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Angels

TRUTH over TRADITION said:
What are angels? Do they have wings? Are Cherubs really angels or something else?
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I believe angels are those who do the Lord’s word:

Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
hearkening to the voice of his word! Psalms 103:20 RSV
 
The Greek word aggelos, which in most Bibles is rendered as angel, is just the Greek word for messenger. This definition tells us that angel isn’t a heavenly rank, it’s a duty (being a deliverer of a message).
Check out this rendering of Hebrews 1 from the 2001translation.

1 Long ago, God spoke to our fathers through the Prophets in many places and in many ways. 2 And in the last part of these days, He speaks to us through a Son who He has made the heir to everything… the one that He used to create the ages. 3 He shines with the same glory, is the exact image of His being, and is responsible for everything that’s said through His power. And after he cleansed us of our sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Great One in the highest places. 4 And now He has become so much greater than the [other] messengers [of God] and so different, that he has inherited a [special] name among them.
5 For example, to which of His [other] messengers did He ever say, ‘You’re my son. Today I’ve become your Father.’ Or, ‘I will become his Father and he will become My son.’ 6 And again, when He brings His firstborn into [man’s] habitation, He says, ‘Let all of God’s messengers bow low before him.’
7 When He spoke of His messengers, He said, ‘He makes His messengers spirits and His public servants as flames of fire.’ 8 But when He spoke of his Son, [He said], ‘God is your throne into the age of the age, and your king’s scepter is the scepter of righteousness. 9 You loved righteousness and hated wickedness. That’s why God (your God) anointed you with the oil of great joy among those who are your companions.’ 10 And, ‘Long ago, O Lord, you laid the foundation of the earth, and [you] made the heavens with your hands. 11 But they’ll pass away while you still remain; for like clothes they will grow old. 12 Then, as [you would do to] a robe, you will wrap them up and repair them. Yes, you’re the one and your years will never expire.’
13 And to which one of His messengers did He ever say, ‘Sit here at My right until I set your enemies as a stool at your feet?’ 14 So, aren’t they all just spirits… public servants who are sent to serve the needs of those who will inherit salvation?
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Realizing that the term angel means messenger, this text could very well be referring to spirit beings as well as men when using the term angel.
 
elijah23 said:
I believe angels are those who do the Lord’s word:
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You are wrong to think they are human.

Bless the LORD, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
hearkening to the voice of his word! Psalms 103:20 RSV
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Here, David is calling upon angels to bless the Lord.


 
We have Michael and his angels fighting against the devil and his angels, so the word angel in the bible is usually for that race of spiritual beings that are similar to humans.
 
So often when we think about angels, we seem to believe that an angel is sort of a "spiritual species" if you will, when in fact, an angel is just a messenger and could be a man, a spirit being, or in the case of Balaam, an ass (donkey).
 
Sam21 said:
We have Michael and his angels fighting against the devil and his angels, so the word angel in the bible is usually for that race of spiritual beings that are similar to humans.
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Michael is an interesting case. The name means, if I remember correctly, "who is like God", and Michael is referred to as the archangel, which is a term that means "chief or highest messenger."
 
TRUTH over TRADITION said:
So often when we think about angels, we seem to believe that an angel is sort of a "spiritual species" if you will, when in fact, an angel is just a messenger and could be a man, a spirit being, or in the case of Balaam, an ass (donkey).
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Angels of God are never anything but what they were created to be. They can take on the form of men, but they are not made of man.

They are a specific heavenly creation.
 
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Angels are very active in the Bible and are used by God as messengers, warriors, and servants. The word "angel" comes from the Greek word "angelos" which means messenger. Angels are spiritual beings without bodies of flesh and bones, though they apparently have the ability to appear in human form (Gen. 19:1-22). Angels had many functions. They praised God (Psalm 103:20), served as messengers to the world (Luke 1:11-20, 26-38; Luke 2:9-14), watched over God's people (Psalm 91:11-12), and were sometimes used as instruments of God's judgment (Matt. 13:49-50).

The Bible tells us that God created the angels and that at some time in the distant past there was a rebellion in heaven and many of the angels fell. Apparently, it was the elect angels that did not fall (1 Tim. 5:21). The Bible says that angels were created by Christ (Col. 1:16), that they carry out the will of God (Psalm 103:20; Matt. 6:10), they worship God and Christ (Phil. 2:9-11; Heb. 1:6), are wise (2 Sam. 14:20), mighty (Psalm 103:20), holy (Matt. 25:31), and innumerable, (Heb. 12:22). However, angels are not to be worshipped (Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:9) since they are creatures.
Are there different kinds of angels?

Apparently, there are different kinds of angels with different characteristics and roles: cherubim, seraphim, and archangels. It may also be that there are "powers" and "principalities" that further describe ranks in the angelic realm, but this is debated. Nevertheless, I'll focus on the three main groups.

  • "Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew," (Isaiah 6:2).
    • They praise God (Isaiah 6:3).
    • The word "seraphim" (singular is saraph) probably a translation of 'fiery ones' and probably stems from the fiery imagery often associated with the Presence of God (cf. Ezek. 1:27).1
  • "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life," (Gen. 3:24). See also Exodus 25:18-22; Heb. 9:5.
    • Cherubim are typically represented with wings, feet, and hands, but are described in different forms as having two faces (Ezek. 41:18) and even four faces (Ezek. 10:21).
    • Cherubim were considered to be angels that guarded sacred things. In Gen. 3:24 they guarded the tree of life. They were over the Ark of the Covenant on the Mercy Seat (1 Sam. 4:4). See also Psalm 80:1; 99:1.
    • Figures of Cherubs were embroidered on the temple veil (Exodus 26:31; 2 Chron. 3:7) and lavished Solomon's temple (1 Kings 6:26ff).
  • "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first," (1 Thess. 4:16).
    • The word "archangel" is not found in the Old Testament. References to Michael the archangel appear only in 1 Thess. 4:16 and Jude 9. However, Gabriel, who is considered an archangel appears in both the OT and NT. In the OT he is found in Dan. 8:15-26 and 9:21-27. In the NT he is mentioned in Luke 1:11-20, 26-38. He seems to be a messenger angel.
    • On the other hand, Michael the archangel seems to be a warrior angel (Rev. 12:7) who does battle (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1).
    • An interesting note is that in Rom. 8:38, Eph. 1:21, and Col. 1:16, the word 'principalities' is used. In Greek the word has the prefix of "arche" suggesting archangel. Some think this means there is a hierarchy of angels as is suggested in 1 Pet. 3:22: "who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him," (NASB)
For more: What are angels? | Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry
 
Alabaster said:
Angels of God are never anything but what they were created to be. They can take ion the form of men, but they are not made of man.

They are a specific heavenly creation.
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That's simply not the case my friend. Angels are NOT a species, an angel is but a messenger. Some can be spirit beings and others can be human beings. It's interesting that the translators picked and choose where they would transliterate and use the word angel and where they would translate it into its English equivalent which is messenger. The same word that is elsewhere translated angel is translated as messenger in Haggai 1:13 and other paces.
 
TRUTH over TRADITION said:
That's simply not the case my friend. Angels are NOT a species, an angel is but a messenger. Some can be spirit beings and others can be human beings. It's interesting that the translators picked and choose where they would translitterte and use the word angel and where they would translate it into its English equivalent which is messenger. The same word that is elsewhere translated angel is translated as messenger in Haggai 1:13 and other paces.
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That is false, and from the School of Fabulists.

No angel can be a human being, although he can take on human form to fulfill the Lord's will, and no human being can be an angel.
 
TRUTH over TRADITION said:
Nowhere that I am aware of in scripture does it say that Cherubim or Seraphim are angels. A Cherum was simply a flying creature and a Saraph was fiery or burning one.
Here's a link that goes into some detail on the subject that I found both interesting and enlightening.
ed01c - The cherubs, cherubim or keruwbim, what did they look like? - ed01c.htm
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Good! At least they are not people!

They are other orders of heavenly creatures, just as angels are.
 
Alabaster said:
That is false, and from the School of Fabulists.

No angel can be a human being, although he can take on human form to fulfill the Lord's will, and no human being can be an angel.
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What proof do you have to support your passion? It is a FACT that the Greek word we see translated in our Bibles means messenger. Even the quote from Christian Apologetis and Research that you posted said as much. If we wanted to accurate and totally honest, we would change "angel" to "messenger" EVERYTIME it appears in scripture and let the context tell us if the messenger in question was human of something else rather than accepting that the term "angel" means spirit being. The FACT is, it simply does not. How can this even be argued?
 
OK,the word ANGEL usually refers to spiritual beings that were before humans but sometimes it simply refers to a messager, the context makes the difference.
 
Sam21 said:
OK,the word ANGEL usually refers to spiritual beings that were before humans but sometimes it simply refers to a messager, the context makes the difference.
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Well said! It ALWAYS refers to a messenger, but the CONTEXT tells us whether that messenger was human or spiritual. Thanks!
 
TRUTH over TRADITION said:
What proof do you have to support your passion? It is a FACT that the Greek word we see translated in our Bibles means messenger. Even the quote from Christian Apologetis and Research that you posted said as much. If we wanted to accurate and totally honest, we would change "angel" to "messenger" EVERYTIME it appears in scripture and let the context tell us if the messenger in question was human of something else rather than accepting that the term "angel" means spirit being. The FACT is, it simply does not. How can this even be argued?
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Then change it to messenger. That is what it means. Maybe it will help you settle in your mind what the Bible is telling you.

The term, 'angel' is specifically referring to spirit beings, messengers of God, and you have nothing to prove otherwise.

This argument is merely due to the insidious infection called New Ageism that has wormed its way into the minds and hearts of Christians.
 
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