Angela Taylor

Systematic Theology Survey

THEO 201
June 6, 2005
Angels According to Angela (and the Bible!)
When I was quite small, I discovered that I was double jointed in my shoulder blades. If
I pushed them out, they would protrude from my back, and could even be maneuvered to open
and close--which came in handy if I ever wanted to freak a person out by grabbing their finger or
cracking an egg between them--and yes, I have actually done this! Now to some this may seem
strange, and many people would want to know why I was made this way, but not me. You see, it
was at this young age, that I developed my first theological theory-- I was made to become an
angel someday when I died, and the funny bones sticking out of my back would eventually
develop into wings. Of course it did not help matters that my favorite childhood book was The
Littlest Angel Earns His Halo, or that my mother named me Angela (the English name for angel,
which comes from the Greek word angelos meaning messenger). Of course as a child (who
was not raised in a Christian home), I believed that angels were just people that had died and
gone to heaven. It was my understanding that as soon as you got to Heaven, God gave you
wings and a halo and you could fly around eating marshmallows by day and sleep on clouds by
night.
These days I am still a child, but now as a child of God I think back on my early life
theories and I am reminded of 1 Corinthians13:11, where Paul wrote, when I was a child, I
talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put
childish ways behind me (NIV). While I may not be a man, I verily, verily relate to Pauls

words, and realize the error in my earlier thinking. As a child I thought of angels childishly, but
as a child of God, I realize the time has come for me to leave those ideas in the past and uncover
the truth. With this intent, I set out to research and obtain as much information on the subject as
possible, and I found that although angels are mentioned around 200 times, in at least 34 books
in the Bible, real substantial information is not easily obtained. As J. Hampton Keathley, III ,
Th.M points out, the nature of this revelation is without the same kind of explicit description we
often find with other subjects developed in Scripture (1). Millard Erickson further explains:
Every reference to angels is incidental to some other topic. They are not treated in
themselves. Gods revelation never aims at informing us regarding the nature of angels.
When they are mentioned, it is always in order to inform us further about God, what he
does, and how he does it. Since details about angels are not significant for that purpose,
they tend to be omitted (434).
From his words it is easy to see how so many people today are mislead and confused when it
comes to angels. In attempt to clarify many of the common misconceptions, I will use the Bible,
and other notable theological sources to define the origin, characteristics, and duties of angels in
relation to God and man.
In our search for the truth about angels, we must first understand where they come from.
In my childhood years, I like so many others, believed that angels were simply the spirits of dead
men, women, and children. However, our Bible clearly states the contrary. Thiessen points out
that Matthew 22:30 shows that the angels, are not glorified human beings, (133) but rather that
they are beings entirely separate from the human race. Next, Psalm 148:2-5 reads: Praise Him,
all His angels, praise Him, all His heavenly hostsLet them praise the name of the LORD, for
He commanded and they were created (NIV). As well, we read that, by Him all things were

created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible(Colossians 1:16 NIV), and that,
through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made (John
1:3 NIV). Thus it is a safe conclusion that angels are created beings, spoken into existence by
the Lord Jesus.
While the fact of the angels creation is clear, the time and place is not quite so easily
pinpointed. The Old Testament has little to say about this subject, but it is reasonable to assume
that the angels were created sometime before the fall of man in the garden, as Satan, one of the
highest of Gods angels (previously), was in fact the serpent tempter that lead Eve astray. In
addition, the Lord placed Cherubim to guard the gates of Eden to keep the humans from eating of
the Tree of Life and living forever in their sinful nature (Genesis 3). Thus the angels must have
been created before the event took place. While we have no specific reference to the exact time
of their creation, the Bible provides us with enough evidence to narrow down a time frame in
which the angels came into existence. Perhaps Dr. Robert Luginbills theory about Genesis 1:1
and Job 38:4-7, that God created the angels, at some undisclosed time following His creation of
the heavens and the earth and before the judgment upon the universe because of Satans
rebellion, (Angelology) is as close as the Lord would allow us to come in this present age.
Our next goal, towards our mission to better understand the doctrine of angels, is to
outline the main characteristics they possess. Hebrews 1:14 tells us that angels are spiritual
beings, and therefore do not have physical bodies. Thiessen comments that, their incorporeality
also seems to be clear from Eph. 6:12, where Paul says that our struggle is not against flesh and
blood, but against rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of darkness, against the
spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places (134). Although the verse is a reference
to evil spirits, we can assume that the same characteristics hold true of the elect angels, since the

evil angels were once the same as the holy angels, as noted in Ezekiel 28:15 when the Lord said
to Satan, you were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was
found in you (NIV).
While they are spiritual beings, angels often appear as men throughout Scripture. In
Daniel 9:21, for example, the angel Gabriel is referred to as, the man I had seen in the earlier
vision (NIV). As well, the angel(s) in Matthew 28:3, Mark 16:5, and in Luke 24:4, who
appeared at the empty tomb where Jesus body had been laid, were described as young men in
white shimmering robes. Other examples of angels appearing as men are found in Genesis 18:18; 22, 19:1, 2 Kings 6:15-17, Joshua 5:13, and Matthew 1:20. Next, it is important to note that
while their spiritual bodies allow great mobility to travel vast expanses in small amounts of time,
seen in Acts 12:7, when an angel suddenly appeared in Peters cell, they are not omnipresent, that
is they cannot be in more than one place at any given time. This is clearly shown in Daniel
10:13, when Gabriel tells Daniel that he had been sent three weeks earlier to give him the answer
to his prayer, but the prince of the Persian kingdom had detained him. Only after the angel
Michael came to his rescue, was Gabriel free to deliver the message to Daniel.
While angels are bodiless spirits, they do possess personality, that is they have intellect,
emotions, and will. Their intelligence far surpasses that of human minds, however they are not
omniscient like God. Jesus relays this to the disciples in Matthew 24:36 in response to their
question of when the end of the age would come and He would return, No one knows about that
day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (NIV). When it
comes to emotions, we know they feel joy as God says that the angels shouted for joy, in Job
38:7, and because we are told in Luke 15:6-7 that they rejoice over one sinner who repents.
1 Peter 1:12 tells us that they also experience curiosity and desire. Because the fallen angels,

though created holy, sinned, we know that they were given free will. In Jude 1:6, we are told of,
the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home, which
shows that they willingly left Gods grace behind to follow Satan. Unlike mankind, who is the
seed of Adam, all angels were created by God, not reproduced, and consequently Christs
propitiation for the world (mankind) 1 John 2:2 does not apply for them. Thiessen explains that:
Because the angels are a company and not a race, they sinned individually, and not in
some federal head of the race. It may be that because of this, God made no provision or
salvation for fallen angels. Scripture does say, For assuredly He does not give help to
angels, but He gives help to the seed of Abraham (Heb. 2:16) (134).
Since Luke 20:36 shows us that the angels do not die, we must assume that they continue to exist
in their current state for all eternity, which in the case of the fallen, means that once we judge
them (1 Corinthians 6:3) they will spend forever in the lake of fire with Satan (Matthew 25:41).
The elect angels on the other hand will continue to worship and praise God for the rest of
eternity.
So now filled with knowledge of their creation and their characteristics, we will briefly
explore the roles/duties of angels in relation to God and man. As the name angel, or angelos
would suggest, the angels chief purpose is to be messengers of God. A prime example of this is
found in Daniel 10:11-12, when the angel Gabriel says:
Daniel, you who are highly esteemed, consider carefully the words I am about to speak
to you, and stand up, for I have now been sent to youSince the first day that you set
your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words
were heard, and I have come in response to them (NIV).
Other examples of angels carrying Gods messages to His people can be found in Genesis 16:7

Judges 13, Matthew 1:20, Luke 1:19, 26, and Revelation 22:16. In addition, angels carry out
Gods will, as seen in their direct role in Christs birth, life, death, and resurrection, obey His
word (Psalm 103:20-21), and worship Him (Hebrews 1:6). Angels have a special ministry with
believers (Hebrews 1:14) also, which includes guarding them (Exodus 23:30), guiding them
(Psalm 91:11), rescuing them (Numbers 20:16; Daniel 3:28; Acts 5:19, 12:11), strengthening
them (Luke 22:43), proclaiming the gospel to them (Revelation 14:6), monitoring their worship
(Acts 12:23), and finally they will carry the believers to be with the Lord when they die (Luke
16:22).
In order to fulfill these roles, God has assigned different positions to the angels. Though
Scripture does not give much in depth information about these different ranks, we do know that
there are at least three classifications. Cherubim are used to guard the thrown of God (Isaiah
37:16), the arch of the covenant (1 Kings 8:7, Hebrews 9:5), and the entrance to Eden to prevent
Adam and Eve from returning after they had sinned (Genesis 3:24). Ezekiel 10:14 tells us that
they had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a man, the third the
face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle (NIV). From Ezekiel 28:14, we know that
before his fall, Satan was anointed as a guardian cherub ordained by God. The next
classification of angels mentioned in the Bible are called Seraphim, which means literally the
burning ones (King). These angels lead in the heavenly worship of God Almighty and purify
Gods servants for acceptable worship and service (Thiessen 138). Isaiah 6:3 says that they call
to one another saying, Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty; the whole earth is full of his
glory" (NIV). Revelation 4:8 describes them having six wings covered with eyes all around,
even under his wings (NIV), and says that, Day and night they never stop saying: "Holy, holy,
holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come (NIV). A third rank of angels

we read about in Scripture, is the archangel, who is in charge of the other angels. Thiessen
accounts that:
The term archangel occurs but twice in Scripture (1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 9), but there are
other references to at least one archangel, Michael [which means he who is like God].
He is the only angel called archangel. He is represented as having his own angels (Rev.
2:7) and is said to be the prince of the nation of Israel (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1) (139).
We also see from Luke 1:26-38 that he announced Christs birth, and that he will be the one to
defeat Satan and the fallen angels in the end days (Revelation 12:7). It is these three types of
angels (and perhaps others) that God utilizes to carry out His divine will.
Now that we have used the Bible, and other notable theological sources to define the
origin, characteristics, and duties of angels in relation to God and man, we can declare that we
have laid aside our childish thoughts and are now intellectually informed about Scriptural
angelology. While this information has enlightened us and peaked our interest, it is perhaps best
if we leave this interest here and not become enthralled. Scripture is clear that we should not
worship angels, as the Gnostics is Pauls day did. While they may be holy and highly welcome,
they are not God, and He told us directly to have no other gods before Him--including angels.
So from this day forth, we should live in awareness of the holy ones that God has lovingly sent to
help us, while being cautious not to relying on them, but Him. We can always speak directly to
God, and therefore have absolutely no need--what so ever--to pray to angels. As in all things, if
we keep God in the center of our life, we can never go wrong.

Works Cited
Erickson, Millard J. Christian Theology, Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1983, p. 434.
Keathley III, Th. M., J. Hampton. Angels, Gods Ministering Spirits. Biblical Studies Press.
1998. www.bible.org. 5 June 2005. <http://www.bible.org/page.asp?page_id=711>
Kidd, Ronald. The Littlest Angel Earns His Halo. Chicago, IL: Childrens Press, 1984.
King, Doug. Sermon on Isaiah 6:1-8. Westminster Presbyterian Church. Buffalo, New York.
February 4, 2001.
Luginbill, Dr. Robert D. Bible Basics: Essential Doctrines of the Bible. Part 2A. Angelology:
The Study of Angels. www.ichthys.com. 5 June 2005.
<http://www.ichthys.com/2A
%20Angelo.htm>
The Holy Bible: New International Version. Grand Rapids, Michigan. Zondervan Publishing
House, 1988.
Thiessen, Henry C. Lectures in Systematic Theology. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans
Co., 2003.

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