Angels have been an object of fascination and debate throughout Christian history. While I have a problem with people becoming so fascinated with the angelic that they forget to pursue a relationship with their Creator, I’ve come to realize that learning about angels is almost impossible to do without also learning about God.
In this article, I will outline four kinds of angels I have encountered over the years. Though many of them are different in appearance and demeanor, I believe they are all the same type of being but with unique roles. Though my list is not an exhaustive one of all the types, it is a good snapshot of the various roles that God’s celestial servants play.
Protection Angels
Protection angels were some of the first spiritual beings I saw with any real understanding. I used to perch myself near the back of the church so that I could get a broad view of what was happening in the spirit realm during the services. For a few months, the majority of what I saw was no more discernible than an internal combustion engine would be to a caveman. I saw a lot of movement, and I had the distinct impression that all of it had a very precise order and rhythm that my inescapably human brain simply couldn’t grasp.
Then one Sunday morning during worship, I noticed an elderly looking angel standing in front of the door to the foyer. His white-haired head was held high with an expression that was more regal than pompous, though it took a second glance to be sure. He wore shining silver armor that gave me a Greco-Roman impression. A long sword with an ornate silver handle sat at his hip. A small brass horn hung on the opposite side.
I was fascinated because for the first time I could remember, the more I looked at this angel, the more detail I could see. In the past, any angel or demon I saw appeared either as an indistinct blurb of shadow and light or an unchanging, clear image. This angel became clearer and clearer as I looked at him. I could see the etching on his sword and the facets of his armor as clearly as if they were within reach. Letters were carved into the sides of the horn, though they were written in a language I’d never seen.
As I noticed these details, I understood each one. I knew the etchings on his sword and armor were a badge of long and devoted service. I knew the words written on the horn at his side were a declaration that could break down any wall. And I knew each line in the angel’s strong and aged face was a mark of his earnest commitment to his perpetual vigil.
In seeing these things, I began to understand protection angels. They were not so much physical protectors as they were a symbol of the all-encompassing protection of God, like the honor guard a king would send with a trusted ambassador.
It is one thing for a leader to employ a large army of powerful soldiers; it is another thing for a leader to inspire the unflinching devotion that I saw in the lines of that angel’s face. Seeing him revealed his identity as well as the nature of his creator.
Worship Angels
There was a period in my life when worship, for various reasons, was an extremely frustrating experience. Then I saw a worship angel.
I had seen angels worshipping before. The colorful and often abstract beings adorned the stages of every church during every service I’d attended. The beauty and grace with which they expressed their devotion to God was always a source of great enjoyment and encouragement, but until that day, however, I had never truly seen a worship angel.
This angel looked young. Angels exist outside time and are therefore without age, but she looked no older than sixteen. She wore a plain, off-white robe and had her hair drawn back in a simple ponytail.
She sat on her knees with her face pressed into the carpet and her arms extended outward, palms flat on the floor. Every few seconds, she would lift her face from the carpet and gaze toward the ceiling. Tears poured down her cheeks, more in waves than droplets. Her arms reached to the heavens, stretching out desperately while still maintaining a posture of thankfulness.
The look on her face caused my heart to skip a beat. Painful depths of longing were being answered by waves of fulfillment so complete that the satisfaction and joy were more tangible than the ground under my feet. This cycle of yearning and gratification continued, back and forth, faster and faster, until I could hardly bear to watch it. The angel must have felt the same, because just as I felt my heart was about to burst, she resumed her facedown position on the carpet.
The action she performed may seem simple when described in plain text. This is because I find it impossible to express the level of heart that was put into that simple act of worship. It didn’t take long for me to realize that I was seeing worship the way God did.
Personal Angels
Personal angels do, in fact, guard you during your daily comings and goings, but I don’t like it when people call them “guardian” angels. To consider them a kind of one-man personal secret service is a tragic oversimplification. A personal angel is more like a resourceful personal assistant than a muscle-bound bouncer. I’ve never met anyone with more than one, and I’ve never met anyone without one.
You can learn a lot about a person by looking at his or her personal angel. Whether the angel appears to have the opposite disposition to the person or a complementary one, personal angels always add a divine accent to their people.
Maybe it’s just because they hang out with people more often than with other angels, but personal angels seem to have a lot more personality than other types. Perhaps they’ve spent so much time in the day-to-day happenings on the human stage that all the parts have become familiar.
They smile with matriarchal satisfaction at the teenager who is stumbling his way through a conversation with a pretty girl. They watch with concern as we fight our way through difficult choices. They embrace us with brotherly love when storms of responsibility threaten to surge forth and devour us whole.
Personal angels, much like parents, see us at our best, at our worst, when we’re young, when we’re old, when we’re smart, and when we’re dumb. It is encouraging that despite all this, they still find us to be worth their company.
Activation Angels
The term “activation angel” is very broad. There are easily hundreds of different kinds, and I see them more frequently than I see any other type of angel. This category covers angels that carry healing, restoration of relationships, financial blessing, governmental transformation, social change, business ideas, inventions, peace, breakthrough, and dozens upon dozens of other things that we cry out to God for.
You may be wondering why I would lump such a diverse set of angels into a single group. Though what they are bringing can be a wide variety of things, activation angels all bring pieces of heaven to earth. They are always looking for people who are ready to receive what they are bringing, but sadly, they don’t always find people ready or willing to take it.
When I’m at a church that knows God wants to actively and continuously pour out His love on them, these angels are soaring through the crowd, doling out endless gifts, blessings, and impartations. Tragically, in most settings, I see these angels waiting. Whether it’s for someone to send them, someone to open up their heart and mind, or someone to take ownership of their city or neighborhood—the angels wait for someone who knows what God has given to His people.
I encourage you to open your spiritual eyes to see what God is doing through His angels. Contrary to most people’s belief, they are not all the same and they are not scarce. Angels of every type are everywhere, and they may be waiting on you to fulfill their missions. {eoa}
Excerpted from Blake Healy’s The Veil (Charisma House, 2017). You can order the book here.
Blake K. Healy is one of the senior team members at Bethel Church of Atlanta in Georgia. He is also the director of the Bethel Atlanta School of Supernatural Ministry. He lives in Peachtree City, Georgia, with his wife, April, and their four wonderful children: Haydon, Finnley, November and Ender. For more information or to contact Blake, visit blakekhealy.com.
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