Interest in the "Divine Council" concept has grown significantly over the past 10-15 years and is now gaining traction even within Reformed circles. At first glance, this theology may seem to have roots in pagan rituals or Eastern mysticism, with no biblical foundation. One common objection to the idea of a divine council is the assertion that "God does not need to counsel with created beings to accomplish His divine decree." I completely agree! God is self-sufficient and requires nothing outside Himself to fulfill His perfect will and purposes.
Recognizing the presence of a divine council in Scripture (which I will demonstrate biblically below) does not diminish God’s nature or lessen His power. To understand its significance, we must first grasp the council's purpose, which will then clarify its role in the story of redemption.
The historic confessions provide a clear framework for understanding how God accomplishes His divine decrees within the biblical narrative of redemption. Personally, I hold to the 1689 London Baptist Confession (LBC), though similar language can be found across all Reformed confessions. Chapter 3, paragraph 1 of the LBC presents the biblical view of God’s divine nature in relation to His decision-making process:
"God hath decreed in himself, from all eternity, by the most wise and holy counsel of His own will, freely and unchangeably, all things, whatsoever comes to pass."
Adherents of the Divine Council Worldview (DCW) see no conflict with this affirmed position, as the Bible clearly teaches the concept of causation. Biblical causation demonstrates how God, as the ultimate cause (or first cause), governs all things while utilizing natural events, human decisions, and spiritual means (or secondary causes) to accomplish His purposes. The divine council is made up of spiritual beings, and the above paragraph directly applies to them. There is nothing outside of God’s divine providence. LBC chapter 5, paragraph 2 explains how a divine council works within the biblical narrative of redemption by using causation:
"Although in relation to the foreknowledge and decree of God, the first cause, all things come to pass immutably and infallibly; so that there is not anything that befalls any by chance, or without His providence; yet by the same providence He ordered them to fall out according to the nature of second causes, either necessarily, freely, or contingently."
Reformers have readily embraced the teaching of the above paragraph when it pertains to human means. God commands the church to proclaim the gospel so that the lost may come to faith in Christ. While God, as the ultimate and sole first cause, has decreed this to occur, it is carried out through secondary causes—namely, the human church. The biblical narrative of redemption primarily emphasizes the role of humanity in God’s plan. At times, we are given insights into the spiritual realm and its workings, which, as our confession affirms, are also part of God’s divine plan for fulfilling His will.
We often overlook the role of secondary causes in the spiritual realm, most likely because they appear less frequently and are unfamiliar to our everyday experiences. Whenever angels deliver messages, defeat armies, or engage with humanity, they do so under God’s power and divine will. This leads to an important question: What is the purpose of the divine council, and why is it crucial for our understanding of God, salvation, and the story of redemption? Let’s dive in!
The Function of the Divine Council
Throughout human history, God has used human agents to carry out His plan of redeeming a people for Himself. He worked through Moses to free Israel from Egyptian slavery, through priests and prophets to speak on His behalf, through kings to lead the nations, and in the New Testament, through pastors and elders to guide the church in advancing the gospel.
In the spiritual realm, we are given glimpses into the heavenly orchestration of the story of redemption. While the Bible provides fewer details about the spiritual realm compared to Israel and the church, it clearly shows how God uses spiritual beings as secondary causes to fulfill His will.
One aspect of this structure in Scripture is what is known as the divine council, a gathering of spiritual beings whom God has chosen to carry out His work within both the spiritual and physical realms. Just as He has chosen humans to serve His earthly kingdom, He also chooses spiritual beings to fulfill His spiritual purposes and at times, even His physical purposes.
1 Kings
A perfect example of God using a council of spiritual beings to fulfill His decree is 1 Kings 22:
"And Micaiah said, 'Therefore hear the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing beside him on his right hand and on his left; and the LORD said, ‘Who will entice Ahab, that he may go up and fall at Ramoth-gilead?’ And one said one thing, and another said another. 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.’ Now therefore behold, the LORD has put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these your prophets; the LORD has declared disaster for you.’" (1 Kings 22:19-23)
This is a clear example of a courtroom where beings are engaged in discussion with the LORD. It is evident that the LORD is supreme, seated on His throne, and yet He asks the court who will go and fulfill His commands and how they will do it. Did God need to ask for their help? No! Does God need our help in sharing the gospel? No! Yet, God chooses to use weaker, created vessels to carry out His glorious and mighty work. He desires us to participate as secondary causes in fulfilling His magnificent plan of redemption.
Daniel
In the book of Daniel, there are several scenes of divine council or courtroom. Consider how Daniel 7:9-10 is depicted:
"As I looked, thrones were placed, and the Ancient of Days took his seat; his clothing was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool; his throne was fiery flames; its wheels were burning fire. A stream of fire issued and came out from before him; a thousand thousands served him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him; the court sat in judgment, and the books were opened."
We often overlook passages like these because we lack a mental framework for understanding how God reveals His secondary causation within the spiritual realm.
One of the most well-known stories told to children is how King Nebuchadnezzar was transformed into a wild beast because he believed he was more powerful than the Most High God. What many people don't recall, however, is how this verdict was pronounced upon the wicked king:
"I saw in the visions of my head as I lay in bed, and behold, a watcher, a holy one, came down from heaven." ( 4:13)
Daniel is the only book that refers to the spiritual beings in the council as the "watchers," but the concept of a council of beings working under God's rule is portrayed in various places throughout Scripture as we will continue to observe. In verse 17, we see that the king's fate was sealed "by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones." This indicates the existence of a group of holy beings, the watchers, who carry out God's will, though always under His supreme authority.
"The sentence is by the decree of the watchers, the decision by the word of the holy ones, to the end that the living may know that the Most High rules the kingdom of men and gives it to whom he will and sets over it the lowliest of men’" (v. 17).
The watchers, seated on the divine council, have delivered the King’s verdict. However, they are merely the secondary cause, as they act under whose authority? The authority of the Most High.
Job
The story of Job mirrors the courtroom scenes in 1 Kings and Daniel. In Job 1:6 and 2:1, we see the sons of God presenting themselves before the LORD:
"Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came among them." (1:6)
Some may argue that these sons of God refer to human rulers, but the context shows this is not the case. We learn that this same group of beings was also present during the creation of the world, as described in Job 38:4-5,7:
4 “Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. 5 Who determined its measurements—surely you know!...7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
Job is reminded that spiritual beings were present to witness and celebrate the marvels of creation. These same beings later appeared before the LORD alongside Satan, the great accuser. In my next article, we will revisit the phrase "sons of God" to explore more deeply who they are and how they fit into the narrative of the spiritual realm.
Isaiah
Most Christians are familiar with the famous phrase from Isaiah 6, "Here I am! Send me!" But do you know the context of where that phrase comes from? It originates in a courtroom of God's council in verses 1-8,
1In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew...5 And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!”...8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”
Zechariah
Zechariah 3:1-5 presents another well-known courtroom scene where God works through both spiritual and physical beings.
"Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, “The LORD rebuke you, O Satan! The LORD who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?” Now Joshua was standing before the angel, clothed with filthy garments. And the angel said to those who were standing before him, “Remove the filthy garments from him.” And to him he said, “Behold, I have taken your iniquity away from you, and I will clothe you with pure vestments.” And I said, “Let them put a clean turban on his head.” So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him with garments. And the angel of the LORD was standing by."
Jeremiah
The prophet Jeremiah warns Israel about the false prophets who have been leading the people astray, saying, “They speak visions from their own minds, not from the mouth of the LORD” (23:16b). According to Jeremiah, the visions these prophets claim to speak should come from God, from His divine council:
"For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word, or who has paid attention to his word and listened?" (v.18).
"But if they had stood in my council, then they would have proclaimed my words to my people, and they would have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their deeds" (v. 22).
The prophets Joshua and Isaiah are examples of those who stood in the council to receive from the Lord what they were to proclaim to the people. In contrast, Jeremiah warns the people that these false teachers speak from their own thoughts, not from the decrees of God.
Psalms
The last example from the Old Testament, Psalm 89:5-7 describes this council in worship:
"Let the heavens praise your wonders, O LORD, your faithfulness in the assembly of the holy ones! For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD? Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD, a God greatly to be feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all who are around him?"
I will delve deeper into this in my next article, but pay close attention to where the holy ones are gathered. The psalmist mentions the "heavens" and the "skies," indicating that the assembly is in the heavens, not on earth among humans.
Revelation
Revelation 4 and 5 present a final, yet powerful, depiction of a throne room where God is seated among His council. John offers us a glimpse into his vision of this awe-inspiring scene:
"At once I was in the Spirit, and behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne…Around the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns on their heads" (vv. 2-5).
I also use this section as a reminder that holding this position does not place these beings on the same level as God, nor does it imply that God is dependent on them. Verse 11 features a song of worship from the elders, praising God and singing,
“Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”
Next, we will encounter a similar courtroom scene where a question is posed to the council before the throne in Revelation 5:1-5, following the same format seen in 1 Kings 22 and Isaiah 6:
Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals."
You can go and read the rest of the account from verses 6-10, it is a beautiful scene of the Lamb proving he is worthy to take the scroll. I just want to point out one last section as it describes once again the scene of this divine council in verses 11-12:
"Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!”'
This is another depiction of a complete courtroom scene where spiritual beings serve as a council. It is both fitting and beneficial to imagine God seated among His created beings, collaborating with them to carry out His divine plan. In Revelation, we are filled with hope and awe as we witness the victorious Lamb, our King, who is worthy to open the scroll. The entire narrative of redemption ultimately directs us back to Jesus. The courtroom or council setting is not meant to divert our attention from Him but to guide us toward Him. In the end, we must all look to Christ as our Savior!
Conclusion
Within the biblical narrative of redemption, we encounter a divine courtroom where God, as the first cause, uses secondary causes to accomplish His will. These councils consist of created spiritual beings, sometimes referred to as watchers, spirits, sons of God, or elohim (gods). Scripture never suggests that these created beings are equal to God or that God depends on them to fulfill His will. What we do see is that God uses them, just as He uses humans in the physical realm, to carry out His purposes.
In my next article, I will explore another Psalm that focuses entirely on the divine council, revealing a council of beings who rebelled against the LORD. This rebellion becomes a key part of the redemption story. While it is true that God uses the holy ones, the watchers, the sons of God, or whatever title they may bear, as created beings to fulfill His will, we also see that, like humans, these beings have rebelled. Their rebellion plays a significant role in the ongoing battle between the two kingdoms—the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. We will dive deeper into Psalm 82 next.
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