If you’ve been to more than five funerals in your life you’ve likely heard a touching poem about God taking an angel home. The mourning onlookers are often assured that the fella laying in the casket is now one of God’s angels in heaven.
It’s a warming sentiment but I always think to myself, “poor sap”. You see, not only is the idea that people become angels not a biblical concept—it’d be a terrible step down.
It’s Not Biblical
I’m really not certain of the origin of this concept. It’s certainly older than Clarence the Angel from It’s a Wonderful Life. Clarence, by the way, would make a terrific Mormon angel (at least until he gets his wings). Mormons believe that angels that visit us could be spirits of people that are not yet born, spirits of those that have been resurrected, or spirits of those that have already lived on earth.
So the concept is at least as old as Mormonism. But it’s likely much older than this. It certainly doesn’t come from the Scriptures. The closest thing that you could find would be Luke 20:34-36
“The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthy to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
Clearly, though, the point that Jesus is making is not that people become angels. Instead he is saying that people become as angels are—immortal.
Other Scripture makes it clear that we don’t become angels. In fact we will judge the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). Because of our union with Christ—the second Adam–though we are “for a little while lower than the angels” (Hebrews 2:7) eventually everything will brought again under our subjection. Hence we will judge the angels.
When you die you don’t become an angel. And you don’t want that anyways.
You Don’t Want To Be an Angel
Now, don’t get me wrong. If God had created you as angel then you’d delight in this fact. You aren’t ripped off in the least. But God has made you a human. And as such you have a preferred status.
In 1 Peter 1:12 we read that angels long to look into the things pertaining to salvation. Part of this longing is certainly our mystical union with Christ. He’s not afraid to call us “brother”. That’s not true of angels.
Consider this from John Flavel:
Great is the dignity of the angelical nature: the angels are the highest and most honorable species of creatures; they also have the honor continually to behold the face of God in heaven, and yet, in this one respect the saints are preferred to them, they have a mystical union with Christ, as their head of influence, by whom they are quickend with spiritual life, which the angels have not.
You won’t be an angel when you die. And thank God for that. Angels aren’t in union with Christ. But real flesh and blood people like you and I are in union with Christ. We’ll enjoy Him forever in a way that an angel cannot.
Thank you for this. Linking to my blog and sharing.