What Does the Bible Teach About Angels?

 

The following is an excerpt from my book Creation in the Crossfire: A Study of the Genesis Debate in the Church, and has to do with what the Bible teaches about angels. I’ve received a good bit of positive feedback on this and have been encouraged to share it, so here it is for whoever is interested.

On the whole, the Bible tells us relatively little about angels. The following are some of the more important things that it does tell us concerning them:

 

1. They existed before the creation of the earth (Job 38:7), and in all likelihood, before the creation of the universe itself (see Ephesians 3:8-11, John 17:5). John 17:5 is particularly important here given Jesus’ statement that he wished to return to the “glory” that he shared with the Father “before the world [kosmos] was.” The word “glory” is translated from the Greek word doxa, which in the New Testament always refers to something held in a position of honor. For the Son to be held in a position of honor with the Father “before the kosmos was” implies that others were present from whom the Son was differentiated and before whom he was exalted.
2. They are intelligent beings with will and a moral capacity. The Bible records several instances of angels talking with humans, conveying messages, and engaging in activities such as warfare. Some angels are holy and serve God, while others have fallen and are now under the sentence of condemnation, meaning that they have free will and are held responsible by God for their actions (for example: Psalm 82, Job 4:18, Luke 1:8-20, Jude 1:6-9, Revelation 12:7-12; 9:13-15).
3. They were created to serve God in both heaven and on earth, and they are divided into ranks with varying areas of responsibility and degrees of power and authority (Daniel 10:10-13; Ephesians 6:12, Revelation 12:7-12). They bring regular reports to God of their doings (Job 1:6-7, 2:1-2; Matthew 18:10) and are at times employed to carry out judgment on humankind (Genesis 3:24, 19:1-22; II Samuel 24:15-17; Psalm 78:48-49; Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43).
4. They are not all-powerful, nor are they of one mind, nor do they possess perfect wisdom. In Daniel 9, the angel Gabriel tells Daniel that he was held at bay for twenty-one days by a supernatural being called the Prince of Persia, and required assistance from the archangel Michael in order to break through, indicating that some angels are more powerful than others. In I Kings 22, the Lord puts the question of how to kill Ahab to his heavenly host, “and one said this, while another said that” (v 20), indicating that angels think as individuals rather than as members of some kind of supernatural hive mind. The imperfect wisdom of angels is seen in Matthew 13, where Jesus gives his Parable of the Wheat and the Tares. In this parable, a farmer (who represents the Lord) rejects a suggestion by the reapers (who symbolize angels) to root up tares from his field, on the basis that they might accidentally damage the wheat as well.
5. They watch over human nations to some extent and engage in warfare over the affairs of mankind (Daniel 10:12-13, 20-21). Gabriel specifically mentions that Michael (one of the “chief princes”) “stands” or contends for the people of Israel (Daniel 10:21, 12:1). Following the Tower of Babel incident, God apparently gave the rebellious nations over to the rule of various angelic powers (see Psalm 82, along with the Septuagint translation of Deuteronomy 32:8-9)[1], while setting aside the Hebrews for himself. We seem to find a glimpse of this in Daniel 4, where Nebuchadnezzar describes a dream in which “an angelic watcher, a holy one,” descends from heaven and decrees judgment against Nebuchadnezzar, stating, “This sentence is by decree of the angelic watchers, and the decision is a command of the holy ones” (Daniel 4:13-17).[2] Finally, although it isn’t mentioned in Exodus, Paul and the writer of Hebrews tell us that angels actually facilitated the giving of the Law to Israel at Sinai (Galatians 3:19, Hebrews 2:2).
6. They engage in the worship of God, and appear to act in a priestly role to at least some degree (Isaiah 6:1-7, Revelation 8:3-4).
7. At least some angels are part of what has been referred to as “the divine council,” an angelic body that sits as a type of court, sometimes assisting God with decision making (I Kings 22:19-23, Psalm 82:1 (LXX), Daniel 7:9-10, 21-22). It’s my opinion that the twenty-four elders of Revelation are in fact the divine council, the same heavenly court for which thrones are set up around the Ancient of Days in Daniel 7.[3] [4]

As these scriptures demonstrate, angels do not simply stand around in heaven looking spiritual. They are actively involved in the plan and purposes of God in the creation. They are also keenly interested in the affairs of mankind. In fact, the New Testament tells us that God is demonstrating certain things to the angels via his dealings with the church, and that the ministry of Christ had effects that resonated in the spiritual world as well as in the physical:

 

For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the whole world, both to angles and to men. – 1 Corinthians 4:9

 

To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ, and to bring to light what is the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things; so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Ephesians 3:8-11

 

For by Him [Jesus Christ], all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him…When He [God] had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him [Christ]. – Colossians 1:16, 2:15

 

It was revealed to them [the Old Testament prophets] that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things into which angels long to look. – I Peter 1:2

 

The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. – 1 John 3:8

Indeed, the apostle Paul tells us that, in spite of how things may seem to us on the physical level, the warfare in which we are engaged is primarily “against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). Thus, it is plain from scripture that the human side of the story is only part of the whole picture of creation. The angelic realm is playing a major role in the eternal drama as well. Angels were on the scene before man, and given what little we know of the role they play now, we can only wonder what role they might have played in ages past. God’s purposes include them as well. In fact, given that God is testing and refining man through his experiences in this world, it seems at least plausible that the angels may be experiencing a similar work of God in their own affairs.

 

* All scriptures are taken from the NASB. 

---

[1] “When the Most High divided the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. And His people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, Israel was the line of His inheritance.” The Translation of the Greek Old Testament Scriptures, Including the Apocrypha. Compiled by Sr. Lancelot C. L. Brenton, 1851.

[2] The word angelic is added by the translators in these instances in order to clarify what is meant by the term watcher.

[3] For a detailed explanation, see the following article by the author: “The Rapture and the Church in Revelation, Part Three: Who are the Twenty-Four Elders?” at:

https://takeupyourcross73.blogspot.com/2018/01/the-rapture-and-church-in-book-of.html

[4] Dr. Michael Heiser is probably the foremost expositor of the divine council worldview amongst evangelicals. For more information on the subject, see the following introductory presentation by Heiser: “The Divine Council 101”: https://youtu.be/CGU9v7Ik20g, and/or his book The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible.