Angelology: Types and Characteristics of Angels → A More Beautiful Life Collective

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In this podcast, we are talking about Angelology or the doctrine of angels. We’ll learn about what the Bible says about angels including the types of angels and characteristics of angels. We’ll also discuss fallen angels. This episode is part of our series on Building Our Foundations. Learn more about this fascinating topic by reading or listening in!

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In this episode, we are talking about the high-church confessional documents and why you should engage with them. No matter what denomination you belong to, these confessional texts – like Christian creeds, confessions of faith, catechisms, and liturgies – have been incredibly influential in the history of the Church. We need to wrestle with what they say and determine how it fits in with our own personal statement of faith. Today, we are going to talk about why you should read these texts, and then, turn our focus to the Christian creeds in particular. Read more on the blog: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-christian-creeds/ Get a PDF copy of the Christian Creeds here: https://a-more-beautiful-life-collective.kit.com/d080819cc1 Get the Doctrine and Theology Cheat Sheet Here: https://a-more-beautiful-life-collective.ck.page/bd897d28d0 Get a list of the names of God here: https://a-more-beautiful-life-collective.ck.page/43d2d5cf6b Get a copy of our personal statement of faith creation guide here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/we-believe-your-personal-statement-of-faith-workbook-pdf-download/ Get “Building Our Foundations: 10 Week Study” here: https://amorebeautifullifecollective.com/product/building-our-foundations-11-week-systematic-theology-book-bible-study/ Visit our Shop to get a copy of any of the resources mentioned in this episode: I’m your host, Cayce Fletcher, and you can learn a little bit more about me here. While you’re here, would you consider leaving a comment, rating, or review? You can find our podcast, A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast, wherever you listen to podcasts. Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube. Subscribe to the blog for access to our latest content and some freebies. I love creating and sharing resources with you. You can find all of our resources at A More Beautiful Life Collective Shop. Keep creating a life you love, and cultivating your heart for God.

Hello everyone and welcome to Season 2 Episode 4 of A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast. Today, we are continuing our Systematic Theology Series with Angelology. If you are interested in a workbook version of our Systematic Theology series, you can find one in the shop. Building Your Foundations will walk you through 10 key core doctrines and help you develop your own personal statement of faith.

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Today, we are turning our focus to the doctrine of Angels. Honestly, if I had my druthers, I would skip this week. My church doesn’t frequently talk about angels. We read about them in a few places in scripture, but they are always mentioned on the sidelines. Because of this, I really don’t know that much about angels. What are the types of angels? What are the characteristics of angels?

But, if you read through a description of core Christian doctrines, the doctrine of angels comes up repeatedly. As I’ve mentioned before, I think it’s important to know what we believe. Refusing to focus on something because it is too complicated is kind of a cop-out. So, here goes. In this episode, we will be focusing on both the types and characteristics of angels. Plus, we’ll be looking at what the Bible says about fallen angels. If you have resources that you like to turn to about this doctrine (or any others), please reach out in a comment or message and let me know.

The Bible and the Characteristics of Angels

Though there are definitely cultural misrepresentations of God or the Bible, most Christians have a fairly complete picture of what they believe about these things. There are countless sermons and devotions chronicling the nature of God and honestly probably even more declaring the importance of personal Bible study.

But, I can’t think of one sermon that I’ve personally heard that has talked about angels. If they are mentioned in a bible study, it is only as a footnote to the action of the story, the main message.

Angels do exist in scripture. They are seen from Genesis to Revelation. They are mentioned 196 times: 103 times in the Old Testament and 93 times in the New Testament. Jesus mentioned Angels throughout his earthly teaching. Still, angels are in the background of scripture.

This gets to one very important point when it comes to the doctrine of angels:

The Bible is a book about God and his relationship with mankind through his particular, chosen people. The Bible does not tell us everything we need to know about the universe, the supernatural world, or history. It focuses on the specific story of God and his people.

This being said I don’t believe that we can know everything about angels just by reading the Bible. We may not know all the characteristics of angels. There are certain doctrines that are revealed fully in the Bible, like the doctrine of salvation. But, I don’t think we need to know everything about angels, so I don’t think God has revealed everything about angels in his word.

The Bible begins at the dawn of human history. But, it does not begin at the dawn of God’s history. So, there are potentially things not written down about angels. We are entering into a story that has already started.

What do you think about when you think about the characteristics of angels?

Throughout Western culture, we see depictions of angels, most of which don’t look anything like the angels of the Bible. Almost all angels have wings. Some angels, like the fat baby cherubs painted on cathedral ceilings, bear no resemblance to the Cherubim of the Bible.

In addition to these representations of angels, we also have lots of folklore around angels that is found nowhere in the Bible. If I was to ask someone who the angels are, they would probably say something along the lines of “The people in heaven.” We hear this when people say that a loved one has passed and is now an “angel in heaven looking down on us.” It may be a well-meaning statement, but that is not biblically accurate. We don’t turn into angels when we die. In the movie It’s a Wonderful Life, there is a side storyline of an angel trying to do good deeds to ‘earn his wings.’ This creates a picture of a being who has to accomplish something to graduate to full-fledged angel status.

On top of all these stories, we also use the word angel to describe people behaving well (“She’s such a little angel”) as well as a romantic pet name. There’s even a biker gang called Hells Angels.

When it comes to a topic like this where there are numerous representations of angels in culture and a dearth of biblical teaching about the topic, it’s important to recognize what you believe about angels and where those beliefs come from. Do you have an accurate understanding of the characteristics of angels?

What do you think that angels are?

Types of Angels

When we read about angels in the Bible, we get a very different picture from the chubby-faced, naked babies playing harps in the Sistine Chapel. There are several different types of angels, and each one is described differently in the Bible. Each one has different characteristics which helps to broaden our understanding of the characteristics of angels.

In the Middle Ages and Renaissance, there was an ever-growing theology of angels that was being created by clergy and philosophers. Pseudo-Dionysus (5th-6th centuries) created an Ancient Grouping of Angels that dominated Catholic Thought throughout the Middle Ages. He was a Neoplatonist who tried to take Plato’s Greek ideas and thoughts and transpose them into a Christian context.

In Psuedo-Dionysus’ groupings, he divided up angels in three different orders.

The best way to understand the types and characteristics of angels is to look at each type and see what the Bible says about each one. I’ve gathered together several passages that describe the types and characteristics of angels below. As you read through each one, you can start to get a picture of what the characteristics of angels are.

In the Highest Order:

The angels in the highest order are otherworldly beings that are described in visions in the books of prophecy. These are the beings that are closest to God’s throne and generally have wings and bodies that look nothing like humans. Their characteristics include looking like beasts, having wings, and making loud whirring noises. Seraphim is constantly singing praises to God on his throne. Cherubim are throne bearers that appear (symbolically) on the Ark of the Covenant. They are interestingly the beings placed right in front of the garden of Eden to guard it.

The Seraphim See Isaiah 6:1-7.

Isaiah 6 – “2 Above [the throne] were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another:

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.

The Cherubim See Genesis 3:24, Exodus 25:22 (as depicted on the ark), and Ezekiel 1 & 10 (below)
The Ophanim, Hebrew for ‘Whirling Wheels’. See Ezekiel 1 and 10.

Ezekiel 1 – 10 Their faces looked like this: Each of the four had the face of a human being, and on the right side each had the face of a lion, and on the left the face of an ox; each also had the face of an eagle. 11 Such were their faces. They each had two wings spreading out upward, each wing touching that of the creature on either side, and each had two other wings covering its body. 12 Each one went straight ahead. Wherever the spirit would go, they would go, without turning as they went. 13 The appearance of the living creatures was like burning coals of fire or like torches. Fire moved back and forth among the creatures; it was bright, and lightning flashed out of it. 14 The creatures sped back and forth like flashes of lightning.

Ezekiel 10 – 9 I looked, and I saw beside the cherubim four wheels, one beside each of the cherubim; the wheels sparkled like topaz. 10 As for their appearance, the four of them looked alike; each was like a wheel intersecting a wheel. 11 As they moved, they would go in any one of the four directions the cherubim faced; the wheels did not turn about as the cherubim went. The cherubim went in whatever direction the head faced, without turning as they went. 12 Their entire bodies, including their backs, their hands, and their wings, were completely full of eyes, as were their four wheels. 13 I heard the wheels being called “the whirling wheels.” 14 Each of the cherubim had four faces: One face was that of a cherub, the second the face of a human being, the third the face of a lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.

15 Then the cherubim rose upward. These were the living creatures I had seen by the Kebar River. 16 When the cherubim moved, the wheels beside them moved; and when the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side. 17 When the cherubim stood still, they also stood still; and when the cherubim rose, they rose with them, because the spirit of the living creatures was in them.

In the Middle Order:

This was the type of angel that I was most unfamiliar with. In a few places in scripture, there are depictions of an unseen spiritual battle being waged between good and evil. This battle is fought by angels who describe themselves as the princes of such and such city. Not much is said about these specific characteristics of angels. It seems like these angels have authority or power over certain areas of people and are fighting against the ‘powers of this dark world and spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.’ These angels are described as having a body that gleams like lightning – potentially from being in such close proximity to God.

Dominions, Virtues, and Powers: See Daniel 10 and Ephesians 6:12

Daniel 10 – 4 On the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was standing on the bank of the great river, the Tigris, 5 I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. 6 His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

20 So he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? Soon I will return to fight against the prince of Persia, and when I go, the prince of Greece will come; 21 but first I will tell you what is written in the Book of Truth. (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.

Ephesians 6:12 – 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

In the Lowest Order:

We have Archangels and Angels. Only one archangel is mentioned, Michael one of the chief princes. He is described as a warrior angel who will fight the great dragon and argue with the devil over the body of Moses.

Angels are described doing several things, including praising God, fighting his battles, and, in the case of Gabriel, delivering messages. The physical characteristics of angels are often overlooked to describe instead what the angels are doing. Sometimes the angels are described as looking different from men, but sometimes, men are unaware that they are in the presence of angels.

Archangels: See Revelation 12:7-9, Jude, and Daniel 10. (Michael is the only archangel mentioned.)

Daniel 10 – 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me because I was detained there with the king of Persia. … (No one supports me against them except Michael, your prince.

Jude – 8 In the very same way, on the strength of their dreams these ungodly people pollute their own bodies, reject authority, and heap abuse on celestial beings. 9 But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

Revelation 12 – 7 Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. 8 But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. 9 The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Angels: See Revelation 5:11-12, Gen. 16:7-10, Matt. 24:29-31, Revelation 22:8-9, Numbers 22:31, Joshua 5:14, Genesis 28:12, Revelation 10:1, Revelation 18:21. (Gabriel, a messenger angel is mentioned and is considered archangel by tradition but not in the Bible: see Daniel 9:21, Luke 1)

Revelation 5:11-12 – 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”

Matthew 24 – 29 “Immediately after the distress of those days

“‘ The sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’

30 “Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. 31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

Hebrews 1 – 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say,

“You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”? 6 And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” 7 Of the angels he says, “He makes his angels winds, and his ministers a flame of fire.”

8 But of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.”

10 And, “You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain; they will all wear out like a garment, 12 like a robe you will roll them up, like a garment, they will be changed. But you are the same, and your years will have no end.”

13 And to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”? 14 Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

Characteristics of Angels

From the passages above, a picture of angels can start to be gleaned. We learn quite a bit about the different types and characteristics of angels. As I mentioned earlier, we only see what angels are like dimly. We don’t have the full picture. This means there could be things that we don’t understand when it comes to angels. What we do understand is that angels are working ‘behind the scenes’ of human life.

Here are some characteristics of angels:

There are different kinds of angels. Some angels appear human, and some look very different from humankind.
Angels exist for different functions. Their form often follows function. The angels who care for the throne of God look different than the other angels.
Angels exist to do the bidding of God. They are taking care of his throne, fighting his battles, and praising him.
Angels appear to be immortal. Michael existed in both the Old Testament and appeared at the end of time. Gabriel also appears throughout the Bible.
Angels can do evil. The dragon (Satan) is described as fighting against Michael and the rest of God’s army. I’m not sure if his angels are also known as demons, which we see in the gospels and Acts. But, they do exist. (We’ll talk about these particular characteristics of angels more below.)
Matthew 22:30 describes angels as not marrying. (This article talks about one reading of this verse and how it relates to us in our future Kingdom living.)
According to Hebrews 1, the angels are clearly above humankind. But, Jesus, God’s son, exists higher than the angels. Angels are described as ministering spirits sent out to serve. (In fact, the name angel in Hebrew references a messenger or representative.)
The angels are not all-knowing. There are certain things long to know as seen in 1 Peter 1:12. Matt. 24:26 describes things that only the Father knows (not Jesus or the angels).
Appearance strikes fear in the heart of man. Almost every instance of angels appearing to people begins with the phrase, “Do not be afraid.” Angels are a formidable being, but they are not worthy of worship and reject it.

This isn’t a complete list of characteristics of angels, but we begin to see from this list how angels are different than us.

Purpose of Angels

What is the purpose of angels? Hebrews 1:14 says, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” In this verse, ‘those who are to inherit salvation’ would refer to us.

They are meant to be God’s servants and representatives.

Angels:

Carry God’s throne and attend to it
Worship God
Fight Supernatural Battles
Watch over cities
Deliver God’s messages
Guard the saints and people of God
Do God’s bidding in the world

We don’t have a full record of angels’ specific actions in the Bible, but we do have a full picture of what their purpose is. As I mentioned before, the characteristics of angels help them to achieve their purposes. The Cherubim and Seraphim are created for a specific purpose which affects the way they look and act.

Fallen Angels

Now that we’ve discussed many characteristics of angels, it’s time for a more controversial question: Can angels sin?

Some of you immediately say of course, because Satan was a fallen angel. Others of you are not so sure. I’ve heard one argument for the impeccability (being without sin) of angels being that our kingdom-state will ‘be like the angels’ (Matt. 22:30). If angels could sin and we are like them, will we be able to sin in the kingdom? Will we not be perfect? Will we take on these characteristics of angels?

I think this takes that verse out of context. Matt. 22:30 reads, “At the resurrection, people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.” It is talking about what our concerns will be in the kingdom of heaven as a response to the Sadducee’s question about the woman who had three husbands who all died. It is not an end-all-be-all-be-all description of what our kingdom-nature will be like.

But, what does the Bible say about angels and their impeccability? Does it agree or disagree with these characteristics of angels. Particularly, we can look at the verses that speak about fallen angels to learn about this:

Isaiah 14:12-14 – “How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low! You said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ (***Some don’t agree that this verse is talking about Satan since it is also referencing the nations of Babylon and Assyria in prophecy.)
Ezekiel 28:11-19 – “‘You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: carnelian, chrysolite and emerald, topaz, onyx and jasper, lapis lazuli, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created, they were prepared. 14 You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. 15 You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. 16 Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones. 17 Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings. 18 By your many sins and dishonest trade you have desecrated your sanctuaries. So I made a fire come out from you, and it consumed you, and I reduced you to ashes on the ground in the sight of all who were watching. 19 All the nations who knew you are appalled at you; you have come to a horrible end and will be no more.’”
Jude 1:6 – And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their proper dwelling—these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.
2 Peter 2:4 – For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell, putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment;
Matthew 25:41 – “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
Revelation 12:4, 9 – Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.
Revelation 20:2-5, 7-10 – And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years, and threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were ended. After that, he must be released for a little while. 7 When the thousand years are over, Satan will be released from his prison 8 and will go out to deceive the nations in the four corners of the earth—Gog and Magog—and to gather them for battle. In number, they are like the sand on the seashore. 9 They marched across the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of God’s people, the city he loves. But fire came down from heaven and devoured them. 10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The term ‘Fallen Angel’ refers to the angels who were cast out of Heaven. Other than the verses listed above, we don’t really know anything more about Fallen Angels based on biblical texts. The extrabiblical book of Enoch describes Fallen Angels desiring the ‘daughters of Men’ and producing the Nephilim (Gen. 6). This is one explanation as to why the angels were cast out of Heaven.

As shown in the verses above, the New Testament talks about fallen angels much more than the Old Testament. Still, we get a picture of the characteristics of angels in these passages. There is a picture of angels who stepped outside of their appointment place – “their proper dwellings” – and because of this, they were punished. Stepping outside of God’s plan for us is another way of saying that we’ve sinned. God punished the angels who acted in this way. Angels however didn’t lose their immortality and are the only beings described as being sent to an ‘eternal fire’ where they are tormented.

Ultimately, in the final battle between good and evil, good wins. Fallen angels are put in their proper place forever, and we will live in a world made right.

My Personal Statement of Faith: Angelology

Angels are immortal heavenly beings who exist to serve, worship, and fight for God. They guard over believers and do God’s bidding. Some angels were cast out of heaven and followed the devil. Ultimately, those fallen angels will be defeated and punished accordingly.

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What do you think? Questions about Angelology

Here are some questions to get you thinking about what you believe about angels:

What are angels, and why do they exist?
How are angels’ natures different than ours? What are the characteristics of angels?
What do you believe about fallen angels?

I hope this episode has got you thinking a little more deeply about what you believe. Our knowledge of angels points us to the grandeur of God. These creatures that he made are formidable and awe-inspiring, but they still pale in comparison to God. We are nothing – mere dirt – but we have been brought into a relationship with this amazing God through Jesus his Son.

Check out our Building Your Foundation Study if you would like to go deeper in your understanding of these 10 core doctrines and create your personal statement of faith. You can find it at our shop.

Don’t forget to subscribe and leave a rating and review for the podcast.

Until next time, keep creating a life you love, and cultivating your heart for God.

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