When Jesus returns he will not be alone. According to the New Testament, he will be accompanied by angels.
For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done. (Matt. 16:27)
In light of that verse and others, the “holy ones” below probably refers to angels.
- May he strengthen your hearts so that you will be blameless and holy in the presence of our God and Father when our Lord Jesus comes with all his holy ones. (1 Thess. 3:13)
- Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones. (Jude 14)
- Many think Jude’s statement is based, at least in part, on Zechariah: “Then the Lord my God will come, and all the holy ones with him” (14:5).
What does this show?
The idea that the Lord will appear with others is ancient, at least 2500 years old. And Jesus will not merely appear with a couple of angels; he will come with thousands.
The Lord appearing in the company of angels is not an entirely new concept. Angels were in attendance during Jesus’ first appearance—his life on earth two thousand years ago.
- before his birth an angel appeared to both Mary and Joseph on separate occasions,
- when he was born a great company of angels declared God’s praises,
- after his temptation angels attended him,
- before his crucifixion an angel strengthened him,
- after his death, angels announced his resurrection,
- after his ascension “two men dressed in white” spoke with his disciples.
So what is Jesus’ relationship to angels?
- When Jesus was arrested, he told his companions: “Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt. 26:53).
- Peter says “angels, authorities and powers” are “in submission to him” (1 Pet. 3:22).
- Revelation describes a scene where “thousands upon thousands” of angels are worshiping God and the Lamb or Jesus (5:11). And Hebrews says, “Let all God’s angels worship him” (1:6).
The point is simple: Jesus is the Lord of angels. They are his servants who do his bidding.
Why will Jesus return with angels?
Because they have a job to do.
- As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear. (Matt. 13:40-43)
- This is how it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come and separate the wicked from the righteous and throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:49-50)
- Then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in heaven. And then all the peoples of the earth will mourn when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other. (Matt. 24:30-31)
- Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” (Jude 14-15)
I think I have always imagined angels suspended in mid-air while flying back and forth around the world gathering and separating. But Matthew 25 gives us a different picture:
When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. (vv. 31-33)
In that description, the separation occurs while Jesus is sitting on a throne, not descending on a cloud. Which is right? Well, where does it say that angels will be flying back and forth? I think I was adding assumptions to passages like Matthew 24:30-31.
In the end, angels appear to carry out judgment. As a result, they are a threat to evildoers. After mentioning divine retribution, Paul says, “This will happen when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven in blazing fire with his powerful angels” (2 Thess. 1:7). But if this final separation occurs, how can “all things be reconciled to God” (Col. 1:20) and how can God “be all in all” (1 Cor. 15:28)? I discuss possible answers to this question in my book, Surprised by Hell.
After graduating from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, I served as a high school Bible teacher in Asia. I enjoy traveling, writing, and playing the drums. For a deep dive into church history and the character of God, see my book Surprised by Hell.