Angels play important roles in the Bible

Greeting cards and souvenir shop figurines featuring angels such as cute children sporting wings may be a popular way of depicting them, but the Bible presents a completely different image of angels. In the Bible, angels appear as highly powerful adults who often surprise the humans they visit. Bible verses such as Daniel 10: 10-12 and Luke 2: 9-11 show that angels urge people not to be afraid of them. The Bible contains some fascinating information about angels. Here are some highlights of what the Bible says about angels: the heavenly creatures of God who sometimes help us here on Earth.

Serve God by serving us
God created an abundance of immortal beings called angels (which in Greek means "messengers") to act as intermediaries between himself and humans because of the gap between his perfect holiness and our shortcomings. 1 Timothy 6:16 reveals that humans cannot see God directly. But Hebrews 1:14 declares that God sends angels to help people who will one day live with him in heaven.

Some faithful, some fallen
While many angels remain faithful to God and work to do good, some angels joined a fallen angel called Lucifer (now known as Satan) when he rebelled against God, so they now work for evil purposes. Faithful and fallen angels often fight their battle on earth, with good angels trying to help people and evil angels trying to tempt people to sin. So 1 John 4: 1 urges: "... do not believe all spirits, but test the spirits to see if they come from God ...".

Angelic apparitions
What do angels look like when they visit people? Sometimes angels appear in heavenly form, like the angel that Matthew 28: 2-4 describes sitting on the stone of the tomb of Jesus Christ after his resurrection with a dazzling white appearance reminiscent of lightning.

But sometimes angels take on human appearances when they visit Earth, so Hebrews 13: 2 warns: "Don't forget to show hospitality to strangers, because in doing so some people showed hospitality to angels without knowing it."

Other times, angels are invisible, as Colossians 1:16 reveals: “Because in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether they are thrones or powers or sovereigns or authorities; all things were created through him and for him. "

The Protestant Bible specifically mentions only two angels by name: Michael, who fights a war against Satan in heaven and Gabriel, who tells the Virgin Mary that she will become the mother of Jesus Christ. However, the Bible also describes several types of angels, such as cherubim and seraphim. The Catholic Bible mentions a third angel by name: Raphael.

Many jobs
The Bible describes many different types of jobs that angels do, from worshiping God in heaven to answering the prayers of people on Earth. Angels on God's behalf help people in various ways, from guiding to meeting physical needs.

Mighty, but not almighty
God has given angels a power that humans do not possess, such as knowledge of everything on earth, the ability to see the future and the power to do work with great force.

However powerful, however, angels are not omniscient or omnipotent like God. Psalm 72:18 declares that only God has the power to perform miracles.

Angels are simply messengers; those who are faithful rely on their God-given powers to fulfill God's will. While the mighty work of angels can inspire awe, the Bible says that people should worship God rather than his angels. Revelation 22: 8-9 reports how the apostle John began to worship the angel who gave him a vision, but the angel said he was only one of God's servants and instead ordered John to worship God.