What Do Biblically Accurate Angels Look Like? Verses and Images
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Many misconceptions surround the appearance and duties of angels in the modern day. With the angel craze that was in the 1990s, many people were left with a faulty view of angels.
Despite the media presenting angels in one light, the Bible tells us what angels are really like, how they appear to people, and how they serve God. It is good to be aware of what angels are and what angels aren't according to biblical standards.
Bible Verses about Angels
Isaiah 6:2 - Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
Psalm 91:11 - For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Matthew 18:10 - “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 24:31 - And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
Matthew 26:53 - Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?
Illustrations of Angels
Seraphim Fresco in Hagia Sofia
Painting of the Seraphim by Jean Berry
Depiction of the Cherubim Angels
Biblical Descriptions of Angels
As portrayed in traditional art, angels are not chubby, flying babies with wings. Rather, angels are spirit beings created by God to serve Him. Similarly, the Book of Hebrews tells us, "Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" (Hebrews 1:14).
Angels are ministering spirits who are sent to do God's will. While many people believe in the existence of guardian angels, nowhere in the Bible are we told that we have guardian angels.
The angels we are told about in the Bible are Michael and Gabriel. Catholic tradition also includes Rafael; however, the Bible has no record of this angel. Therefore, the only two angels that are given a name in the Bible are Michael and Gabriel.
Both are seen as obeying God, serving God, and helping those who God sends them to help. As in the case of Daniel the prophet, God sent Gabriel to talk with him (Daniel 9:20-23).
Gabriel is a messenger angel, which means he works as God's messenger to the people. We also see Gabriel fulfill this role when he appears to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). Michael is an archangel who fulfills his role to God of keeping humans safe at God's command.
While Gabriel and Michael are the only angels listed by name, many angels are recorded in the Book of Revelation. These angels are pouring out judgment on the people during the time of the tribulation; however, we are not given their names.
It could be we are not given their names for us not to worship or become obsessed with them. There are hundreds to thousands of angels, and one cannot be dogmatic in saying how many angels there are since God never gives us an exact number.
Seraphim is another type of angel that is recorded in the Bible, in the Book of Isaiah. While we are never told the names of the seraphim, we are told what they look like.
Isaiah 6:2 says, "Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying."
From this description, we can ascertain that seraphim are not the traditional look of the way culture presents angels.
Seraphim is unique among the angels because never are we told Gabriel, Michael, or the other unnamed angels in the Bible look like this. From all practical standpoints, the angels who descend to earth and who are spoken of in the Bible look like men.
This has been a difficult teaching to grasp since angels are spirit beings and not physical beings. It is also important to mention that nowhere in the Bible are we told that angels possess human bodies. As it is, angels are spirit beings, yet they do seem to appear like a man.
There is another misnomer that angels are both females and males. This is not true, as the only angels presented in the Bible are males and have masculine pronouns. As much as we like to think that there are male and female angels, this isn't biblical and does not adhere to a sound doctrine.
As the Bible tells us, Eve was the first woman and is the mother of all the living. Since this is true, this further proves there were no females before the creation of Eve. Some could even argue that angels don't have genders; however, the Bible does refer to angels as "he," "his," and "him."
In addition to Gabriel and Michael, we are also told about Lucifer, who is known to us as Satan, the deceiver, and the enemy. Satan was an angel before he led the rebellion against God, so he and all of the angels who chose to follow him were expelled from heaven.
The Lord tells us Himself that he saw Satan fall as lightning (Luke 10:18). Satan and his demons are no longer defined as God's angels since they rebelled against Him. Never again will they be given a chance to re-enter heaven.
The Appearance of Angels
As mentioned, angels normally look like men, yet the seraphim have a unique appearance. Despite appearing as human men, they are said to be mighty, awe-inspiring, and normally leave the person feeling fearful.
Since those whom angels visit usually fall down in worship or awe, we can imagine how wonderful yet fearful-looking they are. There have been many accounts of people seeing angels in the modern day; however, we cannot be certain if these are angels or not.
Angels are intimidating, and as John tells us in Revelation, he falls down in worship of an angel, only for the angel to command him to get up and worship God (Revelation 22:9). The angel is glorious, beautiful, and brilliant, yet he reminds John that he is but an angel. All of the worship, praise, and glory belongs to God alone. The angel doesn't want to take credit for what needs to be given to God.
This shows us how humble, loyal, and loving angels are. They love God and desire all respect, glory, and praise to go to Him.
Therefore, angels have been misinterpreted in the modern day. As Christians, it is important for us to educate ourselves on the appearance of angels in order for us to know what angels are and what is not.
While the angels in drawings and artwork may appear cute, real angels don't look this way. Angels are spirit beings God created to serve Him and make His will be done on earth.
They are not dead loved ones, nor do we become angels when we die. There are many false beliefs surrounding angels, their appearance, and their purpose, and it is our responsibility to help share the truth about angels.
Why Does This Matter?
Rather than going along with the trend of guardian angels or misrepresenting angels in artwork, we need to turn back to a biblically accurate depiction of angels.
To lie about what angels look like is to go against God. Angels are beautiful creations of God, and it is right for us to see them as such.
They are mighty, powerful, and strong, yet they are not as mighty, powerful, and strong as God. We should not worship them, nor should we give them praise. Like the angel tells John, all glory, praise, and worship must be given to God alone.
For further reading:
Are There Different Types of Angels in the Bible?
What Are All the Names of Angels in the Bible?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/Sentir y Viajar
