THE ANGELS WORSHIP HIM! PT. 1
My aim in this article will be to show from the first chapter of Hebrews that the angels worship Jesus as YHWH, even though he is not the Father or the Holy Spirit.
The inspired writer begins by introducing God’s unique Son as being greater and more majestic than the angels for a variety of reasons.
“God, having spoken long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days spoke to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds, who is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power; who, having accomplished cleansing for sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,having become so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they. having become so much better than the angels, as He has inherited a more excellent name than they.
“For to which of the angels did He ever say,
‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You’?
“And again,
‘I will be a Father to Him
And He shall be a Son to Me’?
“And when He again brings the firstborn into the world, He says,
‘And let all the angels of God worship Him.’
“And of the angels He says,
‘Who makes His angels winds,
And His ministers flaming fire.’
“But of the Son He says,
‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever,
And the scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your kingdom.
You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You
With the oil of gladness above Your companions.’
“And,
‘You, Lord, in the beginning founded the earth,
And the heavens are the works of Your hands;
They will perish, but You remain;
And they all will wear out like a garment,
And like a mantle You will roll them up;
Like a garment they will also be changed.
But You are the same,
And Your years will not come to an end.’
“But to which of the angels has He ever said,
‘Sit at My right hand,
Until I put Your enemies
As a footstool for Your feet’?
“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation?” Hebrews 1:1-14
Jesus is said to be greater than the angels by virtue of his being the Agent and Heir of all creation through whom the ages were created, being the One that personally sustains all things by his powerful command. This shows that it was the Son that created the heavenly host, and who is continually upholding their very existence.
The Son is also superior to the angels since he is exactly like God in every way, something which cannot be said of heavenly host, and is enthroned alongside God in heaven. In contrast to this, the author depicts the angels as ministers whom God created to serve.
It is for these reasons that God demands the whole entire angelic host to worship his Son.
With the foregoing in view, I now focus on the specific passage itself.
WHEN DO ANGELS WORSHIP JESUS?
To start with, biblical exegetes are divided over how to translate verse 6.
For instance, did the inspired author mean that the angels will worship the Son after God again brings him into the world? Or is the writer employing the term “again” to introduce another OT citation?
The following translation helps clarify the issue at hand:
“For to which of the angels did God ever say,
‘You are my Son;
today I have become your Father’?
“Or again (palin),
‘I will be his Father,
and he will be my Son’?
“And again (palin), when God brings his firstborn into the world, he says,
‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’” Hebrews 1:5-6 New International Version (NIV)
As the readers can see, the NIV understands Hebrews to be using the word palin (“again”) to group together a series of OT verses, which relate the point which the inspired author seeks to make.
In fact, this is how the Greek palin is used elsewhere:
“He says,
‘I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.’
“And again (palin),
‘I will put my trust in him.’
“And again (palin) he says,
‘Here am I, and the children God has given me.’” Hebrews 2:12-13 NIV
“For we know him who said, ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ and again (palin), ‘The Lord will judge his people.’” Hebrews 10:30
However, other translators and scholars understand palin to be referring to Christ’s second coming, his return the world, which will be the time the angels will worship the Son.
Note the explanations given by the foregoing Bible versions:
“And again, when he leads[a] the first-born into the world, he says: ‘Let all the angels of God worship him.’”
Footnotes
1:6 And again, when he leads: the Greek could also be translated “And when he again leads” in reference to the parousia. New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE; emphasis mine)
And:
“But when he again brings[a] his firstborn into the world, he says, ‘Let all the angels of God worship him!’[b]”
Footnotes
Hebrews 1:6 tn Or “And again when he brings.” The translation adopted in the text looks forward to Christ’s second coming to earth. Some take “again” to introduce the quotation (as in 1:5) and understand this as Christ’s first coming, but this view does not fit well with Heb 2:7. Others understand it as his exaltation/ascension to heaven, but this takes the phrase “into the world” in an unlikely way.
Hebrews 1:6 sn A quotation combining themes from Deut 32:43 and Ps 97:7. New English Translation (NET; emphasis mine)
The two specific interpretations offered by these varying translations have a direct affect in regards to the exact timing of the angelic worship of the Son.
If we opt for the view that palin is used to point to another OT verse then the meaning is that by bringing his Son in full view of the inhabited earth, God was making known to mankind that Jesus is the One whom the angels all worship.
In other words, the text is not specifying a time when the angels began to worship God’s unique Son, since they have always done so from the very moment the preincarnate Christ brought them into being. Rather, the point of the inspired writer is that the incarnation of Christ revealed to the inhabited world that there exists a unique divine Person who is intimately related to God as his beloved Son whom the angels have been worshiping from the beginning of their creation.
If, however, we take the other interpretation then Hebrews is indicating that it is after the Son returns to the earth that the whole world will witness the entire angelic host worshiping Jesus as the Lord of all creation.
In fact, this is precisely what John saw in the revelation which he beheld when the Spirit took him into heaven to appear before before God’s throne:
“Then I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing.’” Revelation 5:11-12
The Apostle beheld what the whole earth will one day see since the God-breathed Scriptures proclaim that Christ will physically descend into the world accompanied by all of his holy angels:
“Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, ‘Explain to us the parable of the tares of the field.’ And He answered and said, ‘The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the age; and the reapers are angels. So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and will throw them into the fiery furnace; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.’” Matthew 13:36-43
“For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then repay each one according to his deeds. Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the Son of Man coming in His kingdom.” Matthew 16:27-28
“But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. And all the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.
“Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom, which has been prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? And when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
“Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ Then they themselves also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” Matthew 25:31-46
“For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when He comes in His glory, and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.” Luke 9:26
“Now may our God and Father Himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you, and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as we also do for you, so that He may strengthen your hearts blameless in holiness, before our God and Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.” 1 Thessalonians 3:11-13
“But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve as do the rest who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so God will bring with Him those who have fallen asleep in Jesus. For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18
“and to give rest to you who are afflicted and to us as well at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, executing vengeance on those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His might, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our witness to you was believed.” 2 Thessalonians 1:7-10
“Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sits on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; having a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself, and being clothed with a garment dipped in blood, His name is also called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. And from His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the wrath of the rage of God, the Almighty. And He has on His garment and on His thigh a name written, ‘KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.’
“Then I saw an angel standing in the sun, and he cried out with a loud voice, saying to all the birds which fly in midheaven, ‘Come, assemble for the great supper of God, so that you may eat the flesh of kings and the flesh of commanders and the flesh of strong men and the flesh of horses and of those who sit on them and the flesh of all men, both free men and slaves, and small and great.’
“Then I saw the beast and the kings of the earth and their armies assembled to make war with Him who sits on the horse and with His army. And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who did the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image. These two were thrown alive into the lake of fire which burns with brimstone. And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sits on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.” Revelation 19:11-21
With that issue out of the way, we are now ready to proceed to the next part.