Tim Maas Retired Quality Assurance Specialist with the U.S. Army

Although angels are described in multiple locations in Scripture as possessing wings, they were apparently created in that manner by God for His purposes. Descriptions of the condition of redeemed humans in eternity (specifically as found in passages such as Revelation 7:9-17) give no indication (to my knowledge) of similar possession of wings on their part. 

Humans were originally created in God's image without wings. In eternity, they will have glorified physical bodies, as Christ had following his resurrection, with Scripture not mentioning any possession of wings on His part or their part. 

This lack of wings on the part of the redeemed in eternity will not reflect a lower "rank" on their part, nor are wings something that the redeemed will have to earn, or that they will even desire. (Jesus did say in Matthew 22:30 that the redeemed would be like the angels in heaven, but that was specifically with respect to the fact that angels do not marry as humans do on earth, and was not referring to their visual appearance.)

In fact, angels may even be of lower privilege in heaven than the redeemed, since (as Peter indicated in 1 Peter 1:12) even angels desire to have greater insight into the mystery of the gospel by which the redeemed were saved, and angels are also assigned to minister to the needs of the redeemed (Hebrews 1:14).

(Multiple passages of Scripture liken God's protection of His followers to that of a bird sheltering its young under its wings, but I would say that those are metaphors that are not intended to be taken as a literal description of God's appearance.)

June 10 2020 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report