What Happened to the Divine Council?
The Biblical authors portray God as ruling from his throne in heaven, surrounded by a council of heavenly beings. This ‘divine council’ appears in multiple Old Testament passages, functioning as God’s heavenly court intended to mediate his governance to all the nations. But by the time of the New Testament, this council was removed from power due to rebellion against God and was replaced by the sole authority of Christ. To ask what happened to the divine council is to trace the story from creation to the consummation of God’s kingdom in the end.
“Do You Not Know That We Will Judge Angels?” What Paul Assumes about a Common Eschatology
In 1 Corinthians 6:3, Paul asks, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” When read from the Divine Council worldview (DCW) perspective, the question tugs at several biblical-theological threads that influence the view of Christ’s people in the eschaton and their participation in divine governance. As Paul’s rhetorical question indicates, followers of Christ will, in some way, participate in the final judgment of angels, understood under the DCW as fallen spiritual beings (the consummation of the Psalm 82 judgment as revisited in Revelation 20:11-15). Scripture presents the saints as co-rulers with Christ, as seen in Revelation 2:26-27, where Jesus declares, “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” Likewise, Revelation 5:10 affirms that those belonging to Christ will be made “a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Paul assumes a seemingly general knowledge of the day, that “believers, having been exalted with Christ who rules over all powers, will play a role in the final judgment of those powers.”