Who Are Angels?

Hearing the topic “Who are Angels?” should ignite your interest. First of all we must note that God is real, angels are real, and demons are real. They all affect our lives and the world in which we live. There is much biblical evidence and human experience that can acknowledge their existence. We all view this world through coloured glasses that affect the way we see things, people and events. They greatly determine how we interpret our world, the choices we make and our direction in life.

God is the Creator, an eternal and infinite personal Spirit being. There are also angels, good and evil, who are created and finite beings. The whole spirit world – God, good and evil angels – interacts among themselves and with human and nature.

The word for angels occurs 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament making 273 times in the whole Bible. The Bible classifies angels as either good or evil. The good are “chosen” (1 Timothy 5:21) and “holy” (Matthew 25:31). They worship and serve God faithfully (Hebrews 1:7). Evil angels (include Satan, their chief (Matthew 12:24-26) and demons (Matthew 25:41)) oppose God and His servants. These two armies carry on a great ongoing battle that surpasses human thought and affects the life of individuals and nations.

The Bible says in Colossians 1:16 that all angels were created by God through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He created them for His purposes and gave them intellect, emotions and will. They were created to have fellowship with God and with each other. These unique beings do not have material bodies (although they may appear to us as humans or in other forms as allowed by God) but have personal intellect. In fact they even desire to investigate the marvels of Christ’s redemption of humans through His sacrifice on the cross (1 Peter 1:11-12). They have personal emotions which can be seen in how they reverence God and in how they rejoice over a sinner who repents (Luke 15:10). They have personal will which allows them to choose to obey and serve God (Hebrews 1:14) or rebel against Him (Isaiah 14:12-15).

Angels are not omnipresent and hence can only be in one location at once even though they move swiftly. They have certain powers which sometimes affect the material world and human life (Acts 5:17-20). They also carry on warfare with one another (Daniel 10:13). We need not fear the power of angels because good angels are devoted to our welfare and furthermore their powers are granted by God and governed by God. They do not procreate nor die (Matthew 22:30) and cannot be redeemed like man because they have no one such as our Kinsman-Redeemer Jesus, to pay an equivalent penalty in their place. Thus Satan and his cohorts are lost forever and headed for the lake of fire but the good angels are always on your side.

I think now the question “who are angels?” should not pose so much trouble to you.