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. 

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[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.

The Possible Significance of 666

While the “Bible code” people take things to an extreme, there is definite significance in the way biblical authors use numbers. In fact, numbers were thought to be of great significance throughout the ancient world, even beyond the realm of mathematics. The movements of the sun, moon, and stars revealed that nature worked as a sort of clock, and the fact that these movements could be understood and predicted mathematically was seen by some as evidence that time (and the realm of mathematics in general) was divinely ordained.

In some ancient languages, such as Hebrew and Greek, numerical values were built into the letters of the language, with the result that words and names had numerical values that could be significant. Those of you who are familiar with the phrase “As above, so below,” will probably recognize this use of numerology as an attempt (at least on the part of some) to unite heaven and earth, to bring a bit of the divine down to the human level.

Probably the most famous letter-number combination in ancient literature is the Number of the Beast, found in the book of Revelation. Most commonly, this number is rendered as 666, but in the Greek text of Revelation, it is actually “600, 60, and 6.” There is significance in the way the text breaks this down, and even the early church tried to figure out the name of the coming Beast by matching these numbers to their counterpart letters in Greek. The church father Irenaeus, who lived from c. AD 130 to c. AD 202, writes about this practice in his exhaustive work Against Heresies, stating that he thought the Holy Spirit had inspired this notation in the text of Revelation so that “when this man comes we may avoid him, being aware who he is.”[1]

In scripture, the number 6 often represents incompleteness or moral corruption (falling one short of 7, a number representing completion). The Greek word for “sin” is hamartia, which literally means “to miss the mark.” This helps make sense of the apostle Paul’s remark that “All have sinned [“missed the mark”] and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). The Beast of Revelation is also called “the Man of Sin,” so it makes sense that 6 - the number of sin, of corruption, of falling short of God’s standard - would be his number. By why 600, 60, and 6? I’ll give you my understanding of this.

Another number of significance in scripture is 10, which often appears in association with divine law (ex: the 10 Commandments), divine judgment (ex: the plagues of Egypt), and things dedicated to God in one way or another (ex: the tithe). The number of the Beast - 600, 60, and 6 - is 6 multiplied by 10 twice (6x10 = 60, 60x10 = 600). In the Bible, doubling something often speaks of bringing it to completion or fullness, either for good or ill. For instance, in Isaiah 40:2, the prophet observes that Jerusalem “has received of the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.” For another example, after Job goes through all of his various afflictions, God blesses him by doubling all of the possessions he formerly lost (Job 42:12-15).

In light of these numerical usages and representations in scripture, I suggest that multiplying 6 by 10 twice in the name of the Beast suggests that this man will represent the fullness of sin and corruption. The Beast is also called “the Son of Perdition (or Destruction),” indicating that his destiny (and that of all who follow him) is destruction, to be carried out by Christ at his second coming. In this sense, the Beast has been reserved, dedicated, or set apart to God for destruction. The numbers 6 and 10 fall well within the pattern of biblical usage here.

As for why we have essentially three repetitions of six in 600, 60, and 6, I note that it’s rather common in scripture to find things represented in groups of three. Hebrew cosmology saw the entire universe as consisting of three parts, as the apostle Paul expresses it regarding things: “In heaven, on earth, and under the earth” (Philippians 2:10). They also saw three “heavens”: the sky, the abode of the celestial lights, and the dwelling place of God’s presence. This cosmology represents a sort of union of heaven and earth, things both spiritual and physical.

By my understanding, the combination of these numbers, arranged in a grouping of three, seems to represent the Beast as the great Cosmic Rebel: embodying the unified enemies of God, both heavenly and earthly, spiritual and physical. This connects well with the text of Revelation in that we’re told that the Beast, as a man, is empowered by the Dragon, who is Satan. His kingdom is a cooperative effort between fallen entities in the spiritual realm and fallen humans on the earth.

Putting all of this together, 600, 60, and 6 represents cosmic rebellion - the unified enemies of God - both spiritual and physical, heavenly and earthly, the capstone or fullness of all corruption and everything that falls short of God’s standard, set apart to God for a “double portion” (or absolute) destruction by him at the appointed time. In Isaiah 21:21-22, we’re actually told that fallen angels will be cast down to the earth to be judged together with fallen men:

“So it will happen in that day

That the Lord will punish the host of heaven on high,

And the kings of the earth on earth

They will be gathered together like prisoners in the dungeon,

And will be confined in prison;

And after many days they will be punished.”

 

Scriptures used here are taken from the New American Standard Bible.

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[1] https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103530.htm

Red Dwarf Stars and the Search for Life Elsewhere

 

I have to admit to experiencing a certain impatience with how the media covers science matters, particularly where the search for life elsewhere in the universe is concerned. Oftentimes, the impression is given that if liquid water can exist on a planet’s surface, it must be a good candidate for life. The truth of the matter is much more complicated.

When discussing the potential for life elsewhere in the universe, advocates like to cite statistics such as the possible number of stars in the observable universe, which scientists estimate at 50 billion trillion, and the fact that most stars appear to have planetary systems. With so many other planetary systems out there, they reason that earth-like planets must be rather common, and surely life has developed on at least a few of them.

Going by purely naturalistic assumptions, this might seem like a persuasive argument, but the more we drill down into what we’ve learned about other stars and the planets that orbit them, the more likely it becomes that our earth is truly unique. I could outline several aspects of this issue, but for the moment I’ll concentrate on one statistic that narrows the range of habitable systems dramatically.

Stars come in a variety of categories, and are classified in several ways, including by age, size, color, and mass. For instance, our sun is a class G yellow dwarf star, of moderate luminosity (brightness) and exceptionally stable. Roughly 12.6% of stars in our part of the Milky Way galaxy are like the sun. By far the most common type of star in the universe is the red dwarf (class M). Red dwarf stars are much smaller, cooler, and dimmer than stars like our sun. The closest star to our sun is a red dwarf: Proxima Centauri, which is located about 4.2 light years away. Even though this star is so close to our solar system, because it’s so small and dim, it’s not visible to the naked eye and wasn’t discovered until 1915. Only one red dwarf star (Lacaille 8760) is actually visible from earth—barely—and even it can’t be seen without exceptionally clear, dark skies.

Given that they’re smaller and cooler than our sun, one might think red dwarf stars would be ‘kinder and gentler’ than other stars, serving as ideal hosts for life-bearing planets. Actually, the opposite is true: red dwarf stars are temperamental, and planets in orbit around them would have a difficult time sustaining life. For one thing, red dwarf stars often fluctuate wildly in brightness (a behavior known as ‘flaring’). Flare activity not only changes the amount of light planets receive from their host stars, it can also bombard them with charged particles that gradually strip away their atmospheres, making them uninhabitable. Flaring could also result in dramatic fluctuations in UV radiation that could effectively sterilize the surface of a planet orbiting close enough to receive enough warmth to sustain life.

Because red dwarf stars are so much cooler than our sun, any planets they may have must orbit closer to them in order to receive enough energy to warm them sufficiently, maintain liquid water on their surfaces, and allow plants to conduct photosynthesis. This not only subjects them to significant radiation hazards, as I already mentioned, it also increases the chances for what scientists call ‘tidal locking.’ Tidal locking is when a planet’s rotation rate matches the time of its orbit around its parent star, with the effect that the planet only ever presents one side of itself to the star (just as our moon only ever presents one side of itself to the earth).

When a planet becomes tidally locked to its parent star, one side of it continually experiences day, while the other side experiences an eternal night. As you might expect, the day side of such planets—continually bathed in sunlight—become extremely hot, while the opposite side—continually deprived of sunlight—turns into a deep freeze. The odds are very low that any sort of life could survive such temperature extremes. A planet with a thick atmosphere might be able to maintain high enough temperatures to permit bacteria or certain types of plants to survive, but on the other hand, a thick atmosphere might also produce a runaway greenhouse effect, making the planet too warm for life. Of course, this assumes that the planet is large enough to retain its atmosphere in the first place. Take Mars, for instance. Mars is approximately 10% as massive as Earth, which is why its atmosphere is much thinner than Earth’s: it simply doesn’t have enough gravity to hold on to it in competition with the eroding influence of the solar wind (charged particles streaming outward from the sun). The planet would also need a substantial magnetic field to help hold on to its atmosphere. Mars has a negligible magnetic field, which is another reason for its tenuous atmosphere.

Another problem for life in red dwarf solar systems is the fact that red light has a longer wavelength and lower energy levels than is ideal for photosynthesis in plants. Experiments have been done showing that it is possible for plants and some forms of bacteria to survive and grow in light mimicking the spectrum of a red dwarf, but flaring would be a potential problem here, as plants sensitive enough to make use of the lower energy level of red light might be overwhelmed by sudden, dramatic increases in energy output. Again, atmospheric density and composition would also play a role in how well plants were able to grow in the light of a red dwarf star.

So, yes, in a universe of 50 billion trillion stars, most of which probably have planets, one might think that life-bearing planets could be common; and this is certainly the impression many in the media like to convey when covering news of astronomical discoveries. When you consider that the vast majority of stars fall into a category that is less than ideal for life, however, those numbers look far less impressive. Red dwarf stars are, at the very least, inhospitable hosts, and any planets in orbit around them would have to meet exacting conditions in order to sustain life. I’ve touched on a few of the issues here, but there are many more. For instance: Does the planet’s soil have the right mineral content in the right proportions? Does it have plate tectonics to recycle its soil? Does it have a comparatively large moon to stabilize its axial tilt in order to give it stable seasons? Does it have enough water? What sort of gravitational influence do other planets in the system subject it to? And then there are outside influences to consider as well. For instance, how close is the system to other solar systems, to black holes, or to the energetic core of the galaxy? Conditions might be ideal within the system itself, but if it is constantly being gravitationally destabilized and blasted by radiation from outside sources, the odds against anything beyond perhaps simple bacteria existing there are remote at best.

All of these are factors that weigh heavily on the question of whether a planet is a viable prospect for life, and, to date, no other planet has been discovered that even comes close to the conditions we enjoy on our Earth. Our world is located on an ideal planet, which is itself located in an ideal position within an ideal solar system, in orbit around an ideal star, in an ideal part of an ideal galaxy in an ideal area of the universe.

We occupy the best-known real estate in the observable universe, and I believe that this is no accident.

Proxima Centauri: the closest star to our sun, and an artist's impression of a planet orbiting a red dwarf star.