What do angels look like?

As to the personal appearance of angels we have little account. The popular pictures of feminine beings with white wings are, of course, fanciful. Angels are often spoken of as “men,” never as “women.” They usually occasioned no surprise by their appearance, and sometimes it was only by the way they spoke and acted that their true nature was discerned.

Verses 5-9, describe the angelic visitation and the effect it had upon Daniel. We may remark that uniformly when angelic beings assume a form visible to human eyes, they appear as men. Nevertheless that which is supernatural marks them, reminding the one who sees them of the presence of God. It was so on this occasion, and the description given in verse 6 reminds us of John's description of his Lord, as recorded in Revelation 1:14-15. Yet the angel here was not the Lord, as verse 13, we think, makes plain. Still it put Daniel on his face and prostrate.

(Vv. 4-6). Daniel, being in a right condition of soul to receive communications from God, has a wonderful vision of a glorious angelic being, by whom God will communicate His mind. He sees the angel, not as having assumed some simple garb in order to appear to man, but in his own angelic glory, setting forth his majesty, holiness and power as a divine messenger.

Thus the angels or "sons of God" are here seen for a moment or two, but exactly in the place and action which the general consent of all Scripture gives them. They are in attendance on the Lord in heaven, as those who had been forth, and were ready again to go forth, in the service of His good pleasure. For the whole Word thus bears witness to them. They are "ministering spirits," "ministers of His that do His pleasure." They are His hosts on high, and the Lord Himself is among them. Gabriel stands in His presence. The Seraphim attend His throne, and they are winged, either to veil their faces and their feet before the divine majesty, or to fly, like the wind, to execute the divine commands. All this is told of the angels throughout Scripture, and here the heavens are opened for a moment, and all this is seen and heard.

The angels had never seen the Lord Jesus before. They had had access to Him, they worshipped Him, but when He was born in Bethlehem's manger and a great host of angels welcomed Him saying "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men" (Luke 2:14). He had never been seen by angels before, but there they saw their Creator in a little baby in Bethlehem's manger. Think of the seraphim, "each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isa.6:2-3), and the cherubim having four wings (Ezek.10:20-21) guarding the righteousness of God. We are used to seeing pictures of angels being female but that is probably not what an angel looks like, but be that as it may, here the Lord Jesus was seen of angels.

Symbolical celestial beings seen by Isaiah standing above the Lord on His throne (Adonai, but many MSS read Jehovah). Each had three sets of wings: with one pair he covered his face, in token of reverence; with another he covered his feet, in token of humility; and with the third he flew to accomplish his mission.

More than this, He "makes His angels spirits, His ministers a flame of fire." Thus, angels are far above our natural understanding, spiritual beings, not hampered by a bodily condition, but moved by the flaming fire of holiness.

This brings us to a similar passage where this thought is enlarged, in Ezekiel 1:4-28. The terrible majesty of God is seen in the cloud and the devouring fire, and the brightness of His glory (ver. 4). In connection with this the "living creatures" appear — four of them, not two. These are described with considerable minuteness; they had the likeness of a man (ver. 5), which suggests intelligence, but with four faces — of a man, a lion, an ox, and an eagle. These four faces suggest: intelligence in the human face; fearless authority in the lion; strength in the ox; and swift, heavenly flight in the eagle. The feet, "like the soles of a calf's foot," would suggest stability, and the hands of a man and the eyes upon the wheels show the predominance of intelligence rather than mere power. The wings suggest their heavenly character, and in that way would remind us of the angels "that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word" (Ps. 103:20). "The living creatures ran and returned as the appearance of a flash of lightning" (ver. 14) — "His ministers a flame of fire" — instantaneous and swift obedience to the control of the Spirit (ver. 12). Then the wheels are described — those awful symbols of the resistless power of God rolling on in their course — high unto heaven, and bearing upon them the throne and Him who sat upon it, "the likeness as of the appearance of a Man above upon it" (ver. 26).*

Angelic Ministry. — Those men were angels. At times in the past God has sent such messengers to communicate with His earthly creatures. Two angels in human form visited Lot, and brought him out of Sodom. The law was ordained by angels, said Stephen (Acts 7:53). With that the Apostle Paul's statement in Galatians (3:19) is in agreement. Often had they appeared on the scene in Israel's history, ministering at times providentially (1 Kings 19:5), at times communicating something of the Divine will. By this latter service Daniel and Zechariah were especially favoured. In New Testament times Gabriel visited the aged priest Zacharias, and later the Virgin Mary. At the Lord's birth there appeared first one announcing the glad tidings, and then was heard a multitude praising God (Luke 2). Yet though twice in the Lord's life He received their ministrations (Matt. 4:11; Luke 22:43), they were not used at any time whilst He was on earth as channels for Divine revelation. We can all understand the propriety of that. He died. Again they appeared to minister the information suited for the moment. Those visiting the tomb of the company of the women saw them and heard them, and they carried away the message they were charged by them to deliver. But during the forty days of the Lord's presence with His own we read not of angelic ministry. And even on Mary's second visit to the tomb they retired into the background, and let the Lord discover Himself to her. When He was present, the angels were silent. The Lord ascended. Two angels then immediately appeared, sent to encourage the Eleven by announcing the certainty of the return of Jesus in person. "Shall so come in like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven." On the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost, the Third Person of the Godhead, came to dwell upon earth. Angels then again receded, as it were, into the background, ministering still providentially (Acts 5:19, 12:7, 27:23; Heb. 1:14), but not as vessels to communicate Christian truth. With this agree the act and word of the angel who visited Cornelius. He directed him to send for Peter, who would tell him words whereby he and his house should be saved (Acts 11:14). For neither the preaching of the Gospel of the grace of God, nor the present teaching to establish souls in the faith, has been committed to angels. The Holy Ghost is here, and He uses human instruments for that purpose. In the Apocalypse, however, angelic ministry reappears. That book unfolds the future of the earth, and the judgments which must take place. Angels will be the executors of those judgments, so in character with that it may be that one speaks therein to John.

Next we find the Lord in angelic form appearing to Abraham with two angels as men, showing that angels, in this case as in many others, appeared in no wise after an unusual fashion.

It was not the appearance of angels that mattered so much as their message. Their appearance generally created no surprise, but their communications and manner left no doubt as to who they were.