GOD'S MINISTRY
THROUGH HIS SON JESUS CHRIST OF
BY THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Revs. Mr. and Mrs. H. Dean Daniels
E-mail: gods-ministry@hdd-gods-ministry.com
Web-site: http://www.hdd-gods-ministry.com/
ANGELS - PART III
SPECIAL ANGELS
As stated above in Angels – Part
II, our use of the word common is not meant to imply that most angels
are ordinary, dull or uninteresting. Their sheer numbers, however, do set
them apart somewhat. When John got his glimpse into the heavenly court,
he said, “And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the
throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand
times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands” (Rev. 5:11). According to
verse 14, there were only four beasts and twenty-four elders present in this
scene. So the rest were angels. No wonder Paul calls them “an
innumerable company” (Heb.
Yet as amazing as these angels are, there are other angelic beings even more distinguished, set apart from the rest. These we call special angels.
The Angel of the Lord
The first of the special angels we will study is not really an angel at all, but the second person of the trinity, a physical manifestation of God. Yet in numerous passages He is called “the angel of God,” “the angel of the Lord,” “His angel,” “Mine angel,” and “the angel of His presence.” Because the Bible uses the word angel in these passages, we include Him in our study of special angels. But a careful examination of the scriptures will prove that they refer not to an ordinary angel, but to God Himself.
First Appearance to Hagar:
After she had conceived by Abram, Hagar despised her mistress, Sarai. With Abram’s permission, Sarai treated Hagar harshly. Hagar then ran away and thus encountered the angel of the Lord:
And the angel of the LORD found her by a fountain of water in the wilderness, by the fountain in the way to Shur. And he said, Hagar, Sarai’s maid, whence camest thou? and whither wilt thou go? And she said, I flee from the face of my mistress Sarai. And the angel of the LORD said unto her, Return to thy mistress, and submit thyself under her hands. (Gen. 16:7-9)
Hagar appears to be talking to an ordinary angel, but the next verse reveals His true identity: “And the angel of the LORD said unto her, I will multiply thy seed exceedingly, that it shall not be numbered for multitude” (Gen. 16:10). He said nothing to indicate He was bearing a message from God. Rather, He spoke in the first person: “I will multiply thy seed.” Hagar’s response proves she knew to whom she was speaking: “And she called the name of the LORD that spake unto her, Thou God seest me: for she said, Have I also here looked after him that seeth me? Wherefore the well was called Beerlahairoi” (Gen. 16:13-14). Beerlahairoi means “Do I live after seeing God?” or “the well of living after seeing.” It was a custom among Egyptians to name each of the gods, indicating their offices and attributes. It was natural for Hagar to give this title of honor to the One who appeared to her in her distress.
Second Appearance to Hagar:
After Isaac was born and weaned, Sarah was concerned that Ishmael would challenge Isaac’s position as Abraham’s true heir. Once again, she wanted Hagar and Ishmael cast out. This grieved Abraham, but God comforted him with the promise that He would make a nation out of Ishmael because he was Abraham’s seed (Gen. 21:11-13). Later, when the provisions for their journey had been spent and death seemed imminent, God comforted Hagar with the same promise:
. . . the angel of God called to Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. (Gen. 21:17-18)
Note that He said, “I will make him a great nation”—the same words God Himself used to comfort Abraham!
Appearance to Abraham:
When Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, it was the angel of the LORD who called to him from heaven, saying, “Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me” (Gen. 22:12). Abraham wasn’t about to sacrifice Isaac to an angel, was he? Yet this “angel” said, “thou hast not withheld thy son . . . from me.” Only God Himself would say such a thing.
First Appearance to Jacob:
When Jacob was preparing Rachel and Leah to leave their father Laban, he recounted how the “angel of God” spoke to him in a dream, assuring him that He had seen all that Laban had done to him (Gen. 31:11-12). But then this “angel” said, “I am the God of Bethel, where thou anointedst the pillar, and where thou vowedst a vow unto me” (Gen. 31:13).
Second Appearance to Jacob:
The familiar story of Jacob wrestling with God does not actually mention the
word angel, but simply states that “there wrestled a man with him until
the breaking of the day” (Gen. 32:24). Yet, as we have already seen,
angels have appeared numerous times exactly as men. And as the story
concludes, Jacob states, “I have seen God face to face, and my life is
preserved” (v. 30). Furthermore, at the end of his life, when he was
blessing Joseph and his sons in
Appearance to Moses at the Burning Bush:
This familiar passage is another example of Scripture referring at first to the angel of the Lord. But we soon see that this “angel” is the Lord Himself:
Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law,
the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the
backside of the desert, and came to the
Appearance to
As the children of
the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night: He took not away the pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people. (Ex. 13:21-22)
When Pharaoh’s armies pursued them, God protected them. But the description given at that point is that
the angel of God, which went before the camp of Israel, removed and went behind them; and the pillar of the cloud went from before their face, and stood behind them: And it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel; and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it gave light by night to these: so that the one came not near the other all the night. (Ex. 14:19-20; cp. Ps. 34:7; 35:1-6)
The same one who was called “the
LORD” (Jehovah in Hebrew) in
When He was giving the law, God also promised protection and guidance into the promised land:
Behold, I send an Angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared. Beware of him, and obey his voice, provoke him not; for he will not pardon your transgressions: for my name is in him. But if thou shalt indeed obey his voice, and do all that I speak; then I will be an enemy unto thine enemies, and an adversary unto thine adversaries. For mine Angel shall go before thee, and bring thee in unto the Amorites, and the Hittites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites: and I will cut them off. (Ex. 23:20-23; cp. 32:34; Num. 20:16; Isa. 63:9)
We know this refers to God
Himself from the statements in v. 21. The words “he will not pardon
your transgressions: for my name is in him,” have been translated various
ways. Young renders it, “He beareth not with your transgression,
for My name is in His heart.” Moffatt says, “He will not forgive your sins, for I am
manifest in Him.” These renderings confirm the fact that the Angel was a
divine Person with the sovereign prerogative to uphold the divine holiness and
honor. God alone has power to forgive or not forgive; hence, a
member of deity is referred to here. The full authority of God, as
represented by the name of God, was upon Him, in Him, around Him, and in His
heart and nature. This is the same thought Paul expressed, saying
that in Christ “dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).
As the divine representative of the Godhead, the executive of God among
Appearance to Balaam:
In Numbers 22 we have the familiar story of Balak’s
attempt to hire Balaam to curse the nation of
Then the LORD opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the LORD standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. And the angel of the LORD said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive. And Balaam said unto the angel of the LORD, I have sinned; for I knew not that thou stoodest in the way against me: now therefore, if it displease thee, I will get me back again. And the angel of the LORD said unto Balaam, Go with the men: but only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak. So Balaam went with the princes of Balak. (vv. 22-35)
The last words of this “angel” prove it is really God, for He gives Balaam the same condition God had already given him in v. 20: “only the word that I shall speak unto thee, that thou shalt speak.” The angel speaks in the first person, claiming the very words of God as His own.
Appearance to
After listing in the first chapter of Judges the failures of the various tribes
of
And an angel of the LORD came up from Gilgal to Bochim, and said, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and
have brought you unto the land which I sware unto your fathers; and I said, I
will never break my covenant with you. And ye shall make no league with
the inhabitants of this land; ye shall throw down their altars: but ye have not
obeyed my voice: why have ye done this? Wherefore I also said, I will not
drive them out from before you; but they shall be as thorns in your sides,
and their gods shall be a snare unto you. And it came to pass, when the
angel of the LORD spake these words unto all the
children of
Though He is called the angel of the Lord here, His words are the words of God. He isn’t merely bringing a message from God; nothing is prefaced by “thus saith the Lord.” This is God Himself speaking.
Appearance to Gideon:
Later in the time of the judges, a period in
Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you
forth out of the house of bondage; And I delivered you out of the hand of the
Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out
from before you, and gave you their land; And I said unto you, I am the LORD
your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye
have not obeyed my voice. (Judg. 6:8-10)
Then God raised up another judge for their deliverance:
And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash
the Abiezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by
the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites.
And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is
with thee, thou mighty man of valour. And Gideon said unto him, Oh my
Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of,
saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from
Note that what began as an appearance of the angel of the Lord ended in a conversation with the Lord Himself. The two terms were used interchangeably.
As the story continues, God is again referred to as an angel. Gideon asked the angel to wait until he had prepared an offering (vv. 17-18). When he was finished the angel of God said unto him, Take the flesh and the unleavened cakes, and lay them upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did so. Then the angel of the LORD put forth the end of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and there rose up fire out of the rock, and consumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the LORD departed out of his sight. (vv. 20-21)
Then Gideon, understanding that
he wasn’t talking to an ordinary angel, said, “Alas, O Lord GOD! for because I have seen an angel of the LORD face to
face” (v. 22). Like many, Gideon was afraid he would die if he saw
God. But the Lord said to him, “Peace be unto thee; fear not: thou
shalt not die” (v. 23). So, like Noah (Gen. 8:20), Abraham (Gen.
12:7), Isaac (Gen. 26:24-25), Jacob (Gen. 35:7) and others, Gideon also built
an altar to mark the place of his encounter with God (Judg.
Appearance to Manoah and His Wife:
After forty years of bondage to the Philistines (Judg. 13:1), the Lord was
ready once again to deliver
When she reported this encounter to Manoah her husband, she said “A man of God came unto me, and his countenance was like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible” (v. 6). Manoah then prayed that the Lord would send the man of God again, and God answered his prayer (vv. 8-11). After the Angel repeated His instructions for Manoah’s wife’s time of pregnancy, Manoah asked the Angel to wait for them to prepare a burnt offering:
So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered it upon a rock unto the LORD: and the angel did wondrously; and Manoah and his wife looked on. For it came to pass, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the LORD ascended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on it, and fell on their faces to the ground. But the angel of the LORD did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD. (Judg. 13:15-21)
Until the Angel ascended in the flame, Manoah didn’t understand who He really was. When he did realize who was dealing with, Manoah reacted with the same fear Gideon had: “We shall surely die, because we have seen God” (v. 22). But his wife used better logic: “If the LORD were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have shewed us all these things, nor would as at this time have told us such things as these” (v. 23).
Appearances to Zechariah:
The Lord frequently appears as an angel in the prophecy of Zechariah. In Zechariah’s first vision he encounters the Lord as an angel (1:7-17). It is apparent that this is the Lord because:
• Zechariah addressed Him as “Lord” (1:9, 13, 20)
• He spoke as God (
• Others reported to Him who had been sent by
the Lord (
• He called Himself “Lord” (2:5)
• As Lord He rebuked Satan (3:1-2)
• He gave commands to others as God, using such terms as “My ways,” “My charge,” “My house,” “My courts,” “My servant the Branch” (3:3-8)
• He called Himself the “Lord of hosts”
(3:9; 4:6)
Finally, in a prophetic reference
to the second advent of Christ, Zechariah writes, “In that day shall the LORD
defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that
day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of
the LORD before them” (Zech. 12:8). This angel of the Lord no doubt
refers to Christ Himself as the leader of all
Appearance to John in Revelation:
The tenth chapter of Revelation opens with a vision of “another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.” There are seven proofs this angel is really Christ:
• The description of Him in v. 1 proves He is Christ. Compare Rev. 1:12-16 and Dan. 10:5-6.
• The second verse says, “he had in his hand a little book open . . . .” In Revelation 5:5-7 Christ takes the sealed book out of the right hand of God. In 6:1 - 8:1 He breaks the seals that bind it. Here the same little book is open so the contents might be revealed (vv. 2, 8-11).
• Christ is giving the revelation to John (1:1), and this angel functions in that capacity (10:4, 8-11).
• He “cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth” (v. 3), identifying Him with the Lion of Judah (5:5). Compare Isa. 31:4-5; Jer. 25:29-36; Hos. 11:10-11; Joel 3:16; and Amos 3:8, where the Lord is spoken of as a roaring lion.
• In the sixth verse this angel “sware by him that liveth for ever and ever,” proving Him to be a divine person, for not one time in Scripture does an ordinary angel make an oath to God or man. However, in fifty scriptures it is stated that God swore or made oaths. In thirty-one other passages man swears to God and man (cp. Dan. 12:7).
• This angel directs John specifically concerning what to write and what not to write (10:4), just as Christ does in 1:11, 19; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 12, 14; 14:13-14; 19:9; 21:5.
• Finally, in 11:3 we have definite proof that this angel is Christ, for He says, “I will give power unto My two witnesses,” proving Him to be a divine person.
It is clear that all the passages above refer to the manifestations of God and not of an ordinary angel. In all other places where “the angel of the Lord” is found, the term refers to common angels (Mt. 1:20, 24; 2:13, 19; 28:2-7; Lk. 1:11-38; 2:9-14; Acts 5:19-20; 8:26; 12:7-23). The word angel is also used of Christ in Revelation 8:3-5; 10:1 - 11:3; and it is used of men in Revelation 1:20; 2:1, 8, 12, 18; 3:1, 7, 14; 19:9-10. In most other places it is clear that common angels and other heavenly creatures are referred to.
Archangels
The word archangel is only found twice in Scripture—once in connection with Christ coming in the air to take all the dead and living saints out of the world (1 Th. 4:16), and once of Michael who disputed with the devil over the body of Moses (Jude 9).
The word arch simply means “chief.” It indicates a class of beings higher than ordinary angels. Michael is called “the great prince” in Daniel 12:1. In Revelation 12:7-9 he is revealed as the commander of the angels of God who will fight against the devil and his angels and will cast them to the earth. He is called “one of the chief princes” in Daniel 10:13 (cp. v. 21). If he is one of them, there must be more chief princes or archangels.
Gabriel’s activities indicate he is an archangel, though he is not
specifically called one. Gabriel was sent to make known Daniel’s vision
in chapter 8, and he came in answer to Daniel’s prayer in chapter 9. It
seems reasonable to conclude that it was Gabriel who came in response to
Daniel’s prayer and fasting and vision in chapter 10. In that context he
told Daniel about fighting the demonic prince of
In Colossians 1:15-18 we read of thrones, dominions, principalities and powers
in heaven, so there must be many chief angels. Some of them rebelled
along with the devil and are now under him as rulers of certain kingdoms of
this world (Dan.
Cherubim
In their first appearance in Scripture, Cherubim are standing outside the garden of Eden, preventing Adam and Eve from returning: “So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24). It is interesting that golden images of these same beings were later used in making the mercy seat over the ark:
And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. (Ex. 25:17-20; cp. 37:7-9)
This solid gold mercy seat made the covering of the ark which held the ten commandments. It signified that mercy and grace overshadowed the law, that judgment and death were the penalty for sin, and that justice and mercy could be reconciled through grace and faith in the blood (Lev. 16; Heb. 9). As such, the mercy seat was the visible symbol of the presence of God, from whom came the mercies and curses of the Law. It was between the cherubim, who actually dwell in God’s presence in heaven. Therefore, these cherubim, patterned after heavenly spirit beings, were also a symbol of the Divine Presence. Their wings stretched over the mercy seat and their faces looking toward it symbolized the eternal watchfulness and ministry of angels to the redeemed, as well as their cooperation with God in the plan of redemption as typified by the tabernacle and offerings of the law of Moses. And, to further impress men with the fact of divine presence, cherubim also adorned the main curtains of the tabernacle (Ex. 26:1; 36:8), as well as the veil separating the holy of holies from the rest of the tabernacle (Ex. 26:31; 36:35).
Naturally, Solomon included cherubim in his temple as well: they were engraved on the main walls of the temple (2 Chr. 3:5-7); they decorated the bases of the ten lavers (1 Ki. 7:27-29, 36-37); they were carved on the doors of the holy of holies (1 Ki. 6:29-35); and adorned the veil between the holy and most holy place (2 Chr. 3:7). He also had a pair in the holy of holies that were made of olive wood overlaid with gold (1 Ki. 6:23-28; 8:6-7; 2 Chr. 3:10-13). They were twenty feet and ten inches high with a wingspan equal to their height. They were set up in the most holy place side by side with the outer wings touching the outside walls and the inner ones touching each other.
The main significance of the cherubim, however, was not as mere decorations, but atop the mercy seat where the Lord promised to speak:
And thou shalt put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark thou shalt
put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with
thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the
two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I
will give thee in commandment unto the children of
After the original altar was dedicated and anointed, Moses entered the tabernacle to speak with God: “then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubims: and he spake unto him” (Num. 7:89). Likewise, when Solomon’s temple was dedicated,
. . . the priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the LORD unto his place, to the oracle of the house, into the most holy place, even under the wings of the cherubims: for the cherubims spread forth their wings over the place of the ark, and the cherubims covered the ark and the staves thereof above. . . . And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place . . . it came even to pass, as the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; so that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God. (2 Chr. 5:7-8, 11, 13-14)
Consequently, God became known as
the Lord of hosts that “dwelleth between the cherubims” (1 Sam.
4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 2 Ki.
Later in
It was as an “anointed cherub” that Lucifer had his origin, as recorded in Ezekiel 28:11-17. We will examine him in great detail in the following chapter.
Seraphim
These are only mentioned in the vision of Isaiah, but their description proves they are angelic creatures:
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. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is 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. Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. (Isa. 6:1-7)
The Living Creatures
When John describes the scene in heaven it is with awe-inspiring imagery:
And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment; and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. (Rev. 4:2-8)
These four beasts are similar to the cherubim, except that they have only one head each and are full of eyes before and behind. They are like the seraphim in that they have six wings. One has a face like a lion, one like a calf, one like a man, and one like a flying eagle. They cry, “Holy, holy, holy” to God day and night.
The Greek word for beasts in this passage is zoa, the plural of zoon meaning “living creature.” It is from this word that we get our words zoo and zoology.
In the next chapter of Revelation, when John saw that there was no one worthy to open the book in God’s hand, he writes,
And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon. And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.
And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. (Rev. 5:2-7)
In response to this the four beasts joined with the twenty-four elders as they all “fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints” (v. 8). Then they sang a new song to the Lamb and were joined in worship by myriads of angels, as well as “every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them” (v. 13). Concluding this worship, “the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever” (v. 14; cp. 7:1-12).
Then, at the opening of each of the first four seals, one of the four beasts
told John to “Come and see” as the four horsemen were sent forth (Rev.
6:1-8). These living creatures were also present with the twenty-four
elders when the 144,000 sang a new song that “no man could learn” (Rev.
14:3). Later, after all the seals had been opened, it was one of the four
living creatures that gave the seven golden vials full of the wrath of God to
the seven angels whose job it was to pour them out (Rev. 15:7). Finally,
when
From these passages in Revelation we can see seven specific acts of the living creatures, or zoa:
• They call attention to God’s holiness (4:4-8)
• They fall prostrate in worship (5:8; 19:1-4)
• They sing and play harps (5:8)
• They offer the prayers of the saints to God (5:8)
• They call forth the four horsemen (6:1-8)
• They give vials to angels (15:7)
• They listen to the worship of others (14:3)
FALLEN ANGELS
We have mentioned fallen angels in several ways already, but we will look at them in greater detail here.
General Facts About Fallen Angels
• They are subject to Christ (1 Pet.
• Sinful and rebellious (Job
• Evil (Ps. 78:49)
• To be punished (Mt. 25:41; Isa. 24:21-23; 25:7; Jude 6-7)
• To be cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-9)
• Organized into principalities (Eph.
• They deceive men (1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Cor.
• Oppose saints (Rom.
• Originally fell with Lucifer (Isa.
• Hell is prepared for them (Mt. 25:41)
• Some are now in hell (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7)
Two Classes of Fallen Angels
• Those bound (Rev. 9:11, 14; 11:7; 17:8; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7)
• Those that are still loose with Satan and will be cast down to the earth in the middle of the future tribulation (Rev. 12:7-12)
Sons of God Who Married Daughters of Men
We mentioned these sons of God in chapter two, but we will discuss them in greater detail here. There are many scriptural proofs that the sons of God in Genesis 6:1-4 are fallen angels.
Old Testament Use of “Sons of God”:
The expression “sons of God” is found only five times in the Old Testament,
twice in Genesis 6 and three times in the book of Job (1:6; 2:1; 38:7).
The passages in Job clearly refer to angels. Furthermore,
the account of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in Daniel
Harmonizing Both Testaments:
Both testaments of the Bible teach that some angels committed sex sins and lived contrary to nature. Genesis 6:1-4 give the history of such sinning. In 2 Peter 2:4 we have the statement that angels did sin before the flood and for their sin were cast down to hell to be reserved until judgment. This passage does not reveal that the sin was fornication, but Jude 6-7 does, saying that
the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
If
Angels Aren’t Sexless:
The one scripture used to teach that angels are sexless does not say they
are. It simply states, “in the resurrection they
neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in
heaven” (Mt.
Paul said everyone would have his own body in the resurrection (1 Cor.
Throughout Scripture angels are spoken of as men. No female angels are
on record. It is logical to say then that the female was created
specifically to keep the human race in existence. All angels were
created male, as their kind is maintained without the reproductive
process. Angels were created innumerable to start with (Heb.
The fact that some angels “kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation” (Jude 6) makes it understandable how a sex sin could be accomplished by them. The Greek word for “habitation” is oiketerion. It is used only twice in Scripture. In 2 Corinthians 5:2 it is translated house and concerns the bodies of men being changed to spiritual bodies. In Jude 6 it refers to angels having a bodily change, or at least a lowering of themselves in some way.
Why Some Angels Were Bound:
As we have stated, there are two classes of fallen angels—those loose with Satan who will be cast down to earth during the tribulation (Rev. 12:7-12), and those now bound in hell for committing fornication (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7). Had the ones in hell not committed the additional sin of fornication, they would still be loose to help Satan in the future. Their present confinement proves they committed a sin besides that of original rebellion with Satan.
Christ Preached to These Spirits in Prison:
In 1 Peter 3:19-20 we see that Christ “went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing.” Who are these spirits in prison, if not the angels who once lived contrary to their nature—in sin with the daughters of men? We read in Psalm 104:4 that God is the one “Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.” If angels are spirits, we can then conclude that the imprisoned spirits Christ preached to were the angels referred to in Genesis 6—especially since they “were disobedient . . . in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing.” The very purpose of Noah’s flood was to destroy the giant offspring of these angels who “came in unto the daughters of men” (Gen. 6:4). The following points are further proofs that the spirits in 1 Peter are angels:
• If these were human souls it would not specify only those who sinned in the days of Noah.
• Men are never called spirits.
Where human spirits are referred to they are always qualified by speaking of
them as spirits of men (Heb.
• There is a special prison for angels that sinned before the flood (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7).
• The Greek for “preached” in 1 Peter 1:19 is kerusso, to proclaim as a public crier, or to announce something whether it be good or bad. Euangelizo would have been used if Christ had preached the glad tidings of salvation to human beings.
• The gospel is never preached to human beings
after they die, and there would be no special message for the one generation of
Noah’s day, or God would be a respecter of persons. Human beings
are appointed “once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb.
• There is no special prison for human beings who sinned in Noah’s day. All go to sheol and hades until the judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).
• Christ made no announcement to human souls in hell that we know about. He did liberate the righteous souls, taking them to heaven when He ascended on high (Eph. 4:8). He left the angels in hell until the judgment (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7).
Proofs Outside the Scriptures:
Josephus says, “many angels of God accompanied with women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength . . . these men did what resembled the acts of those whom the Grecians called giants” (Antiquities, Book I, chap. 3). Again he says, “There were till then left the race of giants, who had bodies so large, and countenances so entirely different from other men, that they were surprising to the sight, and terrible to the hearing. The bones of these men are still shown to this day . . .” (Antiquities, Book V, chap. 2).
The Ante-Nicene fathers also refer to angels who fell “into impure love of virgins, and were subjugated by the flesh . . . . Of these lovers of virgins, therefore, were begotten those who are called giants” (vol. 2, p. 142; vol. 8, pp. 85, 273). Justin Martyr says “. . . the angels transgressed . . . were captivated by the love of women, and begat children” (vol. 2, p. 190). Methodius says “the devil was insolent . . . as also those (angels) who were enamoured of fleshly charms, and had illicit intercourse with the daughters of men” (vol. 6, p. 370).
Fallen Angles Are Princes of Human Governments
The work of these angels will be discussed in detail in the following chapters.
Fallen Angels Are to be Judged Like Humans
Scripture clearly reveals a judgment for angels who have rebelled against God:
• Subjects: fallen angels (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7; Rev. 12:7-12)
• Time: at the great white throne judgment after the Millennium (Rev. 20:11-15; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7)
• Place: before the great white throne in heaven (Rev. 20:11-15)
• Basis: disobedience to God (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6-7; Ezek. 28:11-17)
• Result: eternal damnation in the lake of fire (Rev. 20:10; Mt. 25:41, 46)
Many kinds of demon spirits, fallen angels, and other spirit beings are mentioned in Scripture. They were originally created sinless and became fallen and unclean. Even the prince of demons was addressed as being “perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee” (Ezek. 28:15). God could not and did not create anything sinful. Everything in the spirit and human realms that is wicked and rebellious has become this way because of sin and free choice.
Fallen angels and demons are all rebels in connection with the planet earth. This is clear from the fact that they are or will be confined in prisons underneath the earth. Perhaps they lived on earth when Lucifer ruled. At any rate they were not created in the six days of Genesis 1:3 - 2:25.
The Bible says there are creatures in the heart of the earth, stating “that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10-11). Only eternity will reveal what kinds of creatures are under the earth, but we know there are some with knees and tongues.
The Number of Fallen Angels
Paul tells us in Hebrews 12:22 that angels are “an innumerable company.” In Revelation 12:3-4 we read,
And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads. And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.
The stars that fell are symbolic of the angels that rebelled with Lucifer; this is how many will be with him in the future war in heaven under the seventh trumpet. This leaves two thirds of all angels that did not rebel when Lucifer tried to dethrone God. So even though we don’t know the exact number of the innumerable company of angles, we do know that since their fall, Satan, his followers, and all evil ones have been in the minority and will be so for all eternity.
LUCIFER THE DEVIL
Though originally an angel of God, the devil appears as a fallen being in Genesis, where he usurped Adam’s rulership of earth by tempting him to sin. He then opposes God and man as the god of this world throughout the rest of the Bible, not suffering final defeat until nearly the end of the book of Revelation. His significance as a character in Scripture is thus great enough to require an entire chapter of this book for discussion.
LUCIFER BEFORE HE
BECAME SATAN
Lucifer was created by Christ along with other principalities and powers in heaven and earth (Col. 1:15-18; Job 38:4-7; Ezek. 28:11-17). In Ezekiel 28:14-16 we read:
Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so:
thou wast upon the holy
Thus he was not always the devil or an adversary of God. He was created perfect and sinless and became the enemy of God and man through the sin of trying to exalt himself above God.
In Ezekiel 28:14-16 we read that Lucifer was at one time in the
Ezekiel 28:13 tells us that Lucifer was also in a pre-Adamite garden of Eden:
Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.
No earthly king of
Lucifer Was the First Ruler of Earth
Lucifer was one of the archangels who ruled over beings in the original creations of Genesis 1:1. According to Isaiah 14:12-14; Jeremiah 4:23-26; Ezekiel 28:11-17; Luke 10:18; 2 Peter 3:4-8 and other passages, Lucifer had a kingdom on earth long before the six days of Genesis 1:3 - 2:25 and the creation of Adam. These passages reveal that he fell, led an invasion into heaven and was defeated.
At that time the earth was cursed and all life destroyed by the first flood
(Gen. 1:2). Satan regained rulership over the earth in Adam’s day, usurping
man’s dominion by causing his fall. His relationship to man has always
been that of a usurper; as long as man tolerates his dictatorship, he will
remain subject to Satan. Each man can now, by the power of the gospel,
defeat Satan and rid himself of every demonic relationship. This is what
God demands, and He has provided means whereby it can be attained (Mk.
16:17-18; Lk.
He Was Cast Out of Heaven
Isaiah
He Was Cut Down to the Ground
The second phrase in Isaiah
He Had Weakened the Nations
The last part of Isaiah 14:12 describes Lucifer as the one “which didst weaken the nations.” Before his rebellious invasion of heaven Lucifer had weakened the earthly nations over which he had ruled since the first creation of the earth and its inhabitants. This was before Adam’s time. The following are six proofs that Lucifer ruled men:
• They are called nations in Isaiah 14:12. The Hebrew word goy is translated Gentiles, nations, people, and heathen hundreds of times, but never angels. It follows then that the nations Lucifer ruled over must have been made up of men.
• God told Adam to replenish the earth (Gen.
1:28). He told Noah to do the same thing 1,656 years later (Gen.
9:1). It is as reasonable to believe the earth was plenished
before Adam’s time as it is to accept that it was plenished before
Noah’s. Furthermore, the command to replenish indicates the kind
of inhabitants the earth had in the first place, for Adam and his race could
only reproduce their own kind (Gen. 1:11;
• Jeremiah’s description of the chaotic earth confirms the fact that men, not angels, inhabited the earth before Adam:
I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was without form, and void; and the heavens, and they had no light. I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved lightly. I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled. I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful place was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of the LORD, and by his fierce anger. (Jer. 4:23-26)
Before the time of Adam, men lived in cities and fruitful places on earth, so they must have eaten food and been mortal as we are today.
• Ezekiel also confirms the fact that the inhabitants of the pre-Adamite world were people who were ruled by kings. As his fall is described by Ezekiel, Lucifer is told, “I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee . . . . All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee” (Ezek. 28:17, 19).
• Peter indicates that the pre-Adamites were mortals, for they drowned. In 2 Peter 3:5 we read “that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water,” proving that the earth was not created all wet as described in Genesis 1:2 when “the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Rather, it was created dry and was then flooded and later restored to dry ground as recorded in Genesis 1:9-10. Verse 6 of 2 Peter 3 describes this flood, saying that “the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished.” The Greek word for world here is kosmos which means social order. Thus “the world that then was” refers to the social order before Adam’s day. It is contrasted with the heavens and earth “which are now” (v. 7)—since the six days’ work of Genesis 1:3 - 2:25.
• No scripture states that angels or spirit beings of any kind lived on the earth. Satan’s angels are spoken of as stars of heaven, indicating that they were originally created to be God’s subjects in heaven, not Lucifer’s on earth (Rev. 12:1-12).
The only statement in Scripture that causes some to stumble over the idea of
pre-Adamites being men is 1 Corinthians
I Will Ascend into Heaven
Isaiah
I Will Exalt My Throne Above the Stars of God
Isaiah 14:13 not only reveals Lucifer’s plan to invade heaven, dethrone God, and become the supreme ruler of all creation, but it shows that he already was a ruler. If he had a throne, he must have been a king.
I Will Sit Upon the Mount of the Congregation
The final statement in verse 13 proves Lucifer was not content with his own throne, but wanted to sit on God’s throne to be worshipped as the sovereign of all creation. His intent to sit on “the mount of the congregation” reveals that there is a congregation of saints or holy beings who gather to worship God. The phrase “in the sides of the north” gives the location or direction of heaven—north of the earth. Psalm 75:6-7 speaks of promotion coming, not from the east, west, or south, but from the Lord; so according to this also, the Lord and heaven are in the north.
I Will Ascend Above the Heights of the Clouds
This statement in Isaiah 14:14 reveals the location of Lucifer’s kingdom before Adam’s time. It had to be under the planet heaven, or Lucifer could not have determined in his heart to ascend into heaven (v. 13). It had to be under the stars of God or he could not have determined to exalt his throne above them (v. 13). It had to be under the clouds that surround the earth or he could not have determined to ascend above them (v. 14). Though a kingdom could be located many places under heaven and under the stars, it could not be under the clouds of earth without being on earth. This should convince us that Lucifer had an earthly kingdom with earthly subjects. Furthermore, since angels are not constituted like beings created to live on earth, we must conclude they were not the subjects of Lucifer’s earthly kingdom. The fact that Satan’s angels are now confined to the heavenlies surrounding the earth is proof they are no longer fit to reside in heaven; and the fact that they will be confined eternally in a hell beneath the earth (Mt. 25:41) proves that they sinned in connection with Lucifer’s program of invading heaven from the earth.
I Will Be Like the Most High
This part of Isaiah 14:14 was the central idea for all the rebellious activities of Lucifer. It is a noble trait to desire to be like God or imitate Him in His consecration to the highest good of all; but to transgress the laws of God and the central aim of such consecration, to become selfish and devoted to self-gratification at the expense of the highest good, is the greatest of all crimes. Lucifer wanted to be like God at the expense of all who opposed him; this was extreme sinfulness against God and nature. It was by this appeal to be like God that Eve was deceived (Gen. 3:5). Christ came to imitate God among men, and to set an example of true God-likeness: being like God in consecration to the good of all—not for self-gratification. Thus He repeatedly declared the true nature of consecration and godliness.
You Shall Be Brought Down to Hell
Isaiah
THE FALL OF
LUCIFER
We have several scriptures
describing this. He fell through pride over his own beauty (Ezek.
28:11-17; 1 Tim. 3:6), and trying to exalt himself above God (Isa.
The Time of Lucifer’s Fall
Lucifer fell when he rebelled against God to exalt his throne and kingdom from earth to heaven, as seen in the above discussion of Isaiah 14:12-14. The time of his corruption and sin was surely before the days of Adam, for Lucifer was already a fallen creature at the time he came to Adam’s Eden (Gen. 2; 2 Cor. 11:4).
Lucifer Cast Out of Heaven
He was cast from heaven back to the ground at th