There are not many angels named in the Bible. We do have Gabriel, Michael, and the most infamous, Lucifer. You probably know the latter one by the name Satan.
It seems, however, that no fallen angels are ever named in the Bible itself—at least, not in the Protestant Bible. Catholic Bibles name some of the demons who not only peeled away from God in heaven but wreaked havoc on earth. One of these, mentioned in the Book of Enoch, goes by the name Gadreel.
Today’s article will cover what he does, what the Book of Enoch says about him, and what we can learn from him.
This question is often asked. Unfortunately, if Gadreel does exist, he doesn’t appear to be a good angel at all.
He appears to have rebelled against God and, furthermore, corrupted his creation on multiple accounts.
Furthermore, Gadreel teaches us that demons have a hierarchy, just like angels. Some have more power than others. And, of course, with great power can come great condemnation, as is the case with Gadreel. We can imagine the severe punishment he would endure for his actions.
Gadreel is not mentioned in the Bible unless we count the Book of Enoch as part of it. Most Protestant circles have said the Book of Enoch was rejected from the canon of Scripture for a few reasons.
First, it seems that most of the councils in the early centuries of the church thought not to include it. Instead, they ushered it into a group of works called the Apocrypha. These are historically significant works, but they were not inspired by the Holy Spirit. They give us a peek into the lives of those in Israel, mainly during the Silent Years (the 400 years between Israel’s return to Jerusalem and Christ’s entrance).
Because Gadreel does not appear in the Bible, we must look to the Book of Enoch. However, we need to take it with a grain of salt. After all, the book was not inspired by the Holy Spirit, so we can’t say for certain what is accurate and inaccurate.
Gadreel appears in the Book of Enoch and in some Jewish mythological literature. Below, we will summarize some of the things these various works report Gadreel did.
Rebelled against God: Scripture tells us that up to one-third of the angels rebelled against God, led by Lucifer (Revelation 12:4). The Scripture explicitly states that one-third of the stars fell, and stars are often symbols of angels in the Bible. Gadreel belonged to the one-third. In fact, he seemed to be in a position of authority. He was part of an elite group of five known as the Grigori. You may have heard of this group, the Watchers, if you are familiar with some of the stories about angels included in the Apocrypha.
Was Part of the Grigori: So, what did the Grigori do? You may recall passages in the Bible that talk about the Nephilim. Many scholars have conjectured that demons mated with female humans to create demon-human children. In some instances, which seem to include Grigori, there are also demon-goat hybrids known as Azazel. Often, the name was given to the goat driven out into the desert in the Passover practice. If Gadreel was part of the Grigori, he would’ve led the charge in demons mating with females and forming giants, who wreaked havoc on the Israelites throughout their history. This was part of why God flooded the earth: because of the existence of the Nephilim.
Taught Humans How to Murder One Another: According to the Book of Enoch, the demons also taught humans some divine mysteries. Some taught humans how to corrupt their bodies. Others taught writing—especially writing that leads humans away from God. In the case of Gadreel, he appears to show humans how to kill one another more effectively, including introducing them to weapons of death such as swords, shields, and breastplates.
“Led Eve Astray”: Some have conjectured that he used to be the angel who guarded the Garden of Eden—which doesn’t make all that much sense as an angel wasn’t guarding it until Adam and Eve had sinned. But according to some mythology, he played a part in leading Eve astray. Christian doctrine states that Lucifer was the serpent in the garden, not Gadreel (essentially a mini devil, but not the Devil with a capital letter). So, we can likely disregard this conjecture about Gadreel’s dealings in the garden.
As you can see, it gets really trippy. Are we really to believe demons taught humans about weaponry and writing? After all, God is an author. And God gives us the Armor of God.
But perhaps we could see this from the angle of the demons corrupting things that exist. If the demons knew the author of life was a writer, perhaps they’d introduce a corrupt version of writing—one that blasphemes God, slanders neighbors and causes division.
In the same way, God may have the full armor of God to bequeath to us against spiritual powers, but he did not give us physical armor to kill others better.
It’s perhaps not too much of a stretch of the imagination that demons perhaps influenced the cultures of the earliest civilizations.
Although we can’t say for certain that Gadreel exists, we do know that demons do. The Bible talks repeatedly about fighting spiritual forces. Demons, consumed by pride, tried to take over heaven. When they were kicked out onto earth, they decided to take over that and destroy God’s creation. Here are some takeaways we can have from the story of Gadreel.
Demons corrupt what already exists.
You’ll notice that Satan cannot create; he can only corrupt. So when Gadreel steps onto the scene, he sees that he cannot make offspring on his own. So he and all the other demons hatch a plan: they corrupt humanity and form hybrids of themselves. He also must’ve been aware of God’s armor and decided to introduce humans to a corrupt version of it, the kind that would allow them to kill each other brutally. Wars have never ceased since.
Demons have ranks
We may recoil when we hear the idea of hierarchies, especially for those of us who tend to be at the bottom of the pyramid. But the truth is, Jesus had inner circles. He had three disciples whom he let see the transformation. Sometimes, God gives more responsibility to certain humans or angels. And Satan does the same with his demons. If Gadreel does exist, he would be a force to be reckoned with, being such a high-ranking demon.
Demons will be defeated.
Although it is frightening to read about demons—or even deal with them in the real world—we know that they have a limited amount of power. Jesus has more power than them, and those who abide in Jesus have access to this power. Furthermore, Jesus will ultimately defeat the demons, casting them to a fiery fate at the end of days.
The demons do know this and tremble and will attempt to take out as many as they can. So stay vigilant, and watch for how Satan twists and corrupts.
Photo Credit:©GettyImages/sqback
Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.
This article is part of our People of Christianity catalog that features the stories, meaning, and significance of well-known people from the Bible and history. Here are some of the most popular articles for knowing important figures in Christianity:
How Did the Apostle Paul Die?
Who are the Nicolaitans in Revelation?
Who Was Deborah in the Bible?
Who Was Moses in the Bible?
King Solomon's Story in the Bible
Who Was Lot's Wife in the Bible?
Who Was Jezebel in the Bible?
Who Was the Prodigal Son?