The Angels' Characteristics

Introduction:

For you certainly created my inmost parts;
You weaved me in my mother’s womb.
I will give you thanks, because I am wonderfully and admirably made;
Wonderful are your works, my soul knows this very well. (Psalm 139:13, 14)

The Lord has made us humans, body and soul, the creatures that we are. By his wisdom and power and goodness we have been fearfully and wonderfully made. All that we are, including all of our gifts and talents, we are because the Lord, our Maker, has made us what we are. Paul wrote, “For who distinguished you? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Corinthians 4:7).

Likewise, the angels are what the Lord made them to be. As we study with interest the nature of the creatures around us in this world, so we are interested in knowing about the angels, whom the Lord created and among whom we live in his creation. What kind of creatures are they? How might they be like us or different from us? Through this study of their characteristics we will find additional reasons to stand in awe of our gracious Lord and Creator and to praise his name, for his angels are also fearfully and wonderfully made in their own different and unique manner.

Searching The Scriptures:

1. In this first section of this Bible study we will discover what kind of creatures the angels are.

Hebrews 1:14 reveals that angels are spirits, meaning that they are spiritual beings.

Hebrews 1:14: Are not all angels ministering spirits, who are sent out into service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?

The verses below reveal that spirits do not have physical bodies with arms, legs, hands and feet as we have.

Luke 24:39: “Look at my hands and my feet that it is I myself; touch me and see, because a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have."

Ephesians 6:12: ...because our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the world powers of this darkness, and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

Note: As we learned in the first lesson on the creation of the angels, the titles rulers, authorities, powers and spiritual forces of evil are titles for the evil angels in this Ephesians 6:12 passage.

Since the angels are spirits who are not physical or material in nature, the angels are immaterial beings. Being immaterial spirits, the presence of the angels does not take up any space. They are illocal beings, having the quality of not occupying a place or location in space.

The physical, material creatures that the Lord made on the earth are visible to us. The angels, however, being immaterial spirits, are invisible creatures to us. This is upheld by Colossians 1:16, that clarifies that Christ is the maker of things in heaven and on earth, of the visible and the invisible things and creatures.

Colossians 1:16: ...for by him all things were created in the heavens and on the earth, visible things and invisible things, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

The Lord our God is a living being. John 4:24 tells us that God is also a spirit, or spiritual being.

John 4:24: God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

The angels are spirits as well as the Lord our God. The following verses, however, reveal that the angels are much less than the Lord is. The Lord is a far superior spirit in every way to the angels.

Exodus 8:10: Moses said, “It will be according to your word, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.”

Exodus 15:11: Who is like you among the gods, O Lord? Who is like you, glorious in holiness? To be feared in praises? Working wonders?

1 Samuel 2:2: There is no one like the Lord; Indeed, there is no one besides you; And there is no rock like our God.

Isaiah 40:18 & 25: And to whom will you compare God? And what image will you compare to him? 25 “And to whom will you compare me, that I should equal?” says the Holy One.

Isaiah 46:5: “To whom will you liken me? And to whom will you make me equal? And to whom will you compare me? And to whom am I to be like?”

The angels do not have the same powers and characteristics to the same degree that the Lord has. The Lord is infinite. He is eternal, with no beginning or ending. He is all-powerful, omnipotent, being able to do whatever he pleases. He is all knowing, omniscient. He is everywhere present at the same moment of time, omnipresent. Being inferior spiritual beings compared to the Lord, the angels are finite creatures who are not eternal. The angels do not possess power equal to that of the Lord. The angels do not know everything, nor are they everywhere present at the same moment of time. Unlike the Lord, the angels are not omnipotent, omniscient, or omnipresent.

Since the angels are not omnipresent like the Lord is, they are not everywhere present in the same moment of time. The angels are in but one place at a time.

Unlike the Lord, the angels are not eternal spirits who have no beginning, for the angels did have a beginning when they were created. They are like the Lord in this way, however, they do not have an end. They do not die. They are immortal spirits. Luke 20:36 below confirms this.

Luke 20:36: Neither are they able to die anymore, for they are like the angels, and they are sons of God, being the sons of the resurrection.”

Being immortal spirits, the angels do not change. They do not grow up or grow old like we humans do. In the sense of age, dating from the day of their creation, the angels are older now than they were when they were created. Each passing year marks their creation day, just as each passing year marks our birthday. But unlike us, the angels remain the same and are unchanging.

In this first section of this Bible study we have discovered the following characteristics of the angels: They are spirits, nonphysical and immaterial in nature. Their presence takes up no space; they are illocal. They are invisible. They are inferior to the Lord, in that they are: finite creatures, not eternal but immortal, not omnipotent, omnipresent, nor omniscient. The angels are in but one place at any moment of time. They do not change but remain the same.

2. In this second section of this Bible study we will discover based on Luke 20:34-36 below that the angelic spirits are asexual. This means the angels are neither male nor female in gender. The angels have no gender, since they are immaterial spirits. They are asexual even though in the Scriptures they are depicted in the masculine gender, such as Michael, Gabriel, the angels who appeared as men when they went into Sodom and to Lot, and the angels who appeared as men to the women in Jesus’ empty tomb.

Luke 20:34-36: And Jesus said to them, “The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, 35 but those who are worthy to attain that age and the resurrection of the dead do not marry, nor are they given in marriage; 36 neither are they able to die anymore, for they are like the angels, and they are sons of God, being the sons of the resurrection.”

3. In this third section of this Bible study we will discover that the angels are truly personal, living, individual beings. Personal, living, individual beings, like us, have an intellect, a will, and emotions. The angels also have an intellect, a will of their own, and emotions, which clarifies that they are personal, living, individuals just as we are.

1 Peter 1:12 tells us that God’s holy angels long to look into the gospel of our Lord. Their longing to look into the Lords gospel reveals that the holy angels must have a desire and a will of their own. To look into the Lord’s gospel and to learn about its mysteries also indicates that the holy angels must have an intellect that is capable of learning and growing in knowledge.

1 Peter 1:12: . . . to whom (the Old Testament prophets) it was revealed that they were not serving themselves but you with regard to these things, which things now have been proclaimed to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit who had been sent from heaven, into which things angels long to look.

Luke 15:10 informs us that God’s holy angels rejoice over sinners who repent. This reveals that the angels truly have emotions of their own.

Luke 15:10: “In the same way,” I say to you, “there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

Job 38:7 also states that during the time of creation God’s angels shouted for joy and sang together. The angels’ shouting for joy again clarifies that the angels have their own emotions. Their singing together also clarifies that the angels have an intellect that enables them to be rational, to express their emotional feelings, and to sing in unison or in conjunction with one another.

Job 38:7: . . . While the morning stars sang together, And all the angels shouted for joy.

Jude 6 states that the angels who followed Satan into sin bear moral responsibility for their actions that resulted in God’s judgment of them. Their choosing not to keep their sphere of authority that God had given to them at their creation, and their choosing to abandon their heavenly habitation shows clearly that those angels had a will of their own, which they followed.

Jude 6: And angels, who did not keep their sphere of authority but deserted their own habitation, he has kept in everlasting bonds under the darkness of hell for judgment on the great Day.

Revelation 4:8, 9 describe some angelic seraphim as four living creatures who are before the throne of God in heaven. These angels continually praise God and give him glory, honor and thanks. Their praising God and giving him glory, honor, and thanks shows they have a free will to choose to give God their praise. These angels are surely not robots, in the sense that God programmed them to praise him and to give him glory, honor and thanks. For if the angels were programmed like robots, their giving of glory and thanks would not be genuine praise for God. It would be nothing more than what God had programmed them to do. It would be only meaningless words.

Revelation 4:8, 9: And the four living creatures, each one having six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and they say day and night without ceasing, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY, IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, who was and who is and who is to come.” 9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne, to him who lives forever and ever, …

Psalm 103:20 confirms that the angels have an intellect and a will. They have an intellect that is capable of comprehending the Lord’s word and commands. They have a will of their own that gives the Lord their obedience and does what he says.

Psalm 103:20: Bless the Lord, you his angels, you powers of strength who carry out his word, to obey the voice of his word.

In this third section of this Bible study we have learned that the angels are truly personal, living, individual beings who have an intellect, a will, and emotions of their own.

4. In this fourth section of this Bible study we will discover another characteristic of the angels. The following verses reveal that the angels are not just spirits, as we learned above, but they are winged spirits.

Isaiah 6:2: Seraphim were standing above him, each having six wings, with two he covered his face and with two he covered his feet and with two he was flying.

Ezekiel 10:5: And the sound of the wings of the cherubim was heard as far as the outer court like the sound of God Almighty when he speaks.

5. In this fifth section of this Bible study we will discover that one outstanding characteristic of the angels is that they are mighty, powerful creatures.

The following verses reveal that the angels are mighty, powerful creatures.

Psalm 103:20: Bless the Lord, you his angels, you powers of strength who carry out his word, to obey the voice of his word.

2 Thessalonians 1:7: . . . and give relief to you who are afflicted, and to us as well, in the coming revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with his mighty angels.

Jeremiah 10:6 clarifies that the angels’ power is not as powerful as the Lord’s power.

Jeremiah 10:6: There is no one like you, O Lord; you are great, and great is your name in power.

2 Peter 2:10, 11 reveal that the angels are much more powerful than we humans are, however.

2 Peter 2:10, 11: . . .and especially those who go after the sinful nature with its corrupt desires, and despise authority. Daring, arrogant individuals, they are not afraid when they slander angelic majesties, 11 whereas angels being greater in strength and power do not bring slanderous judgment against them in front of the Lord.

The next verses reveal just how powerful God’s holy angels are. Angels have the power to strike humans blind and to bring fire and brimstone down from the Lord to destroy an entire city and region. One angel has enough power to destroy an entire army of 185,000 armed men in one evening.

Genesis 19:11, 13: Then they (the angels who appeared in Sodom as men) struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, from the small to the great of them, so they wore themselves out trying to find the door…13 for we (the angels who appeared as men) are going to destroy this place, because great is their outcry before the Lord, so the Lord sent us to destroy it.

2 Kings 19:35: And it was during that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand. When they rose early in the morning, then behold, all of them were dead bodies!

In this fifth section of this Bible study we have discovered that an outstanding characteristic of the angels is that they are mighty, powerful creatures. They are not as powerful as the Lord is, but the angels are much more powerful than we humans are.

6. In this sixth section of this Bible study we will discover an interesting characteristic about the angels. Though they are nonphysical, immaterial spirits, they do have the ability under God’s control to affect this material world and us physical, material humans who inhabit it. In the movie Ghost, that was produced some years ago, the spirit was depicted as having to learn and to acquire the ability to touch and move and affect material things in this world, such as an aluminum can for example. This is not true of the angels. They have the ability to touch, move, and affect in various ways material objects while remaining spirits in their very nature.

Genesis 19:10 & 16 reveal that the angels who appeared as men in Sodom were able to reach out, pull Lot inside, shut the door, grasp the hands of Lot, his wife, and his daughters, and then lead them to safety outside of Sodom.

Genesis 19:10 & 16: And the men stretched out their hand and brought Lot to them in the house. Then they shut the door. 16 But he lingered. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hand of his two daughters, because the mercy of the Lord was upon him. Then they brought him forth and set him outside the city.

Matthew 28:2 states that on Easter morning an angel rolled back the stone from the entrance to Jesus’ tomb and then sat upon it.

Matthew 28:2: And behold, a great earthquake occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and when he came, he rolled away the stone and began sitting on it.

Acts 12:7 & 9 inform us that an angel struck Peter’s side and made Peter’s chains fall off his wrists. And the things the angel enabled Peter to do actually happened and were not a vision or an illusion as Peter first thought.

Acts 12:7 & 9: Then behold, an angel of the Lord appeared, and a light shone in the cell. And striking Peter’s side he awoke him, saying, “Stand up quickly!” Then his chains fell off his hands. . . 9 And when he went out, he continued to follow him, yet he did not actually understand that what was being done by the angel was real, and he kept thinking that he was seeing a vision.

The following groups of verses reveal that though the angels are immaterial spirits, they can afflict human beings.

The following first group of verses reveals that the good angels afflict humans in the Lord’s service to protect, defend, and deliver God’s people from harm and danger.

Genesis 19:11: Then they struck the men who were at the door of the house with blindness, from the small to the great of them, so they wore themselves out trying to find the door

2 Kings 19:35 in connection with 2 Chronicles 32:21, 22: And it was during that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand. When they rose early in the morning, then behold, all of them were dead bodies! 2 Chronicles 32:21, 22 So the Lord sent an angel, and the angel destroyed every mighty soldier and leader and commander in the camp of the Assyrian king. He then returned in shame to his own land. And when he went to the temple of his god, then sons of his cut him down with the sword. 22 In this way the Lord delivered Hezekiah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem from the hand of Sennacherib, king of Assyria, and from the hand of all. Then he guarded them on all sides.

Psalm 78:49-51 reveals that the good angels also afflict humans in the Lord’s service to punish the enemies of his kingdom and people. The context, beginning at Psalm 78:42, 43, describes the Lord delivering his Israelite people from Egypt by means of the ten plagues. Verses 49-51 are about the last plague, when the angel of death, a band of destroying angels, struck the firstborn sons of Egypt.

Psalm 78:49-51: He (the Lord) sent on them his burning anger, An outpouring of wrath and indignation and distress – A band of destroying angels. 50 He prepared a path for his anger; He did not spare their soul from death, But he delivered their life to the plague. 51 He struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, The first fruits of their virility in the tents of Ham.

The good angels also afflict humans in the Lord’s service to administer the Lord’s wrath on the wicked, as was seen in Psalm 78:49-51 when the Lord unleashed his anger against the Egyptians and in Genesis 19 when the Lord had Sodom and Gomorrah destroyed.

The evil angels afflict humans with the sinister intention of doing them harm and destroying them body and soul.

Matthew 12:22 reveals a demon had possessed a man and struck the man blind and dumb.

Matthew 12:22: Then a demon-possessed man who was blind and dumb was brought to him, and he healed him, so that the dumb man spoke and saw.

Matthew 9:32, 33 informs us about a man who was demon possessed and struck dumb.

Matthew 9:32, 33: Now while they were going out, behold a demon-possessed man who was dumb was brought to him; 33 and after the demon was cast out the dumb man spoke. Then the crowds were amazed, saying, “Never has anything been seen like this in Israel.”

Mark 9:17-27 states an evil spirit made a boy mute, seized him, dashed him to the ground, ground his teeth, stiffened him out, threw him into convulsions, rolled him about, made him foam at the mouth, and threw him into both the fire and the water to kill him over a very prolonged period of time.

17 And one out of the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought my son to you, because he has a spirit that makes him mute, 18 and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him to the ground. Then he foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth, and becomes rigid. And so I told your disciples that they should cast it out, yet they were not powerful enough to do it. 19 Then he answered them, saying, “O unbelieving generation, for how long will I be with you? For how long will I put up with you? Bring him to me!” 20 So they brought him to him. And when the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. Now when he fell on the ground, he began rolling around, foaming at the mouth. 21 And he asked his father, “How long has it been since this has happened to him?” And he said, “From childhood. 22 And many times it has even thrown him into the fire and into the water in order to destroy him. But if you can do something, take pity on us and help us. 23 Then Jesus said to him, “If you can do something! All things are possible to him who believes!” 24 Immediately crying out the boy’s father said, “I believe! Help me with my unbelief!” 25 Then when Jesus saw that a crowd was running up to them, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You deaf and dumb spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never again enter into him!” 26 And after shrieking and convulsing the boy horribly, it came out. And the boy became very much like a corpse, with the result that many people were saying, “He’s dead!” 27 But Jesus, taking the boy’s hand, raised him to his feet, and the boy stood up.

Job 2:7 states that Satan afflicted Job with boils, or what has been described as elephantitis from head to foot, a horrible condition in which the skin dries up, cracks open, and then festers.

Job 2:7: Then Satan went out from before the Lord and struck Job with terrible, inflamed boils from the soul of his foot to the top of his head.

In this sixth section of this Bible study we have discovered this characteristic of the angels: Though they are nonphysical, immaterial spirits, they do have the ability under God’s control to affect this material world and us physical, material human beings.

7. We have discovered above that the angels have an intellect and possess knowledge. In this seventh section of this Bible study we will discover what knowledge the angels possess.

The holy angels of God possess what has been called a blissful knowledge. This refers to their having a firsthand knowledge of the Lord in his glory as a result of their always beholding the majestic face of God. The following two verses clarify that the angels are in God’s presence and beholding him.

Revelation 5:11: Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders, and their number was thousands upon thousands and thousands times thousands

Matthew 18:10: See that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father who is in heaven.

The next two verses reveal that the angels possess a natural knowledge of this world from the time its foundation was laid, at which time they rejoiced.

2 Samuel 14:20: But my lord is wise like the wisdom of an angel of God to know all that happens in the land.

Job 38:4-7: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have knowledge. 5 Who set its measurements, since you know? Or, who stretched out its measuring line? 6 On what was its bases sunk? Or, who laid its cornerstone? 7 While the morning stars sang together, And all the angels shouted for joy.

The next verses reveal that the angels possess a knowledge of divine revelation and of God’s Scriptures.

Luke 2:9-12: Then an angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were scarred to death. 10 And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people, 11 that today a Savior was born for you in the city of David, who is Christ the Lord. 12 And this will be the sign for you: You will find a baby that has been wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger.”

1 Peter 1:12: . . . to whom (the Old Testament prophets) it was revealed that they were not serving themselves but you with regard to these things, which things now have been proclaimed to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit who had been sent from heaven, into which things angels long to look.

Luke 4:9-11: Then he (the devil) lead him into Jerusalem and stood him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10 for it is written: 'HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,' 11 and that; 'THEY WILL LIFT YOU UP iN THEIR HANDS, SO YOU DO NOT STRIKE YOUR FOOT AGAINST A STONE.' ”

From Ephesians 3:10 we discover that the angels, who are called rulers and authorities in the verse, learn about the wisdom of God’s grace from the church. They hear the manifold wisdom of God proclaimed in the church here on earth.

Ephesians 3:10: . . . in order that the manifold wisdom of God should now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places by means of the church.

The next group of passages enables us to understand that the angels’ knowledge is limited. The Lord knows everything. He is omniscient, all-knowing. The angels are not omniscient, as the following verses reveal.

1 John 3:20: . . . that whenever our heart should condemn us, that God is greater than our heart and knows all things.

Matthew 24:36 states that the angels do not know the day or the hour of the last day.

Matthew 24:36: About that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.

1 Peter 1:12 verifies the angels knowledge is limited, because they long to look into the gospel of God’s grace in Christ that the Old Testament prophets spoke for our benefit and which the New Testament apostles have preached to us.

1 Peter 1:12: . . . to whom (the Old Testament prophets) it was revealed that they were not serving themselves but you with regard to these things, which things now have been proclaimed to you by those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit who had been sent from heaven, into which things angels long to look.

Matthew 8:28, 29 clarifies the angels’ knowledge is limited. The evil angels referred to in the verse did not know whether Jesus had come to torment them before the appointed Day of Judgment.

Matthew 8:28, 29: And when he had come to the other side to the country of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men, who were coming out of the tombs, meet him. They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by on that road. 29 Then behold, screaming, they were saying, “What do we have to do with you, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”

Mark 1:23, 24 inform us that the evil spirit did not know whether Jesus had come to destroy him.

Mark 1:23, 24: And at the time there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, 24 “What do I have to do with you,, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy me? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”

Since the angels are not omniscient, they do not know all things, they themselves do not know the future and what is to take place. Only God knows the future. So the evil angels cannot reveal the future through fortunetellers, seers, psychics, and mediums.

From Luke 1:11-20 we can learn that at times the Lord may reveal future events to one of his good angels for the purpose of having that angel inform one of his servants on earth of those future events.

Luke 1:11-20: Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was disturbed, and fear fell upon him. 13 Then the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and exultation, and many will rejoice upon his birth. 15 For he will be great before the Lord, and he shall never drink wine or strong liquor, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even in his mother’s womb, 16 and he will turn many of the people of Israel back to the Lord their God. 17 And he himself will go before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, TO TURN THE HEARTS OF THE FATHERS BACK TO THE CHILDREN, and the disobedient to the frame of mind of the righteous, to make ready a people who are prepared for the Lord.” 18 And Zechariah said to the angel, “On what basis shall I know this? For I am indeed an old man and my wife is advanced in her days.” 19 So answering, the angel said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands before the Lord, and I was sent to speak to you and to announce these good things to you. 20 Now behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day these things have happened, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”

While angels do not know the future themselves and cannot predict future events, Acts 16:16-18 tells us about a girl who had a spirit of divination that foretold the future. In such a case, since the angels do not know the future themselves, they could reveal what the Lord might have made known to them. Or, they could simply have made calculated guesses.

Acts 16:16-18: Then it came about while we were going to the place of prayer that a certain female slave, who had a spirit of divination, met us. She was earning a large profit for her masters by fortune-telling. 17 Following Paul and us, she cried out, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are proclaiming to you the way of salvation.” 18 Now she kept doing this for many days. But when Paul was thoroughly annoyed, he turned and said to the spirit, “I command you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.” And it came out at that very moment.

1 Kings 8:39 informs us that God alone knows the heart of a man. In addition to this Psalm 139:1-4 informs us that it is God who knows what a man is thinking and will say or do before he even says it or does it. This being true, only the Lord knows what thoughts and desires are in the hearts and minds of us humans. The angels do not know what we humans are thinking or what we have in our hearts and minds.

1 Kings 8:39: Then indeed hear from heaven your dwelling place, and forgive and do and give to each man according to all his ways, for you know his heart, because you alone know the hearts of all men.

Psalm 139:1-4: O Lord, you have searched me and known me. 2 You truly know when I sit down or when I rise up, You perceive my thoughts from afar. 3 You thoroughly examine my pathway and my lying down, And you are very well acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, Behold, O Lord, you know it completely.

James 2:19 informs us of one thing the evil angels definitely know. They know there is one God who will punish them.

James 2:19: You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe this and shudder!

In this seventh section of this Bible study we have discovered what kind of knowledge the angels have. The good angels have a firsthand knowledge of God in heaven. The angels possess a natural knowledge of this world from the time of creation. They possess a knowledge of the Scriptures and of divine revelation when God reveals that to them. They do not know the time of judgment, nor the future, nor the thoughts of us humans or what is in our heart. The evil angels especially know there is one God and that he will punish them.

8. In this eighth section of this Bible study we will discover that another characteristic of God’s holy angels is that they are glorious creatures.

The next Bible verses state that God’s holy angels are glorious creatures.

Luke 9:26: “For whoever should be ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him, whenever he should come in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.”

Matthew 28:2, 3: And behold, a great earthquake occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and when he came, he rolled away the stone and began sitting on it. 3 And his appearance was like lightning and his clothing as white as snow.

Hebrews 2:7 informs us that the glory and honor of the holy angels surpasses the glory and honor of us humans on earth.

Hebrews 2:7: YOU MADE HIM (Jesus) INFERIOR TO THE ANGELS FOR A LITTLE WHILE, YOU CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR.

The stars in the heavens are glorious bodies that shine forth in great splendor. In the Bible the angels are also described as stars. They too were created glorious to shine like the stars.

In Job 38:7 the holy angels are called morning stars.

Job 38:7: While the morning stars sang together, And all the angels shouted for joy.

The holy angels are also called stars in Judges 5:20. They fought from heaven against Sisera, the commander of the army of Canaan, who led the fight against Deborah, Barak, and the Lord’s Israelite people.

Judges 5:20: From the heavens the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera.

The next verses reveal that Satan is also described as a star, a fallen star that has come down to earth and is over the abyss, and whose one name is Wormwood because he embittered the waters of the earth.

Revelation 9:1 & 11: Then the fifth angel sounded his trumpet. And I saw a star that had fallen from heaven to the earth, and the key to the pit of the Abyss was given to him. . . 11They have as king over them the angel of the Abyss; his name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in the Greek he has the name Apollyon.

Revelation 8:10, 11: And the third angel sounded his trumpet. And a great star fell from heaven burning like a torch, and it fell upon a third of the rivers and on the springs of water. 11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood. And a third of the waters became wormwood, and many men died from the waters, because they were made bitter.

In Revelation 12:3, 4 the angels who followed Satan into sin and wickedness are called a third of the stars of the sky.

Revelation 12:3, 4: And another sign appeared in heaven, and behold a great, red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns and upon his heads were seven crowns, 4 and his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and cast them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that whenever she should give birth he could devour her child.

In this eighth section of this Bible study we have discovered that the holy angels of God are glorious creatures. Having been created glorious creatures, the angels are called stars, for they too shone in splendor like the stars. The holy angels have been confirmed in their glory. Satan and his evil angels lost their glory and are now only fallen stars.

Closing Thoughts:

The characteristics of the angels that we have discovered in this Bible study will arouse within us a variety of emotions. Respect for the holy angels, who are far superior to us in power, glory, and holiness. Fear of the evil angels, who have the power to afflict us were it not for God’s preventing them from doing that. Comfort, as a result of knowing that the holy angels have great power that they can use to guard and defend us. We can pray that the Lord our God will have his holy angels watch over us, and that he will keep the evil angels away from us.

This Bible study has enabled us to learn about the characteristics of the angels among whom we live. We would probably like to know more about them and to see them for the purpose of satisfying our curiosity about them. We cannot see them now, however; nor should we expect to see them during our lifetime. Thanks be to the grace of God in Christ, who has saved us from hell to live eternally in heaven, however, we will see the holy angels in all their glory when we ourselves are glorified and join them in heaven to sing our Creator’s and Redeemer’s praise.