Angel: Difference between revisions

There are many angels identified in the scriptures:

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|''And he measured the wall thereof, an hundred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel.'' (Revelation 21:17)

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Certain prophets are called "gods" and "angels" in the Bible.  In the book of Exodus, the LORD says to Moses ''I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet.'' (Exodus 7:1)  The Hebrew word Mal'ak (angel) can be interpreted as either a prophetic or priestly messenger (Isaiah 42:19, Haggai 1:13, Malachi 2:7), or simply as a messenger (I Samuel 25:42) or ambassador (Isaiah 30:4).   

*NCV: I am a servant like you, your brothers the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book:

*ESV: I am a fellow servant with you and your brothers the prophets, and with those who keep the words of this book.  

|''The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.'' (Psalms 34:7)

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In the New Testament, the Angel of the Lord appeared unto Joseph, Mary's espoused husband, in a number of dreams.  He also told the shepherds of Jesus' birth, and rolled back the stone of Jesus' tomb.  The Angel of the Lord released Peter and the Apostles from prison (Acts 5:19, 12:7), spoke to Philip (Acts 8:26), and smote Herod (Acts 12:23)

|''I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.  And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, [is] the LORD of hosts:''  (Isaiah 6:1b-3a)

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Seraphims (Hebrew: to burn) are God's winged choir.  Isaiah saw six-winged Seraphims in the temple of God crying ''Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts"'' unto the Lord.  Two wings covered their feet, two wings covered their faces, and two wings were used for flying (Isaiah 6:1-7).   

|''So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24)

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David said that God rode upon a cherub (II Samuel 22:11, Psalms 18:10), and Ezekiel saw cherubs standing by wheels, each with four wings, the form of a man's hand under their wings, and four faces: one of an cherub, a man, a lion and an eagle (Ezekiel 10).  Ezekiel saw a vision of the temple of God in heaven, with Cherubims with two faces engraved on and around the doors (Ezekiel 41:18, 25).   

|''And the four beasts had each of them six wings about [him]; and [they were] full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.'' (Revelation 4:8)

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From the descriptions in the Bible, it is not known if Cherubims and Seraphims are distinct "species" of Angels, or if these titles indicate rank.     

There is nothing in the scriptures that would suggest that these individual angels are winged or not.  For example, the angel Gabriel is called a man, yet he is known to fly swiftly.   

|Yea, whiles I [was] speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. (Daniel 9:21)

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In the Old Testament, Gabriel is name of the angel that appears to the Prophet Daniel (Daniel 8:16, 9:21).  In the New Testament, Gabriel is the name of the angel that appears to Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist (Luke 1:19), and Mary (Luke 1:26).  

|''Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.'' (Jude 1:9)

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In the New Testament, Michael is identified as an archangel, and the angel who rebuked the Devil in the name of the Lord when they were disputing over the body of Moses (Jude 1:9).  In the Book of Revelation, Michael is set at the head of the angels in their fight against the dragon, who also had a host of angels (Revelation 12:7).

|''How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! [how] art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!'' (Isaiah 14:12)

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The book of Revelation calls Satan (a Hebrew word) the Devil (a Greek Word), the dragon, the serpent, and the angel of the bottomless pit, which is called Abaddon and Apollyon (Revelation 9:11, 20:2).