When were Angels created?
Answers in Genesis explains: “God did everything in six days,” including the creation of the angels, and which was “before day 3.” Continuing: “I think, my personal view, is that Satan Fell after he saw God’s relationship with Adam, that Satan Fell after he saw him, that’s why he was jealous: ‘Hey, what’s going on now? You know, here’s God walking around with Adam and I want to be like God.’” (Answers In Genesis)
Question: Did Satan Fall because he was jealous of Adam’s relationship with God?
Answer: Rather, according to Isaiah 14:12-15, Satan Fell because he coveted God’s glory: “How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit.”
If the angels were created during the Genesis week, and a third later Fell, their Fall could only have happened after the week was completed, because at the conclusion of the six days: “God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31) It stands to reason that God wouldn’t have termed the Genesis creation as “very good” if it included the Fall of many angels. Moreover, the reference to the serpent wasn’t until Genesis 3:1, so if the angles were created during the Genesis week, then the Fall of a third of the angels would have been between Genesis 1:31 and Genesis 3:1. However, there is an indication from Scripture that the angels were already created during the creation of the heavens and the earth. Job 38:4-7 states: “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding, Who set its measurements? Since you know. Or who stretched the line on it? On what were its bases sunk? Or who laid its cornerstone, when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” This seems to indicate that the angels were already created, prior to the Genesis creation.
Question: Does Genesis 1:1 include the creation of the angels? Genesis 1:1 states: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”
Answer: That depends on whether the angels are part of this dimension. For instance, man has a soul and a spirit, but neither are part of this dimension. Moreover, Jesus rose up into the clouds and disappeared, according to Acts 1:9-10: “And after He had said these things, He was lifted up while they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight. And as they were gazing intently into the sky while He was going, behold, two men in white clothing stood beside them.” So did Jesus go to another planet, or did He go to another dimension, where God dwells? If the latter is true, then there is a reasonable basis to conclude that the angels may not be a part of the “heavens” of the Genesis 1:1 creation. It could very well be that this entire dimension, and all of its creation by God, came after, everything that had already transpired concerning the angels.
Question: When were the angels created? Before or after Genesis?
Answer: Billy Graham explains: “Only God has always existed, and only He is eternal, without beginning or end. As the Bible says, ‘from everlasting to everlasting you are God’ (Psalm 90:2). In the very last chapter of the Bible, God declares, ‘I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End’ (Revelation 22:13). The Bible doesn’t say exactly when God created the angels, although it seems likely that they existed before He created the universe. By the time of Adam and Eve, one angel—Satan—had already led a rebellion against God and been cast out of heaven (see Isaiah 14:12-17).” (My Answer, by Billy Graham)
Question: Were the angels created prior to the Genesis creation or part of the Genesis creation? If the latter, which day, and indeed if the latter, how would you interpret Job 38:4-7?
Answer: Michael Brown explains: “I believe that the angels were created prior to the Genesis creation account in chapter one. As best as I understand it, they were created first.” (Line of Fire)
