The Bible is clear about the presence of angels. All throughout the Bible we see angels in service to God and engaging with humans. While there are many places in the Bible where we see the mention of angels, what we don’t see are the names of many angels in the Bible. However, there are four names of angels in the Bible Christians should know and be aware of.
To make sure we are all on the same page and before we start looking at the names of angels in the Bible, let’s be clear on what an angel is. Angels are heavenly messengers. It is important to note that angels have one main purpose and that is to serve God and to execute his will. Angels serve at God’s will and are dispatched upon his command. Even if an angel is serving or assisting us as humans, they don’t do that at our will, they do that at God’s will.
Let's take a look at the types of angels according to Scripture.
The Bible identifies four types of angels
Cherubim
The cherubim are the angels most often mentioned in Scripture, even mentioned as early as Genesis. Their role involves representing God’s holiness and presence. They protect sacred places, like the Garden of Eden, and are often shown near God’s throne or in worship settings, like on the Ark of the Covenant. Their role reminds us of God’s glory, His justice, and how special it is to be in His presence.
"After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life." – Genesis 3:24
"These were the living creatures I had seen beneath the God of Israel by the Kebar River, and I realized that they were cherubim. Each had four faces and four wings, and under their wings was what looked like human hands." – Ezekiel 10:20-21
Seraphim
These angels are not mentioned very often in the Bible but appear in Isaiah. They are described as being closest to God’s throne, constantly worshiping Him and proclaiming His holiness. hey also act as purifiers, as seen when one touched Isaiah’s lips with a burning coal to cleanse him of sin.
"In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying." – Isaiah 6:1-2
Revelation 4:8 also mentions a living creature with six wings which could also be a reference to the seraphim. While we have physical descriptions of the cherubim and the seraphim there are no names of these angels in the Bible.
Archangel
An archangel is simply an angel with a higher rank. This implies there is some layer of hierarchy when it comes to angels. Their roles are seen as a protector of God’s people and a warrior in spiritual battles. Archangels also have a role as messengers and defenders of God’s will, often taking on significant tasks in the divine plan.
"For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first." - 1 Thess. 4:6
Fallen Angel
These are the angels that fell with Satan when he attempted to overthrow God’s throne. Fallen angels are also referred to now as demons.
"He replied, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven." - Luke 10:18
"Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels." -Matt. 25:41
What names of angels are found in the Bible?
Now that you have a general understanding of what angels are let’s now look at four names of angels mentioned in the Bible.
Michael
Michael fits into this category of being an archangel and he is identified with this title in Jude 1:9
“But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not himself dare to condemn him for slander but said, ‘The Lord rebuke you!’”
As we mentioned above an archangel had a higher rank which means he had angels serving underneath him. When most people think about Michael, they think of him as a warrior angel partially because of how we see him operating in Daniel and Revelation.
“But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia.” – Daniel 10:13
“Then war broke out in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.” – Revelation 12:7
Gabriel
Gabriel is one of the names of angels in the Bible most Christians know, especially because of his connection to the birth of Christ. While he is often thought of as an archangel the Bible never actually calls him an archangel. I wonder if people assume that title of him because he is one of the few angels named in the Bible. Gabriel’s role is to be a messenger. We see him executing his role in the story of the birth of Jesus, first appearing to Zechariah and then also to Mary.
“The angel said to him, ‘I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news’”. – Luke 1:19
“In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” – Luke 1:26-27
Zechariah and Mary had face-to-face encounters with the angel Gabriel. We often think Joseph had the same experience however the angel he encountered was never named and the angel spoke to him in a dream, much different than these two experiences.
We also see Gabriel interacting with Daniel helping him to understand a vision which all points to Gabriel’s primary role of being a messenger.
“While I, Daniel, was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, ‘Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.’” – Daniel 8:15-16
Lucifer
In Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28 we read different accounts of the fall of Lucifer. The reason we can include him as one of the names of angels mentioned in the Bible is because he was a cherub. Isaiah 14:12 identifies him by name.
“How you are fallen from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning!
How you are cut down to the ground,
You who weakened the nations! – Isaiah 14:12 (NKJV)
This passage in Ezekiel defines him as a cherub.
“You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you.
You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones.
You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you.
Through your widespread trade you were filled with violence, and you sinned.
So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, guardian cherub, from among the fiery stones.” – Ezekiel 28:14-16
Today we typically don’t refer to him as Lucifer because he is no longer a star of the morning. He is now referred to as Satan which means adversary or opponent or Devil which means accuser or slanderer.
Abaddon or Apollyon
There is one lesser-known angel named in the Bible whose name only appears one time and we know very little about. This is the angel known as Abaddon.
“They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer).” – Revelation 9:11
Abaddon appears after the sounding of the fifth trumpet which is occurring during the tribulation. He is leader over these locusts that sting like scorpions bringing a form of judgment in the earth which is described in Revelation 9. Outside of this, there is not much information in the Bible on Abaddon.
Angels are important to God and are still actively engaged in human life. It is possible you may encounter them or may have even encountered them and were not aware. Regardless angels are faithful to the service of God and God will dispatch them to assist you when you need them.
“For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.” – Psalm 91:11-12
Related Resource:
Dale and Tamara Chamberlain explore what it means to experience the abundant life that Jesus promised us by tackling ancient truths in everyday settings in their podcast Kainos Project. Listen to their episode on the different kinds of spiritual beings described in Scripture and how they fit into God's plan.
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Clarence L. Haynes Jr. is a speaker, Bible teacher, and co-founder of The Bible Study Club. He is the author of The Pursuit of Purpose which will help you understand how God leads you into his will. His most recent book is The Pursuit of Victory: How To Conquer Your Greatest Challenges and Win In Your Christian Life. This book will teach you how to put the pieces together so you can live a victorious Christian life and finally become the man or woman of God that you truly desire to be. Clarence is also committed to helping 10,000 people learn how to study the Bible and has just released his first Bible study course called Bible Study Basics. To learn more about his ministry please visit clarencehaynes.com.