Anyone who has seen a temple for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (incorrectly known as the Mormon Church) has seen the impressive statue of a man with a trumpet that tops most temples. This man is actually an angel named Moroni. A close-up view of the statue makes it clear angels don’t have wings.

So what are we to make of the seraphim described in the Bible, in Isaiah, chapter 6, and quoted in the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi, chapter 16? Here are the scriptures in question, taken from the Book of Mormon version:

1 In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple.

2 Above it stood the seraphim; each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.

3 And one cried unto another, and said: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.

4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 Then said I: Wo is unto me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts.

6 Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar;

Frequently, visions seen by the prophets in both the Book of Mormon and the Bible are highly symbolic. Buildings, rivers, trees…many common things are used to symbolize something else. The symbolism is understood by those who use the Spirit of God to understand, while others are unable to comprehend and so, aren’t held accountable for a higher level of knowledge.

In these verses, the seraphim are angels who have wings but appear somewhat human. They are shown to praise and worship God and to interact with people—in this case, Isaiah. The wings in the vision are symbolic. They represent the ability of these beings to move rapidly through space.

We know seraphim existed in Heaven before the earth was created. We don’t actually know if they are related to the angels who have come to earth periodically to deliver messages from God.

The scriptures and church history record many instances of angels appearing to people on earth, including the angel who told Mary about the forthcoming birth of her child. It was an angel—the Angel Moroni mentioned at the start of this article—who came to teach and prepare a young Joseph Smith to participate in the restoration of the gospel.

As Mark E. Peterson, a former church leader said, “Many people no longer believe in the ministry of angels. But God does! He has used this means of communication from the days of Adam. Is there any reason why He should not continue the procedure in our day?” Mark E. Petersen, “The Angel Moroni Came!,” Ensign, Nov 1983, 29

Those who deny the truthfulness of the restored gospel based on their unwillingness to believe God might send angels to people today do God a great disservice. Sending angels in the early days was not a mistake to be repented of. It wasn’t something God did and got tired of doing. He sent angels whenever He had a message or when Heavenly work needed doing. Why wouldn’t He send them to us today? Can we believe God has nothing more to say to His children or that He sees no need to help us through His angels today?

Certainly not. And so, angels came to the prophets and people of the Bible, and they have come again in modern times to bring the blessings of Heaven to generations living in the time of the restoration.

Angels are here…but not with wings.