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.
A trumpet gives an uncertain sound
63-0114 §95
Our heavenly Father, I know that your words are so true. They can't fail. They are the Word of God. They are God. And You said, "He that comes to me I will in no wise cast out." And these men and women under conviction, knowing that they're not right, they've walked forward tonight, Lord, to confess that they're wrong, knowing that they have been pulsated by some inward motion that bid them come to the fountain. And here they stand with bowed heads, and hearts, to drink of the waters of life freely that's been prom...
Questions and Answers on Hebrews, part 3
57-1006 §29
See, in your body, inside of you ... (we got another question on that, directly, to answer it better). Inside of you is a spirit, another man. The outside of you is one man; the inside of you is another man. So the inside of you is the supernatural; the outside of you is the physical, see. And this being, if you are Spirit-led, by God, you became a messenger of God, or an angel. God's messenger, God's angel, is the very same word; can't separate it: God's messenger, or God's angel. GAL1:8 And which has the greatest...
About Jesus
55-0612 §32
...ship that Angel. And He said, "See that you do it not, for I am thy fellow servant, and of the prophets; worship God." A true angel won't be worshipped. It's not worship of angels; it's a ministry of angels that comes from God. Now, these minor angels comes ... perhaps, this angel's with us, or comes to your humble servant; that's probably a minor angel. But when Gabriel comes, brother, there's something really on the road; something major going to happen. Gabriel announced the first coming of the Lord Jesus, and G...
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62-0129 §11
So, when God led the children of Israel from Egypt, remember the angel of the covenant was a pillar of fire. We all know that. That was the angel of the covenant. And we know that that was Jesus Christ. And we find out that Moses forsook Egypt, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than that which Pharaoh could offer him in Egypt. We find out when this angel was made manifest that He was the Son of God. He stood on the earth. We know the works that He did when He was here on earth. We find out that He was...
God's provided way of approach to fellowship
60-0709 §65
Like little old Stephen, when they throwed him out there in the street, picked up them big rocks. And he'd preached to them the power of the Holy Spirit. He said, at the end he said, "You stiff necks, uncircumcised of heart and ears, you always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do you." Oh, my. Whew! Said his face shined like an angel. I don't believe it shined like one of those lights. An angel's face wouldn't shine like that; an angel's a messenger. But what made it shine? He knowed what he was talki...