"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,
he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."
(Jude 1: 6 kjv)
The above text speaks of the "estate" and special "habitation" of angels. What is the original dwelling place of angels? Is it heaven? The third heaven? Or, is their dwelling place outer space or in earth's sky and atmosphere? Other translations give us these translations:
"but abandoned their proper dwelling" (NIV);
"but left their proper dwelling" (ESV);
"did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode" (NKJV).
"Their first estate" literally means their first rank or position in the hierarchy of creatures. On "their own habitation" Albert Barnes in his commentary rightly says:
"But left their own habitation - To wit, according to the common interpretation, in heaven. The word rendered "habitation" (οἰκητήριον oikētērion) occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It means here that heaven was their native abode or dwelling-place."
John Gill in his commentary writes:
"...for they were drove out of their native habitation, heaven; they were turned out of it, and cast down to hell; see 2 Peter 2:4. And this their habitation, which they left, or fell from, or they were cast out of..."
I dare say that this is the view of the vast majority of bible teachers. The view of semi Two Seeders, who we cited in the previous chapter and who said that the "heaven" out of which Satan and the non-elect angels were cast when they sinned was not the third heaven, but some other heaven, gave to heaven other meanings. Many of these meanings were not in accordance with the image at the head of this chapter. Rather than seeing the first and second heavens as described in that image, they come up with strange and novel meanings for heaven. John Robbins who debated father on the point said that maybe the heaven out of which Satan and the angels were cast was "the old Jewish heaven" or "the church heaven." But, this is farcical and a gross mishandling of scripture. It is nonsensical and leads to gross absurdities, reduction ad absurdum.
The bible is very clear on what is the natural abode of angels. This we will demonstrate shortly. The first heaven of earth's atmosphere was not the original home of angels. If that is the heaven from which Satan and the sinning angels were cast out of, then why do the scriptures show them as still occupying the aerial region? The second heaven of outer space cannot be the original home of angels, for again the fallen angels still occupy those regions. The church of either the old covenant or the new cannot be the original abode of angels because angels existed before there was a church, and trying to explain what that could possibly mean leads to further absurdities. We will enlarge upon these points but first let us show the absurdity in saying that angels are human beings.
Angels Are Not Humans
"What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him? For You have made him a little lower than the angels, And You have crowned him with glory and honor." (Psa. 8: 4-5 nkjv)
This text is very clear in showing that humans are not angels. Man was made a little lower than the angels, which statement shows that human beings are a lower order of creatures than are angels, and that the Two Seed notion of angels being humans is false. Wrote Peter:
"They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries, whereas angels, who are greater in power and might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the Lord." (II Peter 2: 10-11 nkjv)
This is similar to these words of the Psalmist:
"The Lord has established His throne in heaven, And His kingdom rules over all. Bless the Lord, you His angels, Who excel in strength, who do His word, Heeding the voice of His word." (Psa. 103: 19-20 nkjv)
These verses again show that human beings are inferior to angels as a species. To say that angels in these verses are human beings make the verses nonsensical. Who are the angels superior to? Answer: human beings. Therefore, angels are not human beings. Wrote the writer of Hebrews:
"And of the angels He says: “Who makes His angels spirits And His ministers a flame of fire.”...But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?" (Heb. 1: 7; 13-14 nkjv)
Angels are "ministering spirits." Spirits are incorporeal. Jesus said this about being "spirit":
"Behold My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself. Handle Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have.” (Luke 24: 39 nkjv)
On Hebrews 1: 7 John Gill wrote the following in his commentary, giving the nigh universally understood meaning:
"...the design of the apostle in citing them, which is to show the superiority of Christ to angels, of whom it is said, that they are made spirits: they are "spirits", created ones, and so differ from God the Creator: they are incorporeal ones, and so differ from men; they are immaterial, and so die not; they are spiritual substances subsisting in themselves..."
It is against such clear statements about who are the angels, and what is their nature, that Two Seeders oppose when they say that angels are human beings. Shortly after Hebrews chapter one, the writer of Hebrews says the following in the second chapter:
“For verily [Christ] took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” (Hebrews 2:16).
This verse indicates clearly that the "nature of angels" is not the same as the nature of human beings. On this verse Dr. Gill writes:
"...but of a non-assumption of their nature; there was no need of it with respect to good angels, and there was no salvation designed for evil ones; and to have assumed the nature of angels, would have been of no service to fallen man; an angelic nature is not capable of death, which was necessary to atone for sin, save men, and destroy Satan..."
These verses, along with many more we could cite, show that angels are not human beings. It is a ridiculous idea for Parker, Beebe, and the Two Seeders to affirm that angels are human beings and that Satan is uncreated, possibly even was originally a snake of the animal kingdom. Such a view denies that angels are superior to humans and rather says that humans are superior to angels.
The writer of Hebrews also speaks of an “innumerable company of angels” and distinguishes them from “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Hebrews 12:22-23).
Now let us return to showing that the third heaven is the proper abode of angels.
Angels of Heaven
"And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” (John 1: 51 nkjv)
We cited this verse in the previous chapter when we cited Hassell's mentioning the dream of Jacob wherein he saw a ladder extending from earth to heaven and found it ironic because Hassell did not believe that the proper abode of angels was the third heaven. Clearly the above text indicates that the heaven from which angels descended and ascended into is the highest heaven where God's presence is fully manifested and where he sits on the throne.
Jesus in speaking of those little ones who come to him said:
"...in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven." (Matt. 18: 10 kjv)
Notice how the word "heaven" is twice used. Only those who come to the text with man-made biases and presuppositions as do the Two Seeders will fail to see that angels are from the third heaven. Jesus also spake of resurrection saints becoming immortal "as the angels of God in heaven." (Matt. 22: 30 kjv) To give to the word "heaven" in these texts the meaning of first or second heaven, or the heaven of the church, is totally untenable. Jesus more than once spoke of "the angels of heaven." (See also Matt. 24: 36)
We have also already mentioned this text from the Book of Job:
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them." (Job 1: 6)
This is obviously heaven, for it is in the presence of the LORD.
Recall these words of the angel Gabriel:
"And the angel answered and said to him (Zacharias), “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you glad tidings." (Luke 1: 19 nkjv)
Can anything be more clear that angels are in the third heaven? Does not that fact disprove the premise of Beebe and the Two Seeders who say 1) that angels are humans, and 2) that if they fell from heaven, it could not have been the third heaven? Though Gabriel probably appeared to Mary in a human form, as they have often done, he was not human. Now let us notice these words from the Book of Daniel:
"All the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing; He does according to His will in the army of heaven And among the inhabitants of the earth. No one can restrain His hand Or say to Him, “What have You done?” (Dan. 4: 35 nkjv)
It is universally acknowledged by all that by "army of heaven" is meant the "heavenly host" of angels. They are distinguished from "the inhabitants of the earth." Next, let us notice these words of the apostle Paul:
"For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." (Eph. 6: 12 kjv)
On this Dr. Gill comments:
"...against spiritual wickedness in high places; or wicked spirits, as the devils are, unclean, proud, lying, deceitful, and malicious; who may be said to be in "high" or "heavenly places"; not in places super celestial, or in the highest heavens, in the third heaven, where God, angels, and saints are; but in the aerial heavens, where the power or posse of devils reside, and where they are above us, over our heads, overlooking us, and watching every advantage against us; and therefore we should have on our armour, and be in a readiness to engage them; and so the Syriac and Ethiopic versions render it, "under", or "beneath heaven"; and the Arabic version, "in the air"."
These "rulers" and "principalites" and "wicked spirits" are NOT "flesh and blood" beings, i.e. not human beings. Further, they occupy the first and second heavens, and therefore these heavens cannot be the heaven out of which they were cast.
Therefore we see how absurd is this idea of the Two Seed Baptists which denies the creation of angels and of the fall of some of them and which attempts to say that angels are human beings. Though Watson, Hassell, and Daniels, who we cited in the previous chapter, don't accept those Two Seed ideas, yet they show remnants of that ideology when they deny that the proper habitation of angels is the third heaven.
In the next chapter we will look at another false idea of the Two Seeders, which says that Christ being the begotten Son of God has nothing to do with his divinity, but with his humanity, and that his humanity preexisted his birth of the virgin Mary. We will then deal with their belief that the souls or spirits of the elect were created when Christ was begotten before the world began, being then in Christ, being a case of the preexistence of their souls.
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