Over the years, I have heard many erroneous statements and false
concepts about angels. The people who make these statements truly
believe in what they are saying, but can not offer any scriptural proof or
justification for their standpoint. If you call yourself a Christian, then you
shouldn't mind seeing what the Bible says about the subject. So, let us
look into THE TRUTH ABOUT ANGELS from the HOLY BIBLE where the
facts about angels originate.

NOTE: All scriptural references were taken from DAKE'S ANNOTATED
REFERENCE BIBLE AND CONCORDANCE - KING JAMES VERSION and
the "BOOKMAN" ELECTRONIC BIBLE - KING JAMES VERSION.

WHAT ARE ANGELS?

The Hebrew word for angel is mal'ak, which means to dispatch as a
deputy; messenger; ambassador. The Greek word for angel is aggelos,
which means to bring tidings; a messenger. The word angel is used, in one
form or another, 198 times in the Bible. Common angels are real personal
beings with personal bodies and personal souls including feelings,
emotions, passions and desires as well as personal spirits including all
intellectual powers as we know them.

In Hebrews 1:13-14 we find the following: 13But to which of the angels
said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy
footstool? 14Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for
them who shall be heirs of salvation? Reading down a little further we find
Hebrews 2:7 which says: Thou madest him (man) a little lower than the
angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour, and didst set him over
thy works of thy hand:...

Angels can be visible or invisible, depending on what their particular
mission happens to be, at any given time. Invisible things are made up of
material substance which is visible in it's own realm. Created things,
including spirit beings such as angels, cherubim, seraphim, etc. are all of
material substance. Some substances are of a higher order than others.
Though all are visible in their own realms, some may not be visible to
others of lower realms. Spirit beings are of a higher substance than flesh
and blood beings and ordinary material that we see. They are not limited to
ordinary substance as we know it, because they can go through closed
doors, walls, and other solid objects. This is proved by what is recorded in
Scripture of angels and others. Even the material, spiritual, and
immortalized body of Jesus, a real flesh and bone body (Luke 24:39) can
go through material walls without an opening (John 20:19; Luke 24:31,
35-43).

An angel can manifest himself in all his God given glory or he can appear as
a mere mortal (or not at all) depending on what he is sent to do. It is
evident that angels can and do appear in the form of a man as stated in
Hebrews 13:2 which says ...Be not forgetful to entertain strangers; for
thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

WHAT ANGELS ARE NOT.

Angels are not naked babies with feeble little rudimentary wing stubs as
depicted in Catholic art, or the ceramic figurines that you see at your local
gift shop. Angels are mighty beings of large stature as shown in
Thessalonians 1:7-8; 7And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the
Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, 8 In
flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and obey not the
gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. "In flaming fire taking vengeance"? That
doesn't sound much like the act of a naked baby. Those pink little things
would be burnt to a crisp in short order. Another account of the power of
an angel can be seen in Num. 22:22-23, 33. 22 And God's anger was
kindled because he went: and the angel of the Lord stood in the way for an
adversary against him. Now he was riding upon his ass, and his two
servants were with him. 23 And the ass saw the angel of the Lord standing
in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand...33 And the ass saw me, and
turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely
now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. I had slain thee? Those
"sweet" little babies couldn't split someone's skull open as this TRUE angel
of the Lord was about to do. They couldn't even lift the sword. NOTE: I
didn't reprint the entire thirteen verses here but, if you are truly seeking the
truth, you should look it up and read it for yourself.

Angels are not people (humans) who have died. Nowhere in the Bible does
it give even the slightest hint that angels come from deceased people.
That's just not true. What is true? Lets look in the Bible and see. 

One of the many tasks that angels perform is seen in Luke 16:22-25 which
says: 22And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the
angels unto Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried;
23And in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham
afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom. 24And he cried and said, Father
Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of
his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame.
25But Abraham said, Son, remember that thou in thy lifetime receivedst
thy good things, and likewise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted,
and thou art tormented.

So, one of the things that angels do is to transport departed spirits after
death. It doesn't say that Lazarus (or anyone else, for that matter) turned
into an angel. This also shows that seemingly good (rich) people don't
always go to heaven, and seemingly bad (poor) people don't always go to
hell.

Another thing that angels are often confused with is cherubim (or cherub),
but a cherub is a whole new creature entirely. A good description of a
cherub can be found in Ezekiel 1:5-28. There are 42 attributes listed in
Ezekiel that describe a cherub. Starting in verse 5, we find: they have the
likeness of four living creatures; The likeness of a man; Each had four
faces; Each had four wings, one on each side; They had straight feet; The
soles of their feet were like the feet of calves; They sparkled like the color of
burnished brass; They had hands of a man under their wings on their four
sides (four hands); Their wings were joined to each other; They didn't turn
when they went but went straight forward; The front face was like a man's;
The right face was like a lion; The left face was like an ox; The back face
was like an eagle; Their wings were stretched upward; Two wings of each
were joined to another; Two wings covered each body; They appeared like
burning coals, and like lamps; The fire went up and down among them; The
fire was bright; Lightning came out of the fire; They move as fast as
lightning; One wheel was on the earth by each side of the living creatures;
The appearance of the wheels and their work was the color of beryl; They
all looked alike; They looked like a wheel inside a wheel; When they went,
they traveled on all four sides; they didn't turn when they went; The outer
rims of the wheels were high and dreadful; The rims were full of eyes; The
wheels went with the living creatures; When the living creatures flew, the
wheels flew; The spirit of the living creature was in the wheels, which is why
they stayed together; There was a likeness of a firmament stretched over
their heads, the color of transparent crystal; Two wings of the living
creatures under the firmament were straight towards each other and two
covered their bodies; When they went, they made the noise of wings, the
Almighty, raging water, voices, a crowd; When they stopped, they put their
wings down; The firmament over their heads spoke; There was a throne
that looked like a sapphire on the firmament over their heads; There was
the likeness of a man on the throne; There was the color of amber, like fire
from within it; There was a bright rainbow around it. 

Now, this is some STRANGE stuff. Even Stephen Speilberg, on his best
day, hasn't come up with anything like this. However, if you think about it,
God has created some bizarre things in this world, too. We have animals
(and insects) that use chemical warfare such as skunks, rattle snakes and
stink bugs. There are animals that can "spear" and perforate you such as
porcupines. And then there is the strangest creature of all: The platypus,
which lays eggs, has a bill, a beaver's tail, ducks feet, and in the male,
poisonous spurs on it's hind feet! Not to mention the insect world. It has
the strangest creatures of all. God is indeed a creative entity; he cannot be
content nor confined to just what we see in this world.

A CHERUB IS "BORN".

We all remember the Oklahoma City bombing. In it, a lady lost her two
children. Afterward, that lady (and others) could be heard saying that the
children had become "cherubs". Someone had even made a portrait of the
children, complete with wings, etc. So, where are the many eyes? Or the
wheels? Or the four faces, etc. that the Bible says are part of a cherub?

No matter how well meaning this lady and others are, they couldn't be
more wrong. Yet, somewhere some "sweet old lady" is saying "Isn't that
cute" as she swallows this concept of an angel. It's NOT true. It's NOT
Christian. It is a LIE! This is just another example of how this bologna is
invented.

You may be quick to notice that the word "CHERUBIM" or "CHERUB" does
not appear in the first chapter of Ezekiel, but don't discount it as a
description of a cherubim, because you can find the same description in
Ezekiel 10:1, where it clearly states that it is a cherub. This, and many
other scriptures, indicate that cherubim DO have wings. 

Now for Seraphims. They are called "The Burning Ones". They only appear
in one place in the Bible - Isaiah 6:2-6. Not much is said about them; but
one important thing is mentioned: They ALSO have wings. Six, to be exact.
They cover their feet with two, their head with two and they fly with two.
(How do they see where they are going)?

In fact, there are ten different kinds of spirit beings, besides God. 

     There are: 
 1.Seraphim 
 2.Cherubim 
 3.Zoa (or Living Creatures) 
 4.Spirit animals 
 5.Arch-angels 
 6.Common angels 
 7.Demons 
 8.Demon locusts 
 9.Demon horseman 
10.Man (the Inner Man) 

In this article, I am dealing mainly with COMMON angels, as most people
don't even know about them, much less that the others even exist.

ANGELS DON'T HAVE WINGS!

Angels Don't have wings! That's right, they don't have any wings. Of the 90
scriptural references to the words WING, WINGS and WINGED, 45 of them
specifically refer to cherubim. The rest refer to: God, Seraphims, animals,
eagles, turtle doves, doves, fowl, peacocks, ostriches, hawks, wind,
morning, riches, shadow, Moab, Bozrah, lions, leopards, two women,
woman, sun, hens, beasts and locusts. None refer to angels.

They are: Genesis 1:21; Exodus 19:4; 25:20; 37:9; Leviticus 1:17;
Deuteronomy 4:17; 32:11; Ruth 2:12; Samuel 27:11; Kings 6:24, 27; 8:6,
7: Chronicles 28:18; Chronicles 3:11, 12, 13; 5:7, 8; Job 39:13, 26;
Psalms 17:8; 18:10; 36:7; 55:6; 57:1; 61:4; 63:7; 68:13; 91:4; 104:3;
139:9; Proverbs 23:5; Ecclesiastes 10:20; Isaiah 6:2; 8:8; 10:14; 18:1;
40:13; Jeremiah 48:9, 40; 49:22; Ezekiel 1:6, 8, 9, 11, 23, 24, 25; 3:13;
10:5, 8, 12, 16, 19, 21; 11:22; 17:3, 7, 23; Daniel 7:4, 6; Hosea 4:19;
Zechariah 5:9; Malachi 4:2; Matthew 23:37; Luke 13:34; Revelation 4:8;
9:9; 12:14.

Furthermore, of all references to the words ANGEL or ANGELS, there is no
mention of the words WING, WINGS or WINGED. So, the only way to
conclude that angels have wings is to twist what little knowledge of angels
there is and blindly accept the preconceived and prevalent notion of what is commonly presented as an "Angel", without asking "Where did we get that
from?"

Here are just some examples. In Acts 1:10,11 it says ...10And while they
looked steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by
them in white apparel; 11Which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye
gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven.
The next example can be seen in Matthew 28:2,3 ...2And, behold, there
was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven,
and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. 3His
countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: ... It seems
that, in all the descriptions of angels found in the bible, they are always
described as wearing white raiment. Now, if you were to describe someone,
which would be the more notable feature, white raiment or wings? You know
that if they had wings, that would be the more remarkable feature; that
would be the outstanding feature that would be used to describe one, not
white raiment. Since there was an effort made to recount the image of an
angel in the first place, do you think that they simply forgot this
remarkable feature? Or, could it be that there simply weren't any wings to
recount?

Let's look at another reference. Mark 16:5,6 which says ...5And entering
into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed
in a long white garment; and they were affrighted. 6And he said unto them,
Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is
risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him... Again, white
raiment - no wings.

You can search all you want; you won't find anywhere in the bible that
clearly states that angels have wings. You can't even find anywhere that it is
implied that angels have wings. It's just not there!

WHERE DO SUCH UNFOUNDED BELIEFS COME FROM?

The first thing to realize is that people have a God shaped void in them
that they are constantly trying to fill with whatever they can get hold of,
regardless of how near or far from the truth it may be. They are willing to
accept just about any religious concept, no matter how far fetched it is,
especially if it doesn't require any true commitment to God and/or his
word (the reading of it). That, coupled with a nagging sin consciousness,
and they will embrace anything that makes them feel religious or closer to
God.

So, on one hand we have all these people who's spirits are starving for God
and on the other hand we have a Godless media called T.V. that not only
doesn't know any more than the common man, but does all it can to AVOID
the truth of the Bible, lest it offend the majority of viewers. That leaves
producers with a bit of a problem. What to do? Invent some fiction! Ever
since you were a child, you have been programmed with it. Who hasn't
seen a cartoon where a character has expired and then reappeared with
wings, and sometimes even a harp and a halo. Think about it. Year after
year; show after show; whether animated or not - it's the same basic thing:
Someone dies and turns into an angel and gets wings (or has to earn
them). And the concept that an angel (or dead human?) has to earn his
wings is totally ludicrous: it just can't be found in the Bible.

All this tends to give the subconscious impression that EVERYONE
automatically goes to heaven, regardless of what is written in Revelation
20:12-15 which says: 12And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before
God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were
written in the books according to their works. 13And the sea gave up the
dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were
in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. 14And
death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the
lake of fire.... And you thought you'd be an angel. People can't handle the
concept that they might go to hell, so they invent fairy tales to believe in, to
make them feel better; until it's too late.

One of the most notorious, and completely false perpetration of these
myths that I've ever seen, as well as the best example, was a series called "
HIGHWAY TO HEAVEN", starring no less than MICHAEL LANDON. This
show has THE most absurd collection of fiction and outright lies that I
have ever witnessed. It had absolutely nothing to do with TRUE Christianity
whatsoever. And, what few true concepts that they got from the Bible, were
so twisted and distorted that they bore no resemblance to God's word or
character at all. And, yet, people actually believe such misrepresentations.

It's important to note that Michael Landon was Jewish, and as such, was
bound by Jewish tradition to reject Jesus as the Messiah and God's
ultimate sacrifice for the forgiveness of sin, as well as rejecting the entire
New Testament. It is no wonder that his lack of knowledge of the Bible, as
well as his need to feel religious vs. having a working relationship with
Jesus, has led to his participation in such a farce. I even heard him say, on
a talk show, that his role in "Highway To Heaven" has given him a head
start (on earning his wings). Now, this is not intended to be an attack on
Michael Landon, nor his family; He did a lot of good for a lot of people, and
DID have certain (seemingly spiritual) gifts. This is, however, an attack on
lies and ignorance, of which he happened to be a part of. Just because
someone appears to be "pure and Holy", doesn't mean they are. Even Satan
can manifest himself as an "An angel of light". Corinthians 11:14 ...And no
marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.

There have been many other shows and movies over the years that are just
as misleading. On the horizon this season is a show called "Touched By An
Angel". I haven't seen it yet, but I can be certain that it will be more of the
same kind of pseudo-spiritual twisting of Bible concepts that we have
become accustomed to in the past. I would be totally surprised if it were
scriptural. Let's watch and see.

WHAT SEX ARE ANGELS?

I do know that the show "Touched By An Angel" portrays a female angel.
Once again, this is not scriptural. ALL references to angels are in the
masculine form; You can't find one single feminine reference to an angel at
all. One prime example is found in Genesis 19:5 ...And they called unto Lot,
and said unto him, Where are the men which came in to thee this night.?...
Then read on down to Genesis 19:8 ...Behold now, I have two daughters
which have not known man; let me, I pray you, bring them out unto you,
and do ye to them as is good in your eyes: only unto these men do nothing;
for therefore came they under the shadow of my roof... This clearly
illustrates that angels do appear as men. In fact, they were so masculine
that the homosexual population of Sodom wanted to have sex with them.
So, there are NO female angels. Sorry ladies, that's the way it is - deal with
it.

Here's something to look for when watching those seemingly Christian
shows. One thing they all have in common: They NEVER mention the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. EVER! We have all seen prayers that ends in a
generic "Amen", in spite of the fact that the word says to pray to the father
in the name of the son. It's all part of Satan's plan. (Remember him? He
used to be an Archangel). If he can't get you to outright reject God, then he
will get you to feel religious by getting you into one of the many
Non-Christian religions that compromise the truth of God's word. That
way, you will go to Hell "With a Bible under each arm". He doesn't care
HOW he gets you: just so you DON'T accept Jesus as your Lord and
Savior. That's all he cares about. That is why he twists the truth about
God in every forum he can find. That's why you see naked babies with
wings; it's all a LIE - Did you fall for it?

OTHER STUFF ABOUT ANGELS:

There are some other interesting things about angels that are worth
mentioning. They are not necessarily supported by scripture nor denied by
it; they are simply experiences, etc. that people have had. NOTE: The Bible
doesn't list everything there is to know about angels, but it does give a
good example of what angels are like.

Angels are always in a hurry. They have places to go and things to do and
they don't waste any time doing it. This can be seen in a number of
scriptures. For example: Acts 12:7- And, behold, the angel of the Lord
came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on
the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off
from his hands. There are many other indications that angels go about
their business, without delay. And, if God told them to wait somewhere,
they would even be waiting in a hurry.

In all recorded instances where it is strongly suspected* that an angel has
intervened in human affairs, the angel in question is always very tall; over
six feet. Not tiny little babies.

*Since angels can and do appear in human form, and have no wings, it's hard to be sure that
it really was an angel. ...have entertained angels unawares. (Remember Hebrews 13:2 ?).

They can't be traced. They have no relatives; no permanent address; no
verifiable roots that can be looked up. This makes sense, if you think about
it. If they could, that would blow their cover and interfere with their
mission.

They travel lite. They never have any baggage or belongings (unless, of
course, there is something that they need to accomplish their mission,
such as a sword).

They have a tendency to vanish once their mission is accomplished; they
don't hang around and they don't care to be thanked. And they certainly
refuse to be worshipped, in any way, shape, or form. Revelation 22:8-9
says: 8And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard
and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed
me these things. 9Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy
fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep
the sayings of this book: worship God.

They travel at inconceivable speeds. An angel can literally witness someone
shoot a gun at you, go to heaven, ask God what he should do, and return in
time to catch the bullet if need be.

They don't talk much. They say what they came to say and that's it. They
don't engage in long winded conversations, or small talk. (And they don't
boast about being an angle or show off their powers). They stick to the
business at hand and no more.

A good source of more information about angels is a book by Billy Graham
entitled "ANGELS: GOD'S SECRET AGENTS".

ANGELS HAVE HARPS, DON'T THEY?

NO. Out of 54 references to the words HARP, HARPED, HARPERS,
HARPING and HARPS, there is no mention of angels. The harps of the bible
were 3 to 5 string instruments and were often mentioned in conjunction
with the psaltery, which is a 10 string instrument. They are also mentioned
most often in conjunction with the praising of God by man, not angels. So,
the idea that all angels have harps is just another facet in this intricate
myth that gullible and easily deceived people have so willingly swallowed.
(No, you don't automatically get one when you die, either).

WHAT ABOUT THAT "HALO"?

Another fallacy commonly associated with angels is the "Halo". This, too,
has NO foundation in scripture. After spending several hours at the library
trying to look up the word HALO, the closest that I could get was AURA. A
total search of the bible led nowhere, either. It just isn't there. So, where
did we get that from?

The "Halo", as we know it today, regardless of whether it is associated with
angels or as seen in Catholic "art", etc. is another example of how
non-Christian religions (as inspired by Satan) have reduced the magnificent
Shekinah Glory of God to a mere wisp of a ring.

In the beginning, before Adam and Eve sinned, they were clothed in the
(shekinah) Glory of God; they were literally covered with a glow which was
the Glory of God. This glow was why they did not perceive that they were
naked. God has this glow (Psalms 104:2), and being created in his image
(and sinless), so did Adam and Eve, as seen in Genesis 2:25 ...And they
were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Then, when
they transgressed the commandment of the Lord, that glory departed and
they perceived that they were naked. No more glow; no more clothing.
From then on, the majority of mankind has been ashamed of their
nakedness. Also, they could no longer endure the presence of God, since sin
cannot exist in the presence of God; it is terminally fatal. Since then, God
has had to shield man from his glory with a cloud to prevent man from
being "burned to a crisp". Look at Exodus 24:16 which says ...And the glory
of the LORD abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days:
and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud...

There are many more references to God using a cloud to protect man from
his glory. Even today, God sometimes manifests his presence (in spirit
filled churches when worship levels are high) in the form of a cloud.
Usually, they start checking the air conditioning system, etc. to see where
the smoke is coming from. A perfect example of this can be seen in
Chronicles 5:13, 14 where the cloud became so thick that they had to stop
the service. Now THAT'S worship! Has it ever happened in your church? Is
it likely to? 

Angels, who are in the presence of God daily, also share the glory of God
and have this glow, but it is much more than a diminutive little ring. It is a
majestic and magnificent garment that is suitable to be worn in the
presence of the LORD GOD ALMIGHTY! (And, it doesn't go sliding of and
rolling away as is depicted in the childhood fairy tale "The Littlest Angel").

IDOL WORSHIP; WHAT'S THAT?

That is those figurines of Angels that you may have displayed about your
home, or that picture of an Angel you may have over the fireplace.
Remember this? Exodus 20:4-6 ...4Thou shalt not make unto thee any
graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is
in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: 5Thou shalt
not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am
a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the
third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6And showing mercy
unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. (You
may have learned it in Sunday School - It's one of the Ten
Commandments).

If it is a statue, picture or figurine, it is a graven image and an Idol, and it
is an abomination to God. If you put any effort at all into placing it, hanging
it or even dusting it, then you serve it. If you ever admire it, talk about it or
consider it, you serve it.

There are many magnificent renditions of these so-called angels; they are
quite stunning and beautiful, but they have nothing to do with true
Christianity or the Word, and as such, have no place in a Christian home.

TRUTH OR CONSEQUENCES

Now, you have Truth and you have Lies; Honesty and Dishonesty; Fact and
Fiction: which will you choose? Will you continue to perpetuate an
unfounded myth or look into something with solid evidence and history. If
you do choose to remain ignorant, that is your right, but, please don't
present your misguided fables to children as fact, lest you find yourself
facing the penalty of Matthew 18:6. They deserve better than that. They
deserve truth and honesty.

So, now you know The Truth About Angels. It has taken a lot of research
(over 300 scriptures). It is firmly rooted in God's word. It is not "candy
coated" or "watered down". It is peaceable and easily accepted by TRUE
Christians. It offends religious people who think themselves Christian but
haven't made Jesus the Lord of their life nor care to read his word. To
those I ask: Have you a greater truth? Have you written a different bible? If
you think yourself Christian, but your foundation isn't the bible, you have
deceived yourself and you're in for a "Hell" of a surprise.

Remember, there are grave spiritual consequences for disregarding God's
word and the heavy price he paid for you. When you stand before God, and
the books are opened, if your name isn't found, don't say that no one ever
warned you. You have NO EXCUSE!

If you like this, copy it; if not, talk with God about it (it's HIS word).