The Bible is filled with evidence that angels protect, guide, encourage and strengthen us. But there are also many lesser known, fascinating facts about God’s messengers found in the Bible. Here are 8 amazing angel facts taken straight from Scripture.
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The Bible is filled with evidence that angels protect, guide, encourage and strengthen us. But there are also many lesser known, fascinating facts about God’s messengers found in the Bible. Here are 8 amazing angel facts taken straight from Scripture.
1 of 8 Guardian angels are real.
The Bible tells us that guardian angels are indeed real. In fact, God commands many angels to guard us. In Daniel, the angel Michael is described as “the great prince who has charge of your people” (Daniel 12:1), and in the Gospels, Jesus tells us “See that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10). Scripture assures us that God surrounds with heavenly angels to guide and protect us in Psalm 91:11-12, Exodus 23:20 and Psalm 34:6-7.
2 of 8 Angels are not to be worshipped.
Although angels are amazing and real beings, we are not to worship them. Romans 1:18-19 and Colossians 2:18 warns us about glorifying angels, “Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels.” Lastly, in the Book of Revelation, the apostle John is so overwhelmed at his vision of the angel that he bows down and the angel responded, “Don’t do that! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers and sisters who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus” (Revelation 19:10, NIV).
If you ever wondered if angels get hitched, the Bible makes it clear in the book of Matthew, angels do not marry. “At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven” (Matthew 22:30).
4 of 8 Angels were created before humans.
Angels witnessed the creation of earth, as is seen in Job 38:4,7, “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding…. when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” And in Genesis 2:1, the Bible tells us God created these heavenly beings before the seventh day of creation. “Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts.”
5 of 8 Angels live forever.
According to Luke 20:36 Angels live for all eternity. They cannot die. “Nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”
6 of 8 The Bible only mentions two angels by name.
Although angels are mentioned many times in the Bible, only two good angels are named. Michael, the angel who helped God cast down Satan and who leads the heavenly armies, and Gabriel, the messenger angel who announced the coming of Jesus. (Additionally, The Book of Tobit which is part of the Catholic and Orthodox biblical canon does mention the angel Raphael.)
7 of 8 There are different kinds of angels.
The angelic realm has different kinds of angels: Seraphin, Cherubim, Archangels and Fallen Angels. Seraphim, depicted here in this illustration from the Petites Heures de Jean de Berry, a 14th-century manuscript, are closest to the throne of God, (Isaiah 6:1-7) and Cherubim are considered to be angels that guard sacred things (Genesis 3:24).
8 of 8 Angels abound! There are too many angels to count.
According to Scripture, there are thousands upon thousands of angels. Psalm 68:17 tells us “The chariots of God are tens of thousands and thousands,” and Hebrews 12:22 asserts “But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly.”