Angelology # 2: Doctrine of Angels, Satan, and Demons

ANGELOLOGY # 2: DOCTRINE OF ANGELS, SATAN, AND DEMONS

CREATION AND NATURE OF ANGELS

Angels are created beings just as everything else that exists outside the Godhead has been created.

Colossians 1:16 16For by Him 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.

Paul included the angelic realm in Christ’s creative work. His reference to invisible things refers, in part, to identifying things through which the angelic realm is identified— thrones, dominions, rulers, and authorities. Paul also identified the reason angels were created and that was “for Him.” Angels were created to serve God and glorify His name, which happens to be the same reason why mankind was created by God. As dispensationalists, we believe the primary motivation for God’s creative and redemptive work is to glorify Him. Whether it is man, angels, or creation, everything exists to glorify Him.

Psalm 148 is a praise Psalm in which the entire creation praises God. Included among those singing God’s praises are the angels. This Psalm specifically says all the angels, the heavenly hosts, were created by God.

Psalm 148:2, 5 2Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts! … 5Let them praise the name of the LORD, For He commanded and they were created.

John revealed the fact that Christ was the agent of the actual creation and “all things” were created by Him. “All things” has to refer to everything that exists outside of the godhead which must also include the angelic realm.

John 1:3 3All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

In Revelation, the concept of angels worshiping God and praising Him for His magnificent glory is vividly portrayed.

Revelation 4:6–11 6and before the throne there was something like a sea of glass, like crystal; and in the center and around the throne, four living creatures full of eyes in front and behind. 7The first creature was like a lion, and the second creature like a calf, and the third creature had a face like that of a man, and the fourth creature was like a flying eagle. 8And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say, “HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY, WHO WAS AND WHO IS AND WHO IS TO COME.” 9And when the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to

Him who lives forever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”

The Bible does suggest that the primary purpose of angels is to worship and glorify God. One of the ways they glorify God is by doing His will through performing His Word and obeying His Word. There is an application in that for us; we glorify God by obeying and following His Word.

Psalm 103:20–21 20Bless the LORD, you His angels, Mighty in strength, who perform His word, Obeying the voice of His word! 21Bless the LORD, all you His hosts, You who serve Him, doing His will.

Hebrews 1:6 6And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says, “AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.”

Since angels cannot reproduce, it follows that every angel in existence was individually created by God. This may be why angels are referred to as sons of God while humans are generally referred to as sons of men although those in Christ are referred to as sons of God. Adam was referred to as the son of God, but he was the result of a direct creative act. Context is the determining factor.

Galatians 3:26 26For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.

Luke 3:38 38… the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

came to present [בְּנֵי אֱלהִים] Job 1:6 6Now there was a day when the sons of God themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them.

Ecclesiastes 2:3 3I explored with my mind how to stimulate my body with wine while my mind was guiding me wisely, and how to take hold of folly, until I could see what good there is for the sons of men to do under heaven the few years of their lives.

clearly refers to angels. The TANAKH interprets this to read ,בְּנֵי אֱלהִים ,In Job, sons of God “divine beings” and the Septuagint interprets it to read “angels.” All of our English translations translate it “sons of God.”

Lucifer, who became Satan, was also individually created by God, and we will discuss him later. Ezekiel has some interesting things to say about the devil’s creation.

People are not angels and people do not become angels when they die. That error is frequently made when people refer to departed loved ones as an “angel.” When the body dies, the person who inhabited that body continues to live and they live as a real person. The only question is, where are they living? There are only two options for that— they are either in the presence of the Lord for eternity or they are separated from the Lord for eternity. While supposing a deceased loved one is now an angel may be a

2 nice thought, it is a thought not based on biblical truth. People are still people when they die and go into the Lord’s presence—which is a much more exalted status than being an angel because believers are part of the body of Christ. Born-again people do not become angels when they die. They remain human beings and they will one day receive a glorified human body fit for living an eternal life. Just this week there was two examples of this erroneous concept expressed in obituaries in the local Marble Falls paper.

We do not know what angels look like; they are spirits after all. Some of them are described in the Bible, but whether or not every angel of their class looks like the ones in Bible is not known. It is possible the descriptions provided in the Bible for those angels was a unique situation with unique angels. Once we receive our glorified bodies, will we be able to see them? I suspect we will be enabled to see them at that time, but I don’t know for certain. We may have our eyes opened and be enabled to see spiritual things we cannot see right now. We do know that some of them, the cherubim and seraphim, have wings, at least at times, but we do not know whether or not that is a common feature throughout the angelic realm. We don’t even know whether or not all the seraphim and cherubim have wings.

plural] stood above Him, each having six wings ,שְׂרָ פִים ;singular ,שָׂרָף] Isaiah 6:2 2Seraphim with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he :[כָּנָף] flew.

[כָּנָף] plural] shall have their wings ,כְּרֻ בִים ;singular ,כְּרוּב] Exodus 25:20 20“The cherubim ;and facing one another [כָּנָף] spread upward, covering the mercy seat with their wings the faces of the cherubim are to be turned toward the mercy seat.

refers to that part of the structure of a creature that flies, a ,כָּנָף ,Wing, in this context wing. The description of these beings includes wings, but I wouldn’t make that a distinguishing characteristic of all the angels in the angelic realm. It may be; it may not be. We are not told, but most people assume, perhaps erroneously and certainly on slim evidence, that all angels have wings.

We also know they can have some features that we find to be somewhat extraordinary. Ezekiel 1:5-11 had a description of some cherubim (identified as such in Ezekiel 10:1) that was quite different from the description of the cherubim that were carved in gold and resided on the ark of the covenant in the Tabernacle. Perhaps the features of the cherubim differed among them according to their individual assignments, but that information is not revealed in the Bible.

Ezekiel 1:5–11 5Within it there were figures resembling four living beings. And this was their appearance: they had human form. 6Each of them had four faces and four wings. 7Their legs were straight and their feet were like a calf’s hoof, and they gleamed like burnished bronze. 8Under their wings on their four sides were human hands. As for the faces and wings of the four of them, 9their wings touched one another; their faces did not turn when they moved, each went straight forward. 10As for the form of their faces, each had the face of a man; all four had the face of a lion on the right and the face of a bull on the left, and all four had the face of an eagle. 11Such were their faces. Their

3 wings were spread out above; each had two touching another being, and two covering their bodies.

In Exodus, cherubim were ordered to be carved in gold and placed over the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 25:20) and figures of them were to be woven into the veil (Ex. 26:31). The Bible does not record any instructions concerning the appearance of the cherubim. My presumption is that the Holy Spirit guided them into designing an accurate illustration of the cherubim as they were represented in the design of the Tabernacle. The artwork found today is all speculative. No one knows what the Tabernacle depictions of the cherubim actually looks like.

,קָדוֹשׁ ,Angels were created holy, that is, they were set apart for service to God. Holy means sacred and holy. It refers to something that is intrinsically holy and sacred or to something that has been identified as holy by divine proclamation. It refers to that which is the opposite of common or profane. If common is a neutral descriptive term and profane is a negative descriptive term, then holy is a positive descriptive term. In Greek, holy, ἅγιος, means holy, set apart, sanctified, or consecrated when referring to the angels who passed the test and did not rebel against God.

Deuteronomy 26:19 19and that He will set you high above all nations which He has people [קָדוֹשׁ] made, for praise, fame, and honor; and that you shall be a consecrated to the LORD your God, as He has spoken.”

Mark 8:38 38“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy [ἅγιος] angels.”

Not only were the angels created to be holy, but once created, they were in the presence of God who is the ultimate personification of holiness. How so many angels could rebel against God given that environment is somewhat surprising. But on the other hand, Adam, mankind, was in a very good environment enjoying the presence of God and he rebelled.

There is some controversy over the time that angels were created. Some theologians believe they were created before the creation week, but that cannot be correct according to the Scriptures. It is not exegetically permissible to give priority to one Scripture over another and that happens in this case. All the Scriptures have to harmonize. Other theologians believe the angels were God’s first creative act. Still others believe they were created sometime during the creation week. The Bible does not specifically say exactly when the angels were created, but it does contain some hints.

In Job, there is a Scripture that seems to suggest the angels were created before the creation week, but does it have to mean that? Many theologians, perhaps most, believe that it does prove that the angels were created before the creation week began.

Job 38:4–7 4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, 5Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? 6“On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, 7When the morning stars sang together And all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Verse 7 clearly says that when God began to create the heavens and the earth, the angelic realm sang together and shouted for joy. They were present from the beginning. That seems to settle the issue, but it does not. Some theologians interpret this to mean the angels were created before the creation week.

Moses, however, revealed that everything that has been made was made within the parameters of the creation week.

Exodus 20:11 11“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and made it holy.

This Scripture revealed that everything existing in the created universe, in the heavens and on the earth, was created during the creation week revealed in Genesis 1. Not only were the heavens and the earth created during that week, but every feature and every creature God created was, in fact, created during that week. That means Job 38:4-7 cannot refer to any angelic beings existing before that week began. The Bible reveals that every created thing was created during that week, but it does not specifically reveal exactly when the angelic realm was created. The inference is they were created first and were therefore able to watch the rest of creation come into existence and praise God for doing it while it was happening.

The most likely conclusion, which reconciles Job and Exodus, is that the angels were the first thing God created during that week on day 1 right before He created the formless and void earth as the beginning point for His creative work during that first week in history.

Psalm 104 may shed some light on this subject. This Psalm is a summation of the creation week. It is possible that the creation of angels is revealed in Psalm 104:4 immediately prior to the formation of the earth in Psalm 104:5-9. It reveals the same pattern expressed in Job 38:4-7. The angels were created before the foundations of the earth were established.

.Flaming fire His ministers ,[מַלְאָך] His messengers [ ר וּ חַ ] Psalm 104:4-9 4He makes the winds 5He established the earth upon its foundations, So that it will not totter forever and ever. 6You covered it with the deep as with a garment; The waters were standing above the mountains. 7At Your rebuke they fled, At the sound of Your thunder they hurried away. 8The mountains rose; the valleys sank down To the place which You established for them. 9You set a boundary that they may not pass over, So that they will not return to cover the earth.

means angel or ,מַלְאָך ,means spirit, wind, or breath and messengers , ר וּ חַ ,Wind messenger. This could be a reference to the creation of angelic spirits to act as God’s

5 messengers. When the creation context of Psalm 104 is considered, it seems that verse 4 could be referring to the creation of angels before the rest of God’s creative work took place. Hebrews 1:7 seems to confirm that Psalm 104:4 is referring to angels because of the way it is quoted in Hebrews. This has to be understood in light of the fact that Psalm 104 is referring to God’s work in creation. The verse cannot be referring to wind and fire as material elements without connecting them to the angelic realm because Hebrews 1:7 makes that connection.

Hebrews 1:7 7And of the angels He says, “WHO MAKES HIS ANGELS WINDS, AND HIS MINISTERS A FLAME OF FIRE.”

Many theologians believe Psalm 104:4 could also be referring to the physical property of wind and fire that somehow reflect the glory of God and play a role in revealing Himself to the world through His creation. Romans 1:20 identifies the role that creation plays in informing people of the existence of God to the extent they have no excuse for rejecting Him. Some commentators are not sure and believe it could be interpreted way or the other or both. “The Lord is surrounded by his servants whether they be created like the angels or be powers inherent in his created order (winds, lightning)” [Willem A. VanGemeren, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Psalms, 5:659]. The material view seems unlikely, however, given the relationship between Psalm 104:4 and Hebrews 1:7 where the context is angels. Hebrews appears to relate to Psalm 104 in terms of angels which makes it more likely that Psalm 104 is referring to the creation of angels rather than to the revelation inherent within creation in general.

Wechsler came close to my position on this Psalm. Wechsler wrote, “God creates winds (better translated ‘angels’) and flaming fire (or ‘ministers of flame’) to obey Him” [Michael G. Wechsler, “Psalms” in The Moody Bible Commentary, 844]. He went to say that the context of this Psalm was a “creation overview.”

Morris is the commentator I found who came the closest to understanding Psalm 104:4 as an acknowledgment of the creation of the angelic realm. “Psalm 104 (verses 2-5) says that angels were made as spirits after the materialization of God’s light-arrayed presence in the stretched-out heavens, but prior to the laying of the solid foundations of the land. Therefore, although angels are not mentioned as such at this point in Genesis, their spiritual presence as fascinated observers at the remaining acts of creation and formation may certainly be inferred” [Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record: A Scientific & Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings, 57].

Constable suggested Psalm 104:4 refers to the work of angels, but he didn’t relate the Psalm to their creation. “Verse 4 is a poetic description of the angels (cf. Heb. 1:7). Angels do His bidding as wind and fire carry out the will of God on earth” [Thomas L. Constable, Thomas Constable’s Notes on the Bible, 3:162]. Constable maintains there is a comparison to the way angels carry out the will of God just as natural phenomena carry out the will of God. Fruchtenbaum related the Psalm with Hebrews which implied the revelation of angels in the Psalm, but he didn’t specifically relate it to their creation either. [Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary: The Messianic Jewish Epistles: Hebrews, James, I & II Peter, Jude, 25]. Wiersbe, who also did not make the creation connection, wrote, “His servants (the angels) serve as quickly and invisibly as

6 the wind and possess awesome power like flames of fire” [Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: Wisdom and Poetry, 279]. Ross also related the Psalm to the physical manifestation of angels rather than to their creation. “God arrays His angels (messengers) with physical phenomena, similar to ways He often manifested Himself” [Allan P. Ross, “Psalms” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: Old Testament, 868]. Unger wrote, “As God Himself ‘walketh upon the wings of the wind,’ so His angelic messengers and celestial servants manifest their agency in wind and fire” [Merrill F. Unger, Unger’s Commentary on the Old Testament, 900-901]. Most theologians seem to be comparing God’s work through the angels with His work through the creation. Either the angels are compared to natural phenomena each operating within the bounds of their own spheres of influence, or the angels are using natural phenomena to carry out God’s will. Any of the three ways suggested here are possible.

Psalm 104:4 could have been translated, “He makes spirits His angels …” or “He makes spirits/angels His messengers …” It would be an exegetical mistake to remove the creation context from verses 2-10 in this Psalm and Hebrews 1:7 clearly reveals that angels are part of the context. My conclusion is that Psalm 104:4 is referring to the creation of the angelic realm of messengers prior to the creation of the earth recorded in Psalm 104:5-9. This is a viable alternative to the comparison interpretation. This position is a piece in the chain of evidence that helps solve the problem created by insisting that Job 38:4-7 must mean the angels were created before the creation week. Angels were more likely to have been the first thing created in that week so they could observe the mighty work of God in creating all that exists after the creation of the angels.

Dr. Morris believed the creation of the angelic realm occurred on the first day of creation, although he did allow for the possibility it occurred as late as the third day when the dry land appeared (Gen. 1:9). “Although not mentioned in Genesis 1, it is probable that another act of creation took place on that first day. Sometime prior to the third day of creation, a multitude of angels had been created, since they were present when the “foundations of the earth” were laid—probably a reference to the establishment of solid land surfaces on the earth (Job 38:4-7). It is impossible that they could have existed before the creation of the physical universe itself, since their sphere of operation is in this universe and their very purpose is to minister to the “heirs of salvation (Heb. 1:14). Angels are called the “host of heaven,” and so could not have been created before the existence of heaven” [Henry M. Morris, The Genesis Record: A Scientific & Devotional Commentary on the Book of Beginnings, 57].

I don’t necessarily agree with all of Morris’ reasoning here, but I do think it very likely the angels were created on the first day of creation. The Bible never mentions their creation, but we know they were created at some point in time and Exodus 20:11 specifically revealed that everything that has been created was created in the first six days.

Whitcomb also believed the angels were created on the first day of creation. “What were the ‘heavens’ like at the moment they came from the Creator’s hand ‘in the beginning?’ The third heaven was populated with hundreds of millions of angelic beings (Dan. 7:10; Rev. 5:11; 9:16), each one a ‘son of God’ in the sense of direct creation by

God (cf. Job 1:6) and therefore perfect in all their ways (cf. Ezek. 28:15). They must have been created at the very beginning of the first day of creation, for Job 38:6, 7 tells of their singing and of their shout of joy at the creation of the earth. That they did not exist before the first day is indicated by Colossians 1:16 (which tells us that Christ created all invisible as well as visible thrones, dominions, principalities and powers in the heavens as well as upon the earth) in the light of Exodus 20:11 (For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them”) [John C. Whitcomb, The Early Earth: An Introduction to Biblical Creationism, rev. ed., 53].

Theologians who believe angels were created before the creation week based on Job 38:6-7 rely on that verse without interacting with other Scriptures that may prove otherwise. For example, Ryrie simply stated, “They [angels] were present when the earth was created (Job 38:6-7 NIV), so their creation had to be prior to the Creation of the earth” [Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, 141]. I don’t think that is exegetically appropriate without commenting on Exodus 20:11. Goldberg taught, “… although the specific time of their [angels] creation is not indicated in Scripture, these verses [Ps. 148:1-5; Job 38:6-7] show that they were already present when God created the earth” [Richard A. Robinson, ed., God, Torah, Messiah: The Messianic Jewish Theology of Dr. Louis Goldberg, 590]. Both Ryrie and Goldberg are technically correct; the angels were created before the creation of the earth. Whether or not they believe the angels were created within the parameters of the creation week is not so clear.

Proponents of the gap theory of creation have to believe the angels were created before Genesis 1. One variation of this theory claims the world was created and Lucifer was in charge of it. When he rebelled and took one-third of the angelic realm with him, the original creation was thrown into chaos. Another variation is that once the rebellion occurred, Lucifer and his angels were expelled from heaven to earth and the subsequent battle between good and evil threw the original creation into chaos. Not all, but most theologians who believe the gap theory also believe science is incontrovertibly built on scientific facts; therefore, the world must be quite old in geologic terms because evolutionary geologists say it’s old. This places most gap theory proponents in either of the two variations above. In this way, they conform to the scientific evolutionary mindset.

The first variation is the position held by Fruchtenbaum [Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary: Exposition from a Messianic Jewish Perspective: The Book of Genesis, 36-37, 40-41]. He does not hold to a large gap in order to explain an old earth and to make nice with evolutionary thought. He believes Satan was put in charge of earth; therefore, when Satan rebelled and was judged, the earth was judged as well. I will discuss Satan and his role in this when I discuss Satan later in the class.

In these views, Genesis 1 is not the story of the original creation, it is the story of the recreation or renovation of the original creation. I completely reject the concept of the gap theory of any sort; Genesis 1, in my view, is the record of the original creation.

Again, Exodus 20:11 does not allow us to understand any position other than the angels were created during the original creation week. Exodus 20:11 is certainly referring to the

8 creation week described in Genesis 1. In my opinion, Psalm 104:4 backs that up as does Colossians 1:16.

At the end of the creation week, God pronounced everything He had just created to be “very good” (Gen. 1:31). Satan rebelled sometime after that first week. At the time of the Fall, Satan had already rebelled in heaven; therefore, Satan’s rebellion was the beginning of sin, but that was after the creation week and not before. Adam’s rebellion was the beginning of sin on the earth among mankind and that was obviously also after the creation week. Otherwise, God could not have called His creation “very good.” At the end of the creation week, sin had yet to enter the earthly realm. If the angelic rebellion occurred before the creation week and threw the created order into chaos, then it would be inconceivable to categorize the creation as “very good.” We also know that death entered the world through the Fall. The gap theory has to place death before the Fall.

There is no explanation provided why the rebellion of the angelic realm was unforgivable and the rebellion of mankind was forgivable. Some theologians believe the redemption of man is an object lesson for the created order proving God’s gracious, just, and righteous character. Very briefly, the thinking goes like this: God’s judgment on the rebellious angelic realm was consignment to the lake of fire. As a result, Satan questioned God’s righteousness and judgment claiming God was being unfair. God allowed a conflict between Satan and mankind to take place. Satan would win an initial victory by inducing mankind to rebel against God. In the case of mankind, God would provide a way man could be redeemed thereby demonstrating His gracious and righteous character. There is probably some merit to this scenario, but the Bible never exactly revealed it as presented. We do know that Adam had the legal, God-granted right to rule the world, but he forfeited that right to Satan who is now the god of this world. Man is obviously part of this conflict in order to show God’s righteousness, justice, and gracious nature. This scenario still does not explain why the angels were not provided a path to redemption.

Angels are a created being of a different order than human beings although some character traits are shared between the two kinds. Angels have a personality. The dictionary definition of personality is “the combination of characteristics or qualities that form an individual distinctive character.” “Personality means to have personal existence; thus we mean that angels have personal existence and possess the quality or state of being persons. Commonly the essential facets of personality are considered to involve intelligence, emotions, and will.” [Charles C. Ryrie, Basic Theology, 143]. This applies to both spheres of the angelic realm—angels, Satan, and demons.

Angels exhibit intelligence. They know things and they seek to know more. The devil was described as “crafty.” How much they know and what they do not know is never stated. They demons know the plan of God is that they be shut up forever in a place of torment. The angels do not understand all that is involved in the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow, but they have the desire to know these things.

Matthew 8:29 29And they cried out, saying, “What business do we have with each other, Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

2 Corinthians 11:3 3But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ.

1 Peter 1:12 12It was revealed to them 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.

Angels express emotions. They praise God. Demons express fear because they know what their eventual fate is at the hands of God. Satan expresses anger and rage.

Luke 2:13–14 13And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, 14“Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

James 2:19 19You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

Revelation 12:17 17So the dragon was enraged with the woman, and went off to make war with the rest of her children, who keep the commandments of God and hold to the testimony of Jesus.

Angels have a will. Demons expressed their desire to avoid the abyss and indwell a pig instead. The devil is exercising his will to turn people away from God to be captured by him and led to their doom. Fallen angels expressed their will when they joined Satan in his rebellion against God.

Luke 8:32 32Now there was a herd of many swine feeding there on the mountain; and the demons implored Him to permit them to enter the swine. And He gave them permission.

2 Timothy 2:26 26and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.

Jude 6 6And angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day,