Bible verses teaching on angels: What does the scriptures say about them?

#1. The Bible teaches that angels relay God’s message to man.

Angels are God’s messengers to mankind. Here are four encounters that depict this important role of angels:

a. The encounter between the angel of the LORD and Hagar recorded in Genesis 16:7-11

“Now the Angel of the LORD found her by a spring of water in the wilderness, by the spring on the way to Shur. And He said, ‘Hagar, Sarai’s maid, where have you come from, and where are you going?’ She said, ‘I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai.’ The Angel of the LORD said to her, ‘Return to your mistress, and submit yourself under her hand.’ Then the Angel of the LORD said to her, ‘I will multiply your descendants exceedingly, so that they shall not be counted for multitude.’ And the Angel of the LORD said to her, ‘Behold, you are with child, and you shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has heard your affliction. He shall be a wild man; his hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand against him. And he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.’”

b. The encounter between the angel of the LORD and Samson’s mother recorded in Judges 13:2-7

“Now there was a certain man from Zorah, of the family of the Danites, whose name was Manoah; and his wife was barren and had no children. And the Angel of the LORD appeared to the woman and said to her, ‘Indeed now, you are barren and have borne no children, but you shall conceive and bear a son. Now therefore, please be careful not to drink wine or similar drinks and not to eat anything unclean. For behold, you shall conceive and bear a son, and no razor shall come upon his head, for the child shall be a Nazirite to God from the womb; and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.”

c. The encounter between Zacharias (father of John the Baptist) and the angel of God in Luke 1:8-13

“So it was that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division, according to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. And the whole multitude of the people was praying outside at the hour of incense. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, ‘Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.’”

d. The encounter between Mary and the angel Gabriel in Luke 1:26-30

“Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, ‘Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among the women!’ But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, ‘Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus.’”

#2. The Bible teaches that angels can appear to us in human bodies.

In the book of Genesis 19:1-3, two angels physically appeared to Lot as he sat at the gate of Sodom. Lot went ahead and invited them into his house. While there, he provided them with water to clean up and later offered them food, which they ate. So, this means that they just looked like common men, but in reality, they were angels. The scriptures say:

“Now the two angels came to Sodom in the evening, and Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom. When Lot saw them, he rose to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face towards the ground. And he said, ‘Here now, my lords, please turn in to your servant’s house and spend the night, and wash your feet; then you may rise early and go your way.’ And they said, ‘No, but we will spend the night in the open square.’ But he insisted strongly, so they turned in to him and entered his house. Then he made them a feast and baked unleavened bread, and they ate.”

#3. The Bible teaches that God can send His angels to deliver us out of dangerous situations.

Because of the depravity of the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, God decided to destroy the two cities. Given that Lot and his family lived in Sodom, God sent his angels to warn him to flee the city and escape to the mountains in order to save their lives. This incident is recorded in Genesis 19:12-17 as follows:

“Then the men said to Lot, ‘Do you have anyone else here? Son-in-law, your sons, your daughters, and whomever you have in the city—take them out of this place! For we will destroy this place, because the outcry against them has grown great before the face of the LORD, and the LORD has sent us to destroy it.’ So Lot went out and spoke to his sons-in-law, who had married his daughters, and said, ‘Get up, get out of this place, for the LORD will destroy this city!’ But to his sons-in-law, he seemed to be joking. When the morning dawned, the angels urged Lot to hurry, saying, ‘Arise, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, lest you be consumed in the punishment of the city.’ So it came to pass, when they had brought them outside, that he said, ‘Escape for your life! Do not look behind you nor stay anywhere in the plain. Escape to the mountains, lest you be destroyed.’”

This deliverance and protection from angels is also reiterated in the following scriptures:

Psalm 34:7 that says:

“The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him and delivers them.”

Psalm 91:11-12 that says:

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

In Acts 12:7-11, we see the angel of the Lord delivering Peter out of prison while he awaited judgment that had been scheduled for the next day. The scriptures say:

“Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him, and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up, saying, ‘Arise quickly!’ And his chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, ‘Gird yourself and tie on your sandals’; and so he did. And he said to him, ‘Put on your garment and follow me.’ So he went out and followed him and did not know that what was done by the angel was real but thought he was seeing a vision. When they were past the first and the second guard posts, they came to the Iron Gate that leads to the city, which opened to them of its own accord; and they went out and went down one street, and immediately the angel departed from them.”

#4. The Bible teaches that angels can lead God’s people during their journeys.

When Abraham sent his servant to look for a wife for Isaac, he told the servant that God would send His angel to direct his steps in the right way. This is recorded in Genesis 24:39-40 as follows:

“And I said to my master, ‘Perhaps the woman will not follow me. But he said to me, ‘The LORD, before whom I walk, will send His angel with you and prosper your way; and you shall take a wife for my son from my family and from my father’s house.’’”

After the children of Israel departed from Egypt, God sent His angel to lead them in the way they should go. This is recorded in Exodus 14:19 as follows:

“And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.”

#5. The Bible teaches that angels are superior in authority to men.

In terms of hierarchy in God’s creation, angels are superior to mankind. This is recorded in Psalm 8:4-5, which says:

“What is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor.”

Similar views are carried in 2 Peter 2:11. The scriptures say:

“Whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord.”

This is also repeated in Revelation 10:1-3, which says:

“I saw still another mighty angel coming down from heaven, clothed with a cloud. And a rainbow was on his head; his face was like the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire. He had a little book open in his hand. And he set his right foot on the sea and his left foot on the land and cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roars.”

#6. The Bible teaches that angels can commit error and get punished accordingly.

Just like human beings, angels can commit errors and get punished by God. We read this in the following scriptures:

Job 4:18-19

“If he puts no trust in his servants, if he charges his angels with error, how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before a moth?”

Matthew 25:41

“Then he will also say to those on the left hand, ‘depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels:’”

Jude 1:6

“And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day.”

#7. The Bible teaches that angels can be misled to disobey God.

In the book of Revelation 12:3-4, the Bible reveals that Satan initiated a rebellion against God in heaven and managed to draw a third of the angels to his side. The scripture says:

“And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was ready to give birth, to devour her child as soon as it was born.”

In this passage, the red dragon represents Satan, while the stars of heaven refer to the angels who joined him in rebelling against God. It is this group of angels that engaged Angel Michael and other angels on God’s side when war broke out in heaven, as captured in Revelation 12:7-9. The scriptures say:

“And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world: he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

#8. The Bible teaches that angels’ food is called manna.

When the children of Israel were in the wilderness on their way to the Promised Land, God fed them on manna. This is recorded in Exodus 16:14-15, 31 as follows:

“And when the layer of dew lifted, there, on the surface of the wilderness, was a small round substance, as fine as frost on the ground. So when the children of Israel saw it, they said to one another, ‘What is it?’ For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “This is the bread which the LORD has given you to eat.”

“And the house of Israel called its name manna. And it was like white coriander seed, and the taste of it was like wafers made with honey.”

The identity of ‘manna’ is found in Psalm 78:23-25, which says:

“Yet he had commanded the clouds above and opened the doors of heaven, had rained down manna on them to eat, and given them of the bread of heaven. Men ate angels’ food; he sent them food to the full.”

#9. The Bible teaches that angels are spirits.

Angels are spirits according to Psalm 104:4, which says:

“Who makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire”;

#10. The Bible teaches that angels are sent to do ministry to the saints of God.

After the tempter had left Jesus in the wilderness experience, the Bible teaches that God dispatched His angels to do ministry to Christ. This incident is recorded in Matthew 4:11, which says:

“Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.”

A similar sentiment is echoed in Hebrews 1:14. The scripture says:

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent to minister for those who will inherit salvation?”

#11. The Bible teaches that in the end time angels will separate the just from the wicked.

In the Parable of the Sower recorded in Matthew 13, Jesus explains that angels will be tasked with the responsibility of reaping the harvest (the saints) from the earth. In Matthew 13:41-42 the following is recorded:

“The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend and those who practice lawlessness and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

In Matthew 13:49-50 we find the following related scripture:

“So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

In Matthew 16:27, we again find similar echoes as follows:

“For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.”

The same occurrence is recorded in Matthew 24:31, which says:

“And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.”

A similar narration is given in Revelation 7:2-3 as follows:

“Then I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God. And he cried with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, “Do not harm the earth, the sea, or the trees till we have sealed the servants of our God on their foreheads.”

#12. The Bible teaches that each child has an angel assigned to them.

The Bible teaches that the angels assigned to little children are in constant touch with the God of heaven. This is found in the following two connected scriptures, Matthew 18:1-5, which say:

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is the greatest in the kingdom?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.’”

And Matthew 18:10, which says

“Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.”

#13. The Bible teaches that angels do not get married.

This is according to the words of Jesus Christ to the Sadducees as recorded in Matthew 22:30. The scriptures say:

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.’”

#14. The Bible teaches that angels do not know the day the world will come to an end.

This is according to Mark 13:32. The scripture says:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

#15. The Bible teaches that angels reside in heaven.

There are several scriptures that point to heaven as the official residence of angels. Here are some of them:

Matthew 22:30:

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures or the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven.’”

Mark 13:32:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

Luke 2:15:

“So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, ‘Let us now go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.’”

#16. The Bible teaches that there is joy in the presence of angels when a sinner repents.

This is according to Luke 15:10: “I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.” The Bible says:

“Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents.”

#17. The Bible teaches that the saints shall judge angels.

This is recorded in 1 Corinthians 6:1-3. The scripture says:

“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels?”

#18. The Bible teaches that angels have the ability to fly.

There are several scriptures that point to the fact that angels can fly just like natural birds do. Here are some of them:

Revelation 8:13

“And I looked, and I heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, ‘Woe, woe, woe to the inhabitants of the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!’”

Revelation 14:6-7

“Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people—saying with a loud voice, ‘Fear God and give glory to Him, for the hour of His judgment has come; and worship Him who has made heaven and earth, the sea, and springs of water.’”

#19. The Bible teaches that angels will play a major role in the execution of God’s judgment upon the wicked in the last day.

This is recorded in the following scriptures:

Revelation 8:2

“And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.”

Revelation 8:5-6

“Then the angel took the censer, filled it with fire from the altar, and threw it to the earth. And there were noises, thunderings, lightnings, and an earthquake. So the seven angels who had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.”

Revelation 15:1

“Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous: seven angels having the seven last plagues, for in them the wrath of God is complete.”

I hope this is helpful. God bless you.

Related Post: How the Bible describes angels?

Also Read: How does the Bible describe Jesus Christ?

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/

Prayer to get born again

Are you willing to be born again? Say the following prayer sincerely:

“Lord Jesus, I confess that I am a sinner and hereby ask for your forgiveness.

I believe in my heart and confess with my mouth that you are the only begotten Son of the living God.

I believe that you were sent by your Father to the earth to save sinners like me.

I believe that you died and resurrected in order for me to receive eternal life.

I now accept you as my personal Lord and Savior.

Come into my heart and baptize me with the Holy Spirit.

Thank you for saving me.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen!”

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Hello friend!
My name is Nicodemus. I'm a Kenyan by birth. I got saved over 30 years ago while in high school.
I love studying scriptures in order to enhance my comprehension of God and His plan for mankind.
I have an MBA degree in strategic management and a BSc degree in botany and zoology.
I’m married to a loving lady called Leah. God has gifted us three sons: Wayne, Salem, and Michael.
(cellphone no.: +254 723 753820 or email: nolilo76@gmail.com)