Biblically accurate angels you may not know

Publish date: 2024-05-02

When you think of angels, you imagine celestial beings, male, tall, white, with blond hair, a halo and a golden voice. Oh, do not forget the beautiful large wings and a flaming sword. There are also the Cherubim who we have been made to imagine as cute babies with curly blond hair with tiny wings and a halo.

You may not be entirely correct. Research has shown that there are biblically accurate angels that you may have probably not heard of. Note that the Bible does not give a specific form for all angels, but it describes some of them who we are going to discuss today.

So, keep reading to find out the Biblically accurate angels.

Table of Content hide 1 Who are Biblically accurate angels? 2 What do Biblically accurate angels look like? 2.1 Ophanim 2.2 Seraphim 2.3 Malakim 2.4 Cherubim 2.5 Archangel 3 Biblically accurate angels’ names 3.1 First-tier angels 3.2 Second-tier angels 3.3 Third-tier angels 4 Conclusion

Who are Biblically accurate angels?

Biblically accurate angels vary, depending on the context. In the Old Testament, they are often portrayed as warriors who have been sent by God to protect His people. In the New Testament, angels are often described as messengers sent by God to deliver important messages to His followers. The following is how the scriptures describe angels:

What do Biblically accurate angels look like?

Have you noticed in the Bible where an angel will appear to a person and the first thing the angel says is: “Fear not”? This is because angels are terrifying to look at, unlike the perfect-looking beings that we see in movies and art.

Here are some of the popular angels and what they look like.

Ophanim

Ophanim

The Ophanim, also known as wheels, are the most bizarre-looking among the angels. Ezekiel’s account describes them as beings made out of interlocking gold wheels, with each wheel’s exterior covered with multiple eyes. The Ophanim move by floating themselves in the sky. Since they are the highest ranked in the Maimonides’ hierarchy, their task is to guard God’s throne.

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Seraphim

Seraphim

According to Isaiah 6:1–8, the Seraphim has six wings, two of which are for flying while they use the rest to cover their heads and feet. Their basic function is to surround God’s throne singing “holy, holy, holy” in unison as He approaches.

Seraphim is derived from the Hebrew word, Seraph, which means “to burn”. The Seraphim is the second highest in rank in Maimonides’ hierarchy.

Malakim

Malakim

The term, Angel, comes from the Greek word, Angelos, which originated from the Hebrew word for messenger, Mal’ akh. Therefore, the Malakim are the messengers of God and closest looking to humans. However, there is no mention of them having wings. In the Old Testament, they were the angels of death, acting on God’s behalf, like the story of the Passover in Exodus 12.

In the New Testament, the Malakim were messengers like in the case of Angel Gabriel, who informed Mary of her Immaculate Conception. Also, the Malakim is ranked third among the three tiers of angels.

Cherubim

Cherubim

In Ezekiel 1: 10, the Cherubim is described as having four wings, two for covering their feet and two for flight and four faces. The faces include that of a human, a lion, an ox and an eagle. Cherubim means “fulfilment of wisdom”. The Cherubim’s basic function is to guard sacred places like the Garden of Eden. Their mixed appearance is similar to that of the Babylonian Lamassu, Egyptian Sphynx and Hittite Griffin.

Meanwhile, the devil was once a Cherubim before he rebelled against God and was exiled to hell.

Archangel

Angels like MichaelGabriel and Raphael are the archangels often mentioned in the bible. Their task is to carry out God’s specific plans. Archangels look like humans except for the wings. They often carry a flaming sword and a shield.

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Biblically accurate angels’ names

There are different types of angels and they come in three tiers of hierarchy. They are the following:

First-tier angels

Second-tier angels

Third-tier angels

These angels interact with humans more than the other tiers and they include the following:

Conclusion

As you can see, angels are usually not what they are portrayed to be. No wonder Biblical characters who encountered them were often scared and their lives never remained the same. Angels are not gods. They are simply messengers with specific tasks which they have to carry out according to God’s instructions.

So, if you encounter any, do not shout but count yourself lucky to have the honour of interfacing with them.

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