In the previous posting I stated that many of those who attain political office in the Western World, particularly the U.S., while secretly considering themselves to be gods, reluctantly settle for being kings. While they tell the people, “I’m one of you and only want to serve you,” they are secretly thinking, “I am superior to you and desperately want to rule you and make you subservient to me.” Those who study the Scriptures and relate them to the trends of human life have concluded that the majority of modern day voters want to be ruled by and subservient to someone else on the political, moral and economic level. More on this theme later. Now back to the angels who set the standard for rebellion against God and exaltation of man.

In Isaiah 14:12-14 we find God speaking to Lucifer (“light bearer”): “How you have fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the mourning. How you are thrown down to the ground, you that did weaken the nations. For you have said in your heart, ‘I will ascent into the heavens (where God lives); I will exalt my (earthly) throne above the stars of God; I will sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north (northern heavens); I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I WILL BE LIKE THE MOST HIGH.'” This is the second mention of a created being desiring to be greater than his Creator. Adam and Eve were the first mentioned in Scripture, though Lucifer’s rebellion came many years before they came on the scene. Lucifer, the most powerful and majestic of the angels, was not satisfied with merely ruling the earth. Having given in to pride, he became convinced that he was better suited to rule the universe than either of the creator Gods–the second God being the Word Who would later come to earth as Jesus of Nazareth (Jn. 1:1-4,14). See Jesus Christ: God, Man or Godman? As Adam, Eve and mankind in general have proven, Lucifer was not alone in his exalted self-evaluation.

Further Scriptural study reveals that of the billions, possibly trillions of angels created by the Lord, one third of them would eventually reject their Creator and choose Lucifer–one of their own–to rule over them. Revelation 12:4 tells us that as a result of their rebellion they, along with their leader, were cast down to the earth. We will save the details of this situation for a future study. The point to be made in this study is that man’s desire to be RULED by one’s own kind rather than by God is older than mankind itself. As Solomon so wisely noted: “There is nothing new under the sun.” Now let us mentally travel back to a familiar location and time–the Garden of Eden and the creation of man.

It is in Eden that we find the first example of man refusing God’s rulership over him. So as not to belabor the point I have made in several previous postings, I will simply point out that Adam and Eve rejected the spiritual Being Who had created them and embraced His enemy–another created being–as their teacher of truth and director of their lives. To be continued. L.J.