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Q 19. What is God’s providence towards the angels?

A. God by his providence permitted some of the angels, willfully and irrecoverably, to fall into sin and damnation,1 limiting and ordering that, and all their sins, to his own glory;2 and established the rest in holiness and happiness;3 employing them all,4 at his pleasure, in the administrations of his power, mercy, and justice.5


  1. Jude 1:6

    And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day—

    2 Peter 2:4

    For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;

    Hebrews 2:16

    For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham.

    John 8:44

    You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. (ESV)

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  2. Job 1:12

    And the Lord said to Satan, “Behold, all that he has is in your hand. Only against him do not stretch out your hand.” So Satan went out from the presence of the Lord.

    Matthew 8:31

    And the demons begged him, saying, “If you cast us out, send us away into the herd of pigs.”

    Luke 10:17

    The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” (ESV)

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  3. 1 Timothy 5:21

    In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of the elect angels I charge you to keep these rules without prejudging, doing nothing from partiality.

    Mark 8:38

    For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

    Hebrews 12:22

    But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, (ESV)

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  4. Psalm 103:20

    Bless the Lord, O you his angels,
    you mighty ones who do his word,
    obeying the voice of his word!

    Psalm 104:4

    he makes his messengers winds,
    his ministers a flaming fire. (ESV)

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  5. Hebrews 1:14

    Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?

    2 Kings 19:35

    And that night the angel of the Lord went out and struck down 185,000 in the camp of the Assyrians. And when people arose early in the morning, behold, these were all dead bodies. (ESV)

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Copyright © Tim Hopper. Based on Calendar of Readings in the Westminster Standards by Dr. Joey Pipa. Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. Copyright ©2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.