Judging Angels

Judging Angels 

Tuesday, May 27, 2025 

There are a curious couple of verses inside the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Church at Corinth. 

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (NLT) 

Don’t you realize that someday we believers will judge the world? And since you are going to judge the world, can’t you decide even these little things among yourselves? 

3 Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? So you should surely be able to resolve ordinary disputes in this life. 

First, we need to deal with the word “judge”. Believers will one day judge the world. This word refers more to magisterial and governmental roles than the black robe judges that we have in courtrooms today. For example, the Jewish people were ruled by Judges before the time of the Kings. 

Do you know about this future time when believers, in resurrected bodies (eternal flesh) will reign on the earth under the Kingdom authority of Christ? The Apostle John reveals this future time when believers will judge/rule the world for a period of 1,000 years. 

Revelation 20:6 (NLT) 

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. For them the second death holds no power, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him a thousand years. 

Jesus on the throne in Jerusalem and believers serving under His Kingdom authority in resurrected bodies for one thousand years. Can you mind comprehend this future Kingdom promise of God? 

But what about that next verse… Don’t you realize that we will judge angels? Humans will rule over angels! Believers who experience the first resurrection will rule over angels! What is that about? 

Today, we think about angels as being higher than man. Today, we see ourselves as subject to angels, lower than angels in God’s created order. That may be true now, but that is not the future plan of God revealed through the Book of Hebrews. 

Hebrews 2:5-8 (NLT) 

And furthermore, it is not angels who will control the future world we are talking about. 

6 For in one place the Scriptures say, “What are people [man] that you should think of them, or a son of man that you should care for him? 7 Yet you made them only a little lower than the angels and crowned them with glory and honor. 8 You gave them authority over all things.” Now when it says “all things,” it means nothing is left out. But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority. 

God didn’t create the earth and give it to angels. No! God created the earth and gave it to man and one day the dominion of earth will return to man, under the Kingdom authority of the perfect man, King Jesus. 

Not yet…But we have not yet seen all things put under their authority…not yet. The future world is going to be very different than we know today. Jesus, the Last Adam will come to reign on the earth as the Son of God and the Son of Man, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. 

Hebrews 2:9-10 (NLT) 

What we do see is Jesus, who was given a position “a little lower than the angels”; and because he suffered death for us, he is now “crowned with glory and honor.” Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone. 10 God, for whom and through whom everything was made, chose to bring many children into glory. And it was only right that he should make Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. 

A perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation. Yes, resurrected believers will one day judge/rule the world and have authority over angels under the absolute Kingdom authority of Jesus. I accept these prophetic promises of God as absolute truth even though my mind can barely comprehend the thought. 

Maranatha, Hosanna, Hallelujah and Amen, 

Terry Cooper