Angels in the Bible

Lets talk about angels in the Bible...what are their roles and purpose.
And question...do they have wings?

It seems angels like to announce births...but they also do a bit of divine intervention in other ways, for example, Joseph did NOT divorce Mary after the angel gave him counsel.

They broke Peter out of jail and got Jesus out of the tomb.
They rescued Lot.
They showed John around heaven.
And many other amazing things....but why is it that we could entertain angels unawares? Are we humans amusing to them? What did Jesus mean when he said in heaven we will be as angels? Angels dont marry...are they neither male nor female..?

In Revelation, each of the seven churches has an angel.
What is the role of this angel, and does every church on earth have an angel?

Look at my avatar. It represents the angels of the churches, there ae seven holders but it is one candlestick.

Lanolin,

The word for angel, whether in the Hebrew or Greek, means a messenger. It is the same word used in Genesis 32:3, Numbers 22:5, and other places that don't necessarily refer to heavenly beings, but rather human agents to carry a word to someone. Whereas angel is "aggelos," the word gospel is "euaggelion," or good message. This alone opens our understanding to what role and purpose they have. We read in Hebrews 1:14: "Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?" Ah, their purpose is to be instrumental in the work of redemptive history for our salvation. The Lord says that they rejoice at the repentance of just one sinner. The apostle says in 1 Peter 1:12 that angels had longed to look at the redemption Christ would accomplish for sinners as did the prophets before. Whether we see Cherubim or Seraphim, or the visions and pictures the prophets spoke, in Holy Writ, we see them doing something that pertained to or taught us about Christ in some fashion.

There is more names, like "sons of God," but this is all subservient to what was mentioned above. Since we don't know their background of their origin or the fall out with Satan, it is best to keep silent where Scripture is silent. The reason it wasn't mentioned, and perhaps more things that spark our curiosity about them, is that those things weren't necessary for our good to learn. Scripture is for our spiritual welfare and benefit, not to gratify our speculations. This is the same reason why Genesis 1 is not written like a science text book, it has a salvific purpose for the Church.

Edit: proofread and corrected

The Greek word translated angel means messenger....Jesus, dia John, is addressing the messengers "pastors" of the seven chruches....NOT literal angelic beings from heaven!!!

Hi Lanolin, angels can apparently have many wings, and they have hands, eyes and feet (which they covered here in Isaiah .. see Rev 4:8 where they do not). They fly, they speak to us and to each other, and they praise the Lord of hosts.


Also, there are different kinds of angels, the biggest division between them seems to be the elect/holy angels and the fallen/demon angels. And I know there are angels, archangels, seraphim, & cherubim, (& guardian angels), and I believe there may be others.

~Deut
p.s. - just like Isaiah 6 above, every angel in the Bible, OT and New, appears to be male. Perhaps there are female angels however, even though the Bible doesn't mention them?

Only some Cherubim Angels and Seraphim angels have wings..

These kind of Angels are like hybrids half human looking and half beast.. satan was a Cherabim angel with wings..
But most of the Angels that appeared to humans where male and human in form..

Angels can be messengers..

We can entertain Angels unawares because they can take human form and they can look just like any other person..

When Jesus said we will be as Angels He was only saying it in relation to not getting married in heaven..

Angels in the Bible where male..

Hey! Lanolin... PTL!
As ministering spirits to the heirs of salvation, I picture a room in heaven, full now-a-days sadly, with angels who are awaiting their next mission. In every prayer, I ask the Lord to send them to the one being prayed for, to do battle with the evil one and his minion and to build a hedge of protection around them to keep them safe from harm and injury.

I suspect that they are assigned, not to a local church, but by the city; for the kingdom of God is within and the church is a people indwelt by the Spirit and not an organization administered by man, like a denomination.

I suspect that some angels have wings, but those who visit the homes of believers unawares do not.

I believe that: 1 Cor 15: 36 "Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual." So that both angels and demons have lived and died before Adam while in their natural bodies. Angels being resurrected with resurrection spiritual bodies that like our resurrection bodies will be made for the Lord and not for each other like our natural bodies are. The evil one and his minion were kicked out of their graves and made to be disembodied spirits, who suffer from a tormenting dryness when without a body.
Maranatha!

Hmm..the interesting thing is Jesus said hell is for devil and his (fallen) angels, see Matthew 25:41
And heaven is for ..God and his angels, at least, they reap souls at the end of the age see Matthew 13:39

Which leads me to think about how angels may be glorfied and resurrected beings from a previous age before our one...? Will we also be as angels when we get to heaven and do the same for eternity. Will we have wings, like how earthly caterpillers turn into heavenly butterflies? And serve the Lord always.

Are angels invisible to us or can we see them with our spiritual eyes? The seraphim surrounding the mercy seat make me think of how they are guardians, guarding or protecting the seat, as well as cherubim guarding the tree of life.
Like body guards?

I never said the bible was written like a science textbook, Im not a scientist. And also, Im not 'gratifying speculation' dont know where people get that from. GOd has given us His word and revealed it to us. Some things He deliberately keeps a mystery so that we can seek them out for His pleasure. Even the book of Revelation is written for us believers to be blessed if we read it, and it is full of angels.
The first I heard of some people referring to pastors as angels. I had never thought of them that way, but it could well be, although pastors of many churches do marry and have families, its only priests or nuns in catholic churches that dont.

Angels -created beings
Messengers
Two mentioned by name - Michael and Gabriel
Can do only what God directs them to do
Milton's view of angels is stupid (Paradise Lost)
Dante's Inferno is worse
C.S. Lewis' is silly
Any reference not mentioned in the bible to angels, seraphim, cupids, halos, wings is totally of man's imaginings.
Juvenile

Which is why my thread is called Angels in the Bible. So far people in this thread are talking about Angels in the Bible, so I dont know what your problem is as nobody even mentioned what you referring to. Seraphim and Cherubim do have wings yes.

It could be the male pronoun is a generic term like we say all mankind meaning both male and female its not meaning angels cant be female i.e having feminine characteristics, then again it may be moot angels are angels and therefore genderless. Because they do not reproduce or need to.

Regarding marriage in heaven, marriage is a contract between God, the man and the woman that's viable and enforceable until death do they part. In heaven, there will be no more death so it also follows that there will not be marriage. However, it does not say in the bible that there will not be physical and spiritual intimacy between a man and a woman. Not sure how that is going to play out but I am certainly looking forward to it. It is also inferred that children will be conceived and born as well.

I am a bit puzzled over this verse in 1 corinthians 11:9 can anyone explain it?

Not sure I agree with you there, sounds abit like the muslim idea of heaven with harems etc. my thinking is that since we all will be born again, and as Gods children there is no need for us to procreate because God has chosen and adopted the souls that worship Him in heaven. We dont need to be carrying on with that as hes got I dont know how many billions of descendants from the foundation of the world.

Previous age? .. cf Hebrews 9:27.
Saints .. will we be spirits in Heaven in the age to come, or living on the New Earth in glorified, human bodies? .. https://www.gotquestions.org/new-heavens-earth.html

Is there any mention of Jesus having "wings" in the Book of Revelation, and/or when He resurrected from the tomb with His now glorified human body?

Will we become angels, or only become "like" angels, in certain, very specific ways? .. e.g. Luke 20:33-38; 1 Corinthians 6:3.
Yes, they are both invisible AND we can see them with our 'natural' eyes if the Lord wants us to .. e.g. Genesis 19:1; 2 Kings 6:15-17; Isaiah 6:1-7; Luke 2:8-15; Hebrews 13:2.
Does the Lord God Almighty need a "body guard"

~Deut

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This is a good place to start: Genesis 2:18-25.

~Deut

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No, I don't believe that there will be harems but rather fidelity between a man and woman in such a relationship. The existing universe is already endless, what's the point of all of the planets if there is no one to inhabit them? Nothing wrong at all with new blood to spice things up a bit.

But are not in scripture.
Enoch is not scripture, it is apocryphal

I am not entirely sure that angels are genderless as the bible is not clear on this point.