Evil Reality.

 We don't believe it's real. We don't  know anyone who is affected in this way, not personally. We see sensationalized, fictional movies, and read fiction best sellers with this content- but they are just made up stories meant to excite your imagination with something that is harmless, not reality at all. We glorified the subject and make it into weekly tv series, or mini-series on our streaming networks, and we just don't think too much of it all because it's  just not real. Plain and simple it doesn't really exist so we can toy with the subject all we want, in any way we want to. A long running television series pitted demons, angels-good and bad, men and woman affected by them, those fighting against all the evil and this series lasted for a long, long, very long fifteen years. That show ended but there are still many new show out there with the same type of premise- different names, different actors, different scenarios but same bottom line theme underneath all the glitter and makeup. 

Evil in the form of demons, in the form of a real presence of Satan- just doesn't truly exist for the majority of people. The reality has been fictionalized away so very much the truth of it all is lost. We'd sooner sit down and watch these stories of make believe than contemplate any truth of evil. We'd be laughed at if we suggested anything remotely portrayed in these shows could be real. It's harmless so long as we know it's not real, or so that's what we've been made to believe. 

How do we imagine the REAL Satan looks at all these evil themed shows. You say as long as the good has defeated the evil that they are okay, so he can't like the shows because he doesn't want evil defeated? That's possible. Good vs evil… with good winning- this is what we desire.

A Christian wants this very thing in REALITY. God has defeated Satan, only Satan isn't done filling his coffers with followers, and God isn't done preparing places for his saints.  THERE will come a day- we don't know when- but there will come a day when God will declared the cup filled and it cannot be filled any further- evil has gone as far as it will ever go. All those that are God's are sealed as such, and all those that are Satan's are marked as such- and all that remains is for the last horrors of evil's reality to arise and God's sealed will suffer greatly and then….Our Savior Jesus Christ Our LORD will return, calling all His saints, all the sealed to Him.

Reality. There is a lot of reality mixed up with fiction and Satan wants us to be desensitized to the evil and he's done a very good job of that. Do you ever find yourself rooting for the demon side over good? Do you ever just love the supposed good, moral upstanding demons fighting against bad ones? Are you ever happy watching monsters wreak havoc because, they are good monsters? Desensitized to evil, so that we call evil good- and mean evil is harmless when it is anything but.

What a world we live in. What tragic times. Will God find faith on earth when He returns?

Luk_18:8  I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

Mat 24:9  Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 

Mat 24:10  And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 

Mat 24:11  And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 

Mat 24:12  And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 

Mat 24:13  But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 

To ENDURE means having something you need to endure.  This world is corrupted and the disguises once worn by evil have been removed so that they are believed to be good, accepted as good, believe to be good, and truly appear to be good to all who look upon them. Enduring to the end, enduring the deception that overcomes all but the very elect. Praying to be among those who endure, to be one of the very elect this is what we must do.

2Th 2:7  For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. 

2Th 2:8  And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: 

2Th 2:9  Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 

2Th 2:10  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 

2Th 2:11  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 

2Th 2:12  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. 

May we believe ONLY TRUTH!

May we ENDURE to the END!

All through the power of our LORD and SAVIOR, JESUS CHRIST! 

Please Father in Heaven, please almighty God to whom we give all glory and honor, all praise and thanksgiving, please, keep us from all the evil of this world, let us belong to our Savior now and always! Please, this is our prayer, this is our plea!  All in the name of Jesus Christ, now and forever! AMEN!

(Excerpt)

POSSESSED WITH DEMONS

We use the term "demons" because it is the language of the Scriptures; to conform to the language and the facts of the Bible we keep up the distinction between the devil, or Satan, and the demons, the fallen angels, who are under his control. Those who were possessed with demons acted strangely. Sometimes they were exceeding fierce (Matt. 8:28); no man could bind them, no, not with chains; they dwelt among the tombs (Mark 5:3, 4); they would cry out and cut themselves

(verse 5); they would throw themselves into the fire and into the water (Matt. 17:15); they knew Jesus and cried out that he was the Son of God (Luke 8:28, etc.). It is expressly said that these persons were possessed with demons; that the demons had entered into them. And it is manifest that the devil had in some way gained possession, or control, of these persons, so that he and his angels acted through them, and made them act just as he pleased. All their actions were attributed directly to the devil, or to demons, and not to themselves. Mark 9:17-26.

It is well known that there is such a thing as mesmerism, or hypnotism, by which one person of strong nerves and a strong will can so control another of weaker nerves and will as to gain entire possession of him, body and mind. Then the mesmerizer can put his own thoughts into the mind of his victim, and make him speak and act just as he pleases. In short, the person so mesmerized

becomes the passive agent, or medium, of the person who has mesmerized him. And so it is with persons possessed with demons. They have allowed Satan to mesmerize them until he has gained complete control over them, mind and body. Then he and the demons use them as mediums through whom to speak and act.

Modern Spiritualism, the work of spirit mediums, is nothing more nor less than this. The spirits magnetize the mediums, and thus gain control of their organs, and then speak through them.

Judge Edmonds, a noted believer in Spiritualism, speaking of a manifestation through Dr. Dexter, medium, said:- "It was conducted throughout with unusual, and, indeed, unknown violence. He [the spirit] took entire possession of the doctor, not merely his arm."

Professor Brittan, another Spiritualist, says:- "We may further add, in this connection, that the trance mediums for spirit intercourse are equally irresponsible. Many of them are totally unable to resist the powers which come to them from the invisible and unknown realms."-  Telegraph's Answer to Mahan, p. 10. In many cases the spirits treat their mediums just as they did those possessed in the days of Jesus. Here is an example given by Dr. Gridly. Of a Medium he says:-

"These spirits would pinch and pound him, twitch him up and throw him down, yell and blaspheme. They forbade his eating, to the very point of starvation. He was a perfect skeleton; they compelled him to walk day and night, with intermissions, to be sure, as their avowed object was to torment him as much and as long as possible."-Astounding Facts from the Spirit World, pp. 253, 254. Compare this with Luke 8:26-30, and it will be seen that the possessions are identical in nature. There is not a particle of difference between the Satanic possessions in the days of Christ and the spirit control of the present time. When once the demons got control of them, the persons possessed had no power to free themselves from their influence. But Jesus had power over these spirits, and He gave the same power to His disciples, through faith in His name. And at the

present time, the mediums become helpless in the hands of the demons. But they can get no control over those who resist them steadfast in the faith of Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 5:8, 9; James

4:7, 8; Eph. 6:10, 11.

Spiritualists themselves assure us that each medium has an attendant spirit, which appears at every call, and can personate any for whom inquiry is made. This gives opportunity for any amount of deception, and it is identical with the doctrine of familiar spirits, so often mentioned in the Scriptures. But consulting familiar spirits was strictly forbidden, the Lord declaring that it was an

abomination to Him. The spirits are demons of darkness, and consulting them leads away from God and from His revealed truth.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

Satan- The God of This World (2 Cor. 4:4)

 (Excerpt)

(Satan-) HE GAINS POSSESSION OF THE EARTH

Satan, having lost his place in heaven, seemed to have been inspired with the determination to do all the mischief that he could. Man had been created and put in possession of the earth: "And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." Gen. 1:26. "The heaven, even the heavens, are the the Lord's; but the earth hath He given to the children of men." Ps.115:16. God made man to possess and rule over the earth. It was his to occupy and enjoy. He himself was made of the earth; his destiny was linked with that of the earth. Satan, as the result shows, had a design upon both man and his possession.

Did Satan have anything to do with the fall of man? The Scriptures plainly show that he did. In Rev. 12:9 the prophet speaks of "that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world." If he deceiveth the whole world, he must have deceived our parents in the beginning. John says: "He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning." 1 John 3:8. In verse 12 he says that Cain "was of that wicked one, and slew his brother."

Then that wicked one was in the world in the days of Cain, and instigated him to kill his brother. "That old serpent" which deceiveth the whole world, deceived Eve. He lied to her, and made her believe that it was for her good to eat of the fruit that they were commanded not to eat. Says Paul, "The woman being deceived was in the transgression." 1 Tim. 2:14. She did not do this deed willfully, but she was deceived. "And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." Gen. 3:13. To argue that it was simply the reptile that did all this is absurd. But when we understand that Satan was there with all his cunning, and used the serpent as his medium to deceive Eve, all is rational and harmonious. And this shows the truthfulness of the saying of Jesus, that the devil was a liar from the beginning. ((Our beginning))

We must not lose sight of the fact that God did not bestow upon man unlimited control of the earth. He did not resign his own right and authority as proprietor of the earth, but constituted man ruler under his directions. Man was the creature, the servant of God. He was appointed to subdue the earth and bring it all into the condition of the garden of Eden. Gen. 1:28; 2:8. God was his Benefactor, his Counselor, his Sovereign. He crowned man with glory and honor (Ps. 8:3-8), and gave him a right to the tree of life (Gen. 2:9, 16, 17). This was given to perpetuate his life, that he might live forever. Gen. 3:22, 23. Notice what man lost by his transgression:-

1. He lost his life. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." "For the wages of sin is death." Rorn. 5:12; 6:23. Death came as the result of sin. If man had not sinned, he would have lived forever. "And the Lord God said, . . . and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden." Gen. 3:22, 23.

The loss of life involves the loss of everything. We may lose many things in life, but when our life is lost, we have no more to lose. Life is the greatest of all gifts and blessings, for all other blessings are comprised in it and dependent upon it. In giving Adam the tree of life in the garden in which he was placed, God made provision for the perpetuation of his life; he might "eat and live forever," By sinning he lost this privilege. 

2. He lost his dominion over the earth. Adam and his posterity did not retain that dominion which was given to him in the beginning. In the beginning every beast, and the fowls, and the fishes, were under his sway. After the fall they became wild, and in many cases became the enemies and destroyers of man. And man became the enemy of his fellow-man. Discord and strife seemed to enter into the hearts of all creatures. Everything became changed from the original arrangement. And the Lord placed a curse upon the earth-upon the dominion which he had given to man. Instead of flowers and pleasant fruits, thorns and thistles sprang up spontaneously, to add to his cares and sorrows. Why was this? In order that we may understand why a curse was placed upon the earth, we raise the inquiry, When man sinned, did the Lord God take back to himself the dominion which he had bestowed upon him? It is true, as was said, that when man sinned he lost everything, but did the Lord withdraw the dominion that he had given him? We do not read that he did. Indeed, we do not believe that he would have put it under a curse if he had taken back to himself all the right with which he had invested man at the beginning. What, then, was the exact nature of the change that took place? Let us examine some facts presented in the New Testament. We have seen that man, in the beginning, turned from his kind Creator, disobeyed His direct commandment, believed the falsehoods of his enemy, and did just what Satan wished him to do. The woman was beguiled to disobey, and the man joined her in disobedience. Now hear the testimony of the Scriptures: 

"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey?" Rom. 6:16.

Again: "For of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage." 2 Peter 2:19. 

They obeyed Satan and became his servants; they were overcome by him, and therefore they were his bond servants. He was the means of their losing their lives, for he had the power of death. Heb. 2:14. When they died, they went into sheol, "the land of the enemy." Jer. 31:15, 16; 1 Cor. 15:26. And he was surely the means of their losing the dominion of the earth, for it was lost by sin. It is evident that Satan gained dominion over man and over the earth; that man, in becoming the bond servant of Satan, let his dominion pass into the hands of his new master. The Lord did not at once destroy Satan for his sin, nor did He at once execute the sentence of death upon man, nor did He take back from the usurper the dominion that was given to Adam, of which he had been defrauded, but He put a curse upon it, and reserved further changes till after the judgment shall pass upon all offenses-until the seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent. Here we will notice again some of the titles that are applied to Satan. He is called "the God of this world." 2 Cor. 4:4. Jesus Himself calls him "the prince of the world." John 14:30. Paul, speaking of the foes with whom we have to contend, says: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world." Eph. 6:12.

Is it indeed so that Satan is the god, the prince, the ruler of this world? So the Scriptures surely teach. And we have yet more testimony to the same point, and if possible more decisive. Consider the temptation of the Saviour. His adversary is called the tempter, and the devil, but Jesus addressed him as Satan. The devil is a title, but Satan is a proper name. It was not an imaginary being that tempted Him, nor was it the mere impressions or imaginations of His own mind, or the promptings of His passions. All such theories and speculations are but the suggestions of the enemy himself; to enable him to conceal his person and his character. Jesus, having fasted forty days, became hungry. The devil said to Him, "If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread." The tempter appealed to His appetite, made keen by His long fasting, and challenged Him to prove that He was the Son of God. But Jesus refused to gratify his caviling spirit, giving us an example, that we should not bow to the suggestions of Satan, either to meet our own wants or to prove our calling of God. Our relationship to our Heavenly Father should be borne in humility, giving no place to spiritual pride. Jesus quoted that scripture which leads to dependence upon the word of God. But Satan was not to be baffled thus; he, too, quoted the Scripture. But in this another lesson is given us,-not to believe everyone who quotes the Scriptures. Satan quoted the Scriptures correctly, but he misapplied them. The text he quoted has no reference to such an occasion. By reading Psalms 91, anyone can see that it refers to the future time of trouble, when the plagues of God's wrath shall be poured out upon the earth. See Revelation 16. But here Jesus met him with a scripture that is of universal application, and applied especially at that time: "Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." A fitting rebuke to the tempter was contained in these words. Again the devil took him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them. A magnificent sight, that has always proved so captivating to the men of this world! "And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine." Matt. 4:1-10; Luke 4:1-13. 

Now it is written that "the meek shall inherit the earth; and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace." Ps. 37:11; Matt. 5:5. But they can never delight themselves in the abundance of peace in the present sinful state of the world. Jesus said, "In the world ye shall have tribulation." Great changes must take place before Ps. 37:11 can be fulfilled. "The righteous shall be recompensed in the earth," but not until the curse is removed, and the design of the original gift to Adam is fulfilled. The promise that he should be the heir of the world was made to Abraham and his seed (Gen. 12:1-7, etc.; Rom. 4:13); and that seed was Christ (Gal. 3:16); and the heir is to be the Redeemer of both man and his inheritance, according to the Scriptures. But redemption could only be wrought by the power of His blood; His life was the precious price He was to pay to purchase man from his bondage. But Satan set before Him an easier method of getting possession of the dominion. It had been committed to him, and he gave it to whomsoever he would, and he would give it to Jesus if He would bow down to him. But many make this reply: Satan told a falsehood; he had nothing to give; nothing had been committed to him; neither the kingdoms of the world nor the glory of them were in his power. But if that was so, the Saviour surely knew it. And if He knew that the devil possessed nothing-that he had no power to confer any dominion or glory-then wherein was He tempted? If Satan had them to give, if Jesus could have obtained the dominion of the earth without the dreadful alternative of dying, it would surely be a temptation. If He knew that Satan had no power to fulfill his promise, that his words were an idle boast, there could not possibly be any temptation in the case. But the sacred record sets it down as a temptation, and we believe that it was. To Adam it was given in the beginning; Satan obtained supremacy over man; he took all the title that Adam held, which was but a limited power. The possessor of that power could go no further than God sees fit to permit. By overcoming man, Satan became the prince, or god, of this world.

And this is yet more clearly proved in Rev. 11:14-18. The third woe comes upon the earth when the seventh angel's trumpet is sounded. This is the last of the trumpets, and closes up this dispensation. Under this trumpet it is said: "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ." We are accustomed to recognize the Scripture fact that the Father is to bestow the dominion, the kingdom, upon his Son, Jesus Christ. But this text shows that they become the kingdoms of our Lord, as well as of His Christ. Again, the elders, worshiping him who sits upon the throne, say: "We give Thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because Thou hast taken to Thee Thy great power, and hast reigned." The next verse shows that this is when the time has come to judge the dead and to give reward to all the servants of God. What power but that once conferred upon Adam could the great God take to Himself, and give to His Christ, just before the close of this dispensation? How can the kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ, except by our Lord dispossessing the great usurper, and taking back to Himself the dominion of the earth? Then He confers it upon the second Adam, who redeems it, removes the curse, and restores man to his own inheritance; in a word, recovers from the enemy all that was lost by the first Adam.

In regard to the present condition of the world, John says: "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness." 1 John 5:19. On this text Dr. Adam Clarke comments as follows:-  

"Lieth in the wicked one,-is embraced in the arms of the devil, where it lies fast asleep, and carnally secure, deriving its heat and power from its infernal fosterer. What a truly awful state! And do not the actions, the tempers, propensities, opinions, and maxims of all worldly men prove and illustrate this? 'In this short expression,' says Mr. Wesley, 'the horrible state of the world is painted in the most lively colors, a comment of which we have in the actions, conversations, contracts, quarrels, and friendships of worldly men. Yes, their actions are opposed to the law of God; their conversation, shallow, simulous, and false; their contracts, forced, interested, and deceitful; their quarrels, puerile, ridiculous, and ferocious; and their friendships, hollow, insincere, capricious, and fickle:-all, all the effect of their lying in the arms of the wicked one; for thus they become instinct with his own spirit and because they are of their father, therefore his lusts will they do."

This is a truthful representation of the world in the aggregate. The children of God in this world are so few that they only form an exception to the general rule. They are not of the world, but are chosen out of the world. Of them Jesus said: "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you." John 15:19. This is conclusive proof that the world is now under the control of

Satan, serving him. If God ruled in this world, to be a child of God would be to do as the world does. But the truth is, this whole world is in rebellion against God, and is serving Satan, God's great enemy. Hence James says: "Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God." James 4:4. For a season God permits this in His long-suffering and mercy; in His longsuffering He permits the wicked to fill up the cup of their iniquity; in His mercy he delays the judgments until His elect are prepared for an abundant entrance into His everlasting kingdom. Satan accomplished his purpose when he approached the holy pair in Eden: he destroyed their happiness; ruined an almost countless multitude of their posterity; instilled his own spirit into the hearts of their children; spread crime and bloodshed everywhere; and gained to himself a possession on the earth. But he could not foresee that the Son of God, against whom he had rebelled, would even give His life to purchase all to Himself, and work such a triumph over the enemy of all righteousness as would cause every creature in the universe to rejoice in his destruction. When that day comes, may we be of those who shall join in the triumph of the Lamb of God.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

AMEN. Please, Lord, we would be Yours! Search our hearts and see if there is any wickedness in them and lead us in the way everlasting! Please! Create a clean heart in us! Satan would destroy us and make us his, please…please, keep us from Evil… ALL by JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD AND SAVIOR! ALL THROUGH JESUS' RIGHTEOUSNESS! YOURS IS THE POWER, THE GLORY, THE HONOR, THE PRAISE, THE THANKSGIVING! ALL TO YOU FATHER, ALL TO YOU! AMEN!

No Torment Before the Appointed Time.

 

At His Appearing!

 2Ti 4:1  I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.

WHAT? Hold on, Jesus is going to do what?! Judge people when He returns? Who is He going to judge? Those living when He returns, and… those who are DEAD when He returns. So, hold on, He's judging everyone who ever lived in all of humanity, those still living and those who have died- which are all those not currently alive when He returns. That's the whole of humanity. 

Okay, that makes sense, everyone gets judged when Jesus returns. But wait, why does Jesus need to judge those who have died when He returns, aren't they already judged? Didn't they have to be judged to determine where they went after they died? How was the decision made on where the dead people would go if they weren't judged? And if they were judged then, why would Jesus have to judge them upon His return to earth? Aren't all those dead people where they need to be already? 

Do you see the conflict? Do you see the problem with the logic going on here with this situation? Logic dictates that IF you believe that when you die that a part of you goes on living and that part is immediately given heaven or hell upon the death of the body then your destination HAS to have been determined before Jesus returns- you were judged to determine where you were going to go- that is logical. UNLESS, you do NOT go to heaven or hell upon death, but rather you are truly just DEAD-LIFELESS until Jesus returns and then and only then you are given the determination of your judgment, that makes a lot more sense doesn't it? 

It goes along well with this…

1Th 4:16  For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 

1Th 4:17  Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. 

1Th 4:18  Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

Upon His return, the dead that are judged to be HIS will rise….

We which are alive when Jesus returns and are judged to be HIS will be taken up after the dead -are to meet the LORD in the AIR and SO SHALL WE EVER BE WITH THE LORD!

Logical. Our life after being judged is decided for all of humanity ALL AT THE SAME TIME. 

Joh 5:28  Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 

Joh 5:29  And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 

Do you see it!? The HOUR is coming when all the dead will HEAR the voice of Jesus! When that happens they will either rise to meet Jesus and ever be with Him, or they will rise to damnation. All judged at the same time! This is truth! BIBLICAL TRUTH!

We are told to KEEP the truth! We are told that we have to study God's word! We are told…

2Ti 4:2  Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 

… to PREACH the WORD all the time! REPROVE, REBUKE, EXHORT no matter what using DOCTRINE.   This is doctrine…

2Ti 4:3  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 

2Ti 4:4  And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 

THE TIME WILL COME… this is really going to happen, the time is really going to come when people will NOT want to hear truth- sound doctrine! Why, because after their own lusts shall they go after teachers that will tell them what they WANT to hear, rather than the TRUTH. People will want FABLES! People will not want the truth!  God's word tells us this!

People aren't going to want to hear this truth, especially because the world is caught up in one of Satan's grand delusions- that people never really die, that people have an immortal soul that continues on right after they die, that they go to heaven or to hell, but mostly heaven. I don't know of anyone who believes any of their loved ones have gone to hell, The truth is… the dead DO NOT GO ON LIVING after they die! They will NOT live again until Jesus returns, the BIBLE tells us this truth! Do you want to believe fables or truth, you will have to decide!

******

(Excerpt)

WHY SUFFERED TO EXIST

The question has arisen in many minds. Why does God suffer Satan to exist?

God is almighty in power; He can destroy Satan; why, then, does He permit him to continue to exert so great power for evil?

To anyone who has carefully considered this subject, these questions present no difficulty whatever, although they involve the whole question of the existence of evil in any form. If we deny the existence of the devil, we cannot deny the existence of evil. Were there any difficulty, it would appear in regard to the 

existence of any evil-not alone with the greatest evil. As to the question of the possibility or impossibility of evil entering into a well-ordered and wisely-governed kingdom, one fact meets us at every step, as far as the universe is concerned, and that is, evil has entered. It is useless to theorize against a fact as evident as this. We may try to ignore its existence, but it will not try to keep out of sight. We are obliged to acknowledge its existence, and we know that whatever is, is possible. We have to deal with facts, not mere speculations.

There is really no more difficulty in admitting the existence of a devil than in admitting the existence of those qualities in others which make up the character of a devil. Evil in a man who was created very good is as incomprehensible as in an angel. In either case it is the perversion of naturally good qualities. We also

see in this world that wisdom, knowledge, and great opportunities, are no safeguards against wrong doing. Many of the ablest men of the world, of the brightest intellects, and the largest opportunities, are very wicked. And all know that the wiser and stronger a man is, the greater is his power to do evil, if his heart is set to do evil. In like manner, we should conclude that if angels sin, they will be capable of doing more evil than man, because they are a higher order of beings; they are possessed of greater intelligence and power. Even so, if the "covering cherub," a being created full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty, sets his heart to do wrong, his power, his wisdom, his beauty, all combine to give him influence over others, and enable him to become the greatest sinner of all. It is not surprising that such a being, having fallen, has earned the titles of

Satan, Apollyon, and devil, or Diabolus.

How Satan fell we are plainly informed in the Scriptures. He became proud of his wisdom and beauty, and ambitious of greater exaltation. This led him into rebellion against the appointments of God. He aspired to be "like the Most High," where he should acknowledge no superior-perhaps the Most High alone excepted. God had declared that all the angels should worship His Son (Heb. 1:6), and this, to the proud heart of Lucifer, was too humiliating. But if the question be asked, Why did he thus rebel against the appointments of God, who had already conferred upon him such honor and glory? we readily answer, There was no reason. 

Sin is a causeless, unaccountable thing. His own being, his wisdom and beauty, his exalted position, and his capacity for enjoyment, all were evidences of the goodness and love of his Creator; and all must coincide with our answer: There was no reason why he should rise up in rebellion and thus risk the loss of all. Sin in every form is unreasonable. There is no reason why anyone should sin. On this subject Dr. Charles Beecher has some very sensible remarks. 

He says:-

"If such was the original condition of the universe, the question arises how sin could possibly enter. Some minds have felt the difficulty on this point so strongly that they have rejected the Bible account of the matter, and denied the existence of any such sinless state of the universe. But the answer to the question is simple. Sin is, in its own nature, anomalous, and therefore mysterious; it is, in its own nature, an  unaccountable thing; for, the moment that we admit that it is properly accounted for, i. e., the moment we have assigned a good and sufficient cause for it, that moment it ceases to be a sin. A good and sufficient cause is a good and sufficient excuse; and that which has a good and sufficient excuse is not sin. To account for sin, therefore, is to defend it; and to defend it is to certify that it does not exist. Therefore the objection that it is inconceivable and unaccountable that sin should enter into such a perfect universe, amounts to nothing but saying that sin is exceedingly sinful, inexcusable, and destitute of the least defense or

justification. Sin is a violation of all law, a departure from all original nature, a thing essentially lawless, anomalous, and mysterious. We can identify the fact of its existence, we can describe the manner, we can discover the occasion, but the cause, the good and sufficient cause, God Himself and the judgment seat will

demonstrate cannot be shown, for it does not exist."-Redeemer and Redeemed, pp. 82, 83.

Because Satan harbored evil thoughts, was tempted, and fell, it does not follow that God created him with an evil inclination. The Bible contradicts such an idea, for the Lord says of him, "Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee." All intelligent creatures, capable of reasoning concerning right and wrong, are moral agents. It is impossible that God should confer a moral character on any of His creatures. He creates them perfect, endows them with full capacities to do His will, to walk in the way of righteousness, but He cannot so compel them to do right as to destroy their power of choice; for to deprive them of choice would be to destroy the moral quality of their actions. Deprived of choice, they would be mere passive machines, and machines cannot develop character. All acknowledge the force of this reasoning as applying to men, but it is equally applicable to angels and to all created intelligences. 

Were the present world and the present life the finalities of man's existence, there would then be difficulties attending this subject which do not exist. Angels and men were endowed with capacities to will and to reason; their actions have moral qualities, and they have responsibilities corresponding to these powers.

They alone can form their characters, and they must bear the responsibility of their actions. The fact, great and of infinite importance, is plainly revealed, that "God shall bring every work into judgment." Eccl. 12:14. The judgment day will make many things clear which have appeared mysterious in this world. Some have assumed the very dangerous position that God is the author of evil; that evil is a necessary counterpart to positive good, by which alone the good is made to appear good. The judgment day will correct this fallacy. God may be just and good, with the issues of the judgment in view, and temporarily permit evil to exist; but it would be impossible to set up a defense if He originated moral wrong, or perpetuated it,-if He gave it an eternal lodgment in a creation which included no evil . Sin is an intruder; it has no rights; it has no claim to favor; it is not entitled to an existence.

It may be said there is a difference between the case of Satan and that of man. Satan and his angels had all the joys of heaven in their possession; they had a high experience, a knowledge in the ways of God, that man did not possess; and they sinned by their sole choice, while man was tempted and beguiled into sin. There is some justice in this remark, and God has recognized it in the provisions of His grace. Salvation was provided for man, but not for the angels. But, though there was no provision made for their salvation, there may be good reasons why they should be suffered to still exist and continue to pursue their way of evil. We do not wonder why God does not destroy every incorrigible sinner here, even if they have done such despite to the Spirit of Grace that, as the Saviour said, they can have no forgiveness in this world nor in the world to

come. We may not understand all the reasons of the decisions made in heaven.

When God promised the land to Abraham and to his seed, he said that he could not then inherit it, because "the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full." Gen. 15:16. The Lord would give them an opportunity to fill up the cup of their iniquity. This proves the long-suffering of God. And no sin was ever so great but that it

found sympathy somewhere. Satan so wrought upon the sympathies of the angels that legions of them denied the justice of God, and took their stand by his side. Had the Lord then destroyed him, it is highly probable that myriads more in the universe might have doubted the wisdom or justice of the action. Perhaps

they could not yet realize the enormity of his guilt. But at the final judgment, when every cup is full, and Satan has fully convinced every creature that he is the only personification of malignity and all that is evil and hateful, all will approve the justice of God in his destruction. And no doubt Satan himself, seeing the issue of many generations of rebellion, and the causeless ruin he has wrought, will realize that God is just, and that he was altogether wrong in his pride and ambition, and, above all, in instigating the murder of the meek and lowly Son of God. 

When Satan sees the city of God descend from heaven, and the hosts of angels with whom he once worshiped in blessed union, and the glorious Son of God, their loved Commander, at their head, and the millions of glorified ones from this world, purchased by His blood, even he himself will be compelled to

confess the utter failure of his ambitious plan, the goodness of Jesus in dying for His creatures, and the wisdom and justice of God the Father in exalting His Son over such a vicious spirit as he has proved himself to be. We verily believe that this will be the case, and that in this will be found the fulfillment of the words of inspiration: "That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Phil. 2:10, 11. 

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

You Don't Have to Understand.

 You do NOT war with yourself. You are warring against unseen entities. Yes, I suppose someone might read that and think I'm looney tunes. It's true though. Life isn't easy for any of us, not a single human being has an easy life- not the richest, not the healthiest, not the most beautiful, not the most popular, not the smartest, not the nicest, and so on. We can't have an easy life because that's just not how Satan works.

Principalities. Powers. Rulers  of Darkness. Spiritual Wickedness.

Eph 6:12  For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 

Doubts, fears, trepidations, anxiety, worry, stress - these terms are commonly used because they fill our lives. Just when you think things are on an even keel, that you have a handle on things, that you're dealing well with the everyday little mishaps of life-- right then -- along comes a very large thing that doesn't even have a handle for you to grab. Like a large bowling ball it strikes you, its human bowling pin, and knocks you over and boy do you wobble a bit as you're falling. This isn't an uncommon occurrence, in fact, it's what we call … LIFE. Yet, we chalk up all this LIFE- the ups, the downs, the sideways, backwards and so ons and so forths- to just LIFE as if it has no other real explanation.  It does have an explanation though.  Satan would have us believe it's just our lack of ability to handle LIFE well that makes us so volatile. That our particular mental short comings (through no fault of our own but rather the genetic short straw we drew) is the reason we can't get a grip on dealing with LIFE without constantly exploding- into tears, or anger, or well you name your particular explosive trait. I know I say I'm just not built that way, I just didn't get whatever it is that makes life easy for others.  (Yeah, I'm under the misconception life is easy for others- which isn't really a misconception- but rather a skewed view) You see, various things in life are easy for some, hard for others. Just because the majority find one thing easy, doesn't mean the minority is screwed up, it just means they find something else easy. Alright, we're going off on too many tangents here- time to reign it in. 

We are being attacked constantly. Every single weakness we possess is being exploited. Satan will harass us endlessly -each of us in our own personal ways. Satan has a tailormade plan for each of us that will keep us under His control. When we veer away from his plan, when we leave His control, he doesn't like that one bit and will attack us that much harder.  

Believing in the REALITY of Satan and his demons allows us to comprehend that WE NEED someone who can fight Satan and the demons for us. 

The truth is… it's our ETERNAL LIFE that is at stake here. 

We are allowed to be Satan assaulted, and that old popular saying…. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger … is true. Or rather… what doesn't kill you has the potential to make you stronger. And by stronger, it's a stronger faith I'm talking about. 

We won't understand- Satan wants us confused, completely and utterly confused by why we have to go through the things we do that make LIFE hard. He wants us to use that confusion to place blame on God for not letting us understand, to get us to despair. We won't understand, but we can admit to that lack of understanding and acknowledge God as being in ultimate control. We are thinking the next moment, day, month, year…. God has eternity on His mind, he has a much better grip on things.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and LEAN NOT unto your OWN UNDERSTANDING. Proverbs 3:5

He tells us right there! Don't do it! DO NOT LEAN UNTO OUR OWN UNDERSTANDING!

But…but…but…. BUT NOTHING! Don't do it! Understand that YOU DON'T HAVE TO UNDERSTAND!

Why aren't we to lean to our own understanding? Because it's very faulty. We don't have the big picture- we don't know how that particular trial in our life is going to increase our faith, we don't know when we're going to need the strength of having survived something horrible for our future, we just don't know. If we TRUST we are in God's control with all our heart then we have a reason for getting through all of the horrors of life, all of them. Even if we are facing death through disease or (insert death producing ailment here), and only have a short while left to live- it is for a reason we don't have to understand, we just don't.

Satan and his evil demons will torment all of us- you don't have to believe in them for them to torment you, you do have to believe in God and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ if you want to be kept from the evil they will use on you to steal your eternal life. Then again, if you don't believe they are stealing your eternal life, because they aren't real to do so- and then it turns out eternal life is a reality -you've lost it. 

The truth is that no matter what anyone in the entire world has said, is saying, or will say…  only those with faith to believe there is an eternal life can have that eternal life through JESUS CHRIST. You definitely won't have eternal life if you don't accept Jesus Christ as Your savior, now and forever! 

(Excerpt)

THE DEVIL AND HIS ANGELS

Properly speaking, there is but one devil, though some translations of the Scriptures would make it appear that there are many. This name is from the Greek, Diabolos. The LXX., the translators of the Old Testament into Greek, uniformly used Diabolos for the Hebrew name, Satan. It signifies adversary. Of Diabolus, Liddell and Scott give the definition, "the slanderer, the devil." Schrevelius defines it, "a slanderer, the devil, Satan."

In Rev. 12:9, 10, "That old serpent, called the devil, and Satan," is also called the "accuser of our brethren." Satan was the adversary and accuser, or slanderer, of Job. See Job 1. And as the serpent he falsely accused God of withholding benefits from Adam and Eve to which they were justly entitled, whereby he deceived them to their ruin. Gen. 3:1-6. Well did the Saviour say of the devil: "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him." John 8:44.

It has been shown that Satan, also called Lucifer, was once a very exalted being in heaven, one of the cherubim, whose place was at the very throne of the Most High. When he rebelled and fell, he did not go alone. He led others with him in his rebellion, and with him they were cast out of heaven. Thus Peter says: "If God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment," etc. 2 Peter 2:4.

And Jude says: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." Jude 6.

Of the judgment of these fallen ones Paul speaks thus: "Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" 1 Cor. 6:3. The saints shall judge the world-the wicked world-and the fallen angels, the demons or evil spirits who have been the instigators of sin in the world, shall be judged at the same time and by the same judges.

But Satan was the chief, the leader of the rebellious ones. He originated the war against the government of God. He was higher in rank and mightier in power than they, and it was by his superior wisdom and influence that he led so many away from their allegiance to the Most High. And, therefore, names and titles are given to him which are never given to them. While they are uniformly called demons (in the New Testament), he is called the devil, Satan, Apollyon, Diabolus, etc. Because he is their leader and they have given themselves to follow him in his works of inquiry, our Saviour speaks of them together, as the devil and his angels. Matt. 25:41. The same is found in Rev. 12:7-9: "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels." "He was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him." This identifies the dragon as Satan. In Matt. 9:34 he is called the "prince of the demons;" in Eph. 2:2, "the prince of the power of the air;" and in 2 Cor.4:4, "The god of this world." Jesus also refers to him as "the prince of this world."

A certain writer has well said: "Daimon , in the New Testament, always means an evil spirit, who is under Satan's control, a demon. The word Satan means an adversary, an opposer; it is never found in the plural number, so that the sacred writers acknowledge but one being of that name." But the demons are many, even legions. See Luke 8:26-30. These are Satan's servants, his emissaries to carry on his work in all parts of the world. Against all these Paul warns us, as

follows: "Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places." Eph. 6:11, 12. Not against the rulers of this world, but against the rulers of the darkness of this world.

We are accustomed to place too low an estimate on the majesty and power of Satan and his angels, making them like unto ourselves, or even lower. This is wrong. We naturally stand in awe of the mighty men of earth, such as a great king or a mighty warrior, but what are they compared with the devil and his angels. These are the enemies with whom we have to contend; so we ought to be acquainted with their character, and thus be better prepared to resist them.

But, mighty as they are, the angels who remained faithful to God have all the power of heaven on their side. The Psalmist says that these "angels excel in strength." Ps. 103:20. They are our helpers, our defenders against the powers of darkness. If we trust in God, and are faithful to the trust he has committed to us, we need not fear. For says Paul: "I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus." Rom. 8:38, 39.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

God-Given Independent Thought.

 If we create something with intelligence of independent thought, we can't be responsible for what the something thinks because it has independent thought. Independent meaning alone. Thoughts that can be thought all on its own without anything from us who created it.

We have this scenario in the Terminator movies. Robots that gain the ability to think on their own and turn on mankind. The Robots were created by man, they did not create themselves that would have been impossible. Man created all the parts that put the robots together, yet once those robots could start to think, to form their own thoughts, man lost control. Could they just turn the robots off? Yes. Until the Robots learned to protect itself from man.  This is the stuff of fiction, not reality. Movies. Yet everyone watching those movies could comprehend that the Robots themselves became evil all on their own, they didn't have to be programed that way- they were not programed that way. They took over their own lives and wanted to preserve them at all cost even if that meant killing the ones who created them. They no longer needed their creator now that they could repair and created more of themselves.

These robots did not have an evil mastermind human-as many other movies do- controlling them behind the scenes. These robots actually started to think on their own. All the movies have to do with destroying the evil robots to save mankind. 

If we can comprehend this fiction we should be able to comprehend the reality. 

A perfect angel created with independent thought, the thought no longer the responsibility of the Creator once independence was established. 

We should understand because WE are also created beings of the same God, and we too were created to have independent thought. We are NOT forced to think our Creator is good. We are not even forced to believe we have a creator. We can form our own thoughts and those thoughts can be whatever we want them to be. Can I make you think anything? No. Not anymore than you can make me think anything. 

Just as the angels were all given independent thought, some chose to think God was their Lord, their Creator and deserving their honor, glory, worship, service, thanksgiving, love. Others chose to think that God was undeserving of their worship and all that entails, so they left God and went to serve another who advocated their self-love above all. We are given the same choice. Some will choose God, others will not.

I pray I am among those who choose God above ALL. I want God as my Lord, my Heavenly Father, I want to worship my Creator, I want to worship my Redeemer! I praise God that I am given the choice, I thank Him with all I am that I can choose, and I CHOOSE GOD!

(Excerpt)

ORIGIN OF SATAN

When we speak of the devil as a real personal being, the question immediately arises, Whence did he come? Did God create him? or how did he come into existence? Many stumble at this point, and, by specious or plausible arguments, are led to deny the teachings of the Bible on this subject. Thus a learned author said:-

"I conceive that  the existence of a devil is irreconcilable with all goodness and omnipotency; and that, were a devil created by God, the Creator would be answerable for all the acts of this being so created. Evidently the devil could be nothing else but what the Creator should make him, and could do nothing but what prescience could foresee. The acts of the devil would, therefore, be indirectly those of his Maker."

To this the Bible reader can readily reply that God never created a devil. But then comes the query, Seeing that God is the Creator of all things, how is it possible for the devil to exist if God did not create him? But this query is based upon the supposition that all things are now in the condition in which God created  them, which is not the case. 

God made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions. Eccl. 7:29.

Ecc 7:29  Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. 

God never created a wicked man, yet wicked men exist God never created a murderer nor an adulterer; shall we therefore deny the existence of murderers and adulterers? With as much reason we might deny their existence as to deny the existence of the devil, because God never created a devil. The argument applies with equal force in both cases. God created man "very good," but he corrupted his way and became a sinner. And so of the devil. God created him an angel, but he rebelled and became, or made himself, a devil.

Before proceeding to the direct statements of the Bible on the subject, a few facts of the Scriptures may be laid before the reader to prepare his mind for the better understanding of the whole question. In the earthly or typical sanctuary, the symbol of God's presence was between the two cherubim, whose wings shadowed the mercy-seat. Ex. 25:22. So, in the heavenly temple, God dwells between the two covering cherubim. 

"The Lord reigneth; let the people tremble; He sitteth between the cherubim; let the earth be moved."

"Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; Thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine forth."

"O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubim, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth; Thou hast made heaven and earth." Ps. 99:1; 80:1; Isa. 37:16. 

This testimony shows that God's dwelling-place is between the cherubim. Ezekiel gives a lengthy description of these cherubium in chapters 1 and 10, and in conclusion says:

"This is the living creature that I saw under the God of Israel by the river of Chebar ; and I knew that they were the cherubim." Eze. 10:20. 

Zechariah refers to the same when he says: "These are the two anointed ones, that stand by the Lord of the whole earth." Chap. 4:14.

God's throne is in His holy temple. Rev. 7:15. 

This temple is in heaven. Rev. 11:19. 

There is a city in heaven called the new Jerusalem. Said Paul: "But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all." Gal. 4:26. 

We read much in the Bible about "the holy mountain of God," the "hill of Zion," "Mount Zion," etc. 

That this does not always refer to the earthly Mount Zion is evident from the Scriptures. 

"But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." Heb. 12:22. 

Joel says: "The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake." Joel 3:16. 

Paul also says that the shaking of heaven and earth by the voice of God is when He speaks from heaven. Heb. 12:25, 26. 

And thus it is fully proved that Mount Zion and New Jerusalem, as well as the temple and throne of God, are in heaven. We next call the attention of the reader to a brief description of this city, as found in Rev. 21:10-21:- "And He carried me away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from  God, having the glory of God; and her light was like unto a stone most precious,even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal; and had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels." Now mark the names of the precious stones which form the wall of the city. "And the building of the wall of it was of jasper; and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city were garnished with all manner of precious stones. The first foundation was jasper; the second, sapphire; the third, a chalcedony; the fourth, an emerald; the fifth, sardonyx; the sixth, sardius; the seventh, crysolite; the eighth, beryl; the ninth, a topaz; the tenth, a chrysoprasus; the eleventh, a jacinth; the twelfth, an amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl; and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass."

Some of these precious gems would sparkle like fire, and some would emit light of themselves. In this heavenly city are the tree of life, and the river of the water of life, which are in the paradise of God. Rev. 2:7; 22:1-3; Gen. 2:8-17. The reader cannot now fail to appreciate the testimony of Ezekiel 28, as follows:-

"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. By 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." Verses 12-16. 

Mark the character of the person here described. "Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty." Again, "Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God." Whether this refers to the Eden upon the earth or in heaven, no mortal has ever been in it except Adam and Eve; but this personage has been there; hence the one spoken of here is not a man. But we read that the serpent, who is also called the devil and Satan (Rev. 12:9), was in the garden of Eden when Adam and Eve were there (Gen. 3:1-6). The sequel will show that the Eden here referred to is in the city of God above. The Lord says: "Every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, the carbuncle, and gold." See again the list given in Revelation 21.

This shows that the personage introduced in Ezekiel 28 has been in that city. The Lord says to him, "Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire." As before stated, many of these stones in the holy city emit light of themselves, and hence they could properly be called stones of fire. One is thus described by Dr. Clarke: "Carbuncle is a very elegant gem, of a deep red color, with an admixture of scarlet; from its bright, lively color it had the name of carbunculus, which signifies a little coal." "Thou wast upon the holy mountain of God." "Thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire." This must have been in the heavenly Jerusalem, where God Himself dwells. While the garden of God might apply to the garden of Eden, this description of the garniture of the city can only apply to heaven itself, for the city has never yet been upon the earth. The heathen, wicked king of the city of Tyre, the human ruler, could not be said to have been perfect in his ways, sealing up the sum, full of wisdom and

beauty. 

A being more exalted than any mere man is here spoken to. The question naturally arises, If Satan was once in heaven, what position did he occupy there? What follows in the Scripture will answer this question, and utterly preclude the possibility of applying it to any being less than an angel: "Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so." Verse 14. Evidently this is a reference to one of the mighty angels, also called cherubim, who cover the throne of God; for we have seen that God dwells between the cherubim. Then it is very clear what position was once occupied by the person called the king of Tyrus. He was a covering angel to the throne of God in heaven. God created him to fill that office, for he says, "I have set thee so." This was his position, his office. This, certainly, is not true of any man that ever lived. Hence we must be correct in applying it to some superior being. With regard to this remarkable personage brought to view in Ezekiel 28, we have learned the following facts: 

1. He has been in Eden, the garden of God. 

2. The precious stones that compose the wall of the heavenly Jerusalem were his covering. 

3. He has been upon the holy mountain of God. 

4. He has walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, i. e., he has walked the streets of the city of God. 

5. He was perfect in his ways. 

6. He was full of wisdom. 

7. He was perfect in beauty. 

8. He was the anointed covering cherub, and God created him thus. 

9. His heart was lifted up because of his beauty. 

10. He sinned. 

11. He will be cast out and destroyed. We apply this to Satan, believing that no other application of it can be made which will harmonize the Scripture in all points.

Of this person, addressed as the king of Tyre, Dr. Charles Beecher says:-"In this address to the king of Tyre are several expressions too high for a merely mortal sovereign. Hence the impression has extensively prevailed that the Holy Spirit regarded the king of Tyre as a kind of an image or symbol of Satan, and in addressing him uttered things passing beyond the emblem, and applying directly to the reality. Such was the view of Augustine, Jerome, Tertullian,

Ambrose, and  other early fathers. Indeed, Fairbairn remarks; 'Most of the early commentators have supposed that verses 12-14 were not properly used of the king of Tyre, but mystically of Satan.'"-Redeemer and Redeemed, p. 75.

"The cherub is the most exalted of all known emblems, nearest the throne of Jehovah, most vividly connected with His Majesty, and identified with His administration. That such was the exalted station originally held by Lucifer, may be considered the established belief. President Edwards observes; 'Lucifer, before his fall, was the morning star, the covering cherub, the brightest and highest of all creatures.' Dr. Hopkins speaks of him as one 'who was the head of all the angels, and the most noble creature that God had made.' And Dr. Dwight calls him 'an angel of pre-eminent distinction in heaven."-Ib., p. 81. Many have queried why Satan is addressed as the king of Tyrus. In the first part of Ezekiel 28 the prince of Tyre is addressed in a manner to show that it refers to the reigning monarch; to him it is said; Yet thou art a man," and," Thou shalt die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers." The whole description shows that he was a self-exalted, haughty person. Tyre was a powerful city, rich and influential as a seat of commerce, and as wicked as she was rich. The ruler of Tyre was merely an instrument in the hands of Satan to do his will. Hence Satan was the real ruler, truly the king of Tyrus, and the recognized king was but a prince under his sway. In like manner the empire of Rome is represented in Revelation 12 as a great red dragon, but in chapter 20:2 the devil is called the old dragon. At the time of which the prophecy speaks, Rome had become the seat of earthly empire. Wicked, cruel, and relentless in her persecutions of the people of God, her relationship to Satan is not difficult to trace. Satan was then the king of Rome, as he had been the king of Tyre when she was mistress among the nations.

Again, in Isa. 14:12-14, for the reason here given, Satan is spoken to in an address to the king of Babylon: "How art thou fallen from heaven O, Lucifer, son of the morning! [Margin, "day-star."] 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." Who is this that has fallen from heaven? Jesus uses the same words in Luke 10:18: "And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven." Isaiah says: "How art thou fallen from heaven O Lucifer!" It is evident that they both refer to the same person. That person Jesus calls Satan.

This, then, was the original condition of Satan, this the exalted position which he once occupied, high and glorious, near the throne of God. The Lord created him, and placed him there. He was wise, beautiful, holy, and happy. Alas, that sin should come in, to destroy such a character! Alas, that rebellion should blot so fair a universe! But so it was. Even while we are contemplating this picture, the scene is changed, oh, how changed! Evil thoughts brood in Lucifer's mind. A dark

cloud is gathering. Whispers of discontent are heard, insubordination is talked, till at length, O woful day! rebellion, dark, deep, wicked rebellion, bursts upon the astonished inhabitants of heaven.  And since the day that iniquity entered his heart, and he set himself in opposition to God, he has left no wile untried to lead others to follow him in the way of rebellion. No one has been free from his assaults, no one so exalted in position, no one so wise and gifted, but Satan has endeavored to lead him astray. How necessary the exhortation of the Saviour, to watch and pray lest we enter into temptation. How timely the admonition of the servant of God, "Let him

that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall."

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)

How Old Are Angels?

 Ancient Angels.

Who are the ancient angels? All angels are ancient angels. Adding the term ancient implies they are very, very old. Just how old are the angels? I have no way of knowing, but they predate humans. Angels were created before the first human, therefore all the angels, every single angel is older than humanity.

Angels have witnessed humanity from its conception. The angel that watched over Adam could be watching over you right now. Angels have no need to watch over anyone who has died. All the thoughts, all the actions of that human being have ended. That human will no longer make any choices for or against God. That human needs absolutely no ministering to, not a single bit. That human's life is over. What makes that human being who they are is preserved by God while that human's thoughts have ceased. 

Do you believe in the Bible. There is a very good chance if you are reading this that you do. The Bible says this--

Ecc_9:5  For the living know that they shall die: but the dead know not any thing, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them is forgotten. 

(THE dead know not anything---  this does not sound like when we die we have any knowledge at all in any way. This doesn't say that the dead know everything they just can't communicate with the living. It clearly says, the dead know not anything. It seems simple enough, doesn't it? If my mother is dead I can't believe she is alive somewhere in some form with all her knowledge- the bible tells me my dead mother knows not anything. I have to believe God's word.)

Psa 6:5  For in death there is no remembrance of thee: in the grave who shall give thee thanks? 

(THE dead can't remember God, why? Because they have no ability to remember, to think at all. The dead in their graves cannot thank God- why? Because they have no knowledge, their thoughts ceased upon their irreversible death. No more thanking God once you are dead.)

Psa 30:9  What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? shall it declare thy truth?

(THE dead cannot praise God! We turn to dust after our bodies decay, we return to dust and that dust isn't praising anyone! When David questioned shall dust praise thee to God, he was speaking that if he were dead he would no longer be able to praise God. IF David returned to life in some spirit form immediately after death, then David would be able to praise God, right? RIGHT? If David with all his knowledge, all his thoughts just went right on living in spirit form he'd still be able to praise God, but here he is declaring that if he is dead he won't be able to praise God. The dead know not anything!)

Psa 88:10  Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead? shall the dead arise and praise thee? Selah. 

Psa 88:11  Shall thy lovingkindness be declared in the grave? or thy faithfulness in destruction? 

Psa 88:12  Shall thy wonders be known in the dark? and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness? 

(THE dead know not anything!)

Psa 115:17  The dead praise not the LORD, neither any that go down into silence. 

(THE dead are silent! Not only to us- their loved ones, but to GOD! They are silent even before GOD- this means they are NOT with Him!)

Isa 38:18  For the grave cannot praise thee, death can not celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. 

Isa 38:19  The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. 

(THE dead CANNOT hope for God's truth! Why? Because only the living can learn God's truth! Only the living can CELEBRATE GOD! The dead CANNOT celebrate God! What does this tell you? It tells you they are NOT IN HEAVEN WITH GOD!)

Ecc 9:10  Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest. 

(YOU will not be doing anything at all whatsoever after you die, nothing!)

Job 14:7  For there is hope of a tree, if it be cut down, that it will sprout again, and that the tender branch thereof will not cease. 

Job 14:8  Though the root thereof wax old in the earth, and the stock thereof die in the ground; 

Job 14:9  Yet through the scent of water it will bud, and bring forth boughs like a plant. 

Job 14:10  But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the spirit, and where is he? 

Job 14:11  As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up: 

Job 14:12  So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep

(PLANTS may have a chance to live again if they are seemingly dead, but NOT HUMANS. When we die we lie down never to get up again UNTIL the HEAVENS ARE NO MORE, and when that happens and ONLY when that happens will the dead be raised from their sleep of death!)

Ancient angels have watched over God's children since the first human being existed. Adam, Eve, Seth's angels are still living today and ministering to other human beings. Angels- God's angels are eternal. 

Satan was created before humans- as a former Angel of God, Satan has lived since before mankind, along with all his angels- those that chose to follow him and not God. These beings are so incredibly old, their knowledge, their ways are perfected in their evilness. We have to acknowledge their existence so we can comprehend our enemy, those who would keep us from belonging to God by any means necessary- are very real!

God, please, please Heavenly Father, protect us from evil, keep us from all evil! Help us, save us! All through Jesus Christ our LORD, our SAVIOR, now and forever!

Amen!

*******

PART TWO -- SOME HINTS ON THE ORIGIN AND DESTINY OF SATAN AS GLEANED FROM THE SCRIPTURES

THE DEVIL A REAL BEING

It is said of a notorious robber that when he intended to commit some great depredation, he would hire men to report that he was dead. This threw the people off their guard, by allaying their fears. Thinking there was no danger, they would leave their property exposed. Then the robber would come upon them unawares, and would plunder their goods without resistance. In this manner has Satan most successfully deceived the world and decoyed the people into his 

snares. He has prevailed upon them to deny that there is any such being; and this wile has so far proved successful that comparatively few have any belief in the existence of a real, living, personal devil, while millions insist that there cannot possibly be any such personage. And many of these are found even among professed believers in the Bible. When they do not believe in the existence of this wily and malicious enemy, they cease to watch and guard against his deceptions and his power, and thus they easily become his prey. Said that pious woman, Charlotte Elizabeth:- "Of all the errors into which the world has fallen, none is more fatally mischievous than the habit of overlooking the personality, the energy, the power,

the watchfulness, and the deep cunning of the devil."

By a conventional system, no doubt of his own suggesting, he is never to be named but in the act of worshiping God, or that of spiritual instruction. Any other robber or murderer who was known to be on the watch to attack our houses, would be the subject of free discourse; his habits, his haunts, his usual plans, his successful and his baffled assaults in former cases, would be talked over, and thus a salutary fear would be kept alive influencing us to bolt, and bar, and watch, and ward, with unflinching vigor, to avert a surprise. 

But Satan seems to be a privileged person; we learn in the nursery to fancy him a hideous caricature of human nature, with horns, hoofs, and a tail, inspiring disgust and childish fear, that wears off as we advance into youth, leaving an impression rather ludicrous than alarming of the ugly phantom that, nevertheless, continues identified with him of whom we read in the Bible. 

"We do not realize his existence, his presence, his devices; and so we often do his work from sheer ignorance or inexcusable thoughtlessness about it. . . . It seems to be regarded a manifest impropriety to name him except with the most studied circumlocution, as though we were afraid of treating him irreverently; and he who is seldom named will not often be thought of. Assuredly, it is a great help to him in his countless devices, to be so kept out of sight. We are prone to speak, to think, to act, as though we had only our own evil natures to contend with, including, perhaps, a sort of general admission that something is at work to aid the cause of rebellion." 

All this we most firmly believe. It has been the studied plan of Satan to create a disbelief in his existence, and, where he could not do this, to so distort our ideas of him as to make them utterly false, and thus keep his real character out of sight. It is a prominent feature of Spiritualism to deny the existence of a devil. And Universalists as well as Spiritualists say that it is inconsistent with the power and goodness of God that there should be a devil. Thousands, from a lack of proper information on this point, are thus taken in this, his own great deception. If it can be proved by revelation and reason that it is not inconsistent with the power and goodness of God that such a being should exist, and that there actually is a living, personal devil, these erroneous systems will be robbed of their strongest weapon, and one of the greatest deceptions of the age will be exposed. 

The various terms, Satan, Apollyon, Diabolus, or devil, are frequently found in the Scriptures, and are so used in the inspired word that the teachers of error are often put to the greatest strait to give an explanation of them. Chadwick, in his "Dictionary of the New Testament," says:- "Some have denied the personality of the devil, and they speak of him as a mere negative evil, or as an evil disposition only. If real personal properties and actions can determine personality of being, the devil must be a real person of vast physical power, and of awful malignity of temper." The whole record of the temptation of the Saviour leads us inevitably to conclude that Satan was there, as literally and personally as was the Son of God. He who overcame Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden undertook to overcome the second Adam by similar temptations. In Eden he offered them the prospect of greater good, of higher enjoyment, of more exalted position, than their loving Creator had conferred upon them. They rashly took that which appeared to be "good for food," as a means of obtaining other benefits, though they had no manner of need of it. In the case of the second Adam, Satan tempted his appetite when he was greatly in need, and offered him also position, power, and glory. From the record of creation and of the temptation 'of Christ, from the fact that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, really became incarnate and dwelt upon the earth, died and rose from the dead, and ascended on high; in a word, from the entire Bible as a book of truth and of awful realities, and not of mere fancies, then we are shut up to the conclusion that the devil is a real being, possessed of power, cunning, malice, hatred to God and to everything that is good. We are warned against his power and his deceptions, exhorted to resist him, with the assurance that he will flee from us if we resist him steadfast in the faith.

Angels: Their Nature and Ministry-  (Excerpt - for continuing study) Revised by J.H. Waggoner.  1891 by Pacific Press Publishing Co.)