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In light of this verse

“Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” ‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6:3‬ ‭

And taking into account that aggelos is a messenger, therefore a vocation description rather than a description of their being and attributes. Directing attention to their being

“Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭1:14‬ ‭

Is it therefore possible that not all heavenly hosts that have erred and await judgment are fallen? Is the passage in Corinthians an indication that they are not fallen? Or though fallen they are still angels? But at a minimum, either or, are under God’s jurisdiction?

For what shall we say of this example

“Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, 'I will entice him.' And the Lord said to him, 'By what means?' And he said, 'I will go out, and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets.' And he said, 'You are to entice him, and you shall succeed; go out and do so.'” ‭‭1 Kings‬ ‭22:21-22

Was this an “angel” or a fallen one?

We know satan has been judged and possibly all the rebelling sons of God as per Deu 32:8DDS and Psa82

“The Lord has broken the staff of the wicked, the scepter of rulers, that struck the peoples in wrath with unceasing blows, that ruled the nations in anger with unrelenting persecution.” ‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭14:5-6‬ ‭

This is judgment. And we can confirm that satan has been judged

“concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world IS judged.” ‭‭John‬ ‭16:11‬ ‭

Therefore unless they await further judgment they are excluded from the Corinthians passage.

Are therefore some angels that await judgment not also fallen? Or are they one and the same, namely, fallen but still angels?

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  • It would be necessary to consider 'elect angels' also. I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels . . . I Timothy 5:21. – Nigel J Jul 30 '19 at 16:29
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    Shall I include them too @NigelJ? – Nihil Sine Deo Jul 30 '19 at 18:26
  • Well, to be honest, I prompted the text because I thought you had forgotten all about the elect angels. Your question seems to imply that all angels are fallen. – Nigel J Jul 31 '19 at 6:34
  • I thought it was a given @NigelJ that not all angels will be judged, “those awaiting judgment” in contrast to those not awaiting it. This is why I wanted to focus only on those that await judgment. And whether or not those awaiting judgment are fallen angels, not fallen angels but have erred or both. – Nihil Sine Deo Jul 31 '19 at 12:15
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Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
-- 1 Corinthians 6:1 (KJV)

Paul's concern is about the Corinthians' lack of willingness to "resolve disputes" in-house. The judgment he is referring to has nothing to do with condemnation and "eternal judgment".

And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
-- Matthew 19:28 (KJV)

It seems there will still be a need for "dispute resolution" in the regeneration. The difference, however, between that world and this is that the judges will be moved by no motive other than serving the LORD, so their judgments will be without partiality and trustworthy.

Such a system the church should be emulating in this world. You know:

Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
-- Matthew 6:10 (KJV)

Additional comments

34And Jesus answering said unto them, The children of this world marry, and are given in marriage: 35But they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: 36Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.
-- Luke 20:34-36 (KJV)

According to Jesus, the citizens of the next world will be equal to the angels, so these are they for whom judges and judgment will be necessary in order to "resolve disputes" in that world.

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  • This answer does not discuss the texts quoted in the question and has avoided the subject (angels) of the question. – Nigel J Jul 31 '19 at 6:32
  • @NigelJ The text quoted was 1 Corinthians 6:3, whose context starts with 1 Corinthians 6:1, which the OP has ignored. Ignoring context is surely sloppy hermeneutics. – enegue Jul 31 '19 at 21:17
  • Very well, you’ve created the context @enegue for your posting, now follow through and explain v3, to what angels it’s referring to? (And consequently in what age). You started a fine argument but did not quite finish your thought. – Nihil Sine Deo Aug 1 '19 at 13:48
  • And in speaking of context where is he quoting from? Where does it say we will judge angels? It seems obvious enough to ask “do you not know...” as if they should have known. That’s really the context of the reference to angels, if you indeed have it or know where he is quoting from. – Nihil Sine Deo Aug 1 '19 at 14:18

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