It is our conviction that what many call "angels" are, most often times, spirits or spirit guides that are with us - most likely, in many cases, what we call "enlightened human spirits" in the energized atmosphere around and within us: Spirit. This would explain why angels typically are described as men in the Bible and why some have names that mean "man" (Gabriel). Descriptions of seraphim and cherubim with wings in the Bible could possibly be metaphors that convey a spiritual truth of something that takes place within each of us (e.g. think of the throne sitting inside you and these "angels" are around that throne - all symbolic, in our opinion, and not a literal concept).
With that understanding, the following article from Bruce Bussell was just too interesting to pass up, explaining how angels appear in the Bible.
What Do Angels Look Like? by Bruce Bussell
"Since angels are spirits rather than physical beings, they don't have to be visible at all (Colossians 1:16). Elisha once prayed that his servant would see the armies of angels surrounding the city, and the young man discovered that he had overlooked a lot of invisible beings (2 Kings 6:17)!"
"When angels do appear, they generally appear in the form of men. In Genesis 18, Abraham welcomed three angelic guests who appeared at first to be nothing more than some travellers. In the following chapter, two angels went to Sodom where they were assumed to be simply a pair of human visitors.
With the possible exception of one debatable passage in Zechariah 5:9, angels always appear as males rather than females (Mark 16:5).
Sometimes an angel appears to be a man with unusual features. Daniel saw an angel with arms and legs resembling polished metal and precious stones, and a face like lightning (Daniel 10:5-6). The angel that rolled back the stone from Christ's tomb was radiating dazzling light (Matthew 28:3; Luke 24:4). The book of Revelation describes some highly unusual beings who may be a variety of angel in Revelation 4:6-8."
"Angels in the Bible never appear as cute, chubby infants! They are always full-grown adults. When people in the Bible saw an angel, their typical response was to fall on their faces in fear and awe, not to reach out and tickle an adorable baby.
Some Bible passages picture angels with wings (Isaiah 6:2,6). Other verses talk about angels flying, and we assume that the wings would be useful for that flight (Daniel 9:21). However, I suspect that angels can move around without having to depend on wings. Most references to angels in the Bible say nothing about wings, and in passages like Genesis 18-19, it is certain that no wings were visible."
About The Author
Bruce Bussell is the founder of Hearts For God Christian Ministry which is designed to bring people closer to God through the study of His angels.