The 5 Incredible Types of Angels in the Bible
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Let’s look at the 5 types of Angels in the Bible. We will be digging deep into the Word and discovering who these heavenly messengers are. So, grab your Bible and let’s learn about God’s angels.
Angels are one of those fun topics. I love learning about God’s messengers and how they function in the spirit realm. I have created a selection of articles on angels. All of them can be found here ANGELOLOGY. Here are some of the posts you can discover there…
I also believe in understanding how angels operate is important for Christians. Too many times we think angels are just going around about the earth watching people and protecting them. And in some cases yes they are protecting, but that’s only a small part of what they can and will do.
Let’s build a little foundation before we start!
The Hebrew word for angel is mal’ak and the greek is angelos (you can see here where we get our English word from.) These words both mean the same thing… “messenger.”
Simply stated angels are messengers of God.
We also need to realize that angels are so much more than our personal bodyguards (Daniel 6:22). They act as God’s agents on the Earth.
- They guide us – Exodus 23:20
- They do the will of God and help us accomplish God’s will – Psalm 103:19-22
- Encourage and minister to us – Hebrews 1:14, Judges 6
- Send a message from God to us – Luke 1:13
- And much more! (Just read the word and be amazed!)
I absolutely love what C.S Lewis says about angels…
In Scripture the visitation of an angel is always alarming; it has to begin by saying “Fear not.” The Victorian angel looks as if it were going to say, “There, there.”
C.S. Lewis
It makes me chuckle because there is so much truth in that quote. For us to really understand angels we can’t look at man’s idea or thoughts on it. But we have to look to God and His Word.
When God created the heaven and the Scripture we can see five types of angels. We’re going to crack open our Bibles and take a look.
The 5 Types of Angels In The Bible
Archangels
Archangels are probably the most well known type or angel. But from the name it might be more of a rank then an actual type. The word arch means, “Chief.”
This gives us the idea that there is ranking or classes of angels in heaven. (Colossians 1:16-17, Ephesians 3:9-10) The word archangel is only seen twice in scripture and both times are in the New Testament.
The only named archangel is Michael, but many classify Gabriel as an archangel since he referred throughout scripture (Old Testament & New Testament). It also states in Luke 1:19 that he stands in the presence of God.
But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” – Jude 1:9
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 1After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. –Thessalonians 4:16
From these two scriptures we can come to the conclusion that these type of angels carry some level or authority.
Cherubim
Most of the time we think cherubs as these cute little-naked babies flying around with wings. Those are actually called putti angels. At least that’s what Renaissance and Victorian artist depicted. But that’s not what we see in scripture.
The prophet Ezekiel describes these amazing spiritual beings as:
And this was their appearance: they had a human likeness, but each had four faces, and each of them had four wings. Their legs were straight, and the soles of their feet were like the sole of a calf’s foot. And they sparkled like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides they had human hands. And the four had their faces and their wings thus: their wings touched one another.
Each one of them went straight forward, without turning as they went. As for the likeness of their faces, each had a human face. The four had the face of a lion on the right side, the four had the face of an ox on the left side, and the four had the face of an eagle.
Such were their faces. And their wings were spread out above. Each creature had two wings, each of which touched the wing of another, while two covered their bodies. And each went straight forward. Wherever the spirit would go, they went, without turning as they went.
As for the likeness of the living creatures, their appearance was like burning coals of fire, like the appearance of torches moving to and fro among the living creatures. And the fire was bright, and out of the fire went forth lightning. And the living creatures darted to and fro, like the appearance of a flash of lightning. – Ezekiel 1
Cherubs are seen throughout scripture as angels who guard (as in the garden of Eden) and surround the ark of the covenant, tabernacle, and temple. Lucifer is also considered an anointed cherub.
If you are curious to go deeper on this type of angel. I encourage you to check out my post Cherubim: Cherub Angels of the Bible.
Seraphim
These angels are all about the presence of God. They fly around the throne room of God declaring the holiness of God. According, to the Strong’s Concordance Saraph are described as – “Burning.” These angels are on fire, worshipping the God the All-consuming Fire!
These majestic beings with 6 wings, that cried out to each other about the holiness of God. We only see these angels mentioned in the book of Isaiah. You can learn more about Seraphim Angels Here.
In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. And they were calling to one another:
“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.”
At the sound of their voices, the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke.
“Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.”
Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” – Isaiah 6:1-8
The Living Creatures
These angels are also known as “living beasts” or “the four beasts.” They minister by worshipping and glorifying God. Some believe that these angels are the same angels Isaiah saw in His vision which he calls seraphim.
It’s hard to know since both description in Isaiah are similar to those in Revelation yet not clear enough to know for sure.
When I was a little girl I had this dream that I remember so vividly. I was somewhere beautiful and it was so bright and white. And under this pink blooming tree was like a bull sitting under it but sitting like a man. And it was covered from head to toe with eyes. I remember just staring at it in awe. No fear…it was beautiful. Hard to describe. I then I woke up.
When I became a Christian at the age of 15 I read about cherubim and the living creatures in the Bible….I was shocked. I still don’t know exactly what I saw but seeing in scripture makes me wonder if it was some type of angel.
Also in front of the throne, there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.
In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front, and in back. The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:
“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”
Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, -Revelation 4:6-9
Common Angels
This may seem like a broad way to categorize angels, but these angels don’t seem to fall into an angelic type or rank from what we see in the Bible. This doesn’t mean they are not powerful beings. They still work for God and do His work.
Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. – Hebrews 13:2
I love this verse because it means they are working among us. We can also see this in the account of Peter and his angel. – Acts 12:15
Perhaps one day when we are in heaven we will understand these angels more.
Angel Types – Recap
Let’s do a quick recap of the different types of angels:
- Archangels: A high ranking type of angel
- Cherubim: First angel mentioned in scripture.
- Seraphim: Seen around the throne room of God (mentioned in Isaiah)
- The Living Creatures: Seen around the throne room of God (mentioned in the Book of Revelation)
- Common Angels: Angels that are mentioned throughout scripture
Free Types of Angels PDF
If you would like to dig deeper on the subject of angels in the Bible. You can download this free PDF of each type of angel. A total of 5 pages to help you! Just feel out the form below.
Those are the 5 types of angels found in the Bible. If you would like to learn more don’t forget to check out these blog posts as well.
I believe in a angels. My dark hour I was visited by one. Told me God loved me and sent me a hug. I felt immense peace, calm and warmth when I said I accept the hug. So strange but I felt wonderful. I turned away for a second looked back and no one was there!! I looked around was gone but I know what I saw and heard and felt. Angels are there when we need them the most!!!
This is, that you are doing is amazing .May you keep it up and find the courage to keep on going.
This is beautiful, keep on teaching things about God and his creations because in these times we will need it…
Thank you. Very similar to my notes from ISOW.
I am filled by the description of the 5 different types of Angels. I never knew that but I have been filled by the Holy Spirit, I am looking forward to being in the presence of the worker’s of our Lord and savior. I’ve been blessed with this teaching lessons of our comforting lord who has planned this for our lives from the very beginning of his creations , Amen
God’s has been teaching me about angles. I went to a spiritual retreat & amazing things happened. But my favorite was when all of a sudden I started looking for a four leaf clover. Never having that kind of urge before. Searched all weekend. Finally I decided to pray & ask for a treasure to put in my Bible as a reminder of the weekend. I immediately looked down & found a 4 leaf clover!!
Ran to my Bible, opened it, gently laid the clover in my Bible & continued the rest of the weekend.
It wasn’t until I got home to show my boys the four leaf clover & found it in Ezekiel chapter 1….taking about the 4 living creatures, 4 heads, 4 wings, 4 sides, 4 aspects of God.
That was also in the 4 month of the year, I was turning 40 & the women’s ministry was the in their 4th year!!
How cool is that!!!!
Our God is Awesome 💜🙏🙏💜✌️💜
YES HE IS! Amen 🙏❤️
I had an encounter with an Angel shortly after my 17 year old niece died from a car crash. I was in a deep state of grief, the Angel told me that my niece was safe and happy; and that she wanted me to live the best life I could. She hugged me and then she was gone. That has been many years ago but I can still see the care and love on her face. God is so good!
This happened a year ago, and tomorrow will be the exact day. I thought in my mind, I wonder what the different types of angles. At the exact moment, I opened my Pinterest and your post was on the top left of my feed. Wow, right. Then today almost a year later almost to the exact day, it’s back here! God will do whatever he has to do to give us information to willing ♥️. Be bless!!!
I have been blessed by your post! Several years ago, a lady in my church taught us about the different types of angels. She has since gone to be with the Lord and I have been finding myself frequently thinking about her and her knowledge of such things. Today I find your post and it reminded me of her teaching. Thank you for taking the time to write this in an easy, clear way to understand. With your post saved, I no longer have to wonder and search for my old notes. Thank you again for blessing me!
I think THE LIVING CREATURES and THE CHERUBIM are the same , depends on how God wants them to manifest ,I call them SPECIAL AGENTS FOR SPECIAL DUTIES.
maybe so
Thank you for this rightup. Easy to understand yet great insights.
what abut the fallen angels? and if we are looking to angels instead of god,Is that right? I know god sends angels to protect us or at least his holy spirit. I just thought if your going to do a thing on angels you should do it on all of them,cause we could be asking for an angels help and not know what angel. even though when i ask for angels protection or guide me i ask god to send his angels to do those, i don’t just ask that directly from an angel, cause isn’t it gods will and order to send the angel(s). I am not trying to be rude, i am learning many new and confusing things and some are facts and some our opinions and some we may never know. thank you for your time and for doing gods work and getting the word through out the world. god bless
Hi Angela, I didn’t mention fallen angels in this post as some don’t see them as “type” but angels that lost their position in God’s kingdom. They have “Fallen” away from God. These angels could have been seraphim, cherubim, or a mix of different types of angels. Scripture is not clear on this. I have thought about writing a post in the future on the topic of fallen angels.
We should NOT be looking to angels instead of God. Yes, God sends His angels to do His will. We always go to God in prayer. I mention this at the start of the article and I have also written a post about releasing angels in your life. I hope that is helpful and clarifies some things! 🙂 I pray God keeps stirring that hunger for knowing more of Him!
Hey Angela,
I pray that God in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, removed all confusion around you that might lead you astray. It’s good that you are learning new things but if you’re super confused, it is a hinderance because God is not the author of confusion but of peace 1cor 14:33. He desires for you to understand all He is teachings. Also pray that God enlighten you to see the teachings you are hearing for what it really is.
I hope this reply find you well, may you keep seeking and finding more about God in Christ every day.
Everytime I pray I see Angeles last Sunday I saw huge Angeles with 4 wings should I engage them have they come to take me I can’t understand please help it gets worse when I fast please help what’s happening with me
Hi Nelly, It’s hard for me to say without knowing more of the details. You want to have discernment in this situation (1 John 4 talks testing the spirit). I have seen angels a few times and usually, they encourage me in what God has been saying or they don’t say anything but just reveal themselves. I don’t believe they will come to take you. I would pray into this and ask God about it, and I would also talk to a leader(s) in your church for wisdom and prayer. If you have a prophetic gift it could be just that you can easily see in the spirit realm. Or maybe God is showing you His angels that watch over you? If you are troubled or tormented by this the then please go to your spiritual leaders.
Great introductory post about angels. I also have a great interest into the supernatural of the bible. The more I learn of angels, and even demons, the more I appreciate the Lord, His creation, and His plan of redemption. If you have not done so, I recommend reading some of the documents that are part of the Pseudepigrapha for more information about angels and demons from a Second Temple Jewish perspective. These are not biblical authority of course, but they do give insight into some of the beings that are mentioned in the bible, like Belial and the Watchers. Thanks for a good read!
I love subject about angels and have always been desirous of reading and knowing more on this.
Very apt and insightful.
Thumbs up. God bless!
Thankyou I am not Christian but I am writing an story that includes angels being beastly
What is it when you see a dark shadow go in front of you often my husband has seen these
Hi Carolyn, I know exactly what you are talking about. Those are NOT angels. Those would be demons or evil spirits. When you see them I highly recommend praying. Asking God to remove them and God to fill your house or wherever with His presence and ask for His protection. Ask for God to bring His angels to the place. Then I would take authority over the spirit and tell it to LEAVE NOW IN THE NAME OF JESUS. If you are still seeing them then I would then ask God if there is an open door that has been opened to the demonic realm giving them permission to be there. If the Lord brings something to mind or shows you then repent. Ask God to cleanse you and your home and then kick the spirit out. Once he loses his permission to be there because of forgiveness you have the legal right to command that spirit to leave your home. I hope this helps! I pray God guides you and that you also grow in your seer gift.
Dear friends, I am blessed
with the gifts of the Lord. Having read these messages of other’s encountered dreams and experiences, I too have had dreams and such. Many times. Absolutely this one with your comments attached, in my opinion, has the best impression of protection for us all. Knowing there are angels of God and allowing everything to occur by repentance and acceptance, asking specifically, has brought me a beautiful awareness of His gifts which guide and protect me and us all. Thinking of you and all people adoring the day with grace gratitude and Love. I have enjoyed your article and will always refer to your words while my spirit and soul allows the answers to be revealed and received. I also want to add that creating our own words (unknown to the devil) goes straight to the powers that be protecting our beings promptly. Eldibironfishyfoshonyostagis, Amen Lxo
+Thank you Lord for all the goodness in my life+
❤️People love the Lord❤️
Thank you so much
Glory be to God.
Light the world with the true word of God and save many souls.
I have always been fascinated by angels, love to hear, and teach on the different types of angels. Thank you for sharing angels with us.
Hi
I’m writing to tell you that I had a angel encounter. It was in a grocery store. I was shopping at the meat I looked up and a lady was there her name was Kristine. I said my name too. She had a polkadot shirt on. We shook hands.all I of a sudden she was an angel she told me she was sent by God to tell me that when my time comes I won’t be alone. She will be with me! Then she was gone.