All About Angels
To get started I’ll give a bit of a picture of who and what angels are. I’ve done this as a kind of questions and answers all about angels.
So what exactly are angels? They are spiritual, celestial beings, and they exist on a plane somewhere between God and man.“Angels belong to a uniquely different dimension of creation that we, limited to the natural order, can scarcely comprehend … [God] has given angels higher knowledge, power and mobility than we ….” *
What does ‘angel’ mean? It means ‘messenger.’ In the Old Testament they are called mal’ak in the Hebrew, and in the New Testament – ángelos in Greek. These words mean “a messenger.”
Have they always existed? No, they are created beings. God is their Creator Psalm 148:2;5.
Do angels die? No, angels are immortal, they cannot die Luke 20:36.
Are there ‘male’ angels and ‘female’ angels? As spiritual beings, angels have no gender. This in the sense that angels do not procreate; there’s a verse about this in the Bible that says “in the resurrection [people] neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are like the angels of God in heaven” Matthew 22:30. BUT when angels appear in human form in the Bible, they typically appear as males.
Can humans become angels when we die? Angels are an entirely different form of creation to humans. The Bible says that when we die, and we belong to Jesus, then we will receive a new spiritual body as opposed to turning into angels.
Should we worship angels? No, angels are not divine and should not be worshipped. More about this later.
What are some of the things angels do? Two main things that angels do are worship God Revelation 5:11-12 and minister to God’s people. The Bible says that angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” Hebrews 1:14. Some of the ways angels do this are by protecting God’s people, bringing messages or guidance from God, carrying God’s people to heaven.
Should we pray to angels or ask them for guidance? Angels are servants of God, not of ours. God may send an angel to offer us guidance at a point in our lives, but we cannot summon God’s angels. Anyway, God made us. He’s the One Who knows us inside out and has all the good plans for us, so why not go straight to Him?
How many angels are there? There masses of angels in existence. According to the Bible, the number is “innumerable” and too many to count! Daniel had a vision where he saw God on His throne surrounded by literally millions of angels – “A river of fire as flowing coming out from before Him. Thousands upon thousands attended Him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before Him” Daniel 7:10. If you work that sum out, it numbers more than one hundred million!
Tomorrow’s post is about one special group of these angels ~ The Archangels …
*Quote Reference: Graham, B; 1995; Angels: God’s Secret Agents; W Publishing Group; 30.
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