Setting The Record Straight About Angels

Remember to welcome strangers, because some who have done this have welcomed angels without knowing it. Hebrews 13:2 (New Century Version, NCV)

Yesterday, we discussed the ministry of angels and how God did not make them higher than mankind, but gave them to minister to us. Today, let’s continue our discussion to dispel a few incorrect assumptions about angels.

Many people believe that all angels have wings. While some verses do describe angels with wings, such as in the book of Revelation, there are some instances when they do not appear to have wings, such as in the Genesis account of Abraham receiving angelic visitors who then proceeded to Sodom to rescue Abraham’s nephew Lot. They appeared as men, and the men of Sodom believed them to be men because they wanted to have intecourse with them. So, not all angels have wings.

Angels are often depicted in statues, jewelry, etc. as being female. However, throughout the Bible, angels are described in a masculine sense. Just one time in the Bible are there spiritual creatures that are described as feminine (Zechariah 5:9), and because it was in a vision, most Bible scholars say they are symbolic and not actual angels.

Some people think that all angels are good. Technically speaking, all angels were originally created by God and were good. However, when the devil, who was also originally an angel, sinned and rebelled against God, the Bible tells us that 1/3 of the angels followed him. These angels are no longer good, but evil. And, the devil himself can make himself appear as an angel of light, but there is no goodness in him.

And no wonder, since Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. II Corinthians 11:14 (Amplified Bible, AMP)

There has been the thought that when believers die, they go to heaven and become angels. There is no mention in scripture of any human being becoming an angel. As we discussed yesterday, God made us as a higher class than the angels, so to become an angel once we die would be a step down, not a step up for us. While it might sound nice to say that a departed loved one is an angel in heaven, it is scripturally incorrect.

Hopefully we have dispelled some common misconceptions about angels and you have a clearer picture of the heavenly ministers we call angels.