“You alone…have made the heavens…” Nehemiah 9:6 // Inhabitants of God’s Creation

It has occurred to me that we’ve yet to examine the different types of beings which inhabit God’s Creation.  An understanding of them is elementary to understanding Christianity.  So, with this post we will explore this important facet of our Faith.  This post is neither intended to be a scholarly examination nor an exhaustive one.  Consider this to be an Introduction to Richard’s List of the sentient beings in God’s Creation.

God the Father Almighty.

Let’s start with The Big Guy (or Big Person if one wants to be more contemporary in our description).  Before anything else, there was God.  God has always been and will always be. [“In the beginning God…” Genesis 1:1] While everything in our observable universe is transitory, He is not.  He does not wane or waver.  He is eternal and totally self-sufficient.  There are no others like Him, for He IS “God.”

He is referred to as the “Father” because He is the progenitor of all things whether physical (i.e. our universe) or metaphysical (i.e. Heaven).  All existence originates with and emanates from Him. [“…with God all things are possible…” Matthew 19:26] There is no existence without or outside of Him.  Hence, the name, “Father.”

Also, he is referred to as the “Almighty.”  That is because all power originates with and emanates from Him.  There are none as or more powerful because He IS all power.  All power is His and none have power other than has been granted by Him. [“…there is no god beside me…”  Deuteronomy 32:39] He is all-mighty, or mighty-over-all.

Jesus.

Existing in and of God, He was with and in Him from the Beginning, the “Alpha and the Omega.” [Revelation 22:13] Jesus and God are the same. [John 1:1-3] God came to Earth as a man in order to make tangible the depth of His love for us [John 3:16].  Born of a Virgin, He was the one and only Perfect Man, the “Second Adam.”  As such He was the “Christ,” or the “Chosen One.”

Jesus was also referred to as the “Messiah.” One of his primary purposes was to liberate mankind from the tyranny of sin, death and the Law.  Since He was above all others and “commissioned,” if you will, by God the Father, it was within His power and right to forgive sin, to dispel Death’s power, and to demonstrate what a life truly lived within God’s Law would be like.  [“…your sins are forgiven…”  Mark 2:5] He was the long-anticipated Savior, not just of the Jews, but of all Humanity.  [Isaiah 53:1-12]

Another of His purposes was to affect the reconciliation of Man and God through His willing self-sacrifice.  By allowing Himself to be crucified, He served to expiate all mankind’s sin, thereby allowing Man to return to full communion with God. [“…we were reconciled to god by the death of his Son…” Romans 5:10] Since pure lambs were a common sacrifice made to God by the Jews, He became known as the “Lamb of God.”

The Holy Spirit.

Also existing in and of God since the Beginning, the Holy Spirit has been the aspect of “God in Action.”  It was via the Holy Spirit that God “breathed life” into the world and made our universe. […when you send forth your Spirit, they are created…”  Psalm 104:30]

As the facet of God that speaks to mankind, the Holy Spirit is the Voice of God making His will and intent known to us. [John 14:26]

The Holy Spirit is that which gives us spiritual instruction and provides revelation. [Isaiah 11:2]

And it is the Holy Spirit that hears and answers our prayers.  [Romans 8:26]

The Holy Trinity.

Since God the Father Almighty, Jesus the Christ, and the Holy Spirit are of one another and the same, they are referred to, collectively, as the Holy Trinity, or as the “Three-In-One.” [see Post 10, 08/17/2018]

The Holy Trinity is a difficult concept but is easiest understood as the One True God in all His aspects.

Angels.

We’re not sure when God created the Angels, but we do know that they preceded mankind.

We know that they were in Heaven with God when He decided to create Man. [Genesis 1:26]

They are creatures of spirit rather than of substance.  And they appear to be immortal.

We know that they serve various function for God:

• They were created to worship Him. [Isaiah 6:1-3]
• They act on His behalf and at His instruction in the world. [Matthew 24:31]
• Like us, they seem to be gifted with independent personalities and will. [Revelation 19:9-10]

We don’t know how many there are, but we know from scripture that there are “multitudes.” [Luke 2:13]

While creatures of Heaven, they can (on instruction from God) manifest in our world and interact with man.

Gabriel and Michael are the only two angels named in the Bible.  But other names are attributed to other angels in other ancient literature.

For “proof” of angels, we have only to look to Scripture and to the words of Jesus.  He clearly acknowledged their existence and saw them as His servants. [Matthew 26:53] So, if we believe Him, and He attested to the existence of angels, then we should have no problem also doing so.

Lucifer/Satan.

Also known as the Deceiver and portrayed as Evil Personified, Lucifer (a/k/a Satan) appears to have been one of God’s angels. Passages in Ezekiel and Isaiah are frequently cited as references to Satan even though they appear to be addressed to Earthly kings.

Supposedly, he was created as the most powerful of the angels and was initially satisfied with his role as God’s servant.

However, over time, he became restive in his role, and grew determined to live outside of God’s control.

He was able to convince other angels to join him in rebellion against God.  Their rebellion was defeated, and they were “cast from Heaven” into un-Heaven, more commonly designated as Hell. [Jude 1:6]

The character Satan was well-established long before Jesus walked the Earth.  The idea of Satan as the personification of evil and the chief protagonist against God has been in human story and myth since man first began to conceive of God.

But in recent times, the idea of Lucifer/Satan has begun to wane.  Many people in contemporary theological circles view the concept of Satan as primitive and unnecessary.  They cannot reconcile the ideas of “all things were created by God,” “all God’s Creation is good,” and “Satan is the personification of evil.”  As a result, they contend that Satan could not or does not exist, and that he is a fabrication of overactive theological paranoia.

While I understand the argument, I disagree with the conclusion.  I believe that it is totally within reason that an entity of independent mind and will, although initially created by God, could or would exercise his will and deny/defy God and His intent.  We have examples of this process throughout human history, so we know that such defiance is possible (or even probable).

I also believe that it is totally logical to believe that a God who decided to create man could (and did) decide to create other beings, such as angels, before (or after) He created man.

In the Bible, Satan is encountered by Jesus more than once.  Jesus prays to God that God will protect His followers from Satan after He is gone.  [John 17:15] Personally, I don’t need any further “proof” of Satan’s existence or of his penchant for evil and deception than the words of Jesus.

Demons.

Demons are commonly thought of as “fallen angels.”  Of all the denizens of God’s Creation, these are the hardest for me to accept.  That is because I really, really don’t want to!  The concepts of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit are all easy for me to accept; primarily because they are so good and favorable to mankind.

I can even logically reconcile the concept of Satan as a fallen angel.  I mean, if you can believe in angels and the fact that they possess independent will and thought, you pretty much have to accept the possibility that at least one of them could make a “bad decision” and become a “non-angel.”  Again, we have numerous examples from human history to prove these concepts.

But the idea of a bunch of fallen angels who are working in cahoots with Satan to undermine humans’ spirit, lives and communion with God is, well scary!  And creepy!  And, I just don’t like it.

But like it or not, demons’ existence is both rational and supported by Scripture, and by Jesus.  So, I have no choice other than to believe, and beware!

Demons are commonly thought to have been those angels who followed Satan into rebellion against God.  They share Satan’s unwillingness to continue to submit to God’s will and intent and insist on exercising their own will instead.  Accordingly, they were no longer able to exist in Heaven, and were presumably consigned to “un-Heaven”, or “Hell.”

The Bible speaks often of the unfortunate beings.  One of my favorite authors, C. S. Lewis, wrote extensively about them, and I recommend him to you for further information concerning demons and their malignant machinations.

Humans.

The last sentient inhabitants of God’s Creation to be created (that we know of) were … us.

Created a “little lower than the angels,” and in the “image” of the citizens of Heaven, we seem to be nevertheless unique in God’s regard.

For, He sent His “only Son” to us in order that we might be redeemed and restored to our original position as His comrades and companions.  Thank God!  Because it’s painfully apparent that we are incapable of achieving redemption, restoration, and abundant life without assistance.  If you don’t believe me, listen to the News.

Now, it is possible that other sentient beings may also inhabit this universe with us.  And when (or if) we encounter them, our understanding of our home and our place in it may change.  But until we do have an Encounter of the Third Kind, we’re the only ones in our universe we know of who can hear, commune, and walk with God, and it’s our ‘job’ to make the best effort we can to do just those things.

Conclusion.

So, that is Richard’s List of the types of personalities who occupy God’s Creation.  You may be able to identify others, and I’d appreciate it if you can educate me as to who/what those may be.

And, I remind everyone that these thoughts and ideas are my own.  I’m not trying to dictate what or how others should believe.  Rather, I’m attempting to explain Christianity and its environs in a way that is accessible to all.

You all are encouraged to take these thoughts and ideas and modify them and use them only to the extent that they are helpful.

Until next week’s post …

God’s Blessings on You All.

Richard

January 25, 2019