Where do angels come from? What is the origin of angels?

Angels were created before any of the progressive creation, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. The highest of creatures were first created and abide (as unfallen) in their estate; then the progressive creation as a general rule from inanimate to reptiles, beasts, and man, when moral responsibility now comes in, and failure, and then the great truth of redemption, but this by the incarnation of the Son of God, God Himself coming into sorrow, both in Christ and by His Spirit, so as that man should have chords of divine harmony, which no angel could, and death — the power over the creature not created for death — being entered into, man in Christ is raised far above all principality and power, and we sit in heavenly places in Him. See Psalm 8 and use of it in the New Testament. And this angels have been contemplating from the beginning.

We are not told when and how the angels were created, but read that at the creation of the earth “all the sons of God shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). Who can these be but the angelic host? If so, their creation must have preceded that of the world.

They form a spiritual race, for Psalm 104:4, quoted in Hebrews 1:7, says: “Who makes His angels spirits, and His ministers a flaming fire.”

Though angels are spirits it does not follow that they are incorporeal, for Scripture speaks of a spiritual body. In the resurrection the saints will have spiritual bodies. We mention this simply to show that there is such a thing, a body not subject to the limitations of our earthly condition. Angels often appeared in bodily form. We do not assert that they are corporeal. We merely point out that they are not of necessity incorporeal.

Though we are unconscious of the presence of angels we know that they are ministering spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall inherit salvation, Heb. 1:14: cf. Ps. 34:7; and we read also that they ministered to the Lord when He was here. Matt. 4:11; Mark 1:13; Luke 22:43. There are 'myriads' of these angels, Matt. 26:53; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11; and they are described as 'mighty,' 'holy,' 'elect,' 2 Thess. 1:7; Mark 8:38; 1 Tim. 5:21: they do not marry, Mark 12:25. We are not told when they were created, but doubtless they are referred to as 'the sons of God' who shouted for joy when God created the earth. Job 38:4-7.

Nor does Genesis 1 tell us of the creation of angels, “which excel in strength,” and which are higher in rank and station than men. Scripture does tell us of angels, God Himself saying to Job, “Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth?…when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4–7). The angelic hosts, the mighty cherubim, the seraphim beneath God’s throne, the principalities and powers of heaven, all the great beings that are normally invisible to men, came into being by “The Word,” for “all things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made.”

The creation of angels is not recorded historically, but that of this visible universe; then they, already created as a separate body of beings, show their interest in the works of God - "the morning stars sing together, and all the sons of God shout for joy."

We have no revelation of the creation of angels. Man, Israel, is to be instructed as to what they were in danger of abusing, and told how it came from God. It is not, as Hugh Miller thought, a vision, or the impression of it related, but phenomena put in their right place in man's mind, or God as to the phenomena. And that is what we want.

129 But I turn to particulars. Moses does not teach the creation of angels, but he teaches the creation of all things — the heavens and the earth, and all the hosts of them. All the creation is spoken of as referred to man; other scriptures state it clearly. "He maketh his angels spirits."

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth": this is the opening of the creation. There is nothing of counsels, but you are before the world, and also get more in the New Testament. Time begins with the responsible earth, the creation of that in which the first Adam was placed; but there is nothing of the plans of God here. Promises and ways come afterwards, and the existence of God is assumed very naturally. His counsels are not brought out. This is not unimportant to notice: the whole plan of God is not here at all. There is the sphere first created in which the man was to be put, and the broad fact that God created everything; but even so we do not get everything, for the angels are not here. Yet we know from Job that, when this took place, "the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God shouted for joy."

As regards the angels, the Scripture insists that the Lord's Sonship distinguishes Him from them. "For unto which of the angels said He at any time, "Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee" (Hebrews 1:5). Never has God called an angel His Son. Yet the angels are called sons of God in the book of Job. We suggest that this is because they had no progenitors and are all directly created by God to reflect His glory. In like manner the only man to be directly created by God, and not humanly generated, was Adam, and as he had no progenitor, he is called the son of God (Luke 3:38).

Fallen Angels. — Of angels we here again read. We have been taught how far above the elect angels was the Son, who entered this scene as a man, and as a man was made lower than them. But other angels there are, those who fell, having left their first estate. For apostasy reared its head among the angelic host, and some were carried away by it. How that began, and who were the leaders in it, is to us wholly unknown. Little indeed do we know about the angelic hierarchy. We know that there are different ranks among them — principalities and powers (Eph. 1:21). We know their number is very great (Rev. 5:11). Yet of names of any of them we only know but two — Michael and Gabriel. Of none others have we knowledge from Scripture. Men may speak of others as Raphael, etc. Doubtless He who calls all the stars by their names designates each by some personal appellation. From us, however, that is hidden. And of the apostasy just referred to little is it that we know. Gen. 6:2 mentions it historically. Jude (6) and Peter (2 Peter 2:4) acquaint us with the present condition of the apostates, as well as with the awful future before them. Then Paul, to complete our knowledge of this subject, tells the Corinthians that Christians will judge angels (1 Cor. 6:3). God then can, and will, punish the apostate angels. Had we been like them, awaiting our doom, which of us could have questioned His right and His justice in so acting? And what has made the difference between our future and theirs? Nothing but the atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. With what thankfulness, therefore, should we reiterate the sacred writer's statement, "He takes hold of the seed of Abraham" (Heb. 2:16). For of no angel is that true.