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We see them everywhere today, both figuratively and physically. We see the paintings and artistic renderings of angels on church walls and on garden statues. We see the figurative works of angels manifested in those with a kind and generous human spirit. There are many who have studied and developed their own philosophy of angels, but the accuracy of these "mortal" ideas remains in question. Here we will take a look at angels and their attributes through the oldest known source of eyewitness accounts in history... the Bible.
Angels were created by God. Just as He spoke the world into being, He did also the angels. "Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! Let them praise the name of the Lord, for He commaded and they were created." Psalm 148: 2&5. Not only were they created by the word of God, they were created before mankind was. In Genesis 2, before the creation of Adam, we read in verse 1, "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts."
Angels were not created with physical bodies, but as celestial spirits. Hebrews 1 gives us a brief glimpse of what they look like as spirits. Verse 7 says He "makes His angels winds, and His ministers a flame of fire". Verse 14 states "Are they not all ministering spirits...?". Even though angels are spirits and are invisible, they are known to take on human form. The Hebrew definition for angel is "messenger:, and in this role the are the messengers of God humanity. When angels are performing this task they often take on human form, whether presenting themselves physically or in dreams. We see this in numerous Biblical accounts of angels communicating with man, and each time they have taken on human form. One prime example of this is in Genesis 19. The chapter begins with "Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening as Lot was sitting at the gate...". These two angels came to warn Lot of the impending doom of Sodom & Gomorrah and to help him and his family escape to safety. In this account we see that even though they were angels, while they were in human form they also took on the attributes that came with a physical body. Verse 3 tells us that Lot prepared a feast for them and they ate with him, and verse 4 tells us that they lay down to rest.
2 Kings 6:15-17 gives us an interesting account of angels being seen by one person but not another. A wicked king sent an army of horses and chariots to a place called Dothan to seize a man of God, Elisha. When Elisha's servant saw how large the army was he was concerned as to how they would get through it. But Elisha, being able to see what his servant could not, said in verse 16, "Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them." Wanting his servant to see the army of angels also, in verse 17 we're told that "Elisha prayed and said 'O Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see'. And the Lord opened the servants eyes, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha."
Even though angels can take on human form with fleshly functions, we do know that even in doing so they are not mortal. When speaking of those who have passed away, in regards to their life in heaven, Luke 20:35&36 tells us that Jesus says "but those neither marry, nor are given in marriage, for neither can they die anymore, for they are like angels...".
Now that we've seen a glimpse of the physical attributes of angels, the fact that they are spirits that can appear in human form, let's take a look at their intellect. Angels do possess intelligence. In 1 Peter 1:12 we are told that angels desire to know the gospel, as it is revealed to believers by the Holy Spirit. We see a good example of this in Daniel 9:22. When speaking of the angel Gabriel, Daniel says "And he gave me instruction and talked with me, and said, 'O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding'". The question that could be raised here is whether or not the angels impart their own knowledge or the knowledge God has passed on to them. This takes us to the ageless question of whether or not angels have "free will".
We know that Satan was a created angel and favored by God, made the highest in rank. The detailed account of this in scripture is found in Ezekiel 28:11-19. In verse 14 we read that Satan, the annointed cherub, fell from grace. Verse 15 says "you were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you." Verse 17 gives us the reason for the fall. "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor...". This passage alone tells us that angels, even though they are created as holy, have a free will and intellect that can think for themselves. 2 Peter 2:4 tells us that "God did not spare angels when they sinned". So even though they were created holy, they were not forced to remain so against their will. The angels that have sinned were cast out of heaven with Satan. "...and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him." Revelation 12:9.
Although angels share the same attributes, they are not all equal. There is an hierarchy of angels in the scripture. We find the seraphim mentioned in Isaiah 6:1&2. "I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted... seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings, with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew." Here we see that the seraphim are also described with human form, with the addition of wings. The seraphim have access to the holy of holies. They are at the throne of God, and there they proclaim His greatness. Verse 3 says 'And one called out to the other and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of His Glory'." Along with proclaiming His glory, they remained at the throne ready to minister to Him.
Cherubim are first mentioned in Genesis 3:24, when after Adam & Eve's sin God drove them out of the garden. "So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim... to guard the way to the tree of life." They are mentioned more frequently in the Bible than the seraphim, yet their form is never mentioned. When they are referred to in the scriptures it is in the context of denoting divine presence.
There are two angels of high order mentioned by name in the Bible. The angel Gabriel is seen in several important events. He is the angel sent to Daniel (in Daniel 8) that explains his visions. We are also shown clues in this passage to the human form of Gabriel. He presented himself to Mary and told her she would have a son named Jesus, and also announced the birth of John the Baptist. In his own words in Luke 1:19 he says "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God". Gabriel was actually the most active angel called by name.
The other angel mentioned by name is probably the most famous, and that is the archangel, Michael. Michael is referred to as the chief angel or the chief prince (Daniel 10:13). Michael had been given special charge over the nation of Israel. He is portrayed as a fighting angel, usually doing battle with Satan. We see examples of this in Jude 9 and Revelation 12:7 where we see Michael leading other angels in battle. "And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon (Satan)...".
In the hierarchy of angels we must realize there are many of them. They are often described as being "myriads" or "thousands upon thousands". (Psalms 68:17).
So we know from scripture that there are inummerable angels out there, with different jobs and functions. Some are in human form, some long to know as much as we know about spiritual things, and most of them are involved in an ongoing spiritual war against the powers of darkness. Not everyone can actually see the angels that are out there, but some of us may be able to. Now doesn't that make the world a little more interesting?
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