The Creation Of Angels

Where were you . . . When the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
–Job 38:4, 7

The Bible tells us about the creation of angels. You see, the angels have not always existed. There was a time that angels did not exist. Unlike God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit–who are eternal and have always existed–the angels are created beings.

Who created the angels? The Bible shows us Jesus created the angels at a point in time. Look at what Paul said about Jesus Christ’s role in creation: “For by [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things have been created through Him and for Him” (Colossians 1:16).

Jesus not only created all the things we see, but He also created all the things we do not see, including the angels. That is what Scripture means by things “in the heavens” that are “invisible.” When Paul talks about “thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities,” he is talking about the whole angelic host. We see from this passage that angels were created by Jesus Christ at a specific point in time.

When were the angels created? Job 38 gives us some good insight about when the angels were created. Job was being afflicted, and he was not happy about the way his life was turning out. Maybe you can identify with that. Maybe you are questioning God about why He has allowed certain things to come into your life.

In Job 38, God finally answered Job’s questions. To paraphrase His answer, God said to Job: “Job, you little pipsqueak. Before you begin to question Me and why I have done certain things, I have a few questions I want to ask you.” He starts off with, “Where were you . . . when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” (38:4, 7).

This is a passage about God’s power and sovereignty, but it also tells us something about the creation of angels. Job 38:7 tells us the angels were present at least by the third day of creation when the lands were formed (Genesis 1:9-13). I believe they were created much earlier.

How many angels were created? Hebrews 12:22 tells us that Jesus created “myriads of angels.” In Revelation 5:11, when the Apostle John was looking at a scene in Heaven, he said, “I heard the voice of many angels around the throne . . . and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands.” The word translated “myriad” literally means 10,000. So John is saying, “I saw ten thousands upon ten thousands of angels.” That is hundreds of millions of angels!

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Today’s devotion is excerpted from “The Angels And You” by Dr. Robert Jeffress, 2018.

Scripture taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960,1962,1963,1968,1971,1972,1973,1975,1977,1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.