Angels as Spirits
The heavenly angels are those who did not fall from their original service and status as reported in Revelation 12:7–9, “And there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough, and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him” (see also 2 Pet. 2:4 and Jude 6).
Heavenly angels are “ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation” (Heb. 1:14). Pharisees equated an angel with a spirit at one of Paul’s trials when they agreed, “We find nothing wrong with this man.… What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?” (Acts 23:9). By saying “a spirit or an angel,” the Pharisees constructed a literary parallel that identifies one as being the same as the other one.
As a ministering spirit, no heavenly angel is inferior or superior to any other ministering spirit, for each is an obedient servant. Jesus equated greatness with selfless service: “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant … just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve …”; and, “For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves” (Matt. 20:26, 28; Luke 22:27). It seems likely that the measurement of greatness would be the same for God’s heavenly representatives as for His earthly ones—unselfish service.
As God’s representatives living on earth, we Christians should not follow the example of the rebellious angels who lived in heaven, but the obedient ones who still serve God. No one is to feed self a dose of inferiority or superiority complex as Paul reminded the Corinthians, “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.” The foot should not feel it is not as important as the hand. “… The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you!’ ” (1 Cor. 12:14–21). Paul helped the Corinthians understand that about himself, “What, after all, is Apollos? And what is Paul? Only servants, through whom you came to believe—as the Lord has assigned to each his task” (1 Cor. 3:5).
Multiple Functional Terms
“Messengers” and “ministering spirits” are the foundational terms upon which all others rest. But there are several other functionally descriptive terms that help us grasp the diversity of angelic services including the following:
1. God. This description is not suggesting that an angel is actually God. The term is functional (their external deeds), not ontological (their internal nature). An angel’s mission and manner so represents God that it is as if God is present. After all, to represent God is to “re-present” Him. The term “angel” and “God” were interchangeable in several places such as in Moses’ burning bush experience (Exod. 3:2–4). The actions of angels were actions that God would have done and did do through them. Calvin believed this “God” description of angels heightened the fact that they display God’s presence as in a mirror. That is, God’s brightness shines through them.
As it is with angels so it is to be with Christians. Paul gave us a needed reminder, “It is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose” (Phil. 2:13). Thus the transcendent God continues to incarnate Himself in His heavenly and earthly servants. But why does He do that? Donald Bloesch is helpful by noting that God in Himself is “radically independent of all creaturely power. Nevertheless has the freedom to make him dependent on those whom he has created. He exists by his own power, but he seeks to fulfill his plan and purpose in cooperation with his people whom he empowers by his Spirit.”3
2. Mediators. Job 33:23 reported, “There is an angel on his side as a mediator, one out of a thousand, to tell a man what is right for him.…” Angels are God’s mediators with His message. Although there is only one salvation mediator between God and humans—Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 2:5), God uses both His heavenly and earthly beings as “paramediators.” For instance, see Moses’ mediating ministry with the Pharaoh (Exod. 7–11) and Peter’s with Cornelius (Acts 10). Jesus clarified this when He said, “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21, NASB). Perhaps some can be so engrossed with the idea that an angel is sent from God that they are not as equally excited about a person also sharing a mediating ministry and message from God.
Some may desire to become an angel when getting to heaven, but not want to become God’s mediating kind of servant on earth. Why would a person consider the mission of God’s heavenly angels to be more essential to the mission of God than the mission of His earthly servants? Perhaps we need to look not only through a window to see the possibility of a heavenly angel on the other side with a mission from heaven for earth’s sake, but also to look into a mirror to see the earthly person on this side of the mirror with a mission on earth for heaven’s sake.
3. Watchers. Daniel saw an angelic “watcher” descend from heaven (Dan. 4:13, 17, NASB). God uses angels as watchers, not because He cannot see, because He sees it all, “The eyes of the LORD are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good” (Prov. 15:3). Then why the need for angels as His partnered watchers? Perhaps it is to help them understand the rationale behind God’s actions and reactions and to encourage them to be involved with broader and deeper perspectives.
Angels desire to see and grasp what God has done, is doing, and will do as recorded in 1 Peter 1:12, “Even angels long to look into these things.” God’s people on earth were also referred to as His watchers (Ezek. 33:2–20, NASB). Human watchers are to be as zealous and responsible as the angelic ones. Why would we feel either privileged or perplexed knowing heavenly angels may be watching us, but not concerned that some fellow Christians may also be watching us in order to serve us? Why would we be more responsive to God’s angelic heavenly watchers than to His human earthly watchers? It is possible that God sent and continues to send heavenly watchers as sort of a last resort, for we may be too independent from each other to be responsible to and for each other.
4. Sons of God. Angels are identified as angels in many places (such as Job 1:6; 2:1; 36:3; Ps. 89:6, NASB). At times, the NIV translates “sons of God” as “angels” and by doing so camouflages the significance of the functional term of “sons.” To refer to angels as “sons of God” does not mean they are literally “born” of God; but it does mean they are part of God’s family, and their attributes, principles, priorities, and practices characterize God. In Bible days a person was referred to as “a son of” what was being characterized by that person. Thus Jesus labeled James and John “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17), and the apostles labeled Joseph, the Cyprian, “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). Christians are also referred to as God’s sons (and daughters), because we have His sperma, seed in us, which is His Holy Spirit (1 John 3:9, 24).
God’s Spirit equips us to participate in His divine nature in such a way that we are able to mirror and mimic God (2 Pet. 1:4; John 5:16; Eph. 5:1). If we want others to view us as “sons and daughters” of God, we need to manifest God’s character—particularly His foundational character of love, as clearly stated by Jesus, “But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven” (Matt. 5:44–45). This does not mean that we “may be” who we already are (1 John 3:1–2), but that others who experience us may be able to link us to God. Angels and Christians share that distinction and responsibility.
5. Holy Ones. This was a common term for angels. For instance, see Job 5:1; Daniel 8:13; Deuteronomy 33:2. Jesus will return with the “holy ones” with Him (Zech. 14:5), which refers to the angels as announced by Jesus in Matthew 25:31. The terms “holy ones” and “saints” are from the same root word, which describes a person being dedicated. In Greek culture the words were used to identify two people who were married to each other. Each one was the other’s “saint.” That meant the woman was set apart from all other women to belong to her man, and the man was set apart from all other men to belong to his woman. Both were to be committed to care for the other one, to be closely bonded companions with the other one, and to meet the needs of the other one. “Saints” is the most common New Testament word that identified Christians, and is connected to the Church being the Bride of Christ. It is possible for two people to be married to each other and not function as saints with and for each other. When that happens, a gap exists between the two who need to work at building a bridge to span that gap. That is difficult to do, and sometimes impossible, when the other person may not see the gap or does not want it bridged.
There can also be a gap between Christians and God that needs bridge building. James put it this way, “Come near to God and he will come near to you” (Jas. 4:8). That does not mean God has moved away from us and is purposely keeping His distance, but it does mean that we have moved away from God. Some heavenly angels did that, and God gave them up to their freedom-of-choice decisions. Paul affirms that God will also give people up to their decisions (Rom. 1:24–28, “God gave them over”).
6. Heavenly Host. Angels were often referred to as “hosts” in the Bible (see Deut. 4:19; 17:3; Josh. 5:14; Luke 2:14; Acts 7:42, and over a hundred other places). The word “host” stresses a large gathering and described angels as members in God’s heavenly court (Dan. 7:10). “Hosts” was also a military term, and thus identified angels as members in God’s army. With military kinds of functions, angels were ready for any command of God to protect His people, even if that meant entering into the battle, which they did on more than one occasion. Calvin described angelic hosts “like soldiers maintaining their leader’s standard and ready to carry out his commands. As soon as God beckons, they gird themselves for the work.”4 (Institutes 1.14.5, 165).
While we might think that kind of designation and work belongs only to angels, Paul reminds us that Christians are in a battle as soldiers to please our Commander-in-Chief and are equipped for spiritual battles against principalities and powers and the “god of this world,” Satan (2 Tim. 2:3–4 and Eph. 6:10–18; 2 Cor. 4:4). We are to fight the good fight against the devil and his troops, fellow rebellious angels, but not the bad fight against God and His troops, fellow redeemed Christians.
7. Mighty Ones. The Psalmist understood that angels are powerful, “Praise the LORD, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding” (Ps. 103:20). Michael Welker is helpful with his comment that a serving angel is an example of God’s power.5 Christians are also recipients of God’s power for His purposes as affirmed by Paul, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and his incomparably great power for us who believe.
That power is the working of his mighty strength” (Eph. 1:18–19). Paul acknowledged that power in his own life, “To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me” (Col. 1:29). Each congregation is to tap the power, which glorifies (characterizes) God as Paul declared, “Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20–21, NASB).
Staton, K. (2005). Angels (pp. 42–47). Joplin, MO: College Press Publishing Company.
