I. WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT ANGELS?

            A. Angel in the OT is "malakh" or Malachi; "a messenger."

                        1. Angel in the NT is "angelleon"; "one who is sent with a message."

                        2. Angels take a form that facilitates the message.

                                    a. Beings in the presence of God with incorruptible forms

                                    b. Beings of power with unusual appearance and forms

                                    c. Seraphim and cherubim with wings

                                    d. Those that appear as ordinary men - Gen. 18; Heb. 13

                                    e. Those that appear as a vision - Matt. 1:20

                                    f. The influence of a church in the community - Rev. 2 & 3

                                    g. Ordinary men sent with a message (prophets)

            B. Angels are created by God.

                        1. Psalm 148:2-5; Neh. 9:6; Col. 1:16

            C. Angels are holy.

                        1. Mark 8:38; 1Tim. 5:21

            D. Angels are uncountable.

                        1. Matt. 26:53; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11

            E. Angels are distinct from all other created beings.

                        1. Psalm 8:4-5; Heb. 1:3, 2:9-10, 16-18

            F. Angels are without a Savior.

                        1. Jude 6; 2Peter 2:4; 1Peter 1:12

            G. Angels are not to be worshipped.

                        1. Rom. 1:24-25; Col 2:18

            H. Satan has angels.

                        1. Messengers, not fallen angels. Fallen angels are in chains awaiting                                         judgment - Jude 6; 2Peter 2:4.

            I. Characteristics of angels:

                        1. They are without reproductive gender - Matt. 22:30.

                        2. They are immortal - Luke 20:34-36.

                        3. They are strong, not omnipotent - 2Peter 2:11; Psalm 91:11-12, 103:20;                     Dan. 6:22

                        4. They are highly intelligent, not omniscient - 2Sam. 14:20; 1Peter 1:12;                                     Matt. 24:36

                        5. They are beautiful, usually robed in white - Matt. 28:3; Luke 2:9, 7:30;                                      Acts 1:10

                        6. They can appear ordinary - Heb. 13:1.

                        7. They speak sometimes with a voice of thunder - 1Cor. 13:1; John 12:29

 

II. "IS SATAN A FALLEN ANGEL?"

            A. No. The passages that speak of a fallen angel cast out of heaven do not                      speak of Satan; they speak of kings cast down from the pinnacle of power.

                        1. Exegete Isa. 14:12-23 - a man who is king of Babylon.

                        2. Exegete Ezek. 28:2-19 - a prince who is the king of Tyre

 

                        3. Exegete Luke 10:17-20 - “I saw Satan fall like lightening from heaven.”

                                    a. Prophetic “saw”; it was an event that was coming. Satan would                                                 be judged and lose his power in this world.

                                    b. Prophetic “heaven” means a position or pinnacle of power.

                                    b. John 12:31, 16:11; Eph. 2:2; Heb. 2:14; 2Thes. 2:3-9; Rev. 20

                                    c. Context speaks of how much greater the power of righteousness                                              is over the power of evil; Jesus speaks prophetically of the                                            instantaneous fall of Satan from a position of power in this world                                                    upon the resurrection of the Christ from the dead.

                        4. Rev. 12:7-10 - “war in heaven”

                                    a. In order for this to be literal heaven, Satan would have to have                                                   gone back to heaven after the ascension of Jesus, fought the                                                    war, and then be cast back to earth before the siege of                                                          Jerusalem by the Romans. Between 34 and 67 AD.

            B. Conflicts with Satan as a fallen angel doctrine:

                        1. Problem 1: If Satan is a fallen angel, then God created him. Implies:

                                    a. God is ultimately responsible for our suffering.

                                    b. God made something evil.

                                    c. God is mean spirited.

                        2. Problem 2: "God created Satan good and he later became evil" Implies:

                                    a. There is sin and temptation in heaven - Rev. 21:4, 27.

                                    b. Evil existed before Satan.

                        3. Problem 3:  "Satan led a rebellion against God." Implies:                     

                                    a. That God does not have the strength to control Satan.               

                        4. Satan is not a fallen angel; fallen angels are kept in chains until                                                 judgment.

            C. "Well, where did he come from?!"

                        1. The Bible does not reveal it - Deut. 29:29.

 

III. “DID THE FALLEN ANGELS SIN IN HEAVEN?”

            A. What does the Bible say about fallen angels?

                        1. Job 4:17-19; 2Peter 2:4; Jude 6

            B. What do we know?

                        1. That God has the authority to charge angels with error.

                        2. That angels have sinned.

                        3. That they left their proper abode and domain in order to do so.

                        4. That angels are bound in chains in hell reserved for judgment.

            C. One must add to the scriptures to put the angels in heaven when they sinned.

                        1. This contradicts the clear teaching that there is no sin in heaven.

            D. “So where were they when they committed sin?”

                        1. It is not made clear where they actually were; we can only be certain it                                     was not in heaven. They were not in their proper domain and abode                                 when it happened.

 

 

 

Conclusion:

            A. Is Satan a fallen angel who led a rebellion against God and was kicked out of                         heaven? No, there is no sin in heaven.

            B. Are the Devil’s angels, fallen angels who were cast out of heaven? No, they                            are reserved in chains in perdition until judgment.

            C. Did fallen angels sin in heaven? No, they sinned outside of their proper                                   domain and abode.

            D. Is there sin in heaven? No!

                        1. Rev. 21:27 - “But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles,                                     or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the                                        Lamb's Book of Life.”

                        2. And God has the power to make that rule stick!