Andrienne says that angels don’t have wings. She must be wrong because most gift shops have little angel images for sale, and they always have wings. Everyone has seen Christmas plays where the winged angel announces to the shepherds in the field that Jesus is born.
Even though our tradition says that angels have wings, we must look in the Bible to see if it is correct. A simple Bible search of the words “wings” and “angels” reveals that the two do not appear in the same verse. In the Old Testament, angels are often mistaken for men as in our passage of the two angels who led Lot and his family to safety. In verse one of our story it says two “angels” came to Sodom. But in verse 12 it says the two “men” spoke to Lot. If all angels have wings, why were the two angels called men? It’s because they looked like men.
God gave us the Bible so that we could know truth. Often, religious tradition is different from what the Bible teaches. Andrienne’s idea that someone put wings on a model is probably not far from the truth.
The Bible tells us about special creatures that have wings. The prophet Isaiah saw seraphim above God’s throne. Seraphim have six wings. “They used two wings to cover their faces, two wings to cover their bodies, and two wings to fly” (Isaiah 6:2).
Other winged creatures called cherubim guarded the tree of life in the Garden of Eden after Adam and Eve sinned (Genesis 3:24). Cherubim are very important. The Bible tells us that the Lord dwells with the cherubim in heaven (Psalm 99:1 & Isaiah 37:16). And … they have two wings (1 Kings 8:7). The next time you see a figure with two wings in a gift shop, you can announce to all the customers that it’s really a cherub! Before making the announcement, you might want to ask your mom if it’s a good idea.
Some angels in the Bible came to bring people good news. Others warned them that something was going to happen. Angels came to Lot to warn him and his family to leave the city of Sodom because God was going to destroy it.
Think About This: The Bible has many warnings that can save us from harm.
Memorize This Truth: "If you refuse to be corrected, you are only hurting yourself. Listen to criticism, and you will gain understanding" (Proverbs 15:32).