Understanding What Angels Are

[Paroikou]

There are a lot of different ideas about what angels are. Many of these are misapplications of scripture based on pagan tradition, ingested into early religious establishments.

The word angel is often used when speaking of Cherub and Seraph beings. While it is true they may "have" angels these beings are not themselves the angels of scripture - exactly.

Angels are visible representations on earth, of heavenly/spiritual beings, in order to communicate and interact within the creation. Perhaps, we can use 21st century concepts to understand how this works.

Angels are to this world, as the avatar is to our computer/ether world. The Avatar is our representation within the ether but, it is not us. So also, the angel is the spirit's or heavenly being's representation but not itself.

An example of a biblical understanding of angels is illustrated at Stevens trial (Acts 7:30). In his discourse, he recounts God appearing to Moses in the bush, and refers to this appearance as His angel - God's angel. The bush was not God, but God appearing in a form to communicate to Moses - an avatar if you will.

"And when forty years had passed, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire in a bush, in the wilderness of Mount Sinai."

So when you hear the phrase, "The Angel of The Lord", it may not necessarily mean a Cherub or Seraph but the Lord Himself.

PS: Gabriel is described as a "man".

 

[GuessWho]

What did you mean when you said the seraphim and cherubim are not exactly the "angels" from the Scripture? I believe both seraphim and angels are from the same species, but they have completely different rank and function.

As for the Archangel Gabriel, although he appeared to Mary as a man, he was not a man. Because whenever an angel (purely spiritual being) appears to a human, the human is taken by great fear and the angel must first calm him down and only after this the angel tells the human why he came.

When an angel appears to a human, he takes a human, intangible, form. They are like the mental image of a man. An effeminate man. The angels don't have a gender (they have authority like men, but look like women). The angels and archangels are warriors, they have been given responsibility over earth, nations and people (the guardian angels). The Archangel Michael is their chief and he fought against satan in heaven, in the beginning, and will fight him again at the end of the times.

 

[dcontroversal]

Angels are the messengers of God and do the bidding of God......they also protect the children of God and announce and or bring destruction based upon the will of God........They also announce good tidings and will be heavily involved with the end of the gae while being the reapers that gather the wheat (saved) into the barn of God!

 

[prove-all]

Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts.

When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy

And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left (their own habitation,)?
he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.jude 1:6

Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire:

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham(blood).

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

For unto the angels hath he not put in subjection the world to come, whereof we speak

Thou madest him a little lower than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honour,
and didst set him over the works of thy hands:

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death,
crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.

For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee?
And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? hebrews 1:5



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[Paroikou]

I'm not sure where you get image of femininity associated with 'angels'. The burning bush wasn't feminine looking, was it?

You have missed the point.

The appearance to humans is not the actual "thing" itself but, something we can comprehend. As you point out, God's angels (as seen from the human perspective) are spirits

Heb 1: And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits,,,,"

The common image presented in religious art appears to have been derived for the vision given to Zechariah (Chapter 5). In this vision he sees two "women" with wings like a stork coming to fly the basket/vessel off to Shinar. Note these beings were NOT called angels. Don't know what they were, but they were "women" - not gender neutral beings.

And we are also cautioned to consider how we treat strangers, because we may be entertaining angels, unawares. If angels are as you say, it is hard to believe we would be unaware that they are angels.

"They teach as commandments, the TRADITIONS of men"

 

[GuessWho]

The common image presented in religious art appears to have been derived for the vision given to Zechariah (Chapter 5). In this vision he sees two "women" with wings like a stork coming to fly the basket/vessel off to Shinar. Note these beings were NOT called angels. Don't know what they were, but they were "women" - not gender neutral beings.

It may come from Zechariah the idea of effeminate angels. They are portrayed as warriors, but have long hair.

And we are also cautioned to consider how we treat strangers, because we may be entertaining angels, unawares. If angels are as you say, it is hard to believe we would be unaware that they are angels.

I never said that we would be unaware that an angel is an angel. Each time an angel appeared to a human, the angel's first words were "do not be afraid". If the first thing an angel does is to calm the person, is because the person is taken by fear (not horror) when an angel appears.

 

[GuessWho]

I'm not sure where you get image of femininity associated with 'angels'. The burning bush wasn't feminine looking, was it?

I believe that the burning bush was a revelation of God.

 

[Paroikou]

Well, yes. But no actually God - no man can see God and live.