Part 1 of two in the series Spiritual Beings: A Study of the Unseen Creation.

Ask most people what an angel looks like, and you get a woman in a white robe, or a baby with wings. Scripture describes something else entirely: six-winged creatures who cover their faces because they cannot bear the sight of God, four-faced living creatures moving beside wheels full of eyes, and ranked authorities called thrones and dominions. This post works through what these beings actually are — when they were made, what kind of creatures they are, and how Scripture ranks them.

"Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will."
— Psalm 103:20–21 (NASB)

The Invisible Creation

The Bible's opening declaration — "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) — encompasses not only the physical cosmos but the invisible creation as well. Colossians 1:16 makes this explicit: "For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities." The invisible spiritual realm — angels, archangels, cherubim, seraphim, and other spiritual beings — is as much a part of God's creation as the galaxies and atoms of the physical world.

Angels are real, personal beings — not human projections, not allegories, not symbolic language for natural forces. They appear throughout Scripture with consistent characteristics: they are created (Psalm 148:2, 5), they possess intelligence and will, they exist in the presence of God, they serve as His messengers and ministers, and they are involved in the affairs of both heaven and earth.

What the Bible Tells Us About Angels

Historical and Theological Background

Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones (1899–1981), in Great Doctrines of the Bible, Vol. I: God the Father, God the Son (Crossway, 2003), outlines the logical order of doctrine: "before God made the world, or before He made anything in connection with men and women, He first of all brought into being those heavenly intelligences which are called angels... The first thing we learn about the angels is that they are created beings... Paul in Colossians 1:16 very definitely teaches that they were created by the Son" ^[1]. Lloyd-Jones also emphasizes that the cherubim hold the highest rank among angelic orders, their "special function is to worship God, and to present to Him the worship of the entire universe" ^[2].

Dr. Michael S. Heiser (1963–2023), biblical scholar and Logos Bible Software theologian, provides some of the most thorough academic treatments of the angelic host in his library books available in this collection. In Angels: What the Bible Really Says about God’s Heavenly Host (Lexham Press, 2018), Heiser argues that the Bible uses a range of terms beyond “angel” for heavenly beings — malʾāk (messenger), bĕnê hāʾĕlōhîm (sons of God), qĕdōšîm (holy ones), kōkĕbîm (stars), šamayim (heavenly ones), and ʾĕlōhîm (divine beings) — and that reducing them all to “angels” flattens the rich biblical picture of the unseen realm ^[3]. In The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (Lexham Press, 2015), Heiser shows that the ʾĕlōhîm of Psalm 82 are not idols but real divine beings who serve in God’s heavenly council — a finding that has profound implications for how we read Genesis 1:26, Deuteronomy 32:8-9, and the NT passages on spiritual powers.

Interest in angels and spiritual beings spans all of human history and virtually every culture. Josephus (37–100 AD) notes in Antiquities of the Jews I.3.1 that Moses teaches that the angels were among the first beings God made. (Sacred-texts: Josephus, Antiquities) Thomas Aquinas devoted his entire treatise on angels (Summa Theologica I, Q.50–64) to establishing their nature, hierarchy, knowledge, and will. (NewAdvent: Aquinas, Summa Theologica I Q.50) The Dead Sea Scrolls (discovered 1947–1956) contain extensive angelological material, particularly the War Scroll (1QM), which describes cosmic conflict between angels of light and darkness — illuminating the background of NT passages on spiritual warfare. (Leon Levy Dead Sea Scrolls Digital Library)

The Creation and Nature of Angels

When Were Angels Created?

Scripture does not give a specific moment for the creation of angels, but two passages are instructive:

1. Job 38:7 — "When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy" at the laying of earth's foundation. This implies the angels ("sons of God") pre-existed the material creation and witnessed it with joy.

2. Genesis 1:1 — "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." The "heavens" (haššāmayim) may encompass both the physical heavens and the heavenly realm where angels dwell. If so, angels were part of the original creation of "the heavens."

Victor Hamilton writes: "The 'sons of God' in Job 38:7 are clearly angelic beings who witnessed creation. Their presence at earth's foundation implies they were created before or at the beginning of the physical cosmos — making them the first audience for God's creative work" ^[4].

The point stands on the text's own terms. The sons of God in Job 38:7 cannot be human beings, since no human existed when the earth's foundations were laid. They are members of the heavenly host — already present, already watching, already worshipping. This aligns with Nehemiah 9:6 and Revelation 4:11: the angelic host as perpetual worshippers of the Creator.

Angels as Personal Spiritual Beings

Angels are persons, not forces. They possess:

• Names — Michael (Daniel 12:1), Gabriel (Daniel 9:21; Luke 1:19), Lucifer/Satan (Isaiah 14:12)
• Intelligence — they understand God's commands and carry them out with skill (Psalm 103:20)
• Will — some chose to rebel (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6)
• Emotions — they rejoice (Job 38:7; Luke 15:10)
• Speech — they communicate (Luke 1:26–38; Revelation 14:6–7)

Hebrews 1:14 defines their fundamental nature: "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?" Angels are leitourgika pneumata (liturgical/ministering spirits) — their essential existence is oriented toward service to God and service to God's people.

Heiser introduces an important concept in Angels ^[5] that reshapes how we understand angelic identity: imaging God. He writes: "Imaging God is about representation — acting on God's behalf at his behest. Humans image God on earth. The heavenly host images God in the spiritual, non-terrestrial world. The two are connected by design." This is why Genesis 1:26 uses the plural “Let Us make man” — God is addressing His heavenly host, and the creation of humanity as image-bearers connects to the same imaging role the angels already fulfill in the heavenly realm. Humans and angels are both imagers — representatives of God in their respective domains. This insight unlocks the Christological conclusion: Christ, as the perfect image of God (Colossians 1:15), is simultaneously the perfect fulfillment of both the heavenly and earthly imaging mandate.

The Hierarchy of Angels

Scripture indicates that angels are organized in a hierarchy of ranks and orders (Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 1:21):

Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite (c. 500 AD), in The Celestial Hierarchy, proposed the most elaborate historical taxonomy of nine angelic orders in three triads, which was adopted by Aquinas and influenced medieval theology deeply. While this specific structure goes beyond Scripture, it reflects the genuine biblical data of hierarchical angelic organization. (CCEL: Dionysius, Celestial Hierarchy)

Psalm 103:20–21 — Angels as God's Servants

Psalm 103:20–21

"Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will."

"Mighty in Strength"

‎גִּבֹּרֵי כֹחַ (gibbôrê kōaḥ, "mighty in strength"; BDB 150, 470)
Angels are described as gibbōr (mighty warriors, heroes of strength) — a term used for the mightiest human warriors in the OT. Their power is vastly beyond human capacity: a single angel struck down 185,000 Assyrian soldiers in one night (2 Kings 19:35); one angel rolled away the stone from Christ's tomb (Matthew 28:2). Their strength is not self-derived but delegated — they are "mighty in strength" in the service of the One who created them.

"Who Perform His Word... Doing His Will"

‎עֹשֵׂי דְבָרוֹ (ʿōśê dĕbārô, "who perform His word") — the defining characteristic of the unfallen angels is immediate, complete obedience to God's word. There is no delay, no negotiation, no partial compliance. The angels are the model of the obedience Jesus teaches in the Lord's Prayer: "Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10) — "as in heaven" refers to this angelic pattern of immediate, perfect obedience to God's will. Allen Ross writes: "Psalm 103:20-21 presents angels as the supreme example of creaturely obedience and worship. Before summoning humanity to bless the LORD, the psalmist summons the angelic host — their perfect worship is the standard toward which human worship aspires" ^[6].

Genesis 18:1–8 and 19:1–3 — Angels in Human Form

Genesis 18:1–8; Genesis 19:1–3

"Now the LORD appeared to him by the oaks of Mamre, while he was sitting at the tent door in the heat of the day. When he lifted up his eyes and looked, behold, three men were standing opposite him; and when he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them and bowed himself to the earth." (Genesis 18:1-2)

The Angel of the LORD and Two Angels

The appearance of three visitors to Abraham consists of the Angel of the LORD (often identified with the pre-incarnate Christ) and two angels who continue to Sodom (Genesis 19:1). This passage is one of the most important in Scripture for several theological themes:

1. Angels can appear in human form — they were indistinguishable from human beings to Abraham (v. 2)
2. Angels participate in God's mission of judgment and salvation — the two angels execute the rescue of Lot and the judgment on Sodom
3. The Angel of the LORD is divine — "the LORD" speaks in Genesis 18, making this visitor distinct from and superior to the two who go on

‎כְּמַלְאָכִים — The word מַלְאָךְ (malʾāk; BDB 521; HALOT 585), translated "angel," means literally "messenger." In both Hebrew (malʾāk) and Greek (ἄγγελος, angelos), the primary meaning is sent one — one dispatched with a message or mission. Their identity is defined by function (messenger) more than by nature (spirit being). This is why Hebrews 13:2 can speak of entertaining "angels unawares" — the angelic mission is sometimes concealed within an apparently ordinary human encounter.

Kenneth Mathews writes: "The appearance of the three men to Abraham in Genesis 18 is a theophany — a divine manifestation in the form of human visitors. The passage reveals that God's angels can interact in fully human ways with the physical world when the divine mission requires it" ^[7].

Isaiah 6:1–7 — The Seraphim

Isaiah 6:1–7

"In the year of King Uzziah's death I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple. Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings: with two each covered his face, and with two each covered his feet, and with two each flew. And one called out to another and said, 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory.'"

The Seraphim — "Burning Ones"

‎שְׂרָפִים (śĕrāpîm, "Seraphim"; BDB 977; HALOT 1327) — from the root שָׂרַף (śārap, "to burn"). The Seraphim are literally the "burning ones" or "fiery ones" — suggesting both the intensity of their nature and the consuming holiness of the divine presence they serve. They appear only here in Isaiah 6 and nowhere else in Scripture by this name, though the living creatures of Revelation 4 share similar characteristics.

Their six wings: Each seraph uses:

• Two wings to cover the face — in the overwhelming presence of God's holiness, even the most exalted angelic beings veil themselves. The seraph cannot look directly at the Holy One.
• Two wings to cover the feet — in reverence before the divine presence
• Two wings to fly — in readiness for immediate service

The posture of the seraphim is the theology of holiness in pictorial form: before the qādôš qādôš qādôš (Holy, Holy, Holy) God, even the most glorious creatures can only shield themselves and cry out in awe. Their worship is the model for all created worship: "Holy, Holy, Holy, is the LORD of hosts."

John Oswalt writes: "The seraphim in Isaiah 6 function as the celestial worship leaders — their cry of the Trisagion is not merely their own praise but the declaration that draws Isaiah into the vision and inaugurates his prophetic call. The spiritual beings around the throne are agents of revelation as well as ministers of worship" ^[8].

Ezekiel 1:4–28 — The Cherubim (Living Creatures)

Ezekiel 1:4–10

"As I looked, behold, a storm wind was coming from the north, a great cloud with fire flashing forth continually and a bright light around it, and in its midst something like glowing metal in the midst of the fire. Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings. Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf's hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides were human hands... And as for the faces, all four had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right; and all four had the face of a bull on the left; and all four had the face of an eagle."

The Most Complex Angelic Vision in Scripture

Ezekiel 1 records the most elaborate description of angelic beings in the entire Bible. The "four living beings" (ḥayyôt, BDB 312) are identified as Cherubim in Ezekiel 10:15 — the same class of beings that guarded the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3:24), flanked the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus 25:18–22), and appear in the heavenly throne room of Revelation (Revelation 4:6–8).

The Four Faces

The four faces of each cherub — man, lion, ox, eagle — have generated extensive theological reflection:

• Man — the highest of earthly creatures, rationality and dominion
• Lion — the king of wild beasts, power and sovereignty
• Ox (Bull) — the most powerful domestic animal, strength and service
• Eagle — the king of birds, speed and vision

Irenaeus of Lyon (c. 130–202 AD) in Against Heresies III.11.8 identified the four faces with the four Gospel writers — a tradition maintained by Athanasius and Jerome. While this specific application is typological rather than exegetical, it reflects the classic sense that the cherubim's four faces encompass the full range of earthly creation in service to God. (CCEL: Irenaeus, Against Heresies)

‎כְּרוּבִים (kĕrûbîm, "Cherubim"; BDB 500; HALOT 504)
The Cherubim in Scripture serve as:

1. Guardians of sacred space (Genesis 3:24 — the Garden; Exodus 25 — the Ark)
2. Throne-bearers of God (Psalm 18:10: "He rode on a cherub and flew"; Ezekiel 1, 10)
3. Creatures of worship (Revelation 4:8 — "Day and night they do not cease to say, 'Holy, Holy, Holy'")

Their description in Ezekiel as having "the whole body, their backs, their hands, their wings, and the wheels full of eyes all around" (Ezekiel 10:12) speaks to the all-seeing quality of the divine attendants — they perceive everything in the presence of the omniscient God.

The Series

Part 1 of two in the series Spiritual Beings: A Study of the Unseen Creation.

1. Part 1 - Burning Ones and Four Faces - What Angels Actually Are (this post)
2. Part 2 - Ministering Spirits and Unseen War - What Angels Actually Do