Can angels die?
That’s a good question! Perhaps we should consider what it means to “die” before we try to answer your question. The word “death” simply means “separation.” The Bible speaks of THREE kinds of death, which we will look at briefly.
1) In James 2:26 we read, “For as THE BODY WITHOUT THE SPIRIT IS DEAD, so faith without works is dead also” (NKJV). James teaches us here that the moment the “spirit” leaves the “body,” the body is dead. Thus the SEPARATION of one’s human spirit from the body results in PHYSICAL DEATH.
2) In Ephesians 2:1 it says, “And you were dead in trespasses and sins.” The apostle Paul is describing the believer’s former condition before he is born again; his sins have SEPARATED him from God and thus he is in a state of SPIRITUAL DEATH. The moment Adam sinned in the Garden of Eden he died spiritually, and he eventually experienced physical death. When the “human spirit” dies there is no love for God; in fact, the heart is in rebellion against God. This doesn’t mean the “spirit” ceases to be at some point in time; it just means there is no life towards God until one is born again.
3) In Revelation 20:13-14 we read of the third kind of death: “The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them…Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the SECOND DEATH.” At the final judgment the bodies of all unbelievers that were buried in the sea or in a grave will be resurrected and their spirits/souls that were in Hades will be delivered up. They will then be REUNITED and the whole person, body, soul and spirit, will be cast into the lake of fire where they will be SEPARATED from God forever.
Now for your question, “Can angels die?” Scripture is clear that angels do NOT have a physical body, for they ARE SPIRITS. Psalm 104:4 (which is also quoted in Hebrews 1:7) states, “Who makes His angels SPIRITS, His ministers a flame of fire.” Jesus often cast out demons (i.e. fallen angels) and they are referred to as SPIRITS. One of the most well-known examples is found in Mark 5 where Jesus was met by “a man with an unclean SPIRIT” (verse 2). In verse 8 we see Jesus saying, “Come out of the man, unclean spirit!” Angels can take the form of a human being (see Daniel 9:20-23 and 10:10-21), but as we saw In Psalm 104:4, “God makes His angels spirits,” so in their true form they lack a physical body. This means they can’t experience PHYSICAL DEATH.
There are angels that have sinned against God which resulted in SPIRITUAL DEATH. We read of some of them in 2nd Peter 2:4, “For if God spared not [the] angels WHO HAD SINNED, but having cast them down to the deepest pit of gloom has delivered them to chains of darkness [to be] kept for judgment.” At one time they were worshipping God and obeying Him, but they rebelled against Him and their sin was so hateful in God’s sight that He put them in a prison immediately until the final judgment. There are other angels that rebelled against God and they are still free to roam and exert their influence over mankind. But all the angels that sinned are, like men who sin, in a state of spiritual death where they have not love for God, but rather are enemies of God. But unlike men, there is no salvation offered to angels (see Hebrews 2:14-16 NKJV), so they will remain in a state of spiritual death forever.
Eventually all fallen angels will be cast into the lake of fire, the SECOND DEATH. Matthew 25:41 informs us that the lake of fire was actually made for them, for Jesus said: “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire PREPARED FOR THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS.” Revelation 20:14 speaks of the Devil’s consignment to Hell, “The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone.” (280.5) (DO)