The Radiant Mission
The Radiant Mission
147. What Are Angels? Understanding Their Role in God’s Kingdom
What do angels actually look like? Do we each have a guardian angel watching over us? Are demons and angels somehow connected? These questions have fascinated humanity for centuries, yet our understanding is often shaped more by movies and artwork than biblical truth.
Angels appear throughout Scripture as powerful spiritual beings created by God to serve specific purposes in His kingdom. The word "angel" itself comes from the Greek "angelos," meaning messenger – revealing their primary function as divine communicators. Contrary to popular belief, angels are not humans who have died and gone to heaven. They represent an entirely separate class of creation, mighty and powerful, yet operating with complete obedience to God's authority.
The biblical descriptions of angels would surprise most people. While some appear in human form, others are described as awe-inspiring beings with multiple faces, wings, and appearances that glow like fire. These aren't the cute cherubs often depicted in Renaissance paintings – they're holy beings whose presence frequently caused people to fall to the ground in terror, explaining why their first words were typically "Do not be afraid."
Angels serve as messengers, worshipers, protectors, warriors in spiritual battles, and ministers to believers. While the Bible doesn't explicitly state that everyone has a personal guardian angel, it clearly teaches that God commands angelic protection over His children. We also learn that demons are actually fallen angels who rebelled against God under Satan's leadership.
Whether you've wondered about angelic encounters in modern times or questioned the reality of the spiritual realm, this episode provides biblical clarity on these fascinating beings. Join us as we explore what Scripture actually teaches about these powerful spiritual entities who praise God, protect His people, and participate in a cosmic spiritual battle that continues today.
Have you ever experienced something that might have been angelic protection? Share your thoughts or questions with us on Instagram @theRadiantMission or on YouTube by searching Rebecca Toomey.
Thank You for Joining Us!
For the full show notes, including links to any resources mentioned, please visit The Radiant Mission Blog.
Follow along on social media:
Instagram
Facebook
Enjoying the show? Please refer it to a friend :)
Hello and welcome to the Radiant Mission Podcast. My name is Rebecca Toomey. Welcome back to Coffee Talk. We are exploring truth and we're asking big questions in this series, and it is about rooting every single thing in God's word. Today we are diving into a topic that really is about curiosity, awe and sometimes confusion, and that is the topic of angels. They are all over scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. But what do we really know about angels? Are they invisible beings that are floating in the clouds? Do they actually have wings? Do we each have a guardian angel, and are angels and demons related? This episode is all about exploring what the Bible really says about angels, what they are, what they do and how they fit into the unseen spiritual realm. So let's dive right in with.
Rebecca Twomey:What are angels? The word angel comes from the Greek word angelos, which means messenger. Angels are spiritual beings created by God to serve his purposes In Hebrews 1.14,. Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? They are not humans who have died and gone to heaven. Let's just be clear about that, and I am sorry if that breaks your heart a little bit, but contrary to popular belief, people do not become angels after death. Angels are a completely separate class of creation by God, separate class of creation by God, and they are often described as mighty and powerful, yet they operate with humility and obedience to God. They are never to be worshiped. That is something that I really want to clarify today. They should not be worshiped and they should not be prayed to. Only God deserves that. These are simply beings that God has created. Much like you and I are human beings that God has created.
Rebecca Twomey:So what about what they look like? What do angels look like? And this might surprise you, because most angels in the Bible they do not look like what we see in the movies or in artwork. They don't look like those cute little cherubims that are painted on a ceiling somewhere. Some may appear in human form, like the men who visited Abraham in Genesis 18, but others are described as awe-inspiring and even terrifying. Ezekiel 1, verses 5 through 14, describes angelic beings with four faces, wings and glowing like fire. Isaiah 6, 2 speaks of a seraphim with six wings, two covering their faces to their feet, wings, two covering their faces to their feet and two used to fly. So yeah, angels are not cute little cherubs with harps. They are very powerful and they are holy beings who often inspire fear when they appear, and they lead a lot of people to actually fall to the ground in terror. So think about that for a second, and that's why the first thing that angels usually say is do not be afraid.
Rebecca Twomey:So, with that said, we're talking about the visible angels. What about the other side of things? Are angels also invisible, or can angels be invisible? The simple answer to that is yes. Most of the time, angels are invisible to the human eye because they operate in the spiritual realm. However, god can allow them to appear visibly in human or in supernatural form when he chooses. In 2 Kings 6, 17, elisha prays open his eyes, lord, so that he may see. And then his servant sees the hills full of horses and chariots of fire, angelic armies surrounding them. Horses and chariots of fire, angelic armies surrounding them, and this implies that angels were present the entire time, but simply unseen. Many people today have testified to sensing or even seeing an angel in moments of crisis, only for that angel to vanish moments later. So angels are real, they're active and close and, though our natural eyes may not always perceive them, they are there. I've actually personally heard stories of folks that can and have seen angels standing behind or beside a person, which is very fascinating. Now let's jump into.
Rebecca Twomey:What do angels do? Angels serve many purposes in scripture and here are some of the key roles that they play. They are messengers. They deliver messages from God, like in Luke 1 26-38 and in Matthew 1, verse 20. They are also worshipers, praising God continually Isaiah 6-3 and Revelation 5.11-12. And if you tuned into the episode on who is Satan, you may remember that Lucifer was once a worshiping angel, who then wanted to be worshiped himself and was cast out of heaven.
Rebecca Twomey:The next grouping is protectors. They are guarding and rescuing God's people. You can refer to Psalm 91, 11 and Acts 12 17 for that one. They're also warriors engaging in spiritual warfare Daniel 10, 13,. Revelation 12, 7 through 9. And lastly, they are ministers. They are encouraging and strengthening believers, as in Matthew 4.11 and Luke 22.43. And if you would like any of these Bible verses, they will all be listed in the show notes for this episode. So be sure to visit the show notes. You can do that by actually going to the show for this episode and clicking through to my blog, which is theradiantmissioncom forward slash blog. There is a full blog article about this topic and it includes all these Bible verses. Just make it really, really easy for you. So, again, as a reminder, the key roles are messengers, worshipers, protectors, warriors and ministers.
Rebecca Twomey:In Psalm 103, 20, it says praise the Lord, you, his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word. So angels are not just freelancers who are out there doing their own thing. They are under God's authority. Now I have to address a very big question, and that is do we each have a guardian angel? Does every person have a guardian angel that's protecting them, that's following them around? And this is a question that a lot of people wonder about and I have heard about quite a bit, especially within Catholic tradition. And in Matthew 18, 10, it says see that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my father in heaven, and this verse alone has led a lot of people to believe that children, especially, may have angels assigned to them. Let's go back to the Bible for a second. Psalm 91, 11 says for he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways, while the Bible never explicitly says that every person has a one-to-one guardian angel. It does make it clear that angels are involved in protecting and watching over God's people and, if we go back to our previous section where we talked about their roles, they are also oftentimes protectors. So, whether it's one angel or many angels, we can rest assured that God does command his angelic protection over his children.
Rebecca Twomey:That leads to another question, because, angels being spiritual beings and often unseen and invisible, how does that then relate to demons? Are angels and demons related? And yes, actually, the answer is actually yes, because demons are fallen angels. Well, they are the descendants of fallen angels. Let's talk about that. If you didn't listen to the previous episodes in this series, please do, because I do address this quite a bit already. But originally they were created good.
Rebecca Twomey:A portion of the angels rebelled against God under the leadership of Lucifer, also known as Satan, and they were cast out of heaven. In Revelation 12, verse 7 through 9, it describes a war in heaven, with Michael and his angels fighting the dragon, who is Satan, and his angels, who lose and are hurled to the earth. These fallen angels become demons. They are working against God and trying to deceive, tempt and destroy humanity. So while angels serve God's kingdom, demons serve the kingdom of darkness.
Rebecca Twomey:Now, can people be influenced by angels or demons? The answer is absolutely, but in different ways. Angels may minister to us, offer us protection or deliver messages, as God allows. Demons, on the other hand, seek to influence us through temptation, deception, oppression or possession in really extreme cases. As believers, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit, as we were told in Ephesians 1.13. So we cannot be possessed, but we can be oppressed or influenced by demonic spirits if we open doors through sin or spiritual compromise. If you are interested to hear more on demonic spirits and spiritual warfare, definitely check out episodes 139, are Demons Real, understanding the Unseen Battle at work today, and then episodes three through six of this podcast. Also, the episode on who is Satan and the Book of Enoch episode also touches on this a bit, and next week we're going to touch on this.
Rebecca Twomey:That leads to what about today? Do angels still appear today? We have seen this throughout the Bible. What about today? Well, the Bible gives us no reason to believe that angelic encounters have ceased. Hebrews 13.2 says do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing, some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. That verse alone suggests that angels still interact with us, even if we don't always realize it. So there are countless modern testimonies of people encountering a person who helps them and then mysteriously disappeared. Was it an angel? Well, only God knows. But what is important is staying spiritually aware, because we are part of a much bigger story unfolding behind the scenes as we close today.
Rebecca Twomey:What are angels? They are powerful. They are spiritual beings created by God to serve him, carry out his will and minister to his people. They're not cute little decorations or symbolic ideas. They are real and they praise God, they protect his children and they participate in spiritual warfare that we cannot see. They are fighting our battles. While we are not called to seek angels, we are called to trust in God who commands them. Psalm 34, 7,. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them.
Rebecca Twomey:So a few reflection questions for today. Have I ever experienced something that could have been angelic protection? Do I believe in the reality of angels and the spiritual realm? Am I living with spiritual awareness, knowing God's kingdom and the unseen world are at work today? If this episode stirred your curiosity or it gave you a new perspective, please share it with a friend who is also seeking truth, and thank you so much for being on this journey today. If you would like to get connected outside of the podcast, please join the mission on Instagram at the Radiant Mission, on Facebook at the Radiant Mission Podcast, and you can also watch this episode in video format on YouTube by searching for my name, rebecca Toomey, t-w-o-m-e-y Today. I am going to close with Daniel 6, 22. My God sent his angel and I'll see you next time. Bye, everyone.
