A Field Guide to Biblically Accurate Angels (With Bible Verses)

Angels today, more often than not, are depicted as sweet, gentle, benign, humanlike figures with illustrious wings, white robes, golden halos, and a soft glow. They offer comfort, soothe our worries, and sometimes provide protection from various troubles. 

While there’s nothing in the Bible that says that image of angels is wrong, it isn’t how they are typically described in Scripture. Biblically accurate angels are often strange and fearsome beings, and while they do bring comfort and protection, they can also be cryptic and even disturbing. 

Above all, angels are God’s messengers, sent as intermediaries to communicate with human beings on his behalf. The English word angel is in fact borrowed from the Greek angelos, which literally means “messenger,” and translated the Hebrew word mal’ak (also meaning “messenger”). 

These “messengers” can take many forms, though, and serve many purposes beyond divine couriering. Their appearances vary — seemingly at their will — from visions of grandeur to simpler forms that humans can comprehend. 

Here is a look at the different types or “classes” of angels mentioned in the Bible. 

Types of Angels Mentioned in the Bible

Angels are described in a variety of ways throughout the Bible, especially in the Old Testament. Early Christians were fascinated with cataloguing and ranking these types of angels into different classes. Though the Bible provides no such specific ordering, it does give them distinct titles and purposes. 

Archangels

Despite their title, which means “first angels” or “leader angels” in Greek, archangels traditionally ranked low on the angelic hierarchy in medieval Christianity (perhaps because of their relatively plain, humanistic features). But they receive a more exalted place in Jewish angelology (yes, that’s a real word) thanks to their names and their designation as “princes” in several passages. 

The only angels in the Bible with individual names are all archangels. Three are commonly accepted, though Orthodox Christians have a much longer list: 

• Michael (Dan. 10:10-21, 12:1; Jude 1:9, Rev. 12:7) — A “great prince and protector” who does battle against Satan and other demon princes. 
• Gabriel (Dan. 8:15-16, 9:20-22; Luke 1:19, 1:26-27) — Interprets Daniel’s visions and announces to Zechariah and Mary the advent of their children. 
• Raphael (Tobit 5:4 and throughout) — Accompanies Tobit on his journey and helps him expel demons and heal blindness. Sometimes also associated with John 5:1-4. 
• Other archangels: Uriel, Selaphiel, Jegudiel, Barachiel, and Jeremiel all come from 2 Esdras, Enoch, and other extrabiblical tradition, and are venerated in Eastern Orthodoxy. Metatron is also sometimes classified as an archangel. 

Cherubim

Cherubim in the Bible are radically different from the chubby little guys with arrows they are commonly depicted as today. In fact, they are quite terrifying, fearsome protectors — though more often against humankind than of us. 

They first appear in Genesis 3:24 alongside a flaming, turning sword to guard the garden of Eden against anyone who might want to try getting back in after Adam and Eve’s expulsion. 

They also adorn the cover of the ark of the covenant in Exodus 25, the curtains of the tabernacle in Ex. 36, and much later, Solomon’s temple (1 Kg. 6) — always guarding against people trespassing where they do not belong. When Moses speaks to God in the “tent of meeting,” God’s voice comes from between the two cherubim (Num. 7:89). 

The cherubim take center stage in Ezekiel 10. Here’s how Ezekiel describes them: 

• They’re hovering between burning, whirling wheels below and a sapphire “form resembling a throne” above (v. 1-2) 
• Their wings are as loud as God’s voice (v. 5) 
• Their entire bodies are covered with eyes (v. 12) 
• They have four faces: a cherub (it’s unclear what this means, but it’s often depicted as an ox), a human, a lion, and an eagle (v. 14) 

Seraphim

Seraphim are described as fiery, six-winged beings that stand in the presence of God. One pair of wings covers their eyes, one covers their feet, and with another they fly around the throne of the Lord. Their primary role is to worship and exalt God’s holiness, constantly singing “holy, holy, holy” to one another.  

Though they appear explicitly only once in Scripture, in Isaiah 6, their proximity to God earned them top billing in most Medieval hierarchies. 

‘Living Creatures’  

The English phrase “living creatures” translates two different Hebrew words: nephesh and hayyot. The former means literally any sentient creature — human or animal (see Gen. 1:20, Lev. 11:10). 

The hayyot, though, are a particular angelic being described in Ezekiel 1. He sees four of them, human-shaped and surrounding “burning coals of fire” that shoot forth lightning, while the living creatures dash around, also like lightning.  

Ezekiel later identifies these “living creatures” as cherubim, but they nevertheless remained a separate class of angels in some later Jewish and Christian hierarchies. 

The only other appearance of the “living creatures” in the Bible is in Revelation, where they seem to more closely resemble seraphim, with six wings, covered with eyes, chanting “holy, holy, holy” (Rev. 4:8). 

Thrones  

Thrones are the name later given to the ophanim (“wheels”) seen by Ezekiel together with — and indeed closely accompanying — the living creatures/cherubim. The prophet describes them in Ez. 1:15-21 as a “wheel within a wheel,” burning and “gleaming like beryl,” and “full of eyes all around.” Though totally inhuman in appearance, they are moved by a “living spirit.” 

Some Christians later interpreted these wheels to be like casters supporting God’s throne, which is why they came collectively to be called “thrones.” Though Ezekiel doesn’t say so specifically, he does describe a throne the color of sapphire directly above their heads, and says that whenever one wheel moved, all the other wheels and cherubim moved with it. 

Angels

By far the majority of angels in the Bible are not named or even described beyond the simple phrase “the angel of the Lord.” These angels act on behalf of God, communicating messages on his behalf and acting as “ministering spirits” to “those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). 

Angels speak to dozens of people in the Bible, from Hagar, Abraham, and Jacob, to the prophets of the divided kingdom, to Mary, Joseph, Peter, and Paul. Often angels deliver messages as quotes from God with the phrase, “says the Lord.” Occasionally they even speak for God directly, using first-person pronouns to explain God’s actions, such as “I brought you up out of Egypt” (Judg. 2:1). Sometimes it’s ambiguous whether God is speaking, or an angel is speaking on his behalf. 

But angels do far more than speak: they rescue Lot and his family (Gen. 19), oppose Balaam and his donkey (Num. 22), nearly destroy Jerusalem for David’s sin (2Sam. 24), and perhaps most dramatically, slaughter 185,000 Assyrian soldiers overnight (2Kg. 19:35). Frequently, they appear holding a sword (Num. 22:31, 2Sam. 24:16). 

Biblically Accurate Angels in the New Testament

The world of the New Testament is chock full of both angels and demons. It’s easy to literally lose sight of this fact in our modern age, where objects out of sight are also out of mind. But to first-century Judaeans, they were everywhere.  

The word “angel” appears about 180 times in the New Testament — compared to just over 100 in the Old Testament. (“Demons” appears about 80 times in the New Testament, and scarcely at all in the Old.) 

Aside from Revelation, angels in the New Testament are as a whole much tamer than in the Old Testament. But not all of them are benign. 

Here’s what we know about angels as Jesus and his followers describe them: 

• They often appear in dreams (Matt. 1:20, 2:13); when they don’t it can be frightening (Luke 1:29-30, 2:9-10) or disorienting (Acts 12:9).
• They will come with the Son of Man when he returns (Matt. 16:27, 25:31; Mark 8:38) and separate the saved from the wicked (Matt. 13:49).
• They are immortal (Luke 20:36), incorporeal (Heb. 1:14), and do not marry (Matt. 22:30, Mark 12:25).
• Some of them are evil (Matt. 25:41, Romans 8:38-39, 2 Peter 2:4).

Angels in Revelation

Angels feature prominently in Revelation — in fact, the term appears 75 times in that book alone! Entire volumes have been written trying to evaluate and interpret the detailed symbolism and prophetic meaning of Revelation, so we certainly can’t do it justice here. But here’s a quick snapshot. 

The angels described in Revelation are unlike most other angels in the Bible (outside of Ezekiel, anyway), especially in the New Testament. They are fearsome. They are massive, fiery and shining, wielding swords and scythes and controlling the elements. They bring pestilence and destruction, killing a third of humankind.

There are good angels led by Michael and evil angels led by Satan — but it’s not always clear which are which: Christians have long debated whether Abaddon (Rev. 9:11) is Satan himself, or an avenging angel acting on the Lord’s behalf. 

Are Guardian Angels in the Bible?  

The Bible does not explicitly mention “guardian angels” as they are popularly understood, as individual protectors each assigned to watch over a single person. This idea goes back several centuries, but it was absent from the earliest Christian understanding of angels. That said, there are some verses that suggest it is possible. 

Most angels in the Bible act in a mediatory or revelatory capacity, bringing messages to God’s people or appearing in prophetic visions. Those angels which do explicitly guard something are usually not guarding individuals: cherubim guard the gates of Eden, Michael guards the nation of Israel in exile, and so on. 

Psalm 91:11 comes closest to describing a guardian angel, saying that God will command his angels to guard you “in all your ways.” Some traditional readers interpreted this to specifically refer to guarding Jesus, based on its later use in Matt. 4:6 and Luke 4:10. But others have asserted that it could as well apply to any holy person. 

Matt. 18:10 indicates that special angels may be designated to watch over little children, though it’s not entirely clear what Jesus means by “their” angels. 

What Are Fallen Angels?  

Fallen angels are angels who fell from heaven due to immoral behavior or rebellion and now live either on earth or in hell. They figure prominently in Christian thought, but their level of threat varies.  

By the time of Jesus a strong extrabiblical tradition had developed in Jewish culture around fallen angels based on a few allusions in Genesis and Daniel — but the Jewish authorities were in general wary of this strain of thought, as it mostly drew on noncanonical books, especially Enoch. 

Genesis 6:1-4 allude to the Nephilim, giants or “sons of God” who procreated with human women. Daniel 4 mentions “holy watchers” coming (not falling) down from heaven. The book of Enoch picked up on these suggestions and helped to build a popular tradition of the “Watchers” lusting after human women. (Some believe Paul alludes to this belief in 1Cor. 11:10 when he says a woman must cover her head “because of the angels.”) Early Christians also understood Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:14-16 to refer to fallen angels. 

The New Testament is much more explicit, especially in Revelation but also in Luke 10:18 and Matt. 25:41. 

In the Middle Ages, fallen angels became associated with demons, though the Bible never makes such a connection explicit. 

Was Satan an Angel?

Most Christians believe Satan to have been an angel (perhaps a cherub or seraph) who rebelled against God and was cast out of heaven along with many who followed him. This understanding comes from piecing together clues throughout the Bible. 

The word satan is simply a Hebrew term for “adversary/accuser.” Like the word “god,” it’s sometimes used as a generic noun (e.g., 1Kg 5:4) and other times as a proper name (e.g., Matt. 4:10 and throughout the New Testament). In most of the Old Testament, it’s debatable whether any given mention refers to Satan himself or to a less specific “adversary.” 

Complicating matters further is how “the satan” in the Old Testament often appears to act with God’s approval or even direct instruction, as in Numbers 22:22 and Job 1:6-12. 

By the time of the New Testament, though, Satan was clearly understood as a proper noun for a particular figure, as is obvious by the use of the Hebrew word satan in otherwise Greek texts. It is also clear from Luke 10:18, 2 Peter 2:4, and Rev.12:7–9 that he fell from heaven. 

At least as early as the church father Origen (ca. 185-253 AD), Christians have interpreted Isaiah 14:12 and Ezekiel 28:14-16 to refer not to any fallen angel to but Satan specifically. They also identified the serpent in the garden of Eden as Satan, though Genesis never makes such a connection. Still, the interpretations are plausible and remain popular for many Christians today, especially among Catholics and Orthodox. 

Conclusion: The Hosts of Heaven

Biblically accurate angels are varied, complex, and awe-inspiring beings that play integral roles in the divine narrative — whether that’s popping up to deliver a message of hope and solace, displaying God’s might and glory in wild prophetic visions, or even wreaking vengeance on the wicked.  

Most of us will likely never see a real angel in our lifetimes, but studying their appearances in the Bible can be the next best thing — and give us much to wonder about. The amazing diversity of God’s creation, seen and unseen, is beyond our wildest imagination.

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