Angels

Concise Theology

Angels (their name means “messengers”) are one of the two sorts of personal beings that God created, humankind being the other. There are many of them (Matt. 26:53; Rev. 5:11). They are intelligent moral agents, not embodied or ordinarily visible, although they are able to show themselves to humans in what appears as a physical form (Gen. 18:2–19:22; John 20:10–14; Acts 12:7–10). They do not marry, and they are not subject to death (Matt. 22:30; Luke 20:35–36). They can move from one point in space to another, and many of them can congregate in a tiny area (Luke 8:30, where the reference is to fallen angels).

Like human beings, the angels were originally set under probation, and some of them fell into sin. The many who passed the test are now evidently confirmed in a state of holiness and immortal glory. Heaven is their headquarters (Matt. 18:10; 22:30; Rev. 5:11), where they constantly worship God (Pss. 103:20–21; 148:2) and whence they move out to render service to Christians at God’s bidding (Heb. 1:14). These are the “holy” and “elect” angels (Matt. 25:31; Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26; Acts 10:22; 1 Tim. 5:21; Rev. 14:10), to whom God’s work of grace through Christ is currently demonstrating more of the divine wisdom and glory than they knew before (Eph. 3:10; 1 Pet. 1:12).

Holy angels guard believers (Pss. 34:7; 91:11), little ones in particular (Matt. 18:10), and constantly observe what goes on in the church (1 Cor. 11:10). It is implied that they are more knowledgeable about divine things than humans are (Mark 13:32), and that they have a special ministry to believers at the time of their death (Luke 16:22), but we know no details about any of this. Suffice it to pinpoint the relevance of angels by saying that if at any time we stand in need of their ministry, we shall receive it; and that as the world watches Christians in hope of seeing them tumble, so do good angels watch Christians in hope of seeing grace triumph in their lives.

The mysterious “angel of the LORD” or “angel of God,” who appears often in the early Old Testament story and is sometimes identified with the God from whom he is at other times distinguished (Gen. 16:7–13; 18:1–33; 22:11–18; 24:7, 40; 31:11–13; 32:24–30; 48:15–16; Exod. 3:2–6; 14:19; 23:20–23; 32:34–33:5; Num. 22:22–35; Josh. 5:13–15; Judg. 2:1–5; 6:11–23; 9:13–23), is in some sense God acting as his own messenger, and is commonly seen as a preincarnate appearance of God the Son.

Angelic activity was prominent at the great turning points in the divine plan of salvation (the days of the patriarchs, the time of the Exodus and giving of the law, the period of the Exile and restoration, and the birth, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ), and it will be prominent again when Christ returns (Matt. 25:31; Mark 8:38).

Packer, J. I. (1993). Concise theology: a guide to historic Christian beliefs. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House.

Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible

Angel.
Messenger of God or supernatural being, either good or evil, with greater than human powers.

The Concept of Angelic Beings. The only source of valid information about angels is the Bible. The cherubim (plural of “cherub,” a Hebrew word) were celestial beings sent by God to guard the tree of life in the garden of Eden (Gn 3:24). They were represented symbolically on the ark of the covenant (Ex 25:18–22), in the tabernacle (Ex 26:31) and temple (2 Chr 3:7), and seen by the prophet Ezekiel in a vision of the restored Jerusalem (Ez 41:18–20). Two angels, Gabriel and the chief, or archangel, Michael, are named in the Bible (Dn 8:16; 9:21; 10:13; Lk 1:19, 26; Jude 9; Rv 12:7–9).

Both Judaism and Christianity have the concept of fallen angels, of whom Satan is chief (Jb 1:6–12; Mt 25:41; 2 Pt 2:4), but neither the OT nor the NT goes into much detail about angels or demons. Scholars, poets, and artists have often gone beyond what is said about angels in the Bible. For example, the seraphim and cherubim were at times represented in the Bible as winged creatures, at least symbolically. In other passages, angels looked to observers like men clothed in white or shining garments (Lk 24:4; Acts 1:10). But even though Gabriel “flew swiftly” or “came quickly,” the Bible does not describe angels as men with wings growing out of their shoulders. Some angels, however, are described in the Bible as having wings (Is 6:1–8; Ez 1:5–8, 24).

Angels as Messengers.
In the Bible, angels are spiritual beings who serve primarily as messengers. The English word “angel” comes directly from a Greek word for messenger. In Luke 9:52, Jesus sent “messengers” ahead of him. Usually the same word is translated “angel” and is understood to mean a spiritual messenger from God. In the OT also, one Hebrew word can refer either to a human messenger or to a spiritual being. It is not always immediately clear which is meant, especially since angels sometimes appeared in human form. In certain passages, “the angel of God” or a similar phrase may refer to God delivering his own message in a “theophany” (appearance of God himself).

Once the patriarch Abraham beheld that “three men stood in front of him” (Gn 18:2). They were clearly delivering a message from God that the elderly Abraham and Sarah would have a son. During the conversation God spoke directly (Gn 18:14). Two verses later, the men set out for Sodom, but the Lord lingered to talk to Abraham. Chapter 19 begins with “the two angels” arriving at Sodom, where they were taken to be men. Such ambiguity led a NT author to say, “Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (Heb 13:2).

The two major words translated “angel” appear almost 300 times from Genesis to Revelation. One or two angels, or whole hosts (armies) of angels, may appear to a specific person. The angel who announced the birth of Jesus Christ to the shepherds was joined by “a multitude of the heavenly host” praising God (Lk 2:13, 14). In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to one disciple, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?” (Mt 26:52). Such expressions as “the Lord of hosts” throughout the Bible probably refer to God as commander of an army of angels.

How the Bible Speaks of Angels. In the everyday speech of the time, humans were often compared to superhuman angels (2 Sm 14:20). Jesus said that “not even the angels” know when the end of the world will come (Mt 24:36). Peter wrote that salvation through Jesus Christ was so wonderful that it was something “… into which angels long to look” (1 Pt 1:12). Some passages refer to the strength or power of angels (Ps 103:20; 2 Thes 1:7; 2 Pt 2:11); others to their moral perfection (1 Sm 29:9), even though some “did not keep their own position but left their proper dwelling” (Jude 6). The reputation of angels for moral goodness was so high that Paul warned Christians of false teachers disguised as angels (Gal 1:8). Nor was Paul surprised at the success of false prophets, “for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” (2 Cor 11:14).

The physical appearance of angels in biblical encounters was often unusual enough to distinguish them from ordinary people. The angel who moved the stone from the entrance to Jesus’ tomb had an “appearance … like lightning” and “raiment white as snow” (Mt 28:3). Stephen had “the face of an angel” as he prayed at his martyrdom (Acts 6:15), probably a peaceful and holy expression uncommon in such a circumstance.

Many passages about angels are descriptions of dreams or visions. “Jacob’s ladder” with angels ascending and descending (Gn 28:12 is an example. In another dream an angel spoke to Jacob (Gn 31:11). An angel appeared to Cornelius in a vision (Acts 10:1–3). Major passages of this type include Isaiah 6 (the seraphim), much of the Book of Ezekiel (the cherubim), and much of Daniel and Zechariah. In the NT, over a third of the references to angels are in the Book of Revelation. In most cases there, the angelic beings are glorious or grotesque figures seen in visions and not to be confused with human persons. The language describing such visions is appropriately mystical, or at least metaphorical and difficult to interpret.

Two passages are thought by many to describe the fall of Satan and other angels. “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn!” (Is 14:12) occurs in a denunciation of the king of Babylon. “You were in Eden” (Ez 28:13) occurs in a denunciation of the king of Tyre. If the two human tyrants were seen as personifications of evil, the statements about Satan could be regarded as metaphorical. Passages that clearly refer to the fall of angels (2 Pt 2:4; Jude 6) do not go into detail.

Some theologians think that Genesis 6:1–6 refers to fallen angels when it mentions “sons of God” who had sexual relations with women. That interpretation is based in part on Job 1:6–12, in which “the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them” (KJV).

Christian Angelology.
Angelology, the doctrine of angels, is not a major theme in Christian theology in spite of the many references to angels in the Bible.

Spiritual Creatures.
Angels are included in descriptions of all that God created (Ps 148:2; Col 1:16). There are hints that they witnessed the creation of the world (Jb 38:7). No matter how close to God angels may be, they share with humankind the status of creatures. But as wholly spiritual creatures they are free from many human limitations, such as death (Lk 20:36). They do not marry (Mt 22:30), so they could be regarded as sexless; in all biblical appearances of angels in human form they were taken to be men, never women or children. Their ability to communicate in human language and to affect human life in other ways is basic to their role in the Bible. Their power (Mt 28:2) and awesome appearance (vv 3, 4) sometimes tempted people to fear or worship them, but the NT does not condone the worship of angels (Col 2:18; Rv 22:8, 9). Though angels are stronger and wiser than human beings, their power and knowledge are also limited by God (Ps 103:20; Mt 24:36; 1 Pt 1:11, 12; 2 Pt 2:11).

Relationship to Christ.
The apostle John had a vision of angels surrounding the throne of God (Rv 5:11). Paul once gave a particularly solemn command to Timothy “in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels” (1 Tm 5:21). Christ became “much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs” (Heb 1:4). “When he brings the first-born into the world, he says, ‘Let all God’s angels worship him’ ” (Heb 1:6). “But to what angel has he ever said, ‘Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet’? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to serve, for the sake of those who are to obtain salvation?” (Heb 1:13, 14). Psalm 8 is quoted as referring to Christ, made “for a little while lower than the angels” (Heb 2:7, 8).

Fallen Angels.
Before Christ’s final victory, Satan (literally “the adversary”) must first be conquered. On earth Jesus cast out demons “by the Spirit of God” (Mt 12:28). When his disciples discovered that the demons were subject to him, Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Lk 10:18). As his crucifixion drew near, Jesus said the time had come when “… the ruler of this world be cast out” (Jn 12:31). Many indirect references identify Satan as an angel who sinned because of pride, and Revelation 12:7–9 describes “war in heaven” in which the archangel Michael and his angels fought against Satan and his fallen angels. Although Christians are warned to be on guard against Satan who is still the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph 2:2), there is no biblical basis for excessive fear of the devil or evil spirits.

Earthly Functions.
Meanwhile, “of the angels he says, ‘Who makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire” (Heb 1:7; cf. Ps 104:4). Angels appeared to many of God’s people in the Bible to announce good news (Jgs 13:3), warn of danger (Gn 19:15), guard from evil (Dn 3:28; 6:22), guide and protect (Ex 14:19), nourish (Gn 21:14–20; 1 Kgs 19:4–7), or instruct (Acts 7:38; Gal 3:19). When Christ came to earth as the Savior, angels heralded his birth (Lk 2:8–15), guided and warned his parents (Mt 2:13), strengthened him when he was tempted (Mt 4:11) and in his last distress (Lk 22:43), and participated in his resurrection (Mt 28:1–6). Jesus spoke about the guardian angels of little children (Mt 18:10). Philip was guided by an angel (Acts 8:26). Apostles were rescued from prison by an angel (Acts 5:19; 12:7–11). In a frightening situation, the apostle Paul was encouraged by an angel (Acts 27:21–25).

Role in Judgment.
Christians expect angels to accompany Christ at his triumphant return (Mt 25:31; Acts 1:10, 11; 1 Thes 4:16; 2 Thes 1:7). Angels will participate in the last judgment, even as they have exercised God’s judgment before. It was an angel who struck Herod Agrippa dead (Acts 12:21–23). The Destroyer, whose “passing over” the Israelites as he smote the Egyptians is celebrated in the Jewish Passover (Ex 12:21–27), may have been a “death angel.”

The Holy Spirit.
Since NT times, many of the works previously entrusted by God to his angels have been part of the Holy Spirit’s function in the lives of believers in Christ. In his guidance, illumination, protection, and empowering of Christians, the Spirit nonetheless may continue to employ angels for the sake of God and his people.

WALTER R. HEARN and HOWARD F. VOS

See CHERUB, CHERUBIM; SERAPH, SERAPHIM; DEMON, DEMON POSSESSION; SATAN; ANGEL OF THE LORD.

Bibliography. G.B. Caird, Principalities and Powers; W. Carr, Angels and Principalities; J. Daniélou, The Angels and the Mission; According to the Fathers of the Church; B. Graham, Angels: God’s Secret Agents; A. Whyte, The Nature of Angels.

Hearn, W. R., & Vos, H. F. (1988). Angel. In Baker encyclopedia of the Bible (Vol. 1, pp. 87–89). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House.