Were you thinking I meant we rule over the angels?
No, not ruling over them, just them becoming our servants. They serve God by ministering to us in our assignment here on this earth where satan has been given dominion. (Luke 4:5-7) Like God, they want us to succeed on this cramped and narrow road we are travelling. The faithful angels hate satan for what he and his hordes have done, and are still doing to us down here. They have been used by God throughout the scriptures to make the road we travel, more bearable. (1 Corinthians 10:13) They too look forward to the time when satan and his demons will be put out of existence forever. There was “joy in heaven” when they were evicted, but because that meant woe for the earth, the angels are present and watchful, though not interfering in our personal choices. (Revelation 12:7-12)
Of course, Paul says that we will judge the angels, but we aren't given more information on that. And that's not what I had in mind.
Who is “we”? Only the elect are chosen by God to serve in the heavenly Kingdom. These will judge angels and be granted immortal life in heaven.....but that was not God’s first purpose for mankind.
He created us for the earth, and the earth for all his creatures. We were to be the permanent caretakers of this beautiful, totally self-contained and self-sustaining ‘spaceship’....a jewel in our solar system.
Have you ever entertained the idea of what our lives would have been like if Adam and his wife had rejected the devil’s temptations like Jesus did? Would they have become sinners? Would death have ever come to them? Would they have had access to “the tree of life” and “lived forever” here on the earth as God first intended? (Genesis 3:22-24)
Did God’s purpose dissolve because of what they did? How could it? (Isaiah 55:11)
There's nothing here that gives a specific order to the creation of angels, however, from what I've found, this is the only indication in the Bible of when they were created.
According to Colossians 1:15-17, God’s firstborn brought all things into existence, including the things in heaven and the material universe. So the heavenly realm is not a place that humans can see or gain entry into....it is a realm where immaterial beings inhabit, and the Bible indicates that it existed first.
From the above, it seems to me that God created the heaven and the earth, created light, and stretched out the heaven. Then He created the angels, then divided the land from the water, laying the foundations of the earth as the angels shouted for joy.
Are you aware that there are 3 different “heavens” spoken about by the Bible writers that humans can understand?
1) There is
the heavens where God resides with his spirit family. It is not a place we can access because of being part of God’s material creation.
1 Corinthians 15:50 tells us that
“flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom”, so this is why those invited to rule with Christ in heaven must be “born again” as spirit creatures in order to exist in the realm where God himself resides. It is an actual “rebirth” as a different creature...a bit like a metamorphosis......from human to spirit being.
2) There is
the material heavens where countless billions of stars, galaxies and planets extend beyond our imagination. The vastness of this universe is almost incomprehensible to us who are tiny specks on this tiny speck of a planet, on the outer reaches of one small galaxy. Putting things into perspective is mind boggling when we consider that things exist here that are so small that we cannot see them with the naked eye....when making the comparisons we can echo David’s words...
Psalm 8:3-4..
“When I see your heavens, the works of your fingers,
The moon and the stars that you have prepared,
What is mortal man that you keep him in mind,
And a son of man that you take care of him?”
We can now see so much more than David could.
3) There are
the heavens where birds fly and where clouds form to make the rain that sustains all life on this planet. Our atmosphere is sealed off from space so that there is not a molecule of water or air that can escape. All is continually recycled to provide all we need to keep living forever on this beautiful home that our Creator provided.
Why do people assume that they must go to heaven, when ‘heaven’ (paradise) was created for us here on earth?
It was never God’s intention to take any humans to heaven....but sin caused a detour in his plans, so He rose to the challenge to maintain his Sovereignty and to preserve the gift of free will, which had been abused by the first rebel, who then hijacked the human race for his own selfish reasons. Our situation here is not just about us.....it is equally about God’s spirit family as well.
If we have a clear view of the big picture, then heaven is only a very small part of it in God’s purpose for the human race. The kingdom is how God beings us back “home”....to the beautiful place where he first placed us. (Isaiah 45:18) A small number are chosen for a role in heaven because only humans know what it is like to live in a body of flesh....as Jesus also did. They will be perfect ‘rulers and priests’. (Revelation 20:6; Hebrews 4:14-15)
Interestingly, the "morning stars" also sing. I find that a most very interesting statement! Highly provocative.
This is obviously figurative since Jesus said to the apostle John...
“I, Jesus, sent my angel to bear witness to you about these things for the congregations. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright morning star.’” (Revelation 22:16)
So if Jesus, as one who dwells in heaven, identifies himself as “the bright morning star” it stands to reason that these “morning stars” are also those who are in heaven. They sing praises to God just like we do.
I think God has that right already.
Of course he does....but satan challenged God’s right as Sovereign to set the limits of human freedom.
He accused his Creator of many things, slandering him, so God allowed an object lesson that would answer every one of those accusations and prove that he has the best interests of his creatures at heart. By doing this, he will prove that satan is a liar and He will never have to deal with the abuse of free will ever again. Do you not see the wisdom of his actions?
