other gods

[Karen C.]

The Mystery of the Fallen Angels

by Gary Stearman

"For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison" (I Peter 3:18,19).  

Myths, legends and modern stories all testify that upon this earth, there were once powerful and evil superhuman beings who took great pleasure in tormenting mankind. They were the old gods of tradition and folklore, Zeus, Apollo and their ilk. Were they merely figments of human imagination, or were they real? Are these the entities the Bible identifies as fallen angels?

Many Christians do not want to believe that these demigods of old were real. With the development of the early church, pagan deities faded into the forgotten pages of folklore. Yet the Bible refers to "sons of God," "fallen angels," and other demonic creatures who once tried to subvert humanity. They perfectly fit the description of the old demigods.

Perhaps they were real, and are now either locked up or restrained. Will these fallen angels return? The Bible says that in the tumultuous days of the Tribulation Period, they will return.

The common belief is that early humanity concocted these ancient myths to satisfy their desire for something to worship. But in the last few centuries, society has matured. There is, therefore, no longer the need for a belief in the existence of ancient gods. They have been allowed to slip back into the recesses of the cultural mind. By implication, such belief systems are weak-minded. Today's secular man confidently believes that he no longer needs these religious crutches.

This explanation of ancient history speaks not so much of the power of some ancient gods, as it does of the unintelligent state of primitive man. In so doing, it supports the idea that mankind has evolved from the simple to the complex. This is the core concept of modern evolutionary theory.

In short, it is now believed that these once powerful and evil demigods - the subjects of ancient pagan ritual - were only the figments of an impoverished ancient man's imagination. They were born in the dark nights of his caves and campfires, wherein lurked predatory beasts and nocturnal superstitions.

The Serpent and His Followers

But the Bible refutes this idea in at least two major ways. First, it tells us that man was created perfect, both in physique and intelligence. He had a perfect knowledge of God, even to the point of open fellowship with Him. He was devoid of superstition.

Secondly, the Bible tells us that this perfect world was corrupted from without by a sinister character, whom God allowed to intrude upon the first innocent couple. He and his assemblage were far from imaginary. Together, they projected the power of the serpent.

Ancient religions are rife with stories about a beautiful flying serpent. They are the Chinese dragon, the Central American Quetzelcoatl, the American Indian serpent gods, the feathered serpent, etc.

The trail of the serpent can be traced through the Scriptures. Lucifer, with his various appearances as the devil and Satan, wages a continual fight against the Kingdom of Heaven. Furthermore, he has several levels of underlings who are deeply committed to his doctrine of rebellion.

Many of them are now in the deepest kind of spiritual prison, there to await judgment. Others, along with Satan himself, are free to roam the earth, bent upon the dreary task of trying to overthrow the work of God.

They are, of course, doomed to failure. But there is more of the saga to be played out before their story concludes in a plunge to the dreaded lake of fire.

Once a Cherub

Satan, their leader, was once a high - perhaps the highest - of all the angels. He held a holy and vaunted heavenly position: the office of cherub.

"Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty.

"Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created.

"Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.

"Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee" (Ezekiel 28:12-15).

Presented here as the spiritual power behind the earthly Tyrian dynasty, Satan is sadly recalled from the days before his fall as the summation of God's creation. What a statement! In His infinite strength and perfection, God made Lucifer a perfect being.

Imagine the result: a wise and handsome creature of such beauty and perfection that our minds falter in the attempt to relate him to anything we now know. He was apparently clad in - perhaps formed of - precious stones. And in some way that is beyond our knowing, he was built with the ability to create beautiful music wherever he went. He was his own orchestra!

His domain was the very throne room of God, apparently situated upon the mountain of God, the seat of His power. The old dragon walked among the stones of fire. From the context, we gather that they are in the intimate inner circle of God's projected power and authority.

He was a close colleague and confidante who shared the very thoughts and decrees of God. He was tightly woven into the very personality of the Godhead. God must have created him for companionship, intimate discourse and the joy of exalted service in the holy inner circle of creation.

Furthermore, this was not slave labor. Lucifer was no mere robot. He had a mind and free will, demonstrated by the fact that he was later able to commit iniquity. He chose to rebel and willingly followed through on the wrong choice.

Said in another way, he broke a holy contract with God by committing a lawless act, which could not have happened had he been enslaved without the will to commit the sin. He assessed God's power and compared it with his own.

"How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!

"For 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:

"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isaiah 14:12-14).

From this famous discourse, it is obvious that Earth was Lucifer's original domain. Since his rebellion is centered around an ascent to heaven, it appears that his original rule was physical. It involved the earth and its environs. The "stars of God" may refer to the holy angels who constituted God's congregation.

Apparently, he reasoned that he was perfectly capable of running things. Perhaps he even thought that heaven would be a better place with him in control. Blinded by his own ego, he badly miscalculated his effect in the universe. He lost his objectivity in a misguided grab for power.

Above all, he committed his crime as an anointed cherub. He must have believed he had the right to perpetrate his evil deed.

The meaning of the word "cherub" - title of a high office - has been blurred over the ages. In particular, during the medieval era and years that followed, cherubs came to be pictured as pudgy little babies with tiny wings. Flitting through the halcyon scenes of renaissance artists, they came to symbolize innocent bliss in the kingdom of God.

But in antiquity, cherubs were considered beings of utmost power, closely associated with God's authority. Their physical appearance is unknown. Ezekiel saw them, but displayed a distinct inability to adequately describe them. He described their wings and their faces (lion, ox, eagle and man), but used terms such as "likeness" and "form," indicating that he really couldn't come up with definitive language to express what he really saw.

The cherubim were God's very dwelling place. In many Old Testament Scriptures, as well as here, in II Samuel 6:2, they are mentioned in this way:

"And David arose, and went with all the people that were with him from Baale of Judah, to bring up from thence the ark of God, whose name is called by the name of the LORD of hosts that dwelleth between the cherubims."

Here, upon the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant, they stood as a miniature representation of God's heavenly throne. Other than the fact that they are said to have wings, their appearance is unknown. Some have said that they were sphinx-like in appearance, with winged lion's bodies and human faces, but that is pure conjecture. Even Flavius Josephus, writing in the first century, noted that no one knew what they really looked like. If their appearance was ever fully known, it had been forgotten.

However, one thing is certain. They function as God's watchful guardians and special agents. Given their trusted position, this makes Lucifer's fall especially ironic. The defection of a trusted associate is the highest of crimes.

In Revelation, they are depicted in much the same way as Ezekiel saw them, with the exception of their multiple faces. Here, they each have but a single face.

"And the first beast was like a lion, and the second beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle.

"And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come" (Revelation 4:7,8).

These "beasts," or "living creatures" are the cherubim, four in number, of which, it seems, Lucifer must have once been numbered. Both here and in Ezekiel, the number four is specific. Four of them surround God's throne, emblematic of His Kingdom. Full of eyes, they are also called "watchers" and "holy ones." (See Daniel 4:13,23). Theirs is the high calling of surrounding God's throne and doing His special bidding.

Once, there were five of them. The fifth was called, "

[Karen C.]

Hello!!! :thumb:

[Guest leejosepho]

"... Many Christians do not want to believe that these deimgods of old were real ..."

Peace and Joy to all!

I have yet to read the above article completely, but that sentence just quoted caught my eye.

[Karen C.]

Prior to my conversion...darkness to Light, satan to Jesus!

[Guest leejosepho]

Agreed ... and I hope I did not leave any other impression.

Just this evening I was informed that the young man I have mentioned in another post has also called another man here.  These two recent calls from that young man with whom we have had no contact for quite some time simply cannot be merely coincidental.  He is trying to seek help, but that demon has him so bound that we cannot even get beyond phone contact.

[Karen C.]

leejosepho~As you can tell this is the area of my calling... Have you read my testimony under the Spiritual Warfere Discussion topic at the top?

After I completed my testimony I laid it out to the Lord and requested that if this was what He wanted my message to be, I needed confirmation. Within a month I recieved a book. "Meth=Sorcery" via a Church Brother who also is a Counselor at the local mens prison. It confimed ALL that my testimony said.

I have found that all my ol' buddies are not interested in being delivered, yet!!! Once they become incarcerated, it becomes a different story. They want the answers then?!?! Praise the LORD! So that's where I go.....

The Lord saved me when people all around me were dying and out to kill each other... I know for a reason and for this time..

There is serious manifestations of the demonic realm happening all around us to those who have opened that door.. I had other druggie friends asking "Christians" what was going on??? NO ONE COULD GIVE ME AN ANSWER?! Serious problem when you know something's wrong and go to the KNOWLEDGE SOURCE and get sent back empty handed...

That is why I speak out. I'm not proud of my testimony...where I've been w/satan is most degrading..but the Lord told me to use it to reach others. So I do. :thumb:

I will pray in agreement for this tormented person you spoke of... I believe through prayer they will seek deliverance. Laying on of the hands on someone who IS ready to recieve Christ as their Savior will set them FREE!!!

Much  :inlove: in Christ, Karen

[Guest leejosepho]

Karen:

Peace and Joy to you!

I can certainly see this is an area of interest to you, and I also see you are very astute as to what is going on in

[Karen C.]

leejo~Oh no, I know that there is those who truly want to be set free and come out and fall right back into the old lifestyle. They do show a fire for the Lord when they are praying for release from prison-jail. During the time I spent in jail I witnessed those who made bond and returned in anger and still in bondage.

When the Lord was revealing Himself to me (in jail), my prayer was for answers to what was going on. My life had taken a backseat to my desire to know TRUTH.

But there is a few in there that truly are ready. Those are the reason I go.

I thank you for your concern. I do need all the help I can get and truly appreciate it. I go to a mentor program  at a womens prison twice a month. I speak occasionally in reguards to my deliverance. Is this guy your are talking about a meth addict? If so you really need to look up my testimony. I could email it to you if you need me to... Let me know..

Your Sis in Christ, Karen

[Guest leejosepho]

Karen C.:

Greetings again!

You have mentioned "those who truly want to be set free and come out [of incarceration] and fall right back into the old lifestyle."  Do you know the biggest reason that happens -- even to ones who had first even seemed so "ready"?

Like you, I occasionally speak in regards to my deliverance.  But I have found it best to do that in one-on-one settings.  In fact, "giving my testimony" in a public setting is something I had to abandon a few years ago.  In the end, that kind of alleged "witnessing" is actually counterproductive.

Do you know there is no such kind of "witnessing" anywhere in Scripture?!  In fact, Paul's example seems to show we are to only speak of "Messiah crucified", and never of ourselves.

I do not know for sure, but I doubt the young man I have mentioned is a meth addict.

Back to work on preparations for my daughter's upcoming wedding ...

Blessings!

Lee

[Karen C.]

leejosepho~Good Evening Bro...

How about Rev 12:11, And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the WORD of THEIR TESTIMONY; and they loved not their lives unto the death..

I STRONGLY disagree with you there. My testimony is MY ministry and calling.. I guess you have a different ability than me.. Imagine our Lord knowing WHAT we each need and equiping us accordingly....AMEN!

In Christ, Karen