What do angels look like?
Have you ever seen one?
A surprising number of people I know have.
Do Angels look like babies with wings?
Ah, no.
At least not according to the Bible.
They’re portrayed throughout the Bible as warriors. They don’t fly around on wings smiling.
Here’s one description from Daniel 10:4-6:
I lifted up my eyes and looked, and behold, a man clothed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and the sound of his words like the sound of a multitude.
Daniel 10:4-6 (ESV)
If angels looked like innocent, sweet creatures, would they introduce themselves with the words, “Fear not?”
Angels look like people, albeit they often come
- dressed in white (Daniel 10:5-6).
- gleaming like lightning (John 20:12).
- wearing gold sashes around their chests.
How common are angels?
According to the Bible Gateway app (New King James Version), the word “angel” appears 105 times in the Old Testament. 175 times in the New Testament.
The word appears 19 times in the OT book of Zechariah. 18 times in Judges, 15 in Genesis, and 24 times in the book of Luke.
Luke, of course, provides the most detailed story of Jesus’ birth.
(As a word, angel isn’t all that common in the Bible. The English Standard Version contains 756,848 words — 581,112 in the Old Testament and 175,745 in the New Testament.
Strong’s Concordance (H4397) defines an angel as a “messenger or representative.“
What do my friends know about what angels look like?
I know a surprising number of people who have seen angels.
When I asked my Bible study ladies one year, almost everyone had an angel sighting in their past.
Yesterday, I got another list of what angels looked like to friends:
- A lady in her 60’s with white hair and a thin athletic build.
- A golden eagle, 10 feet tall.
- The angel was thin and tall (maybe 7 ft?), wearing white but without wings. He wore a round shield on his chest.
- Tall, behind the altar, radiating calm and peace.
- Soft, white, love, and an excellent catch when a child fell out a window.
- Light, humanlike, and kind.
Another friend commented, “Angels were created a long time ago, before us. They’ve seen a lot and have lots of experience interacting with the human race.”
Now there’s an interesting idea. They know a lot more about how and when to interact with us than we know about them!
Several friends described a “shimmering,” that flickers in and out. When they focus, they catch a glimpse of a tall (think 10 feet tall) benevolent angel.
Consider this: when we’re looking at heat waves, maybe we’re sensing the presence of angels that just look like moving air?
“Fear not,” angels don’t have any problem letting people know when they’re there!
My friends indicated that angels are always doing something — they’re not just hanging around.
Angels with personality and actions.
More thoughts on angels:
- Angels have a sense of humor.
- Angels are sent to perform the word of God.
- We can invite angels to be with us so that they can perform their work.
- God the Father commands the angels.
One man saw two tall angels blessing a wedding. A few weeks later, he saw one flickering in and out behind a glorious praise band.
Guideposts Magazine often writes about such “angel encounters.” Here’s one link.
I’ve often written about Biblical passages and angels here.
What did angels look like in specific Bible stories?
Moses: “The Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. The bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed.” Exodus 3:2
Balaam: “The Lord opened Balaam’s eyes. He saw the Angel of the Lord standing in the way with His drawn sword in hand.” Numbers 22:31
David: The angel of the Lord stood between earth and heaven. He had in his hand a drawn sword stretched out over Jerusalem. 1 Chronicles 21:16
Psalm 104:4: He makes his angels spirits, his ministers a flame of fire.
Angels are often found speaking to people, leading charges with swords, touching them, and waking them. He guards (and blocks), explains things, comforts them, and brings words from God to His people.
Even Satan knows, “God will give his angels charge over you. In their hands, they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Matthew 4:6
Joseph saw them four times in dreams.
They dress in white (John 20:12), often appear with light (2 Corinthians 11:14). They can wrestle (Genesis 32:24), and travel in groups (Hebrews 12:22).
And, of course, they love to worship God.
Does it matter if you can see an angel?
Of course not.
Often, however, we only realize we’ve encountered one after the meeting is over.
You know, as in, “Wait. Was that an angel?”
What do angels look like?
“Praise God.”
Have you seen an angel? What did it look like?
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Update: The Culture Critic, on X-Twitter, recently posted a series of pictures based on Scripture, of what angels look like. You can see it here.
Thoughts? Reactions? Lurker?