Can Angels Create? My First "Showerthoughts" Entry

The Watchtower's Evolving Teachings on Angelic Materialization

The Jehovah’s Witnesses’ understanding of how angels materialized and later lost this ability has evolved over time. While the core teaching remains that fallen angels once took on human form to father the Nephilim, the details surrounding how this was possible—and what it means about angelic abilities—have been adjusted over the years.

1. Early Watchtower Beliefs (Late 19th – Early 20th Century)

Under Charles Taze Russell, the Watch Tower Society taught that angels could materialize into fully functional human bodies. This belief was supported by references to biblical accounts, such as the angels visiting Abraham and Lot (Genesis 18–19), who ate, drank, and looked like ordinary men.

• Materialization was viewed as a natural angelic ability—used by both faithful and fallen angels. The fallen ones, who later became demons, are said to have misused this ability to cohabit with women, leading to the birth of the Nephilim, described in Genesis 6:1–4.

• This is consistent with Watchtower statements such as:

  “These ‘sons of the true God’ were disobedient angels who forsook their positions in heaven, materialized in human form, and married attractive women.”
  — The Watchtower, September 2017, article: "The Truth About Angels"

• The Watchtower also describes the Nephilim as:

  “giant superhuman offspring of wicked angels and human women.”
  — JW.org article: "Who Were the Nephilim? Giants in the Bible"

This interpretation is rooted in extra-biblical literature like the Book of Enoch (not accepted by Jehovah’s Witnesses as canonical), but the Watchtower echoes its core ideas.

2. The 1930s–1950s: Clarifying Angelic Limits

As the organization moved into the Rutherford era, there was a theological shift toward rejecting anything resembling spiritism or spiritualist movements of the time.

• Angels were still believed to have materialized in pre-Flood times, but now this ability was framed as being permitted by Jehovah—not something they inherently possessed on their own. The Watchtower emphasized that after the Flood, Jehovah permanently removed their ability to assume physical form.

• From then on, these disobedient angels, now referred to as demons, could only act invisibly—primarily through possession, spiritistic practices, and mental influence.

• While specifics were never fully explained, the Watchtower clarifies:

  “After the Flood, those angels dematerialized and were confined to a condition of spiritual darkness.”
  — Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 1, "Demons"; also echoed in various Watchtower publications.

This doctrine also relies on interpretations of 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 6, which are cited to explain that these angels were cast into Tartarus, a symbolic place of restraint.

3. 1960s–1980s: Strengthening the "Satan’s System" Narrative

During this period, the Nephilim story was emphasized as part of a broader apocalyptic worldview—used to warn Jehovah’s Witnesses about the dangers of Satan’s control over human society.

• Materialization of angels was still referenced, but mainly to draw parallels between the corruption before the Flood and modern immorality.

• The Watchtower reinforced warnings against exposure to media involving angels, demons, or anything supernatural, claiming that such content was spiritually dangerous and influenced by Satan and his demons.

This era heavily featured Satanic panic rhetoric and positioned the Nephilim account as historical precedent for modern-day demonic deception.

4. 1990s–Present: Doctrinal Streamlining and Ambiguity

In more recent publications, the Watchtower has become more cautious and vague about explaining how angels materialized:

• The narrative now emphasizes that the angels “assumed fleshly bodies” rather than suggesting they created them.

• This wording avoids suggesting that fallen angels had creative power, which would contradict the core teaching that only Jehovah and Jesus are Creators.

• Example from the Insight on the Scriptures encyclopedia:

  "The materialized bodies of the disobedient angels were evidently capable of performing all the functions of human bodies, including procreation."
  — Insight on the Scriptures, Vol. 2, "Nephilim" (WOL Reference)

Today’s articles avoid expanding on the mechanics of materialization and focus instead on moral lessons—emphasizing obedience, purity, and watchfulness.

5. Theological Contradictions Still Unresolved

Despite this doctrinal evolution, several theological contradictions remain unresolved in Watchtower literature:

The Watchtower's present-day stance intentionally avoids technical discussion of angelic materialization, leaving many open-ended questions. These gaps leave me with lingering questions. The official teachings seem internally inconsistent and rest on an unclear mix of literal and symbolic interpretation.

When I try to make sense of how all the parts fit together, it just doesn’t add up.

The way the doctrine is presented, it looks very much like angels—beings who are not creators—were somehow able to form physical human bodies for themselves. Not just temporary appearances, but bodies that could eat, drink, have sexual relations, and even produce offspring with human women. That sure sounds like creation to me, and that’s where the logic completely breaks down.