What do angels look like?
Popular culture often provides images of angels as people with wings, halos, robes, and harps. They are seen flying to the rescue of humans in crisis and singing praises to God. What does the Bible say about the appearance of angels?
The short answer is we don’t have a definitive description for angels, but we can use Scripture to show how they sometimes appear.
In this article, we’ll explain some of the forms that angels take according to Scripture and cwhy this matters.
There are different types or kinds of angels. God didn’t just decide to be creative when it came to making the Earth and us.
On some occasions, angels appear as normal people in a human body. However, in their true form, we hear of 3 different types of angels described.
There are three types of angels in the Bible
Scripture names three categories of heavenly beings that appear to be types of angels: cherubim, seraphim, and “living creatures.”
1. Cherubim
According to Ezekiel's vision, every cherub "had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle." If the combined faces of four different species aren't frightening enough, cherubs also have two sets of wings; one for flight, and the other to conceal their bodies.
2. Seraphim
An angelic being with six wings, two covering the eyes because they cannot stare at God's holiness directly. Although these other angels are not mentioned explicitly in the Bible, they are categorized in this article as such as Malachim and Ophanim.
3.Living creatures
Ezekiel and Revelation speak of other kinds of heavenly beings known as “living creatures” around God’s throne (Ezekiel 1:5–14, Revelation 4:6–8). They appeared like a lion, an ox, a man, and an eagle, representing various parts of God’s creation (wild beasts, domesticated animals, human beings, and birds). They, too, worship God continually: “Day and night they never cease to sing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!’” (Revelation 4:8)
Do Angels Have Wings?
Well, the answer is yes and no. According to what we see in scripture there are angels that have wings like the seraphim and cherubim. But others who don’t have wings at all. Angels, being spiritual beings, can take on different forms.
Why does it matter that we know what angels look like?
First of all, we need to know where the media has erred. If we believe that angels are little babies, then we’re in for a surprise if a real angel shows up to us.
Secondly, we also must recognize that angels appear in different forms. If an angel shows up to us in their full-on wheel-on-eyes form, we’re probably going to pass out.
Finally, we need to understand the role angels play in spiritual matters. They fight battles for us all the time. Angels in Scripture often come armed.
We also should recognize that they are worshipping beings. They always direct the praise back to God. It doesn’t matter how striking their appearance is, they acknowledge who made them in the first place.
Biblical facts about angels
1. God created angels. Angels haven’t always existed
2. Angels have a hierarchy
Angels in the Bible appear to have a rank and order. The angel hierarchy is supported by Jude 9 when the angel Michael is called an “archangel”—a title that indicates rule or authority over other angels.
3. Only two angels have names in the Bible
Only two angels are specifically named in Scripture; the archangel Michael is mentioned in Jude 9, Revelation 12:7–8, and Daniel 10:13 and 21.
Gabriel is the only other angel named in the Bible. He’s mentioned in Daniel 8:16 and 9:21 as a messenger who comes from God to speak to Daniel. He’s also identified as God’s messenger in Luke 1.
4. Angels are not omnipresent
Angels frequently appear as messengers in the Bible, traveling from one place to another (see the verse above, where Gabriel “was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth”).
If angels were omnipresent, Michael wouldn’t have “come to help” because he would’ve already been there, and this angel wouldn’t need to leave Michael to bring this message.
5. We don’t know how many angels exist
The Bible doesn’t tell us how many angels God created. But apparently, there are a lot of them. Every biblical reference to the total number of angels suggests that they’re beyond counting.
6. Angels do not marry
Jesus taught that in the resurrection people “neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30, see also Luke 20:34–36). This clearly suggests that angels don’t marry.
No other passages address relationships between angels, so anything beyond this is simply speculation.
7. Angels are very powerful
Angels are called “mighty ones who do his word” (Psalm 103:20), “powers” (see Ephesians 1:21), and “dominions” and “authorities” (Colossians 1:16). They are certainly “greater in might and power” than humans (2 Peter 2:11, see also Matthew 28:2). Angels use their power to battle against Satan’s demonic forces (Daniel 10:13, Revelation 12:7–8, 20:1–3).
8. We don’t know when angels were created
Genesis 2:1 tells us that the angels were made at some point before the seventh day of creation: “Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them” (It is believed that“host” here refers to the heavenly beings).
Exodus 20:11 is even more explicit: “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day.” We can at least confirm that all the angels were created by the sixth day of creation.
9. Angels are examples for us (At least the non-fallen ones)
Angels show us what perfect obedience looks like. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10), and in heaven, God’s will is done by angels, immediately, joyfully, and without question. Their delight is to be God’s humble servants, faithfully performing their assigned tasks, great or small. Our desire and prayer should be that we will do the same.
10. Angels carry out some of God’s plans
There are ways in which angels carry out God’s plans on earth:
They frequently bring God’s messages to people (Luke 1:11–19, Acts 8:26, 10:3–8, 22, 27:23–24).
They carry out some of God’s judgments, bringing a plague upon Israel (2 Samuel 24:16–17), smiting the leaders of the Assyrian army (2 Chronicles 32:21), striking King Herod dead because he did not give God glory (Acts 12:23), or pouring out bowls of God’s wrath on the earth (Revelation 16:1).
11. Angels directly glorify God
Humans aren’t the only intelligent, moral creatures who glorify God. Angels also glorify God as they witness his plan unfold. When Christ was born in Bethlehem, a multitude of angels praised God and said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14, see also Hebrews 1:6). Jesus tells us, “There is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10), indicating that angels rejoice when someone turns from sin and trusts in Christ.
12. Angels are not to be worshipped
“Worship of angels” was one of the false doctrines being taught at Colossae (Colossians 2:18).
We shouldn’t pray to angels, either. God is able to answer prayer. Paul warns us against thinking that any other “mediator” can come between us and God, “for there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). If we were to pray to angels, it would implicitly give them a status equal to God.
The Bible has tons to say about God’s angelic host and I hope this post has you wanting to learn more. There is a lot of weird, non-Biblical information out there on angels. Be careful and wise. Get into God’s word to find the truth.