Chapter 17 THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS
Chapter 17
THE EXISTENCE OF ANGELS
When areas of theology are slighted, this will likely be one of them, at least in standard books of theology. One has only to note the amount of space devoted to angelology in standard theologies to demonstrate this. However, in the last years of the twentieth century there has been an increasing interest in the subject as well as in Satan and demons. Articles, books, and TV programs featuring angels, though more often “warm and fuzzy” than theologically accurate, have helped generate this interest in angelology. Nevertheless, only the Bible gives us totally accurate information about angels.
Even Calvin was cautious in discussing this subject. Also, neo-orthodoxy’s denial of the objective existence of angels has been countered by the widespread publicity given to demons and their activity. Although people may deny theologically the existence of an order of beings called angels (and demons), practically their reported activity seems to make it impossible to deny their existence. Thus on the one hand man’s bias against anything supernatural rules out in his mind the existence of angels; while on the other hand activity that he cannot explain rationally makes their existence seem necessary.
I. HUMAN KNOWLEDGE
Man does not have the knowledge to judge what the makeup of the universe is. He has no a priori way to know if that makeup would or would not include an order of creatures like angels. Further, he has no predisposition to assume that it does include angels, for his natural predisposition is antisupernatural. In addition, his experience would not incline him to consider the possibility of angels, and his faith in his own intellect would compel him to seek other explanations for phenomena he cannot readily understand.
Ramm has fingered the limitations of human knowledge in this very clever way. “Mankind has no handbook titled A Guide to All Possible Creations. It has no information about creation, apart from the data afforded by this creation.” In other words, man’s limited knowledge does not permit him to conclude there are no such beings as angels.
II. BIBLICAL REVELATION
If one accepts the biblical revelation, then there can be no question about the existence of angels. There are three significant characteristics about that revelation. First, it is extensive. The Old Testament speaks about angels just over 100 times, while the New Testament mentions them about 165 times. Of course, any truth has to be stated only one time in the Bible for us to acknowledge it as truth, but when a subject is mentioned as often as angels are, then it becomes that much more difficult to deny it.
Second, angels are mentioned throughout the Bible. The truth about them is not confined to one period of history or one part of the Scriptures or a few writers. They do not belong to some primitive era. Their existence is mentioned in thirty-four books of the Bible from the earliest (whether Genesis or Job) to the last.
Third, the teaching of our Lord includes a number of references to angels as real beings. So to deny their existence is to cast doubt on His veracity.
The actual details of the biblical revelation are, of course, important, but while surveying them, it is important to keep in mind these three characteristics of the nature of that revelation.
We shall examine first the amount and spread of the biblical facts, then the teachings of Christ.
A. In the Old Testament
The Old Testament always presents angels as real, objective, existing creatures. In no way are they considered illusions or figments of the imagination. In the thirty-four occurrences of the word in the Mosaic writings, angels always appear as real creatures who do specific things in character with their service as messengers (which is, of course, the meaning of both the Hebrew and Greek words for angels). For example, Abraham ate and conversed with angels (Gen. 18). Many of the references in the Pentateuch and in Judges are to the Angel of Yahweh, who seems to be Deity. An angel executed the judgment on Israel after David wrongly took a census of the people (2 Sam. 24:16—hardly an illusion). Isaiah refers to seraphim (6:2) and Ezekiel, to cherubim (10:1–3). Daniel mentions Gabriel (9:20–27) and Michael (10:13; 12:1). Zechariah mentions angels frequently as agents of God (chap. 1) and interpreters of visions (chaps. 1–6). In the psalms angels are depicted as God’s servants who worship Him and who deliver God’s people from harm (34:7; 91:11; 103:20).
B. In the New Testament
In addition to what our Lord taught about angels, the writers of the New Testament also affirmed their real existence. The Gospel writers relate their ministry to Christ’s birth, life, resurrection, and ascension (Matt. 2:19; Mark 1:13; Luke 2:13; John 20:12; Acts 1:10–11).
In the record of the book of Acts angels were involved in helping God’s servants, opening prison doors for the apostles (5:19; 12:5–11), directing Philip and Cornelius in ministry (8:26; 10:1–7), and encouraging Paul during the storm on his voyage to Rome (27:23–25).
Paul (Gal. 3:19; 1 Tim. 5:21), the writer of Hebrews (1:4), Peter (1 Pet. 1:12), and Jude (v. 6) all assumed the existence of angels in their writings. About sixty-five clear references to angels occur in the Revelation, more than in any other single book of the Bible. Clearly the New Testament furnishes clear, undebatable, and abundant evidence of the existence of angels.
C. In the Teachings of Christ
Angels ministered to Christ in the wilderness after His temptation by Satan (and, of course, no reporter was present at the Temptation, so His truthfulness is behind the account). He taught that the human state in the resurrection would be like the angels; i.e., non-procreative (Matt. 22:30). Angels will separate the righteous from the wicked at the end of the age (13:39) and will accompany the Lord at His second coming (25:31). Even without adding the references to Christ’s activity in relation to demons, there is sufficient evidence that He believed in the reality of angels.
Usually the last thing critics of the Bible wish to abandon are the words of Christ. How, then, do they handle this evidence that Christ believed in the existence of angels?
Some say He was actually deceived. He believed they existed but actually they do not. Others affirm that He accommodated His teachings to the ignorant beliefs of the people of His day. In other words, since they believed in angels (and demons) He taught in that same vein, though actually He knew that angels did not really exist. But some of His references to angels cannot be explained in that way (see Matt. 18:10 and 26:53). Or it is sometimes claimed that the writers of the Gospels added these references to angels since they believed in them. There is nothing to prevent that sort of literary criticism from robbing us of other (perhaps even all) of the teachings of Christ.
Of course, there is another option, and it is the simplest and most obvious. Christ knew that angels exist and reflected that knowledge in His teaching.