Angels and What we Know about Them

What are they?

Do they hang out on the clouds playing their harps? Do they have a purpose?

Are they fantasy? Do we turn into angles when we die?

Let’s Explore!

 

     Over the many years that I have lived on this earth, I have found that people really don’t have a good understanding of what angels are or what they do. At one time, I was one of those people.

As a lifetime retailer, I have sold a lot of angel wing jewelry.  So many times, I’d hear the story behind the purchase of such items. Usually, the purchase is tied to the great loss of a loved one. They purchase angel wings because it reminds them that their loved one is looking after them from above.

Before I fully understood what angels were, I even bought into the idea that when we die, we became angels. There’s this saying “They earned their wings today”, that oftentimes left me thinking, we might turn into angels somehow!

I’ve heard people talk about their guardian angels and sometimes in such a way, that it seems like angels take on a nature of fantasy.

We always picture them as beautiful human forms with halos, feathery wings, all white and glowing. They float around in the air, sit on clouds, and play their harps.

But what are angels really, are they superior to us? Do we turn into angels when we die? How does this angel thing work?

Let’s look at what the Bible has to say about angels. I think that’s a good place to start, considering God created the angels.

Nehemiah 9:6 Talks about God creating the Angels and refers to them as hosts. “And the hosts of heaven worship you.” Paul speaks of the angels when he states in Colossians 1:16 “…created the visible and the invisible…” God created them as individuals and to be angels specifically and it is believed that they were created shortly after the beginning in Genesis.

Humans do not turn into angels when they die. We will be clothed with our own heavenly bodies (2 Cor 5:4-5) and although we do not know what they will look like, 1 John 3:2-3 says that our new bodies will be like Christ’s glorious body.

We know that angels do not exist the same way that humans do. They are spirits and can’t usually be seen unless God chooses to reveal them to us. (Hebrews 1:13-14, Luke 24:39, Numbers 22:31, 2 Kings 6:17, Luke 2:13, Matthew 28:5, Hebrews 13:2)

There are three types of angels in the Bible: Cherubim, Seraphim and living creatures around God’s throne. Cherubim are like guards, Seraphim, though only mentioned once in the Bible, sing, and continually worship God.

Michael is called the Archangel, which means to have authority over the other angels, and Michael is called one of the chief princes in Daniel 10:13 and appears to lead God’s angelic army in Revelations 12. Paul also tells us that the Lord returns from heaven with the archangel’s call, but we do not know if the archangel referred to is Michael, leaving us to think that there might be other archangels. (1 Thess. 4:16)

Gabriel is the only other angel named and he appears to be a messenger. (Daniel 8:16, 9:21, Luke 1:19, 26-27)

Angels are not omnipresent like God. They can only be at one place at a time.

We don’t know how many angels there are, but we know that there are a lot of them according to scriptures. (Revelation 5:11)

Scripture tells us in Psalms 91:11-12 “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” Though there is some debate about this amongst theologians, we are not sure that each of us has his own guardian angel.

We know that angels do not marry and that they are very powerful.

During our earthly lives, we are lower than the angels, Hebrews 2:7, and 1 Corinthians 6:3 states, “Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!” In other words, when Jesus returns, we will be raised higher than them.

Psalm 8:5 points out that mankind is given honor and glory which are not offered to angels. Mankind has already been given power and honor beyond what angels are allowed.

There are many scriptures that tell us that angels carry out some of God’s plans and that they directly glorify God.

We are not to worship angels and the Bible gives us a warning not to do so. (Colossians 2:18, Revelation 19:10) We are not to pray to angels either. 1 Timothy 2:5 clearly states that there is only one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus.

For a long period of time in my life, I thought they were just fantasy, until I had a better understanding. If we really want to know about angels, there are a lot of scriptures about them, we just need to read.

I do believe that there are angels and that they are creatures created by our Heavenly Father to serve His purposes. I know that many times I have been protected by the hand of God, and He just might have sent His angels to help me. We will just say; I’ve had a few unexplained experiences! 

But for God! 

 

Debra Lee, Author & Keynote Speaker | Biz Coach | Life Coach | Blogger

 “It Is What It Is” and “Making Wise Choices”