About Spirit Beings
In This Section:
More About Angels
About HaSatan
About Demons
About Nefilim
See also: The Angel of the Lord
The Scriptures teach that angels are created beings
(Psalm
148:5), not deity,
and are not to be worshipped (Exodus 34:14,
Deut. 6:13,
Luke 4:8); that they were created by HaShem
to serve and worship Him (Psalm
148:5); that they are organized into different ranks and
orders; and that there are now both holy and fallen angels.
Holy angels are “ministering spirits,
sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit
salvation“ (Heb. 1:14). They
ministered extensively to Yeshua during His earthly life and ministry, and
are involved in a general ministry to believers. Toward unbelievers,
angels announce impending judgments, and will be actively involved in the
judgments of the time of Ya'akov’s Trouble (the “Great Tribulation”).
We believe that HaSatan is also an
angel, a cherub of the highest rank of all angelic creatures, that he
sinned through the pride of self-will, and thereby became the author of
sin and the cause of the fall of man. He is the open and declared enemy of
both HaShem and man, and with his fallen angels (demons) is
in a state of present and open warfare against HaShem and His
saints. Some of the demons are presently being held captive “in chains” in
Sheol. They will all be eternally punished in the Lake of Fire, which was
created specifically for HaSatan and his demons.
Names for spirit beings
There are at least three classes of spirit beings
described in Scripture: cherubim, seraphim, and angels. Other primary
names for spirit beings include principalities and powers. Spirit beings
are referred to in Scripture by many names, among which the following are
included:
• powers / powers
of heaven (Matt.
24:29;
Mark 13:25;
Luke 21:26;
Rom. 8:38;
Eph. 6:12;
1Pet. 3:22)
• principalities
Rom. 8:38
• authorities
1Pet. 3:22
• spiritual
forces of wickedness
Eph. 6:12
• ministering
spirits
Heb. 1:14
• angels — The
Hebrew and Greek words translated as “angels” occur a total 389
times in Scripture (all word counts in this article are from the New
American Standard Bible), but not always referring to spirit
beings.
The Hebrew word $alm
(mal'ak) means a
messenger or representative, and appears 213 times. It is translated as
angel (101 times), angels (9), messengers (76), messenger (24),
ambassadors (2), and envoys (1).
The Greek word aggeloß
(angelos) means a
messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, or a messenger from HaShem.
It appears 176 times, and is translated as angel (86 times),
angels (80), angel’s (2), angelic (1), messenger (4), and
messengers (3).
• cherubim —
The Hebrew word bwrk kherub
(pl. kherubim) appears 20 times in the NASB as cherub (pl.
cherubim), and is used to denote (a) the guardians of Eden; (b) beings who
are flanking HaShem’s throne; (c) the forms hovering over the Ark of the
Covenant; and (d) figuratively, as the chariot of HaShem (Psalm
18:10). [Please note that the Hebrew “ch” is pronounced as a very
breathy “k” (like “kh”), not like “cherry.” The singular form of the word
is kherub and the Hebrew plural form is kherubim.
You sound really ignorant when you refer to “cherubims.”]
The prophet Yechezk'el (Ezekiel) provides us with a
detailed description of the kherubim (Ezek.
10:4-14):
“The
cherubim appeared to have the form of a man's hand under their wings.
Then I looked, and behold, four wheels beside the cherubim, one wheel
beside each cherub; and the appearance of the wheels was like the
gleam of a Tarshish stone. As for their appearance, all four of them had
the same likeness, as if one wheel were within another wheel. When they
moved, they went in any of their four directions without turning as
they went; but they followed in the direction which they faced, without
turning as they went. Their whole body, their backs, their hands, their
wings and the wheels were full of eyes all around, the wheels belonging
to all four of them. The wheels were called in my hearing, the whirling
wheels. And each one had four faces. The first face was the face of a
cherub, the second face was the face of a man, the third the face of a
lion, and the fourth the face of an eagle.”
• saraphim — The Hebrew word @rX
saraph (pl. saraphim) appears only in the writings of the
prophet Yesha'yahu (Isaiah),
and is closely related to the word used to describe the “fiery serpent”
that Moshe had made in the wilderness (Num. 21:6-8). He provides us with the following description (Isa. 6:1-5)
“In the
year of King Uzziah’s death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty
and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. 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. And one called
out to another and said, ‘Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The
whole earth is full of His glory.’ And the foundations of the thresholds
trembled at the voice of him who called out, while the temple was
filling with smoke.”
•
demons — The Hebrew word dX shed
appears only twice in the Tanakh, whereas the Greek word
daimonion daimonion (evil
spirits, or the messengers and ministers of HaSatan) appears in the
Apostolic Writings 63 times, plus variations daimon daimon (demon
1); daimonizomai
daimonizomai (demon-possessed 11,
demoniacs 2); daimoniode?
daimoniodes (demonic 1). All of the false gods of all of the religions of the world (Islam,
Buddhism, Confucianism, Hinduism, Jainism, Shintoism, Taoism, and
Zoroastrianism, to name but a few) are actually demons pretending to be
gods.
•
devils — As used in the King James Version, this is an incorrect
translation of the Hebrew word dX shed
or the Greek word
daimonion daimonion. There is only
one devil (Greek diaboloß, diabolos),
HaSatan. A better translation for diaboloß would be “false accuser” or
“slanderer.”
Names of Spirit Beings
In the Scriptures
Other than HaShem, there are only three
spirit beings who are specifically named in the Scriptures: Mikha'el
(Michael), Gavri'el (Gabriel), and (perhaps) Heylel (Lucifer) whose title
(not name) is HaSatan (the accuser).
Mikha'el (“Who is Like God” — Michael) is an “Archangel,”
the Sar Ri'shown (chief prince) of HaShem's heavenly army, the
great prince who stands guard over the people of Israel. (See
Dan. 10:13; 10:21; 12:1;
Jude 1:9;
Revelation 12:7)
Gavri'el (“Warrior of God” — Gabriel), is also an archangel,
the angel HaShem uses to send messages of great importance to man. He was
sent to Daniel, to Zacharias, and to Mariam, the mother of Yeshua. (See
Daniel 8:16;
9:21;
Luke 1:19,26)
It is assumed by most that it was Gavrie'l who also appeared to Yosef in
Matt 1:20
and
2:13-19, but the text does not say so.
Heylel (Light Bringer
or Light Bearer) is also know as Shining One, Morning Star, and Lucifer
(in KJV). He is also called Beelzebul (Lord of the House, Beelzebub in KJV)
seven times in the Apostolic Writings (Matt. 10:25; 12:24; 12:27;
Mark 3:22;
Luke 11:15,18-19.). He is
called Satan (adversary, one who withstands) 47 times in the NASB.
In Extra-Biblical Sources
From the Jewish Encyclopedia, entry “Angelology.”
•
Raphael (translation: God Heals), God's healing force
•
Uriel (translation: God is my light), leads us to
destiny
•
Samael (translation: the severity of God),
angel of death—see also
Malach HaMavet (translation: the angel of death)
•
Sandalphon (translation: bringing together), battles
Samael and brings mankind together
•
Jophiel (translation: Beauty of God), expelled
Adam and Eve from the
Garden of Eden holding a flaming sword and punishes those
who transgress against God
•
Sataniel/Satan
(translation: the adversary), tempts humans, serves as an adversary, and brings people's sins
before them in the
heavenly court
•
Metatron (translation is disputed, may mean "keeper of the
watch", "guardian", or "he who sits behind the throne of
Heaven"), God's heavenly scribe recording the deeds of all that
is done in Earth and Heaven and all of Creation.
Angelic Hierarchy in
Jewish Theology
Maimonides, in his
Yad ha-Chazakah: Yesodei ha-Torah (Mishneh Torah), counts
ten ranks of angels in the Jewish angelic hierarchy, beginning from
the highest:
Rank |
Angel Class |
Notes |
1 |
Chayot Ha Kodesh |
See Ezekiel chs. 1 and 10 |
2 |
Ophanim |
See Ezekiel chs. 1 and 10 |
3 |
Erelim |
See Isaiah 33:7 |
4 |
Hashmallim |
See Ezekiel 1:4 |
5 |
Seraphim |
See Isaiah 6 |
6 |
Malakim |
Messengers, angels |
7 |
Elohim |
"Godly beings" |
8 |
Bene Elohim |
"Sons of Godly beings" |
9 |
Cherubim |
See Talmud Hagigah 13b |
10 |
Ishim |
"manlike beings", see Genesis 18:2, Daniel 10:5 |
Bibliography
C. Arnold, Powers of Darkness
W.
Carr, Angels and Principalities (1981)
C. F. Dickason,
Angels: Elect and Evil
_____, Demon Possession and the Christian
Billy Graham,
Angels: God’s Secret Agents (1975)
J. W. Montgomery, ed: Demon Possession
H. Schier,
Principalities and Powers in the New Testament (1961)
M. Unger, Biblical
Demonology;
_____, What Demons Can Do to Saints
M. Wink,
Naming the Powers
_____, Unmasking the Powers
_____, Engaging the Power

December 13, 2017
For centuries,
artists have portrayed angels as beautiful humans with wings and
glowing light, complete with halos, harps, and flowing white
gowns (or perfectly sculpted bodies). But is that really what
angels look like? Angels have inspired all sorts of imaginative
stories and depictions, but what’s left when we separate fact
from fiction? In order to know the truth, we have to ask, what
does the Bible say about angels?
14 Biblical facts about angels
These
facts will help us learn a lot about the angels in the Bible:
what they are, why God created them, how their hierarchy works,
and much more.
1. God created angels
Angels
haven’t always existed. According to
Scripture, they’re part of the universe God created. In a
passage that refers to angels (the “host” or “armies” of
heaven), we read, “You are the Lord, you alone; you have made
heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host . . . and the
host of heaven worships you” (Nehemiah 9:6). In the New
Testament, Paul tells us that God created all things “visible
and invisible,” and specifically includes the angelic world with
the phrase “whether thrones or dominions or principalities or
authorities” (Colossians 1:16).
While
these Bible verses tell us that God created angels, the Bible
also suggests that they don’t “exist” in the same way we do. The
author of Hebrews suggests that all angels are “spirits”
(Hebrews 1:13-14). When Jesus appears to the disciples, he
asserts that “spirits” don’t
have bodies like he does (Luke 24:39). In
the Bible, angels can’t usually be seen by humans unless God
reveals them (see Numbers 22:31, 2 Kings 6:17, Luke 2:13).
However, from time to time angels took on a bodily form and
appeared to various people in Scripture (Matthew 28:5; Hebrews
13:2).
2. There are three types of angels in the Bible
Scripture names three categories of heavenly beings that appear
to be types of angels: cherubim, seraphim, and “living
creatures.”
Cherubim
Cherubim are mentioned in several places throughout Scripture:
- They guarded the entrance
to the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24).
- God is enthroned above them
(Ezekiel 10:1–22).
- God rides on them (Psalm
18:10)
- Two golden figures of
cherubim sit above the Ark of the Covenant, where God
promised to dwell among his people (Exodus 25:22, see also
verses 18–21).
Seraphim
Another
type of angel, the seraphim, are only mentioned once in the
Bible. They appear in Isaiah 6:2–7, where they continually
worship the Lord and say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of
hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isaiah 6:3).
Living creatures
Ezekiel
and Revelation speak of other kinds of heavenly beings known as
“living creatures” around God’s throne (Ezekiel 1:5–14,
Revelation 4:6–8). They appeared like a lion, an ox, a man, and
an eagle, representing various parts of God’s creation (wild
beasts, domesticated animals, human beings, and birds). They,
too, worship God continually: “Day and night they never cease to
sing, ‘Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and
is and is to come!’” (Revelation 4:8)
3. Angels have a hierarchy
Angels
in the Bible appear to have a rank and order. The angel
hierarchy is supported by Jude 9, when the angel Michael is
called an “archangel”—a title that indicates rule or authority
over other angels. He’s also called “one of the chief princes”
in Daniel 10:13, and appears to lead God’s angelic army in
Revelation 12: “Now war arose in heaven, Michael and his angels
fighting against the dragon; and the dragon and his angels
fought, but they were defeated” (Revelation 12:7–8). Paul also
tells us that the Lord will return from heaven “with the
archangel’s call” (1 Thessalonians 4:16). Scripture doesn’t tell
us if this refers to Michael, or if there are other archangels
as well.
4. Only two angels have names in the Bible
Only
two angels are specifically named in Scripture. As we said
above, the archangel Michael is mentioned in Jude 9, Revelation
12:7–8, and Daniel 10:13 and 21.
Gabriel
is the only other angel named in the Bible. He’s
mentioned in Daniel 8:16 and 9:21 as a messenger who comes from
God to speak to Daniel. He’s also identified as God’s messenger
in Luke 1. He tells Zechariah, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the
presence of God” (Luke 1:19). Then we read, “In the sixth month
the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named
Nazareth, to a virgin . . . and the virgin’s name was Mary”
(Luke 1:26–27).
5. Angels are not omnipresent
Angels
frequently appear as messengers in the Bible, traveling from one
place to another (see the verse above, where Gabriel “was sent
from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth”).
The
fact that angels are not omnipresent is made explicit when an
angel comes to Daniel and says:
“I have
come because of your words. The prince of the kingdom of Persia
withstood me twenty-one days; but Michael, one of the chief
princes, came to help me, so I left him there with the prince of
the kingdom of Persia and came to make you understand what is to
befall your people in the latter days.” —Daniel
10:12–14
If
angels were omnipresent, Michael wouldn’t have “came to help”
because he would’ve already been there, and this angel wouldn’t
need to leave Michael to bring this message. Unlike God, who
is omnipresent, angels are finite creatures, limited to one
place at one time.
6. We don’t know how many angels exist
The
Bible doesn’t tell us how many angels God created. But
apparently, there are a lot of them. Here are a few of the ways
the Bible tells us how many angels there are:
- On Mount Sinai, God “came
from the ten thousands of holy ones, with flaming fire at
his right hand” (Deuteronomy 33:2).
- We also learn that, “the
chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands of
thousands” (Psalm 68:17 NIV).
- When we come to worship, we
come into the presence of “innumerable angels” (Hebrews
12:22).
- John says, “I heard around
the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice
of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands
of thousands” (Revelation 5:11).
Every
biblical reference to the total number of angels suggests that
they’re beyond counting.
7. We can't prove that guardian angels exist
The
Bible clearly tells us that God sends angels to protect people:
“He will give his angels charge of you to guard you in all your
ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you dash your
foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:11–12).
But are
these what we think of as “guardian angels”? Jesus’ words in
Matthew 18:10 seem to support the idea that individual people
(or at least children) have guardian angels, “in heaven their angels always
behold the face of my Father who is in heaven.” But Jesus may
only mean that angels are assigned to protect little children in
general. (In sports terms, the angels may be playing “zone”
rather than “man-on-man” defense.)
When
the disciples in Acts 12:15 say that Peter’s “angel” must be
knocking at the door, this doesn’t necessarily imply that they
believe in individual guardian angels. It’s possible that they
believed an angel was simply guarding Peter at that time.
While
arguments can be made, there seems to be no definitive biblical
proof for the existence of “guardian angels.”
8. Angels do not marry
Jesus
taught that in the resurrection people “neither marry nor are
given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven” (Matthew
22:30, see also Luke 20:34–36). This clearly
suggests that angels don’t marry.
No
other passages address relationships between angels, so anything
beyond this is simply speculation.
9. Angels are very powerful
Angels
are called “mighty ones who do his word” (Psalm 103:20),
“powers” (see Ephesians 1:21), and “dominions” and “authorities”
(Colossians 1:16). They are certainly “greater in might and
power” than humans (2 Peter 2:11, see also Matthew 28:2). Angels
use their power to battle against Satan’s demonic forces (Daniel
10:13, Revelation 12:7–8, 20:1–3).
During
our earthly lives, we’re “lower than the angels” (Hebrews 2:7). But as powerful
as angels are, when Jesus returns, followers of Christ will be
raised higher than them (1 Corinthians 6:3).
10. We don’t know when angels were created
Genesis
2:1 tells us that the angels were made at some point before the
seventh day of creation: “Thus the heavens and the earth were
finished, and all the host of them” (“host” here refers to the
heavenly beings).
Exodus
20:11 is even more explicit: “In six days the Lord made heaven
and earth, the sea, and all that is
in them, and rested the seventh day.” We can at least
confirm that all the angels were created by the sixth day of
creation.
But can
we be any more specific? There may be a hint at the creation of
angelic beings on the first day of creation, when we read that
“in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”
(Genesis 1:1), immediately followed by, “the earth was without
form and void” (Genesis 1:2). There’s no mention of the heavens
in this second verse. This may be intended to contrast the
emptiness of the earth is with the heavens, where God already
created angelic beings. This idea could be supported by Job,
where we read that “the morning stars sang together, and all the
sons of God shouted for joy” when God laid the “cornerstone” of
the earth and sunk its “bases” (Job 38:6–7). If the angels (“the
sons of God”) shouted for joy when God was forming the earth, this could imply
that God created the angelic beings early on the first day. However,
this is only speculation.
11. Angels are examples for us
Angels
show us what perfect obedience looks like. Jesus teaches us to
pray, “Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew
6:10), and in heaven
God’s will is done by angels, immediately, joyfully, and without
question. Their delight is to be God’s
humble servants, faithfully performing their assigned tasks,
great or small. Our desire and prayer should be that we will do
the same.
Angels
also model worship. John sees around God’s throne a great
angelic army, “numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of
thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb who was
slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and
honor and glory and blessing!’” (Revelation 5:11–12). If the
angels find it their highest joy to praise God continuously,
shouldn’t we, too?
12. Angels carry out some of God’s plans
There
are numerous ways in which angels carry out God’s plans on
earth:
- They frequently bring God’s
messages to people (Luke 1:11–19, Acts 8:26, 10:3–8, 22,
27:23–24).
- They carry out some of
God’s judgments, bringing a plague upon Israel (2 Samuel
24:16–17), smiting the leaders of the Assyrian army (2
Chronicles 32:21), striking King Herod dead because he did
not give God glory (Acts 12:23), or pouring out bowls of
God’s wrath on the earth (Revelation 16:1).
- When Christ returns, angels
will come with him as a great army accompanying their King
and Lord (Matthew 16:27, Luke 9:26, 2 Thessalonians 1:7).
- They patrol the earth as
God’s representatives (Zechariah 1:10–11).
- They carry out war against
demonic forces (Daniel 10:13; Revelation 12:7–8).
- John records that an angel
“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 . . .” (Revelation 20:1–3).
- When Christ returns, an
archangel will proclaim his coming (1 Thessalonians 4:16,
see also Revelation 18:1–2, 21, 19:17–18, and other
passages).
13. Angels directly glorify God
Humans
aren’t the only intelligent, moral creatures who glorify God.
The Psalmist declares:.
“Angels
glorify God for who he is in himself, for his excellence.
Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
you mighty ones who do his word,
hearkening to the voice of his word!” (Psalm
103:20, see also 148:2)
The
seraphim continually praise God for his holiness (Isaiah 6:2–3),
and so do the four living creatures (Revelation 4:8).
Angels
also glorify God as they witness his plan unfold. When Christ
was born in Bethlehem, a multitude of angels praised God and
said, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men
with whom he is pleased!” (Luke 2:14, see also Hebrews 1:6).
Jesus tells us, “There is joy before the angels of God over one
sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10), indicating that angels rejoice
when someone turns from sin and trusts in Christ.
Peter
tells us that “angels long to look” (1 Peter 1:12) into the
glories of the plan of salvation as it works out in the lives of
believers each day. To emphasize the seriousness of particular
commands, Paul reminds us that our actions are carried out in
the presence of angelic witnesses: “In the presence of God and
of Christ Jesus and of the
elect angels I charge you to keep these rules
without favor, doing nothing from partiality” (1 Timothy 5:21,
see also 1 Corinthians 4:9). If Timothy follows Paul’s
instructions, angels will witness his obedience and glorify God.
If he neglects to obey, angels will also see and be grieved.
14. Angels are not to be worshipped
“Worship of angels” was one of the false doctrines being taught
at Colossae (Colossians 2:18). In the book of Revelation, an
angel warns John not to worship him: “You must not do that! I am
a fellow servant with you and your brethren who hold the
testimony of Jesus. Worship God” (Revelation 19:10).
We
shouldn’t pray to angels, either. God is
able to answer prayer. Paul warns us against thinking that any
other “mediator” can come between us and God, “for there is one
God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5). If we were to pray to angels, it
would implicitly give them a status equal to God. There are no
examples in Scripture of anyone praying to an angel or asking
angels for help.
Moreover, Scripture gives us no warrant to seek appearances of
angels. They manifest themselves unsought. To seek such
appearances would seem to indicate an unhealthy curiosity or a
desire for some kind of spectacular event rather than a love for
God and devotion to him and his work. Though angels did appear
to people at various times in Scripture, the people apparently
never sought those appearances. Our role is rather to talk to
the Lord, who is himself the commander of all angelic forces.
However, it would not seem wrong to ask God to fulfill his
promise in Psalm 91:11 to send angels to protect us in times of
need.
The value of systematic theology
Much of
what we see or hear about angels in culture is based on
speculation, non-biblical sources, or just plain fantasy. The
Bible has a lot to say about them—so much so, in fact, that it
can be hard to say which of the things we hear about angels are
rooted in Scripture. That’s where systematic theology is
helpful: scholars like Wayne Grudem carefully organize
everything the Bible says about a topic, so you can see it all
at once.
***
This post
is adapted from Wayne
Grudem’s video lectures on Systematic Theology, available
through MasterLectures.
MasterLectures, by Zondervan Academic, gives you unlimited
access to thousands of video lectures on the Bible and theology. Start
for FREE.