Thursday, August 2, 2007

More About Angels and their Appearances

I’ve been writing tutorials about angels. Here are some facts and analogies to help with understanding them further.

Angels are each unique and individual, with their own personality. They serve God’s will and also are friends and companions to God.

You can read an example of this when three angels traveled to Abraham, to receive hospitality from him, where one is discovered to be God with two companions.

However, the fact that each angel is individual does not mean that they function in any way separate from God. Their very appearance, for example, is a reflection of their connection with God. For example, Abraham could not discern which one was God until they conversed. All three dressed consistently and modestly.

The Bible describes this as, in Jesus’ words, angels constantly face God. Angels are like God’s skin. They constantly have contact with God and are of his substance (glorified bodies in the form of energy.) So an angel never desires to do anything inconsistent with God’s will, because the angel exists as a layer on God.

Therefore angels differ in their appearance and words to humans, or their actions (see the Book of Revelations) by what part of God’s will the angel is overlaying in perfect contact, and bringing into material reality.

This is why angels are often described in terms that are like molten brass, gems, or other physical materials that emit great light and who speak like rushing waters or winds. They do not “dress” or have “hairstyles” like people fantasize depicting them like Renaissance fairies. Their true appearance is using light and elements that best correspond to their mission and God’s will for each angel.

For example, an angel sent as a messenger, like Gabriel, is like grace and spirit peeled off from God’s skin of will and formed into a way that best communicates the message. That type of angel will have a glorious yet accessible to human understanding form of body and voice.

This is why the Cherubim who appeared accompanying God to Ezekiel had very complex appearances. They had a face of man but also of beasts like the lion, ox, and eagle. They gleamed like bronze and moved in straight directions, and had wheels with them (which were images of galaxies.) The Cherubim reside in extremely close proximity with God’s “skin” concerning his will about the structure of the universe, space and time, and all life within, both human and animal. Therefore Ezekiel was privileged to see angels that bore the most complex imprint of the “skin” of God, where they constantly face God.


Because angels constantly face God and perform only his will, they are clothed in light and glory and if could be seen, have simple robes. If anyone tells you that your guardian angel is dressed in pink and tangerine, for example, that person is simply projecting their own imagination on you. Angels have personalities but not egos and their very clothing and appearance is peeled grace “skin” from God. So while each person has an individual and unique guardian angel, because they are performing the same part of the will of God (that is, accompanying, protecting, and guiding) there is no discernable difference among them even if you could see yours and converse.

Animals do not see or hear angels, but sometimes they perceive a vibration of their presence. While animals do not have human “souls” it is not true that they do not live on eternally. All life that ever lived resides in heaven, where there is eternal conservation of life spirit. Again, this is why the Cherubim have animal faces in addition to the human face. Every living creature that ever lives is in a heavenly repository that is like an eternal Garden of Eden, where the lion is with the lamb and so forth. So do not give up on the idea that you could see a “living” dinosaur someday. And the gnats in heaven don’t bite!

1 comment:

Liz said...

Hey Mary,

I really love what you have written here. I only disagree on one VERY SMALL point. I think Numbers 22:21-34 is pretty clear that animals can see angels but maybe I'm wrong. Either way, thanks for writing this, it really blessed me!