Philippians 2:10-11 ESV
The Divine Council-the Heavenly Host
The divine council, also referred to as the heavenly host or host of heaven, are spiritual beings created by God, whose normal abode is the spiritual realm of heaven. They are always present with Yahweh in heaven, unless sent by the Father to earth for His purposes. Sometimes the Bible refers to the divine council as the divine assembly, both denote the existence of a group. Yahweh, the Creator, the Most High, is also a spirit. Since the divine council is always present with God, the Most High, a hierarchy exists in the spiritual realm of the heavens between the Father and the divine council. A hierarchy also exists withing the spiritual divine council itself. For example, the difference between and archangel and an angel. God does not need any entity's help for anything. He chose to use both spiritual beings and human beings to worship Him and to serve as administrators and messengers of His purposes, all for His benefit. The Most High has chosen, His spiritual realm administrators and messengers to be the divine council.
This painting, by Michelangelo is entitled "The Creation of Adam".
This fresco is part of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, showing Michelangelo's artistic interpretation of the divine council's presence with God in heaven.
The divine council members were created by God
God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are eternally existing, but everything else was created by Them.
Colossians 1:16 …English Standard Version
16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.
What was there before the Creation of the universe and all therein?
Before the Creation of the universe, there was God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, existing in the eternal, supernatural, unseen, spiritual realm.
The Trinity, the Godhead, was complete, lacking nothing. According to Their will and plan, they created all the heavenly hosts, those whose primary appointed dwelling place was the invisible, supernatural, spiritual realm of the heavens. Then They created the visible, natural, physical realm of the universe and all that dwell therein.
The sons of God, the morning stars, sang together and shouted for joy as they watched God create the universe and all who dwell therein.
Job 38:4-7 English Standard Version
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! Or who stretched the line upon it? 6 On what were its bases sunk, or who laid its cornerstone, 7 when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Nehemiah 9:6… ESV
6 “You are the Lord, you alone. You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them; and you preserve all of them; and the host of heaven worships you.
Biblical examples of divine council meetings
The image below is a ceiling fresco titled "Council of the Gods" in Galleria Borghese, Rome, painted by Giovanni Lanfranco in 1624 A.D.
Psalm 82 is a divine council meeting where God is announcing judgment on the 70 sons of God assigned to guide the descendants of Noah to multiply and to spread out over the face of the earth. These sons of God, divine council members themselves, rebelled and lead Noah's descendants to settle in Shinar to build a name for themselves, instead of building a name for God throughout the earth. That initial story is told in Genesis 11 concerning the building of the tower of Babel. Deuteronomy 32 also part of this divine rebellion story.
Psalm 82 ...ESV
Rescue the Weak and Needy
A Psalm of Asaph.
82 God has taken his place in the divine council; in the midst of the gods he holds judgment: 2 “How long will you judge unjustly and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
3 Give justice to the weak and the fatherless; maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute. 4 Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
5 They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. 6 I said, “You are gods, sons of the Most High, all of you; 7 nevertheless, like men you shall die, and fall like any prince.” 8 Arise, O God, judge the earth; for you shall inherit all the nations!
Genesis 11:1-9 ESV
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
Deuteronomy 32:8-9 ESV
8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he divided mankind, he fixed the borders of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. 9 But the Lord's portion is his people, Jacob his allotted heritage.
Workings within a divine council meeting
1 Kings 22 is an example of a divine council meeting where God decrees that it is time for Ahab to die. The divine council meeting took place in heaven. Yahweh was sitting on His throne with His heavenly host standing around Him.
1 Kings 22:20, the Father has decided to entice Ahab to join a battle so he would be killed, and He asks two questions. First, who will entice Ahab to join the battle, and second, how will this enticement happen?
1 Kings 22:19-23 ESV
19 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; 20 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. 21 Then a spirit came forward and stood before the Lord, saying, ‘I will entice him.’ 22 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.’ 23 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.”
Statue by Michael Jaletzke, July 2007, used by permission.
Hopefully, an understanding of how Yahweh designed and created His spiritual being family to have the same free will as when He created His human being family.
We humans all sin, and deserve eternal punishment along with the rebellious divine council in hell; but only through God's immeasurable grace, can we be forgiven of all our sins... simply by confessing sin, asking forgiveness from Jesus, believing in your heart, confessing with your mouth, that Jesus Christ is Lord.
You can do that right now, just believe. Everyone, will meet Jesus when they die and all will make that confession, that Jesus Christ is Lord. If that's the first time you've made that confession, you're headed to hell.
Why wait?
It's starting to become clear, forgiveness for His human family is different for His spiritual family, the divine council.