Is the Divine Council Heresy?
Many Christians encountering the phrase “Divine Council” for the first time wonder if it teaches heresy or polytheism. The question often arises from misunderstanding how the Bible itself uses the term elohim (“gods”) and how passages like Psalm 82 describe God’s relationship with the heavenly host. The Divine Council, according to Scripture, is not a challenge to biblical monotheism but an explanation of how God governs the unseen realm. Michael Heiser, whose research helped recover this biblical idea, insists that the Divine Council worldview is completely compatible with the historic faith of Israel and the Church. The Bible presents Yahweh as utterly unique—above every power, authority, and heavenly being—and all others as created servants who carry out his purposes.
This article examines what the Divine Council means, why it is not heresy, and how it deepens our understanding of salvation and the Gospel’s cosmic scope.
1) What the Bible Means by “Divine Council”
According to the Bible, the Divine Council refers to the heavenly assembly over which Yahweh rules. Psalm 82 opens with the statement: “God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.” This council is not a pantheon of equal deities. Instead, it is God’s heavenly court—his spiritual bureaucracy, so to speak—through which he governs creation.
Several Old Testament passages describe this reality:
1 Kings 22:19–22 shows a heavenly scene where the Lord sits enthroned with “the host of heaven” standing before him.
Job 1–2 depicts “the sons of God” presenting themselves before Yahweh.
Daniel 7 portrays “the Ancient of Days” surrounded by myriads of servants.
These passages describe the same pattern: Yahweh presides as supreme ruler; created spiritual beings participate in his administration. The Bible uses “elohim” to describe all inhabitants of the spiritual world, including angels, spirits, and the lesser heavenly powers. This does not make them equal to God; it merely identifies their dwelling place as spiritual rather than physical.
2) The Divine Council and Biblical Monotheism
Critics sometimes assume that Psalm 82 implies polytheism because it mentions multiple “gods.” However, as Heiser and many Hebrew scholars have noted, the psalm’s entire point is that Yahweh stands in judgment over these other elohim. They are not rivals but subjects. The psalm ends with a declaration of monotheism: “Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations.”
This theme aligns with Deuteronomy 32:8–9, where the Most High divided the nations “according to the number of the sons of God” but chose Israel as his portion. Yahweh remains supreme, while the other divine beings function under his authority—some obedient, others corrupt. Far from introducing heresy, the Divine Council framework explains why Scripture speaks of “other gods” yet consistently condemns idolatry.
Ancient Israel’s worldview acknowledged spiritual beings without surrendering monotheism. Jewish thinkers of the Second Temple period, including the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls, recognized multiple heavenly powers serving under one God. Their belief was not that there were “many gods” equal to Yahweh but that creation included visible and invisible hierarchies. Early Christians continued this logic by identifying Jesus, the incarnate Word, as the visible Yahweh—sharing God’s identity while distinct in person.
3) When “Two Powers” Became Heresy
In the centuries before Christ, Jewish theology allowed discussion of multiple divine manifestations of Yahweh. For instance, passages such as Genesis 19:24 (“the Lord rained fire from the Lord out of heaven”) and Daniel 7 (where one “like a son of man” approaches the Ancient of Days) presented a complexity within the Godhead. Early Christians recognized in these patterns the revelation of Jesus as the divine Son who shares Yahweh’s nature.
Only later, in the second century AD, did rabbinic authorities formally label the “Two Powers in Heaven” doctrine heretical—primarily in reaction to Christian claims about Jesus’ divinity. The early Church did not invent a second deity; it affirmed that the God of Israel had revealed himself through the Word made flesh (John 1:1–14). Thus, belief in the Divine Council harmonized naturally with faith in Christ, not against it.
The Divine Council worldview actually supports biblical monotheism by clarifying how one sovereign God can rule a populated spiritual world without contradiction. Just as kings have courts without ceasing to be kings, Yahweh has a council without ceasing to be the only true God.
4) Why the Divine Council Matters for Biblical Theology
Understanding the Divine Council enriches how we read Scripture as one story of God’s rule and restoration:
It explains the nations. After Babel (Genesis 11; Deuteronomy 32:8–9), God disinherited rebellious nations and assigned them to lesser powers. Yet he promised through Abraham that “all nations of the earth will be blessed.”
It frames the mission of Israel. Israel was chosen as Yahweh’s portion, a priestly people to display his justice and holiness among the nations.
It clarifies the Gospel’s cosmic dimension. When Jesus declared, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me” (Matthew 28:18), he was announcing the reversal of Babel—the reclaiming of every nation from hostile powers (Acts 2; Colossians 2:15).
It reveals our vocation. Humanity’s original calling to image God (Genesis 1:26–28) is restored through Christ. Believers are seated with him “in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 2:6), sharing his authority over creation.
The Divine Council, then, is not fringe speculation but biblical theology: it traces God’s purpose to reunite heaven and earth under the reign of Christ.
5) Why It Is Not Heresy
To call the Divine Council heresy misunderstands both Scripture and history. Heresy denies who God is or what the Gospel teaches. The Divine Council affirms that:
There is only one uncreated God, Yahweh. All other spiritual beings are created.
God alone is to be worshiped. Even angels forbid worship (Revelation 22:8–9).
Christ shares Yahweh’s identity. He is not another god but the incarnate Lord (Philippians 2:9–11).
The heavenly host serves God’s plan. Their existence magnifies his majesty rather than competing with it.
The confusion often comes from reading modern categories into ancient texts. The Bible does not teach philosophical monotheism (that only one being exists in heaven) but biblical monotheism—that only one being is ultimate, sovereign, and worthy of worship. Everything else, visible or invisible, is creaturely. The Divine Council reveals a world alive with spiritual agency, yet wholly under the reign of the Creator.
6) The Gospel and the End of the Powers
According to Scripture, the Gospel is the means by which God reclaims what was lost. The powers that once ruled the nations are disarmed through Christ’s cross (Colossians 2:15). Pentecost signals the beginning of their downfall, as the Spirit empowers believers to proclaim the kingdom to every nation (Acts 2). The Church’s mission continues this divine reversal: calling humanity back from false gods to the living God.
In the end, the Bible envisions a renewed creation where the Divine Council’s rebellion is finally judged. Revelation 20–22 describes the full restoration: heaven and earth united, God dwelling among his people, and redeemed humanity reigning with Christ. The council imagery comes full circle—the righteous now rule with the Messiah over a restored Eden.
Far from being heretical, the Divine Council worldview magnifies the Gospel’s scope. It shows that salvation is not merely individual forgiveness but the cosmic renewal of God’s kingdom.
Key Summary Points
The Divine Council is the heavenly assembly through which God rules creation.
The term elohim refers to spiritual beings, not to gods equal with Yahweh.
Psalm 82 condemns corrupt heavenly rulers and affirms God’s supreme authority.
The Bible’s monotheism allows for a populated spiritual world under one sovereign Lord.
Early Jews and Christians saw no contradiction between the Divine Council and worship of the one God.
The Gospel restores humanity’s role in God’s rule and reclaims the nations lost at Babel.
The end goal is the unification of heaven and earth under Christ’s eternal reign.
Bible Verses about the Divine Council
“God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment.” (Psalm 82:1)
“Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations.” (Psalm 82:8)
“When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance… he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. But the Lord’s portion is his people.” (Deuteronomy 32:8–9)
“Beware lest you raise your eyes to heaven and see the sun and the moon and the stars… things that the Lord your God has allotted to all the peoples.” (Deuteronomy 4:19–20)
“I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him.” (1 Kings 22:19)
“The prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days, but Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me.” (Daniel 10:13)
“All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18)
“He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” (Colossians 2:15)
“[God] seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion.” (Ephesians 1:20–21)
“They will reign with him for ever and ever.” (Revelation 22:5)
