As revealed in the Bible, angels not only adore God but also serve as his servants, messengers and warriors, and our protectors.

We don’t know when angelic beings were created, but we know they were present before our creation, are immortal, and are spiritual beings without physical bodies (but which at times can take on the appearance of a bodily form).
Angels, like us, are finite creatures, though greater in might and power when compared to us, and they are not bound by the concepts of space and time. Human beings share much in common with angels, including intelligence, free will, a beginning, and the fact that we are all part of God’s creation.

Although angels are not of this world, we know they are nevertheless able to operate within our world.

Names and Titles

Generally, when angels are introduced in the Bible they are without names, such as “the angel of God” who led the Israelites out of Egypt and into the desert (Exodus 14:19), “the angel of the Lord” who appears throughout Acts (among other books), and the “sons of God” (Job 1).

Only three angels are specifically identified in the Bible as having names: Gabriel (first mentioned in Daniel 8:16), Michael (first mentioned in Daniel 10:13) and Raphael (found only in the Book of Tobit, and who is introduced as one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord in Tobit 12:15). In Sacred Scripture, the title of “archangel” is only given to St. Michael (in Jude 1:9), even though tradition and the liturgy of the Church attribute this same title also to St. Gabriel and St. Raphael.

Types

Within the pages of the Bible, angels are referred to in many different types. For example, sometimes they are referred to as “spirits”(for example, in 1 Kings 22), “holy ones” (such as in Jude 1:14, which quotes from the apocryphal Book of Enoch), “principalities,” “powers,” and “dominions” (Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 1:16), “authorities” (Ephesians 1:21), “thrones” (Colossians 1:16), “sentinels” (only found in Daniel chapter 4) or as heavenly host” (first mentioned in Deuteronomy 4:19).

“Cherubim” are mentioned multiple times, but first appear in Genesis 3:24 where they were stationed outside the Garden of Eden after our expulsion. The mysterious “seraphim,” “the burning ones,” are mentioned only in Isaiah 6:2 and 6:6.

Wings

Though angels are purely spiritual creatures, the Bible depicts some of them as having wings. The cherubim in Ezekiel 1 and 10 are described as having four wings (and four faces), although the two cherubim that Moses was instructed by God to place at the top of the Ark of the Covenant appear only to have two wings (and one face) each. The seraphim, as described in Isaiah 6, are said to have six wings. 

What do these wings look like? In Zechariah 5, several angels were described as having wings like those of a stork (Zechariah 5:9). Human hands are said to be under the cherubim’s wings in Ezekiel 1:8, and it is later indicated that “something like human hands” can be found under their wings (Ezekiel 10:21).

Hierarchical Structure

The Bible is not entirely clear as to whether there exists a hierarchical structure of angelic orders, but it does allude to the existence of angelic hierarchies. One example is when St. Michael is referred to as an “archangel” in Jude 1:9, and also when a group of angels is referred to as “his” angels in Revelation 12:7. 

The term “nine choirs of angels” is not specifically mentioned in the Bible, but rather originates from the teachings of the saints and other ancient theologians.

Guardian Angels

One of the roles of angels is as guardians. Guardian angels are angels who perform the function of protecting and interceding for us. The first of this type (or role) of angel to appear in Scripture is the angel of God who protected the Israelites from danger on their exodus from Egypt.

The Old Testament is not explicit on the question of personal guardian angels (i.e., an angel assigned to each person) in the way that many of us understand it today. General support for this concept is provided in the New Testament when Jesus admonishes, “See that you despise not one of these little ones, for … their Angels in heaven always see the face of my Father” (Matthew 18:10). Additional support is provided in Psalm 91: “For God commands the angels to guard you in all your ways. With their hands, they shall support you.”

Angels in Disguise

In some of the most well-known examples from the Bible, angels appear to humans as spiritual messengers of God, but other times we see them disguised as humans. Hebrews 13:2 warns us: “Do not neglect hospitality, for through it some have unknowingly entertained angels.”

From various passages, we know that angels can take on the appearance of a bodily form, such as St. Raphael in Tobit 5. In this book, we learn some of the details behind how the disguise operates. For example, St. Raphael shares that “even though you watched me eat and drink, I did not really do so; what you were seeing was a vision” (Tobit 12:19).

Fallen Angels

We know that the devil and his comrades were created naturally good and became evil by their own doing. Revelation 12:9 describes how a war broke out in heaven, and that the devil was thrown down to earth from heaven along with other fallen angels. These fallen angels, now referred to as demons, refuse to serve God and his plan.

Matthew 25:41 says that eternal fire has been prepared for the devil and his demons, and that God did not spare these angels when they sinned, but kept them for judgment (2 Peter 2:4). Because their future as determined by our Creator is unchangeable, all that they have left is to attempt to associate man in their revolt against God.

The Angels and Us

While we know that the war against God originated in heaven, it has since been continued on earth and directed against man. One role of the angels is to protect us against things such as darkness, confusion, bitterness and cynicism. When you are in trouble or are in need, invoke the good and holy angels so that they may support us in our struggles, and assist us by lifting our prayers to God.

As we continue to pray for God’s graces daily, let us ask the holy angels to pray for us, guard us, and most importantly, defend us in battle.