Do Angels Have Wings?

There is a category of created beings that pre-existed the creation of the universe which are generally known as angels. There are two types of these beings in the Bible that are said to have wings: Cherubim (Exodus 25:20; 37:9; I Kings 6:24, 27; 8:6-7; 1 Chron. 28:18; 2 Chron. 3:11; 5:7-8; Ezekiel 10) and Seraphim (Isaiah 6). Therefore, in my thinking and that of most theologians, I believe, we know for sure that some angels have wings.

In the Bible angels sometimes take on human form. When they do, obviously, they don’t have wings (or they wouldn’t be in human form). So angels in wingless human form proves nothing about whether angels in their created/natural form have wings. When they are in their angelic realm, the same passages that don’t describe them as “winged” also do not describe them as “wingless.” Hence, nothing can be proven from those passages. They may or may not have wings, but other angels, Seraphim and Cherubim, do.

In this culture, angels are portrayed as babies and females, both with no biblical grounds. They are also portrayed as having wings, with some biblical grounds, even if not definitive of all angels, only some. 

Randy Alcorn (@randyalcorn) is the author of over sixty books and the founder and director of Eternal Perspective Ministries

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