| (Copyright) by Jeffrey Caldwell (Arkansas) |
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| The angelic realm is created (Colossians 1:15-17). God created the earth, the heavens and everything in them in six days (Exodus 20:11). All the angels were joyful at the laying of the foundations of the earth (Job 38:4-7). The angels were created to serve people for a holy purpose (Hebrews 1:14). At the end of the sixth day everything was “very good” in God’s estimation (Genesis 1:28-31). Satan was in Eden, at that time, as the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisitely beautiful, a guardian with access to God (Ezekiel 28:12-14). On Day One of the week in which God creates ALL things He says, “Let there be light!” (Genesis 1:3-5). The light provided is not astronomical light, which is not provided until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19). Corrupted, Satan disguises himself “as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The heavenly beings — all true angels of light — were created on Day One and the people they were destined to serve on the sixth day — all “very good” and ALL created for a holy purpose from and at the beginning of all that pertains to the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:4, Mark 10:6). The seven days of Genesis One are not “re-creation”, but rather the account of all things as originally created for a holy purpose — there is no biblical “prehistory”! Satan became the father of hatred and falsehood and pride shortly after Creation Week (John 8:44). It seems likely that Satan’s first overt move in rebellion was to lie to Eve. His securing a contingent of rebellious angels may well have been immediately subsequent to their sin. Satan reports to God in heaven in the time of Job (Job 2:1-3). We read of a time when there is war in heaven and Satan and his angels are forced out of heaven and cast down with but a short time left (Revelation 12:7-12). |
| Iron Sharpening Iron In regard to: When Were the Angels Created and When Were They Corrupted? Article by Jeffrey Caldwell Comments by Laura Lee (Bismarck, North Dakota) |
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| Jeffrey’s Article: The angelic realm is created (Colossians 1:15-17). God created the earth, the heavens and everything in them in six days (Exodus 20:11). All the angels were joyful at the laying of the foundations of the earth (Job 38:4-7). Laura writes: This last statement is a clear misunderstanding of scripture: Read this in context of what it says. Job 38:1 Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Job 38:2 Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Job 38:3 Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and answer thou me. Job 38:4 Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Job 38:5 Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Job 38:6 Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; Job 38:7 When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Job 38:8 Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb? Job 38:9 When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, Job 38:10 And brake up for it my decreed place, and set bars and doors, Verse 1 Tells us that God is speaking to Job out of the whirlwind. Verse 2 God is telling Job he is without knowledge. Verse 3 God is demanding that Job answer His questions. Verse 4-… is God asking questions and wanting Job to answer knowing Job can’t answer because he was not there. Some of the questions God asked Job: Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Who decided the measurements? Who stretched out the plum line? Where are the foundations fastened? Who laid the cornerstone? Where were you when the morning stars (angels) sang together? Where were you when all the sons of God shouted for joy? (These could be other spirit beings or man himself at a time before Job was born.) Who was it that shut up the sea with doors when it broke forth? When did I make a vapor ring around the earth? And the questions for Job from God go on. It is not saying that the morning stars or the sons of God were there from the foundation of the earth. Please look at it again. Jeffrey’s Article: The angels were created to serve people for a holy purpose (Hebrews 1:14). At the end of the sixth day everything was “very good” in God’s estimation (Genesis 1:28-31). Satan was in Eden, at that time, as the model of perfection, full of wisdom and exquisitely beautiful, a guardian with access to God (Ezekiel 28:12-14). Laura writes: Eze 28:12 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. Eze 28:13 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. Eze 28:14 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. Ezekiel 28:12-14 states that Satan was in the Garden of Eden, and we know that he was there because he deceived Eve and caused her to sin. And yes, he was a guardian angel (covering angel) but not in the Garden of Eden. It is more likely that Lucifers job before he sinned was to cover the throne of God in heaven. The ark of the covenant is a depiction of God’s throne in heaven complete with two covering angels. Exo 25:14 And thou shalt put the staves into the rings by the sides of the ark, that the ark may be borne with them. Exo 25:15 The staves shall be in the rings of the ark: they shall not be taken from it. Exo 25:16 And thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee. Exo 25:17 And thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold: two cubits and a half shall be the length thereof, and a cubit and a half the breadth thereof. Exo 25:18 And thou shalt make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shalt thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. Exo 25:19 And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall ye make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. Exo 25:20 And the cherubims shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and their faces shall look one to another; toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubims be. Jeffrey’s Article: On Day One of the week in which God creates ALL things He says, “Let there be light!” (Genesis 1:3-5). The light provided is not astronomical light, which is not provided until the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19). Laura writes: Gen 1:3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. Gen 1:4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. Gen 1:5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. In Genesis 1:3-5, the light spoken of there is probably directly from God as in Revelation 22:5. Rev 22:5 And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. Gen 1:14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years: Gen 1:15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so. Gen 1:16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also. Gen 1:17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth, Gen 1:18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. Gen 1:19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. It would be more likely that the angels were created on day four since they are symbolized as stars. Jeffrey’s Article: Corrupted, Satan disguises himself “as an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). The heavenly beings — all true angels of light — were created on Day One and the people they were destined to serve on the sixth day — all “very good” and ALL created for a holy purpose from and at the beginning of all that pertains to the Kingdom of God (Matthew 19:4, Mark 10:6). Laura writes: Not enough proof in this article to prove that the angels were created on Day One. It may indeed be true, but I think it is more likely the angels were created on day 4 since they are referred to as stars. Jeffrey’s Article: The seven days of Genesis One are not “re-creation”, but rather the account of all things as originally created for a holy purpose — there is no biblical “prehistory”! Satan became the father of hatred and falsehood and pride shortly after Creation Week (John 8:44). It seems likely that Satan’s first overt move in rebellion was to lie to Eve. His securing a contingent of rebellious angels may well have been immediately subsequent to their sin. Satan reports to God in heaven in the time of Job (Job 2:1-3). Laura writes: Job 2:1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD. Job 2:2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Job 2:3 And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause. There is nothing in Job 2:1-3 which says Satan presented himself to God in Heaven. The verses tell you where and what Satan was doing prior to God talking to him. Satan does not have to be in Heaven for God to talk to him. Jeffrey’s Article: We read of a time when there is war in heaven and Satan and his angels are forced out of heaven and cast down with but a short time left (Revelation 12:7-12). Laura writes: Rev 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, Rev 12:8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. Rev 12:9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. Rev 12:11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Rev 12:12 Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. We know that Satan started deceiving the people on earth when he deceived Eve. So, he was cast down before Eve was deceived. The scriptures speaking of Satan in Revelation 12:7-12 are past tense meaning it had already happened. When Satan sinned God did not wait 6000 years to toss him out of heaven. God cast him out of heaven right away and he has been deceiving people on earth starting with Eve ever since. Once Satan was tossed out of heaven, he was not allowed to come back to heaven for anything. See Rev. 12:8 above. |
| Iron Sharpening Iron In regard to: When Were the Angels Created and When Were They Corrupted? Article by Jeffrey Caldwell Comments by Laura Lee (Bismarck, North Dakota) |
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|  Recently I have been reading one of the books of the apocrypha named Esdras and I ran across this item which seems to support the angels having been created on the fourth day of creation. Particularly interesting is verse 46 which seems to indicate that stars (angels) were given the job to do service to man who was yet to be made. (Man was created on the sixth day.)  2Es 6:45 Upon the fourth day you commanded that the sun should shine, and the moon give her light, and the stars should be in their order: 2Es 6:46 and gave them a charge to do service to man, that was to be made. (From the World English Bible with Apocrypha)  In the Bible it says the following of angels (Which lends support to what Esdras says.): Heb 1:13 But to which of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool? Heb 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation? |
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