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God has always existed. Even before He created the universe and the angels, He existed. God has always existed independent of man, angels, the universe, or even time itself.
John 1:1-3 (KJV)
1In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2The same was in the beginning with God. 3All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.
John 1:14 (KJV)
14And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.
The Word was Jesus Christ. He existed at the very beginning of the creation of our universe, and there was reciprocity between the Word and God, the Father. Jesus, the Son, existed and enjoyed reciprocity with God from the very beginning of time as we know it. Since the Scriptures also tell us that Jesus was begotten, not created, I think that He is as we might say a chip off the old block. Begotten means to be fathered by or sired by their father. We are not told how God accomplished this but it was certainly in a different fashion than we humans are begotten. Since Jesus is the Son of God I believe that God probably brought him into existence some time prior to the beginning of time as we know it because He was there at the very beginning of the material creation of our universe. In any case everything came into being through him, and without him, nothing has come into being which has in fact come into being.
This is a very important point, because we need to remember that for all his terrible power, Satan is still only a creature, operating entirely within the universe of time and space which God and his Son has created, and is therefore entirely subject to God's sovereign will and omnipotence.
Acts 17:24-25 (KJV)
24God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things;
After much intense study of the Scriptures, I have become thoroughly convinced that the basics of our world and the angelic world are much older than the 6000 years that many have concluded. The God that I know is one who typically uses the natural things at hand to accomplish his purposes. I believe that God has made our world and our universe into a habitable place more than once. I also believe that at some point even before time began as we know it that God brought his Son, Jesus into being. Jesus, the Son, then was the primary being involved in the creation of all material things from nothing. I believe that He originally created all the original universe, including the original earth, from nothing. I believe that the original earth was a beautiful place and was one of the primary locations for the angels which He created at some time long before the 6 day restoration of the current earth described starting in Genesis 1:3.
The Scriptures tell us that the angels were present and expressed joy at the time of creation of man. I believe that there were creatures upon the original earth and this possibly accounts for some of the archeological finds. There may even have been human like creatures, but these creatures would probably have been more like animals than man as we know them today. We are told that man was created in the image of God during the 6 day restoration. It seeems to imply that this is the first time that a creature was created in the image of God. I believe that in addition to other things it indicates that we were made with a material body but also with a spirit. Previous creatures would have had material bodies but probably had no spirit just as all other animals. I believe that this original earth was destroyed because of the rebellion of Satan and his followers and was destroyed by a great flood. This is the condition in which we find the earth at the beginning of the 6 day restoration that begins in Genesis 1:2 where it is without form and void. The concept that God would destroy the earth more than once is not surprising since we find in the Scriptures that He will again destroy it in our future (this time by fire) and will make a new heavens and a new earth. More on this subject is covered in detail in another study on my web site. (See Generations Of The Earth).
We have often heard that there is a great controversy between God and Satan. The truth, however, is that if it should please God to annihilate the devil and his followers at any time He possesses the power to do so. That He has not done so, I believe, is most revealing of his awesome character. He allows Satan to exist and even allows Satan's rebellion to run its course. God wants to let all his creatures that contain a spirit choose whether or not they wish to follow him of their own free will. Although God loves all his creatures with a perfect love, He does not force any of them to love him back. When history finally comes to an end, the only creatures which contain a spirit, men and angels, who will be with him forever are those who have chosen to be obedient to him and show their love to him by keeping his commandments.
I believe that God's creation of a period of time in which our history can occur represents a chance for each of us to demonstrate conclusively whether we are with him or against him. For us in the world today, that choice is made very simply in the decision to become a follower of Jesus Christ through faith, or instead to reject the great gift of his Son who died on our behalf. The angels, however, have already made their choices. It is in this context that Satan's rebellion has occurred.
For us humans, if we had not been given the chance to come through the fiery testing supplied by the devil and his corrupt world system, we would never be able to appreciate God's provision for us and his deliverance of us from all our trials. Only by allowing us to experience his grace in the midst of the devil's world, can God bring us to the fullest understanding and appreciation of his love for us.
God created our universe even though He was under no obligation to do so. Before time began He created time and space and all matter from nothing. His purpose for doing this was to provide a material frame in which we, his creatures, might exist, a home and a habitation. Since we are material creatures, we need a material environment in which to exist. God is spiritual and infinite, and has no need of the finite universe. He, however, made all things for us, for our benefit, that we might come to seek him, to know him, to choose to obediently follow him, and to love him, for He first loved us (Acts 17:26-27; 1Jn. 4:19). If we keep his commandments we show our love for him. God has prepared the heavens and the earth for us, for our benefit and for his glory. The fact that He sent his only Son to share flesh and blood as we do and then to die in our place that we might live is evidence that his creation of us and of all that we see is no accident, but flows directly from the matchless wisdom, purpose and love of our God and Father.
God created the angels. Today we are being bombarded by much false information about angels through our modern culture. We need to take a moment to consider the biblical perspective about angels. Although many people think of angels as prominent characters in the Bible, angels really are not particularly prominent in the Bible. They are not even mentioned in about half of the books of the Bible. This is not surprising since the Bible is the standard for our faith and practice here in the world. It is not intended to be a standard for the angels. It explains how God is dealing with us, and only addresses God's dealings with angelic kind in a passing way. This point is important, because it is no secret that excessive fascination with angels and their activities has been and continues to be a major stumbling block to believers and unbelievers alike, drawing their attention away from the saving knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to a world of fancy. All this is not to say that some knowledge about the angelic realm is not important and necessary, but the Bible approaches the subject of angels very much on a "need to know" basis. In many cases it doesn't tell us all we'd like to know about angels, but it does tell us all we need to know to understand God's plan for the world and for us. The Bible does tell us that angels are an order of creatures apart from mankind.
Colossians 1:16 (KJV)
16For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
One of the more pernicious misconceptions of contemporary, conventional wisdom about angels is the completely false and harmful notion that angels are departed human beings. Nothing could be further from the truth. Scripture is clear about the fact that angels preceded man in God's creation (Job 38:6-7), and that mankind was originally created with less glory and power than the angelic creation (Ps. 8:4-5).
Job 38:6-7 (KJV)
6Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; 7When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?
Psalm 8:4-5 (KJV)
4What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour.
The Bible also tells us that angels are finite beings. Despite their obvious present superiority, as created beings, angels are also dependent upon time and space. Though more powerful (2Thes. 1:7; 2Pet. 2:11), mobile (Gen. 28:12) and knowledgeable (2Sam. 14:20; Acts 7:53) than mankind, they are neither omniscient (Matt. 24:36), nor omnipotent (Rom. 8:38), nor omnipresent (Dan. 10:13). Angels are often described as the "host of heaven" and otherwise compared to the innumerable stars (Job 25:3; Ps. 103:20-21; Is. 40:26 w. Lk. 2:13), but although they are a highly organized group and quite numerous it should be understood that they are finite in number, however large that undisclosed number may be (Deut. 33:2; Ps. 68:17; Dan. 7:10; Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11).
Angels, as described in scripture, are normally considered to be spiritual creatures. They are not subject to many of the material restrictions under which humans live. They do not grow old, or hungry or tired. They can, on occasion, even enter into human bodies (as in cases of demon possession, and are, for the most part, completely invisible to us, even as they go about their work in our world (or mischief as the case may be). These and other facts speak to the immaterial aspect of their nature. However, angels can at times appear in bodily form (as in the case of the announcement of Christ's birth: Lk. 2:8-15), and can also affect the material world with great power (consider the angels who control the winds: Rev. 7:1-3). They can also be confined and made subject to the compulsion of God's judgment (as in the case of the final disposition of the fallen angels: Matt. 25:41).
Man is a spiritual, as well as a material creature, but while our present body possesses an earthly materiality, we are told in the Scriptures that our coming bodies will be heavenly bodies. As the apostle Paul puts it, "[our body] is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body" (1Cor. 15:44). Now we know from the example of Christ that this "spiritual" body is still a body in every sense of the word: Jesus was still discernible to his disciples, talked, walked, even ate with them; and when doubting Thomas finally saw him, Jesus commanded him to "thrust your hand into my side". The possession of a true body, is thus a characteristic of the human being, before and after resurrection. Such is not the case for the angels, however. In Luke 24:39, our resurrected Lord appearing to his frightened disciples assures them that "a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." This absence of true corporeal substance on the part of the angels is at the root of many of the differences between us. Our spirits are willing, but our flesh is weak and a major source of the temptations that confront us, temptations to which the angels are oblivious (for example, they have no need for money). On the other hand, however, the very absence of sensual experience that only a true body can supply was apparently a major contributing cause in the fall from grace of some of Satan's angels.
Angels are temporarily superior to mankind in many ways. Angels do not possess infinite power and ability. We must, however, acknowledge that their power and ability is considerable, especially in comparison to ours. First and foremost, angels are not subject to death (Lk. 20:36), nor do they reproduce (Mk. 12:25), leading us to the conclusion that their number has been the same since their creation. That is not to say, of course, that the fallen angels will not be subject to separation from God forever and eternal punishment (an event which, in the case of human beings, is termed the "second death": Rev. 20:14; Matt. 25:41). So while mankind is enjoying a sequential residence on earth (generation following generation), angelic kind has been experiencing a continuing existence, even before the creation of Man. This longevity, combined with the fact that they are not subject to the restraints and necessities of time and space that encumber mankind, probably contributes to their superior knowledge and wisdom. Yet we should point out that, by its very essence, the angelic nature is superior to our present earthly human nature in terms of appearance, intellect, power, mobility and authority (2Pet. 2:11). This, however, will not always be the case, for just as our Lord is superior to angels in every way, including all aspects of his humanity (Heb. 1:4 - 2:18), so also we are destined to share that superiority with him in our resurrection (1Cor. 6:3; Heb.2:5). The Scriptures actually tell us that we will eventually even judge the angels. I believe that this is probably a reference to the fallen angels. The elect angels have no need for judgment.
Angels are similar to mankind in several important ways. They, like us, possess personality and individuality (as evidenced, for example, by joy: Job 38:4-7; Lk. 15:10; desire: 1Pet. 1:12; and choice: Jude 6). And like us, they are created to serve and worship God for his glory (Ps. 103:20-21; 148:2; Matt. 4:11; Heb. 1:14; Rev. 4:8). As in the case of human beings, this service and worship is not compulsory, but something God desires from angelic kind of their own free will (exactly as He desires our free will allegiance to himself through faith in his Son, Jesus Christ). Most angels have chosen to continue following and serving their Creator, however, some have rejected him, and are destined to pay the consequences of their action (Matt. 25:41). It is interesting to note that the Scriptures give no indication of a plan of salvation for angels who sin. There is no indication that they can repent and be reinstated in their former position. I suspect this is because they have first hand evidence of God's truths and have face to face contact with God. Angels do not have to accept God and his kingdom through an act of faith as humans do. Humans are given the plan of salvation through faith in Christ as their savior and must accept the spiritual things of God through faith. As to the fallen angels, we know from specific scripture references (Job 4:18; 2Pet. 2:4; Jude 6) as well as from their association with Satan that their "fallen" status is not the result of some arbitrary decision of their Creator; rather it is a direct result of their own, individual choices to reject him and his authority. This moral accountability, then, is the most important similarity between angels and humans. We have both been given an existence wherein the primary issue is our choice to follow (or reject) God.
The difference between the choices we make and the choices angels make is, I think, explainable also by the differences in our respective natures. Angels, originally existing in a holy state, made their decisions long ago, before the creation of man. We human beings, however, are limited as to life-span (not to mention our geographic, intellectual and physical constraints). Even more significant is the fact that we are born sinful, and as a result must choose to turn away from sin toward God (through faith in Jesus Christ) in order to be saved. The angels, by contrast, were all created holy, and, as a result of this quite different nature, faced a very different choice: to remain loyal to the Lord of the universe which they had direct contact with, or to choose instead to turn away from God and join in Satan's sinful rebellion.
The longevity, intellect and ability which angels possess apparently produces a certainty and resolution of decision making that is unaffected by historical developments. As human beings, we have all experienced the change of perspective which comes with the passage of time, a factor of our gradually increasing knowledge, experience, and wisdom. Angels are superior in intellect and knowledge at the point of our creation and have already logged thousands of years of existence and they have not experienced the process of maturing and aging. This is not to say that they can't learn or be surprised by the unfolding of God's plan in human history, but it does seem to indicate that their perspective is more universal, spiritual, even eternal. Angelic decision making seems to happen in a way we human creatures cannot fully appreciate. Therefore angels (who start out perfect and either are confirmed in their loyalty-perfection or lose it when they rebel and fall) seem to have made their decision about the Lord once and for all. They do not have "changes of heart" like we human beings sometimes do, turning to the Lord (or, sadly as many, away from him), precisely because their nature is different from ours. So while these fellow creatures of God share with us the fact that the central issue in their existence is to choose for or against God, the manner in which they have done so is different from the manner in which we do so.
I believe that the idea that we can change our minds (repent), and that God can find a way to accommodate our repentance and provide for our deliverance from sin is a source of surprise and fascination to the angels. Just as we have a difficulty seeing things from their perspective, so I believe that they also cannot fully appreciate our point of view, not being creatures of spirit and body as we are. How could we expect them to understand? They are creatures for whom repentance is an impossibility. In the case of man, however, we start imperfect and in need of help (our salvation is provided through Christ's sacrifice). We are born in sin. In the process of "working out our salvation" many things affect us. We are subject to a finite, temporal life and to pressures and temptations that are part of that life. We are restrained by being in the flesh (especially the corrupted flesh) and are under fire from the angelic dimension. Would Adam and Eve have sinned without Satan? Since we are limited in our knowledge under the best of circumstances, we find ourselves in a very different position from our angelic brethren. We are not perfect creatures who must refrain from choosing the wrong path, but imperfect, already condemned creatures who must choose to accept the gracious gift of life in Jesus Christ in order to lay hold of eternal life.
This difference in our natures and in our perspectives about God's dealings with us is critical for a proper understanding of his treatment of angels and men respectively. I think that it may even help our understanding by realizing that angels are actually learning about God from observing the unfolding of his plan of salvation with mankind here on earth. Angels must have learned much about God from their observation of the life of Jesus Christ while He was here on the earth.
1 Timothy 3:16 (KJV)
16And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Angels seem to have a special interest in God's plan of salvation:
1 Peter 1:10-12 (KJV)
10Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
I believe that the angels also learned much from the apostles and other events in biblical history. We are told that the apostles were made "a spectacle to the whole universe, to angels as well as to men" (1Cor. 4:9), that "because of the angels" women should maintain a sign of authority on their heads (1Cor. 11:10), that there is "joy in heaven" over every repentant sinner (Lk. 15:10, from the angels; Lk. 12:8-9; Rev. 3:5), but that those who reject Christ to worship the antichrist will be tormented "in the presence of the Lamb and his holy angels" (Rev. 14:10). Moreover, it is quite significant that angels are recorded as present at all the major events in the life of Christ: his birth (Lk. 2:13-14), temptation (Matt. 4:11), resurrection (Lk. 24:4), ascension (Acts 1:10-11), and return (2Thes. 1:7) - a fact which underscores angelic interest in this the most crucial phase of God's plan.
Angelic interest in human affairs goes beyond the completion of their duties and ministries on our behalf (Heb. 1:7 and 14). As they observe human beings escaping the slavery of sin, choosing for God and trusting him in spite of all opposition, they are "learning" something very important about God. They see his righteousness, his justice, his power and his love in the mission, sacrifice and victory of Jesus Christ and its effective transmission to believing humanity.
God's faithfulness to us through the sacrifice of his Son, Jesus Christ, while essential to our salvation and subsequent spiritual growth, I believe also carries an important "lesson" for the angels. We learn about the faithfulness of God by experience. The angels, however, have never had need of salvation, nor have they ever been hungry or thirsty, nor have they ever been in danger or experienced the fear and the grief of death. Because their nature exempts them from most of the pressures that so define our human existence, they cannot learn about the faithfulness of God personally, but can only do so by observation of his great love and mercy to us here on earth as we are bombarded by the devil's attacks.
Thus it is that angelic observation of the working out of God's plan of salvation in human history is a necessary ingredient in God's destruction of the works of the devil and in his ultimate restoration of harmony and order (1Jn. 3:8):
It is quite ironic that Satan, who knew much better than we the awesome power of God, has been relying all along on the character of God to protect him from the wrath of God. I think he thought to put God in an unsolvable dilemma. Satan counted on God's tolerating evil rather than taking an irrevocable step that would permanently mar his creation. But Satan, who should have had a better understanding than anyone else in the universe of the indescribable wisdom of our God failed to take this consideration into account. The present working out of the Father's great plan of salvation in the person of Christ is demonstrating this very fact to Satan and his followers.
Mankind who are true followers of Christ are, in effect, replacing the fallen angelic kind in God's universal order. Though aware of God's ability to produce other creatures, Satan seems to have assumed that such an action would prove futile, because, if given the opportunity of free will, these new creatures would react similarly to the angels. However, true followers of Christ are a perfect complement to the elect angels (who chose not to sin) and are a fitting replacement for the fallen angels who would not choose to be reconciled to God.
Satan also must have reasoned that God would not be able to provide a means to eliminate sin. Therefore no rehabilitation (or salvation) of angels would be possible. But God's plan of salvation for mankind through the blood of Jesus Christ was an event the devil never anticipated. Through the analogy of mankind, the angels are seeing first hand that God can solve the sin problem even though it required the highest price of all, the sacrifice of his only Son on our behalf.
I think that Satan probably made the false assumption and conclusion that God would be unable to restore harmony and completeness to his creation. But this has been refuted by God's creation and salvation of elect mankind. By making and saving man though Christ, the Father has, in effect, knocked both props out from under Satan's assertion that God would be unable to punish him for his rebellion. The reconciliation of human beings to God throughout time, paid for historically by Jesus Christ has clearly given the lie to Satan's confident assertion. These are surely things even angels want to look into (1Pet. 1:12).
Looking at Satan's original rational helps to explain his dogged opposition to the plan of God as it has been working in the lives of men since our first parents were expelled from the garden. For God's deliverance of us through Christ and his promise to us of eternal life in Christ demonstrates unmistakably to all angelic kind that He can and will and is replacing Satan and his followers, the end of which is eternal punishment for their rebellion against the One who made them. For as it says in 1st John 3:8, Christ appeared "to destroy the works of the devil". Satan thus badly misjudged God's character relative to both angels and men, failing to fully understand that the ultimate working out of his love, justice and truth would inevitably result in redemption or replacement, justification or rejection, and reconciliation or punishment (as has transpired for mankind through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ).
God's goodness overflows with love, providing grace for sinful man even though evil says a loving God can't condemn. He did condemn his Son that we might live, redeeming us in love with the blood of Christ. God's holiness overflows in justice, offering mercy to sinful man even though evil says a just God can't forgive. He did forgive us, by condemning his own Son, making us righteous through the blood of Christ. God's faithfulness and truth overflow in life, producing peace with God for sinful man even though evil says that a God of integrity can't restore us. He did make peace between us through his Son, reconciling us to himself and granting us eternal life on the basis of the blood of Christ.
When studying about angels with their similarities to us and differences from us, it is important for us to remember that they currently are superior to us, but eventually will be subordinate. Angels are not to be disrespected (Lk. 10:20; 1Pet. 2:10-12; Jude 8-10; Rom. 13:7) but neither are they to be worshiped (Rev. 19:10; 22:9; 2Kng. 17:16; Jer. 19:13; Col. 2:18). We are to have a healthy respect for the adversary and his potential to oppose us (2Cor. 2:11; Eph. 6:11; 1Pet. 5:8), but we are not to be unduly terrified by him and his demons. And while we are to have an awareness and appreciation for the positive function of the elect angels on our behalf, we are not to be inordinately fixated upon them. In neither case should we "go beyond what is written" in the scriptures about angels, whether through excessive fear of Satanic influence or an exorbitant fascination with the ministrations of the holy angels. After all, it is God we are to fear, God we are to love and follow, and it is upon God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ our Lord that we are to fix our gaze while here in the devil's world.
At this point let us consider the pre-history of the angels. At some undisclosed time following his creation of the original heavens and the earth, God created the angels (Ps. 148:2-5; Col 1:16). That is to say, at some specific point between the original creation of Genesis 1:1 and the six day restoration of the earth described in Job 38:4-7 starting in Genesis 1:3 which followed God's judgment of Satan, God created all angelic kind. He created them holy (Deut. 33:2; Ps. 89:7; Mk. 8:38; Lk. 9:26), giving each of them distinct duties and definite domains in which to exercise their delegated authority (Col. 1:16; Eph. 6:12; Heb. 1:7 and 14; Jude 6).
The realm of angels is often assumed to be the heavens, and to a certain degree this is true, at least at this present time. They are often called "heavenly hosts" (1Kng. 22:19; Ps. 103:20-21; 148:2; Lk. 2:13). Angels are invariably present on the heavenly scene (1Kng. 22:19; Job 1:6-7; 2:1-2; Lk. 15:7 and 10; Rev. 5:11). The angels are often identified with the stars of heaven (Job 38:7; Is. 14:12 and 13; 40:26; Rev. 1:20). Fallen angels, for example, are termed "wandering stars" in Jude 13. This term is reminiscent of their failure to "keep their own domain", choosing to interfere with human affairs in Satan's behalf, they abandoned their ordained, heavenly realm, (Jude 6).
The Scriptures refer to three heavens. What is meant by the three heavens? When we speak of the heavens in biblical terms, we are referring to those areas beyond the earth. First there is the earth's atmosphere ("the sky"). Second there is the universe at large ("space"). Third there is the "third heaven", the abode of God (or "heaven", as it is customarily termed) which is beyond our visible universe.
The third heaven is the abode of God. In 2nd Corinthians 12:2-4, the apostle Paul describes a man "snatched up" to this "third heaven"; in verse four, the location is also referred to as "paradise", a word which in biblical terms suggests the presence of and fellowship with God. This third heaven is also referred to in the Old Testament as the shamey shamayim "heavens of the heavens", a Hebrew idiom for "highest heavens" (Deut. 10:14; Ps. 148:4; cf. Eph. 4:10). Thus, in the Bible, all three parts or levels of the heavens (the sky, the universe, and the abode of God) can be and often are called "heaven" individually and collectively without the various authors of scripture feeling any need to distinguish the three, as this concept of the three-fold division of the heavens was apparently well understood in biblical times. Angels are capable of entering all three sections of the heavens, but a word must be said at this point about their reasons for doing so.
The scriptures do not give us a lot of details concerning the activities of the angels or where they exercise them. We know more about their journeys to the first heaven and their ministrations on God's behalf to mankind (in the case of the elect angels), or their attempts to carry out Satan's designs against mankind (in the case of the fallen angels). At this point we know that angels are actively conducting operations here on earth, although it is not at present their primary sphere. Jacob's vision of the famous "ladder" which revealed multitudes of angels ascending to heaven and descending to earth illustrates clearly enough that the elect angels do not remain upon the earth at all times, but rather return to heaven at certain intervals (Gen. 28:12; Jn. 1:51). Even Satan, described in Ephesians 2:2 as "the prince of the power of air", that is "the ruler whose realm of authority is the atmosphere" does not remain here at all times, but on specified occasions assembles with the other angels in the presence of God, the third heaven (Job 1:6; 2:1; and 1Kng. 22:19).
Angelic assembly before and fellowship with God in the third heaven is important and revealing. It should not be surprising that, in addition to their actions here on earth and in the universe at large, the angels are frequently to be found in the presence of the Lord. For they are his angels (Gen. 28:12; 32:1; Ps. 103:20; Matt. 26:53) and logically therefore assemble where He is (Deut. 33:2; 1Kng. 22:19; Job 1:6; 2:1; Ps. 82:1; 89:5 and 7; Matt. 18:10) to worship, serve and attend him (1Kng. 22:19; Dan. 7:10; Rev. 5:11-12). The angels (the elect ones, at any rate) have always and will always follow this pattern, even with the return God's kingdom to earth at the end of human history (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 21:12; Rev. 21-22). Therefore what determines the place of angelic assembly is not the particular level of heaven, but rather the presence of God. And just as the elect angels always assemble in his presence, so when this present short and temporary era we call human history is concluded, believing humanity will likewise assemble in the presence of the Lord for all eternity. This place of assembly will ultimately be the New Earth and, specifically the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21-22). I believe that what is most pertinent to our current study is that the original place of angelic assembly was likewise not in heaven, but rather on the pristine, original earth which existed long before the six days of recreation described Genesis.
The original home of angels and ultimate home of elect mankind is to be in the presence of God. Eden is most commonly associated with the garden in which God placed Adam and Eve. And while Adam and Eve's Eden was certainly one Eden, it was neither the first nor the last "paradise" (as is obvious from passages such as Ezek. 28:13; Lk. 16:19-31; 23:43; 2Cor. 12:4; Rev. 2:7; 22:2). As far as meaning is concerned, "paradise" and Eden are functionally almost synonymous. Respectively, Eden is the Old Testament and paradise the New Testament term for the place of the pleasurable presence of God. What, then, is so pleasurable about Eden-paradise? Nothing less than the presence of God, in whom is all joy and delight (Ps. 21:6; 27:4-6; 84:10).
The construction of Israel's tabernacle helps to explain and illustrate this relationship between Eden-paradise and God's manifest presence. It will be recalled that the layout and furniture of the tabernacle are patterns or types, "a copy and shadow of the things in heaven" (Heb. 8:5). Space does not permit a thorough discussion of all the symbolism and detail of the law here, but a brief discussion will be useful, for the tabernacle is itself a picture of the present "Eden", that is, the third heaven where God is currently in residence (Lk. 23:43).
Entrance into the tabernacle is not permissible without first passing the altar (where the blood sacrifices depict the saving work of Christ on our behalf) and the laver (where the symbolic washing away of sin on the basis of the sacrificial work of Christ is clear enough by baptism). The only way to get into the tabernacle (heaven) is through the blood (of Christ) and appropriate cleansing (forgiveness on the basis of Christ's sacrifice). The rituals ordained for the high priest on the Day of Atonement give an especially vivid picture of the restoration of a way into the presence of God, into the Eden-delight of his company. He is behind the veil that separates the holy place from the holy of holies, a place entered only once a year by the high priest in a picture of the ascension of Jesus Christ to the throne room of the Father. The blood of the sacrifice represents Christ's work, while the "mercy seat" with its two golden cherubs represents the Father's throne and his acceptance of Christ's work. It is also significant to note that the veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies, replete with embroidered cherubim (the protectors of the holiness of God from anything profane), was split from top to bottom immediately after the death of our Lord opening the way for us back into fellowship with the Father (Matt. 27:51):
Hebrews 10:19-22 (KJV)
19Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21And having an high priest over the house of God; 22Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
In the passage above, the writer of Hebrews makes clear the analogy between the tabernacle and the throne room of heaven. The earthly holy of holies, where the mercy seat resides atop the ark of the covenant, is an unambiguous type of the Father's throne, and therefore a symbol of the presence of the Father. Until the effectual sacrifice of Jesus Christ, his Son, there was no admittance for sinful man into his holy presence, but now all who accept Jesus Christ do have that access on the basis of the work of the one who "split the veil" sacrificing his own body on our behalf. Before the sacrificial death, resurrection, ascension and session of Jesus Christ at the right hand of the Father, those who died in the Lord were conveyed not to heaven, but to "Abraham's bosom", the pleasurable part of sheol located beneath the earth. By his victory at the cross, however, Christ won a literal "access" into the Father's presence, so that paradise is now to be found in the third heaven (1Pet. 3:18-19):
The biblical terms Eden and paradise are synonymous for the place of perfect pleasure in fellowship with God. These words, therefore, have, as we have already seen in brief, a wider range of application than the garden in which God placed Adam and Eve. Common factors in every place that bears the name paradise (or Eden) include delightful sights and sounds, enjoyable work or worship, physical and spiritual wholeness, and, most importantly, the presence of and fellowship with God himself. Several paradises are distinguished in Scripture. They are all perfect places God has established for communing with his creatures, dating from angelic pre-history to the end of time:
The abode of the Old Testament dead is often referred to by its Hebrew name sheol, (New Testament "Hades"), alternatively translated in the English versions as "hell" or "the grave"(1Sam. 2:6; 28:15; 1Kng. 2:6; Job 11:8; Ps. 139:8; Is. 7:11). As Lk. 16:19-31 indicates, sheol (hell or Hades) is composed of several compartments:
1) the place of the saved (Abraham's Bosom, the place of blessing where Lazarus resides);
2) the place of the unsaved sheol proper, or "torments" (where the rich man finds himself);
3) the Abyss (not in the parable but elsewhere in Luke), the place where certain of the fallen angels are presently incarcerated (Lk. 8:31; 2Pet. 2:4; Jude 6; Rev. 9:1-11; 20:1-3).
It is to this interim Eden that Jesus refers when on the cross He tells the believing thief "today you will be with Me in paradise" (Lk. 23:43; our Lord's proclamation to the angels imprisoned in the Abyss, part of his descent into sheol or "hell", is referred to at 1Pet. 3:19). While hell proper and the Abyss hold fast their inhabitants even today, the occupants of Abraham's Bosom were brought to heaven to be with their Lord in the wake of his ascension to the Father (compare Ps. 68:18 and Eph. 4:8-10 with Jn. 12:26 ).
Satan's rebellion, the fall of Man, and the sin which has marred all of human history (and which was judged in Christ on the cross) has made necessary the complete destruction of universe in which we now dwell (Ps. 102:25-27; Is. 34:4; 51:6; Hag. 2:6; Matt. 24:35; Heb. 1:11-12; 12:26-29; 2Pet. 3:10-13; Rev. 20:11). For our eternal abode, where we will be with God forever, He has in mind a place where there is no longer the slightest taint of sin or rebellion, only righteousness, that is, the Father's kingdom, the "new heavens and new earth" (Is. 65:17; 66:22; 1Cor. 15:24):
2 Peter 3:7-13 (KJV)
7But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men. 8But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. 10But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 11Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, 12Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? 13Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
It is significant to note that this ultimate paradise, the New Jerusalem, will not be "in heaven", but on the new earth, when the New Jerusalem descends from heaven (Rev. 21:10). As creatures created to dwell on the earth, it makes perfect sense that earth, not heaven, should be our final home. And as the original Eden was on earth, a place where God communed with the angels until sin entered the picture through Satan's fall and rebellion, it should also come as no surprise that the Father himself will reside with us in the ultimate paradise (Rev. 22:3). The New Jerusalem will be a true paradise in every sense of the word (Rev. 2:7). It will contain the tree of life (Rev. 2:7; 22:2), and the river of the water of life (Rev. 22:1 and 17). God will be present there in person and we will enjoy fellowship with him (Rev. 21:3; 22:3). Finally, this ultimate Eden will be a place of exquisite beauty (Rev. 21:9), where the pain and suffering of this life will be a distant memory (Rev. 21:4). In this way, everything will come full circle for humanity. Having lost paradise in the first instance, because of the sacrifice of Christ and the grace of God we are destined to reclaim it in the end; and, as is frequently the case where the wisdom, grace and majesty of God are concerned, what we will have in the end will be far better than Adam and Eve had in the beginning: a glorious New Jerusalem which will far outshine the glories of the garden, and an eternity of perfect communion with God and Jesus, his Son, in our new, perfect bodies, with no further possibility of sin.
Let us now go back and consider Satan's original status. Looking back to the original paradise, that primordial angelic Eden, to a time before Satan had rebelled from God and had fallen from his privileged status. What we know about Satan in his pristine state comes mainly from the testimony of Isaiah (chapter fourteen) and Ezekiel (chapter twenty-eight). When we consider in some detail the information contained in these two chapters, we can arrive at a rather vivid picture of Satan's situation before he rejected God. In anticipation of the points about to be covered, suffice it to say that the devil was the preeminent creature in the universe before his fall, and each of the various characteristics described below call attention to specific aspects of this preeminence. Satan is described by these two prophets as: a) the "morning star" and "son of the dawn"; b) one who sealed up perfection; c) full of wisdom; d) exemplifying beauty; e) in Eden; f) adorned with precious stones; g) equipped with timbrels and pipes; h) anointed; i) a cherub; j) one who "covers"; k) on the holy mountain of God; l) walking amidst the "stones of fire":
From the above observations we see that Satan was the top-ranking angelic creature, blessed with extraordinary offices and privileges which were never to be paralleled again (except in the person of Christ). His preeminent status begs the question of why he would jeopardize (let alone renounce) such an exalted status. The sad truth is that all these benefits and blessings were not enough for Satan. He wanted more, wanted the only thing with which he had not been entrusted: rulership of the universe. It was not enough for him to be guardian of the throne of God; he wanted to occupy it as well.
Now lets take a look at Satan's character, his sin and his fall.
1) Satan's Character: As Ezekiel 28:15 states in unequivocal terms, Satan was created "blameless". This is a critical piece of information, because through this scripture we are assured that his decision to sin was not some inevitable action originating with God, but was instead a free-will decision on Satan's part. Satan was created without sin, and with no necessity to sin. He and he alone is the one who bears the complete responsibility for all the trouble he has brought upon his fellow angels, upon humanity, and upon himself. God bears none of the blame for Satan's fall. Satan took the opportunity of using the free will God gave him to reject God and follow instead the path of evil.
As is the case with all of us, Satan's decision to avoid God and all that is good and true, meant that he would necessarily follow the path of evil and of the lie. Make no mistake - there is no middle ground. Ultimately, no one is entirely independent in his actions. We only choose the master we will serve, be it good or evil, truth or lie, God or Satan. Thus the choice-issue that confronts human beings today is in its essence the same as that which confronted Satan before human history ever commenced. Like that primeval super-creature, we too must choose whether we will follow God, accepting the truth He has made available to us, or reject him, accepting instead the devil's lies.
The issue of choice in Satan's case is of the most critical importance (as indeed it is with every one of God's moral creatures). Satan had to be given the chance of rejecting God and his truth just as Adam and Eve did, just as you and I do. Without the opportunity of rejecting truth in a tangible and meaningful way, there would be no genuine choice, no true free will. A situation where his creatures praise him and follow him simply because there is no other option is clearly not what God desires or intends. The free will God has provided to his creatures is bound up with the choice of accepting or rejecting him, but the choice is real and legitimate nonetheless. According to any other scenario, we would be little more than robots, and morally indistinct from the animals.
God's provision of free will to his creatures has not been effected without stupendous cost. Endowed with the option of rejecting him, all too many angels and humans have availed themselves of this dubious opportunity. And the loss is not ours alone: to redeem sinful mankind from the disastrous decisions of our first parents, God would have to pay the ultimate price in the death of his own dear Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, on the cross. The ultimate victory, of course, will belong to God, as all will eventually acknowledge him, whether from choice or from necessity (Is. 45:23; Rom. 3:19; 14:10-11; Phil. 2:10-11).
Though originally blameless, Satan made the mistake of using his freedom to choose "freedom from God". But such a prospect is misleading: "freedom from God" means in truth only slavery, captivity to sin and death, and so to Satan (Heb. 2:14-15 Is. 14:17; 61:1; Jn. 8:34). For "to whatever you give your allegiance, to that you are enslaved" (Rm. 6:16; 2Pet. 2:19). The issue for us all is "independence from God" or "oneness with God". As creatures we can't ever actually attain the former, but are free to choose the latter. Satan started with a pristine and blameless character, but in declaring his independence from God, he embraced the lie, and become the very father of it (Jn. 8:44).
2) Satan's Sin: In Paul's instructions to Timothy regarding the necessary qualifications of pastors, he concludes the section by warning that the candidate should not be a neophyte (one newly in the faith and spiritually immature). Otherwise, Paul says, the man might easily "become puffed up (blinded by arrogance) and so fall into [the same] condemnation as the devil [did]" (1Tim. 3:6). In Paul's caveat here, pride, that is, an unwarranted sense of superiority, creates a breeding ground for further sin. This was certainly so in Satan's case. His exorbitant pride over the qualities and attributes given him by God (Ezek. 28.17) led to further corrupt thinking and plotting (Is. 14:13-14; Ezek. 28:17), and finally to action: full scale rebellion against God. The substance of this corrupt thinking, a pattern of thought completely divorced from reality given God's graceful generosity to him and the absolute folly of opposing him, is recorded for us by Isaiah:
Isaiah 14:13-14 (KJV)
13For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most high.
All five of these famous "I wills" of Satan speak to the same objective: replacing God's rule over the universe with his own. However, we can glean some specifics about Satan's intentions from each:
"I will ascend heavenward": Not "to heaven". The primordial Eden, it will be remembered, was on earth. Furthermore, the "heights" of the mount of assembly were apparently dizzyingly high so as to make this expression quite appropriate.
"I will set my throne above the stars of God": These "stars" are the other angels, as we have seen (Job 25:5; Ps. 103:20-21; Is. 40:26, Lk; 2:13). There is no indication that Satan had any such throne. He was instead the cherub-guardian of God's throne, a throne which he sought to usurp. His current throne, or rulership of the world, will be held only temporarily.
"I will take my seat on the mount of assembly on the sides of the north": Here Satan imagines his moment of installation as supreme ruler in the place of God.
"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds": As with "stars", "clouds" too has a double meaning, referring both to height and to the other angels (for clouds are often used to describe the assembled armies of God: Dan. 7:13; Matt. 26:64; 1Thes. 4:17; Heb. 12:1; Rev. 1:7). This thought reprises the first "I will" and acts as a solemn assertion of the plan contained in the first three "I wills". In non-poetic language it is equivalent "Yes, I will indeed do this thing."
"I will be like the Most high God": This is the essence of Satan's plan and his desire, directly expressed without further beating around the bush. The statement, a prophetically inspired quote of Satan's actual thinking, removes any doubt about the fact that he was indeed aware of the consequences of his actions. Satan meant to replace God and so take all his glory to himself. As is so often the case in human experience, this pattern of thinking eventually led to action and to overt sin, thus bringing about Satan's rebellion and fall.
3) Satan's Fall: If chapter fourteen of the book of Isaiah describes the development and expression of Satan's mental state, culminating in his launching of a rebellion against God, Ezekiel chapter twenty-eight describes the process of putting his arrogant plan into practice, albeit in largely reverse order, tracing the matter backward at first from the result to the cause (vv.15-17), before more fully explicating the charge against Satan in verse eighteen. It will be helpful to translate and briefly analyze these verses in their order of occurrence before moving on to a full consideration of Satan's coup, his revolutionary platform, and the scriptural names given to him which mark out his character for all to see, branding him as a deceiver and an opponent of the Lord God Almighty.
Ezekiel 28:17 (KJV)
17Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.
Arrogant pride, attributed specifically to Satan's high esteem for his own appearance, is at the root of the thought pattern whose course we saw Isaiah chronicle. Persistent and obsessive preoccupation with his own loveliness over time had a corrupting influence upon Satan's whole mental attitude, neutralizing, then effectively destroying his conscience, his character and his wholesome fear of God (Eph. 4:19; 1Tim. 4:2). The judgments described in the second half of the verse are future, that is, it is a fate so certain (since it has been decreed by God) that it is described as already having happened. Satan destroyed the wisdom God had given him and ungratefully rebelled against God, therefore God will destroy him. He who would be king shall be humbled before God's appointed royalty by the King of Kings (Rev. 21:24).
Ezekiel 28:16 (KJV)
16By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.
Satan's conspiracy is first explicitly mentioned here, that is, his active attempt to carry out his plan of the five "I wills". The Hebrew word translated here as "conspiring", has the two-fold meaning of repetitive motion ("trading" or "trafficking") and of slandering. In the context of Satan's activities, it fits our notion of conspiracy quite well. As arrogance led to perverted thinking (v.17), now we see these mental attitude sins blossoming into the overt activity of canvassing his fellow angels for support, slandering God in the process, an activity characterized by Ezekiel as "wickedness". Satan was attempting to besmirch God's reputation to gain adherents and further his own goals, but God here declares another fitting judgment on Satan: the future obliteration of any remembrance of him, let alone his reputation, and his physical expulsion from the place he pretended to occupy as ruler of the universe.
Ezekiel 28:15 (KJV)
15Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Ezekiel 28:18 (KJV)
18Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee.
These two verses, one at the head of this section, and the other at the end of it, both treat Satan's sin and fall in summary form. Verse fifteen takes a subjective viewpoint: Satan was made perfect - God is not to blame for his rejection of God. Nevertheless, by his own actions he became "unrighteous", that is, unqualified for eternal contact and residence with God because of sin. Verse eighteen sums up from an objective viewpoint: Satan's conduct is described as "iniquity", a strong word for glaring and presumptuous sin and the guilt it incurs. This activity is further described as a lack of righteousness here too but the word is now applied not to Satan himself (as in verse fifteen), but to his deeds, namely, his conspiratorial actions. Once again, the future judgment is described as already having occurred, its eventuality being so certain as to be without doubt. Satan will actually be cast into the lake of fire following the 1000 years of desolation (Rev. 20:10). Entrusted with the guardianship of the innermost shrines of the Lord, Satan betrayed and polluted his trust, therefore God has decreed that Satan himself shall be desecrated, his pollution incinerated in eternal fire.
a) Satan's Coup As would-be usurper of God's throne, Satan found himself in a delicate position. When he conceived his nefarious ambition, he was on his own. Even in his unparalleled arrogance, he must have realized that he would need help if he were to be successful in his attempt to dethrone the Lord of the universe. Satan did have some advantages, however. As the preeminent and highest ranking angelic creature (not to mention the most impressive), Satan had considerable influence and authority over the other angels. None would be likely to rebel from the Lord instantaneously on Satan's say-so, but, with proper preparation, it might be possible to sway some of his fellows. Satan's plan was not to overthrow God by force (for such a course of action was a complete impossibility, as even Satan with his inflated sense of self saw clearly enough), but rather to effect a coup by winning over the allegiance of the angels, Satan thought to present God with a situation which He would be powerless to reverse. For if the angels were to choose Satan over God, the devil seems to have felt secure that this fact in itself would protect him from divine retribution. This conclusion about Satan's thinking and strategy is, in fact, necessary, unless of course we are to assume that the devil really felt he could overpower God with a band of rebellious angels (and surely the wiles that the preeminent of all of God's creatures has demonstrated during our own human phase of history show clearly enough that Satan was smarter than that). But why should Satan feel secure from the wrath of an omnipotent God against whom he planned to rebel, simply because of some success on his part in seducing other angelic creatures into following his lead?
The answer to this difficult question lies in Satan's false perception of God's character. Satan realized, of course, that God had the power to crush him and his rebellion instantly and effortlessly. What Satan was counting on, however, was not that he would be able to oppose the omnipotence of God, but that God would be forced, by his own perfect integrity, to refrain from annihilating Satan and his followers. Even as the devil claims today that a truly loving God cannot punish his own creatures and still be consistent with his love, so in eternity past Satan outrageously staked the success of his traitorous ploy on God's own character. The universe at that time, populated as it was with its numerous angelic inhabitants, was a perfect, harmonious whole. Would God, could God really rend its fabric so drastically and unalterably by condemning Satan to destruction (along with the plethora of angels he was absolutely certain he could convince to follow him)? Satan must have reasoned that without some opportunity for reconciliation, and without some means of replacing what would be lost and thus restoring the perfect whole, his condemnation would be inconceivable because it would be completely inconsistent with the loving, fair, perfect God he knew. But neither of these two necessities would be possible. Reconciliation (and therefore restoration) would be impossible because 1) there would be no way to expiate treason against God, taken as it would be in complete knowledge and understanding of the implications, and 2) by their very nature as we have seen above, the angels who would choose for Satan would do so unalterably once and for all. Replacement also seemed to be an impossible option, inasmuch as angelic kind was created corporately and simultaneously. It would seem to have been inconsistent with God's character to begin a new round of partial creation to "patch up" and repair the damage done by the devil. No action God could take in response to the planned rebellion (at least as Satan summed up the situation) would prevail to his glory. In the devil's reasoning, therefore, God would find himself boxed in by the insurrection he was planning, and would be forced by his own perfection to leave Satan be as the universe's new de facto sovereign.
As delusional as Satan's thinking seems to us now (as we have reconstructed it here), the devil, originally the wisest of God's creatures, had a point. We can see, after all, from God's gracious handling of our own first parents' sin that reconciliation and restoration (and the replacement of a rebellious angelic element with an obedient human one) flow from the very core of who and what our God is. Indeed, none of this has been a mistake, or an afterthought, or a successful minor repair in our present universe - in all that has happened since the original creation of Genesis 1:1, the Lord's plan has proceeded apace in its perfect, inexorable way. Our creation, and the grace God has shown to us in sending his only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us and thus restore us (and thus replace Satan and his legions) have always been central to his plan. For by saving us through this his matchless grace and the gift of his Son, God has thoroughly exposed the devil's lie and gloriously proven his character for all the universe to see.
Satan's arrogance did not prevent him from making a largely correct assumption about the character of God, that He was just and fair. Yet Satan's arrogance blinded him to the obvious fact that no creature could ever anticipate what the Lord Almighty might do in justice and fairness. By creating mankind, and by offering us the choice of salvation through Christ, God is demonstrating to the angels this justice and fairness, as well as the boundless depths of his love: for all who would be reconciled, there is no limit consistent with his character to which He will not go to reconcile them - even to the point of giving his own Son over to death. For all who would remain alienated from him, He is perfectly able and justified to find others who will choose for him (and to pass judgment on those who will not). And this last point is more than replacement. The salvation of human beings and our wedding together to Jesus Christ who has himself come to share our humanity constitutes a restoration of far more than what was originally lost. Oh the ineffable and unfathomable wisdom of our God, who heals what is broken into something stronger, and replaces what was lost with something better! For in the new heavens and new earth where we shall all dwell with him forever, the blessings which once were, will be multiplied beyond our comprehension because of God's boundless love for us his faithful creatures.
It is evident from the events that followed the conception of his plan that Satan was indeed able to bring a large number of angels over to his way of thinking about God's probable reaction to any such coup. For before any of the angels followed him, they would need to be convinced of the prospects of success. Had they instead been certain of swift retribution from the Lord Almighty, it is fair to ask how many would have voluntarily enlisted into Satan's cause. There had to be something more, however. Satan's own motive of universal rulership is clear enough, but his potential followers would have to be wooed. Paradise, after all, could not have been so terrible as to force them into rebellion against God for its own sake, and the obvious fact that, in spite of Satan's assurances, at least some element of risk would be involved in betraying God could not have been lost on them. Satan needed a platform, one persuasive enough to convince his contemporaries to throw in their lot with him and take the risk of eternal condemnation.
b) Satan's Revolutionary Platform: It is apparently a condition common to angelic and human kind alike to want what we don't have, especially if we can't have it. The original example of Adam and Eve with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is sufficient evidence for this (not to mention the roughly six thousand years of human history since). Perhaps even more important than convincing his would-be followers that rebellion against God would be safe and meet with success was the necessity of a positive platform, a goal that could tempt his audience and incite their lust. But what do angels lack, and what could they possibly want? They are not affected by the elements, as we are, not plagued by disease or the ravages of time, not in any need whatsoever that might incite the lust for acquisition that so inflames mankind. Yet it is precisely in that fact which liberates the angels from all the cares and concerns we humans feel so intensely that Satan found his chief selling point, the prime inducement to his fellow spirit-creatures to gamble their eternal futures and bind their fate to Satan's forevermore: the very fact that angels lack physical bodies.
While we humans possess both a spiritual and a material part, angels, as we have seen, are primarily spiritual creatures. The absence of true corporeality (such as we possess) is in many respects a blessing (sparing the angels the pain, suffering and tears which are the common heritage of mankind since the fall), but it seems to have left many of the angels wondering what might have been. For while human beings had not yet been created when Satan launched his campaign to unseat God, it will be remembered that the original paradise from which Satan and his followers fell was on earth. And though this is neither the time nor the place to discuss the fossil record that has been such a stumbling block over the years to pure biblical faith, we can at least observe that much of that record no doubt hearkens back to the era we are presently discussing. For the pristine, original earth, though not described in scripture, is unlikely to have been a barren desert. God creates only perfection (Is. 45:18). In the absence of other information, we would do well to assume that this original paradise was a wonder to behold in every way, fully furnished with all types of vegetation and, most significant for our present study, an entire complement of animated creatures as well. We can expect that such an order of creation would have generated much angelic interest. For though angels can affect material, they cannot have the rich experience of the material that creatures who are both material and spiritual can have. Without possessing a body, it is impossible to experience the sensual life of the body.
Now from everything we know about the angels from scripture, possession on their part of animals and of humans is contrary to the will and the law of God in every way. Satan observed the curiosity and interest of his fellows and applied the universal principle of sinful motivation treated above: they didn't have bodies and, moreover, were forbidden to possess the bodies of other creatures; therefore they wanted them, wanted to experience first hand the sensual, corporeal life "that had been denied them" (according to satanic propaganda). Clearly, God was not going to stand by and allow a wave of possessions contrary to his commands (much less any program of breeding and genetic manipulation that may be evidenced by the hominid portion of the fossil record:). The only way to "escape" the rather pure spirituality God had "inflicted" on them was to fall in behind a new leader and take what they wanted in defiance of God.
God rained down complete destruction on the world of that time, but it is interesting to note that there are a number of biblical passages which demonstrate that the lust of Satan's followers for bodies which most approximate their own essential shape is still very much alive:
1. Angels have no strictly material bodies of their own: Without taking possession of the bodies of other creatures, angels are unable to fully experience the material world in any sensual way. Paul's list of "bodies" in 1st Corinthians chapter fifteen mentions "heavenly bodies", but by this he clearly means the planets. Significantly, he does not mention angels. We have also seen above many passages that stress the spiritual (and hence non-material) nature of angels (Heb. 1:7; 1:14; 2:14-16 [esp. v.16]). This radical difference from human (and animal) kind helps to explain how they can occasionally be called "gods". Angels are not "flesh and blood" as we, in our material part, clearly are (Eph. 6:12). When our Lord appeared to his disciples and was taken for a ghost, He commanded them to "touch Me and see that a spirit (pneuma) does not have flesh and bones as you see Me having" (Lk. 24:39). The word He used, the Greek pneuma (pneuma), is the same word used for angels wherever they are deemed "spirits" (Heb. 1:7 and 14). No stronger confirmation could be asked to show that angels are different from us in this main, crucial point of corporeality (and, therefore, in the enjoyment of all that is sensual).
2. The Serpent of Genesis 3: It is no accident (and by now should come as no great surprise) that when we first encounter Satan in scripture, he has taken possession of a material creature, the serpent. We can assume from the context that this especially "subtle" creature was possibly even Eve's special pet, and a perfect vehicle for the devil's seduction. Given the nature of the prehistoric fossil record, we might well wonder whether his choice of the serpent is also due in part to an earlier angelic fascination with reptiles. But was his possession of the creature necessary to accomplish his goal (any more than his possession of Judas was: Lk. 22:3)? What we can say is that possession of the bodies of material creatures is part of Satan's normal operating mode, and indicates that this is more than something the fallen angels "have to do" to accomplish their nefarious purposes. Rather, it is something they dearly desire to do.
3. The Angelic Infiltration of Genesis 6: As both Jude 6 and 2nd Peter 2:4 make clear, "the sons of God coming in to [mate with] the daughters of men" was a Satanic attack of immense proportions which violated God's ground rules for the resolution of the angelic rebellion in human history. The direct mixing of angelic and human seed is clear-cut proof of the desire on the part of Satan and his followers to attain the (for them) unattainable: corporeality.
4. The Legion of Demons and the Swine: In Mark chapter 5, when Jesus cast the demon legion from a single man, these fallen spirits "begged" him to "send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them" (v.12). There is very little to explain their motivation for this request until we accept that these satanic angels, being deprived of their human home, were desperate to regain some material adobe, be it ever so mean.
5. The Wandering Spirit (Lk. 11:24-26): The return of the "wandering spirit" to the man he had previously possessed is a likewise telling case that only fully makes sense when we take into account the "addiction" the fallen angels have to the corporeality which, as part of our nature, we understandably take for granted. The demon goes through desolate places seeking "rest" (i.e., another willing subject to inhabit), but when it is disappointed in this hope, it returns to its "house". The terminology used here is significant, for in 2nd Corinthians 5:2, Paul calls our coming resurrection body, the super-material home in which we shall spend all eternity with the Lord, a "dear-house from on high". Our material abodes, the bodies that house our spirits now and then, are given to us by God, but it is the devil's plan, and his prime inducement to his followers, to take by force the homes that properly belong to others.
Satan's false gospel to the angels who fell with him was one of "deliverance" from their non-sensual state. He found them curious about the experience of material existence, and inflamed this curiosity into outright lust and rebellion, so that they became obsessed with the possession of material bodies, and addicted to the experience (in the same way that many of our fellow human beings are destroyed by drugs). Therefore, the widespread and dishonest trade of Ezekiel 28:16 and 18 is better translated "canvassing" or "campaigning". Satan found his issue and seduced a significant part of angelic kind with it. In this his activity is quite similar to that of Absalom in his conspiracy to overthrow his father David, the rightful king. We are told that Absalom used to get up early in the morning and go to greet all who came to Jerusalem for adjudication, praising whatever case they might have (regardless of the justice of it) and swearing justice for all, if only he were to made "judge" (2Sam. 15:2-6). By flattery and such false promises, Absalom "stole the hearts of the people away" in very much the same fashion that Satan must have done. The temptation to follow such an attractive leader who was promising them so much (and the assurance of the safety and success of their cause) proved more than many of the angels could resist. Satan always strikes the weakest point in our defenses, and there is always a weak point. Adam and Eve had bodies, but no such vast knowledge as the angels possess, so Satan appealed to their desire for such; the angels had vast knowledge, but no material bodies, and that is where the devil chose to strike. Undoubtedly, the angels had no more real need for material bodies any more than our first parents did for "knowledge of good and evil". Rather than to trust God for what is truly needed, however, it is an all too common creature reaction to decide for ourselves that what we do not presently have is absolutely essential, and to assume that somehow we are being "deprived by God" (though He is really only looking out for our best interests in keeping us from things which are essentially harmful to us).
What conclusions can we draw from all of this? How did God react to such high treason against his person and his legitimate rule? We now can see the unfolding of God's perfect divine plan as He disposes of Satan and his rebellion in an unpredictable way, gaining more and more glory at every step and bringing about for his faithful creatures even greater blessing in the end than obtained in the beginning. We have an awesome God who is in control and no other creature or being can even come close to matching his wisdom, intellect, love or power. He chose to create all things for us, not because He had to, but for his pleasure. He desires to have fellowship with those who choose to fellowship with him as a choice of their free will. We who are true followers of his Son, Christ, have an assurance that He is our righteous and just Father who loves us beyond our imagination. He loves us with a love that is beyond any love we can return to him. But as true followers of his Son, we are able to return a small portion of that love by obediently keeping his commandments. What a GREAT God and Father we are fortunate to have.