Have you ever wonder what angels look like and what they do?
Have you seen one?
Have you really looked at what the bible says about angels?

Angels are found hundreds of times throughout the Bible and yet there is a great deal of confusion surrounding them. As with many things of God, we form opinions and assume many things that may not be accurate. Let us put the matter of angels under scrutiny and see who they are, what they are like and what they do.

The images often portrayed by artists and Renaissance artists in particular, often depict these celestial beings as beautiful creatures adorned with wings and a halo of light. Their imagery is quite removed from the Bible’s image of an angel.
Sometimes they look just like us.

The Hebrew Bible uses the word malakh מַלְאָךְ to refer to an angel. The root of this word is לאך that means, “going back and forth”. Implied is the fact that this is hard work; giving rise to another Hebrew word, melacha מְלָאכָה, meaning “physical labor”. An angel is a messenger who tirelessly goes back and forth delivering information and performing certain prescribed tasks. The God of Israel frequently employs angels as intermediaries who shuttle between heaven and earth. They are dispatched on specific assignments and faithfully discharge their duties.

As you shall see, I will be using examples in scripture to hopefully reveal the truth about angels.
They appear in both the Old Testament and in the New Testament. The Greek word for angel is Angelos and it basically means the same thing.

I share this because I think it is important. God is doing things on the earth today that many believers have been dreaming of and this is probably a prelude to the event we all long for…the return of Jesus. You may not be aware of it, but there is a lot of spiritual activity going on right now. Something is happening or is about to happen and we need to be tuned in as much as possible.

All throughout the New Testament angels are going about on their assignments and if we really believe that we are in New Testament days, then we must accept the fact that they are still with us today and that their roles are very important.

• An angel appeared to Zecharias in the temple to tell him about the birth of John the Baptist.
• An angel came to Mary to tell her she was to become the mother of the Son of God.
• An angel told Joseph to marry her and warn him to flee to Egypt as seen in Matthew chapters one and two.
• An angel announced the resurrection of Jesus to the three women as seen in Mark 16:1.
• An angel gave Jesus necessary strength in the garden of Gethsemane. Luke 22:43.
• An angel opened the prison doors to release the apostles in Acts 5:19.
• An angel sent Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8.
• An angel spoke to Cornelius in Acts 10 to send for Peter and when Peter preached Jesus to him and his household they were all saved. Angels do not preach…that is our function!
• An angel set Peter free from the prison in Acts 12.
• An angel told Paul that he would be shipwrecked but he still arrived in Rome just as Jesus wanted.

I have more to share on their roles today, but firstly, let us see what the Old Testament says.

The first mention of an angel is in Genesis chapter 16.
This is when Hagar gave birth to Ishmael. God did not tell Abraham that his heir would be by another woman. God had made his promise and made a covenant with Abraham, but the man and his wife…the ones to whom God made the promise, could not wait and forced the issue. Ishmael was the result and it is still the result of trying to make things happen, even if God has promised something. The result of this compromise, or lack of faith, or call it what you will, led to trouble and we are still on the receiving end of this today. Hagar was driven out, but the angel of the Lord found her by the well and told her to return. Let us see this account.