Do Christians have the authority to command angels?

Question: "Do Christians have the authority to command angels?"

Answer: Without question people today are fascinated by the concept and study of angels, called "angelology," which depicts them in everything from jewelry and Christmas decorations to movies and television programs. Many Christians also believe they have the authority command angels to do their bidding, while others believe they can command angels (and even demons) in the name of Jesus.

There are no instances in Scripture where humans were able to give angels commands either directly or even through Jesus’ name. There are no passages where man has control over the work of the angels. We do know that they are above us since Jesus had to make Himself lower than the angels in order to come down and be born and suffer as a man (Hebrews 2:7-9; Psalm 8:4).

Additionally, as believers we do not have control over the angels. That is a false teaching made up by those who want to claim some great power over the spirit world that they do not have. The following passages, among others, show that men do not command angels, nor do angels obey the commands of men:

• Moses spoke of when the children of Israel “cried out to the LORD, he heard our cry, and sent an angel, and brought us out of Egypt” (Numbers 20:16). The Israelites did not command an angel to come to them. They appealed to God, under whose command the angels function.

• Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego refused to bow down to Nebuchadnezzar’s image, not knowing what God would do (Daniel 3:17-18). But God in His mercy “sent his angel and rescued his servants! They trusted in him and defied the king’s command and were willing to give up their lives rather than serve or worship any god except their own God” (Daniel 3:28). The Hebrew children did not order up the angel of the Lord. God did it. He “sent his angel” to deliver Daniel from the mouths of the lions in their den (Daniel 6:22).

• The church in Jerusalem prayed for Peter when he was in prison (Acts 12:5). But when Peter was delivered, he testified, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were anticipating” (Acts 12:11). The Christians praying for Peter were so surprised when he showed up at the door that they almost did not let him in. Certainly, they did not command any angel to go get him.

The bottom line to understanding the purpose and nature of angels is this: they are God’s “holy angels,” who do His bidding, not ours (Matthew 25:31; Revelation 14:10). As mere humans, we are sinful by nature, as the apostle Paul, in speaking of mankind, declared, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.” Knowing that, how could men ever have the right, much less the authority, to command these holy ministers of God Almighty? The answer: we cannot.

Recommended Resource: Angels: Elect & Evil by C. Fred Dickason.