Bookstores are great places to people watch. You might see a man in a dark blue suit with a red power tie, buying two Louis L'Amour books. And as an afterthought he may toss in a business book to display when his boss comes to dinner! Looking down another aisle is a young mother with a child at her side, buried in cookbooks or instruction books on childcare. Further around the corner, a grandma examines a book on rose gardening, but ends up buying a historical book on romance. Looking in the other direction, you might see a college student bypassing the latest mystery novel he really wanted to buy and instead, purchase a computer book in simple English.

Bookstore owners try to make it easy for both the browser and the buyer by placing large signs over the racks to indicate subject matter. A sign you are probably no longer going to see is in the category of "new age." It has been assigned to the wastebasket. The left over new age books are now dispersed on shelves throughout the store where the businessman, the young mother, grandma, and the college student are looking. The more popular books in the mix today are those on self help, meditation and religious books - especially Eastern religion books, like the Muslim religion and their philosophies.

Those of us that live in the U.S.A. are aware of how the events of 9-11 have changed the way we think and act. Religious patriotism for America is again on the rise. The Bible, written under the inspiration of God has directed many Americans to rethink what is written in those pages that have been collecting dust on their book shelf at home. One manager of a secular book store, said, "People are looking for answers on how to live their lives. Books about religion are accessible. They tell stories people can read and understand." he continued to say: "In secular bookstores, this topic covers everything from Bibles and a few current top Christian best sellers to the newest hot topic– angels!" If you have been out shopping lately you would have to agree. Angels are a hot selling items. You find them for sale in all kinds of stores: jewelry stores, candy stores and most department stores. We see angelic images cast as candle holders, book ends, playing a horn, strumming a harp, shooting an arrow, praying with hands clasped together, hanging as ornaments or having a place on the top of a Christmas tree. They can be bought in all sizes. They can be seen framed in pictures or used on calendars. Angel pictures and figurines have become an industry all their own.

Books about angels are appearing on religious best seller lists in greater and greater numbers. Why is this? If we look to God's Word, it tells us, with only a few exceptions, that angelic encounters most commonly entail the snatching of a victim from impending disaster, or to warn of danger. There are only a few books of the Bible such as: Ruth, Nehemiah, Esther, the epistles of John and James that make no mention of angels.

The Hebrew word for angels is "mal'awk," Strong's Concordance # 4397, which means: "To dispatch as a duty, messenger, ambassador." The Greek word for angel is "aggelos," Strong's Concordance # 32, meaning: "To bring tidings, a messenger, dispatch for duty." Angels can be visible or invisible, depending on what their particular mission happens to be at any given time. "Angel" or "angels" are mentioned over 400 times as saints in the Old and New Testament.

When we examine this last statement, in order to "Prove All Things," we must look at four areas of scripture to see if this person is right. We want to know what the Bible and Jesus Christ say. The first place we will look is found in 2 Thessalonians 1. Paul expresses some of his knowledge about angels, "And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 1:7-8). It sounds like angels have power and strength according to the Apostle Paul!

The next area of scripture we will examine is the event of Christ being arrested. This is where Peter cut the ear off of a soldier, thinking he was going to protect Christ from being taken away. Christ tells Judas and the gang with him, "Think you, that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?"(Matt 26:53). At that time, a Roman Legion comprised of 6000 men and 700 horsemen, 12 times that number is, 80,400. If Christ had desired to resist that mob He would not have been limited to Peter's puny sword! In an instant He could have asked for and been sent, more than 80,400 powerful angels! "But all this was done, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled"(Matt 26:56).

Another account of angelic power and strength can be read in the Psalms, "Bless the Lord, you His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word"(Psalm 103:20). One last scripture to prove this point of angelic power and strength is found in the Old Testament. Here, we read of a single angel that killed 185,000 men of the Assyrian army. "And it came to pass that night, that the angel of the Lord went out, and smote in the camp of the Assyrians an hundred fourscore and five thousand" (2 Kings 19:35). God's word has a lot of hefty evidence to prove angels have power and strength. In the New Testament we also find angels have been used to intervene in the lives of God's servants. A clear example of that is when the Apostle Peter was miraculously released from prison by an angel, "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, arise up quickly and his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, gird yourself, and bind on your sandals. and so he did. And he said unto him, cast your garment about you, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and knew not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that lead unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him"(Act 12:5-10). After the angel vanished Peter came to himself and realized it was not a dream. "And when Peter was come to himself, he said, now I know of a surety, that the Lord has sent His angel, and has delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews"(Acts 12:11).

God has created and used angels for His purposes on earth throughout all eternity. The Apostle Paul brings this evidence out in the book of Colossians. "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist"(Col. 1:16-17). An angel was used to announce to Zacharias, that Elizabeth his wife was going to have a son and his name was to be John, whom we know today as John the Baptist. "But the angel said unto him, fear not, Zacharias: for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shalt call his name John. And Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto you, and to shew you these glad tidings"(Luke 1:13,18-19). Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ was told about the same thing in verses 30-33, "And the angel said unto her, fear not, Mary: for you have found favor with God. And, behold, you shalt conceive in your womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His Father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end"(Luke 1:30-33).

We find more encouragement from a passage in Psalms 91:11 [which Satan misquoted in Luke 10 and Matthew 4], "For He shall give His angels charge over You, to keep You in all Your ways." The Bible, written under the inspiration of God, has directed millions to freedom and life, even though it is very often misquoted. Many story books about angels and television programs have little resemblance to the angels of the Bible. Most of the angelic books on bookshelves are comforting, loving and makes no demands for personal repentance.

Let's take some time and look further into the arena of angels. To start with, God's angels have specific qualities and purposes, we have just visited a few proofs of that. Now would be a good time for us to be like the people who examine money for counterfeit bills. We need to know how to critically discern the genuine article. To begin with, scripture must be studied in order to spot counterfeiters. Satan's influence on human nature has proven that. We must examine and use God's word to "Prove all Things." That leaves no room for counterfeiting.

With that stage set in our minds eye, let's take a crash course on angels by looking into the realm of angels: Angels are spiritual beings, not human beings, although they can assume material shape for a specific earthly mission as assigned by God. Paul stated, "But to which of the angels said He [Christ] at any time, sit on My right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool." [God never invited an angel to sit at His right hand or share His position and prerogatives]. "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation"(Heb.1:13-14). The mission of angels, is not to rule but to serve. Paul is saying, that they are spirit beings God has created to minister to those who will inherit salvation. An example we find in the first book of the Bible, is Lot's encounter with two angels. "And there came two angels to Sodom at even; and Lot sat in the gate of Sodom: and Lot seeing them rose up to meet them; and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground"(Gen.19:1). You may want to read Gen. 18: 2-8, where Abraham also expresses seeing guardian angels in human form.

Are angels capable of showing emotion? Both Luke and Job answer that question. Beginning with Luke, "Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy [emotion] in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repents"(Luke 15:10). "When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God [angels] shouted for joy."(Job 38:7). Yes, angels are capable of showing emotions. Do angels marry? Matthew 22:30 states, angels do not marry. "For in the resurrection they [the resurrected to spirit beings] neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." Are angels immortal? "Neither can they [the resurrected to spirit beings] die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection" (Luke 20:36).

Angels minister and serve those whom God request, providing them guidance, support, protection, deliverance and comfort. There are many scriptures that testify to this effect. To begin proving this, we will look at when Elijah was discouraged and wanted to die. "And as he lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, then an angel touched him, and said unto him, arise and eat. And he looked, and, behold, there was a cake baking on the coals, and a cruse of water at his head. And he did eat and drink, and laid him down again. And the angel of the Lord came again the second time, and touched him, and said, arise and eat; because the journey is too great for you. And he arose, and did eat and drink, and went in the strength of that meat forty days and forty nights unto Horeb the mount of God"(1 Kings 19:5-8).

God uses angels throughout the Bible expressing their use in differing ways, for instance, "The angel of the Lord encamps round about them that fear Him, and delivers them"(Psa. 34:7). We read another good example of that in the book of Daniel when Daniel was put in the lions den. "Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live for ever. My God has sent his angel, and has shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me: for as much as before him innocency was found in me; and also before you, O king, have I done no hurt" (Dan. 6:21- 22). We have already seen in Act 12, where Peter was miraculously released from prison by an angel.

What about angel's responsibilities toward unbelievers that involves affliction, cursing, and destruction? We can find many examples that stand out in these categories, but we will only look at two. The first one is found in the book of Judges. Here, we read of Meroz, an area in northern Palestine referred to in scripture in connection with a curse in the song of Deborah. "Curse you Meroz, said the angel of the Lord, curse you bitterly the inhabitants thereof; because they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord against the mighty" (Judges 5:23). That angel displayed a lot of emotion when cursing Meroz. Another example we are familiar with is the story of Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah, found in Genesis chapter19, "For we, [the "we,"are the two angels visiting Lot that we read of in verse 1] will destroy this place, because the cry of them is waxed great before the face of the Lord; and the Lord has sent us [His two angels] to destroy it"(Gen.19:13). We have seen angels play a major roll through out God's word!!

This new angel craze we see going on is attractive to those who are intrigued by the spirit world. It provides temporary solace to hurting and searching people in a time of personal and world upheavals. It provides "spirituality" without having to be accountable to an almighty living God. Time Magazine reported a poll a few year ago showing that 69 percent of Americans believe in the existence of angels. But even this secular news magazine saw some of the fallacies in the recent analogy."In their modern incarnation, these mighty messengers and fearless soldiers have been reduced to bit-size beings, easily digested.... for those who choke too easily on God and His rules, theologians observe, angels are the handy compromise, all fluff and meringue, kind, non-judgmental. And they are available to everyone, like aspirin. Each of us has a guardian angel, declares Eileen Freeman, who publishes a bimonthly Newsletter called "Angel Watch" from her home in Mountainside, New Jersey. They are non-threatening, wise and loving beings. They offer help whether we ask for it or not. But mostly we ignore them."

Angels are often confused with cherubim or a seraphim. A cherubim is a whole different creature entirely from an angel, just as seraphim's are. A good description of a cherubim can be found in the Old Testament. If you do a little study on your own, you will find there are 42 characteristics listed in Ezekiel that are attributed to cherubim. Ezekiel wrote, "Out of the midst thereof came the likeness of four living creatures. And this was their appearance; they had the likeness of a man. And every one had four faces, and every one had four wings"(Ezekiel 1:5-6). We can find these same descriptions in chapter 10, verses 19-21. "And the cherubim lifted up their wings, and mounted up from the earth in my sight: when they went out, the wheels also were beside them, and every one stood at the door of the east gate of the Lord's house; and the glory of the God of Israel was over them above. This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar; and I knew that they were the cherubim. Every one had four faces apiece, and every one four wings; And the likeness of the hands of a man was under their wings." Take note: the cherubim have four wings, four faces, and a hand under each wing.

Satan was a cherubim! Look at his description. "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire" (Eze. 28:13-16).

Other creatures aiding God's house are called "seraphim." They are called "the burning ones" and they only appear twice in the Bible and even then, not much is said about them. One place is in Isaiah 6. You will find they also have wings - six to be exact. "Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he did fly"(Isa. 6:2). "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come" (Rev. 4:8).

Why am I telling you this? Because angels do not have wings! There are 91 scriptural references to the words "wing," "wings," and "winged." Forty five of them specifically refer to cherubim, the rest refer to God's seraphim, and physical animals, such as eagles, turtle doves, doves, fowl, peacocks, ostriches, hawks, locusts, lions, leopards, hen, beasts, and wind itself. None refer to angels. All references to the word "angel" or "angels" when looked up, shows there is no mention of the words "wing," "wings" or "winged." It is evident from scripture angels do not have wings as does the cherubim and seraphim!

In all the descriptions of angels found in the Bible; all are described as men wearing white raiment and are always of the masculine gender. An example is Acts 1:10, "And while they looked stedfastly toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel." Another example can be seen in Matthew 28, "And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow" (Matt 28:2-3). Let's look at one more reference. "And entering into the sepulcher, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted"(Mark 16:5). Again, we see a man in white raiment – having no wings. When searching God's word, nothing is found that states angels have wings!

Another thing that is interesting in this crash course on angels, is that angels are always in a hurry. They have places to go, things to do and they don't waste any time!! Take for instance the example we read earlier in Acts 12:7-10, where Peter was lead by an angel out of prison. No time was lost getting him out of there. Angels are very business-like. They do their job and vanish! Angels can and do appear as we have read, in human form as males and not as the females that popular T.V. programs sometimes portray them. Most stores that sell statutes and pictures of angels almost always have them portrayed as female or babies.

Another point the Apostle Paul points out, is we need to be cautious. "Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares"(Heb. 13:1-2). Angels can not be traced. They have no relatives, no permanent address, no verifiable roots that can be looked up. They travel light, never having baggage or belongings. Angels have a tendency to vanish, once their mission is accomplished - just as we read in Peter's escape from prison. It seems they don't hang around or wish to be thanked. And, they certainly refuse to be worshiped in any way, shape or form. We see proof of that through the eyes of John, "And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which showed me these things. Then saith he unto me, see you do it not: for I am your fellow servant, and of your brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God" (Rev. 22:8-9).

Daniel experienced angels traveling at that kind of speed. " And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; yes, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill and understanding. At the beginning of your supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show you; for you art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision"(Dan. 9:20-23). No time was wasted in answering Daniels prayer. Angels don't talk much. They say what they came to say and that's it. They

Another fallacy commonly associated with angels and Christ is a "halo." It too, has no foundation in scripture. The closest thing to a halo in the Bible is a "aura," or a shining brightness. This world's religions that Satan has influenced, have reduced the glory of God to a mere wisp of a ring. Angels, who are in the presence of God daily, share what God has given them - His shining glory that is much more than a diminutive little halo ring!

This truth that you have just read about angels is firmly rooted in God's word. Angels have no wings, no halo and no harp. They are servants with power and strength, who always appear as males, not females. What we see in stores, in the movies, on T.V. and in the corner churches, is a fable - a myth. Something to remember– there are only two arch angels talked about in scripture, Michael and Gabriel! Satan was a cherubim– not an angel.