======================================================================== CREATION OF ANGELS by Various ======================================================================== A study of angels in God's creation, examining why the eternal God created beings to know Him, including the most exalted angels. The work explores the nature, purpose, and fall of angelic beings as revealed in Scripture. Chapters: 5 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ TABLE OF CONTENTS ------------------------------------------------------------------------ 1. 1. God Cammanded and they Were Created 2. 2. Pride and Fall of Tyer... 3. 3. Pride and Fall of Babylon... 4. 4. Origin and Results of Sin 5. 5. Pride Leads to Destruction ======================================================================== CHAPTER 1: 1. GOD CAMMANDED AND THEY WERE CREATED ======================================================================== The purpose of this creation study is to recognize that the eternal God wants Himself to be known by others, including the most perfect of God’s creation who, instead of pointing beyond himself to his Creator, fell because of his own pride and was forced to leave God’s presence. God Commanded and They Were Created THE ETERNAL STATE We are still in that condition before time, in eternity [past] when the only presence [in existence] was the Godhead - God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. As presented in our study [Creation And The Bible Reveal The Glory Of God], that period occurred: Before the physical universe was created, Before there was time, Before there was matter, and Before there was light. God stands outside of time, which is a function of this physical universe; He exists in eternity. Obviously, in eternity the Godhead is not doing nothing; however, we just do not know what it is. The first activity by God in eternity [past] - before time and before creation - of which we are aware is the Eternal Counsel: God has in His mind the creation of each spirit being, the creation of the universe, and the creation of each human being. God determines mankind would be redeemed and glorified with Him forever. God allows rebellion and sin to come in. God makes provision for dealing with the rebellion and sin of man - the second Person of the Godhead (the Son of God) would become a man and die for our sins. God gives eternal life to those who believe Messiah Jesus is their Redeemer. Just Imagine: All of that is decreed by the Godhead in the eternal state, meaning there is never a time when His decisions are not made and the things in this temporary, physical universe do not affect those decisions! CREATION OF THE ANGELS The first creation work by God in eternity [past] of which we are aware is of the spiritual dimension: the creation of spirit beings, called angels. At some point, God - specifically, the second Person of the Godhead - created the spiritual dimension, a totally different dimension than the physical dimension; He created the angels: Praise Him, all His angels; Praise Him, all His hosts…Let them praise the name of the Lord, For He commanded and they were created. Psa 148:2, Psa 148:5 For by [God’s beloved Son] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities - all things have been created through Him and for Him. Col 1:16 We do not know exactly when God created the angels, but we can get fairly close. For example, in Job 38:1-41, God is talking about the creation of the world and says when that happened: The morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy. Job 38:7 Morning stars and sons of God are terms for angels. This indicates that the angels were praising God as they witnessed His creation of the world; therefore, we know the angels existed in that condition before time - in eternity [past]. What would we have seen if we had been standing right there when Messiah Jesus created the angels? We would not have seen anything, because our eyes and our brains are suited for the physical realm and angels exist in the spiritual realm. In fact, we would not have been aware that anything had happened because angels are in a dimension that is not perceptible to the senses of human beings. I believe most people think of angels as misty-wispy entities. No! They are not airy-fairy type things; angels are substantial and they are real. Do angels have bodies? The answer is an unequivocal Yes and No! Yes, angels have spiritual bodies, and no, angels do not have physical bodies. And humans cannot see them because angels do not exist in the physical dimension Divine Permission: ARE WE ALLOWED TO SEE ANGELS? Angels live in a dimension other than the physical. Normally, humans cannot see angels; however, sometimes God allows us to see them in one of two ways: One: God lifts back the veil of the spiritual dimension, and we see angels as they are. This is not a good way. Why not? Because when we see angels that way the reactions of human beings are always the same - we are scared to death. For example: Daniel saw an angel. Now I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, while the men who were with me did not see the vision; nevertheless, a great shaking fell on them, and they ran away to hide themselves. Dan 10:7 For example: Zacharias saw the angel Gabriel. Zacharias was troubled when he saw [an angel of the Lord], and fear gripped him. Luk 1:12 Note: Zacharias was the father of John the Immerser (Baptizer). For example: An angel appeared to announce Messiah Jesus’ resurrection. And behold, there was a great earthquake. The angel of the Lord descended from heaven and came and rolled back the stone from the door and sat on it. His countenance was like lightning and his raiment white with snow. And because of fear the guards started shaking and became as dead men. Mat 28:2-4 When God allows human to look into the spiritual dimension and see angels, the angels always frighten them; we cannot stand to look at angels as they are. Two: God has angels change their form from spiritual to physical. This way is used by God most often. Obviously, this is a little bit easier for humans to take, because when the angels change to a physical form (an imitation of a human body), they look just like human beings. Note: When angels change their form, normally they take on the physical appearance of men (in lieu of women); therefore, the masculine pronoun he, his, and him are always used in the Bible. However, angles do NOT have a gender. I Say Clearly: An angel is NOT just a consciousness (a mind without a body). Angels do not have a physical body, and they do not have eyes, ears, or noses. Why not? Angels do not need physical bodies or organs, because they exist in the spiritual dimension. An angel has a spiritual body, which is localized (to be in one place at one time), and when an angel goes to another place, he has to travel (to move through space). To human beings it may seem that angels are limited in what they can perceive since angels do not have physical bodies. Actually, an angel’s perception is much higher than a human being’s. They do not have eyes, but angels would ask Who needs eyes? Look at what we have! Illustration: A DIFFERENT WAY OF PERCEIVING One time when I was in Columbus, Ohio, a blind man said to me I have never been able to understand how so many people manage with using canes. And then, in all seriousness, he asked me How do you know where things are if you do not have a cane? Perception in the blind world is different from perception in the sighted world. Application: Angels have different ways of perceiving things than human beings How many angels exist? The Scriptures present us with a few clues. Messiah Jesus referred to twelve legions of angels (144,000 angels): "Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?"Mat 26:53 The apostle John said that he saw a large number of angels: Then I looked, and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and then thousands times ten thousand. Rev 5:11 What is ten thousand times ten thousand? That equals 100 million angels. Now add the thousands upon thousands for the sum of the many angels that John saw = [a minimum of] 100 million + thousands more! This inestimable number of angels is clarified in the Book of Hebrews: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels. Heb 12:22 Do you know what innumerable angels means? Very simply, there are just too many angels for us to count. Possibly, there are billions and billions of angels. Does this mean that God created a few angels and then they reproduced? No, because Messiah Jesus said that they do not procreate (produce offspring): "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."Mat 22:30 The text is clearly showing us that these millions and millions - maybe billions - of angels were created individually, separately, one at a time [by the Creator, God]. How many angels exist? The Scriptures present us with a few clues. Messiah Jesus referred to twelve legions of angels (144,000 angels): "Do you think I cannot call on My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?"Mat 26:53 The apostle John said that he saw a large number of angels: Then I looked, and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and then thousands times ten thousand. Rev 5:11 What is ten thousand times ten thousand? That equals 100 million angels. Now add the thousands upon thousands for the sum of the many angels that John saw = [a minimum of] 100 million + thousands more! This inestimable number of angels is clarified in the Book of Hebrews: But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels. Heb 12:22 Do you know what innumerable angels means? Very simply, there are just too many angels for us to count. Possibly, there are billions and billions of angels. Does this mean that God created a few angels and then they reproduced? No, because Messiah Jesus said that they do not procreate (produce offspring): "For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven."Mat 22:30 The text is clearly showing us that these millions and millions - maybe billions - of angels were created individually, separately, one at a time [by the Creator, God]. Father, we thank You for Your Word, and we thank You for these creation lessons on the spiritual dimension. We ask that You would help us to develop a consciousness of You, so that as we learn about the angels we will be mindful that You made them and that You are sovereign over them. Thank You that creation and the Bible reveal Your glory. Please help us to recognize this time of study as a great opportunity for us to focus on Your glory, including Your attributes of forbearance, mercy, love, holiness, and immensity. Father, we ask that through Your word, You would give us wisdom, restoration of our souls, joy, and enlightenment of our spiritual understanding so that Your testimony would not return to You void, and it would accomplish the purposes for which You sent it. Praise be Your name forever, through our Creator and Messiah, Jesus. Amen. THE HIGHEST OF ALL CREATION In this creation study, we will be looking at the created spirit being who: Had the highest rank of anyone in the universe, Was the most powerful person in the universe, Was the embodiment of all wisdom, and Was the most perfect of God’s creation. About Whom Am I Talking? THE PREEMINENT ONE By the way, did you think I was referring to Messiah Jesus? I am not, because He was not created. Speaking of Messiah Jesus, John said: All things were made by Him, and without Him was not anything made that was made. John 1:3 John says that Messiah Jesus created everything that was created, proving Messiah was not created, because He could not create Himself. What do you do [beside shut off the lights and pretend that nobody is home -sic!] or say when somebody points to all of the verses that they incorrectly interpret to mean Messiah Jesus was created? For instance, what would you tell them if they were to show you the following verse? He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. Col 1:15 You would say that here the word firstborn does not literally mean "1st born". In English, the word first has two different meanings, as follows: (1) preeminence and (2) chronology. In this verse, firstborn means the preeminent One. However, let us consider the following: George Washington was thefirstpresident of the United States of America - chronologically Washington was the first president of the United States of America. He wasfirstin war,firstin peace, andfirstin the hearts of his countrymen - does first mean chronologically? No, it means preeminence. What about references made to the firstlady (the wife or hostess of the chief executive of a country, state, or city) - does first mean chronologically? No. Chronologically, the firstlady would be Eve. It means preeminence, a place of honor and respect. Other people might show you some verses about the firstborn/first fruits of all creation, and wrongly say that this proves Messiah Jesus had a beginning. For example, consider the following verses: He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, thefirstbornfrom the dead. Col 1:18 But now Christ has been raised from the dead, thefirst fruitsof those who are asleep. 1Co 1:20 But each in his own order; Christ thefirst fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming. 1Co 1:23 And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, thefirstbornof the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Rev 1:5 Did you recognize that all of these firsts are referring to the death of Messiah Jesus? These verses refer to Messiah Jesus as being the firstborn/first fruits, meaning that He was the first of many who are going to be resurrected from the dead into a new, glorified state. That is how He is the firstborn; that is how He is the first fruits. Obviously, these verses are NOT saying that Messiah Jesus had a beginning or that He was created. Actually, He was the specific Person who did the creating: Messiah Jesus isthe preeminent One ======================================================================== CHAPTER 2: 2. PRIDE AND FALL OF TYER... ======================================================================== Pride and Fall of Tyer, Pride and Fall of Lucifer I believe the person that God created who was the highest of all creation, the wisest person created, and the most powerful person created is described in Eze 28:12-19. If you are familiar with this Ezekiel passage, you know that there is more going on than just a description about a city-state and its king. This is a famous picture of the city-state of Tyre and the king of Tyre; behind it is a picture of Lucifer - one of the numerous spirit beings called angels. How do we know that this Ezekiel passage is talking about Lucifer? One way is to compare the Eze 28:12-19 and Isa 14:12-17 passages, because unquestionably, the Isaiah passage is about Lucifer. By just glancing over the text, one can see that the Ezekiel passage is talking about the same event, the same person. Eze 28:1-26 Isa 14:1-32 12 "Son of man, take up a lamentation over the king of Tyre, and say to him, "Thus says the Lord GOD, ’You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.’" 13 "You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz, and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx, and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise, and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, Was in you. On the day that you were created They were prepared." 14 "You were the anointed cherub who covers, And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire." 15 "You were blameless in your ways From the day you were created, Until righteousness was found in you.’" 12 "How far you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!" 16 "By the abundance of your trade You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned;" 13 "But you said in your heart, ’I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.’" 14 ’I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ 15 "Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, To the recesses of the pit." "Therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire." 17 "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor." "I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you." 16 "Those who see you will gaze at you, They will ponder over you, saying, ’Is this the man who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms," 18 "By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade, You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you." 17 "Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities, Who did not allow his prisoners to go home?" 19 "All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified, And you will be no more." INTRODUCTION TOEze 28:1-26 I feel free to speculate a little as we go through Eze 28:1-26, because there are a lot of details given about the city-state of Tyre and the king of Tyre, and it seems to me those details are somewhat gratuitous if there is not more behind it. As we will see, some of the details do not fit the description of the city-state of the king of Tyre. Perhaps woven within this passage are pictures of Lucifer’s kingdom before his fall, specifically: Lucifer’s government Lucifer’s status Those with whom Lucifer worked The passage breaks up into two parts: 1.Tyre, the city-state and the king, and 2.[Beyond that to] Lucifer, the highest of all creation. In Eze 28:1-26, we will want to pay special attention to the similarity between: 1.The king of Tyre and his kingdom, and 2.Lucifer and his kingdom. PICTURE OF TYRE: A Formidable Power Note: The Bible and ancient history give us details about the prominent city-state of Tyre, which was located up the Mediterranean Sea coastline from [Megiddo,] Israel and in what is now Lebanon. In ancient history, this great seaport is often referred to as Phoenicia and its inhabitants as Phoenicians. Before proceeding with an exposition of Eze 28:1-26, let us look at Tyre’s prominence as presented in Eze 27:1-36. Ezekiel 27 1-2Moreover, the word of the Lord came to me saying, "And you, son of man, take up a lamentation over Tyre;" As we have seen, behind the Ezekiel picture of the city-state and the king of Tyre there is Lucifer. Is this a hint that when Lucifer fell, God did not gloat over his fall? I believe that God lamented and mourned for what happened to Lucifer. 3 "And say to Tyre, who dwells at the entrance to the sea, Its location at the eastern entrance to the Mediterranean Sea gave Tyre the greatest strategic position in that world [with no airplanes and no trains]. merchant of the peoples to many coastlines, ’Thus says the Lord God, "O Tyre, you have said, ’I am perfect in beauty.’" Ancient Tyre was a beautiful seaport and island city. 4-6 "Your borders are in the heart of the seas; Your builders have perfected your beauty. They have made all your planks of fir trees from Senir; They have taken a cedar from Lebanon to make a mast for you. Of oaks from Bashan they have made your oars; How do we know that this is not just the city-state of Tyre and that this is something different? They did not use those different kinds of wood - fir, cedar, and oak - for shipbuilding. With ivory they have inlaid your deck of boxwood from the coastlands of Cyprus.’" Tyre imported a substantial amount of ivory, which was used by ivory carvers to produce inlays, carvings, and decorations. 7 "Your sail was of fine embroidered linen from Egypt So that it became your distinguishing mark; Your awning was blue and purple from the coastlands of Elishah." Linen was brought to Tyre from Egypt. The highly prized Tyrian purple, a strong, purplish dye prepared from the glands of mollusks found on the nearby Mediterranean shores, was used to color fine textiles. 8 "The inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your rowers; Your wise men, O Tyre, were aboard; they were your pilots." 9 "The elders of Gebal and her wise men were with you repairing your seams; All the ships of the sea and their sailors were with you in order to deal in your merchandise." Do you see the picture here? The materials came to Tyre from all over the world, and people from all over the world came together to build Tyre - the whole world served Tyre! Let us look at the rest: 10 Persia and Lud and Put… That is Ethiopia and Arabia. 12 Tarshish… 13 Javan, Tubal and Meshech… These locations are going into Europe. 16 Aram… Aram is Syria. 17 Judah and the land of Israel… 18 Damascus… And so on. The king of Tyre was known as a genius in commerce, and his desire was to corner the market for trade. People from around the world carried on sea trade and merchant activities with Tyre: She was the market of the nations.Isa 23:3 The king also had a strong military: 17 "…And all your men of war who are in you," The fortified city-state of Tyre, including all classes of infantry and shield bearers who were protected and armed, led to many military victories and conquests. Its sea power was renowned as: The stronghold of the sea.Isa 23:4 In the Scriptures there are many more details about Tyre, but we have a picture of: A strategic location Magnificent beauty The world sending their materials and people to build up Tyre A strong military power Tyre was THE world power, but it fell: 27 "And all your men of war who are in you, With all your company that is in your midst, Will fall into the heart of the seas On the day of your overthrow. Look at the reaction of the people: 32 "Moreover in their wailing they will take up a lamentation for you And lament over you: ’Who is like Tyre, Like her who is silent in the midst of the sea?’" What is interesting is that when Tyre fell, people were glum (morose) over it, which does not always happen. For instance, when Babylon fell, people did not wail over it; when communism fell back in the late 1980s, people did not wail over it. However, when Tyre fell, people all around the world were shocked and dismayed. Why? 33 "’When your wares went out from the seas, You satisfied many peoples; With abundance of your wealth and your merchandise.’" Not only was Tyre prosperous, but other countries became prosperous through their dealings with Tyre. Of course they were upset over the fall of Tyre! CONTEXT OFEze 28:1-26 Israel had suffered under several nations, including Tyre. Interestingly enough, God let those nations be cruel and vicious to discipline Israel. However, God, speaking through Ezekiel, says to the king of Tyre (Ittobaal II) Tyre, you are responsible to Me, and I am going to punish you. (See Eze 26:1-21.) Do you recognize the difference? God allowed Tyre to attack Israel to discipline Israel, but God is going to punish Tyre. Application: God never punishes His own children; God disciplines believers. However, God is going to punish unbelievers. The Prince of Tyre Eze 28:1-26The word of the Lord came again unto me, saying, 2 Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord GOD; "Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said, ’I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods…Yet you are a man, and not God, though you make your heart like the heart of God; What happened? Because of his success in commerce and his military victories, the pride of the ruler of Tyre was lifted up; he even started thinking that he was equal with God. Now [the Lord God through] Ezekiel speaks, I believe with irony in the next passage… 3-5 Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; By the way, this is talking about Daniel (Hebrew exile to Babylon whose apocalyptic literature is a great encouragement to God’s people) who we know from Scripture. Once again, the Lord God instructs Ezekiel saying Tell the prince of Tyre that I am going to punish him. There is no secret that is a match for you; With your wisdom and with your understanding you have acquired riches, and have acquired gold and silver into your treasuries; and your heart is lifted up because of your riches." This ruler thought his success was due to the fact that he was a god; that is pride, and God judges pride… 6 Therefore thus says the Lord GOD; "Because you have set your heart as the heart of God; 7 Behold, therefore I will bring the most ruthless of the nations upon you…and they will defile your splendor. The Lord God is saying You have been cruel and vicious, but believe it or not, there is somebody that is more ruthless than you. I am going to send this brutal empire on you, and I am going to use him as My agent to punish you. Do you know about which empire the Lord God was talking? He was talking about Babylon, which was located east and across the Arabian Desert from Tyre. Look what He says will happen: 8 They will bring you down to the pit… Do you know what the pit is? It is Sheol, which is the grave [that we could take to be hell]. Question: Is hell a place for a god? No! 9 Will you still say before him who slays you, "I am God?" The Lord God is asking When this brutal man from Babylon comes and brings his sword down on you, are you still going to claim that your are God? My guess is that would be the last thing on his mind! A Great Picture: For the man who thinks he is God, the sword is coming ======================================================================== CHAPTER 3: 3. PRIDE AND FALL OF BABYLON... ======================================================================== Pride and Fall of Babylon, Pride and Fall of Lucifer The Literary Form In Use: DOUBLE REFERENCE Initially, the Eze 28:1-26 passage zooms in on one person, and then it fades out until [obviously] a second person is being talked about. That is called a double reference and it occurs all the time in the Scriptures, particularly in the Psalms. For Example: Psa 16:1-11, A Psalm of David In Psa 16:1-11, David says that God is going to protect him: You will preserve me and You will protect me. However, in verse 10, David says: For You will not abandon my soul to the grave; I ask you something: Did David go to the grave? Yes. Neither will You allow Your Holy One to undergo decay. Your Holy One means he was set apart by God. At Pentecost, Peter quoted this Psalm when he says David said I will not go to the grave and I will not decay. But then, pointing to David’s tomb, Peter says something interesting: Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. Acts 2:29 What was Peter’s point in telling everyone that he was confident that David was in the grave? In the beginning of Psa 16:1-11, the psalmist zooms in as he talks about his own experience [with God]: You will preserve me from my enemies. Yes, great! You will protect me. Again, yes. You will not send me to the grave. What? All of a sudden it does not fit anymore; the passage is now talking about Somebody else - about Messiah, Jesus. For Example: Psa 22:1-31: A Psalm of David In Psa 22:1-31, David is betrayed by his friends, by the people around him, and [he even feels abandoned] by God. So David begins this Psalm by describing the situation in his own life and how he is being betrayed by others. Then in verse 16, David says of his enemies: They pierced my hands and my feet. I think we would have known if that had happened to King David. Again, in verse 18, he says: They divide my garments among them, And for my clothing they cast lots. David is describing himself, and then it does not fit anymore; the passage gradually fades out and all of a sudden it is talking about Somebody else - about Messiah, Jesus. For Example: Dan 11:1-45 Dan 11:21 begins a passage of prophecy about Antiochus Epiphanes (vicious ruler Syria) and an incident that would occur when he would come down to Israel and take a pig into the Holy of Holies where it was killed. However, beginning at Dan 11:36 this person does not fit anymore; obviously, the passage has telescoped out and all of a sudden it gives details of Antichrist’s future. Back To:Eze 28:1-26 It is very probable that a double reference is exactly what is in Eze 28:1-26. The Lord God [through Ezekiel] begins by talking about the prince of Tyre, and the description is [obviously] about a human being. But then it does not fit anymore. How do we know that? The prince of Tyre: Was not in the Garden of Eden Did not have the seal of perfection Was not perfect in beauty Did not have all of those precious stones on him Was not on the holy mountain of God Obviously, a shift has taken place and Ezekiel is no longer talking about the human ruler of Tyre; he is talking about somebody else. It seems to me he is talking about Lucifer, the created spirit being who had the highest rank, was the most powerful, was the greatest in wisdom, and was the most beautiful of all God’s created beings. [Eze 28:11-19 continued] I believe that Lucifer, a created angel, was God’s high priest wearing all of those jewels, and that explains the following: 14 You were the anointed cherub who covers, The human king of Tyre would not be called the covering cherub; once again showing this is not a picture of the human leader of Tyre. The anointed cherub who covers tells us that Lucifer was one of the highest ranking angels called cherubs, and apparently, he was over all of the angels. And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. I believe this is not just a picture of Lucifer, but it is also a picture of the condition that existed before the physical universe was created. Of all the spirit beings that God created, Lucifer was the ultimate creation, but I tend to think that did not last long [or how ever you want to conceive of that condition before time]; it might have been that way for a long, long while. So what happened? 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. Once again: In the beginning of Eze 28:1-26, the Lord God is speaking of the human leader of Tyre, and now He is not. He says that this being was created perfect and now, unfortunately, unrighteousness was found in him. 16 By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; Remember that when the prince of Tyre sinned, judgment fell upon him; and that is what is going to happen here. therefore I have cast you as profane out of the mountain of God; and I have destroyed you, O covering cherub… As in the case of the prince of Tyre, his lofty position led to pride in his heart. 17 Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty, you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor; As we saw with the prince of Tyre, that is pride and God judges pride. I cast you to the ground, I put you before kings, that they may see you. 19 All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrible, and you will be no more. This Ezekiel passage begins by describing a human being - the leader of Tyre - and then it does not quite fit anymore. Therefore, we know it telescopes out to somebody else, and it seems to be Lucifer. We find this very same pattern in Isa 14:1-32. CONTEXT OFIsa 14:1-32 The context of Isa 14:1-32 is similar to that of Eze 28:1-26. Once again, there are nations that have been cruel to Israel and that have been viciously attacking Israel. God says [through Isaiah] to those nations I am going to punish you now for what you did. The Ezekiel passage talks about Tyre, and we saw what God did and how things worked together. Tyre had been cruel to Israel, so God said [to Tyre] I am going to send somebody worse than you, and then He sent Babylon to attack Tyre. Now God says All right, Babylon you have to answer to Me too, so in Isa 14:4-11 the Lord God addresses the king of Babylon The King of Babylon Isaiah 14:4-11 4-6You will take up this taunt against the king of Babylon, and say, "How has the oppressor ceased…The LORD has broken the staff of the wicked, and the scepter of the rulers…who ruled the nations in anger with unrestrained persecution. God is telling the leader of Babylon I am going to break your staff, I am going to take your power away, and I am going to kill you. When that happens, look at what the result is going to be on earth: 7-8 The whole earth is at rest, and is quiet; they break forth into singing. Even the cypress trees rejoice over you, and the cedars of Lebanon, saying, ’Since you are laid down, no feller (anybody who fells trees) comes up against us.’ God is saying Even the trees are going to be glad when the king of Babylon is destroyed. Not only people, not only trees, but also those in hell are going to welcome you… 9-11 Sheol is excited to meet you when you come; it arouses for you…all the leaders of the earth… All the leaders of the earth who are down in hell… they shall speak and say unto you, ’Even you have been made weak as we? You have become like us?’ The king of Babylon is getting red carpet treatment in hell. And now there is even more good news for the king of Babylon in hell… Your pomp and music of your harps have been brought down to Sheol, maggots are spread under you, The image is of a bed: Maggots are going to be the king of Babylon’s bed. and the worms cover you. And worms are the king’s blanket. [Hmm, sounds nice on a chilly morning -sic!] Because the king of Babylon was wicked and cruel to Israel, God judged him, destroyed him, and sent him to hell. The Star of the Morning Isa 14:12-17 Let us see if the following verse fits the leader of Babylon: 12 How you have fallen from heaven Did the leader of Babylon fall from heaven? No. This description does not fit the leader of Babylon anymore, so it appears that the passage is telescoping out to somebody else. O star of the morning, son of the dawn! Isa 14:1-32 has been talking about the leader of Babylon, and everything said prior to verse 12 fits that human being. However, there is a shift here, is there not? You have been cut down to earth, you who have weakened the nations! This verse is definitely talking about another person: Somebody who is above the king of Babylon, and Somebody who has pride in his heart. 13-14 For you said in your heart, ’I will ascend to heaven, I will raise my throne above the stars of God; Meaning he will be like God in the sense that he is taking over. And I will sit upon the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the most High.’ As in the Ezekiel passage, this is not just talking about a human being anymore; this is talking about Lucifer whose heart was full of pride, and God punishes pride… 15 Yet you will be thrust down to hell, to the recesses of the pit. 16 Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, saying, ’Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world like a wilderness, and destroyed its cities; who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’" Both passages (Eze 28:1-19 and Isa 14:4-17) begin by talking about a specific human being (Prince of Tyre and King of Babylon), and then it does not fit anymore. Obviously, the passages telescope out to another person (King of Tyre and Star of the Morning). Note: Since there is not universal agreement among biblical scholars, I do not want to be 100 percent dogmatic about this. However, it seems to me [with almost certainty] that Lucifer - the highest of all of God’s creation who sinned, who fell, and who became Satan - is the person out to whom this Scripture is being telescoped. Lucifer, the Anointed Cherub Who Covers In eternity [past] and before time, God created an innumerable number of angels, including Lucifer: You were created. Eze 28:15 Lucifer was not self-existent or self-sustaining as God is, because Lucifer was created; however, he was created perfect: You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created. Eze 28:15 Lucifer was created the highest of all of the angels: You were the anointed cherub who covers. Eze 28:14 A cherub is an angel who is always associated with the very presence of God, so Lucifer was in the very presence of God. Who covers tells us that Lucifer was the ruler [in control] of these millions and millions of angels in God’s service, and it seems to me, the prime minister [in the top position] of the entire created spiritual realm. Lucifer was the greatest in wisdom and the greatest in beauty of any of God’s creation: You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. Eze 28:12 Do you see that Lucifer did not have horns, he did not have hooves, and he did not have a long spiked tail, he did not carry a pitchfork, and he was not ugly? He was the most beautiful angel created by God! In fact, Lucifer’s name means shining one. Most conceptions of Lucifer, as some grotesque creature with horns, were formed in the Middle Ages from such works as: Dante’s The Divine Comedy Milton’s Paradise Lost Actually, Lucifer was not that way at all - he was beautiful, and most likely, he still is though Lucifer fell and became Satan. Lucifer was the created ruler, he was beautiful, and he had a beautiful kingdom, palace or whatever kind of form it took. The kingdom was in a strategic situation, and [to extend the analogy] angels must have built it. Lucifer must have engaged in some kind of interaction with angels all around the kingdom, and when Lucifer - God’s highest creation - gave orders, every one of the angels would have followed. I think we would be amazed at the strategic position he held. ======================================================================== CHAPTER 4: 4. ORIGIN AND RESULTS OF SIN ======================================================================== Origin and Results of Sin ORIGIN OF SIN Lucifer was in the very presence of God, he was the highest of the creation, he was over the other angels, and he was perfect. Then, remarkably, unrighteousness was found in him: You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, until unrighteousness was found in you. Eze 28:15 Accounting for the origin of unrighteousness is difficult. Consider the following: The sin within Lucifer was not due to external temptation, because there was no sin in that created realm and there was no external force acting on Lucifer. To say that sin was totally within Lucifer is not accurate, because he was created perfect. We do not have the slightest idea how it happened, but we do know: God did not originate that sin and God was not at all responsible for that sin, however, He did allow it. Lucifer was 100 percent responsible for that sin. What unrighteousness did God find? Lucifer did not steal anything nor did he kill anybody, so what did he do? The unrighteousness of Lucifer is found in Isa 14:13-14 in the five I wills: But you said in your heart, 1 I will ascend to heaven; Lucifer was already in the presence of God, so what did he mean by that? I guarantee you, he did not mean I am going to go there to visit; however, Lucifer did mean that he was going to take over and occupy God’s throne. 2 I will raise my throne above the stars of God, [stars of God are angels.] Do you know what is unbelievable about this? Apparently, Lucifer was over the angels as God’s delegate, but he was not content with that. Lucifer said that he would usurp God’s authority over the angels; he was saying I am going to take over as the ruler of the angels and as the ruler of heaven. 3 And I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. [The mount of assembly (see Isa 2:1-22) refers to "the center of God’s government of the universe". The recesses of the north (see Psa 48:1-14) means "heaven".] Lucifer was saying I will sit at the center of the government of this universe. 4 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; [Possibly, the heights of the clouds refers to "the glory of God", which is frequently used when talking about heaven.] Lucifer was saying I will make my glory above the glory of God. 5 I will make myself like the Most High. [The Most High (Elyon) is God’s title as "the Possessor of the universe".] Lucifer was saying I will make myself like Him, the owner of this universe. God found all of that unbelievable pride in Lucifer’s heart! God created the angels with a free will [to choose good or evil], and Lucifer chose evil Glory of God = Sum Total of His Attributes GOD’S ATTRIBUTES OF FORBEARANCE AND MERCY Something that has always been of interest to me is that before God struck Lucifer down, he was able to say I will… five times. In another words, God did not strike Lucifer down the moment pride appeared in his heart. I believe that God’s forbearance (long suffering) and mercy (God not giving me the punishment I deserve) was extended to Lucifer. It was not as if God hard-heartedly and with no mercy struck down Lucifer the instant he blew it. Lucifer says I will… five times, so maybe, again just maybe, prideful thoughts were in his mind for a long while; Lucifer had an opportunity to repent (change his mind), and if he had done so, then everything would have gone on just the way it was. God watched that pride develop before He struck Lucifer down In the Bible, every time God gives the first warning to a nation, there is also an opportunity for the nation to repent - God extends His forbearance and mercy to the nation. Note: What is the classic example of God sparing the unrighteous from punishment [because they chose to repent]? Nineveh (see Jon 3:1-10) - God said [through Jonah] to the Ninevites You will be destroyed, The Ninevites repented (believed the one true God), and then God relented concerning the calamity which He had declared He would bring upon them. And He did not do it. In the leader of Tyre’s case, he really started thinking he was a god, and that meant that when the enemies started mounting up against him, he did not take any action Why should I take action? The enemies cannot kill me becauseI am a god. God gave Tyre a warning: Therefore thus says the Lord God, ’Behold, I am against you, O Tyre, and I will bring up many nations against you, as the sea brings up its waves. Eze 26:3 Though God had said Tyre, I am against you and I am going to destroy you, if the Tyrians would have repented (changed their minds) then God would have withheld His punishment. The king of Tyre did not heed the warning; pride led to his own destruction: They will destroy the walls of Tyre and break down her towers; and I will scrape her debris from her and make her a bare rack. She will be a place for the spreading of nets in the midst of the sea. Eze 26:4-5 That is exactly what happened! Tyre is judged, is destroyed, and is ruined; however, it came in stages. First, the king of Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar, destroyed the mainland city of Tyre. Many years later, Alexander the Great scraped all the debris from the ruins of Tyre and built a causeway using the debris to the Island of Tyre that he wanted. Note: Why did Alexander the Great want the Island of Tyre? Because it was there! Have you ever seen pictures of Tyre? Today, that causeway out in the Mediterranean Sea looks like one of the piers in Galveston, Texas, USA, except it is much longer. And just like the Scripture says, it is used for people to spread out their nets. Picture: It is very possible that what happened with Tyre is a picture of what happened to Lucifer: God created the spiritual realm and the angels, including Lucifer, and there was total harmony with no sin or rebellion in the kingdom. Lucifer had pride in his heart. God saw the pride, but instead of striking down Lucifer, He let Lucifer keep talking and talking. God sent Lucifer a warning: You are going to be knocked out. Lucifer did not heed the warning. RESULTS OF SIN And as we saw with the ruler of Tyre [and of Babylon]: God judges pride It is not surprising that ultimately - after the time of mercy went by and Lucifer did not repent - Lucifer fell and God punished him. When Lucifer fell, he became Satan. He was Lucifer, the shining one; however, because of his own pride, he became Satan, the adversary, the opponent. Because of God’s direct judgment on him, when Lucifer became Satan he was forced to leave the presence of God. Apparently [from all that we know], that was: The first rebellion - the first disharmony - the first sin in the universe When Lucifer fell and became Satan: His entire nature changed [probably] instantaneously (he did not change in degrees), he became totally (not partially) evil, and he became the embodiment of evil - he totally hated God and he totally hated good. He became a totally different person; he was created a new person (a brand new creature) and he was perverted. Lucifer’s whole thinking was totally twisted; it was so twisted that it became ridiculous when he actually thought that he could overthrow his Creator, God. When Satan sinned, apparently he persuaded one third of the angels to come with him and defect: And his tail swept away a third of the stars of heaven and threw them to the earth. Rev 12:4 One third of the angels, who had helped build Lucifer’s magnificent kingdom, now made a freewill choice to go with him. Satan has [probably] millions of angels with him; apparently, he took with him a whole cross-section of the angels, including some from every rank of the angelic hierarchy. When these angels fell, their entire nature changed and they became demons (wicked angels). The fallen angels must have been in anguish. Why? At one time they were empowered by God through Prime Minister Lucifer; now they lost what they had. Glory of God = Sum Total of His Attributes: GOD’S ATTRIBUTES OF LOVE AND HOLINESS God could have created a universe in which He decreed there would never be any sin. In Fact: That will be the case in eternity [future]. The redeemed can know they will not mess up like Lucifer and one third of the angels did, because God has decreed they will never sin. In the beginning God did not decree that there would never be any sin, though He could have. That means that God, knowing sin would happen, allowed it to happen. Why? I believe that if we recognize that God is sovereign and we look at the results of what happened, it is probably safe to assume that was part of the answer to why God allows something to happen. For Example: Let us go back to that condition before time when the only presence in the universe is the Godhead (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). A problem exists because God wants Himself to be known; He wants other beings to know about Him: "Call to Me and I will answer you, and I will tell you great and mighty things, which you do not know."Jer 33:3 How could God be known if there was nobody else in existence? Maybe that is why, to begin with, God created the angels. What did the angels know about God? [We assume God wanted to be known back before there was sin.] All the angels had to have known that God loved them, because the Bible tells us: God is love. 1Jn 4:16 God is pure love, concentrated (see our Eze 1:1-28, God Manifests Himself To Man study); the angels must have felt His love radiating from them. Then something else happened - Lucifer fell. Was that good or bad? It was bad; however, because Lucifer fell, another one of the attributes of God was revealed. Apparently, Lucifer was the highest of all creation, and obviously, God loved him. But then Lucifer sinned and he was cast out of God’s presence, taking one third of the angels with him. After that, the two thirds of the angels who remained learned something about God. I think we get a picture of what they learned in the following verses: And the four living creatures…day and night they do not cease to say, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come."Rev 4:8 And one[seraph]called out to another and said, "Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts, The whole earth is full of His glory."Isa 6:3 In both of those passages, we see a vision of heaven and we see the angels who are saying the same thing: Holy, Holy, Holy In the Bible, it seems that the angels are always saying Holy, Holy, Holy; they are never saying Love, Love, Love. Do you know why? Although the angels know about the love of God - they must feel His love - angels do not know God’s love as redeemed human beings do. Though the angels have never experienced Messiah’s redemptive, merciful love in a personal way, they have learned that: God is holy and He cannot tolerate the presence of sin. When Lucifer and one third of the angels fell, the remaining two thirds of the angels said Whoa! When somebody sins, it does not matter who he is [even His highest creation], he is out of here! The incidence of Lucifer’s fall was tragic, but the results were: the angels learned that God is holy. GOD’S ATTITUDE TOWARD LUCIFER’S FALL What is interesting to me is the attitude of God toward the fall of Lucifer. First, we have to say God judged Lucifer’s sin, and He judged it severely. Satan will suffer the eternal consequences of his sin, because for eternity Satan is doomed; God does not have a plan for Satan to get out of the mess he is in. However, it seems to me that God was in mourning over Lucifer once he fell: How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn!Isa 14:12 Notice that God is using His old, given names for Lucifer (O star of the morning, son of the dawn). I believe this is an indication that God is mourning and grieving over the fall of Lucifer, because this was not what God wanted for Lucifer. As we have seen, God allows His own creation to rebel against Him. I think if I were going to create a world, I would make sure that my created beings would not rebel against me. But God allows His own creation to rebel against Him, even though it breaks His heart. So: God Mourns ======================================================================== CHAPTER 5: 5. PRIDE LEADS TO DESTRUCTION ======================================================================== Pride Leads to Destruction This fall of Lucifer gets my attention. Why? Because here is a being created by God who was: 1.Created perfect, 2.The embodiment of wisdom, and 3.In the perfect environment with total harmony around him. Yet he was capable of such pride, of such sin! This alarms me, because I was not created perfect, I am not the embodiment of wisdom, and I do not have a perfect environment around me. What chance do I have to avoid falling into pride[and other sins]? Zero! All of us are prone to pride, and it is going to be a lot easier for us to fall into pride than it was for Lucifer. Note: I doubt if anybody reading this really wants to overthrow our Creator God, or if any of you have ever thought I am going to go up to heaven, I am going to kick out God, and I am going to rule. [And if you have, I do not want to know about it -sic!] What Is Pride? Pride is a tendency that we all have. That can be hard to grasp because most of us do not have the correct idea about pride. We all think of the extremely obvious pride: I am the greatest or I am so much better than everybody else is. However, pride is a more fundamental, basic problem. Keep In Mind: The pride of Lucifer was saying I will… five times. I believe pride is not so much thinking that I am better than everybody else is, although that is part of it; primarily: Pride is the desire to act independently of God In a sense, that kind of pride is the origin of all of our specific sins. If we wanted to narrow pride down to one little phrase, I believe we could say: Pride = My way over God’s way That kind of pride is addressed in the Book of Isaiah: All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way. Isa 53:6 There are just two ways in the universe - (1) God’s way, which is being subject to the power of God, and (2) my way, which is saying My way is over God’s way. When we do that [and I guarantee you we all do] - Is there a remedy? For Satan: There is no remedy for Satan, because God did not have a plan for him - that amazes me! Lucifer was God’s highest created being and God loved Lucifer; consider the way He talked to him How you have fallen, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! So God loved Lucifer, but He did not have a plan for him, and when Lucifer fell and became Satan, he fell into eternal punishment - there is not going to be any forgiveness for him. Satan’s punishment (judgment) is eternal separation from God in hell. For Wandering Sheep[Believers]: In eternity [past] - before we were born - God set His heart on us, and He decreed a plan to deal with our pride. What does that mean? God loved us (a lower creation than Lucifer) more than He loved Lucifer (the highest creation). Though our pride is as bad as Lucifer’s and we deserve the same judgment that he got - God is no respecter of persons - there is a plan for those who acknowledge their pride, which is presented in the same verse: All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all to fall on Him. Isa 53:6 As we see, our judgment fell on the Lord. The God of the universe died because of our pride? Here we are creatures in a corner of this physical universe, we are worms, and yet we have the nerve to strut our pride, for which the God of the universe died. That is shameful, is it not? God loves us, but He hates pride and we have pride. Think about the things that God hates. [I always think of real gross sins and say He hates those sins the most. Wrong!] Pro 6:16-19 says: There are six things which the Lord hates, Yes, seven which are an abomination to Him: 1.Haughtyeyes, 2.A lying tongue, 3.And hands that shed innocent blood, 4.A heart that devises wicked plans, 5.Feet that run rapidly to evil, A.false witness who utters lies, 6.And one who spreads strife among brothers. Notice: #1 - Haughty (proud to the point of arrogance) eyes! Pride is deceiving, as shown in the Book of Obadiah, which is directed to the Nation of Edom (the descendants of Esau): The arrogance of your heart has deceived you. Obadiah 1:3 Pride is dangerous, as we know from another Proverb: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before stumbling. Pro 16:18 To understand that, I believe we have to remember what happened to Lucifer because of his pride. For Lucifer, pride twisted his thinking, pride perverted his thinking, and pride made him think ridiculous things. Undoubtedly, that is what pride will do to us: Pride will twist our thinking. Pride will pervert our thinking. Pride will make our thinking ridiculous. Illustration: TWISTED THINKING The Egyptian Pharaohs thought they were divine, and their followers agreed with them. It seems to me that if a pharaoh claims that he is a god and that he can do a lot of miracles, then everyone might believe him. However, once the pharaoh would die and his body would rot, he would be busted (found out) - obviously, a dead man is not an undying god. What always amazes me is that was not the case; the people continued to believe that the dead man was a god and they would deny the one true God. Was their thinking right? No. Illustrations: RIDICULOUS THINKING This is similar to a well-known heavyweight champion who was flying first class on an international flight. Prior to the pilot landing the plane, he lit the Fasten Your Seatbelts indicator; however, the champ deliberately ignored the message. The airline attendant instructed him politely Sir it is time to fasten your seatbelt. With great pride the champ said Superman don’t need no seatbelt, and the attendant responded Superman don’t need no plane! Application: Believers are not going to be destroyed; God has locked His own children in eternity so they do not need no plane nor do they need no seatbelt. But in this physical life, pride of individuals can bring destruction to some part of their lives, because anytime they have pride, they are blocking God out of some part of their lives. Pride Leads to Destruction There are a lot of other devices that do not always lead to destruction, so why is it that pride leads to destruction? My premise is that God does not always just unilaterally see every act of pride and destroy it. [Otherwise, there would be no human race.] I believe that pride has its own natural consequences that bring destruction. God does not necessarily have to step in and bring on the consequences for pride - although He can. God does not say There is a guy that has pride, and I am going to punish him. Do you know why? I believe God knows what pride is going to do in our lives - it will make our thinking twisted, perverted, and not right - and He does not want His children to suffer those consequences of pride. Dealing with pride is difficult because: The more you try to get rid of pride through self-effort, the more pride you get. If you start to think that you are making progress in getting rid of pride, by definition, you are getting worse. If you think I have arrived because I got rid of my pride, and I am proud of my humility then you have reached the height of pride. Whoa! Getting rid of pride seems like a catch 22 (a condition very hard to fulfill); its seems like you cannot win. Obviously, self-effort is not going to cut it (make a difference); it makes pride worse. So how do we get rid of it??? Do you recognize that your controlling, proud nature is, in fact, a result of your rebellion and sin against God’s holiness? Isa 53:6 tells us that we are all going our own way; does this verse echo what you know about yourself? This verse also tells us that God planned that Messiah would come into this world and would take the punishment (judgment) for the sins of those who believe in Him. Anyone - including you - can be reconciled to God because of the sacrifice of Messiah Jesus. If you want to be reconciled to God, simply acknowledge in prayer to Him: I confess I am a sinner. No amount of self-effort can ever remove my pride or help make things right between You - my Creator - and myself. I confess I deserve to go to hell because of my pride [and my other sins]. But I believe that when Messiah Jesus died on the Cross, He was paying the penalty for my sin. And that when He rose again, He rose to give me eternal life. If you believe Messiah Jesus died and rose again for you, then you can know that you are reconciled to God and: there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner - over you - who repents. Luk 5:10 Now that I Am Redeemed:How do I get rid of pride when it rears it ugly head in my life? I believe the best way is to recognize when you are prideful and acknowledge it to Him Lord God, I know I have pride and I do not want it, because I hate it. Thank You, Messiah Jesus, for giving Your life as a ransom for my pride; please turn my focus from mySELF to YOU. Come to God as you are! When you do that, you have reached a condition expressed as follows: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Mat 5:3 That is what God wants; the result is you will stop thinking about yourSELF, and you will start focusing on GOD. Glory of God = Sum Total of His Attributes: GOD’S IMMENSITY Based on what we know about Satan - the created being who could never: occupy the throne of God, reign in heaven, sit at the center of the government of this universe, make his glory above the glory of God, and make himself like God - let us pause to realize how ridiculous and twisted this creature’s thinking is by looking at God’s immensity. Immensity is a theological term used, which is unfortunate because it gives the wrong connotation. Immensity means size, therefore someone who has immensity is big. Illustration: When I was in high school, I had a Model-A Ford that I restored. One of my friends liked to ride in the car. However, because of his immensity the only way my friend could get into the car was for us to take out the front passenger seat, and then he could sit in the back seat, but he was also in the front seat because he was huge. I could say My friend is in the back seat and in the front seat at the same time. Do you know something? Not ALL of him was in both places; part of him was in the front seat and part of him was in the back seat. That is what is meant by the word immense: someone who fills a huge place. The immensity of God does NOT mean that God is so huge that He covers the entire universe, meaning His head would be in one place and His feet would be in another; it is not that way, because God does not have a body. Also, the immensity of God does not just mean that God is everywhere at the same time (omnipresent), although He is. God’s immensity means: God is equally present at every point in the universe. The immensity of God is presented in Jeremiah when God says: I fill heaven and earth. Jer 23:24 This is amazing! God Isaiah 100 percent present at every point in this vast universe - so vast that no human can imagine it - and all of God is there. Pick any particular point in the universe and God Isaiah 100 percent there! …Bad News ~ Good News For the Unredeemed (those who have not trusted in Messiah Jesus as their Redeemer): That is very bad news, because God Isaiah 100 percent present wherever those individuals are. That means every sin an unbeliever commits is see, recorded, and marked down by God for future judgment of that individual by God; not one unbeliever is going to slip away. For the Redeemed (those who have trusted in Messiah Jesus as their Redeemer): That is very good news, because wherever believers are, God is there. Do you realize that mathematically, 100 percent of God’s presence is with each believer who has 100 percent of God’s attention? It is as if each believer is the only person in the universe. It seems that mathematically that does not work, because God has 100 percent of my attention - and yours - and the attention of all other believers. Note: This is NOT like the statement Casey "Old Professor" Stengel (successful baseball player and manager) made Baseball Isaiah 90 percent mental and the other half is physical. God works with infinities in a way that man does not know. King David recognized that each believer has 100 percent of God’s attention focused on him when he penned the following: Oh Lord You have searched me and know me. You know my sitting down and my rising up. You understand my thought afar off. You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. (Psa 139:1-3) Because God is everywhere 100 percent of the time, He sees all of our faults and all of our flaws. With that in mind, look at David’s response: You have hedged me behind and before and laid Your hand on me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me. It is high I cannot attain it. Psa 139:5-6 Father, thank You for allowing us to look into the spiritual dimension, so we would know that angels are real, substantial, numerous, and uniquely and individually created by Your Son, Messiah Jesus. Thank You that we understand what happened when the highest ranking and most powerful angel, Lucifer - the embodiment of wisdom and beauty - rebelled against You. It amazes us that, even though it broke Your heart, You let Your own creation rebel against You! And what really amazes us is that You do not have a plan for that perfect created being who, because of his pride, fell and became Satan, but you do have a plan for those human beings who believe that Your Son - the God of this universe - died for them [because of their pride, their sin]. Father, could some of my difficulties be a consequence of my own pride? That makes me want to eliminate that sin in my life. I do not want twisted and ridiculous thinking, so please, change me from a proud, SELF-centered person into a spiritually thirsty individual who seeks to have YOUR WAY [and not my way] in all aspects of my life. And please, Lord God, help me to trust in You, so that You, who began a good work in me, will complete it. All the heavenly hosts give You, their Creator, praise, and Your holy angels proclaim You are Holy, Holy, Holy. In unison we open our mouths and say Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; The whole earth is full of Your glory. We bless You, the living God, and ask that You will be glorified in this day. In the name of our Creator and Messiah, Jesus. Amen. ======================================================================== Source: https://sermonindex.net/books/creation-of-angels/ ========================================================================