Have you ever wondered what biblically accurate angels look like? Or what do they do?
The Bible doesn’t describe angels as little, cuddly babies, and rarely, they play harps.
This article corrects these popular misconceptions by examining verses and Scripture passages with angels to give you a solid picture of biblically accurate angels.
Understanding angels in the Bible and what they do will also help you discover your purpose in life.
Contents
What are angels in the Bible?
In everyday language, the term angel refers to all spirit beings loyal to God. However, the term angel in Hebrew and Greek means a messenger. A messenger can be a human being, a spirit being, or even God when the Father sends Jesus (Malachi 3:1) or the Holy Spirit as His messengers.
Thus, the term angel doesn’t describe what the being is but what it does. It is a job description. It is what the being was sent to do: they act as messengers to someone.
Sometimes, the term correctly identifies the messenger as a spirit being. Therefore, to avoid confusion, this article mainly uses the term angel to refer to all spirit beings in general.
How does the Bible call angels?
As said, when we talk about angels, we typically mean spirit beings loyal to God residing in a realm to which humans don’t have access, but only in rare instances.
When the Bible talks about angels as a group, it calls them
- Spirits (1 Kings 22:21)
- The host or army of heaven (1 Kings 22:19)
- Holy ones (Psalm 89:5)
- Heavenly beings (Psalm 89:6)
- Stars (Job 38:7, Revelation 9:1)
- Sons of God (Job 38:7)
- gods (Psalm 82:1)
- Sons of the Most High (Psalm 82:6)
Description of angels in the Bible
Let’s face it. Some of the biblically accurate angels look very strange. The Bible’s descriptions of seraphim and cherubim can lead to bewildering jaw-drop moments, which has led people to make the now famous “biblically accurate angels” memes.
However, strangeness is only part of the story. Angels appear in various forms throughout the Scriptures.
When you count the times angels are mentioned in the Bible, they mostly appear in human form. They can look so normal that you don’t even recognize them as angels. This is why Paul instructs always to show hospitality to others (Hebrews 13:2).
They talk, they can eat, they can be touched, but they also have superpowers that can strike people blind (Genesis 19:11) or break them free from jail (Acts 12:3-19).
The Bible never describes an angel appearing as a woman. This doesn’t mean they couldn’t do so, just that you don’t see it happen in the Bible.
Some biblically accurate angels have wings, and they have harps in only one verse. The rarity of these descriptions must be emphasized because this is how angels are usually depicted in popular culture.
Many times, the angels radiate divine light. These instances are common when especially good news is proclaimed (Luke 2:9, Matthew 28:2-5), or miraculous good things happen (Acts 12:7).
Angels also appear in dreams (Matthew 1:20, 2:13) and visions (Acts 10:3), and seeing a member of the heavenly host can be frightening (Luke 1:29-30, 2:9-10), puzzling (Acts 12:9), or awe-inspiring (Revolution 22:8-9).
Hebrews 12:22 and Revelation 5:11 both mention that there are myriads, or countless, or thousands upon thousands of angels, depending on your Bible translation.
In the following sections, you will see more detailed descriptions of angels when we go through what types of angles there are in the Bible.
List of biblically correct angels
| Angel type | Role | Notable features |
|---|---|---|
| Angels | Messengers | Malak, angelos |
| Archangels | Lead and protect | Spiritual warfare and relaying messages. |
| Cherubim | Guard sacred spaces | Multiple wings and faces. |
| Seraphim | Worship at God’s throne | Multiple wings. |
| Watchers | God’s messengers | Enforcers of God’s will. |
| Guardian angels | Protect and minister | Serve those inheriting salvation. |
| The Angel of the LORD | God Himself | Referred as God and performs acts only God does. |
| Fallen angels | Rebel against God | Includes Satan and his followers. |
Biblically accurate archangels
There are seven archangels in total. Two, Michael and Gabriel, are mentioned by name in the 66-book Protestant canon of the Bible. The Catholic and Orthodox add one more name, Raphael, to the list in the Book of Tobit. The other four archangels are Uriel, Jerahmeel (2 Esdras, in the canon in EO), Raguel, and Sariel (Book of Enoch).
The first part, arch, of the archangel means chief, so the archangels are chief angels or chief messengers.
Let’s see how the Bible describes these chief angels.
Michael
The name Michael means “Who is like God?” in Hebrew. Michael is the most prominent archangel in the Bible, mentioned most often and appearing prominently in both the Old and New Testaments.
Verses where archangel Michael is mentioned: Revelation 12:7, Jude 9, Daniel 10:13, 21, Daniel 12:1
Michael is depicted as a powerful protector, warrior, and leader of God’s heavenly armies who battles against Satan and other fallen angels.
He is described as “one of the chief princes” and a prince of God’s people. In Revelation 12, he battles Satan, who is then thrown out of heaven. This is why we see Michael depicted with a sword just about to pierce Satan in paintings and icons.
Gabriel
The name Gabriel means “God is my strength” in Hebrew. Gabriel is the second most prominent archangel in the Bible, appearing as a messenger and interpreter of visions at key moments in God’s redemption plan.
Verses where archangel Gabriel is mentioned: Daniel 8:15-16, 9:20-22, Luke 1:19, 1:26-38
In Luke 1, Gabriel announces to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, that he is about to have a son who will prepare God’s people for His coming.
Later in the same chapter, Gabriel announces to Mary that she is about to have the most remarkable son: “Behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and shall name him ‘Jesus.’ He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.”
In Daniel 8-9, Gabriel interprets Daniel’s dreams. The dream is one of the most significant Messianic prophecies, telling, among other things, what year the Messiah will live and be “cut off,” i.e., die. The prophecy is called the 70 weeks of Daniel, and Jesus Christ fulfills the prophecy wholly by His incarnation and dying on the cross in 33 AD.
Read more: Is Jesus God? Definite answer.
Raphael
The name Raphael means “God heals” in Hebrew. Raphael appears throughout the Book of Tobit, helping and guiding Tobit’s son, Tobias, on his travels.
Verses where archangel Raphael is mentioned: The Book of Tobit.
Cherubim
The Bible often mentions cherubim, a plural form of the word cherub. The meaning of cherubim is unknown, but the word’s etymology refers to blessing or being mighty.
Verses where cherubim are mentioned: Genesis 3:24, Exodus 25:18-20, Exodus 26:1, Exodus 36:8, Numbers 7:89, 1 Samuel 4:4, 2 Samuel 6:2, 2 Samuel 22:11, 1 Kings 6:23-29, 1 Kings 7:29-36, 2 Kings 19:15, 1 Chronicles 13:6, Psalm 18:10, Psalm 80:1, Psalm 99:1, Isaiah 37:16, Ezekiel 1:4-25, Ezekiel 10:1-22, Ezekiel 28:14-16, Eze 41:18, Eze 41:20, Eze 41:25, Hebrews 9:5.
You can find the best description of cherubim in Ezekiel 1 and 10, where they are described as human-looking, sixteen-winged, four-headed spirit beings:
“The four faces had the face of a man, lion, ox, and eagle on them and the wings had man’s hands under them. Their sole of the feet was like a calf’s foot sparkling like burnished bronze.
Their outer appearance was like a burning coal of fire, like a torch. The bright fire went up and down among the cherubim and lighting came out of the fire.”
Cherubim are guardians of sacred spaces. They are often called God’s throne guardians because they protect the space around God’s throne.
In Genesis 3:24, after God banished Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, He set cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the place where God used to converse with Adam.
You see this again in the Tabernacle and the Temple, where their Holy Places had multiple cherubim images. In both buildings, the veil that covered the way to the Holy of Holies, where God manifested to Israelites, had a cherubim image embroidered.
Seraphim
The Bible mentions seraphim only in Isaiah 6. The meaning of seraphim is “to burn” or “vipers,” so in ancient images, they were depicted as fiery serpents with wings.
Verses where cherubim are mentioned: Isaiah 6:1-7.
In Christian and Jewish angel hierarchies, seraphim are at the top, along with cherubim and archangels. Like cherubim, they occupy space close to God’s throne. In Isaiah 6, they are on top of the throne, while cherubim reside below it.
Isaiah 6:2-3 describes seraphim as having six wings and calling to each other a praise for God’s holiness.
“Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies!
The whole earth is full of his glory!”
With two wings, they cover their faces, with two wings, their feet, and with the other two wings, they fly.
Angels in the Book of Revelation
The Book of Revelation is full of angels, and almost every chapter mentions an angelic figure. Angels play a prominent and varied role in Revelation, acting as messengers, agents of God’s judgment, worshipers, warriors against fallen angels, and guides for the apostle John.
Watchers in the Bible
You encounter the watchers directly, mentioned only briefly in Daniel 4:13, 17, and 23. The watchers, here also called holy ones, are not described in any way in this passage, where God sends one of them to appear in a dream to Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar. The dream prophecies a sentence to the king.
Daniel 4:17 states, “The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones.” This suggests that the watchers proposed an appropriate sentence to the king in the divine council, and God agreed to it.
Guardian angels
Have you ever wondered about improbable or even unseen help in need? If you have, you might have encountered a guardian angel.
The concept of guardian angels in Christianity is the belief that God assigns specific angels to watch over, guide, and protect individuals or groups. While the Bible doesn’t explicitly use the term “guardian angel,” the idea is rooted in Scripture and church tradition.
Verses that mention guardian angels: Matt. 4:6, Luke 4:10, Psalm 91:11–12, Matthew 18:10, and Acts 12:9–15.
Angel of the LORD
The Angel of the LORD is a notable figure in the Old Testament. He appears to God’s people in pivotal moments of God’s salvation plan. The passages that include the Angel of the LORD often handle him interchangeably with God as he would be God Himself.
The Angel of the LORD is such a prominent figure that we have dedicated a whole article to show how the Angel of the LORD is pre-incarnated Jesus Christ.
Fallen angels
Fallen angels are angels who rebelled against God, led by Satan, and were cast out of heaven. These beings, created as good, chose to sin and became adversaries to God and humanity, working to oppose God’s plans.
Based on several passages, there is more than one instance of angelic falls.
Verses that mention fallen angels: Gen 3, Genesis 6:1-4, Isaiah 14:12-15, Ezekiel 28:12-16, Luke 10:18, Matt. 25:41, Matt. 4:10, Job 1:6-12, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6, Revelation 9:1, 11, 12:3-4, 7–9.
The very first creature to rebel against God wasn’t Eve or Adam; it was Satan.
God created Satan as sinless and placed him in the Garden of Eden as one of the leading angels, a throne guardian cherub (Ezekiel 28:12-17).
Because of all his superb qualities and status, Satan got proud, wanted to “make himself like the Most High,” and rebelled against his Creator.
Due to his rebellion, God cast him down from heaven, and according to Revelation 12:3-4, 7-9, a third of the angels followed him.
Another angelic fall occurred before Noah’s flood, briefly mentioned in Genesis 6, Jude, and 2 Peter. In Genesis 6:2, “the sons of God” refer to angels who abandoned “their proper dwelling place” (Jude 6, 2 Peter 2:4) and are now bound in darkness, waiting for the day of judgment.
The Book of Enoch describes these angels as watchers God sent to earth to help humans. Instead of helping, they further corrupted humans by teaching them, for example, weapon-making and witchcraft.
Names of biblically accurate angels
Depending on your Bible version, the Scriptures mention only three or four angels by name. Three of them are the archangels: Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael. The fourth angel is Satan, the fallen one, also known as the devil or the serpent.
Other terms mentioned in this article, cherubim, seraphim, guardian angels, living creatures, and watchers, refer to groups of angelic beings and not names of any individual angel.
Why should you care what the Bible says about angels?
First, the study of angels serves as a reminder that the Christian worldview consists of the material and spiritual realms.
Ephesians 6:12
“For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.”
Second, and most importantly, the study of angels reveals your purpose in life. You were meant to participate in and advance the Kingdom of Heaven, even to reign with Christ.
Angels don’t just chill in heaven; they have duties and tasks to perform: some guard God’s throne, worship Him, some lead heavenly armies (Revelation 12:7), some protect and help God’s people, others relay messages, etc.
They participate in divine council meetings, suggest what actions should be done on earth, and perform them. (1 Kings 22:19-22, Job 1-2)
Angels show us what God has planned for humanity: participation in God’s kingdom in different ways. “On earth as it is in heaven.” This is why stars in the Bible refer to righteous believers and angels alike.
Eventually, humans are to judge even angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). We were made to a lower status until we mature enough to rule with Christ on His throne (Revelation 3:21).