The Ministry Of Angels Irwin H. Evans Pacific Press Publishers 1915 Contents ANGELS EXISTED BEFORE MAN ANGELS REAL CREATED BEINGS THE FALL OF HEAVENLY ANGELS A HIGHER ORDER THAN MAN NUMBER OF THE ANGELS GLORY OF THE ANGELS POWER OF THE ANGELS RAPIDITY OF ANGELS’ MOVEMENTS THE GUARDIAN ANGELS THE RECORDING ANGELS AGENTS IN DIVINE REVELATION ANGEL MINISTRY TO ABRAHAM ANGEL MINISTRY TO JACOB ANGEL MINISTRY TO ISRAEL JESUS AND THE ANGELS ANGEL MINISTRY IN THE GOSPEL ANGELS AND THE SECOND ADVENT ANGELS AND THE REDEEMED IN GLORY ANGELS EXISTED BEFORE MAN “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?” Hebrews 1:14. “Where west thou when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” Job 38:4, 7 THE plan of salvation is infinite in its scope. In all its heights and depths of divine love, it has ever been and must ever be above and beyond the understanding of finite minds. We may know something about it; we may from time to time receive such glimpses of it as will beget within our own hearts an answering spark of love; we may even believe in the atonement to the salvation of our souls; but fully to comprehend and appreciate the unspeakable love of God, which received its highest manifestation in the plan of salvation, will require all eternity. Through infinite ages it will be “the science and the song” of the redeemed of earth and of the hosts of heavenly beings. Even in our present sinful condition, seeing as through a glass darkly, we are amazed as we think upon this wonderful revelation of God’s love for His rebellious, disobedient children. The mind of mortal man is awed by the divine mystery of the atonement. How the supremely pure and holy God, who inhabits eternity, whose eyes cannot behold iniquity, could so love such fallen, rebellious creatures as to make the supreme sacrifice that was demanded in order to place forgiveness of sin and the gift of eternal life within our reach, must forever remain beyond our comprehension. If God the Father and Christ the Son were the only heavenly beings interested in creating this world, and in carrying out the plan of salvation, the Christian, in his contemplation of the theme of redemption, would of course confine his study and meditation to these two infinite beings. The Bible, however, not only reveals something of the unspeakable love of God, as manifested in the unparalleled sacrifice of His only-begotten Son in man’s behalf; it not only speaks of Christ, His ministry and service and love in behalf of the living when He was on earth, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the dead, but it also unfolds the ministry of the angelic host as they cooperate with the Father and the Son in the salvation of sinners. Does the thought that angels have an important part to act in connection with the Godhead in the salvation of man, seem strange and even unwelcome? Is it not a fact that the most devoted and Faithful of the children of God in all ages have felt the need of this very help, this beneficent and loving ministry, which the Bible plainly teaches has been provided in the angelic family in heaven? To satisfy this divinely implanted longing of the human heart, the heathen, in their blind groping for help and power outside of themselves, have created in their minds innumerable deities of varied rank and influence, which minister to mankind in the things over which they preside. The Catholic Church seeks to supply this acknowledged need in the heart of man by its system of intercession of the saints and the virgin Mary; while the great Protestant churches fall into the same delusion by teaching that the spirits of the dead become angels, watching over and man and listening to those who dwell on the earth. The difficulty in all these theories lies in man’s failure to accept and believe what is so clearly revealed in the Bible concerning the plan of salvation. Having rejected the teachings of the word of God regarding his own nature, man has lost sight of what is taught in that Word concerning the angels and their ministry. Again, there are not a few in these latter days who seem to desire to demonstrate that man possesses endless life in himself, without the cooperation of the divine. Perhaps no age has ever gone farther in this endeavor than the present. There has grown up in the minds of men a system of human philosophy which has as its fundamental principle the idea that man has within himself the spark of God; that in him God lives; and that therefore, as a part of the divine Being, he already possesses life which will measure with the life of God. Being thus, according to his presumptuous belief, a part of the Godhead, he denies his need of the Savior, and rejects the atonement. Those who reason thus, feel the need of no help in overcoming the weaknesses of the flesh, and scoff at the suggestion of heavenly beings. They hold that, having the “good start” of a desirable hereditary and the benefit and uplift of moral surroundings and education, man can work out his own salvation. But in such vain and evil imaginings, the devout child of God can have no part. Taking the word of God as his authority, and believing its plain and positive declarations, he finds that angels have ever acted an important part in the history of mankind, and in carrying out the details of the divine arrangement, the plan of salvation, by which the believing children of men are to be rescued from the results of sin, and saved to enjoy the blessings of eternal life. It is clearly taught, in the Scriptures, that angels existed before the creation of this world. Taking this divine record as our guide, as we do, it requires no abstruse process of reasoning to prove that if angels existed prior to man’s creation, it is impossible that these heavenly beings should be the disembodied spirits of those who have lived on the earth and have been stricken down by death. If we can show, from the word of God, that angels existed before death entered the world, that they had a creation by themselves, and constitute another order of beings than that of man, we shall then be able to account for all that science and philosophy have invented concerning inter-spirit communications. In his letter to the church at Philippi, speaking of the abasement and exaltation of the divine Son, Paul says: “Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the 2 earth.” [Philippians 2:9-10] In these words it is plainly suggested that there are beings in heaven, as there are beings on earth. Writing to the Ephesian believers, Paul carries this idea still farther. He says, “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named.” [Ephesians 3:14-15] Thus he plainly declares that there is a heavenly family as well as an earthly family. There is no institution on earth with which we are more familiar or for which we have a deeper regard than that of the family. Its ties of affection form a bond that holds through all the changes and vicissitudes of life; and when its members have separated, or have lain down in death, the hearts that survive still cherish in loving memory the incidents, the simple little daily happenings, that made tip the family life. The larger the family, the wider its circle, if its members are united by common aims and interests, if their hearts are welded together by love and hope and faith, the greater the happiness afforded by this divinely instituted relation. This being true, it is difficult for us to think that the Father and he Son are the only members of the heavenly family. Must it not have other members? No faith is required on our part to accept the fact of the family relation - either of the human family as a whole, which, divided into nations, races, tribes, and clans, is scattered over the face of the whole earth; or of those smaller groups so closely bound together by the ties of name, blood, and common interests. But as there is a family on earth, so also is there a family in heaven; for the two are mentioned together as including the whole family of God. And the day is soon to come when both families, the one in heaven and the one on earth, will unite in adoring the Savior of sinners. The heavenly family adores Him now. Hundreds of years before the Christian era, away back in the days of the history of the kings of Israel, Isaiah had a wonderful vision of Jehovah and His retinue. He saw the throne of God, high and exalted, and around this throne a host of heavenly beings continually ascribing praise to the name of God. In the sixth chapter of Isaiah is given a lofty description of the adoration of these heavenly beings before the throne of Jehovah: “In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.” [Isaiah 6:1-3] These heavenly beings worshiping Jehovah were not the souls of the departed dead; for there had then been no general resurrection, nor had Christ yet risen from the dead, thus giving unfailing evidence and pledge of that great event. Nor could they have been the disembodied spirits of the dead; for the Lord Himself, who gives us a record of this vision, tells us in the most unmistakable language that “the dead know not anything.” [Ecclesiastes 9:5] Whence, then, came this heavenly host? Who were they? Were they not that “family in heaven” of whom the apostle Paul speaks, surrounding the throne of God, and adoring the great Jehovah? When Job had confounded the three friends who came to comfort him in his great affliction, and had zealously defended God and His wondrous workings among the children of men, the Lord asked Job: “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth? Declare, if you have understanding. Who has laid the measures thereof, if thou knew? Or who has stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? Or who laid the corner stone thereof; when the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?” [Job 38:4-7] In these words, a time is mentioned when the sons of God shouted for joy. When was this time? It was when God laid the foundations of the earth, before man was created, before sin or death had entered this world, when the Lord was bringing His created universe into existence. It was before the beautiful garden had been planted “eastward in Eden” for the home of Adam and Eve; before the serpent beguiled the woman with his lying promise of wisdom and life; before the holy pair disobeyed the commands of God, and were driven from the home He had prepared especially for them. The Lord tells us that in the morning of creation, when He created the heavens and the earth, the sons of God shouted for joy, and the morning stars sang together. 3 But who are these sons of God? Whence came they? To what family in God’s creation do they belong? One thing is certain, they do not belong to the human family; for at this time of which God is speaking, man had not yet been created. These sons of God must therefore be some other order of beings. They were with the Lord at the time of the creation of this world; and when they saw this exhibition of His mighty power, their adoring hearts burst forth in joyful chorus to the praise of Jehovah. They sang together. They shouted for joy. How the arches of heaven must have rung in that celestial chorus! In all that mighty host about the throne, there was not at this time one discordant note, not one of the heavenly beings whose heart and voice were not in the fullest sympathy with the purpose of God as shown in the wonderful work of creation. O, happy song - a united family joining in one great anthem of praise and adoration to Jehovah as they behold His wisdom and mighty power! That angels existed before the death of man, is still further shown in Genesis, in the record of man’s expulsion from Eden: “So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” [Genesis 3:24] In the divine record, the story of man’s sin and awful fall precedes this visitation of God’s wrath. The holy pair had disobeyed Jehovah, and had brought upon themselves the penalty for sin, which is death. What sadness must have filled the hearts of the angelic family as they beheld the transgression of Adam and Eve, and realized, even faintly, its consequences! With what pitying sorrow they saw the gates of Eden open outward to this man and woman who were to become the father and the mother of the human family! As Adam and Eve pass beyond the protecting boundaries of that Edenic home, they enter a dark and cheerless world. All hope of returning to that lovely garden planted by the hand of God Himself is lost. Never again within its borders will they listen to the sweet-voiced songsters making melody from vernal trees and shady bowers. Never again will they pluck its fadeless flowers or eat its delightful fruits. Never again will they gaze with mortal eyes upon the wonderful tree of life, whose fruit is necessary to perpetuate their existence. Never again can they hope to meet the Lord as He walks in the midst of the garden, or listen to the music of His voice as He talks with them of the paths of life. As they pass beyond those gates, opened and closed for them by angelic hands, Adam and Eve know that all is lost. Looking backward to the home which they have left behind, with what unutterable longing and sorrow in their hearts! They see standing before the gate beings of matchless glory, with a flaming sword which turned in all directions, guarding the entrance to Eden, lest they return, eat of the fruit of the tree of life, and live forever. Here we have positive proof that before death had ever come to man, before ever a funeral note was chanted by the living for the dead, there were heavenly beings, stronger than man, and more like God than he; for they drove the man and the woman out of the garden, and kept the way of the tree of life. These were no earthly beings. God did not create them when He made the earth; but they were with Him, and sang His praises, in creation’s morning. Of the nature of the heavenly beings called cherubim we know something. While they are mentioned only a few times in the word of God, it is always in away to show that they are beings of exalted nature and high rank among the messengers of Jehovah, the Lord of glory. When Moses built the tabernacle in the wilderness, two golden cherubim were placed over the mercy seat, and beneath it were the tables of stone on which had been written the unchangeable law of God. In instructing -Moses concerning the making of these cherubim, the Lord used this language: “And thou shall make two cherubims of gold, of beaten work shall thou make them, in the two ends of the mercy seat. And make one cherub on the one end, and the other cherub on the other end: even of the mercy seat shall you make the cherubims on the two ends thereof. 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. And thou shall put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark 4 thou shall put the testimony that I shall give thee. And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel.” [Exodus 25:18-22] In the twenty-eighth chapter of Ezekiel, cherubim are again mentioned. Speaking of Satan, the fallen angel, the Lord addresses him in these words: “Thou art the anointed cherub that covered; and I have set thee so: thou was upon the holy mountain of God; thou has walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. And I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire.” [Ezekiel 28:14-16] From the scriptures cited, we learn not only who compose the family in heaven, but also that this heavenly family has order, arrangement, and degrees of responsibility. Such terms as “seraphim,” “cherubim,” “anointing cherub,” “covering cherub,” etc., indicate that some among the angels are of higher rank than others, and the work they are appointed to do is of a higher order than that which is given to others. By a study of these same scriptures, also, we are warranted in concluding that the family in heaven, mentioned by the apostle, are the angelic host who were with God when the world was created, and who are about Him continually, doing His bidding. They are not the spirits of the departed dead; they are no part of the family on earth; they constitute the heavenly family, who continue ever as it were in the presence of Jehovah, working together in perfect harmony, and carrying out His will and purpose throughout His great universe. How strange that finite, mortal man, saved only by infinite grace, should so pervert the word of God as not only to assume that he has immortality, an attribute belonging alone to Jehovah Himself, but also to claim that at death we become angels of God! Nowhere does the Bible teach that men, either before or after the resurrection, become angels. These noble, exalted beings had an existence with the Father, doing His will, and rejoicing in the work of His hands, prior to man’s creation. What a pity that instead of studying the teachings of the word of God concerning the work and glory of the heavenly beings, so many should endeavor to persuade themselves that after death they will become angels, ministering to those who live on the earth! This service is reserved alone for the holy beings whom God has made His ministering spirits, the heavenly angels, who are an exalted, separate order of beings from man, and who had an existence long before his creation and fall. “And is there care in heaven? And is there love In heavenly spirits to these creatures base That may compassion of their evils move? There is else much more wretched were the case Of men than beasts. But, O, the exceeding race Of highest God, that loves His creatures so, And all His work with mercy doth embrace, That blessed angels He sends to and fro To serve to wicked men, to serve His wicked foe! “How oft do they their silvery bowers leave To come to succor us that succor want! How oft do they with golden pinions cleave The fleeting skies, like flying pursuant, Against foul fiends to aid us militant! They for us fight, they watch, they duly ward, And their bright squadrons round about us plant, And all for love and nothing for reward. O, why should heavenly God to men have such regard?” - Spenser. 5 REAL CREATED BEINGS But one in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that Thou art mindful of him? or the son of man, that Thou visits him? Thou made him a little lower than the angels; Thou crowned him with glory and honor, and didst set him over the works of Thy hands.” Hebrews 2:6,7. GOD has seen fit to clothe in profound mystery the nature of spiritual beings. Neither by his natural senses nor by any invention that he has sought out has man been able to lift the veil which, in His love and wisdom, the Lord of life and glory has drawn before this subject. With all the knowledge that man has gained in material things, with all his understanding of the outworking of natural laws, and his comprehension of much of the phenomena of nature, and with what information he has acquired concerning the order and movements of the celestial bodies, he has never been able to fathom or explain the nature of angels. After six thousand years of life and development, after centuries of reflection and searching after wisdom, man is as ignorant of the nature of these heavenly beings, aside from what is revealed in the Scriptures, as when his existence began. The philosopher of the twentieth century, with all the resources of the ages at hand, can offer no more satisfactory solution to the problem of the origin of life and the mystery of death, than could Plato and Seneca, of ancient Greece and Rome. As, in the morning of the world, God set bounds about the great deep, so, it would seem, He has decreed concerning man’s knowledge of spiritual beings, “Hitherto shall thou come, but no further.” Only the Life-giver can make known to man the mysteries of the spirit world. Not until the dead shall awake, at the sounding of the last trump; not until corruption shall have put on incorruption, and mortal shall have put on immortality; not until the redeemed saints shall join in the triumphant song of victory over death and the grave, “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?” [1 Corinthians 15:55] shall we be able to understand the nature of spiritual beings. Until that day, the seeker after truth must be content with what is recorded in the word of God on this subject. All that the Lord designs man shall know of the heavenly family is revealed in, this Word. What is written therein is truth, and will make us wise unto salvation. No being but Jehovah is self-existent. He alone is eternal, immortal. He is the source of all life. And He it is who has made all things in heaven and in earth. He “created all things by Jesus Christ.” Even the blessed Son of God was begotten by the Father, who gave to Him life, and clothed Him with mighty power. On this point we have the testimony of Jesus Himself, who declared, “As the Father has life in Himself; so has He given to the Son to have life in Himself.” [John 5:26] Though we are unable to understand the nature of angels, though their existence is surrounded with unfathonnable mystery, and though they dwell in the light and glory of the throne of God, yet we do know that they are created beings, and that they were created by the same God who created man. “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist.” [Colossians 1:16-17] With this broad, unqualified statement, that all things both in heaven and in earth, visible and invisible, were created by the Son of God, Jesus Christ, we must admit at once that angels are created intelligences. He who made the earth, also made the heavens. He who created man, and gave to him life and being, created also the angels, and gave to them power and glory beyond the mind of man to comprehend. The angels were created before the earth was made; for they were present at its creation. When the Lord laid the foundations of the earth, the angelic choir joined in melodious songs of praise and adoration. At His word, they saw the earth flooded with light, and the spacious firmament surround it; they saw the waters gathered together, the dry land appear, and the land clothed with verdure and beauty; they saw the sun, the moon, and the stars set in the heavens, the waters swarming with life, and beasts, birds, and creeping things taking their places on the earth; and at last crowning miracle and wonder of creation-they saw man made in the image of God, and given dominion over the new world. No wonder that as the angelic beings beheld the 6 mighty power of God in bringing into existence things that were not, by the word of His power, they sang together, they shouted for joy. Satan, the great enemy of God and man, once held a high place among-the angelic beings. Under the symbol of the king of Tyre, a wonderful description of this powerful fallen angel, giving us some idea of his original glory and beauty, is presented by the prophet Ezekiel: “Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus said the Lord God; Thou sealed up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou has 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 was created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covered; and I have set thee so: thou was upon the holy mountain of God; thou has walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee.” [Ezekiel 28:12-15] From this language it appears that Satan, who was one of the covering cherubs about the throne of Jehovah, had a creation. This being so, there must have been a time when he did not exist. And as with him, so with the other angels. They are created beings, and, as such, there was a time in the eternity of God when they were not. The Bible does not tell us when God made the angels, nor when He begot Lucifer; but it does plainly teach that the same power that spoke the worlds into existence also created these holy beings. When the Pharisees wished to tempt Jesus with a hard question, hoping thus to confuse Him in His teachings, and put Him to shame before the people, they asked Him about the resurrection. The answer of Jesus throws additional light on the nature of the angels. He said: “The children of this world marry, and are given ill marriage: but they which shall be accounted worthy to obtain that world, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry, nor are given in marriage: neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” [Luke 20:34-36] From this statement we learn that angels live on a different plane of being from man. They were never commanded to multiply and replenish heaven, as man was commanded to multiply and replenish the earth. Another great truth, of precious hope to the children of God, is also set forth by Jesus in this scripture. Of those who are accounted worthy to have a part in the resurrection of the just, He says: “Neither can they die any more: for they are equal unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of the resurrection.” Christ does not say that at the resurrection, His people become angels, nor does He give the faintest intimation that such will be the case. They will be equal to the angels in that they will be no longer subject to death. The dominion of the cruel enemy of the children of men will be forever broken; no longer can his terrors assail them. In the possession of immortality, in the enjoyment of endless, glorious life, those who attain to the resurrection of the just will be equal to the angels of heaven, who received this gift from the hand of God. From the scriptures quoted, it is plainly seen that the angels are not self-existent beings, nor are they in any sense self-created. Neither are they the spirits of the dead. They were never “mourners here below,” nor have they ever tasted death. At some time in the vast eternities of the past, they were created by Jehovah, who gave to them a probationary life. Some proved true and loyal to the throne of God; and these, escaping thus the penalty of transgression, He crowned with the priceless gift of immortality. Was there ever a more unwarranted perversion of Scripture than is made by those who attempt to sustain the theory of the natural immortality of the soul from the word of God? This thought of endless existence was first implanted in man’s heart before his fall - and by his mortal foe. Deceived by the lying assurances of Satan, “You shall not surely die,” “You shall be as gods,” [Genesis 3:4-5] putting the assertions of the serpent above the authority of their Creator, Adam and Eve dared that disobedience which amazed heaven, and brought upon themselves the death penalty. But though man was expelled from Eden, and the awful results of disobedience soon began to be manifest on every hand; though from that Day more than a hundred generations, “all as noisy as our own, have been swallowed up of time, and there remains no wreck of them any more;” though man himself acknowledges that “the silence of the grave is ominous -no voices have come from it; ... the thickness of the veil which 7 separates the world of the living from the dead is also significant that no light has ever shone through it,” still he has gone on through the ages believing in his heart the falsehood that cost so dreadful a price. Every truth that contradicts this falsehood, he tramples in the dust. Every delusion that fortifies his belief in his possession of immortality, he seizes with eagerness. What sight more sad do heavenly beings look upon than to see man, the certain victim of a broken law, yet hugging to his heart the very delusion that caused the fall of Adam and Eve in Eden, and even seeking, by arrogant perversion of the Scriptures, to sustain his belief that he is immortal, and “shall not surely die”! What false doctrines have grown out of this mistaken belief! What erroneous theories are built upon it! Into what countless errors has it led even the church of Christ, the professed children of God! Heathenism, Catholicism, and spiritualism are all based upon a belief in the immortality of the soul. Not only has this delusive doctrine led man into many pitfalls and mazes, but it has also blinded his eyes to the nature of the heavenly beings and their work of divine ministry, a ministry that is one of the most comforting and beneficent agencies employed by our loving Father in heaven in behalf of His children on earth. THE FALL OF HEAVENLY ANGELS “And there was War in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” Revelation 12:7-8 THOSE who truly love their fellows, and unselfishly desire their improvement and the betterment of their condition, are appalled as they scan the long record of the dealings of mankind with one another from the dawn of human history till the present hour. With unspeakable longing they look for the day when He who “makes wars to cease” [Psalm 46:9] shall set tip His kingdom, and the peoples of earth shall not “learn war any more.” [Micah 4:3] Yet familiar as we are with the horrors of earthly conflict, it is almost impossible for us to imagine that heavenly beings, angels created for the glory of God, would enter into a state of rebellion, and wage war against Jehovah and those who remained loyal to Him. But that heaven did pass through this dark experience, is the record of the infallible Word. None of the Bible writers have gone into details concerning this event. Yet glimpses are given of the fall of Satan and his sympathizers; and by a careful study of these scriptures, we gain at least a faint idea of that unutterable tragedy. From all that we can learn from Holy Writ, it would appear that this rebellion occurred prior to the creation of the earth. Before this rebellion, concord and peace prevailed in the courts of Jehovah, and the family of heaven lived in perfect harmony. It was the purpose of God that this condition should ever continue. The angels were created for His glory, and their service before Him was one of pleasure and adoration. Among all the heavenly host there was not one discontented soul, not one whose heart held any thought of bitterness or hatred or jealousy. When God was about to create this world and place it under the dominion of man, whom He was to bring into existence, a council was held in heaven. The Son of God was taken into this council, and all the Father’s plans were made known to Him. To the angelic throng Jehovah announced that His Son was His representative, and that all the heavenly beings would cooperate with Him in carrying out His benevolent designs. Among other angels present in the councils of heaven was Lucifer. Of all the heavenly host, none was more beautiful than he. In addition to his marvelous personal beauty, he was richly endowed with wisdom, and occupied an exalted position by the throne of Jehovah. He was, in fact, second only to the Son of God. But Lucifer was not satisfied with the dignity and glory that had been bestowed upon him. Because he was not admitted into the councils of Jehovah on an equality with the divine Son, his pride was hurt, and in his jealousy and anger he sought revenge for the slight and insult that he imagined he had received. Mortification and wounded pride filled his heart; and to retaliate for the indignity and humiliation which he chose to assume that he had suffered, he sought to enlist the sympathy of other angels with him against the 8 government of Jehovah. With the subtlety which has since become one of his distinguishing characteristics, he began his evil work, in secret sowing the seeds of discontent and rebellion in the hearts of those associated with him. We can hardly conceive of heavenly angels, spiritual beings, entertaining thoughts of rebellion and hatred against their Maker; yet it appears that it was not difficult for this erring creature to gain a large and important following among the angelic hosts. Not immediately did these pure and holy ones enter into a state of insubordination against the government of God; but slowly and surely the spirit of discontent and dissatisfaction developed. Wounded pride, evil surmising, jealousy-what mighty factors are these in changing the life from purity and happiness to hatred and bitterness and strife and every evil work! What awful calamity and sorrow these, wicked principles, when allowed to germinate and grow in the hearts of men, have wrought in the human family! What ties of love and devotion have they rent asunder! What families have they broken up, what warfare waged, brother lifting up his hand against brother, friend against friend, kingdom against kingdom! The spirit of wounded pride and injured feeling is one that ever grows. The more one meditates upon such fancied injuries, the more firmly and deeply the roots of dissatisfaction and bitterness are planted in the heart. So it was in heaven. Though the heavenly host had always approved of the judgments of Jehovah, and had acknowledged His government to be just and merciful and good, yet as they listened to the doubts and insinuations of Lucifer, and began to harbor in their own hearts the feeling that was animating his evil work, the spirit of jealousy and bitterness spread among them, and became more intense and cruel. Erelong it flamed into open rebellion. Then “there was war in heaven: Michael and His angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not ; neither was their place found any more in heaven.” [Revelation 12:7-8] No imagination of man can fitly picture that scene, or conjecture its setting. The holy men of old, through whom the word of God was given to the world, have not attempted to describe it. Inspiration has drawn over that dreadful event a veil of silence that mortal man cannot pass. In the great conflict then waged, Michael and His angels prevailed, and Lucifer and his hosts were cast out of heaven. Most overwhelming catastrophe - cast into outer darkness, their very place in heaven no longer found ! But their work of evil was not yet finished. In vision John beheld the war of the angelic hosts, and saw them with their mighty leader cast out of heaven; and as he saw their power, and the malignity with which they would seek to destroy the souls of men, he gave utterance to this lamentation: “Woe to the inhabitants of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knows that he has but a short time.” [Revelation 12:12] A detailed and graphic description of the glory and wisdom of Lucifer before his fall is given by the prophet Ezekiel, who thus describes this powerful lost angel under the figure of the prince of Tyrus: “Son of man, say unto the prince of Tyrus, Thus said the Lord God; Because your heart is lifted up, and thou has said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set your heart as the heart of God: behold, thou art wiser than Daniel; there is no secret that they can hide from thee: with thy wisdom and with your understanding thou has gotten thee riches, and has gotten gold and silver into thy treasures: by thy great wisdom and by thy traffic has thou increased thy riches, and your heart is lifted tip because of thy riches: therefore thus said the Lord God; Because thou has set your heart as the heart of God; . . . they shall bring thee down to the pit, and thou shall die the deaths of them that are slain in the midst of the seas. “Wilt thou yet say before him that slays thee, I am God? but thou shall be a man, and no God, in the hand of him that slays thee. Thou shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers: for I have spoken it, said the Lord God. . . . Thou sealed up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou has 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 was created. 9 “Thou art the anointed cherub that covered; and I have set thee so: thou was upon the holy mountain of God ; thou has walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou was perfect in thy ways from the day that thou was created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou has 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. You heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou has corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee.” [Ezekiel 28:2-17] This is indeed an exalted description of this powerful fallen angel. No creature that ever came from the hand of God was more beautiful, more perfect, or more wise than he. He had been in Eden, the garden of God. Every precious stone was his covering. He had been the anointed one, and had held an honored place as one of the covering cherubs about the throne of Jehovah. In beauty he was tile sum of perfection. In wisdom there was nothing that could be hidden from his understanding. And not only was he wise and beautiful, but the record declares that he was perfect in his ways from the day that he was created till iniquity was found in him. But his heart was lifted up because of his beauty. His wisdom was corrupted because of his brightness. In his heart he said: “I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas.” What a dreadful fall - from a being perfect in wisdom and beauty and righteousness to a creature of darkness and every evil and corrupt work! Isaiah also briefly describes this powerful and exalted angel, and the unholy ambition that led to his fall: “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou’ has said in your 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. Yet thou shall be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.” [Isaiah 14:12-15] The Savior, speaking of the fall of Satan, said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” [Luke 10:18] And the beloved John, in describing the same scene, says: “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan, which deceived the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.” [Revelation 12:9] In describing this fall, Milton says: “As sails, full-spread, and bellying with the wind, Drop suddenly collapsed, if the mast split; So to the ground dropped the cruel fiend.” What more pitiable spectacle to contemplate than the fall and ruin of angels! “We have seen the forsaken halls of timeworn and dilapidated castles, have stood in the unroofed palaces of ancient princes, and have gazed on the moss-covered and ivy-decked towers of perishing churches; and the sight of them has filled our hearts with melancholy, as we thought of what had been, and of the changes that had swept over the fair, valiant, and pious throngs whose laughter, bravery, and prayers once made these scenes so gay and vocal. All is hushed now, and the silence is broken only by the hoot and screech of the owl, or by the rustle of the night bat’s leathern wing. “But how much sadder is the form of the mighty spirit, who once sat regnant among the sons of light, emptied of his innocence, filled with foul, creeping, venomous thoughts and feelings, uncrowned, dethroned only with malignity and enthroned in evil! The Bible calls him the prince and the god of this world; and everywhere we are surrounded with evidences of his despotic sway. Unlike earthly rulers, whose exhausted natures exact repose, he is ever sleepless, and his plotting never ends. Enter his somber presence chamber, and commotion, bustle, activity, will confront and amaze you. He is continually sending his emissaries forth in every direction. The perpetual wrangling, ceaseless distractions, irreconcilable contradictions, disquieting doubts. discouraging outlooks, inharmonious and jangling opinions, unaccountable delusions, clashing and crashing dissonances, cruel hatreds, bitter enmities, and stormful convulsions, which so largely enter and deface the course of human history, proceed mainly from his influence.” 10