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Types of Angels
We have already gained a wealth of scriptural insight in our pursuit of what the Bible teaches about angels.In any in-depth study, patterns begin to emerge as we remain immersed in the Word of God. One doesn’t have to search long and hard, however, to discover that there are several types of angels described in Scripture. For our purposes, we shall divide these into the general categories of common and special angels.
Common Angels
There is a sense of irony in the use of a word like common to describe angels, for as we have seen, they are anything but common! Hence, the term is somewhat of an oxymoron. Its purpose, though, is simply to distinguish the larger community of angels from those whose nature and work are more specialized.
In addition to their common designation as "angels," these beings are known by several names in Scripture, each portraying a different aspect of their nature or function. Below are various terms by which common angels are sometimes known in the Bible.
Hosts
Repeatedly throughout Scripture, large groups of people are collectively known as "hosts." This is especially true of military groups. For this reason God is often called the Lord of hosts.
Angels are quite naturally referred to as hosts. When Jacob was preparing to meet Esau, Scripture records that "the angels of God met him. And when Jacob saw them, he said, This is God’s host" (Gen. 32:1-2). Elisha’s servant awoke early one morning to discover that "an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots" (2 Ki. 6:15). Fearful, he cried out to Elisha, "Alas, my master! how shall we do?" Undaunted, Elisha replied, "Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha" (2 Ki. 6:16-17). If it was a host that surrounded them in the first place, how much greater the heavenly host that protected them! And of course it was a heavenly host that joined in the glad tidings announcing the birth of Christ (Lk. 2:13-14).
Spirits
Declaring the superiority of Christ over angels, Paul asks, "Are they [angels] not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb. 1:14). David states that God "maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire" (Ps. 104:4). This term also refers to fallen angels, as when Jesus "went and preached unto the spirits in prison" (1 Pet. 3:19).
Sons of God
Used only five times in the Old Testament, this term first occurs in Genesis 6:1-4 which reads:
And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
Who were these sons of God? As always, it is a good rule to let Scripture interpret Scripture. Job uses the same Hebrew expression in 1:6 and 2:1, describing times "when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them." Angels are clearly in view here, as is plain from the only other occurrence of the term "sons of God" in the Old Testament:
Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
It is without doubt that God is referring here to angels rejoicing at creation. So, if the term refers to angels here, and the same Hebrew words are used in the other two passages in Job and the two in Genesis 6, then it is reasonable to understand the term "sons of God" to be an Old Testament designation for angels.
Some translations (such as the Septuagint, the Moffatt and others) read "angels of God" in Genesis 6:1-4, which is the only view that fully explains the text in Genesis 6 and harmonizes this passage with the New Testament. Peter makes mention of "the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah" (1 Pet. 3:19). In his second epistle he says, "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment; and spared not the old world, but saved Noah . . ." (2 Pet. 2:4). These were "the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation . . . reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 6).
So, we have good angels rejoicing at creation and presenting themselves before God in the days of Job; and we have fallen angels who sinned with the daughters of men in the days of Noah—both of which are known as "sons of God."
Sons of the Mighty
Revealing something of praise in the heavenlies, Ethan the Ezrahite declared,
And the heavens shall praise thy wonders, O LORD: thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints. For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD? who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD? God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him. (Ps. 89:5-7)
It seems evident from the context that the sons of the mighty here are angels who cannot compare to the Lord. In fact, in the Moffatt translation, the second half of verse 6 reads, "what angel can compare with the Eternal?"
Saints
As in the case of the "sons of the mighty" above, the "saints" in Psalm 89:5-7 can also be understood as referring to angels. For though the poetic imagery shifts throughout the text, the heavenly context remains the same. Moffatt indicates this in his translation of v. 5, rendering what the King James calls "the congregation of saints" with the phrase "heaven’s own host."
In addition, we know angels have been called saints by a comparison of Deuteronomy 33:2 which says "the LORD came from Sinai . . . with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand went a fiery law for them," with Psalm 68:17 which states "the chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels: the Lord is among them, as in Sinai, in the holy place." Both of these texts seem to refer to the same thing, yet Moses called the angels saints and David just called them angels.
Congregation of the Mighty
Psalm 82:1 states, "God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods." The Hebrew for "mighty" here is el, a word frequently translated "God." It is appended to many names, such as Samuel, which means "His name is El"; Joel, "Jehovah is God"; and Daniel, "God is my judge." However, el can also be used more generally, having the sense of things that are mighty in nature (as reflected in the KJV translation, "mighty"), or simply in the abstract sense of "power" (as in Gen. 31:29; Neh. 5:5; Pr. 3:27; Mic. 2:1). It is not difficult, therefore, to see this "congregation of the mighty" as a reference to the angelic hosts in heaven. Indeed, Lamsa’s translation of the Peshitta reflects this understanding: "God stands in the congregation of angels; he judges among the angels."
Watchers
Daniel 4 records a prophetic dream which warned Nebuchadnezzar of what would occur if he did not humble himself. In v. 13 he states, "I saw in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, behold, a watcher and an holy one came down from heaven." The watcher seems to be an angel sent from heaven announcing the decree of the Most High. Apparently, these watchers oversee the affairs of men to enable them to bring about the will of God in the earth.
Special Angels
As stated above, our use of the word common is not meant to imply that most angels are ordinary, dull or uninteresting. Their sheer numbers, however, do set them apart somewhat. When John got his glimpse into the heavenly court, he said, "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" (Rev. 5:11). According to verse 14, there were only four beasts and twenty-four elders present in this scene. So the rest were angels. No wonder Paul calls them "an innumerable company" (Heb. 12:22)!
Yet as amazing as these angels are, there are other angelic beings even more distinguished, set apart from the rest. These we call special angels.
The Angel of the Lord
The first of the special angels we will study is not really an angel at all, but the second person of the trinity, a physical manifestation of God. Yet in numerous passages He is called "the angel of God," "the angel of the Lord," "His angel," "Mine angel," and "the angel of His presence." Because the Bible uses the word angel in these passages, we include Him in our study of special angels. But a careful examination of the scriptures will prove that they refer not to an ordinary angel, but to God Himself.
First Appearance to Hagar
After she had conceived by Abram, Hagar despised her mistress, Sarai. With Abram’s permission, Sarai treated Hagar harshly. Hagar then ran away and thus encountered the angel of the Lord:
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. (Gen. 16:7-9)
Hagar appears to be talking to an ordinary angel, but the next verse reveals His true identity: "And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude" (Gen. 16:10). He said nothing to indicate He was bearing a message from God. Rather, He spoke in the first person: "I will multiply thy seed." Hagar’s response proves she knew to whom she was speaking: "And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi" (Gen. 16:13-14). Beerlahairoi means "Do I live after seeing God?" or "the well of living after seeing." It was a custom among Egyptians to name each of the gods, indicating their offices and attributes. It was natural for Hagar to give this title of honor to the One who appeared to her in her distress.
Second Appearance to Hagar
After Isaac was born and weaned, Sarah was concerned that Ishmael would challenge Isaac’s position as Abraham’s true heir. Once again, she wanted Hagar and Ishmael cast out. This grieved Abraham, but God comforted him with the promise that He would make a nation out of Ishmael because he was Abraham’s seed (Gen. 21:11-13). Later, when the provisions for their journey had been spent and death seemed imminent, God comforted Hagar with the same promise:
. . . the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. (Gen. 21:17-18)
Note that He said, "I will make him a great nation"—the same words God Himself used to comfort Abraham!
Appearance to Abraham
When Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, it was the angel of the LORD who called to him from heaven, saying, "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me" (Gen. 22:12). Abraham wasn’t about to sacrifice Isaac to an angel, was he? Yet this "angel" said, "thou hast not withheld thy son . . . from me." Only God Himself would say such a thing.
First Appearance to Jacob
When Jacob was preparing Rachel and Leah to leave their father Laban, he recounted how the "angel of God" spoke to him in a dream, assuring him that He had seen all that Laban had done to him (Gen. 31:11-12). But then this "angel" said, "I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me" (Gen. 31:13).
Second Appearance to Jacob
The familiar story of Jacob wrestling with God does not actually mention the word angel, but simply states that "there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day" (Gen. 32:24). Yet, as we have already seen, angels have appeared numerous times exactly as men. And as the story concludes, Jacob states, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (v. 30). Furthermore, at the end of his life, when he was blessing Joseph and his sons in Egypt, Jacob said, "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, the Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads" (Gen. 48:15-16). This Angel was God the Redeemer, the one who had blessed him at Bethel, who had provided for and protected him all the days of his life, and the one who had wrestled with him.
Appearance to Moses at the Burning Bush
This familiar passage is another example of Scripture referring at first to the angel of the Lord. But we soon see that this "angel" is the Lord Himself:
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God. (Ex. 3:1-6; cp. Acts 7:30-38)
Appearance to Israel in the Exodus
As the children of Israel were making their exodus from the land of Egypt, Scripture says that
the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. (Ex. 13:21-22)
When Pharaoh’s armies pursued them, God protected them. But the description given at that point is that
the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. (Ex. 14:19-20; cp. Ps. 34:7; 35:1-6)
The same one who was called "the LORD" (Jehovah in Hebrew) in Ex. 13:21 is called "the angel of God" in Ex. 14:19.
When He was giving the law, God also promised protection and guidance into the promised land:
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. (Ex. 23:20-23; cp. 32:34; Num. 20:16; Isa. 63:9)
We know this refers to God Himself from the statements in Ex. 14:21. The words "he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him," have been translated various ways. Young renders it, "He beareth not with your transgression, for My name is in His heart." Moffatt says, "He will not forgive your sins, for I am manifest in Him." These renderings confirm the fact that the Angel was a divine Person with the sovereign prerogative to uphold the divine holiness and honor. God alone has power to forgive or not forgive; hence, a member of deity is referred to here. The full authority of God, as represented by the name of God, was upon Him, in Him, around Him, and in His heart and nature. This is the same thought Paul expressed, saying that in Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). As the divine representative of the Godhead, the executive of God among Israel, the Angel was essentially all that God could be in their midst to lead, keep, and bring them into Canaan.
Appearance to Balaam
In Numbers 22 we have the familiar story of Balak’s attempt to hire Balaam to curse the nation of Israel (Numbers 22:1-8). Having already been forbidden by God (Num. 22:9-14), Balaam nevertheless waited before the Lord a second time, apparently hoping He would change His mind (Num. 22:15-19). God did grant permission, but the Bible says that "God’s anger was kindled because he went: and the angel of the LORD stood in the way for an adversary against him" (Num. 22:22). We know from the record that the donkey saw the angel of the Lord with His sword drawn and turned aside, once into a field and once into a wall, crushing Balaam’s foot (Num. 22:23-25). Each time Balaam smote the donkey in his anger. Finally, when the angel was standing "in a narrow place," the donkey simply "fell down under Balaam" (Num. 22:26-27). This time Balaam was so angry he smote the donkey with a rod. Then the Lord opened the donkey’s mouth and she said, "What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten me these three times?" (Num. 22:28). Balaam said, "Because thou hast mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now would I kill thee" (Num. 22:29). Then she asked him if she had ever treated him this way before and he said, "Nay" (Num. 22:30).
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: 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. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. (Num. 22:22-35)
The last words of this "angel" prove it is really God, for He gives Balaam the same condition God had already given him in Num. 22:20: "only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak." The angel speaks in the first person, claiming the very words of God as His own.
Appearance to Israel in the time of Judges
After listing in the first chapter of Judges the failures of the various tribes of Israel to conquer the land, the second chapter begins,
And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides, and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the children of Israel, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept. And they called the name of that place Bochim: and they sacrificed there unto the LORD. (Judg. 2:1-5)
Though He is called the angel of the Lord here, His words are the words of God. He isn’t merely bringing a message from God; nothing is prefaced by "thus saith the Lord." This is God Himself speaking.
Appearance to Gideon
Later in the time of the judges, a period in Israel’s history when "every man did that which was right in his own eyes" (Judg. 17:6), there came a particular time when "Israel was greatly impoverished because of the Midianites; and the children of Israel cried unto the LORD" (Judg. 6:6). In response to their cry, the Lord sent a prophet to them with one of the shortest accusations of God to Israel:
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; And I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed my voice. (Judg. 6:8-10)
Then God raised up another judge for their deliverance:
And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? but now the LORD hath forsaken us, and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites. And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house. And the LORD said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man. (vv. 11-16)
Note that what began as an appearance of the angel of the Lord ended in a conversation with the Lord Himself. The two terms were used interchangeably.
As the story continues, God is again referred to as an angel. Gideon asked the angel to wait until he had prepared an offering (vv. 17-18). When he was finished
the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. (vv. 20-21)
Then Gideon, understanding that he wasn’t talking to an ordinary angel, said, "Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to face" (v. 22). Like many, Gideon was afraid he would die if he saw God. But the Lord said to him, "Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou shalt not die" (v. 23). So, like Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (Gen. 12:7), Isaac (Gen. 26:24-25), Jacob (Gen. 35:7) and others, Gideon also built an altar to mark the place of his encounter with God (Judg. 6:24).
Appearance to Manoah and His Wife
After forty years of bondage to the Philistines (Judg. 13:1), the Lord was ready once again to deliver Israel, this time through Samson. The angel of the Lord appeared to Manoah’s barren wife and prophesied to her: "Behold now, thou art barren, and bearest not: but thou shalt conceive, and bear a son" (v. 3). He then gave her specific instructions on what to eat and drink, for the son she would bear was to be "a Nazarite unto God from the womb" (vv. 4-5).
When she reported this encounter to Manoah her husband, she said "A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible" (v. 6). Manoah then prayed that the Lord would send the man of God again, and God answered his prayer (vv. 8-11). After the Angel repeated His instructions for Manoah’s wife’s time of pregnancy, Manoah asked the Angel to wait for them to prepare a burnt offering:
So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. (Judg. 13:15-21)
Until the Angel ascended in the flame, Manoah didn’t understand who He really was. When he did realize who was dealing with, Manoah reacted with the same fear Gideon had: "We shall surely die, because we have seen God" (v. 22). But his wife used better logic: "If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these" (v. 23).
Appearances to Zechariah
The Lord frequently appears as an angel in the prophecy of Zechariah. In Zechariah’s first vision he encounters the Lord as an angel (1:7-17). It is apparent that this is the Lord because:
- Zechariah addressed Him as "Lord" (1:9, 13, 20)
- He spoke as God (1:14-17)
- Others reported to Him who had been sent by the Lord (1:10-11)
- He called Himself "Lord" (2:5)
- As Lord He rebuked Satan (3:1-2)
- He gave commands to others as God, using such terms as "My ways," "My charge," "My house," "My courts," "My servant the Branch" (3:3-8)
- He called Himself the "Lord of hosts" (3:9; 4:6)
Finally, in a prophetic reference to the second advent of Christ, Zechariah writes, "In that day shall the LORD defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them" (Zech. 12:8). This angel of the Lord no doubt refers to Christ Himself as the leader of all Israel and the heavenly armies.
Appearance to John in Revelation
The tenth chapter of Revelation opens with a vision of "another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire." There are seven proofs this angel is really Christ:
- The description of Him in v. 1 proves He is Christ. Compare Rev. 1:12-16 and Dan. 10:5-6.
- The second verse says, "he had in his hand a little book open . . . ." In Revelation 5:5-7 Christ takes the sealed book out of the right hand of God. In 6:1 - 8:1 He breaks the seals that bind it. Here the same little book is open so the contents might be revealed (vv. 2, 8-11).
- Christ is giving the revelation to John (1:1), and this angel functions in that capacity (10:4, 8-11).
- He "cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth" (v. 3), identifying Him with the Lion of Judah (5:5). Compare Isa. 31:4-5; Jer. 25:29-36; Hos. 11:10-11; Joel 3:16; and Amos 3:8, where the Lord is spoken of as a roaring lion.
- In the sixth verse this angel "sware by him that liveth for ever and ever," proving Him to be a divine person, for not one time in Scripture does an ordinary angel make an oath to God or man. However, in fifty scriptures it is stated that God swore or made oaths. In thirty-one other passages man swears to God and man (cp. Dan. 12:7).
- This angel directs John specifically concerning what to write and what not to write (10:4), just as Christ does in Rev. 1:11,19; 2:1,8,12,18; 3:1,7,12,14; 14:13-14; 19:9; 21:5.
- Finally, in Rev. 11:3 we have definite proof that this angel is Christ, for He says, "I will give power unto My two witnesses," proving Him to be a divine person.
It is clear that all the passages above refer to the manifestations of God and not of an ordinary angel. In all other places where "the angel of the Lord" is found, the term refers to common angels (Mt. 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; 28:2-7; Lk. 1:11-38; 2:9-14; Acts 5:19-20; 8:26; 12:7-23). The word angel is also used of Christ in Revelation 8:3-5; 10:1 - 11:3; and it is used of men in Revelation 1:20; 2:1,8,12,18; Rev. 3:1,7,14; Rev. 19:9-10. In most other places it is clear that common angels and other heavenly creatures are referred to.
Archangels
The word archangel is only found twice in Scripture—once in connection with Christ coming in the air to take all the dead and living saints out of the world (1 Th. 4:16), and once of Michael who disputed with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 9).
The word arch simply means "chief." It indicates a class of beings higher than ordinary angels. Michael is called "the great prince" in Daniel 12:1. In Revelation 12:7-9 he is revealed as the commander of the angels of God who will fight against the devil and his angels and will cast them to the earth. He is called "one of the chief princes" in Daniel 10:13 (cp. v. 21). If he is one of them, there must be more chief princes or archangels.
Gabriel’s activities indicate he is an archangel, though he is not specifically called one. Gabriel was sent to make known Daniel’s vision in chapter 8, and he came in answer to Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9. It seems reasonable to conclude that it was Gabriel who came in response to Daniel’s prayer and fasting and vision in chapter 10. In that context he told Daniel about fighting the demonic prince of Persia for twenty-one days, until Michael the archangel came to help him (10:13). Furthermore, he told Daniel that he would return to this battle with the prince of Persia, and afterwards face the prince of Grecia, and that only Michael fought with him (10:20-21). And it was Gabriel who came in the first year of Darius the Mede to confirm and strengthen him (11:1). All these activities appear to be associated with the work of archangels, not to mention Gabriel’s announcements to Zacharias and Mary (Lk. 1:11-20, 26-38).
In Colossians 1:15-18 we read of thrones, dominions, principalities and powers in heaven, so there must be many chief angels. Some of them rebelled along with the devil and are now under him as rulers of certain kingdoms of this world (Dan. 10:13-21). It is against these fallen angels that we wage our spiritual warfare (Eph. 6:10-18).
Cherubim
In their first appearance in Scripture, Cherubim are standing outside the garden of Eden, preventing Adam and Eve from returning: "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). It is interesting that golden images of these same beings were later used in making the mercy seat over the ark:
And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. (Ex. 25:17-20; cp. 37:7-9)
This solid gold mercy seat made the covering of the ark which held the ten commandments. It signified that mercy and grace overshadowed the law, that judgment and death were the penalty for sin, and that justice and mercy could be reconciled through grace and faith in the blood (Lev. 16; Heb. 9). As such, the mercy seat was the visible symbol of the presence of God, from whom came the mercies and curses of the Law. It was between the cherubim, who actually dwell in God’s presence in heaven. Therefore, these cherubim, patterned after heavenly spirit beings, were also a symbol of the Divine Presence. Their wings stretched over the mercy seat and their faces looking toward it symbolized the eternal watchfulness and ministry of angels to the redeemed, as well as their cooperation with God in the plan of redemption as typified by the tabernacle and offerings of the law of Moses. And, to further impress men with the fact of divine presence, cherubim also adorned the main curtains of the tabernacle (Ex. 26:1; 36:8), as well as the veil separating the holy of holies from the rest of the tabernacle (Ex. 26:31; 36:35).
Naturally, Solomon included cherubim in his temple as well: they were engraved on the main walls of the temple (2 Chr. 3:5-7); they decorated the bases of the ten lavers (1 Ki. 7:27-29, 36-37); they were carved on the doors of the holy of holies (1 Ki. 6:29-35); and adorned the veil between the holy and most holy place (2 Chr. 3:7). He also had a pair in the holy of holies that were made of olive wood overlaid with gold (1 Ki. 6:23-28; 8:6-7; 2 Chr. 3:10-13). They were twenty feet and ten inches high with a wingspan equal to their height. They were set up in the most holy place side by side with the outer wings touching the outside walls and the inner ones touching each other.
The main significance of the cherubim, however, was not as mere decorations, but atop the mercy seat where the Lord promised to speak:
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel. (Ex. 25:21-22)
After the original altar was dedicated and anointed, Moses entered the tabernacle to speak with God: "then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him" (Num. 7:89). Likewise, when Solomon’s temple was dedicated,
. . . the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims: for the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. . . . And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place . . . it came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. (2 Chr. 5:7-8, 11, 13-14)
Consequently, God became known as the Lord of hosts that "dwelleth between the cherubims" (1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Ki. 19:15; 1 Chr. 13:6; Ps. 80:1; 99:1; Isa. 37:16).
Later in Israel’s history, during the first part of the Babylonian captivity, the prophet Ezekiel saw visions of God and cherubim. The passages are too lengthy to quote here, so we will give a summary of his descriptions of these beings. They looked like men, except each one had four faces, four wings, and feet like a calf. Two of their wings joined tip to tip, and the other two covered their bodies. Their faces were like those of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. Their general appearance was like fire and lightning, and they moved with the speed of lightning. They were connected to wheels which looked like a wheel within a wheel. The wheels were very high, looked like beryl, and had many eyes in them. They had a firmament over their heads colored like a crystal. Above this firmament was a throne on which God sat, and He had the appearance of a man. Fire, lightnings and glory were all about the throne, and a rainbow was round about the throne as well (Ezek. 1:5-28; 8:1-4; 10:1-22).
It was as an "anointed cherub" that Lucifer had his origin, as recorded in Ezekiel 28:11-17. We will examine him in great detail in the following chapter.
Seraphim
These are only mentioned in the vision of Isaiah, but their description proves they are angelic creatures:
In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. (Isa. 6:1-7)
The Living Creatures
When John describes the scene in heaven it is with awe-inspiring imagery:
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Rev. 4:2-8)
These four beasts are similar to the cherubim, except that they have only one head each and are full of eyes before and behind. They are like the seraphim in that they have six wings. One has a face like a lion, one like a calf, one like a man, and one like a flying eagle. They cry, "Holy, holy, holy" to God day and night.
The Greek word for beasts in this passage is zoa, the plural of zoon meaning "living creature." It is from this word that we get our words zoo and zoology.
In the next chapter of Revelation, when John saw that there was no one worthy to open the book in God’s hand, he writes,
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. (Rev. 5:2-7)
In response to this the four beasts joined with the twenty-four elders as they all "fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints" (v. 8). Then they sang a new song to the Lamb and were joined in worship by myriads of angels, as well as "every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them" (v. 13). Concluding this worship, "the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever" (v. 14; cp. 7:1-12).
Then, at the opening of each of the first four seals, one of the four beasts told John to "Come and see" as the four horsemen were sent forth (Rev. 6:1-8). These living creatures were also present with the twenty-four elders when the 144,000 sang a new song that "no man could learn" (Rev. 14:3). Later, after all the seals had been opened, it was one of the four living creatures that gave the seven golden vials full of the wrath of God to the seven angels whose job it was to pour them out (Rev. 15:7). Finally, when Babylon has been judged, the four living creatures again join the multitudes in worship (Rev. 19:1-4).
From these passages in Revelation we can see seven specific acts of the living creatures, or zoa:
- They call attention to God’s holiness (4:4-8)
- They fall prostrate in worship (5:8; 19:1-4)
- They sing and play harps (5:8)
- They offer the prayers of the saints to God (5:8)
- They call forth the four horsemen (6:1-8)
- They give vials to angels (15:7)
- They listen to the worship of others (14:3)
Fallen Angels
We have mentioned fallen angels in several ways already, but we will look at them in greater detail here.
General Facts About Fallen Angels
Two Classes of Fallen Angels
Sons of God Who Married Daughters of Men
We mentioned these sons of God in chapter two, but we will discuss them in greater detail here. There are many scriptural proofs that the sons of God in Genesis 6:1-4 are fallen angels.
Old Testament Use of "Sons of God"
The expression "sons of God" is found only five times in the Old Testament, twice in Genesis 6 and three times in the book of Job (1:6; 2:1; 38:7). The passages in Job clearly refer to angels. Furthermore, the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel 3:24-25 calls an angel the son of God. Is it not possible then, for the sons of God in Genesis 6 to be angels?
Harmonizing Both Testaments
Both testaments of the Bible teach that some angels committed sex sins and lived contrary to nature. Genesis 6:1-4 give the history of such sinning. In 2 Peter 2:4 we have the statement that angels did sin before the flood and for their sin were cast down to hell to be reserved until judgment. This passage does not reveal that the sin was fornication, but Jude 6-7 does, saying that
the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
If Sodom and Gomorrah and other cities committed fornication "in like manner" as the angels, then it is clear that the sin of angels was fornication. According to Genesis 6 this sex sin was committed with "daughters of men." The New Testament thus helps explain the history of the Old Testament.
Angels Aren’t Sexless
The one scripture used to teach that angels are sexless does not say they are. It simply states, "in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven" (Mt. 22:30). The purpose of this verse is to show that resurrected men and women do not need to marry in order to keep their kind in existence. In the resurrected state they live forever, but not as sexless beings.
Paul said everyone would have his own body in the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:35-38). There is nothing in the resurrection to uncreate men and women. Whether male or female, each will be resurrected as such, though their body will be changed from mortality to immortality. Christ remained a man after His resurrection and so will all other males.
Throughout Scripture angels are spoken of as men. No female angels are on record. It is logical to say then that the female was created specifically to keep the human race in existence. All angels were created male, as their kind is maintained without the reproductive process. Angels were created innumerable to start with (Heb. 12:22), whereas the human race began with one pair, Adam and Eve, who were commanded to reproduce and make multitudes. That angels have tangible spirit bodies with bodily parts, appear as men, and have performed acts equal to and surpassing those of the human male is clear from many passages.
The fact that some angels "kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation" (Jude 6) makes it understandable how a sex sin could be accomplished by them. The Greek word for "habitation" is oiketerion. It is used only twice in Scripture. In 2 Corinthians 5:2house and concerns the bodies of men being changed to spiritual bodies. In Jude 6 it refers to angels having a bodily change, or at least a lowering of themselves in some way. it is translated
Why Some Angels Were Bound
As we have stated, there are two classes of fallen angels—those loose with Satan who will be cast down to earth during the tribulation (Rev. 12:7-12), and those now bound in hell for committing fornication (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7). Had the ones in hell not committed the additional sin of fornication, they would still be loose to help Satan in the future. Their present confinement proves they committed a sin besides that of original rebellion with Satan.
Christ Preached to These Spirits in Prison
In 1 Peter 3:19-20 we see that Christ "went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing." Who are these spirits in prison, if not the angels who once lived contrary to their nature—in sin with the daughters of men? We read in Psalm 104:4 that God is the one "Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire." If angels are spirits, we can then conclude that the imprisoned spirits Christ preached to were the angels referred to in Genesis 6—especially since they "were disobedient . . . in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing." The very purpose of Noah’s flood was to destroy the giant offspring of these angels who "came in unto the daughters of men" (Gen. 6:4). The following points are further proofs that the spirits in 1 Peter are angels:
- If these were human souls it would not specify only those who sinned in the days of Noah.
- Men are never called spirits. Where human spirits are referred to they are always qualified by speaking of them as spirits of men (Heb. 12:23), spirits of all flesh (Num. 16:22; 27:16), and spirits of the prophets (1 Cor. 14:32). Men have spirits, but they are not spirits. Where the word spirits is used without such qualification it refers to spirit beings (Ps. 104:4; Heb. 1:7, 14).
- There is a special prison for angels that sinned before the flood (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7).
- The Greek for "preached" in 1 Peter 1:19 is kerusso, to proclaim as a public crier, or to announce something whether it be good or bad. Euangelizo would have been used if Christ had preached the glad tidings of salvation to human beings.
- The gospel is never preached to human beings after they die, and there would be no special message for the one generation of Noah’s day, or God would be a respecter of persons. Human beings are appointed "once to die, but after this the judgment" (Heb. 9:27)—not more preaching intended for their salvation.
- There is no special prison for human beings who sinned in Noah’s day. All go to sheol and hades until the judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).
- Christ made no announcement to human souls in hell that we know about. He did liberate the righteous souls, taking them to heaven when He ascended on high (Eph. 4:8). He left the angels in hell until the judgment (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7).
Proofs Outside the Scriptures
Josephus says, "many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength . . . these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians called giants" (Antiquities, Book I, chap. 3). Again he says, "There were till then left the race of giants, who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were surprising to the sight, and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this day . . ." (Antiquities, Book V, chap. 2).
The Ante-Nicene fathers also refer to angels who fell "into impure love of virgins, and were subjugated by the flesh . . . . Of these lovers of virgins, therefore, were begotten those who are called giants" (vol. 2, p. 142; vol. 8, pp. 85, 273). Justin Martyr says ". . . the angels transgressed . . . were captivated by the love of women, and begat children" (vol. 2, p. 190). Methodius says "the devil was insolent . . . as also those (angels) who were enamoured of fleshly charms, and had illicit intercourse with the daughters of men" (vol. 6, p. 370).
Fallen Angels Are to be Judged Like Humans
Scripture clearly reveals a judgment for angels who have rebelled against God:
any kinds of demon spirits, fallen angels, and other spirit beings are mentioned in Scripture. They were originally created sinless and became fallen and unclean. Even the prince of demons was addressed as being "perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee" (Ezek. 28:15). God could not and did not create anything sinful. Everything in the spirit and human realms that is wicked and rebellious has become this way because of sin and free choice.
Fallen angels and demons are all rebels in connection with the planet earth. This is clear from the fact that they are or will be confined in prisons underneath the earth. Perhaps they lived on earth when Lucifer ruled. At any rate they were not created in the six days of Genesis 1:3 - 2:25.
The Bible says there are creatures in the heart of the earth, stating "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:10-11). Only eternity will reveal what kinds of creatures are under the earth, but we know there are some with knees and tongues.
The Number of Fallen Angels
Paul tells us in Hebrews 12:22 that angels are "an innumerable company." In Revelation 12:3-4 we read,
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
The stars that fell are symbolic of the angels that rebelled with Lucifer; this is how many will be with him in the future war in heaven under the seventh trumpet. This leaves two thirds of all angels that did not rebel when Lucifer tried to dethrone God. So even though we don’t know the exact number of the innumerable company of angles, we do know that since their fall, Satan, his followers, and all evil ones have been in the minority and will be so for all eternity.
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