# Be Ready - Wednesday, 2025.12.10 ## Angels In the events surrounding Jesus' birth (including John's birth), angels occur 15 times in 4 stories: - Matthew 1.20, 24 (2x) - Luke 1.11, 13, 18, 19 (4x) - Luke 1.26, 30, 34, 35, 38 (5x) - Luke 2.9, 10, 13, 15 (4x) In 3 of the 4 stories the people who saw / interacted with angels expressed strong emotions: - Matthew 1 - it was a dream with no affect mentioned - Luke 1.11-19 - Zechariah was startled and gripped with fear - Luke 1.26-38 - Mary was greatly troubled and the angel told her, "do not be afraid." - Luke 2.9-15 - The shepherds were terrified, but the angel said to them, "do not be afraid!" We have been lied to by Hollywood and other influencers!! Angels are NOT fluffy creatures with wings who sit on clouds and play harps! Their appearance alone is enough to strike terror into most people. I assume most people know that a group of birds is called a flock and a group of cattle are called a herd. However, based on Hollywood, I doubt very many people would know the Biblical description of a group of angels. Luke 2.13-15 and many other passages refer to a group of angels as the "heavenly host." Until I studied this subject, I thought of "heavenly host" as sort of heaven's version of the church choir. However, "hosts" actually refers to an army. So, "heavenly hosts" are God's army of terrifying angels! ### tl;dr Angels are not what Hollywood would like you to believe. They are mighty warriors in God's army and there is NO biblical basis for thinking they have wings! Using ONLY the Bible, prove me wrong!