The Stunning of Angels

The Stunning of Angels

8/12/17

I do not believe I have ever heard about this topic before especially being directed from an eternal being and I personally have never thought about this topic before either.  Yet, it is one that needs to be understood because angels are not just dumb jar headed created beings that have the stigma of doing nothing but flying around the throne of God.  Angels do have eyes and ears with other characteristics that would identify them.  So, they must know what is transpiring around them while they are completing the tasks that God has set before them, especially when it involves the activities of God and His Son Jesus.  It is this point that angels have a keen eye towards for they will defend their Creator at any cost and willingly respond accordingly even when humans run astray and when humans do fall from eternal Grace then the angels must react just as they did when a portion of their own kind left for eternity as well.

I have repeatedly stated to others that I believe that humans could do nothing that would shock me or stun me through the actions and choices that they commit.  While most of what people do falls into that category I must readily admit that sometimes I am taken back when my eyes cross the reports of human activity and the reasoning behind these actions of theirs.  To personalize this fact there are times that I am frightened by my own shadow which brings me back down to earth without too many people knowing for deep down inside I understand that when a mind makes up its mind to complete a task I may just be in their way.  I cannot help but know that while I am considered a strong and level headed person my emotions do get the best of me at times and the realization that I am a human creep into my heart.  It pains me to see people directly abuse other people and seemingly care less about what they have done even when it involves a well thought out and grotesque act.  It is this part of humanity that unnerves me enough for me to believe that evil – true evil – now has a foothold on our lives and one that will only grow.

Sometimes we tend to portray angels as we have seen them drawn in paintings or how they appear in story books when we were children.  While these portrayals represent nothing wrong they do kind of give us a sense that they are story figures only and serve no real function in our lives nor do they have any emotions about what occurs on earth.  When we limit angels to this capacity we actually limit God and His eternal spirit because angels are eternal beings and if they ever choose to leave God their only destination would be a life of utter desolation and demonic torture, one that would not be settling by any means.  Angels have eternal emotions and understand what it means for God’s Kingdom to be pushed forward and likewise pushed backward and when it comes to God directly being betrayed, no angel can just stand by and ignore what is transpiring either.  I have spoken before about a man named Kevin who came to Hobbs, New Mexico and stayed the exact amount of time as my family, never worked, drove around in a beat up automobile, and was present at every meeting in the church building.  An unusual man, for when dad resigned, he was gone without a trace and to this day I believe that he was an angel completing a mission that God had told him to do.

I am sure that there have been many occasions throughout human history that angels have been a bit stunned when humans do things that they know go against God and His Ways.  Those events probably are countless in stature and represent so many voluntary wrongs that we do not even think about, but while we commit these ridiculous acts God wants us to know just how important our actions are to our eternal lifeline and how we should always be conscious of the fact that when we choose to directly disobey God the beings that are fighting for our spiritual connection with and to God know exactly the magnitude of each sin.  For we must contend this matter because if rejoicing goes on in heaven when people become saved and acknowledge Jesus as their Savior the angels must also recognize when the opposite is true.  There are only a few mentions in the Bible about the activity in Heaven, but I know that one of those times Heaven fall silent which can be compared to when humans make fatal mistakes on a wide scale in their eternity.

The first example that we have here occurred before humans were created and since our minds and bodies represent a limited amount of time it is difficult for us to comprehend just how far back this example might be.  For an unknown and recognizable amount to time all was calm in heaven with no concerns of unrest noted but at some point in time that peaceful existence was shattered.  Lucifer decided that the position and life that he had was not enough and decided to challenge his Creator for a stake to His throne.  Now, when we think about a coup or turnover of government here on earth we can be certain that some of the transitional ideas might not sit well with all parties involved but to place one’s beliefs about a policy and position change against a perfect, holy, and all Omni eternal Being really is not a wise move yet this one angel decided to do such a thing.

Our finite minds cannot inhabit eternity to its fullest and while I have tried to adjust my thought processes to such a pattern, I get a headache trying to reason this no time truth about existence.  The event that took place between God and Lucifer was strictly based on an eternal setting for each being involved was on the eternal creation “time frame” and not the physical.  Angels have worked together on countless missions even before mankind was created and when some of their acquaintances chose to leave God’s side and go with Lucifer it must have sent eternal shock waves through their eyes.  For the rebellion against God and the mere thought that any other created being could have the authority and the know how to overthrow God seems utterly ridiculous, yet we humans try and do this every day as well.  It is hard to imagine why Lucifer would want to change positions for eternity but it is a fact that must be acknowledged and accepted for it occurred and is eternally etched in the foundations of creation.  The angels had direct contact with God on a “daily” basis and had ongoing knowledge of His existence yet chose to leave this place of eternal security for a liar.  How dramatic was this setting?  It was so dramatic that another one has not occurred on that level ever again.

It is this rebellious act and the after effects that bring us to the first example of angels being stunned at an action of a created being, in this case, eternal beings.  It is this action that was the first setting in which angels were direct witnesses to what occurs when a being challenges God’s authority and believes that he is better than Him.  The angels must have been stunned at such a process to know that one of them actually wanted more power and believed that he was worthy of being equal to God.  Lucifer knew that his authority in heaven came from God and that he had limitations to what he could and could not do but as humans try and usurp authority away from the leaders above them Lucifer tried to accomplish the same feat.  The impending war between good and evil now awaited the angels and new choices of loyalty were about to be made with 1/3^rd of the angels in heaven choosing to leave the confines of God and swear allegiance to the fight against God and His Kingdom.  Through this example alone should warrant enough thoughts to ward us off from ever trying to do things on our own and to keep as close as possible to God at all times.  See, we have a connection between God and our lives because He breathed into our lives an eternal spirit, His eternal Spirit which means we have elements of eternity just as the angels do.  What did God do that was so bad that caused these angels to lose faith in the eternal Truth and choose a life of torment and total separation from God?  This is a question that I often ask about humans as well.

The second example of angels being stunned comes in the form of human actions and a story that is so very familiar to us.  Just as God had provided specific details about His Creation for the angels to witness this idea of eternal truth had been placed into the hearts of Adam and Eve as well, for they were created in such a holy and pure manner that direct communication was allowed between them and God.  In Genesis Chapters 1- 3 we find over and over how God showed Adam and Eve the glory of His handiwork and how important it was for them to keep up their dominion.  God would have never given them a job or place to live for that matter without giving them instructions on what to do in order to keep things intact.  God would also have never left out information as to WHY it was important to do this action either.  It is for this reason that God gave us a brain to use and to use it according to the truth that surrounds us and that has been given to us by our eternal Father.  God expects us to use this brain power in accordance with our hearts in order to understand the reasoning behind our responsibilities; in accordance with God’s not the order of mankind.

We have been studying the details of Genesis for a while now and God has done it again with a continuance of wisdom in this very important book in His Word.  With each new word that God has shared with us, He has opened a new door of information concerning His existence and our existence and how it is vital that we keep our dominion intact through His Ways.  In Genesis 3:6 we see that Adam and Eve have for some time enough of a relationship with the serpent that direct communication with it has commenced.  A deep enough relationship that they now are talking about God’s Ways and Laws without the humans even asking how the serpent even knows about God’s Law in the first place.  Yet, the conversation turns and the humans talk specifics about the law and flub it up enough that the serpent knows that it has them right where it needs them. 

It is known that Adam and Eve have daily communications with God, a direct contact with their Creator.  I mean, they actually see God and hear His voice walking right next to them, looking at them face to face how much more direct can a relationship be?  Yet as the angels watched God create every living element on the earth and witnessed the imaginative process of creating humans they understood exactly why God was delivering to His enemy the final punch and push forward of His Kingdom.  Then, at a certain point in human history, the doors began to open to the evil one, the beast that the angels knew would rear his ugly head sooner or later.  He struck, and once again the angels stood and watched with complete and utter sadness that another divinely created being stood in the face of God and without recital rebelled against Him.  The question that was raised once again is why would any perfect creation stray far enough from their Creator to live without divine protection and happiness?  With all that was perfectly ordered now thrown away and struggle for survival, a must instead of an unknown, no wonder the angels stood in wonder and in stunning fashion for the prized creations of God ignored the Truth and shocked the eternal world once again.

Another question that we must ask ourselves is how we would react to God being physically back on the earth, so much so that we could touch Him, audibly hear His voice as we watch His lips move while He addresses a crowd or to you and me personally.  How would we feel if He came to our house and had dinner or breakfast with us or went to the store with us?  Would we reject Him even though we had many opportunities to sit with Him or to walk with Him around a lake or in the park?  I have asked myself that question many times and when honesty struck I had to say that I would probably have denied Him at some point in time and that denial would have to include a betrayal as well.  In my humanness, I must admit that I am a complete failure and that I am not worthy of being called a creation of God much less be authorized to write what God wishes for His children to hear and to understand.  Yet, in my troubles and weaknesses, God for some reason finds favor in my heart big enough to forgive me of my sins and see His perfect creation status in my life.  I say this paragraph to lead up to the most devastating yet authoritative motives for the betrayal of God.

In the gospels of Matthew and in Luke we have a story concerning a man by the name of Judas of Iscariot.  I know that the other gospels contain the story about Judas but I have been shown to include these two books so the third example will be from here.  Jesus the Son of God is now present on the earth and here to be the eternal, everlasting, perfect, and last sacrificial offering for the sins of mankind.  He has chosen to have 12 men beside Him to guide and to provide and personal and eternal example of God on earth.  Through His actions we see men and women changed forever, the dead raised, words and sermons of wisdom spoken to the few and to the many.  Personal relationships developed with every known human emotion present while Jesus walked this earth.  With all of the history that the “Old Testament” writings gave the people of that time, it would seem an impossibility that anyone would directly rebel and betray God face to face again.

In Matthew, we have the positioning taking place between the Pharisees where they have agreed to do their part in putting into motion a plot to rid themselves and the people of Jesus once and for all.  They came to the conclusion that an insider needed to be chosen in order for their plot to be executed well enough to make sure that not just anyone would be pointed out and wrongly tried.  In order for their plot to be successful, they included one of Jesus’ disciples and when Judas agreed to comply with their wishes and threats their plan was authenticated for completion.  As we turn to the book of Luke, we all have read that Judas at the appointed time was told by Jesus to complete the mission that he had agreed to do, he did so and my Lord and Savior was betrayed with a kiss with many witnesses present then taken away to be tried and beaten and shortly afterward crucified to fulfill the words of God way back in Genesis.  Once again humanity had shared their finite thoughts and beliefs with the eternal Truth and chose their physicality over what their eyes and spirits knew was the Truth.

Heaven must have been filled with silence as each angel stared down at the earth and could not believe that the prized creations of God and His Kingdom had face to face betrayed God again.  When people make mistakes and correct them as to not repeat them again all should be well and good but when humans purposefully override the known truth for selfish gains the lies that they have been told to choose such options shall have consequences.  The angels must have been stunned again and could not help but to feel some type of holy anger at the ones who were supposed to be the eternal witness for God and His Creative geniuses.  You know that all of the angels wanted to go down and protect the Son of God yet God in His true and loving wisdom kept them in heaven watching the scene unfold so that humanity could once again know the Truth about our existence.  But the angels still had to ask, how could they not know by then of the reasons that they were created and not to invoke such atrocities upon their lives by deliberately betraying God through rebellious acts?

There are a couple of serious issues and patterns here that God wants His people to understand.  The pattern we see first in this message is that God has always loved us and that no matter how far we stray He shall never leave us or love us any less.  The second pattern in this topic is that mankind follows the sinful pattern that we are born into and unless we fully understand and believe in the Word of God we shall once again betray God face to face.  Lucifer, Adam and Eve, and then Judas all had intimate contact with God and had the opportunity to walk and talk with Him at their leisure.  Yet, in all three examples, these individuals decided to make the decision to betray God and walk it on their own.  Three different beings located in three different times yet all three followed suit to their wishes and not of God’s idea. 

How many of us are following in these three examples’ pictures?  I am not making light of any example here and I am certainly not comparing anyone to Satan but God is trying to get it through our heads and into our hearts that separation from His Ways is a serious event that one day will cost us our eternity if we do not turn our hearts back to God.  We know the outcome of Lucifer and the angels that went with him that memorable spirit day.  We can also say that Adam and Eve turned their lives towards God again for one of their sons knew how and what the meaning of a true sacrifice meant.  However, Judas’ story had a different ending, one that was tragic for even though he betrayed Jesus, Jesus would have gladly and quickly forgiven him without any hesitations.  However, through the actions of Judas after he had betrayed Jesus he took his own life and therefore eternally aligned himself with the one that tricked him in the first place.

Church, it is our responsibility to study the Word of God and to understand every word that is present in its content.  We can no longer be under the influence of the world for when we accept this world as our own then we will align ourselves with the lies of Satan and thus fulfill the three examples of this message from God again.  There is no way possible that we can stand in the presence of God even if we have not physically done an act of betrayal to Him, for our bodies themselves are born into sin and from day one of our existence our lives become an act of disobedience.  But God originally provided a way for Lucifer and the angels that he took, God also provided a covering for Adam and Eve as well, and now He has provided an eternal covering through His Son’s blood for every person who walks this earth.

In the Old Testament Scriptures, the act of sacrifice was supposed to be the recognized act of covering that mankind performed in order that we recognized the truth about sin.  This act became a ritual and was no longer taken seriously enough to warrant a lasting and honest confession of sins to God.  We now commit such selfish and vile sins again God again by ignoring the eternal sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross.  We have made church a comfort zone with inclusions of worldly guidelines that in turn dictate how mankind believes, acting like the old Commissars of the communist Soviet Union.  How wrong we are to believe that God accepts our actions as a true measure of our worship to Him and how dare we thumb our noses at our Creator with such antics.  We do not need to be in the pews every day but out on the streets of our towns and cities listening to those who are hurting and telling them about the good news of the Gospel. 

If we do not adhere to God’s Word again there will come a time where our fears over our nation shall come true, but I guarantee it will not be in such a manner that many of us are expecting.  Plus, it shall be worse for when a person’s pride, in this case, a nation’s pride, stands far greater than any other example one can only expect a devastating reality check at some point in time and since we pride ourselves on being the best we can surely warrant the “best” fall ever recorded in history as well.  Church, we can change this cycle but only if we turn and go back to God in the ways that His Word teach.  There can be no other way no matter how hard we try because without His perfect guidance we have no hope but to stun angels left and right.

DLB