What Can We Know About Angels?
1) Direct Answer
We can know this: angels are created, holy spirits who serve the one true God and carry His messages and works to men. They are not to be prayed to or worshiped. They minister to the heirs of salvation, protect, deliver messages, execute judgments, and will be involved in end-time gathering. Some fell with Satan and are reserved for judgment. Believers will not become angels; in Christ we are placed higher, and we shall judge angels.
2) Scriptural Explanation
- Created by God, innumerable:
- Colossians 1:16; Psalm 148:2,5; Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 5:11.
- Nature and duty:
- “Ministering spirits” (Hebrews 1:14); “He makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire” (Hebrews 1:7; Psalm 104:4); they “excel in strength” and “do His commandments” (Psalm 103:20).
- Not objects of worship:
- Revelation 19:10; 22:8-9; Colossians 2:18.
- Messengers and guides:
- Gabriel to Daniel (Daniel 9:21-23) and to Mary (Luke 1:26-38); an angel directed Philip (Acts 8:26), spoke to Cornelius (Acts 10:3-6), stood by Paul (Acts 27:23-24).
- Protection and deliverance:
- “The angel of the LORD encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7); “He shall give His angels charge over thee” (Psalm 91:11); Daniel 6:22; Acts 12:7-11.
- Strengthening God’s servants:
- Matthew 4:11; Luke 22:43.
- Appearances:
- They may appear as men (Genesis 18–19; Judges 13); “some have entertained angels unawares” (Hebrews 13:2).
- Order and ranks:
- Michael the archangel (Jude 9; Revelation 12:7); “principalities and powers” (Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 3:10).
- The Angel of the LORD:
- Speaks as God and bears His Name (Exodus 3:2-6; Exodus 23:20-21; Judges 13:18-22). God revealing Himself by a messenger form.
- What they know and don’t know:
- They rejoice over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10); they desire to look into the things of the Gospel (1 Peter 1:12).
- Marriage and nature:
- They “neither marry” (Matthew 22:30). Saints do not become angels but are “equal unto the angels” in not marrying and not dying (Luke 20:36).
- Fallen angels and deception:
- Satan has angels (Matthew 25:41; Revelation 12:7-9). Some angels sinned (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Satan can appear as an “angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14).
- Testing any message:
- Even if an angel preached another gospel, reject it (Galatians 1:8). “Try the spirits” (1 John 4:1).
- Angels in the end time:
- They will gather the elect (Matthew 24:31) and separate (Matthew 13:39-49). The Lord descends “with the voice of the archangel” (1 Thessalonians 4:16).
- Believers’ position:
- In Christ we will “judge angels” (1 Corinthians 6:3). Jesus is far above angels, and angels worship Him (Hebrews 1:4-8).
3) Simple Clarifying Logic
- If angels were to be worshiped, they would accept it; instead, they refuse and point us to God—so worship God alone.
- If an angel’s message ever disagrees with the written Word, it is not from God; God does not contradict Himself.
- Angels serve; the Holy Spirit leads. We pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus, and God may send angels as His servants.
- People do not become angels. Angels are one order of God’s creation; redeemed men and women are another, brought into sonship by Jesus Christ and set to judge angels.
4) Short Reinforcing Statement
Now notice, angels are real, present, and active—but always under God’s command and always in harmony with the Bible. Respect their ministry, refuse their worship, test all things by the Word, and keep your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, whom angels themselves adore.
Ask a Follow-up Question
What did the Laodicean Church Age (our age) Angel (- messenger) Say about this?
Ranked passages from the local William Branham sermon and Church Age Book database. Relevance is relative, not a statement of doctrinal certainty.
Seals 10: The Seventh Seal
63-0324E §84
...t together like they're spelling out something. Notice, at that time, John started to write, and he said, "Don't write it." Jesus never spoke of it. John couldn't write it. Angels know nothing about it. What is it? It's the thing that Jesus said even the angels of heaven didn't know nothing about it, see. He didn't know it Himself. He said only God would know it. But He told us when we begin to see these signs coming up... (Now, are you getting somewhere? All right.) Notice, we begin to see these signs coming up, s...
Mary's belief
61-0121 §22
...and there He appeared into her presence. It was the same thing with Moses like it was with Mary. He said, "You're going to conceive in your womb and bear a child." Now she knowed the angel's message was scriptural. I don't care what kind of an angel it was that appeared, if that angel's message is not scriptural and a promise of God, let it alone. There's been all kinds of angels appearing, everything, and they bring all kinds of messages. If the angel of the Lord whose servant I am would come ... if that angel wo...
Faith in action
55-1003 §70
If Jesus... Here, this poor woman standing here, I don't know what she's here for. God knows that, but if Jesus Christ ... if someone ... if something would take place here and tell her what she's here for, well, that would be a miracle, wouldn't it? And now as far as healing her, if she's sick, I don't know. But, it ought to make every one of you believe. Make every one of you know that that same Angel that's on this picture here, it's down there. It's promised in the Bible; it come through the Bible age. It's sti...
I am the Resurrection and the Life
52-0810A §33
And God still has Angels, and they visit the people... Not a worship of Angels. But Angelic Beings who are attributes of God, sent forth to minister to the church, through the people. Oh, my. How short we are of the real apostolic church today of the blessing. We people who claim to be there, who claim to have kissed the blessings of the rims of the cup of blessing, how short we come. How we bubble dance on top of the suds, and know not what the bottom is. That's true. Now, friends, when I stand back here, I'm resp...
Hebrews, Chapter 2, part 2
57-0825E §12
Watch, now: For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak. Otherwise, the great angels that ministers in the heavens: Gabriel, Michael, Wormwood, and the tens of thousands times tens of thousands of angels of heaven; or the tens of ... hundreds of prophets that's been on the earth, every one of them, He's never put any of them to have control over the world to come that we speak of; not a one! He never said, "Isaiah, you'll control the world." He never put the world in subjec...