Do angels exist?

Luke now adds a few words which are of universal importance, and deeply concern all men: "For all live to Him." Dead to us here, they live to God. Death, then, does not terminate any man's existence. They live to God. This refers of course to all the dead, and concerns therefore all the living. The Sadducees had raised a question of a resurrection of the body. The Lord in reply showed that He rejected all their distinctive tenets, as stated in Acts 23:8. The resurrection is a Scripture truth. Angels there are, and the saints when raised will be equal to them. Spirits, too, exist, for all the unclothed live to God. Into the far-reaching results of resurrection the Lord did not here enter. Resurrection from the dead was still a future event. When that, however, had been established by the Lord's resurrection, the Spirit of God opened up the subject further (1 Cor. 15).

Let me remark here that scripture gives perfectly and soberly according to God, what there are legendary traditions of, or the truth of God's ways in connection with Himself, where man's imagination has invented a mass of false statements to impose on man's fears or love of the wonderful. Thus, take the Book of Tobit (the expression so far of Talmudical and Jewish ideas when they had not present revelation, and the scriptural account of the service of angels), and see how the last is worthy of God and comfortable to us. The denial of these things, as if it was a settled point, and sober men had given it all up, is all very well for infidels and those who are afraid of them; but they must know that men as sober and as sound as they, fully believe in the scriptural statements of angelic administrations and demoniacal power. The Sadducean denial of a world of spirits is prejudice, not sober judgment, as if power (because it was not visible and material) could not exist.

This attempt is as blunt as the other was subtle. The Sadducees denied both the resurrection and the existence of angels; it was not at all believed by them what they had asked. There was also a sneer at the Pharisees in their words. The question is based on the divine law as given through Moses in the book of Deuteronomy (chapter 25:5, etc.). However, the law in this respect was far from being practiced in those days, and the interpreters of this law had put all kinds of limitations upon it. There may, of course, be a case possible like the one recited by the Sadducees, but it is unlikely that it was a real case they laid before Him; it was no doubt gotten up for the occasion. Ignorance, unbelief and sarcasm prompted this question. And what did He answer? He lays bare both their ignorance of the Scripture and the power of God. "And Jesus answering said to them, Ye err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God" (verse 29). They did not believe in the Scriptures as the God breathed Word; they were the "Higher Critics" of their day. But the Lord does not try to prove to them the validity of the Scriptures, but tells them that they are ignorant. Then He continues, "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as angels of God in heaven." In a few words the Lord affirms the truth of resurrection, the existence of angels, which they denied, and shows that their carnal imaginations were but the result of their carnal hearts. The body of humiliation will not be continued in resurrection and earthly relations such as marrying and giving in marriage will cease there. The Lord of course does not teach about resurrection itself in this passage. His purpose is to answer the Sadducees with their foolish question. What He had stated about the state of resurrection was generally believed by the Jews living at that time. The rabbis declared, as learned from talmudical literature, "that in the world to come there would be neither eating nor drinking, fruitfulness nor increase, business nor envy, hatred nor strife, but that the righteous would sit with crowns on their heads and feast on the splendor of the Shekinah."

Both Old and New Testaments abound with passages referring to the existence, personality and ministry of angels. They are called literally "messengers" — for this is the significance of the word both in Hebrew and Greek — and no doubt is left that they are heavenly messengers. Their estate is heavenly (see Gal. 1:8; 2 Thess. 1:7); and they are there as worshipers and servants of God (Job 1:6; Job 38:7; 1 Kings 22:19). This last passage would almost suggest the position of the cherubim: "I saw the Lord sitting on His throne, and all the host of heaven standing by Him on His right hand and on His left" — they are grouped about His throne, ready to do His will. Angels were particularly used in connection with errands of mercy and of judgment: to announce to Abraham the birth of Isaac, in due time (Gen. 18:2 with Heb. 13:2); for the rescue of Lot out of Sodom (Gen. 19:1); in ministry upon Jacob as he slept (Gen. 28:12). They were present in great multitudes at Sinai, and gave character to the ministration of the law (Ps. 68:17 with Acts 7:53; Heb. 2:2).

We have a higher thought in "the Angel of the Lord," spoken of frequently (Gen. 16:7-13; Gen. 22:11, 15; Ex. 3:2; Ex. 23:20; Judges 2:1, etc.), and who in a number of cases seems to be identical with the Lord Himself, who appears in this form, and at other times His representative. This is suggestive, and brings us back to the thought we have been gathering of the cherubim.

Having come to heaven we find ourselves in the presence of an innumerable company of angels. This will be the universal gathering of these spiritual beings. Every class and order of these glorious beings will be there. This innumerable company of angels exists already, and in the faith of our souls we have come to the conscious knowledge of their existence.

How common a use of the word "spirit" this is, we may see by the inspired statement of the Jewish views in Acts 23:8: "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both." There again the word "spirit" is taken as ordinarily applying (as our word "ghost," which is equivalent, does now) to the spirits of men apart from the body. Angels are given as another class. And the context confirms this: for Paul being called in question about the resurrection of Jesus, had declared himself a Pharisee, a believer in resurrection and hereupon the council was divided, "and there arose a great cry; and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God." Against this passage Mr. Storrs' criticism on Luke 24:39 falls pointless. "Angels are spirits," says he, "but have not a body of flesh and bones." But in these two last quoted passages, and as identified with the Pharisees' belief (the nature of which all admit), angels are named as a separate class of beings from these spirits spoken of, — "if a spirit or an angel." In a Pharisee's mouth even our opponents allow the meaning of such words. And with their belief Paul links himself. For having declared himself a Pharisee, and called in question as to one point of a Pharisee's belief, the resurrection of the dead, it is added as showing the points in which their faith coincided with the Christian's: "for the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel NOR SPIRIT; but the Pharisees confess both." The language of the inspired writer here shows his own consent with this doctrine: "the Pharisees confess (or acknowledge) both. When I speak of "acknowledging" a thing, I plainly suppose it true, what is acknowledged. And thus in these matters the Pharisaic and the Christian faith are one.*

Let us give one verse of Scripture in answer to the denial of the existence of angels:

Here angels are put in contrast to men—two different classes of beings. They are spoken of as rational beings, capable of taking account of language. This is just one verse. Read every passage in Scripture concerning angels, and it will be found that this fantastic theory of Christian Science is a flat denial of the teaching of the Word of God on the point.

All this is but part of the testimony of the word of God as to the reality and power of man's old enemy. If words mean anything they assure us of his true personality, with that of numberless evil spirits, "his angels," possessed of superhuman power, which is used to obtain dominion over men's souls and even bodies, and from which nothing but divine power can deliver. I need not pursue this further now. But we shall have to consider some common mistakes as to Satan which it is of great importance to rectify, in order to have clearly before us the Scripture view.

"The devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain" (Matt. 4:8); "Angels came and ministered unto Him" (Matt. 4:11); "Those possessed with demons" (Matt. 4:24); "Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He shall presently give Me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Matt. 26:53.) These and many other scriptures speak of spirit-creatures. We read of the prince of the demons, the wicked hosts of fallen spirits, as the legion that possessed the demoniac of Gadara; of the angels who ministered to the Lord, the multitude of the heavenly hosts, more than twelve legions of whom would gladly have responded to the Father's command to attend upon His Son; but immediately we recognize that none of these can for one moment be thought of in any other way than as creatures. They are either fallen creatures like the devil and his kindred spirits, or the unfallen angels who delight to attend upon the Son of God. Thus, not only is God's spiritual essence declared in distinction from all material existences, but in contrast with all the hosts of spiritual beings who are His creatures.

These powers and signs will not be the trickery of some man-made priest, or the sham healings of men; they will be terribly real, though called "lying wonders," inasmuch as they will deceive men. Thus the coming of the lawless one will be accompanied by the supernatural power of Satan. Men forget that there are spiritual beings — "angels that excel in strength," and that Satan, though a fallen angel, has immense powers, far exceeding the powers of man. When the restraining power of God is removed the supernatural powers of Satan will be fully displayed. The working of Satan will be accompanied with the manifestation of "power" far beyond the power of man, with "signs" which convey some portent, and with "wonders" which excite attention.