Angels
Essay title: Angels
Angels
Although the Scriptures have much to say about angels, many people today have a mistaken belief about what angels are really like. Just as the world portrays Satan in a red suit with a long pointy tail and horns, they also portray angels with white robes, halos, wings, and females with long beautiful blonde hair. As you study the Scripture it becomes very clear how mistaken the world is today in their beliefs about angels.
Thirty-four books in the Bible speak of the existence of angels – seventeen books in the Old Testament and seventeen books in the New Testament. Angels are mentioned one hundred and sixty-five times in the New Testament and one hundred and eight times in the Old Testament.#
Angels are created beings. The fact that angels have not existed from eternity is proven from the Scriptures which give account of their creation. They were created out of nothing, something only God can do.
“Thou, even thou, are Lord alone; thou
hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens,
with all their host, the earth, and all
things that are therein, the seas, and
all that is therein, and thou preservest
them all; and the host of heaven
worshipeth thee.” (Nehemiah 9:6)
“Praise ye him, all his angels: praise
ye him, all his hosts.” (Psalm 148:2)
“Let them praise the name of the Lord:
for he commanded, and they were
created.” (Psalm 148:5)
The time of their creation is no where positively indicated, but it is most probable that it occurred in connection with the creation of the heavens in Gen. 1:1. It may be that God created them immediately after He had created the heavens and before He created the earth; for according to Job 38:4-7, “the sons of God shouted for joy” when He laid the foundations of the earth.#
The angels were created with greater knowledge and strength than man. Though the angels were created with greater knowledge and strength they are not Omniscient nor Omnipotent. Their power comes from God. The Bible gives us some illustrations of their power. In Acts 5:19 and Acts 12:7 the angel of the Lord is freeing the apostles from prison. We also see in Matthew 28:2 an angel of the Lord rolling away the stone from the tomb of Christ. Their power, however great, is restricted. They are unable to do those things which are peculiar to Deity – create, act without means, or search the human heart.#
There are several orders of angels with various characteristics. The cherubim are the first angels mentioned in the Bible. The Cherubim are described as having two wings or sometimes four wings. They were placed by God at the gates of Eden to prevent Adam and Eve from returning to the Garden.
“So he drove out the man; and he placed
at the east of the garden of Eden
Cherubims, and a flaming sword which
turned every way, to keep the way of
the tree of life.” Genesis 3:24
The Seraphim have six wings, and the Bible records them as having feet. Isaiah is the only one to speak of the seraphim in the Old Testament. We find the description of the seraphim in Isaiah 6:2.
“Above it stood the seraphims:
each one had six wings; with twain
he covered his face, and with twain
he covered his feet, and with twain