Isaiah 6:1-3; “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings; with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said; Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is filled with His Glory!” (any emphasis mine)
Revelation 4:7-8; “The first living creature like a lion; the second living creature like an ox; the third living creature with the face of a man; and the fourth living creature like an eagle in flight. And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty; who was, and is and is to come!”
In past messages, I’ve indicated that our Heavenly Father deserves all the praise and glory we can give Him. This applies to the entire Holy Trinity – Father, Son (Jesus) and the Holy Spirit. Though He holds all of our breathing moments in His hands, He is in no way overbearing or tyrannical. Any so-called man-generated deities are just the opposite.
God loves us so much (John 3:16; Romans 5:8) that He allows His creation – each and every one of us – to have free will to choose if we will receive and accept Him or not. Of course, He would rather that everyone be repentant and call on Jesus to be saved (2 Peter 3:9; Romans 10:9-13), but is faithful and just to honor our decision either way. Also, He already knows that the majority of all humans will fall under Satan’s influence (Matthew 7:13-14).
Because of a rebellion in Heaven before the earth was created, Satan and about a third of the Heavenly Host have been condemned, and at the appointed time will be tossed into a Lake of Fire that was prepared especially for them (Matthew 25:41). Lucifer was possibly the most beautiful “Angel” God created, but destructive self-pride got into him, and he believed he should be worshiped the same, if not more, than his Creator (Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-17).
There is not a specific verse that says “one-third of the angels” fell with Satan, but verses 4 and 9 in Revelation 12 are strong indicators that this took place. “His tail [describing Satan as a dragon] swept down a third of the stars of Heaven [angels], and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman [Israel] who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child, he might be devoured. And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan; the deceiver of the whole world – he was thrown down to earth, and his angels [now demons] were thrown down with him.”
Unlike all humans, Satan and his demons have no pathway to forgiveness. They apparently had free-will to choose, but were already in the presence of the Lord God Jehovah. After the first sin in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3), God changed us from immortal to mortal, perishable human beings. During our short lifetimes on earth, we have a privilege that the angels long for. The prophets were given foresight that a Messiah would come bringing Salvation through His suffering and subsequent glory.
1 Peter 1:2; “They [prophets] were not serving themselves, but you, in regard to the things now announced to you through those who proclaimed the Gospel [Good News] to you by the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven – things angels long to catch a glimpse of.”
All Scripture is inspired by the Holy Spirit as given in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, and 2 Peter 1:20-21.
God provided a pathway for all of us to be saved if we call on the name of the Lord (Acts 2:21; Romans 10:9-13; Romans 8:1; John 3 16-18 and Romans 5:8). We are told in John 14:6 and Acts 4:12 that our only pathway to the Father is through Jesus; and Jesus declared that God Himself provided for us as He and God were One in John 10:30.
Jesus Could have made the sacrifice, and then left us on our own to fend for ourselves. However, in John 16:13; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ezekiel 36:27; Isaiah 63:11; 2 Timothy 1:14; Romans 8:11 and 12 John 2:27 we are told that as true believers, the Spirit of God dwells within us. The Old Testament verses let us know this was available for those who honored God, and were in His will prior to Calvary.
After Calvary, and just before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples they would be “baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Going into Acts 2, we have the amazing entrance of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Some may think of our Heavenly Father as a “bearded old man” who just sits on a throne telling angels what to do. Actually, He is Omniscient (all knowing), Omnipotent (all powerful) and Omnipresent (everywhere at once); and has always existed, and will exist forever. He is not bound by time as we are. He made time for us during the Genesis creation.
As stated earlier, He wants everyone to have a place with Him when we leave this earth. Those who refuse to accept Jesus as Savior will be with Satan and the demons in the Lake of Fire forever. Once we take our last breath on this earth, our eternal destiny is set. It will be either in Heaven or Hell. There is no other option in spite of what false prophets will tell you.
A beautiful church standard hymn praises our Heavenly Father in a very inspirational way. Though I’ve heard and sung this song all my life, I didn’t realize the author, Reginald Heber, wrote it in 1826. It’s just as relevant today as when first written.
“Holy, Holy, Holy; Lord God Almighty! Early in the morning, our song shall rise to Thee. Holy, Holy, Holy, merciful and mighty. God in Three Persons; Blessed Trinity!
Holy, Holy, Holy; All the saints adore Thee! Casting down their golden crowns around the glassy sea. Cherubim and Seraphim, falling down before Thee; Who was, and is, and evermore shall be!
Holy, Holy, Holy; though the darkness hide thee. Though the eye of sinful man, Thy Glory may not see. Only Thou art Holy; there is none beside Thee. Perfect in power; in Love and Purity.
Holy, Holy, Holy; Lord God Almighty! All Thy works shall praise Thy name, in earth and sky and sea. Holy, Holy, Holy; merciful and mighty! God in Three Persons; Blessed Trinity!”
Our God is truly Holy and worthy of all honor and praise. Very soon, He will send our Savior to take all true believers up from this sin-filled world, so we won’t be involved in the coming wrath. It’s described in 1 Corinthians 15:51-53 and 1 Thessalonians 4:13-17.
If you haven’t called on Jesus yet, for whatever reason, right now wouldn’t be too early to do so. After the “Twinkling of an eye” call comes, the remaining time left before the actual “touch-earth” return of Jesus will not be pleasant at all. Our Holy Loving Father is waiting to hear from you, but will not wait beyond the designated day and hour. It will be the best move you could ever make.
Maranatha! (Come, Lord Jesus!)