Angels in society
Society has long had a fascination with angels. We like to think they are among us and are looking out for us. Angels are popular even among those who aren’t Christians or follow the Bible.
Angels have been the theme of TV shows and are often portrayed to take human form to help people on Earth with difficult issues. One was “Highway to Heaven” in the 1980’s and another is “Touched by an Angel” in the 1990’s. Angels are also featured in countless cartoons where characters that die suddenly become angels with wings and halos.
They are also in movies. One of the most famous examples is “It’s a Wonderful Life”. In that movie an angel named Clarence help Jimmy Stewart’s character and got his wings in the end for his work. A line in the movie says when a bell rings an angel gets his wings.
Angels are also popular in the stores. We see stores selling angel Christmas ornaments around the holidays. All year around angels are featured on greeting cards and in statues decorating gardens.
What the Bible says
The only 2 angels mentioned by name in the Bible have human names. Michael is an archangel or chief angel(Jude 9). Gabriel is another angel mentioned in the Bible by name. The name Gabriel means God’s hero or mighty one.
What else does the Bible have to say about angels? Quite a bit. Some of what society says about angels is wrong. If one is interested in angels, the Bible should be the first source of information.