| The Result of Rebellion |
The Result of Rebellion
And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of
authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God
has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the
great day of judgment.
— Jude 1:6
Sometimes the question arises as to how a God of love could create
someone as wicked as Lucifer. The answer is that God did not create
Lucifer as we know Him today. In fact, he was once a high-ranking
angel and, according to Ezekiel 28, was the model of perfection, full of
wisdom and beauty.
So what happened? What was his specific sin? It was that his heart
became prideful because of his incredible beauty. He was not satisfied
with worshiping God. He instead wanted to be worshiped. So Lucifer,
once a high-ranking, beautiful angel of God, lost his exalted position in
heaven. Lucifer became Satan when he fell to the earth. Lucifer means
"star of the morning," which he once was. Satan means accuser, which
he now is. And when Satan fell, he took one-third of the angels with him,
who are now in rebellion against God.
It is amazing to think that angels turned against God. After all, apart
from humanity, who has greater privilege than angels? Certainly they
have been given a wonderful privilege to have access to the very throne
of God and worship before Him. Yet there was a major angelic rebellion.
Here is the warning for us today: Even the angels are facing judgment
because they rebelled against God, reminding us of the danger of
thinking we can use the grace of God as a license for sin. The Bible
cautions us that just because we know what is right and just because
we have been taught in the truth does not mean that we are incapable
of rebelling against God. The angels rebelled and faced God's
judgment. And if we rebel, we will face His judgment as well.
And I remind you of the angels who did not stay within the limits of
authority God gave them but left the place where they belonged. God
has kept them securely chained in prisons of darkness, waiting for the
great day of judgment.
— Jude 1:6
Sometimes the question arises as to how a God of love could create
someone as wicked as Lucifer. The answer is that God did not create
Lucifer as we know Him today. In fact, he was once a high-ranking
angel and, according to Ezekiel 28, was the model of perfection, full of
wisdom and beauty.
So what happened? What was his specific sin? It was that his heart
became prideful because of his incredible beauty. He was not satisfied
with worshiping God. He instead wanted to be worshiped. So Lucifer,
once a high-ranking, beautiful angel of God, lost his exalted position in
heaven. Lucifer became Satan when he fell to the earth. Lucifer means
"star of the morning," which he once was. Satan means accuser, which
he now is. And when Satan fell, he took one-third of the angels with him,
who are now in rebellion against God.
It is amazing to think that angels turned against God. After all, apart
from humanity, who has greater privilege than angels? Certainly they
have been given a wonderful privilege to have access to the very throne
of God and worship before Him. Yet there was a major angelic rebellion.
Here is the warning for us today: Even the angels are facing judgment
because they rebelled against God, reminding us of the danger of
thinking we can use the grace of God as a license for sin. The Bible
cautions us that just because we know what is right and just because
we have been taught in the truth does not mean that we are incapable
of rebelling against God. The angels rebelled and faced God's
judgment. And if we rebel, we will face His judgment as well.
| C4W Devotions are used by permission from Harvest Ministries with Greg Laurie P.O. Box 4000 Riverside , CA 92514 |