The Creation Of Angels Series

THE CREATION OF ANGELS [ANGELS, GOD'S SPECIAL AGENTS SERIES]

PSALM 148: 2-5 / COLOSSIANS 1: 15-17

Don’t believe everything you hear about angels. Some would have us believe that they are only spiritual wisps. Some view them as celestial beings with beautiful wings and bowed heads. Others would have us think of them as feminine weirdos. Others have painted them as soft, cloud-clothed babies floating around. What are angels like?

The Bible states that angels, like men, were created by God. At one time no angels existed; indeed there was nothing but the Triune God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Colossians 1: 16, says, “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible.” Angels indeed are among the invisible things made by God, for “all things were created by Him, and for Him.” This Creator, Jesus, “is before all things, and by Him all things consist" (Colossians 1:17), so that even angels would cease to exist if Jesus, who is Almighty God, did not sustain them by His power.

I. THE FACT OF THEIR CREATION

II. THE AGENT OF THEIR CREATION

III. THE TIME OF THEIR CREATION

IV. THE STATE OF THEIR CREATION

I. THE FACT OF THEIR CREATION

What is the origin of Angels? Where do they come from? Angels are created beings. That they were created is clear in Psalm 148:2, 5. Let’s look briefly at the first few verses of Psalm 148.

After the psalmist exclaimed Praise the Lord (halelû-yāh) he summoned all creation above the earth to praise the Lord. This praise is to come “from the heavens.” It is transcendent; it is to come “from the heights!”

In verse 2 the great angelic hosts gathered before God’s throne as a choir to God’s praise. “Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His heavenly hosts!” These “hosts” are the angelic armies of the Lord (Ps. 103:20–21). All these angels in the heavens are called on to praise Him (103:20).

In verse 3 the celestial creation is also called to join in this worship. “Praise Him, sun and moon; Praise Him, all you stars of light!” As they shine in the heavens, they give their Creator glory. The heavens—the sun . . . moon . . . stars are all personified as capable of worshiping the Lord.

In verse 4 the highest heavens are called upon to praise the Lord. “Praise Him, highest heavens, [Lit heavens of heavens]. And the waters that are above the heavens!”

“And you waters above the heavens” indicate that the heavenly oceans above the firmament or the great expanse are to praise God [see Gen. 1:7]. Implied in verse 4 are the gradations in the heavenly realms. [This idea is supported by Paul’s reference to the “third heaven” (2 Cor. 12:2). Thus the heavens created in the creation account in Genesis means at a minimum the earthly heavens.]

Why is there to be this outburst of praise? All the heavens and all the angels are to worship God because in verse 5 He commanded and they were created. [5 “Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created.”]

The angels, as well as the celestial objects mentioned in verses 3 and 4, are declared to have been created by the Lord. They owe their existence to Him. All Creation should praise . . . the Lord because He created it all by His command and has established it all by His decree. His Word is powerful, sure and everlasting.

[Furthermore, we learn in verse 6 that they were created for His pleasure and for His glory. They find their destiny then in praising their Creator. They have been “established … forever and ever” (permanently). God not only creates them; He also upholds them, and “He has made a decree [or, ‘gave their boundaries’] which shall not pass away” (v. 6). He orders their order. Yahweh, rather than laws of physics, determines their destiny, and they are held in His hand. No wonder that they are to praise Him. [Williams, Donald; Ogilvie, Lloyd: The Preacher's Commentary Series, Vol 14: Psalms 73-150. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1989. P. 522]

This means they did not evolve from some lower or less complex form of life. That they did not evolve is reinforced by the fact that angels do not procreate (Matt. 22:30). When they were created, they were created as angels.

II. THE AGENT OF THEIR CREATION

Angels have not always existed, God and Christ created them. Nehemiah 9:6 states, “You alone are the LORD. You have made the heavens the heavens of the heavens, The heaven of heavens with all their host, The earth and all that is on it, The seas and all that is in them. You give life to all of them. And the heavenly host bows down before You” (nasb).