Bible Verses

Does Jesus Live With God In Heaven, Or Does He Live By Himself?

Answer: When Jesus left the earth, he went to heaven to live with God the Father.

That’s where he is right now. He sits at the Father’s right hand, the place of highest honor.

The Bible says he talks to God about us (1 John 2:1).

Key verse: Now I am leaving the world, and leaving them behind.

And I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your own care.

Keep all those you have given me. May they be united just as we are. (John 17:11)

Related verses: John 17:5; Acts 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Colossians 3:1; Hebrews 10:12

Related questions: Will Jesus do miracles in heaven? Is Jesus happy in heaven?

When God is in heaven, is he always thinking of people down here on earth?

Does God take care of his angels the way he takes care of his people?

Is God like the president of the United States in heaven?

Why Doesn’t God Take Us To Heaven As Soon As We Get Saved?

Answer: God doesn’t take his people to heaven right away because he wants them to grow in their faith.

He also wants them to tell others about Christ, to help others, and to make the world better. God has work for his people to do.

Key verses: So now go and make disciples in all the nations.

Baptize them into the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Then teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Related verses: John 9:4; 2 Peter 3:9

What If I Don’t Want To Leave My Friends And Family To Go To Heaven?

Answer: It’s OK to not want to go to heaven right now.

God has given you a place to enjoy right here and now your home and your family and friends.

You don’t have to go to heaven right away.

But heaven will be a happy place, not a lonely or a sad place.

Once you’re in heaven you won’t feel afraid of it you will be glad that you are there.

And if your family and friends know Jesus, too, you all will be in heaven together.

You will be together with your family again.

Key verse: Be sure of this thing! I am with you always, even to the end of the world. (Matthew 28:20)

Related verses: Revelation 21:3-5

Related questions: Will I be able to play with my friends up in heaven? How can you get out of heaven?

What will my friend do when he goes to heaven? Do they have sports in heaven?

Note to parents: Don’t be appalled if your child says he or she is afraid of heaven or doesn’t want to go.

Some kids fear going to heaven because it seems faraway and mysterious.

All they can imagine is being taken away from their families and going to a cold and impersonal place where they don’t know anyone.

Assure your child that heaven is a warm and happy place.

What’s A Casket?

Answer:A casket is a metal or wooden box in which a dead body is placed.

Usually a casket is buried in the ground in a cemetery.

Putting a body in a casket is a very old custom and is a way of showing respect for the dead person.

Also, it is part of the custom of mourning the person’s death.

Key verse: It will be an honor to have you [Abraham] choose the finest of our tombs, so that you can bury [Sarah] there. (Genesis 23:6)

Related verses: Genesis 50:26; Amos 2:1; Mark 15:46; Romans 12:15

Related questions: How can people be cremated? How can adults be cremated when they’re so big?

Why Do People Cry At Funerals?

Answer: People cry at funerals because they are very sad. They miss the person who has died.

Even when people know that their family member or friend is now in heaven with Jesus, they cry because they miss their loved one.

The purpose of funerals is to say good-bye to the dead person, to show respect for the person and his or her family, to cry and be sad, and to remember what the person meant to everyone.

Key verses: Tears came to Jesus’ eyes. “They were close friends,” the Jewish leaders said. “See how much he loved him.” (John 11:35-36)

Related verses: Mark 5:38-39; Luke 7:11-15; Romans 12:15

Related question: Why do we have funerals?

Will I Be Able To Play Games In Heaven?

Answer: Heaven will be more exciting than you could possibly imagine. Will that mean playing lots of games?

Probably not-you can get bored with games, and life in heaven will never be boring.

You will never get tired of what you’re doing there. The Bible says that you will always be happy in heaven.

If you think games are fun, you should see what’s coming next-it will be much better than playing games all the time.

It’s OK if you don’t understand this. Trying to understand life in heaven is like trying to understand how fun an amusement park will be before you get there.

How can you really know what to expect? You can’t. All you can do is hear the descriptions (“It’s great! It’s wonderful! You can ride on the SuperCollosalMachine!”).

Until you go, you won’t really be able to get excited about it. But once you’re there, wow!

Key verse: We can see and understand only a little about God now. It is like we were looking at his reflection in a poor mirror.

Someday we are going to see him face to face. Now all that I know is hazy and blurred. But then I will see everything clearly. (1 Corinthians 13:12)

Related verses: 1 Corinthians 13:11-12; Revelation 4:8-11; 7:15-17:22:3

Related questions: Will there be lots and lots of toys in heaven? Will I still get to drive a car when I’m in heaven, or can you take a bus somewhere?

Note to parents: The tadpole analogy (see the next question) is useful for questions about boredom in heaven.

In Heaven, We Dont Just Sing And Worship All Day, Do We?

Answer: In heaven, we will be happy all the time. Heaven will be a place made just for us.

We read in the Bible about angels singing and praising God day and night, and we can’t imagine doing that all the time.

But remember that they are singing because they are glad. They aren’t bored, tired, or old.

They are expressing happiness and joy. God is the happiest person in the universe, and living in heaven means being there with him doing the same thing.

Life with God is happy, joyful, and cool.

Imagine that you’re a tadpole. All your life you’ve lived only in the water.

You know that someday you’ll become a frog and you’ll get to live on land.

But until you become a frog, you will have no idea what life on land is like.

And if anyone tries to explain it to you, it won’t sound very appealing because there’s no water and you can’t swim.

That’s the way it is with heaven. Until we get to heaven, it will be hard for us to understand what’s so great about it.

But once we’re there, we’ll be perfect and we’ll have new bodies, and that will make all the difference.

Key verse: Now I can sing glad praises to the Lord. I can sing instead of lying in silence in the grave. (Psalm 30:12)

Related verses: Psalm 61:8; 89:1; Isaiah 35:10; 51:11; 1 Corinthians 2:9; 13:12; Revelation 4:8-11; 7:15-17

Related questions: Won’t heaven be boring? Will I be bored in heaven?

Note to parents: Children can understand singing for joy by thinking of songs they sing when they’re happy or celebrating.

What they feel when singing those songs is like what they will feel in heaven-only better!

What Will I Do Up There With No Friends?

Answer: If your friends believe in Jesus, they will be in heaven with you, and you will have a great time together.

Jesus is preparing a place for us; he won’t keep us apart from each other. And we’ll make new friends in heaven, too.

If you aren’t sure whether your friends will go to heaven, tell them about Jesus.

If they put their faith in Christ, too, you will all be there together.

You don’t have to worry-heaven won’t be boring. Remember, God created butterflies, sunsets, electrical storms, mountains, the Grand Canyon, and all of nature.

He will give us so much fun, beauty, and joy in heaven that we can hardly imagine it now.

Key verses: There are many homes in my Father’s house. I am going to prepare a place for you.

I will come again and take you to me. Then you will be with me where I am about to go. (John 14:2-3)

Related verses: 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17

Related questions: Who can I play with when I die? Will I be able to play with my friends up in heaven?

Will I remember my family and friends in heaven? Will there be any stuffed animals?

Is there going to be any paint in God’s world? What happens when we go to heaven?

Are The Streets In Heaven Real Gold Or Just Painted With Gold?

Answer: All of heaven is real-none of it is fake. When we get there, it will be the most real, beautiful place we have ever seen.

Will even the gold be real? The Bible says that the streets will be paved with gold.

This may just be a way of saying that it’s a great place to be, like saying “It must be a million degrees out here” to describe a really hot day.

Or it may refer to real gold streets running through town. It’s hard to know exactly what heaven will be like because we really can’t understand it now.

Imagine a frog trying to explain life on land to a tad- pole. All the descriptions would sound bad-you can’t swim, there’s no water, etc.

The frog can’t really tell the tadpole what life on land is like. Only when the tadpole becomes a frog can the tadpole understand.

Only when we get to heaven will we know what it will be like. But one thing is for sure: Nothing will be fake!

Key verse: The 12 gates were made of pearls. Each gate was made from a single pearl! And the main street was pure, clear gold, like glass. (Revelation 21:21)

Related verses: Revelation 21:1-22:21

Related question: What will God’s house be made of? What will God’s house look like in heaven?

Is heaven more beautiful than the most beautiful place on earth? What is heaven made of?

How does God make things out of gold? Does God use glue to make gold stick to the new Jerusalem?

Are the gates in heaven made out of gold?

Does God Have Angels Watching Over Heaven So Demons Can’t Get In?

Answer: God will let no evil at all into heaven-no sin, no hurting, no demons.

Life in heaven will be safe. In fact, heaven is the safest place anywhere-perfectly safe all the time.

No one in heaven is afraid of anything, and no one there ever gets hurt.

Key verse: [God] will swallow up death forever. The Lord God will wipe away all tears.

He will take away all insults and mockery against his land and people forever.

The Lord has spoken! He will surely do it! (Isaiah 25:8)

Related verses: Revelation 7:17; 22:3-5

Related questions: Is heaven a safe place? Will I be safe in heaven?

Does God keep bad stuff out of heaven? Can the devil still hurt you when you’re in heaven?

Will snakes be there? Will we be able to see Satan in heaven?

Note to parents: Every child craves safety and fears danger. A safe place is a happy place, and conversely, a dangerous place isn’t.

In order to be happy, a child needs to feel safe.

A question like this one, therefore, applies a child’s test of happiness to heaven: If it isn’t safe, then it can’t be happy.

You can reassure your child that no place is safer than heaven.

Where Did God Live Before Heaven Was Made?

Answer: God has always lived in heaven because heaven is the place where God is. God has made a place for us where he is-so that is heaven for us. Wherever God is, there is heaven.

Key verse: Our Father in Heaven, we honor your holy name. (Matthew 6:9)

Related verses: Deuteronomy 26:15; 1 Kings 8:30, 39,43,49

Related questions: Where does God live? How does God get down here (to live in us)-does he fly?

How can God be in more than one place at one time? How long did it take to make heaven?

Note to parents: Sometimes a child’s question comes from a faulty assumption about God.

You can use questions like this to explain how God is different from us.

Can You Fall Out Of Heaven?

Answer: People cannot fall out of heaven any more than they can fall out of their own front yard.

You may have seen pictures or cartoons that show heaven as a place up in the sky or in the clouds.

We don’t know where heaven is; we only know that God and Jesus are there.

Someday God will make a new earth and a new city called the new Jerusalem, where all his people will live forever.

That place will be perfect for us-no dangerous streets, no diseases to catch, nothing to worry about at all.

In heaven, you will never hear anyone say, “Be careful!” because you won’t have any dangers to be careful about.

Key verse: I heard a loud shout from the throne. It was saying, “Look, the home of God is now among men.

He will live with them and they will be his people. Yes, God himself will be among them.” (Revelation 21:3)

Related verses: Romans 8:39; Revelation 22:14

Related questions: Are there police in heaven? Will there be any doors in heaven? Does heaven move?

Note to parents: This question comes up when children confuse heaven with a physical location, usually one that is up in the sky.

They are not able to imagine a spiritual-as opposed to physical-reality, so they can’t imagine heaven not being a place.

They naturally think of heaven as being up because that’s where we put it in our descriptions of it.

Is Heaven All Made Up Of Clouds?

Answer: Sometimes cartoons and movies show funny pictures of angels standing in clouds.

But heaven is not made up of clouds. The Bible does say that clouds surround God’s throne, that Jesus was caught up in the clouds, and that when Jesus retums he will come in the clouds.

But those are word pictures.

They don’t mean that heaven is made up of rain clouds.

Heaven is God’s presence. It’s a spiritual place.

It’s a world invisible to us now but very real just the same.

Key verse: Then the scene changed. I saw a white cloud. Someone was sitting on it, and he looked like Jesus.

He was called “The Son of Man.” He had a crown of gold on his head and a sickle in his hand. (Revelation 14:14)

Related verses: Psalm 97:2; Luke 21:27; 1 Thessalonians 4:17

Related questions: Is there going to be summer and fall in heaven? Will there be any winter?

Will our house be warm? Does it rain in heaven? Can you walk on clouds in heaven? Are there bathrooms in heaven? Is there water in heaven?

Note to parents: Children pick up a lot of wrong ideas about heaven from cartoons and other popular tales.

If you’re not sure how to explain what’s wrong with a false idea, it’s better to say “I don’t know how to explain it” than to fall back on a popular fantasy.

Sit down with them and read Revelation 21-22 together so they can see what the Bible says about heaven and the new Jerusalem.

Why Is Heaven So Shiny?

Answer: Heaven shines with the brightness of the glory of God. God is perfect, holy, 100 percent good.

Because of that, God shines with light. Many descriptions of heaven mention light and gold because of God’s glory.

Key verse: Great bursts of light flashed forth from him.

It was like light from a glittering diamond or from a shining ruby.

There was a rainbow glowing like an emerald around his throne. (Revelation 4:3)

Related verses: Revelation 4:1-6; 21:18-21, 23; 22:5

Related questions: Will there be night in heaven? Why does God stay up all night? What does my mansion in heaven look like?

Why Do They Put Stones On People’s Graves?

Answer: A gravestone or metal plate on a grave marks the place where the person’s body is buried.

After a person has died, friends and family will sometimes go to the cemetery, put flowers on the grave, and think about that person.

The stone helps them find the grave.

They can go there and remember the person instead of forgetting.

Just think what it would be like if a family member was buried and no one marked where the grave was.

Key verse: The Lord buried [Moses] in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab. But no one knows the exact place. (Deuteronomy 34:6)

Related verse: Acts 13:36

Related questions: Why do people talk to dead people at their graves? Why do people visit people’s graves if their spirits have already gone to heaven?

Why Do We Give Flowers To People After They Have Died?

Answer: Many people bring flowers to funerals, wakes, and gravesides.

It looks as though they are giving something to someone who can’t enjoy the gift. Why would they do that?

It is to show respect and to show that they miss the person. It’s like saying, “I wish you were still here.

I love you. I miss you.” Also, flowers remind us of life.

Most important, people give flowers to honor the person and the family of the person who has died.

Flowers on a casket or on a grave say, “This person was important to me.”

Key verse: When others are happy, be happy with them. If they are sad, share their sadness. (Romans 12:15)

Related verses: Isaiah 40:6; Amos 2:1; 1 Peter 1:24; 2:17

Why Did God Make Heaven?

Answer: God has only one use for heaven, and that is to share it with us.

God is everywhere. When we talk about heaven, we are really talking about where God lives.

We think of heaven as a place because that’s how we describe going to be with God.

But remember, God isn’t just in one place-he’s everywhere!

In the Bible, the word heaven can refer to several places: (1) the home or place of God; (2) the new Jerusalem; or (3) “the heavens,” or sky.

Just before Jesus left the earth, he said he would go and prepare a place for us, a place where we can live with him.

Someday he will come back and set it all up for us he will destroy this world and create a new one.

That new world will be for all those who love him. That’s the heaven that God will make for all believers to live in forever.

Key verses: There are many homes in my Father’s house.

I am going to prepare a place for you. I will come again and take you to me.

Then you will be with me where I am about to go. If this weren’t so, I would tell you plainly. (John 14:2-3)

Related verses: Hebrews 9:24; Revelation 21:3

Related questions: What is heaven? What is heaven like?

Why did God come to the earth? Is hell near heaven?

Note to parents: Heaven is one of the Christian’s great hopes. It is God’s guarantee that the evil, injustice, and cruelty of life here on earth will end and be put right.

People without hope in Christ can feel overwhelmed by fear of the future, but Christians need not be afraid. Share this hope with your child.

Is Jesus The Only Way To Heaven?

Answer: Yes, Jesus is the only way to heaven. He said, “No one can get to the Father except through me.”

Just as the only right answer to 2 + 2 is 4, Jesus is the only answer to our need for forgiveness.

He is the only one who has the right to take away our sins, since he died for us.

He is the only one who has the power to take them away. since he is God.

And he is the only one who can be perfectly fair to every single person, from babies never born to the most wicked person who ever lived, since he is just and merciful.

Since Jesus has offered a clear way to heaven, why would anyone look for any other way?

Key verse: Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can get to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)

Related verses: John 6:68; Revelation 22:17

Related questions: Why is heaven the only way? If you believe in God but you never asked Jesus as your Lord and Savior, can you still go to heaven?

If babies die before they are bom, do they go to heaven?

Note to parents: A question like this usually means that other children were discussing their beliefs with your child.

Take this time to reassure your child that belief in Christ is the only way to heaven, and take some time to pray with your child for his or her friends.

Are All People Nice In Heaven?

Answer: All the people in heaven are nice because everyone there loves God and loves one another.

No one will hurt anyone or be mean to anyone in heaven.

There will be no crying or pain. There will be no pushing or shoving or name-calling in heaven.

The Bible says that in heaven we will know God like he knows us.

When we know and understand God and his love, we won’t want to hurt anyone ever again.

Key verse: Don’t you know that those doing such [evil] things can’t share in God’s Kingdom? (1 Corinthians 6:9)

Related verses: Revelation 21:4, 8; 22:14-15

Related questions: Will bullies call me names in heaven? What if someone bad tricks Jesus and sneaks into heaven and hits people?

Note to parents: Be careful not to give the impression that being nice gets you into heaven.

While all people of God should be kind, not all kind people are people of God.

Also, the question behind the question here may involve fear of others–the child wants assurance that in heaven no one will hurt him or her.

You can assure your child that there are no bullies in heaven. Heaven is the safest, most wonderful place ever made.

Do All Angels Have Blonde Hair?

Answer: Actually, the Bible never says that angels have hair. Whenever the Bible describes them as appearing as people, it doesn’t mention what color their hair is.

Remember, angels don’t have bodies like humans do. You may have seen paintings of angels with blonde hair, or you may have seen cartoons that show them that way, but we don’t know exactly what angels looked like when they appeared to people.

They can appear with blonde hair, but they don’t have to.

The Bible does say, however, that they often appeared as shining, radiant, or glorious beings.

Maybe that’s where people got the idea that they must have blonde hair. But then it would be just as likely that they had red hair. Right?

Key verse: The angels are your messengers. They are your servants of fire! (Psalm 104:4)

Related verses: Luke 2:9-10; John 20: 12; Acts 12:7; 2 Thessalonians 1:7; Hebrews 1:7

Related questions: What do angels look like? Are angels as bright as the sun? Are some angels black?

Do Angels Have Halos?

Answer: Many drawings of angels or of people in the Bible show them with little rings of light over their heads that look a lot like round fluorescent light-bulbs.

Those are called halos. But there is no evidence in the Bible that anyone, human or angel, ever had a halo. Real angels don’t look anything like those pictures.

Some passages in the Bible describe angels as very bright beings. Their clothes or their faces shine with bright light, glow like hot metal, or gleam like the sun.

This is because angels reflect the glory of God. (When Moses met with God on Mount Sinai, his face took on a glow because he had been with God.)

Angels don’t have to come shining brightly, but many of them do.

Halos have become a popular way of showing that angels give off God’s glory or brightness, but they don’t give a very good picture of the glory and power that angels actually have.

Key verses: As I [Daniel] stood there, I looked up. And suddenly there stood before me a person dressed in linen clothes.

He had a belt of purest gold around his waist. And his skin was glowing and lustrous! From his face came blinding flashes like lightning.

And his eyes were pools of fire. His arms and feet shone like polished brass. His voice was like the roaring of a great crowd of people. (Daniel 10:5-6)

Related verses: Matthew 28:2-3; Luke 2:9; 24:4; 2 Thessalonians 1:7

Related questions: Are angels’ clothes shiny? Do angels wear clothes?

Why Can’t See Angels?

Answer: The Bible tells of angels appearing to people. Why don’t they appear to us today?

It may seem unfair or strange that you can’t see angels, but angels are spirits.

They don’t have bodies as we do. Angels appear with physical bodies only when God sends them to speak to people.

The times when angels have appeared to people (at least the ones we know about for sure) have been quite rare- only during the Exodus, the time of the judges, the time of Elijah, the time of Jesus’ birth, and the time of the forming of the early church.

In other words, God doesn’t show off his angels. He saves angelic appearances for times when people really need to see them.

Angels can do their work without being seen.

Key verse: An Angel of the Lord came and spoke to Philip.

The Angel said, “Go over to the road that runs from Jerusalem through the Gaza Desert. Be there around noon.” (Acts 8:26)

Related verses: Psalm 34:7; Acts 10:22

Related questions: Will God let us see an angel in these days? How come God wants it so you can’t see the angels? How come angels disappear?

Note to parents: The real question here may be, If angels are real, why can’t I see them?

Explain to your child that there are a lot of things that are real that they can’t see, such as electricity, oxygen, etc.

What Mean Things Does Satan Do To People?

Answer: Satan does not get to do whatever he wants to do to people.

The main thing he does is get us to hurt ourselves and others.

Lots of people think that Satan only tempts people to do bad stuff.

He does tempt us, but the worst thing he does is lie to us.

Satan hates God and does not want us to believe what God says.

He wants us to sin. He wants us to believe what is false.

He wants us to believe that we are no good. Satan lies to us about our worth and about what really matters so we’ll hurt ourselves.

The way to see Satan’s lies is to know the truth that’s in the Bible, God’s Word.

Key verse: Watch out for attacks from Satan, your great enemy. He prowls around like a hungry, roaring lion. He is always looking for someone to tear apart. (1 Peter 5:8)

Related verses: Genesis 3:1; Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7; Matthew 4:1; John 8:44; 14:30; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9-10

Related questions: Will I ever get a demon? Can people be demon possessed? Do demons live in some people’s hearts?

Note to parents: Some children have heard of demon possession and wonder if it can happen to them.

They may ask a question like this as a veiled way of asking the more frightening one.

But the devil has no power over Jesus. If we have Jesus in our hearts, Satan won’t be able to do whatever he wants to with us or make us do anything we don’t want to do.

How Come The Devil Wants Us To Be Bad?

Answer: Satan’s main purpose is to make us part of his kingdom, not just to make us bad.

The devil would be quite happy if you lived a good life but never did anything for Jesus.

He doesn’t want you to serve God. He wants to hurt your faith in God, to make you doubt God’s love and goodness.

One of the ways he does that is to tempt you to do bad things.

If Satan had his way, Christians would just sit around, doing nothing good and telling no one about Jesus.

Key verse: Then [false teachers] will come to their senses and escape from Satan’s trap.

He uses it to catch them whenever he likes. Then they can begin doing the will of God. (2 Timothy 2:26)

Related verses: John 17:15; 1 Peter 5:8-9

Related questions: Why is the devil after us? Why was Satan so wicked? Why did Satan become so mean? Why is Satan so jealous? Why did Lucifer become bad?

Note to parents: Satan’s main job is to lie to people, to get non-Christians to stay away from God, and to prevent Christians from serving God.

He plants doubts and tries to convince us that we’re not God’s children.

Are Satan And Jesus Still At War?

Answer: Jesus and Satan are definitely enemies at war, but Jesus will win. (By the way, when Jesus says to love your enemies, he’s not talking about loving the devil.

He’s talking about loving people.) The devil will do everything in his power to try to stop people from believing in Jesus and living for Jesus.

But we don’t have to be afraid of Satan because God protects his people against Satan’s power. Jesus never loses.

Key verses: Put on all of God’s armor. Then you will be safe from Satan’s attacks.

We are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood. We are fighting against persons without bodies.

They are the evil rulers of the unseen world. They are the satanic beings and evil princes of darkness who rule this world.

They are the huge numbers of wicked spirits in the spirit world. (Ephesians 6:11-12)

Related verses: Hebrews 2:14; 1 John 2:14; Revelation 2:11;12:7

Related questions: Does Satan ever talk to God? Does God know the devil? Why does Satan want to be stronger than God?

What does Jesus do all day? Does Jesus have a job in heaven? Does Jesus sleep?

Who Was The Angel Of The Lord?

Answer: The Bible mentions the angel of the Lord many times.

In the desert, when Moses saw the bush that was burning but wasn’t burning up, it was the angel of the Lord who spoke to him out of it.

Who was this who spoke? Some people think it was a special appearance of God and not actually an angel.

But usually the phrase “angel of the Lord” is just a good way to describe an angel. It probably does not refer to one specific angel.

Key verse: The Angel of the Lord came to [Gideon]. He said, “Mighty soldier, the Lord is with you!” (Judges 6:12)

Related verses: Exodus 3:2; Numbers 22:22; 2 Samuel 24:16; 1 Chronicles 21:16

Related question: Why do people call an angel “angel of the Lord”?

Note to parents: It is important to help your child focus on God, not on angels.

The message sender and the message are most important, not the messengers.

Why Do Some Angels Look Like Real People?

Answer: The word angel means “messenger,” and God sometimes sends these messengers to take messages to people.

The Bible describes them as bringing these messages while in the form of human beings.

God can send angels to encourage a person, comfort someone, or merely to deliver news.

If angels always appeared as blazing towers of fire, they would scare people away.

Sometimes God wants angels to frighten people. But at other times he wants his messengers to hide their true identity as angels for a while; then they appear as people.

Key verse: All at once (Abraham) saw three men coming toward him. He jumped up and ran to meet them and welcomed them. (Genesis 18:2)

Related verses: Genesis 19:1; Judges 6:11-12; 13:15- 18; Daniel 9:21; Acts 12:7; Hebrews 1:14

Related question: Can angels be here with us?

Why Do Some Angels Have Four Faces?

Answer: When the Bible describes angels as having four faces, it is not giving us a picture of what angels actually look like (like a photograph).

Remember, angels don’t have physical bodies, so they don’t have faces the way people do.

When a prophet saw an angel with four faces, God was telling him that angels have many abilities that angels show us several things about God, that they can see in any direction, and that they can serve God in any way needed at any time.

Key verse: Each of the four Guardian Angels had four faces. The first was that of an ox. The second was a man’s face. The third was a lion’s face. And the fourth was an eagle’s face. (Ezekiel 10:14)

Related verses: Ezekiel 10:1-22