The popular view of angels, even before the time of the Protestant Reformation, is that of beautiful, winged creatures dressed in flowing robes, usually white. We see many paintings of angels appearing in the sky over the shepherds announcing the birth of the Savior. Many representations of angels show winged creatures hovering over young children or comforting someone in distress. Some representations of angels show cherubic children with wings (they are called cherubic because of the biblical cherubim who had wings). Many people, even in our church culture, believe we become angels when we die. When someone dies you may hear a person say, “Heaven gained another angel.” We speak of young children as “little angels,” or we might speak of someone who is particularly kind to others as an angel.

Yet, all of these views are not biblical. So, what is the biblical view of angels?

First, Scripture teaches angels are created beings. Colossians 1:16 (NASB95), states

^“16 For by (Jesus) all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.” It is obvious from this verse that everything that has been created, whether on the earth or in the heavens; whether visible or invisible, has been created by God the Son, Jesus Christ.

Psalm 148:2–5 (NASB95) commands “² Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! ³ Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all stars of light! ⁴ Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters that are above the heavens! ⁵ Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.” Notice that the whole of creation, even the angels, is commanded to praise God because He has created all things.

While Scripture does not tell us when the angels were created, it is apparent they were not co-equal with God before He created the universe. Angels are spiritual creations of God. They came into being sometime after or when God created the cosmos.

We should also understand that the Greek word angelos and the Hebrew word malak both mean messenger. The angels are the messengers of God and are typically sent to deliver a word from God to someone. We see that depicted in the message of the angels to the shepherds announcing the birth of the Messiah. We see it in the message of the angel Gabriel to Mary that she would be blessed by being the mother of Jesus.

Augustine states “‘Angel’ is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is ‘spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ‘angel’: from what they are, ‘spirit’, from what they do, ‘angel.”

Although the King James Version of Psalm 104:4 states, “Who maketh His angels spirits”, the literal wording is “He makes His spirits messengers”. This agrees with the fact that angels are spiritual beings created by God and that they are messengers who do His bidding.

Hebrews 1:14 (NASB95), speaking of angels, asks, “¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?”

Although Scripture never tells us how many angels there are, it does state they are an innumerable multitude. In Revelation 5:11, John says, “¹¹ Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, ¹² saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.” In writing that there were “myriads and myriads and thousands and thousands” John is not specifying a particular number, rather that the number was incalculable.

John does tell us in Revelation 8:2 that he “saw the seven angels who stand before God.”, but he does not name them. Although only two angels are named in Scripture, Michael and Gabriel, Roman Catholic tradition indicates the names of the other five are Raphael, Uriel, Raquel, Zerachiel, and Remiel.

Therefore, we see that Scripture teaches angels are created, spiritual beings who serve God as messengers and serve those whom God will save.

So, what do we make of the popular view of angels with wings? In the New American Standard Updated Edition, Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible; Angel appears 197 times; Angelic appears 6 times; Angel’s appears 2 times; Angels appears 91 times. Angel or angels plus wings never appears in Scripture.

There are two classes of created spiritual beings who are described by Scripture as having wings. The first of these are the Cherubim. The second are the Seraphim. Many confuse or conflate these creatures with angels. Even Calvin, in his commentary on Ezekiel, states that the cherubim are angels. In his commentary on Isaiah, he states the seraphim are angels although neither are ever called angels in Scripture.

The cherubim are first mentioned in Genesis 3:24 as the creatures God stationed at the east of the Garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life. They are further mentioned in various Old Testament passages as beings whose likenesses were placed above the Ark of the Covenant and over which the glory of God was enthroned. In Ezekiel, chapter 10, the cherubim are further described, and the glory of God is pictured as hovering above them. Contrary to the view of Calvin and others, in Scripture, the cherubim are never named as angels and they are not sent as messengers of God.

The second class of spiritual creatures that are described as having wings are the seraphim. They are mentioned in only two verses of Scripture, Isaiah 6:2, 6. In verse two, Isaiah describes the seraphim as having six wings; with two they covered their faces from the glory of God; with two they covered their feet; and with two they flew. Again, contrary to the view of many commentators, the seraphim also are never called angels and they are not sent as messengers by God.

Many believe we are surrounded by angelic hosts who protect us in dire circumstances. This is based on a misunderstanding of 2 Kings 6:15–17 (NASB95), which reads, “¹⁵ Now when the attendant of the man of God had risen early and gone out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was circling the city. And his servant said to him, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” ¹⁶ So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” ¹⁷ Then Elisha prayed and said, “O YHWH, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” And YHWH opened the servant’s eyes and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.” Notice the passage never says there were angels involved. That is an interpretation. Literally, the passage says the servant saw the “mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire.”

Many early scholars, even until the Reformation, and some even today believe that Genesis, chapter 6, speaks of angelic beings (the sons of God) procreating with the daughters of men. Verse 2 states, “² the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.”

Many believe that because of the spiritual beings (sons of God) procreating with the human daughters of men, the result was the Nephilim (powerful giants).

Calvin responds, “That ancient figment, concerning the intercourse of angels with women, is abundantly refuted by its own absurdity; and it is surprising that learned men should formerly have been fascinated by ravings so gross and prodigious.” He continues, “Moses, then, does not distinguish the sons of God from the daughters of men, because they were of dissimilar nature, or of different origin; but because they were the sons of God by adoption, whom he had set apart for himself; while the rest remained in their original condition.”

As Calvin points out, the term “sons of God’ in this passage does not refer to angelic beings, but to those who are saved. In Luke 20:34–36 (NASB95), Jesus is answering the question of the Sadducees in regard to the resurrection (in which they did not believe) and “³⁴ Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, ³⁵ but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; ³⁶ for they cannot even die anymore, because they are like angels, and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.

Additionally, in Matthew 5:9, Jesus states, ⁹ “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.” It is obvious that Matthew 5 is speaking of those who are Christians. It is they who are the peacemakers and are called sons of God.

Therefore, Genesis 6 speaks of those who are saved (the sons of God) intermarrying with those who are not saved (the daughters of men), in violation of the Law of God.

Although angels are spiritual creatures without wings, in Scripture, they can appear to humans as powerful men when they bring a message from God.

In Genesis 18, YHWH appears to Abraham as three men who give him the message that God will destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. After two of the men depart from Abraham (Genesis 18:22), they go down to Sodom. In Genesis 19:1, they are identified as angels. They meet with Lot and are invited to a feast in his house.

In verses 4-5, the men of Sodom call to Lot and ask, “Where are the men who came to you tonight?” They obviously recognized the two angels as men.

In verses 9-11, even though the Sodomites were pressing hard against the door, the two men reach out and bring Lot in. They then strike the Sodomites with blindness indicating their power.

In verse 13, the two men tell Lot they are about to destroy Sodom because “YHWH has sent us to destroy it.”

What we must all remember is to study the whole of Scripture and not base our understanding on a few verses taken out of context. Also, we must not ground our knowledge of Scripture on the erroneous teaching of the culture. We are commanded by God to not add to His Word (by our wrongful interpretations) nor take away from it.

As the Westminster Confession of Faith states, “All things in scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all;” (WCF, I, VII). When there is any question about the meaning of Scripture, “The infallible rule of interpretation of scripture is the scripture itself; and therefore, when there is a question about the true and full sense of any scripture, (which is not manifold, but one,) it must be searched and known by other places that speak more clearly.” (WCF, I, IX).