
“Do You Not Know That We Will Judge Angels?” What Paul Assumes about a Common Eschatology
In 1 Corinthians 6:3, Paul asks, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” When read from the Divine Council worldview (DCW) perspective, the question tugs at several biblical-theological threads that influence the view of Christ’s people in the eschaton and their participation in divine governance. As Paul’s rhetorical question indicates, followers of Christ will, in some way, participate in the final judgment of angels, understood under the DCW as fallen spiritual beings (the consummation of the Psalm 82 judgment as revisited in Revelation 20:11-15). Scripture presents the saints as co-rulers with Christ, as seen in Revelation 2:26-27, where Jesus declares, “The one who conquers and who keeps my works until the end, to him I will give authority over the nations.” Likewise, Revelation 5:10 affirms that those belonging to Christ will be made “a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.” Paul assumes a seemingly general knowledge of the day, that “believers, having been exalted with Christ who rules over all powers, will play a role in the final judgment of those powers.”

The Divine Council Worldview (DCW)
Three words comprise the term ‘Divine Council Worldview’ (DCW). Divine refers to beings of non-human spiritual, divine, or angelic origin. These beings, it is argued, make up a council in the heavens that operates under the authority of a supreme deity. A worldview is a particular philosophy of life or conception of the world that an individual holds. To say there is a Divine Council Worldview is to say that the presence of a Divine Council governs how you think about the world, mainly how it affects one’s personal life philosophy.