or look into something with solid evidence and history. If you do choose to remain ignorant, that is your right, but, please don't present your misguided fables to children as fact, lest you find yourself facing the penalty of Matthew 18:6. They deserve better than that. They deserve truth and honesty.

So, now you know The Truth About Angels. It has taken a lot of research (over 300 scriptures). It is firmly rooted in God's word. It is not "candy coated" or "watered down". It is peaceable and easily accepted by TRUE Christians. It offends religious people who think themselves Christian but haven't made Jesus the Lord of their life nor care to read his word. To those I ask: Have you a greater truth? Have you written a different bible? If you think yourself Christian, but your foundation isn't the bible, you have deceived yourself and you're in for a "Hell" of a surprise.

Remember, there are grave spiritual consequences for disregarding God's word and the heavy price he paid for you. When you stand before God, and the books are opened, if your name isn't found, don't say that no one ever warned you. You have NO EXCUSE!

If you like this, copy it; if not, talk with God about it (it's HIS word).

Address comments to: Gary Schooley © 1996 Gary Schooley; All rights reserved