This topic is about God’s heavenly host. It expands on the material and Bible verses presented in the topics “Spirits – Made by God in Light”, “Watchers and Gen. 6 ‘Sons Of God”, “Names & Titles of God in Scripture”, “Jesus Was The Old Testament God”, “Michael in the Bible”. Reference those topics for more background.
To begin, from the topic “Spirits – Made By God in Light”: After Light was brought forth on the 1st day (Ge.1:3), God made spirit beings lesser than Himself. Ps.104:2-4 Septúagint/LXX “Who makes His angels spirits”. The angelic order is composed of spirit beings. God’s heavenly host (tsabáw Strongs h6635, Hebrew) includes angels. Ne.9:6 “You are the Lord [YHVH h3068], who has made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host. The host of heaven worships You.” Cambridge Bible Ne.9:6 “Most probably means the created spirits.” Benson Commentary “All the inhabitants of heaven.” Gill Exposition “Angels were made by him, Heb.1:7; and, as the Jewish writers say, on the 2nd day of the creation, though some say on the 5th.” Col.1:16 “By Him [Christ the Son] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible.” The Lord Christ shared in the Creation. It includes the heavenly host of beings, normally not visible to human eyes. JFB Commentary Col.1:16 “Invisible – the world of spirits.” Barnes Notes “The angels we cannot see. Inhabitants of distant worlds.” Benson Commentary “The different orders of angels, both those that stood and those that afterward fell.”
Jn.1:14 Jesus was the primordial “Word” (lógos g3056, Greek) of God. Jn.1:1-3 “The Word was God. All things came into being through Him [Christ the Word].” “All things” may include lesser spirit beings. Expositor’s Greek Testament Jn.1:3 “In 1Cor.8:6 Paul distinguishes between the Father as the primal source of all things and the Son as the actual Creator.” Christ as Executive Creator. He.12:9 God is the “Father of spirits”. Meyer’s New Testament Commentary “God, who is Father in regard to the higher spiritual domain of life.” Barnes Notes He.12:9 “God is Himself a Spirit [Jn.4:24]. Angels and human souls [or spirits] may be represented as especially His offspring.” JFB Commentary “God is…the Creator of spirits like Himself, in contrast to men who are flesh.” Pulpit Commentary “It isn’t human spirits only that are here in view. God is the Father of all ‘the spirits.”
In the Old Testament (OT), some lesser spirit beings are referred to as “sons of God”, béne ha Élohim (h1121 h430). Jb.38:7 at Creation “the morning stars sang together, and the sons of God [bene Elohim] shouted for joy.” v.7 LXX (Greek) “When the stars were made, all My angels praised Me with a loud voice.” Da.3:25 “Like a son of Elaáh [bar Elahin h1247 h426, Aramaic].” Ps.89:6-7 “Who in heaven can be compared to YHVH? Who among the sons of El [bene Elim h1121 h410] can be likened to YHVH? El is greatly to be feared in the council [sode h5475] of the holy ones, to be had in reverence of all those around Him.” Poole Commentary Ps.89:7 “The whole society of angels.” Ps.97:9 “You, YHVH are exalted far above all gods [elohim].” Ex.15:11 LXX “Who is like You among the gods [théos g2316], O Lord [Kúrios g2962].” Ps.29:1 “O you sons of El [bene Elim], give unto YHVH glory and strength.” Barnes Notes Ps.29:1 “The psalmist calls upon the angels.” Ps.96:9 LXX “Worship the Lord [Kurios] in His holy court.” YHVH the Lord is superior to others.
Da.4:35 the Most High does according to His will in the army of heaven. JFB Commentary Da.4:17 “A solemn council of the heavenly ones is supposed (cf. Job 1:6, 2:1), over which God presides supreme.” Jb.1:6, 2:1 “There was a day when the sons of God [bene ha elohim] came to appear before YHVH.”
1Ki.22:19-23 LXX NETS “I saw the Lord God of Israel sitting on His throne, and all the host (stratía g4756) of heaven stood near on His right and on His left.” Here one of the Lord’s host offered to be a lying spirit to deceive king Aháb! In the New Testament (NT), Lk.2:13 “Suddenly a vast heavenly host [stratia] appeared, praising God”. Is.6:1-3 “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord [YHVH] of hosts.”
Ps.82:1-2 “Elohim stands in the assembly of El; He judges among the elohim. How long will you judge unjustly?” v.6 “I have said, ‘You are elohim’; all of you are sons of the Most High [bene Elyón h1121 h5945].” However, v.7 “But you shall die like men” may indicate physical judges (not celestial)? Ps.8:5 Humans are created a little lower than the heavenly beings (elohim h430; LXX “angels”, He.2:7). ref the topic “Watchers and Gen. 6 ‘Sons of God” for Bible commentaries regarding God’s council.
Yet some celestial beings weren’t loyal or obedient to God; they didn’t follow His guidelines! Jb.4:18 “His angels (maláwk h4397) He charged with folly.” Barnes Notes “The idea is that of foolishness.” Jb.15:15 “He puts no trust in His holy ones; the heavens are not pure in His sight.” Poole Commentary “i.e., angels.” Jb.25:5 “The stars are not pure in His sight.” JFB Commentary “Angels, of which stars are emblems.”
In the NT, some beings in God’s celestial host are called “authorities”, “powers”, “principalities”. Our Bible translations use English words to describe or identify (ruling) members/groups of God’s spirit creation, the heavenly host. But some translations use the same English word to represent various terms of the Greek text source manuscripts. That unspecific practice may confuse. For consistency, I’ll use the following English words for the associated Greek NT & OT LXX terms:
Authority exousía g1849: Col.1:13 “The Father has rescued us from the authority of darkness.”
Authority g1849 and Powers dúnamis g1411: 1Pe.3:22 “Angels and authorities and powers having been subjected to Him [Christ].” Cambridge Bible “Including the whole hierarchy of heaven.” Pulpit Commentary “The evil angels also…against their will.” Re.13:2 “The dragon gave the beast [a human rule] his power and authority.” (cf. Lk.4:36, 9:1 regarding the power of Jesus given to His disciples.)
Principality arché g746 and Powers g1411: Ro.8:38 “Neither death, nor life, nor angels, principalities or powers…shall separate us from the love of God.”
Principalities g746 and Authorities g1849: Ep.3:10 “That there be made known to the principalities and authorities in the heavenly places the wisdom of God.” Ep.6:12 “We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but with principalities and authorities, against spiritual authority in heavenly places.” Col.1:16 “In Him [Christ the Son] were all things created, those visible and invisible; whether thrones, lordships, principalities or authorities; all things by Him and for Him.” Col.2:10 “You are made full in Him [Christ], who is the head of all principality and authority.” Col.2:15 “Having stripped the principalities and authorities, He made a show of them openly, having triumphed over them.” (cf. Lk.12:11 & 20:20 & Tit.3:1, which relate to human rule.)
Principalities g746 and Authority g1849 and Powers g1411: Ep.1:20-21 “He [Father God] set Christ at His own right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority and power.” Gill Exposition “Far above…good angels and bad angels, and civil magistrates.” 1Co.15:24 “Then comes the end…when He has put down all principality and authority and power.” JFB Commentary “Whether openly opposed powers, as Satan [a seraph dragon? cf. Is.6:2] and his angels, or kings & angelic principalities.”
Ruler/Prince árchon g758: Da.12:1 LXX Michael the archangel is the great (mégas g3173) ruler/prince. (cf. Da.10:13, 20-21, Jude 9.) Jn.12:31 Jesus said, “Now will the prince of this world [kósmos g2889] be cast out”. Ellicott Commentary “Prince of this world’ was the regular rabbinic title for Satan, as ruler of the gentiles. Jews as well as gentiles have been subjects of the prince of this world (Jn.8:44).” Re.12:9 “The great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and satan.” Robert Henderson Operating in the Courts of Heaven, p.173 “Fallen seraphim are now principalities.”
Ruler g758 and Authority g1849: Ep.2:2 “In time past you lived according to the eon [aión g165] of this world [kosmos], according to the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience.”
Thrones thrónos g2362: Col.1:16 again. Re.11:16 “The 24 elders [who wear crowns, Re.4:10], sitting on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God.” also cf. Re.20:4, Mt.19:28.
Most of the occurrences of the above NT terms relating to the heavenly host come from Paul’s writings.
What of those celestial beings/“sons of God” and their human rulers who weren’t loyal or obedient to God? Is.24:21 “In that day the Lord will punish the host of high ones on high, and the kings of the earth on earth.” Ellicott Commentary “The ‘principalities and powers in heavenly places.” Je.46:25 “YHVH of hosts, the God of Israel says, ‘I will punish Amon the god of Thebes [capitol of S. Egypt], Egypt, its gods [elohim] and its kings.” cf. 1Co.6:3 “Don’t you know that we will judge angels?”
Da.10:13 LXX NETS “The ruler [archon g758] of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days. Michael, one of the chief rulers [g758], came to help me; and I left Him there with the ruler of the Persians.” G.B. Caird Principalities and Powers, p.6 “These princes are not to be identified with Alexander the Great and Darius 3. They are the angelic guardians of the two nations (Da.10:13, 20, Da.12:1).” Ibid., p.11 “The Septuagint. It is here we find the terms powers (dunamis g1411), authorities (exousia g1849), principalities (arche g746)…applied for the first time to angelic beings (Ps.148:2, 103:21).”
Members of God’s heavenly host had a measure of authority over their nations. De.32:8-9 LXX “When the Most High divided the nations, He set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. His people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, Israel.” Wisdom of Sírach 17:17 “In the division of the nations, the Lord set a [celestial] ruler over every people, but Israel is the Lord’s.” Book of Jubilees 15:32 “Over Israel He did not appoint any angel or spirit, for He alone is their ruler.”
Wikipedia: Origins of Judaism – Iron Age Yahwism “The various national gods were more or less equal, reflecting the fact that kingdoms themselves were more or less equal, and within each kingdom a divine couple, made up of the national god and his consort – Yahweh [YHVH] and the goddess Asheráh in Israel and Judah – headed a pantheon of lesser gods.” The “sons of God” [bene ha Elohim] were lesser.
Ex.20:3 Israel shall have no other elohim before/besides YHVH! Claude Mariottini Other Gods Mentioned in the Old Testament “The 2nd commandment declares that in Israel no other god should be worshiped in addition to YHVH…the words of the commandment do not deny the existence of other gods…Monothéism, that there was no other god besides YHVH, came into existence late in Israel.”
Wikipedia: Monotheism “The belief that there is only one deity, an all-supreme being that is universally referred to as God.” Wikipedia: Polythéism “The belief in multiple deities, usually a pantheon of gods and goddesses.” Wikipedia: Henothéism “The worship of a single supreme God that does not deny the existence or possible existence of other deities.” Wikipedia: Monólatry “The belief in the existence of many gods, but with the consistent worship of only one [selected] deity.” Monolatry and henotheism are similar, but henotheists worship only the God they view as the greatest.
Paul wrote in 1Co.8:5-6, “There be many gods and many lords. But for us there is one God, the Father…and one Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jesus spoke of His heavenly Father in Jn.17:3. “This is life eternal, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.”
This topic is continued and concluded in “Heavenly Host Authorities and Powers (2)”. Part 2 includes additional views of theologians and commentaries about God’s host.
Bible Topic Exposition 