Angels

We are not alone.
 

There are hundreds of references to them in the Bible. In addition, many today see them, including several of my friends—regularly.

What Are Angels Like?

• While worshipping God in a small group setting, one of my friends saw a vision of a giant, ominous angel standing in the center of the room with wings stretched toward Heaven amidst rising incense. She described it as "startling." God opens our eyes (e.g., 2 Kings 6:17)  
• Nearly all the religions of the world (except atheism) teach their existence.
• The word "angel" means "messenger."  These "agents" ministered to Jesus. (Matt 4:11)
• Augustine: "'“Angel' is the name of their office, not of their nature. If you seek the name of their nature, it is ‘spirit’; if you seek the name of their office, it is ‘angel’: from what they are ‘spirit,’ from what they do ‘angel.’” (Angels that have left their office are called demons.)
• Augustine believed (who took a more metaphorical view of early Genesis) that on the first, the creation of light was meant to refer to the angels [from City of God]. Aquinas also believed this.
• Angels are spirits, but do not have souls, i.e., animating agents for a body.
• Angels are non-human persons with superior intellects, wills and emotions. They are purely intuitive—they learn things all at once. Therefore, according to Aquinas, they can't self-deceive. They have to be aware of the consequences of their choice.
• Having no bodies they do not marry, reproduce, age, die, or be celibate. They have no sexual morality or property morality; and cannot be tempted to physical lust, only spiritual lust. (Lust defined as desiring the attributes w/o the essence.)
• Each is purely intuitive. They experience themselves all at once, as a whole, whereas we experience life as a process, in time, like a sequence.  They love God and love you all at once.
• Note that for humans these related powers are all potentially separated within each capatility:  goals, ends, meaning, design, intuition, the whole, time-transcendence (process and events), telos, "final cause".   But because angels aren't in "parts" they can't be separated for angels.  For example, and angel can't have two conflicting goals.  It is "pure".  That's why they only got one shot at choosing God or not.  By their nature it's impossible to have more than one shot. It would be like asking to split the center of a circle in half.
• Because angels are spirits w/o bodies, each angel is its own species. They have form, but not matter, so they can't be replicated.  Each angels is its own first and last "Adam".  (Therefore there are no angel "twins".)
• Every major culture in humanity reports experiences of angels, except atheists. (Even Satanists believe in angels!)
• The Talmud: The virtue of angels is that they cannot deteriorate; their flaw is that they cannot improve. Man’s flaw is that he can deteriorate; his virtue is that he can improve.
• Man is the lowest (least intelligent) of the spiritual beings and highest (most intelligent) of the physical beings.
• Man is both higher and lower than the angels. We are created in God's image (angels aren't), being able to unite in love; but with significantly less natural capabilities. Man is potentially higher supernaturally because God invites him to share His super-nature. (Christ marries His Church, so we get a promotion.) Angels are obsessed with this mystery. (I Pet 1:12)
• Thus, in Heaven we will not judge people, but we will judge angels.  (I Cor. 6:3)

Appearances

An angel can focus his mind on one location and move by willing it—but they travel through kairos (spiritual time) vs. chronos (physical time). An angel commands itself to move through our world, similar to how you would command your body to move. It's an invisible interaction, but completely real

Jesus relates the kairos and chronos when he says "see that you do not look down on little ones. For I tell you that their angels in Heaven always see the face of my Father in Heaven." (Mat 18:10)

Angelic War

• Since angels are all of the same spiritual nature, they naturally love one another. Demons hate not only us; but each other, united only in the common hate, like Herod and Pilate.
• We currently live in the battlefield between pure angels and corrupted angels.
• Some angels have wings, but not all.
• Angels don't speak through you (only to you) and aren't designed to possess you, for there's already a spirit in your body.   For this to happen your body has to be hijacked, done by demons (spiritual terrorists) entering via damaged security (usually an emotional wound that then makes us vulrnable to lies about God.)  The Holy Spirit possesses us, if we let Him.
• Angels and demons influence by suggestion, honoring free will, our most precious and most dangerous gift.
• Likewise angel warfare occurs via the will, like a battle between telepaths in "dueling lightning."
• In a stage play a lot goes on behind the scenes "in the wings", likewise in our lives much action occurs offstage (as if angels cycle in and out by consulting the Director, then returning to back stage to help us.)
• One time while praying in tongues with a friend out in front of his house, he saw a vision of several angels on the roof of his house keeping watch.  Praying in tongues is a catalyst to encounters because it is angelic language.  (1 Cor 13:1).

In Heaven

• The highest angels are Archangels (e.g., Raphael, Gabriel, and Michael),
  next the Seraphim or "burning ones" who worship God most deeply,
  then "Cherubim" means "fullness of wisdom".
• Mysteriously, the insane angels who refused to worship knew they would end up in hell.
• Augustine believed we will take the places of the fallen angels who left their worship post and fill in the blanks of the Heavenly choir.
• Angels are never bored because they are always experiencing something new in worship of God. Every angel communicates their unique experience.
• They can be masculinity or femininity, but not having bodies they can't be male or female.
• They are reported to have great wit. My friend was once bored with his nephews who were playing video games; and then later had a vivid vision of a few of his angels yawning as he was playing video games! Funny.
• G.K. Chesterton: Angels can fly because they take themselves lightly.
• Angels throw parties. (Luke 15:8)  They love God.