Can We Command Angels?

I think I was in my second or third year of university when I first heard someone lead a prayer asking us to command our angels to “get to work.” Even as a teenager, I was baffled by the idea. I grew up in what I can describe as a moderately charismatic setting, but I had never perceived angels as spirits meant to receive instructions from men. And true to form, I decided to do some Bible study to investigate the truth of this claim.

The short answer?

No, we do not have the authority to give commands to angels.

But let us walk through it properly.

What Are Angels, Biblically Speaking?

Before we can answer whether we can command angels, we need to understand what angels are, particularly how the Scripture presents them. On this topic, there is an egregious amount of extra-biblical content that has somehow formed the backbone of Christian thought about angels and demons. So let us go back into the text.

Angels are mentioned about 273 times in the Bible. And what we read about them might surprise you, because they are far from the chubby little winged cherubs portrayed in Renaissance art.

Angels in the Bible are often described with awe-inspiring characteristics. Some have wings (like the cherubim and seraphim), others have faces like animals, and many appear simply in the form of men, but one thing is common: they are always described to possess undeniable majesty and grandeur.

The first indirect mention of angels is in Genesis:

“Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.” - Genesis 2:1

That “host” includes angelic beings.

We also know that angels were created before the world:

“Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” - Job 38:6–7

Angels are spiritual beings who do not die.

“Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” - Luke 20:36

Even though they have superior knowledge compared to humans, angels are still created beings and are therefore limited. They are not omniscient (they do not know all things), omnipresent (they cannot be everywhere at the same time) or omnipotent (they do not have unlimited power). These are attributes only God has. They report to God and take commandments from Him.

“Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.” - Psalm 103:20

Only four angels are named in the Bible: Michael, Gabriel, Lucifer (Satan) and Abaddon (Apollyon).

Angels are spiritual beings with intelligence, emotion, and will. They have their own "personhood". They are not robots or mere "forces". They can think (as we see in their interactions with humans documented in the Bible), they can feel things (e.g. joy, longing), and they make choices.

The prophet Isaiah gives us insight into the fall of Lucifer, a once-brilliant angel who chose rebellion.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! ... For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God... I will be like the most High.” - Isaiah 14:12–14

And Jude reminds us that those who rebelled are already awaiting judgment:

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.” - Jude 1:6

Can We Command Angels?

So here’s the big question: Can believers command angels?

Some people think they can issue orders to angels directly. Others say we can do it “in Jesus’ name.” But the Bible gives us no such instruction.

There is no instance in Scripture where humans (believers, prophets, or apostles) ever commanded angels. Not directly, nor by invoking Jesus’ name.

We are told that angels are of a higher order than man. Even Jesus had to descend below them to live and suffer as a man.

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death...” - Hebrews 2:9

But Didn’t Jesus Say He Could Call Angels?

Look at what Jesus said:

“Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?” - Matthew 26:53

But note: “pray to my Father.” He wasn’t commanding angels Himself, but talking about asking the Father.

Also, Jesus asking specifically for angels to be sent, was on the basis of His divine authority. We must be careful not to apply what we call divine prerogatives to ourselves. This is Christology 101 - when Jesus walked the earth, He was fully man and fully God, and there were some actions He took (such as forgiving sins, commanding nature, etc.) that were done in His capacity as God.

If this was something believers were meant to do, we would have seen the apostles do the same. But we don’t.

But Don’t We Have Authority in Christ?

Now, another argument people use, particularly common among modern-day charismatics, is the sweeping generalisation that because we have received authority in Christ, we can therefore lord this authority over all of God’s creation, including angels.

This line of thinking is not just theologically inaccurate but misleading and dangerous.

Yes, it’s true that believers have been given authority, but we must understand the nature and scope of that authority. It is delegated, limited, and functional, not absolute. Our authority is exercised under Christ’s Lordship, not apart from it.

“And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” - Ephesians 2:6

This speaks of our positional identity in Christ. But positional truths should not be confused with operational license. Being seated with Christ in heavenly places does not mean we can call the shots in the universe. We are not cosmic managers but subjects of the King.

The divine order is clearly laid out:

"But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God.” - 1 Corinthians 11:3

Even Christ, in His role as the Son, is subject to the Father. How then do we suppose that believers, still subject to Christ, have sovereign authority to direct angelic beings?

The Bible reinforces that all principalities and powers, including angels, were created by Christ and for Him, not for us:

“For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth... whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him.” - Colossians 1:16

This unqualified assumption of believers' authority turns grace into arrogance. Angels do not obey us; they obey God. 

"Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word.”

Authority in Christ means we walk in victory over sin, we exercise spiritual discernment, we pray in alignment with God's will, but it does not mean we get to commandeer the spiritual realm.

When Angels Intervened in Scripture

There are multiple occasions where angels were sent to help people, but in every single one, they were sent by God in response to prayer, obedience, or divine purpose, not human command.

Moses recounts:

“And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and sent an angel, and hath brought us forth out of Egypt...” - Numbers 20:16

Daniel says:

“My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not hurt me...” - Daniel 6:22,

When Peter is imprisoned in Acts 12, the church prays and God responds.

“And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison... and his chains fell off from his hands.” - Acts 12:7

The believers were so surprised at Peter’s release that they initially did not believe it had happened. It is clear from reading the text (if you are not reading something else into it) that they were not "orchestrating angelic assignments", they were simply praying and God answers their prayers through deploying angelic rescue for Peter.

What About Hebrews 1:14?

This is often the go-to verse for those who argue that angels are at our command.

“Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” - Hebrews 1:14

Yes, angels minister to us. But the emphasis is on them being “sent forth”. They are deployed by God! Not once does this imply that we, as believers, direct them.

Even in moments of great need, it is God who sends help.

When Jesus was in Gethsemane, look at the Biblical account :

“And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.” - Luke 22:43

The angel was not summoned by Jesus’ command but sent by the Father.

So, What’s Our Role?

We pray. We trust. And we praise God when He sends help.

We do not command angels. That is God’s prerogative.

“For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.” - Psalms 91:11

Notice who gives the charge: God!

Now let this encourage you: the fact that God would send such powerful beings to minister to us should tell you just how precious we are to Him.

The glory is not in what angels do, but in who sends them.

“Then saith he [the angel] unto me, See thou do it not [worshipping the angel]: for I am thy fellowservant... worship God.” - Revelations 22:9