An Overview of Angelology

In the lesson on  Nov. 5, 2023, we referenced Angels quite a bit.  As a point for going deeper into the lesson here is an overview of angelology that will also be posted in our Handouts and Downloads section.

Definition

An angel is a heavenly messenger who either delivers a message to humans, carries out God’s will, praises God, or guards God’s throne. 

Bible Terms

The term angel is derived from the Greek word Angelo’s, which means messenger.  Angelos and the Hebrew equivalent, malak, which also means messenger, are the two most common terms used in the Bible to describe this class of beings.  In general, in texts where an angel appears, his task is to convey the message or do the will of God who sent him.  Since the focus of the text is on the message, the messenger is rarely described in detail.

Some Other Things we Know About Angels:

Angelic Nature:   

Angels are created beings.  They are neither eternal, immutable, nor omnipresent.  They are intelligent but not omniscient, powerful but not omnipotent.

Remember, even Satan is a created being and is neither eternal, immutable, nor omnipresent.  They are intelligent but not omniscient, powerful but not omnipotent.

Angelic Function:   

The angel’s function as a messenger or agent of God is acted out in terms of:

• proclamation: revealing the will of God and/or announcing key events; 

• protection: ensuring the well-being or survival of God’s people; and  

• punishment: enforcing the wrath of God on the wicked among the Jews and Gentiles. 

Angelic Appearance:   

The physical appearance of angels varies, based on their categorization.  Unlike popular imagery, only cherubim and seraphim have wings.  Within biblical texts, angels always appear as men and never as women or children.  Angels identify with humans on the basis of form, language, and action.  The feature of a brilliant white appearance of angels occurs only in the New Testament.

Angelic Hierarchy:   

Some scholars suggest that a heavenly army must have order and that references to archangels (1 Thess. 4:16; Jude 1:9) and a special class of angels–which has intimate fellowship with God, such as the seraphim of Isaiah 6:2-6–indicate that angels are organization in a rigidly fixed rank system.  Some authors move beyond Scripture in their attempt to list specific angelic ranks and duties.   

I prefer to think of them, rather than as rank, more as a descriptive classification, e.g.  alternating current electricity, direct current electricity, or static electricity, rather than captains, majors and generals.  

Guardian Angels

Jesus’ comment in Matthew 18:10 and some passages which assign protective roles to angels (for examples, Michael, angelic prince over Israel in Dan. 12:1; angels of specific churches in Acts 12:15 and Rev. 1-3) imply that a heavenly counterpart represents each person in heaven.  This evidence is commonly used to assert that each individual has a “guardian” angel assigned to him or her by God.  The term “guardian angel”, however, is not biblical and the idea is at best only implied in these passages.