Angels - Good & Evil

Types Created. God created different types of angels. We do not know how many different types of angels there are because we are not sure that scripture has revealed all of them to us. Scripture only says that two types of angels have wings: cherubim, and seraphim. We usually think of angels as having two wings, but cherubim appear to have four wings and seraphim appear to have six wings.

Cherubim.Cherubim appear more often in scripture than any other type of angel. They appear throughout the entire Bible beginning in the book of Genesis and ending in the book of Revelation. They are first mentioned as guardians of the Tree of Life in the Garden of Eden.

So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life. (NASB) Genesis 3:24

God put them there to keep Adam and Eve out of the garden. God directed Moses to have gold figurines of cherubim created and placed over the mercy seat in the ark of the covenant which was located in the tabernacle and then later in the temple in Jerusalem (Ex. 25:20). Apparently, God did this because cherubim are present in the throne room.

The cherubim described in Ezekiel 1:1-15; 10:8-10, 20-21 do not look like the typical paintings and sculptures found in museums and stores. These passages reveal that these angels have human form, legs, hands, and faces, but they also have wings.

. . . they had human form. Each of them had four faces and four wings. And their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man, all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. Such were their faces. Their wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies. (NASB) Ezekiel 1:5-11

In the book of Ezekiel we discover that these angels can fly or move through space, and hover in one place.

And the cherubim appeared to have the form of a man’s hand under their wings . . . When the cherubim departed, they lifted their wings and rose up from the earth in my sight with the wheels beside them; and they stood still at the entrance of the east gate of the LORD’S house. And the glory of the God of Israel hovered over them. (NASB) Ezekiel 10:8, 19

Ezekiel 28:11-16 and Isaiah 14:13-14 suggest that one of the cherubim was the most beautiful creature in heaven. He was called the “anointed cherub” (note that cherubim is the plural form of cherub). He later rebelled against God and brought evil into the universe.

Seraphim. Another special type of angels are the seraphim. These angels are only found in the book of Isaiah. They have six wings.

Seraphim stood above Him, each having six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew . . . Then one of the seraphim flew to me, with a burning coal in his hand which he had taken from the altar with tongs. (NASB) Isaiah 6:2, 6