Chapter 10: Immortal Divine Angels
Humans have sensed for centuries that there is more to life than the brief physical existence between birth and death – and this is true. Life continues in the spirit world with a spirit body after the physical body had been left behind in death. There is, however, a difference between the condition of a human soul in the spirit world just continuing its life, and a state where the extinction of life is an utter impossibility – even by God who, in the beginning of man’s existence, created that soul. True immortality is the state of the soul which knows that because of the divine essence and qualities of itself, it can never cease to live.
What applies on earth to created things having a beginning and an end – being dissolved into their elements – can also be true in the spirit world. Death is the process through which change from humanly visible to invisible occurs – the physical becomes spirit. This, however, of and by itself doesn’t guarantee everlasting existence. It is because the soul in the physical body is the same when it enters the spirit world. It had a beginning and is not self-existing or independent, and thus must rely on God’s will and sustenance by the Spirit of God for its continued existence.
Immortality can only be acquired from that which is immortal – it is not inherent in any created thing. Only God is immortal (1 Tim. 6:15-16), which means that His nature and qualities are immortal. The most important quality is Love – without it, God could not be God. In whatever the Divine Love enters, this being receives immortality – and it cannot receive immortality any other way. Whoever receives immortality can never die or cease to exist – they have passed beyond the “second death”. They are now divine angels, having had their soul transformed from a divine image into divine substance.
Immortal divine angels inhabit the Celestial Spheres, or Kingdom of God. Their soul qualities mirror the Father’s divine nature. The angels can continue to grow in the Divine Love and perfection till they get into the presence of the Father and are able to see Him with their ever-increasing and clearer soul perceptions.
The angels are now ministering to unredeemed humans and spirits. (This is also true of the perfected spirits in the spheres below the Celestial Kingdom.). Having had the experience of physical human existence with its accompanying sorrows, as well as that of redemption from their condition of sin and error, they love and can fully understand those they are serving. Even Jesus lived in a physical body, enabling him to understand the frailties, sufferings and longings of mortals. This labour of love towards the unredeemed brings the divine angels joy – especially when they see results.
The Bible mentions other angels who haven’t had the human experience, but they reside in other parts of heaven and are not involved with the work of human salvation. The divine angels in the Celestial Spheres are happy beyond human conception. Even though they are not dissatisfied in any way, the Law of Progression works with them so that they continue to long for higher life and seek for greater abundance of the Divine Love. So there is both perfect happiness and desire to progress to achieve fuller happiness.
While the world is full of false doctrines and beliefs which retard the soul’s progress and keep many from the Light (Col. 2:8(1); 2 John 1:7), there are also truths scattered throughout the various teachings and philosophies which show the way to the Celestial Kingdom of God. Those who understand God’s Love and Jesus’ teachings can grasp the real Truth of redemption once they learn it. A time is coming when the Truth will be universally taught, humanity will live in happiness, and the Kingdom of Heaven will exist on earth. The opportunity for redemption through the Divine Love will then be universally taught (Isa. 11:6-9; Hab. 2:14(2)).