Do Not Be Afraid 🪽😱

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Why do angels in the Bible always lead with "Do not be afraid"? Aren't they all chubby naked harp-playing babies with wings?

Not quite. Biblical angels are multidimensional horror shows that defy human comprehension. Common reactions include extreme trembling, losing all strength, and falling facedown “like dead men” (Matthew 28:4). And those are just the messenger angels, who have an appearance “like that of a man” (well… a man with a “face like lightning” and “eyes like blazing torches”).

You don’t even want to think about encountering cherubim, seraphim, or ophanim (think sparkly gyroscope covered in eyeballs).

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  Cherub

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  Seraph

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  Orphan

Oh, and did I mention they’re powerful? In 2 Kings 19:35, an angel of the Lord killed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers overnight.

So yes, the “Do not be afraid” intro was probably part of their job training, so they don’t give the humans a heart attack. But the real takeaway from the terrifying nature of angels is even more humbling...

These awe-inspiring beings themselves stand in awe of God, and Scripture says they never cease to worship Him. The Bible often describes angels with brilliant, radiant appearances, which makes sense for creatures that dwell in God’s presence. Like Moses’ glowing face after his encounter with God, angels reflect a tiny fraction of His glory. If beings as majestic as the seraphim cover their faces before God, His holiness and majesty are beyond comprehension.

Daniel 10:5-6 (Description of the archangel Gabriel)

I looked up and there before me was a man dressed in linen, with a belt of fine gold from Uphaz around his waist. His body was like topaz, his face like lightning, his eyes like flaming torches, his arms and legs like the gleam of burnished bronze, and his voice like the sound of a multitude.

Luke 1:26-33

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. The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

As a side note:

"Biblically accurate angels" are having a moment these past few years, and it's about time. They've only been awesome since before the beginning of time, so it's nice to see them finally get the respect they deserve. I feel like the cherubim would have some strong words to say to whoever started portraying them as flying chubby babies.