What do angels look like? What do angels not look like? What does the Bible say are angel’s primary duty to humans?
What do angels look like?
Angels are not composed of physical matter but are spirit beings created by God (Heb. 1:14). They can resemble human form when God permits or wills it (Gen. 19). There are different orders or ranks of angels in heaven. Those that covered the throne in heaven were mighty seraphim angels. They had six wings that hovered over the throne of God. Their height must have been close to 15 to 18 feet tall. Two of the seraphim’s wings covered their faces because God is so holy that even the seraphim angels could not look upon God (Isaiah 6:2). Another set of wings covered their feet for they were in the midst of holy ground where God abided and Moses (Exodus 3:5) and Joshua (Joshua 5:15) had to remove their shoes while in the presence of God. Angels do have some human features like feet, voices, and faces (Isaiah 6:1-2).
Daniel 10:5-6 gives a vivid description of an angel that he saw: “I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.” So Daniel describes an angel with a face like a lightning bolt, eyes like flaming torches of fire, arms and legs that gleam like polished chrome, and a voice like that of thunder. It is no wonder that those men who were keepers of Jesus’ tomb severely shook and fell down like dead men in terror at the sight of the angel present there because “His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow” (Matt. 28:4).
Angels are neither male nor female although they always appear as a man when they take human form. They are nonetheless too powerful for humans to resist as a mighty cherubim kept Adam and Even from entering back into the Garden of Eden because he also had a mighty, flaming sword (Gen. 3:24). Daniel, in his vision, saw that the number of angels could not be counted saying, “Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him…“(Dan 7:10).
What angels do not look like?
Nowhere in the Bible are angels described like the pictures, paintings, or figurines of little baby cherub angels with wings that we so often see. Michael and Gabriel are archangels and they are anything but little and cute. They are powerful agents and messengers of God that are formidable in their own right. Angels are not effeminate looking and resembling beautiful women with wings. These are man made concoctions and do not come from the Bible. Even Satan, a fallen angel and a powerful one at that, stands some 18 feet tall, and he does not have horns and a pitchfork. He was perhaps the most beautiful and splendid angel ever created by God and of the highest order, but his pride caused his downfall and God caste him from heaven (Ezekiel chapter 14 and 28).
What does the Bible say are Angel’s Primary Duty To Humans?
Angels have a primary duty to man but more so for God. They are His messengers. They are His agents for bringing punishment and displaying His holy wrath. They will be used by God during the coming Great Tribulation as described in the book of Revelation (18:21). Even a king was not spared as he once boasted that “I am a god” and an angel apparently killed him on the spot (Acts 12:20-25).
Angels do serve a purpose for humans. Each one of us has at least one, maybe more, that are assigned to each and every one of us (Luke 22:43, Acts 22-25). They’re commanded to “encamp all around us” and keep us from falling, getting hurt, who have been and will be “…from this time forth and forever to be with us”… and even strengthen us, and minister to us (Luke 22:43, Psalm 34:7, 91:10-13, 103:21). It’s possible that we might have encountered and entertained angels without even knowing it (Heb 13:1-2). Matthew 18:10 indicates that children have their own angels with the scriptures saying, “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” The sheer numbers of holy angels disposed to fight for us is uncountable (Dan. 7:10, Heb 12:22).
Even when we die, angels may be the ones that carry our spirit into the presence of God as Lazarus was “carried by the angels (plural indicates there may be more than one assigned to us) into Abraham’s bosom” after he had died (Luke 16:22). So angels are nothing to be afraid of for the believer but a terror to be reckoned with in the day of God’s wrath, but today if you will hear His voice and believe in Jesus Christ, they will be your sovereign protector, dispatched by God Almighty. And when you are saved, the angels rejoice in heaven over you. I hope they can rejoice for you if you are not already saved. If you are, I rejoice too with them. Christians will someday meet their own angels, but more importantly, meet Jesus Christ and be with Him forever in eternal joy and happiness.
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What Does the Devil Look Like?
What Do Christians Say About 2012?
Sources
The Holy Bible, New International Version
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{ 16 comments… read them below or add one }
Satan is a Jinn that was living with the angels. Jinn has freewill while angels do not. that is why, he was able to rebel against God.
According to the Bible, Satan is not a “jinn”. Jinn or genies are supernatural creatures in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings which occupy a parallel world to that of mankind. Together, jinn, humans and angels make up the three sentient creations of Allah but this is according to the Qur’ān, which is not from the inspired Word of God Almighty.
Incidentally, I want to thank you for your comment. I apologize for inadvertently not saying that Olga K. Pride is a sign of freewill. Read Ezekiel 28 and you can see he made choices, indicating freewill. is very clear that Lucifer fell from his exalted place and became Satan because of pride. Pride led him to think that he could rise higher than God Himself. This mistaken notion brought him “down to Hell” (Isaiah 14:12-15). He was created to give praise to God, but he decided that he wanted to exalt himself instead. Lucifer was the first transgressor, not Adam. He wanted to be like God. He wanted to exalt his throne “above the stars of God.” Pride caused his downfall. He also lied to Eve. Transgressing or lying are indicative of freewill. Angels had freewill too since His (Satan) tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth…the great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (Revelation 12:3-9). The fallen or rebellious angels chose to follow Satan or the Devil, again indicating freewill.
I just wanted to thank you for this article
Thank you Stephen. I appreciate your comment and visiting us here at WCWTK.
I just wanted to say that I’ve had a dream with an angel before, actually 2, and just about 4 appearances besides that: in total, and I believe it is my guardian angel, I’ve been saved for over 7 years now, and from what I’ve seen of him, he appears to be 7′ 2 1/2″ tall.
Thank you Tony for your comment. Very interesting. I believe that could help you sleep better at night, don’t you think? I know that God is also watching over us and the good news is that you are a Christian and how interesting it will be to see angels in heaven some day. I am glad you visited our website. Please come back again so Tony.
Like your information on demons this was most helpful. It will come in handy for the book I mentioned that i am trying to work on. Thank you again for all the information.
Thank you Jessie for your comment. Let us know how the books goes to. God bless and please come back again.
i was wonderin, what is an angel of war? a preacher told me im an angel of war.
Connie, thank you for your question. I don’t believe your pastor understands the Bible. Humans and angels, for one thing, are different created beings and not the same at all. Humans are not angels nor are angles humans. There was an “angel of death.” Jews all over the world celebrate Passover in commemoration of their liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt, and the ‘passing over’ of the forces of destruction over their homes as the Angel of Death spared the first born of the Israelites on the eve of Exodus. You preacher needs to provide you with a Bible verse for what he said. I believe that what he said is somewhat mean and is something that I, as a pastor, would never tell another Christian in the church or anyone who is not saved for that matter. I might ask the preacher what is the chapter and verse and if not, then stop name-calling. Or find another church with a pastor that will love you unconditionally. God bless.
I have been given by God the position of an avatar we hope for union of utopia and equal order i find it is hard to keep hold on faith with those that do not undertsand our position of the wisdom God gives us i hope one shift we have government in the time of revelation that is clean and in true power none to what we have as current on this planet they lie to everyone and have hearts of pure greed an element that has caused negative results for all because of greed we are all fallen one day it will change revelation is Ragnarok we Avatars open wide and try to take the knowledge God feeds us we may be slow sometimes but i feel we are somewhat higher all we want is to give intelligence to our bretheren and they throw us down what are we to do? lastly when i image God i see an aura of blinding white fire and air wich gives just respect as to why he is the source of all creation a power all somewhere inside want to see and experience we must renounce our greed and flaw to become higher beings!
Bj Pardieu, thank you for your comment. I do not know what this means that God has made you an “avatar?” What is the Scriptural basis for this? And who is “throwing you down” for what you are saying? I agree that we must renounce our greed and in fact all sin. But to “become higher beings”, what does this mean? I am trying to understand where you are coming from. Can you explain further for me? Also, who is “Ragnarok?” I am trying to find out what you are talking about please.
Thank you.
If even the seraphim’s angels cover their faces because God is so holy, how come God revealed himself (his face) to Moses and Jacob? I just started reading my bible I’m in the old test. and have a long way to go but I read this wonderful article and I thought I might ask. Thanks again for posting..
Love,
Erica ♥
Hello Erica. What a great question. Let’s take a look at Moses first. The fact is that no man could handle the true glory of God and that is why He hid Moses in the cleft of the rock and God only allowed Moses to see God’s backside. In Exodus 33:20 it says, ” But He said, “You cannot see My face, for no man can see Me and live!” Then the Lord said, “Behold, there is a place by Me, and you shall stand there on the rock; and it will come about, while My glory is passing by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock and cover you with My hand until I have passed by. Then I will take My hand away and you shall see My back, but My face shall not be seen.”
So we see that Moses did not actually see God’s face or he would have surely died and in fact, no one has ever seen God’s face (John 1:18).
In Genesis 32:30; Jacob saw God appearing as an the Angel of the Lord; he did not truly see God. Sampson’s parents were terrified when they realized they had seen God (Judges 13:22), but they had only seen Him appearing as the Angel of the Lord. Jesus was God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14) so when people saw Him, they were seeing God but not in all His glory as He was in heaven. Joshua had the same experience when he saw the Pre-incarnate Jesus as the “Captain of the Hosts of the Lord” and since Joshua was not told to not bow down and worship Him, it must have been the Lord God for those beings who are angels only always rebuke men when they fall to worship or bow down before them. So, yes, God was “seen” by many people but that was only in Jesus Christ who at the time was both God and Man but at the same time, no one has ever seen God revealed in all His glory. In our fallen human condition, if God were to fully reveal Himself to us, we would be consumed and destroyed.
Does this answer or satisfy your question Erica?. Thank you for visiting us and for your comment. Please do come back again soon.
YES, I totally understand!!!! thank you so much and I will come back again!