QUESTION: I’ve heard that we become angels when we die. Is that true?  Can you address some of the arguments that teach this?

QUICK OVERVIEW:

• The few ways in which we are equal with angels are specified because we are not equal in every way (Luke 20:35-36; Matthew 22:30)
• We do not replace or become angels because angels  “minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrews 1:13-14, KJV)
• We will judge the angels, not become angels (1 Corinthians 6:3).
• We are will be transformed into the image of Christ, not angels (Romans 8:29; 1 John 3:2)  What will Christ be for eternity?
• Christ’s humanity is eternal because He eternally represents Adam and his descendants (Hebrews 2:16-17, 7:22-25)
• We are glorified above the angels in Christ (Hebrews 1:4).

THE BIBLE SAYS that in the resurrection the saints will be equal to the angels.  Does that mean that we will become angels?  Some think so.  In this study we’ll take a look at what the Bible actually teaches.  I believe that an honest examination of the scriptures leaves no room for the interpretation that we’ll become angels when we die.  Why?  Well, there are at least two reasons.  The first has to do with the nature of equality.  The Bible tells us that we will be equal with the angels in some ways, but not in every way.  In fact, it’s the ways in which we are told we will not be like the angels that stands as our second reason for knowing that we won’t become angels.

EQUALITY:

Let’s start with the issue of equality.  In what way is the Bible speaking of equality?  There is more than one way to be equal with something.

For example, when speaking of the equality of mankind, we might say that all men are created equal.  But how are we all equal with one another?  Are we all equal in gender, intelligence, strength, appearance, talents, or even in mobility?  Certainly this cannot be implied, nor inferred, by the phrase “all men are created equal.”  This statement is thus qualified by the specific parameters of a defined plain of comparison.  In the realm of intrinsic value, all men have descended from Adam, and are thus equal in the created value of their humanity.  Even in the realms of individual calling, appointed service, and eternal reward, there is inequality, and yet, this inequality in no way nullifies the other realms in which men are found to be equal.

Equality can mean several things.  It can mean that two things are identical in every respect, or that they have the same rights, or that they are balanced in relation to one another.  Equality can imply impartiality, in that one person is treated no different from another.  Or it can simply mean that two things are equivalent in some ways, but not others.   So when we are told that mankind will become “equal unto the angels,” what is being implied?

“But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: {36} Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.”  (Luke 20:35-36, KJV)

“For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven.”  (Matthew 22:30, KJV)

These passages identify two realms of equality: 1) men will no longer marry or be given in marriage, and 2) men will never die.  The fact that these two scriptures make a point of identifying the ways in which we will be equal reveals that they are not teaching that we are equal in every way.

These comparisons of equality were presented to a group of men who had failed to grasp that in the resurrection the symbols employed on earth will no longer be in force.  They did not understand that in the resurrection, men, like angels, will neither  marry nor be married to one another, 1) because they will no longer be under the command to populate the earth, nor will they be under the command to produce godly seed (Genesis 1:28, Malachi 2:15), and 2) marriage as seen on earth will no longer have a purpose because earthly marriage is a symbol of heavenly marriage – the eternal union of God and His church (Ephesians 5:31-32) and this symbol will be fulfilled when we rise to be with Christ for eternity.  Within these two realms – celibacy and eternal life – men and angels will be equal.

I’m confident that we can all agree that, at the very least, we will be equal with the angels in these two ways.  The question that must now be answered is whether there are realms in which men and angels are not equal, and within this, what distinction, if any, will remain between men and angels in eternity future.

THE REPLACEMENT THEORY:

There is a belief that postulates that God created mankind to replace those angels who fell in sin.  It’s then reasoned that if we are going to become angels, and we are said to abide in Christ, then all angels must be partakers of Christ equally.

There are several biblical teachings that I have been unable to reconcile with this theory.  These teachings revolve around:

• The eternal incarnation of Christ as a representative of humanity.
• Christ’s human inheritance.
• And the marriage between Christ and the human church.

THE ETERNAL HUMANITY OF CHRIST:

In order to save Adam and his descendants, it was mandatory for the Messiah to be both Human and Divine.

“For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham. {17} Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”  (Hebrews 2:16-17, NASB)

Why was God compelled to take on the nature of those He intended to save?  Why couldn’t He accomplish what He did as an angel?  Or for that matter, why did He have to become anything at all? The simple answer is that redemption requires representation, and representation requires equality in the truest sense.  A human must represent humanity.  (For more information on the requirements of redemption, see “Represented by Adam”).

What God requires of mankind must be satisfied by mankind.  This is why animal sacrifice gave a picture of what God required of sinful men, but the blood of bulls and goats could not truly satisfy justice against sin (Hebrews 10:4).  Obedience to the symbol could sanctify a man to the postponement of justice, but it could not ultimately satisfy it (Hebrews 9:13)  It was just a picture of what was to come.  And for the same reason that animals were unable to satisfy God’s justice against sin on behalf of mankind, neither could angels.

The solution?  God would do what angels and animals could not – God would become a Man.  Jesus came to represent Adam, and by reason of representation, all who have partaken of Adam’s flesh and spirit through birth.

Now consider the eternal work of Christ’s incarnation as the representative of mankind.  Jesus didn’t become a man temporarily, He became a man for all eternity.  This fact rests, once again, upon the requirements of redemption and representation.  The humanity of Jesus Christ was appointed by God to stand eternally before God the Father as an eternal High Priest on behalf of Christ’s brothers in the flesh.

“And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, {21} but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: “The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: ‘You are a priest forever.’ ” {22} Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant. {23} Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; {24} but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. {25} Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them. (Hebrews 7:22-25, NIV)

This priesthood is established on the laws of representation. Again, this is why Jesus was obligated to become like His brethren in the flesh so that He could, as High Priest, stand eternally as the atonement for men.  If He ever ceases to be human, He will cease to represent humanity and we will cease to be covered by His sacrificial priesthood.  Because just as God’s wrath against sin is eternal, so is the office of the atoning priesthood that covers it.  And to that end God has sworn by an unalterable oath that the human priesthood of Jesus will “continueth forever” as “an unchangeable priesthood.”

This is why Melchisedec, the symbolic forerunner of Christ’s eternal priesthood, was introduced to Abraham as one who was:

“Without father or mother, without genealogy, without beginning of days or end of life, like the Son of God he remains a priest forever.”  (Hebrews 7:3, KJV)

If the humanity of Christ stands forever in the office of High Priest, then Jesus cannot thereafter cease to be a man, and take upon Himself the nature of any other being.  For this reason we must understand that Jesus “…took not on Him the nature of angels; but He took on Him the seed of Abraham” so that He could live forever in the “unchangeable priesthood” of men as “a priest forever” (Hebrews 2:16, 7:24-25; 7:3, KJV, NIV).

BETTER THAN THE ANGELS:

When Jesus became a man, His humanity naturally made Him lower than the angels.

You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands.  (Hebrews 2:7, NKJV)

So what happened when He was resurrected and glorified?  Was He raised to a place of equality with the angels?  No, He was made far greater than the angels.

“Being made so much better than the angels, as He hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.”  (Hebrews 1:4, KJV)

Christ’s humanity was not simply a temporary mechanism used to laboriously generate angel-like replacements, but an entire legal system through which the inheritance of God would be presented to men alone.

FIRSTBORN OF CREATION:

No one, be they angel or human, may be counted as a co-heir with Christ in His inheritance apart from adoption into the Firstborn.  Consider what this means, and why this is so.

In the eternity past, Jesus was simply known as “The Word.”  It was through “The Word” that Jehovah created, or gave birth as it were, to all things.  By this creative act through The Word, Jehovah gained the new title “God the Father.”

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} He was in the beginning with God. {3} All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.  (John 1:1-3, NASB)

Later, God the Father would send “The Word” to earth to be born as both a Son of Man (Adam) and a Son of God (being of God). (See the study entitled “The Mystery of Procreation” for more information.)

And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.  (John 1:14, NASB)

And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.” (Hebrews 1:5-6, NIV)

It was at this point that “The Word” became known as Jesus Christ, the Firstborn, the Son of God. The term Firstborn does not necessarily imply that someone was the first to be born (Psalms 89:27), but rather stands as the title of one who has all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of an heir; one who enjoys a special relationship with God.  As such, the focus of the word is not on one’s priority in time or origin, but of appointment as heir.

Speaking of king David as a prophetic type of Jesus, it was said:

I will also appoint him my firstborn, the most exalted of the kings of the earth. (Psalms 89:27, NIV)

And again of Christ’s appointment as Firstborn, we are told:

In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, {2} but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. {3} The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven. {4} So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs. {5} For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again,  “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? {6} And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,  “Let all God’s angels worship him.”  (Hebrews 1:1-6, NIV)

This appointment had always been intended to be received by Jesus in light of His incarnation as a man.  Thus all things were created for Jesus, with His eternal humanity in view, a position that even the angels were commanded to worship.  (The fact that Lucifer, Heaven’s highest ranking angel was condemned for calling upon the other angels to worship Him reveals, once again, that Jesus was never an angel to begin with).  Jesus was appointed to be preeminent over all of creation, in every way, as the heir of God the Father.

For He [God the Father] rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son [Jesus Christ], {14} in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. {15} He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. {16} For by Him 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. {17} He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. {18} He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything.  (Colossians 1:13-18, NASB, bracketed content added for clarity)

INHERITANCE BY ADOPTION:

So we see that the right of inheritance was not something that is given to the sons of God, but to the Firstborn, the legal heir of the Father.  So how does one gain access to the Firstborn’s inheritance?  Do we need to become sons of Christ?  Does Jesus need to become our Father?  No, in order to partake of Christ’s inheritance, God the Father would have to grant a lesser son co-heir status with His legal Firstborn, God the Son¹.  How is that done?  And to whom?

To be an heir, is to be Abraham’s seed.  So while it is true that both redeemed men and angels are called the sons of God, men have been adopted into this position and angels have not, and it is this mechanism of adoption and baptism into Christ that elevates us above the angels.   It’s not that we were adopted and made sons as the angels are sons, it’s that we have been adopted and baptized “into Christ.”  In other words, we have been adopted into the position of the firstborn son, and are thus eligible for the inheritance of the firstborn, a privilege not associated with lesser sons who are not the firstborn.

Angels would have to become what Jesus is – human – in order to even be candidates for adoption into the human Firstborn.  But God the Father has never adopted the angelic sons of God into the Firstborn, nor called them co-heirs with the Son of God.

For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son; today I have become your Father”? Or again,  “I will be his Father, and he will be my Son”? {6} And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,  “Let all God’s angels worship him.”  (Hebrews 1:5-6, NIV)

But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?  (14)  Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?  (Hebrews 1:13-14, KJV)

The angels are already the sons of God by the fact that they were created by God (Job 38:6-7).  However, the author of Hebrews is focusing here upon the incarnation of Christ as the human Messiah and the ways in which this is superior to every other position.  It is a position to which the angelic sons of God are not promoted.  Rather, it is expressly stated to be a position under which the angels serve and minister.

THE TESTIMONY OF THE WORD:

“I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”  (2 Corinthians 6:18, NIV)

• Men are co-heirs with Christ according to promise.

If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.  (Galatians 3:29, NIV)

In other words, it is not the natural children who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. (Romans 9:8, NIV)

• If you are made a son of God, it was through Christ, and if through Christ you became a son, then you are a join-heir with the Firstborn Son of God.

Therefore, you are no longer a slave (bond servant) but a son; and if a son, then [it follows that you are] an heir by the aid of God, through Christ.  (Galatians 4:7, AMP)

• The Firstborn is head over all of creation.  Co-heris with Christ will therefore rule over the lesser sons of God.

Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!  (1 Corinthians 6:3, NIV)

• All who are elevated to co-heir status will be conformed to the image of the Firstborn.

For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.  (Romans 8:29, KJV)

Beloved, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet appeared; but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, because we shall see him as he is.  (1 John 3:2, ESV)

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.  (1 Thessalonians 4:17, KJV)

But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.  (1 Corinthians 6:17, ESV).

FINAL THOUGHT:

We don’t need to imagine what God’s purpose for creation is, especially when that purpose has been revealed in God’s own word.  Let’s be faithful in our study and seek after the heart of God in everything.  What seems good to us is rarely good in the eyes of God.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.  (2 Timothy 2:15, NIV)

1. I’ve heard that if a father wanted ALL his children to have equal shares in the inheritance with his firstborn son, then the father could legally “adopt” all of his children into a firstborn relationship. To do this, the father would go to the city gate and present his wishes to the elders. He would then execute a covenant of salt whereby he adopted his children into the position of equal heirs with the firstborn. I have been unable to confirm this however. [↩]

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