Demons & Angels

Demons in the Old Testament

The OT connects demons or devils to the idols that the ancient pagans worshipped.

• Psalm 106:36-37 – They served their idols, which became a snare to them. They even sacrificed their sons and their daughters to demons [šēḏ] …
• Deuteronomy 32:17 – They sacrificed to demons [šēḏ], not to God [‘ĕlvôha], to gods [‘ĕlōhîm] they did not know, to new gods [‘ĕlōhîm], new arrivals that your fathers did not fear.

The word used for demon, or devil, in some translations, is šēḏ. Most scholars think this term likely derives from an Assyrian word for a protecting spirit, šêdu. There are plenty of Hebrew words that borrow from other languages. In this study, it has already been suggested that the word Nephilim is taken from an Aramaic word naphila, meaning giant, rather than from an original, Hebrew term. Whatever the source of šēḏ, it is the one word that is certainly referencing an evil, spiritual entity. They are the beings that are behind the idols of the pagan world. They receive the sacrifices of children, which indicates that they are malevolent, and Deuteronomy 32 specifically connects them to lesser gods, ‘ĕlōhîm. We will look at these ‘ĕlōhîm more closely later, but in this context, they are clearly demonic entities. As such, these two passages represent the only places where a word that is undeniably referring to a demon appears in the OT! That seems rather strange considering how prevalent demons are in the NT, especially the Gospels.  However, there are some other places where a demon is most likely being referenced.

There are two other passages where the word “demon” appears in many English translations, but the inference is not so readily apparent in the original language.

• Leviticus 17:7 – They shall no more offer their sacrifices to demons [śāʿîr], after whom they have played the harlot. This shall be a statute forever for them throughout their generations.”
• 2 Chronicles 11:15 – Then he appointed for himself priests for the high places, for the demons [śāʿîr], and the calf idols which he had made.

The word śāʿîr is the Hebrew word for a goat. Specifically, it is a young, male goat, and its primary usage is for something that is used for sacrifices. Often, pagan gods were formed in the likeness of animals. Baal, for example, was often seen in the form of an ox. Thus, these young goats, which were specifically set aside by God for use in proper sacrifices to Him, would be a particular target for perverted repurposing by demonic entities, so that they were, in some measure seen as possessing a unique, spiritual quality in and of themselves. In this way, it seems that, like oxen, they might have had images made in their likeness. Indeed, in Ancient Greece the goat was worshipped, and Egypt deified rams, so there is certainly historical basis for this kind of thing. In modern times, many occultists connect the goat to Satan worship, so that Satan is personified with a goat’s head in the Baphomet. However, the Bible does not directly connect goats to evil entities, as it does with the serpent, scorpion, and locust. Rather, it seems its connection to the demonic is merely incidental to an idolatrous misappropriation of those animals God assigned for proper sacrifices.

• Leviticus 16:5-10,21-22,26 – And he shall take from the congregation of the children of Israel two kids [śāʿîr] of the goats as a sin offering, and one ram as a burnt offering. “Aaron shall offer the bull as a sin offering, which is for himself, and make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall take the two goats [śāʿîr] and present them before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats [śāʿîr]: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat. And Aaron shall bring the goat [śāʿîr] on which the Lord’s lot fell and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat [śāʿîr] on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat into the wilderness… Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat [śāʿîr], confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat [śāʿîr], and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat [śāʿîr] shall bear on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat [śāʿîr] in the wilderness… And he who released the goat [śāʿîr] as the scapegoat shall wash his clothes and bathe his body in water, and afterward he may come into the camp.

There are many other such examples that show the importance of goats to the sacrificial system that God ordained for Israel. One such sacrifice of goats of particular importance is the two goats that were offered on the Day of Atonement for the sins of Israel. One was slain as a sin offering for all Israel, whereas the other, called the scapegoat, had all the sins of the congregation placed upon it, and it was released into the wilderness alive.

• Leviticus 16:8-10,15,20-22 – Then Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats [śāʿîr]: one lot for the Lord and the other lot for the scapegoat [ʿăzā’zēl]. And Aaron shall bring the goat [śāʿîr] on which the Lord’s lot fell and offer it as a sin offering. But the goat [śāʿîr] on which the lot fell to be the scapegoat [ʿăzā’zēl] shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, and to let it go as the scapegoat [ʿăzā’zēl] into the wilderness…Then he shall kill the goat [śāʿîr] of the sin offering, which is for the people, bring its blood inside the veil, do with that blood as he did with the blood of the bull, and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and before the mercy seat… “And when he has made an end of atoning for the Holy Place, the tabernacle of meeting, and the altar, he shall bring the live goat [śāʿîr]. Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat [śāʿîr], confess over it all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions, concerning all their sins, putting them on the head of the goat [śāʿîr], and shall send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a suitable man. The goat [śāʿîr] shall bear [nāśā’] on itself all their iniquities to an uninhabited land; and he shall release the goat [śāʿîr] in the wilderness.

Many biblical scholars claim that the scapegoat, designated as [ʿăzā’zēl], is an illustration of the devil, and is in fact said to be a name for Satan! Others claim it is one of the chief rebel angels in Genesis 6, something derived from Enoch. All of this is entirely unfounded and creates some serious theological problems as well. Since the scapegoat only appears in Leviticus, there is no other Scripture passages to compare it to, but the context decries any attempt to claim that the scapegoat is some sort of demonic entity, let alone the chief of the demons. It is the Day of Atonement. Both goats are offered to the Lord. Both are offered for an atonement for the sins of Israel. As such, if the goat that is slain is a representative of Jesus, which every Christian scholar attests, so too must the scapegoat be. The Bible tells us this. Jesus bore our sins. He took them away, as far as the east from the west (Psalm 103:12).

• Isaiah 53:4-6 – Surely, He has borne [nāśā’] our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, everyone, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

It is preposterous to claim that the scapegoat in Leviticus is the Devil! Satan is not bearing the sins of man anywhere. Jesus bore our sins outside the camp, just like the scapegoat, and we too are to bear His reproach and join Him (Hebrews 13:13). However, one of the main reasons it seems scholars see the demonic in [ʿăzā’zēl] is that there appears to be a connection between demons and the wilderness, and there are scriptures that place the [śāʿîr] in the wilderness.

• Isaiah 13:21 – But wild beasts of the desert will lie there, and their houses will be full of owls; ostriches will dwell there, and wild goats [śāʿîr] will caper there.
• Isaiah 34:14 – The wild beasts of the desert shall also meet with the jackals, and the wild goat [śāʿîr] shall bleat to its companion; also, the night creature shall rest there and find for herself a place of rest.

In both of these cases, arguments have been made, and some translations make it even more apparent, that demonic entities seem to be what is in view. However, nothing from the text, nor the usage of the other creatures in the contextual wilderness setting has a specific demonic connotation. What is in view, in both passages, is that goats are companions, along with other particular animals, of empty places that are devoid of human beings. That’s all these passages are saying. In other words, you must want to see demons being referenced here in order to find them there, because there is nothing that would denote the [śāʿîr] are directly connected to them.

Some think that the New Testament provides a connection between demons and the wilderness in Luke, and thus feel that these goats and other creatures are therefore referring to evil beings.

• Luke 11:24-26 – “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest; and finding none, he says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came.’ And when he comes, he finds it swept and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first.”

If you consider the text, though the demon, once driven out of a human, is said to go into “dry places”, or the wilderness, it shows that this is not a place it wants to be, nor is at home in. Thus, the evil spirit will always come back into the area where human habitation is. This is not true of the goats and other desert creatures described in the Old Testament. They like living in the desolate places and want nothing to do with humans at all! The desolate places are their natural habitats. Not so with demons. Thus, using this Scripture as a means of specifically connecting demons to goats is useless.

The unfortunate truth is that there are very few passages from the Old Testament that give us a clear view of who or what demons are, designated as such, nor is there anything that tells us where they came from. However, there is a way of deducing it from what is said about the ‘ĕlōhîm.

 

Who are the ‘ĕlōhîm?

 

As mentioned earlier, Deuteronomy 32 connects the ‘ĕlōhîm to the šēḏ directly.

• Deuteronomy 32:17 – They sacrificed to demons [šēḏ], not to God, to gods [‘ĕlōhîm] they did not know, to new gods [‘ĕlōhîm], new arrivals that your fathers did not fear.

Here we see that the ‘ĕlōhîm and šēḏ are synonyms! They are interchangeable terms for the idols, the carved images, of man. The Apostle Paul makes this connection clear in his Epistle to the Corinthians.

• 1 Corinthians 8:4-6 – Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.
• 1 Corinthians 10:19-21 – What am I saying then? That an idol is anything, or what is offered to idols is anything? Rather, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice they sacrifice to demons [daimonion] and not to God, and I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the Lord’s table and of the table of demons [daimonion].

The idols of the pagan world were their gods, and they gave worship to them. Paul makes clear that these are not really gods, in the sense that they are equal in power and prestige to the one, and only God, rather that they are considered gods by men. He also declares that they are nothing but demons!

English translations of the OT Bible often use the word “gods” where ‘ĕlōhîm occurs because it is the plural form of ‘ēl, which is the generic, Hebrew term for a god, or the God.

• Genesis 2:4 – This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord [Yᵊhōvâ] God [‘ĕlōhîm] made the earth and the heavens…
• Exodus 15:10-12 – You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them; they sank like lead in the mighty waters. “Who is like You, O Lord, among the gods [‘ēl]? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? You stretched out Your right hand; the earth swallowed them.
• Exodus 34:13-14 – But you shall destroy their altars, break their sacred pillars, and cut down their wooden images (for you shall worship no other god [‘ēl], for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God [‘ēl]) …
• Deuteronomy 1:11 – May the Lord [Yᵊhōvâ] God [‘ĕlōhîm] of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are and bless you as He has promised you!
• Deuteronomy 32:21 – They have provoked Me to jealousy by what is not God [‘ēl]; they have moved Me to anger by their foolish idols. But I will provoke them to jealousy by those who are not a nation; I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.
• Joshua 8:30 – Now Joshua built an altar to the Lord [Yᵊhōvâ] God [‘ĕlōhîm] of Israel in Mount Ebal…
• Joshua 22:22 – “The Lord God [‘ēl] of gods [‘ĕlōhîm], the Lord God [‘ēl] of gods [‘ĕlōhîm], He knows, and let Israel itself know—if it is in rebellion, or if in treachery against the Lord, do not save us this day.
• Judges 9:46 – Now when all the men of the tower of Shechem had heard that, they entered the stronghold of the temple of the god [‘ēl] Berith [covenant]. – 9:4 – So they gave him seventy shekels of silver from the temple of Baal-Berith [Lord of the covenant], with which Abimelech hired worthless and reckless men; and they followed him.
• Psalm 81:9 – There shall be no foreign god [‘ēl] among you; nor shall you worship any foreign god [‘ēl].
• Isaiah 44:10, 15-17 – Who would form a god [‘ēl] or mold an image that profits him nothing? Then it shall be for a man to burn, for he will take some of it and warm himself; yes, he kindles it and bakes bread; indeed, he makes a god [‘ēl] and worships it; he makes it a carved image and falls down to it. He burns half of it in the fire; with this half he eats meat; he roasts a roast and is satisfied. He even warms himself and says, “Ah! I am warm, I have seen the fire.” And the rest of it he makes into a god [‘ēl], his carved image. He falls down before it and worships it, pays to it and says, “Deliver me, for you are my god [‘ēl]!”

It is the idols of the nations that Moses called ‘ĕlōhîm, or gods. Linguistically, this connects these entities to the bene ha’elohim and bene ’elohim, or “the sons of God”, which Genesis 6 showed to be the angelic beings who rebelled against the Lord. Does this then mean that every time the term ‘ĕlōhîm appears it must be referring to a heavenly being? At first glance, the answer might seem to be yes, but there is clear biblical evidence that suggests that like ‘ĕlōhîm can, and does, refer to human beings as well.

 

The Authority Structure of Creation: Angels and Humans

When discussing the issue of where demons come from, many see in the bene ha’ĕlōhîm of Genesis 6, and their alleged connection to the Nephilim, a nexus for explaining the genesis of demons. From what Scripture dictates, it has been shown that this is unnecessary. Though the OT is surprisingly sparse in details about demons, there is enough given to us that the truth about what they are and where they come from can be ascertained with absolute certainty. They are fallen angels, called ĕlōhîm in the OT. The key to understanding angels, demons, the Nephilim, or anything else in the created order of God, is to grasp that all these entities were created by God, and that they operate within an authority structure maintained by God. Even those in rebellion against God cannot violate the boundaries of authority God has put in place without suffering a severe and immediate consequence.

The judgment pronounced on the angelic beings of Genesis 6 is proof of this fact. God did not wait until the end of this age to punish them, as He is waiting to do to all the rest of the fallen angels and Satan. He acted immediately, according to Jude.

• Jude 1:6 – And the angels who did not keep their proper domain [archē], but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day…

 

From the text, we are told that the specific guilt of the wicked angels was not so much what they did (engaged in sexual relationships with human women), but the way they went about it. The word archē, is a word that is often translated as “beginning” in the NT, and when referring to people or entities, describes a position they hold that allows them to do certain things. For example, magistrates and governors are referred to as archē in the NT. I will go into much greater detail with this when we look at whether there exists a demonic hierarchy or not, but for now, it is important to note that its use in Jude to describe the sins of the Genesis 6 angels has to do with them engaging in actions they had no jurisdictional authority to perform, as they were not created for that purpose. As fallen beings, they allowed their lust to entice them to do something they were not authorized to do, though they certainly were able to do it, and God responded immediately. They had been fashioned for heavenly space, not the earth. As heavenly beings, they had no right to engage in the behaviors of humans on the earth. Yet, Genesis 6 says their lust for the earthly women drove them to leave the spiritual domain and enter the corporeal to cohabitate with those whom they desired.

It was the violation of their positional authority, and engaging in activities outside their jurisdiction, that God dealt with in condemning the angels of Genesis 6. He did a similar thing with king Uzziah when he tried to offer incense on the altar of incense in the Holy Place. This was only something allowed for the priests. For his transgression, God struck him immediately with leprosy (2 Chronicles 26:16-20). Uzzah was stricken dead by God when he tried to keep the ark of the covenant from falling off of a cart. Why did God do this? Because, he was not a priest, and had no positional authority from God to touch the ark (2 Samuel 6:6-7).

The importance of the authority structure that God has created for His creation is vital for the student of Scripture to understand, especially when dealing with the how and why of the interactions with the spiritual world and temporal. This was precisely the context that Jude was writing in!

• Jude 1:8-9 – Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

 

This Scripture is merely glossed over by most readers of the Bible, because it is very confusing. While I will not attempt to explain why Michael the archangel was arguing with Satan over the body of Moses, what is vital to catch is how he went about it. He did not assume an authoritative position over the Devil. This implies Satan had a position equal to or higher than Michael, which is why Michael appealed to the highest authority of the Lord God in his rebuke. Considering these verses immediately follow what Jude said about the angels who came down in Genesis 6 and the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah it becomes clear that their rebellion is intimately connected to a spiritual authority construct that God put into place. Once this is understood, anything about how various spiritual entities interact with each other, and this physical world can be deduced because the laws that govern their interactions are fixed. Any question of when the angels of Gensis 6 fell can also be deduced to a high level of certitude once the givens of God’s spiritual authority structure are obtained from Scripture.

 

The Fall of the Angels

Determining the timing of the fall of the angels in Genesis 6 is admittedly an exercise in speculation. As with determining the validity of any opinion given on a particular subject, the one that has the most evidence should be the one that is given the most credence. This is especially true of God’s Word. There are those who contend that what occurred in Genesis 6 was some sort of special fall of a few angels, rather than a specific sin of already fallen angels! This distinction is important in the larger context of the origin of demons. From what has already been shared in this study, we know for certain that demons are synonymous with angelic beings! Specifically, they are fallen angels themselves. However, this fact tells us nothing about when the rebellious angels actually fell. To help us answer this, let us start by looking at the chief, fallen angel: Satan.

In the Gospels, Satan is described as the lord, or “chief” of the demons.

• Mathew 9:34 – But the Pharisees said, “He casts out demons by the prince [archōn] of demons.”
• Matthew 12:24 – But when the Pharisees heard it, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince [archōn] of demons, that this man casts out demons.”
• Luke 11:15 – But some of them said, “He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the prince [archōn] of demons,”
• Mark 3:22-27 – And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince [archōn] of demons he casts out the demons.” And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house.

There is much debate about who Satan is, his authority, and when he entered his fallen state. For now, it is important to note that he, and he alone, is described as the master of all demons! There is not a hint anywhere in Scripture that there is any fallen angelic being that is not under his sway. It is also important to realize that he is equated with Beelzebul, the name of an ancient god of the Philistines.

• 2 Kings 1:2 – Now Ahaziah fell through the lattice of his upper room in Samaria, and was injured; so he sent messengers and said to them, “Go, inquire of Baal-Zebub, the god of Ekron, whether I shall recover from this injury.”

As we have already pointed out, the idol gods of the ancient world were demons. The names given to them are either the names of the fallen angels whom they represent, or different names for Satan himself! Either way, taking worship away from the true God is the goal. Satan and these demons clearly want the worship that is God’s alone. This is what is expressly stated of a heavenly being that fell in Isaiah 14.

• Isaiah 14:12-15 – “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, you who weakened the nations! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, to the lowest depths of the Pit.

While a lot of scholars agree that this text is clearly talking about the fall of Satan, there are plenty who disagree. To the naysayers, I would ask who is being discussed, if not Satan? None have a good, biblical answer. However, the Gospels and Revelation give us a clue into the character of Satan that leaves little doubt that the Lucifer of Isaiah 14 at least shares the same attributes as the Devil.

Satan wanted worship from Jesus.

• Matthew 4:1,8-11 – Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil… Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Then Jesus said to him, Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’” Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
• Revelation 13:4 – So they worshiped the dragon who gave authority to the beast; and they worshiped the beast, saying, “Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him?”

In both of these texts, Satan is either demanding worship in exchange for power, or being worshipped! Note, in Revelation, this dragon is specifically said to be Satan (Revelation 12:9), so there is no doubt. What is interesting is that this beast, which is the final kingdom, is also synonymous with a man, the final Antichrist man who will rule over the earth before Christ returns. Satan gives this man his authority, and essentially rules through him! When people worship him, they are worshipping the devil. That’s what the text says. It would seem this man will actually accept the offer Satan made to Jesus, who rejected it. Now do you see why I believe Isaiah 14 is referring to the Devil? In that text, Lucifer wanted worship. He was going to ascend the holy hill and overthrow God.

Whatever one’s opinion of Isaiah 14, where a heavenly being is described as having “fallen”, or been cast down from heaven, we know for certain that Satan was a fallen creature by the time the events of the garden of Eden took place. This story is told in Genesis 3. Hence, without question, Satan was fallen before the rebellion of Genesis 6 commenced! Interestingly, the chronological reality that the prince of the demons fell sometime before Genesis 6 further proves that the children of the angels in Genesis 6 cannot possibly be demons themselves, since their master existed long before they ever arrived on the scene!  Those who argue that the children of the angelic beings who took human wives are demons would likely argue that the demons were subsumed under Satan’s authority later, but the Bible doesn’t hint at this at all. Satan’s authority is intrinsic to him over the demons, and unique to him. Meaning, it was his from the beginning.

Nowhere in the Bible is anyone able to take authority and power over others that has not been assigned by the Lord God. Only God is sovereign. All authority structures of any kind come from Him. They cannot be bartered, traded, or assumed by anyone or anything without God ordaining it.

• Romans 13:1 – Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities [exousia]. For there is no authority [exousia] except from God, and the authorities [exousia] that exist are appointed by God.
• Colossians 1:16,17 – For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones [thronos] or dominions [kyriotēs] or principalities [archē] or powers [exousia]. All things were created through Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.

 

The reader needs to know that exousia is a word describing jurisdictional authority. There are all types of positions of power with differing levels of authority relative to their position. Think of presidents, governors, legislatures, etc. Each has specified and bounded authorization due to their station. In biblical terms, and for the sake of this discussion, it is Satan alone of all fallen angelic beings, who is said to possess an exousia of some kind in this world. He even has a throne that has been given him!

• Revelation 13:2 – Now the beast which I saw was like a leopard, his feet were like the feet of a bear, and his mouth like the mouth of a lion. The dragon gave him his power [dynamis], his throne [thronos], and great authority [exousia].

Satan is the one giving the beast, the coming Antichrist, his power. Obviously, this means that Satan received it from the Lord God! Satan doesn’t possess anything of his own, neither did he take any kind of power or position for himself. He tried to take God’s position, and he failed in that. However, unlike all other fallen beings, he has some sort of pre-existing authority from God to do certain things in this earth. He in fact is so different from all the other demons that he is never called one! Search the Scriptures. Never once is Satan called a daimonion. English translations confuse people because Satan and demons are both called devils, but “the Devil”, with the definite article, is a totally different Greek word, then “a devil”, or demon. It is the word diabolos and denotes slander. In other words, it is a descriptor of the character of our spiritual archenemy. Satan is the slanderer, or put another way, the accuser (Revelation 12:10).

Satan, of all the angelic beings, seems to be truly unique in kind, position, and power. This is important for determining when the fall of angelic beings occurred. There is only one place where we are given a hint of the host of heavenly beings that followed Satan in his rebellion against God.

• Revelation 12:3-4a – And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great, fiery red dragon having seven heads and ten horns, and seven diadems on his heads. His tail drew a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth…

 

In this passage we are clearly told that “a third” of the stars of heaven were drawn away by the dragon. The stars are symbolic of angels, or sons of God as already shown in Job 38:7. There, the bene ‘ĕlōhîm are equated with the stars. So, it stands to reason that this third of these beings was flung down with Satan to the earth. Yet, if you look more closely, it is only they which are cast down to the earth, and this by the Devil. The dragon does not get cast down with them until later.

Revelation 12:7-9 – And war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon; and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So, the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil [diabolos] and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Here is the point at which Satan is finally removed from the heavenly realm entirely. Without getting into too much detail about the heavenly space, the reader should know that this “heaven” is what is theologically referred to as the second heaven. It is not the same as the third heaven, which will be the eternal resting place for believers and where God dwells outside time and space. The second heaven is a spiritual counterpart to the physical, atmospheric heavens referred to as the “skies”. If it helps to think of it as another dimension parallel to our physical one, fine, but the Bible just calls it heaven! What is clear, is that until Satan is kicked out of it, once and for all, at the end of this age, he is engaging in it. The story of Job best showcases this.

• Job 1:6-7 – Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them. And the Lord said to Satan, “From where do you come? So, Satan answered the Lord and said, “From going to and fro on the earth, and from walking back and forth on it.”

These sons of God are the bene ha ’ĕlōhîm. Satan is obviously one of their number, and, he still has access to the heavenly space, despite being a fallen, wicked being. What this text shows is that he would show up in this heavenly space from time-to-time, and he would just as often be upon the earth! It agrees theologically with Revelation 12. Satan currently has access to the heavenly space, but the implication of Revelation 12 is that those who followed him are somehow limited in their access to the heavenly realm. They have been cast down to earth, by following the Devil. However, due to a special, positional place of authority, Satan still has access to the heavenly space. This is because he is a prince, something we will touch on later. He is a high-ranking heavenly creature. Those who followed him are not, and seemingly never were. They are just general, angelic beings. But their “fall” from the heavens occurred when Satan rebelled. This is key, because Revelation 12 is the only time that we are told when an exact number of angels were led into rebellion by the Dragon, and it is said to be a third of the stars of heaven.

Since we know, without a doubt, that Satan, the Dragon, the serpent of old, was in the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3, we know with absolute certainty that the fall of the third of angels from heaven to the earth, occurred sometime before then! They fell when Satan rebelled. There are those who say this was pre-historic, meaning before the events of Genesis 1:1, in some other age. However, this is not theologically tenable because everything in the garden of Eden was said to be “good”. That would not be possible if a fallen Satan was there! No, he had to be a part of whatever God did right from the beginning, and he was perfect in his ways. This is in fact hinted at in Ezekiel.

• Ezekiel 28:12-17 – “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: the sardius, topaz, and diamond, beryl, onyx, and jasper, sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes was prepared for you on the day you were created. “You were the anointed cherub who covers; I established you; you were on the holy mountain of God; you walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, till iniquity was found in you. “By the abundance of your trading
  You became filled with violence within, and you sinned; therefore, I cast you as a profane thing
  out of the mountain of God; and I destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the fiery stones. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, that they might gaze at you.

While I am aware that there are scholars who say this is not talking about Satan, I would say that they are in the minority. Whoever the “king of Tyre” is, as opposed to the “prince of Tyre” mentioned earlier in the text, it is obvious that it is a heavenly creature being referenced! It’s a cherub, in Eden, at the beginning! This is not a human being at all. There is only one biblical character that fits the bill for who this is: Satan, the serpent of old. Whenever his act of disobedience was, it happened after God created the world, and after God placed man in the garden of Eden with Satan, who was in a perfected state at that time. Hence, if the fall of Satan occurred sometime before the events of Genesis 3 take place, or simultaneously to those events, then, by logical deduction, that is when the fall of the angels took place as well.

There are those who contend that the rebels of Genesis 6 represent a separate group of the bene ha ’ĕlōhîm who fell when they chose to engage in their sins with human women. However, there is nothing in Scripture to point to this. One would have to believe that this group of beings is different from the third of the angelic realm that followed Satan when he rebelled. Considering that Satan’s fall resulted in the expulsion of a third of angels to the earth, and considering that Satan himself was cursed by God in Genesis 3, why would another group of angels decide to openly rebel against God anew? This makes little to no sense, and again is not hinted at in the Bible, nor is it hinted at in the non-biblical writings. The best answer to when the angels of Genesis 6 fell is: right along with Satan. Hence, they were already in a fallen state when they committed their sins. When they followed Satan in his rebellion, they were cast out of their place in heaven and sent to the earth. Once here, it appears that a group of them, spurred by their lusts, according to Jude, decided to leave the spiritual dimension entirely, and engage in sexual sin with the women of the earth. For this, they were punished, and remain in a state of imprisonment in the abyss to this current day.

 

Angelic Hierarchy

One of the primary reasons for the belief that the sin of the Gensis 6 angels represents a separate fall of a particular group angelic beings from those who fell with Satan in his initial rebellion, is because they are seen as angelic beings of a special, exalted status. Depending on who you ask, they are seen as members of what are called “the watchers”, and these are assumed to be members of the divine council we discussed earlier in this study. While it is a rank assumption to declare the bene ha ’ĕlōhîm as some unique set of exalted beings, or to assume that all bene ha ‘ĕlōhîm are members of the heavenly divine council, this does not stop those who hold the belief from stating these things as fact. I will spend an entire section on deciphering just what the Bible tells us about the so-called watchers, and if they indeed are representative of a special type, or group of angelic beings. For now, we will focus on whether there is any evidence that there even exists an angelic hierarchy.

As previously shown, Satan alone is said to be the prince of all demons. We have also demonstrably proven that fallen angels are themselves demons! Thus, without too much effort it is easy to see that Satan is indeed an angelic being that has a position of authority. Hence, there must exist some sort of hierarchy within the angelic world, that then transferred to what we now call the demonic world of the fallen angels.

Scriptures tell us precious little about such a hierarchy explicitly, other than that it does exist. We know this from a few passages.

• Jude 1:9 – Yet Michael the [ho] archangel, in contending with the devil [diabolos], when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
• 1 Thessalonians 4:16 – For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

What these Scriptures tell us is that there is an archangel status. The word “archangel” literally means chief angel. Thus, a clear hierarchy is established. There are regular angels and there are archangels. But how many archangels are there? What is their function? Are there other layers of the angelic hosts? The Bible is relatively silent on all of this. As earlier discussed, there are many forms of angelic, or heavenly beings: cherubim, seraphim, living creatures, etc. They have differing shapes, and seemingly different functions, but much of what they do is shrouded in silence. However, from these two passages it can be determined with relative certainty that a sort of basic hierarchy does in fact exist. More than that, it seems that the angel Michael is currently the only archangel! If you look at Jude in the Greek, you see that Michael is called “the archangel”, and the definite article [ho] is used. He is not “an” archangel, he is called “the” archangel. This implies he is the only one.

I find this interesting, because most in Christendom will argue that there are multiple archangels. Gabriel, who is definitely an important messenger of the Lord in Scripture, is said to be one. Others, from extra-biblical sources, have also been added to the list. Yet, the Bible says there is one! This is important, for if there is only one archangel, then all the other angels fall underneath him. Hence, the idea of a multi-tiered ranking system seems completely foreign and would very much have to be forced onto the biblical text. However, we know Satan is referred to as a prince, and the third of the angels who followed him are said to be “his angels”, and Michael appeals to the Lord when engaging with the Devil. Thus, it can be reasonably assumed that Satan too, held the title archangel before his fall.

This is not mere conjecture. Along with what has already been said, consider that Daniel calls Michael, the archangel, a prince, and juxtaposes him with another powerful prince of the spirit world.

• Daniel 10:13 – But the prince [śar] of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes [śar], came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.
• Daniel 10:20,21 – Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince [śar] of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince [śar] of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince [śar].

The term śar loosely translates as prince, or chief, but it is a term that is specifically used of heavenly beings, though it can be used of human rulers as well. It simply references one’s station, or position of power, and is distinct from nāśî’, which also translates as “prince” as a title that is assumed by someone. In other words, you can become a nāśî’, or princely leader by assuming the position of a śar. Thus, if one wanted to be contentious regarding these passages, the use of śar here, along with the context, lets the reader know for certain that spiritual beings are being discussed, and they are beings that are princes by position. Spiritual beings are never referred to as nāśî’, because they were born in their authoritative position as śar. Angelic beings hold a chief position above that of humanity! The Bible makes this abundantly clear elsewhere.

• Hebrews 2:5-9 – For He has not put the world to come, of which we speak, in subjection to angels. But one testified in a certain place, saying: “What is man that You are mindful of him,
  or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels;
  You have crowned him with glory and honor and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet.” For in that He put all in subjection under him, He left nothing that is not put under him. But now we do not yet see all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
• Psalm 8:3-6 – When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have ordained, what is man that You are mindful of him, and the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, and You have crowned him with glory and honor. You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands;
  You have put all things under his feet…

What Hebrews clearly teaches is that angels hold a higher position of authority than humans. This is not a deep revelation to most Christians. However, there are those who contend this only happened after the fall of man in the garden. The Scriptures do not teach this. Spiritually speaking, man was given authority only in the earthly realm. The spiritual realm is obviously higher. The heavens are indeed higher than the earth and have always been, and the angels are clearly not subject to man, as the author of Hebrews intimates. Yet, in the age to come, angels will be subject to man! How? Through Jesus, who became flesh, and through whom a new, creative work was completed. This is an important point, because Satan, as a perfected cherub, was already in a place of authority in Eden. He did not assume it over Adam and Eve after the Fall. His authority was his as a heavenly being, and in whatever specific function he was created with as an angelic being.

• Hebrews 1:7,14 – And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” … Are they not all ministering [leitourgikos] spirits sent forth to minister [diakonia] for those who will inherit salvation?
• Psalm 104: 4 – Who makes His angels spirits [rûaḥ], His ministers a flame of fire.

These Scriptures are very enlightening because they tell us that the primary creative, purpose of angels is to minister, in a sort of liturgical sense, by bringing the word of God to man! This was covered earlier when we looked at the role of angels in bringing the Ten Commandments to the ĕlōhîm leaders of the people of Israel at Sinai, but in the context of Hebrews 1 we see it again.

• Hebrews 2:1-4 – Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away. For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with various miracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will?
• 2 Corinthians 3:7-9 – But if the ministry [diakonia] of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry [diakonia] of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry [diakonia] of condemnation had glory, the ministry [diakonia] of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.

 

The way angels were serving man was by giving them the words of God! They were and remain His mouthpieces. Our Holy God speaks to man through angels, or spirits! This will be extremely unsettling to many, but it is what the Scriptures teach. On a surface level, this makes sense, because God is described as thrice Holy. This means He is separate, separate, separate! Mankind simply cannot get to God, since He is so far above us. Obviously, through Jesus, this has changed, and we will get to that momentarily, but it is important to understand that in the beginning, before the cross, before redemption was paid for, it was angels who served in a mediatorial capacity between God and man and this ministry continues today in some measure. Even Jesus, in a pre-incarnate form, is called the Angel of the Lord.

• Exodus 3:2-6 – And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So, he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.” So, when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover, He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
• Judges 6:11-12,22-23 – Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites…And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!”
• Judges 13:16-22 – And the Angel of the Lord said to Manoah, “Though you detain Me, I will not eat your food. But if you offer a burnt offering, you must offer it to the Lord.” (For Manoah did not know He was the Angel of the Lord.) Then Manoah said to the Angel of the Lord, “What is Your name, that when Your words come to pass, we may honor You?” And the Angel of the Lord said to him, “Why do you ask My name, seeing it is wonderful? “So, Manoah took the young goat with the grain offering and offered it upon the rock to the Lord. And He did a wondrous thing while Manoah and his wife looked on— it happened as the flame went up toward heaven from the altar—the Angel of the Lord ascended in the flame of the altar! When Manoah and his wife saw this, they fell on their faces to the ground. When the Angel of the Lord appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that He was the Angel of the Lord. And Manoah said to his wife, “We shall surely die, because we have seen God!”

Christian theologians have long argued that passages such as these are the pre-incarnate Christ as the Angel of the Lord. This was argued by early Christian apologists to witness to Jews that Jesus was their Messiah. Saying that the Angel of the Lord is a Christophany is not controversial at all. It’s obvious. What is less obvious, is the why behind the Lord God being referred to as “the Angel of the Lord” in the OT. Why would the Lord be referred to as an angel at all? When one understands that both angelos  in the Greek and mal’āḵ in the Hebrew mean messenger, as in one who is dispatched with a word for someone, then it becomes clear that “an angel” is not a term for spiritual beings. It is a job title. There can be human messengers! However, we have come to think of angels, so-called, as merely types of spiritual beings. This is not biblical. This is where the confusion comes from. Angels, as we have come to know them, are simply spiritual messengers. They bring words from God and speak to our spirits. Jesus is the Living Word. He is the ultimate messenger from God, because He is God incarnate.

When we speak of angels, we think of specific, spiritual creatures, and I have kept that nomenclature here so as not to confuse people. But the word itself is essentially a job description. Within the spiritual realm, there is a host of heavenly messengers! Satan is one. All spiritual beings are and were created to be such. The Bible makes this clear. Not only are angels who are not in opposition to the Lord carrying the gospel message to the world, demonic spiritual beings are now doing the same thing with their lies.

• 1 John 4:1 – Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
• 1 Timothy 4:1 – Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons…
• Revelation 14:6 – Then I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach to those who dwell on the earth—to every nation, tribe, tongue, and people

 

Hopefully, it is abundantly clear that the term angel has nothing to do with whether or not an entity is spiritual or not, though that’s the way we use the term, neither does it tell us what level within the heavenly order a spiritual being might be. All we can say is the spiritual beings we call angels are higher in station than man. These are the heavenly śar mentioned earlier. How then do we determine any kind of hierarchy within their ranks? It would seem almost impossible to do. Outside of the fact that Michael is called “the archangel” we have little else to refer to.

The Lord Himself, is called the prince [śar] of princes in Daniel 8:25, but all angels are heavenly princes [śar], so this tells us only that Jesus is over all the angelic host, which is obvious. However, there is a hint that there is at least more than one archangel found in the Scriptures already referenced in Daniel 10. Michael is called “one of the chief princes”. This signifies that there is at least another of his rank, though we cannot say how many more with certainty from this passage. If you continue reading in Daniel 10, you find that the one who is talking to Daniel and says he was being opposed in answering Daniel’s prayer, is Jesus.

• Daniel 10:5-6,16 – I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude…And suddenly, one having the likeness of the sons of men touched my lips; then I opened my mouth and spoke, saying to him who stood before me, “My lord, because of the vision my sorrows have overwhelmed me, and I have retained no strength.

 

The Son of Man is a messianic reference, which shows that Daniel is not interacting with a typical angelic being here, and the imagery of the “man clothed in linen” aligns perfectly with Jesus in Revelation 1 so as to leave no doubt. Daniel is speaking to the pre-incarnate Christ. It is not Gabriel, as some have thought. Gabriel is a chief messenger mentioned in Daniel 8 and 9, but this is not him. This is the Lord. When speaking to Daniel, He mentions another spiritual entity who, it would seem, is at least on the same level of authority as Michael. This entity is called the prince [śar] of Persia.

• Daniel 10:13 – But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia.

 

Who is the Prince of Persia? Whoever he is, he is in opposition to the Lord. Throughout the Scriptures, there is only one entity that is always referred to as the one who opposes God: Satan. More than that, it is only when Michael appears on the scene that this entity is defeated, as it were. Now, one might immediately ask how it is that if Satan is in opposition against that Lord, why it is that the Lord doesn’t just deal with him Himself. The answer to that question will be dealt with more fully later, but it has to do with the authority structure that God has made the world with, and in which He Himself abides. The Prince of Persia is powerful enough to successfully contend with the work of God, for a time, and Michael is his chief adversary in the heavenly sphere.

This cosmic battle between two chief angelic beings is precisely what Revelation 12 appeals to, when it says Satan is kicked out of heaven once and for all at the end of the age by Michael and his angels! Thus, it can be reasonably stated, that the prince of Persia is this Satan, the Dragon of old, and that he shares archangel status with Michael. This is why Michael is the one that must contend with him. No other entity in Scripture does so, save the Lord Himself. As mentioned a while back, from the book of Jude, even Michael contends with Satan only by appealing to the Lord, thus showing that he is not over Satan in authority. Rather, we have learned he is on par with him. They are both chief princes of angelic hosts.

There are those who might contend that there is at least one more spiritual entity on the level of Michael and Satan, because of the way Daniel 10 ends. Let us look more closely at this.

• Daniel 10:21,22 – Then he said, “Do you know why I have come to you? And now I must return to fight with the prince of Persia; and when I have gone forth, indeed the prince of Greece will come. But I will tell you what is noted in the Scripture of Truth. (No one upholds me against these, except Michael your prince…

 

At first glance, it would appear that there is another spiritual entity, distinct from the Prince of Persia, called the Prince of Greece. Undoubtedly, this is how most commentators view this text. However, upon closer examination, there is no reason to think that these two entities are not the same entity: Satan, in different forms. Throughout the context of Daniel 10, the vision that Daniel is being shown by the Lord extends from Daniel 10 all the way to the end of Daniel 12. It is one long vision of things to come regarding the nation of Israel and two kingdoms, in particular, who will be intricately connected to the destiny of Israel from the time of Daniel. The Persian kings, under the influence of the prince of Persia, were fighting to stop the Jews from returning to Jerusalem and re-building the Temple. This was the immediate point of conflict between the Lord and Satan. However, Satan had been defeated in his machinations and the will of the Lord was going forth with the decree of Cyrus and those of Darius and Artaxerxes II that came after.

The Lord was telegraphing to Daniel that after the Persian kings the Grecian world would be coming forth and from there more opposition would arise to Daniel and the covenant people. That’s what is meant by the prince of Greece coming. It is not another entity. It is Satan in another form, just like he was referred to as Beelzebub and countless other names. Many are confused by the phrase translated “against these”, which implies a plurality of beings that Michael is engaged against. But that entire phrase is an interpolation into the text and is not there in the original language. All Daniel is being told is that through his prayers, the wicked spiritual force that had been behind Persia had been thwarted in its efforts to prevent the prophetic purpose of God for Israel, and that the war would shift later to the coming kings of Greece. That’s it. This spiritual opposition that manifests in human governments will be looked at in much greater detail later, but in no way does this verse point to multiple princes over differing regions of the world. Both entities can be and should be viewed as a reference to the prince of the demons who opposes and exalts himself above the purposes of God: The Devil.

With all the Scriptural evidence given, we can say with certainty that an angelic hierarchy does indeed exist, but that it is very basic. The vast majority of the heavenly host, whom we call angels, are messengers of God to the earth. They are beneath the leadership of Michael the archangel. It appears that Satan once held that same office as well, and thus the authority he held as such, transferred with him when he fell, which is why the demons are under his authority now.