Hello Daniel, this is Obed. We have chatted before via email. I know you have many followers and many people you communicate with so I will not assume you know me as someone you have a close acquaintance with. I just want to share some thoughts on the topic of angels seeing you have taken great lengths to put together this material from SOP. I believe as you do regarding the heavenly hosts. I am not sure if you have written anything on this topic above and beyond what you have provided here. I do have some observations to share.

Who are the two angels represented on the mercy seat over the Ark of the Covenant? I believe that these two angels are symbolic. They represent something that occurs literally in heaven. So just because there are two on the mercy seat does not mean there are two in heaven. I believe one of these angels was Lucifer. Lucifer stood before the presence of God before his rebellion. After his eviction from heaven, his position was given to Gabriel. Gabriel now stands before the presence of God. So the other angel represented over the mercy seat is Gabriel. Lucifer and Gabriel are the only two that held that distinct and exalted position. Never simultaneously as it seems to appear on the Ark of the Covenant, but only one at a time.

It is also curious to note that Seraphs are known to have six wings and Cherubs are known to have 4. Seraphs are angels of the highest order in heaven with very high ranks. Cherubs are lower in hierarchy than Seraphs. Yet both, Lucifer and Gabriel were Cherubs not Seraphs. So their ascension to chief commander of all the angels in heaven must have been a fantastic promotion. Why do we make a big deal over the wings of angels though? On this planet it is necessary to get around in flight through our atmosphere, but in airless space, wings are useless. Why do angels have wings? In flight they move as lightning faster than the speed of light. In our atmosphere, anything moving at that speed would burn to a crisp. Are angel wings symbolic or do they perform a different function? Ellen white had a vision where she was given wings to travel to other planets. Why? Like I said, wings are useless in airless space. The wings she was given may have been a mental representation of her ability to travel outside her normal realm.

Another question I pose regarding angels is their physical make up. The bible says they are spirit beings resembling flames of fire. The bible also describes them as not being flesh and blood because we fight against principalities that inhabit realms of the air. Yet EGW had another vision where she observed Satan as he really is with wrinkled flesh hanging off his majestic frame. These things concern me and make me wonder what this all mean. Was her vision of Satan a symbol of his sinful nature? It must be because it does not harmonize with the bible’s depiction of beings that are not made of flesh and blood.

Anyway, I will leave it there and will await your response. I’m hoping you have insight that I have not come across with. Thank you and God bless.

I want to thank you brother Daniel for going through such great lengths, to put together this study on the angels. I believe they play a great part in our lives and this study will bring me closer to the subject on these heavenly hosts. I was telling Julie yesterday about my experience with a real angel when I was 12 or 13 years old. My mother, my sister Althea and I were at church one Sabbath, when we lived in Sonora Ca. The Sonora Seventh day Adventist church is very big A frame.
Up in front of the church behind the pastor my mother and I seen an angel. As I tell you this story and as I told Julie this story I can still see him in my mind.
He was so very beautiful, I can explain in detail what he looked liked. He must have been 7 stories high. Because he was hunched over the pulpit, his wing wrapped around himself and the tips of his wings went down the aisle. He had light colored hair with a blue and white robe on. His face looked like something you never see on this earth. He was that beautiful more than we could ever imagine. You could tell he was heavenly.
I was telling Julie that we were going through a grieving process at that time, but there was one more thing that happened to me. That I can not tell you here. Something terrible happened to me in that time. I believe this angel shown himself to mom and I, to show us that he is there to protect us.
I believe down deep in my soul he is mine and mom’s guardian angel. Because we were the only ones that could see him.
I’ll never for get this in my whole entire life.
So I’m so happy that these heavenly hosts play a great part in our lives.