Angels & Demons: Who or what are they?

            Some of what I share here will be my opinion based on personal experience and interrogation of both angels and demons and not necessarily from the Bible.  However, if you discover ANYTHING I share to be CONTRARY to scripture, PLEASE contact me immediately with Biblical evidence of my error and I will make corrections.

            When talking about angels and demons, to me, the only logical place to start is with angels, since that also is where demons started.  Let’s begin with “what” they are.  Different from human beings, who are born to parents, angels are uniquely created spiritual beings; meaning each one was uniquely created by God.  People do not become angels when they die anymore than a dog becomes human.  There are different kinds of created spiritual beings (even beyond humans and angels) but never does one become another.

            One of the most revealing texts in the Bible about angels says, “Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?” Heb 1:14  Notice they are ALL ministering spirits; they have jobs to do, functions and purposes to fulfill.  They are sent; so they travel from where they were to where “those who will inherit salvation” are.  They are sent to serve, work in the best interest of, salvation recipients.  It is very important to note at this point that holy angels are completely submissive to God: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  While they are sent to serve the saved they are not submissive to us, but rather work in our best interest as God sees fit.  Quite frankly, we are too stupid to command such holy, intelligent, supernatural beings. We can certainly make requests of them, expressing our preferences, but they know far better than we what is actually in our best interest.  It is similar to a childcare provider who is hired to watch over or serve as a child’s protector.  They would be considered irresponsible if they were to cater to the whims of the child, even if the child had the best of intentions.

            As far a “who” they are; they are individuals.  They have unique personalities just as we do.  While they were all created at the same time (not an ongoing process) they were created with varying qualities. Having very different experiences, interactions, and jobs to do forms and molds them into infinitely differing beings.  They have unique names in their native language which we could not pronounce.  Those who are sent to interact with humans choose or receive names we can use.  In the Bible we only read of two proper names of angels: Michael and Gabriel, but that is enough to Biblically show they have them.  While they do not “grow up” they do mature through their experiences which give them the appearance of aging differently one from another. 

            I occasionally work with one angel who is VERY MUCH like a teenager, while two others are much more reserved, wise, and patient.  While they may not readily admit it, they are very emotional.  They get very excited (especially during Godly worship), they get very angry (at times during warfare), they get violent (oh my, when a demon pretends to be an angel 2Co11:14&15), frustrated, impatient, very loving, protective, and completely loyal.  Some even have a great sense of humor.  I was once frustrated with an angel co-worker and had to go away to pray about it.  When I returned I told him, “I talked to Jesus about you...”  He said, “Let me guess; HE told you we are not perfect, but perfected.”  He was correct, that was the essence of what Jesus told me in private.  They can be wrong, but they cannot deceive.  They do not know all, but they know much more than any of us.  While ministry is the work of God Himself and cannot happen apart from Him, as one of few humans who happen to be so privileged, I can tell you angels definitely make the best ministry partners.

            So then, “what” are demons?  “Demon” is the term that is generally applied to evil spirits.  Technically, demons are only one type of evil spirit.  The Bible tells of many levels of demons in this world and the heavenly realms; “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” Eph 6:12  I believe much of this is describing their various ranks, but some is undoubtedly their types as well.  I have personally run off too many demons to guess a number, but also those who like to be referred to with titles of “prince” and “lord”, which other demons acknowledge as appropriate among their ranks.  There are the “Jinn” which are primarily middle-eastern spirits, which are more fluid-like, similar to oil.  Jesus gave me the idea one day to catch a jinn in a container like a jar, which proved very affective.  I later learned that the jinn inspired the stories of a “Jeanie in a bottle”.  All of these are still types or positions of demons, but then there are also devils.

            Devils are MUCH stronger than demons.  They generally seem to be smarter and more in control of themselves as well.  They are rooted more deeply, usually through ritual or dedication of some type, and much harder to dislodge.  I am told that their make-up is different as well.  That they cannot be injured or harmed in the same way demons and at least most angels can.  Devils can deceive very powerfully.  While in the midst of a raging battle, they can speak calmly, seductively, something your everyday demon cannot do.  I have no doubt that many “familiar spirits” (spirits or voices that are known) are in fact devils.  They convince their victims that they are their friends, protectors, their guiding angels, spirit-guides; call them what you will they are our enemy out to kill, steal, and destroy with a soft tone and a friendly voice.

            Be it a demon, a prince, a lord, the jinn, or even a devil, they are all EVIL spirits and our enemy.  They are all fallen angels. That’s right, every evil spirit was at one time an angel of God.  Speaking of Satan, the Bible says, “He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.” Rev 12:9  Therefore, the answer to what they are and where they came from is the same as the angels.  So what happened, what changed?

            In Ezekiel 28 God seems to have had an ADD moment.  While speaking of the king of Tyre, He appears to distract to lamenting Satan’s fall.  Here are just a few lines extracted;  “‘You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; You were anointed as a guardian cherub. You were on the holy mount of God; You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you. You were filled with violence, and you sinned. So I drove you in disgrace from the mount of God, and I expelled you, O guardian cherub, your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor. So I threw you to the earth; I made a spectacle of you before kings.”  It is said that because of his splendor and deception a third of the angels fell with him, which is what accounts for his army of evil spirits. Rev 12:4.

            I believe it is reasonable to assume that when a Master’s servants rebel and become His enemy by choice, He is NOT going to empower them with additional powers or abilities that they did not have before.  Therefore, I conclude ANYTHING an evil spirit can do, a holy angel of God can certainly do.  What IS different is their character, why and how they do the things they do.  Evil spirits will cheat, lie, deceive, and force anything they are able to in order to accomplish their will.  Holy angels will only do what is allowed by God, reflective of His character.  When it comes to interacting with humans, evil spirits look for opportunities of legal rights to  take advantage of; while angels work within permissive rights.  So what kinds of things do they do?

            There are approximately 200 references to angels in the Bible; so they are busy.  Much of what they do is to serve as messengers and warriors, but that is like saying people work as salesmen and teachers.  Yes, this is true, but there is so much more as well.  Suffice it to say, they are all working in loyal service to God, however He decides how that is to look for each of them, but what about demons?

            Demons on the other hand are doing just the opposite.  They are constantly working against us to kill, steal, and destroy.  They are constantly attacking us in many areas of our lives, but given even a small opportunity they will move into our bodies and attack us from within as well.  This concept of indwelling demons is extremely common throughout the gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.  Jesus dealt with it quite often and instructs us to do so as well. “I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you.” Lk 10:19  (As this pamphlet is about Angels & Demons, I’m not going to get into the battling of them here.  Look for the post WARFARE in this series for that discussion.)  Just as demons are able to enter human bodies, under the right conditions and permissions so too can angels.

            If we are doing the things God calls us to be doing, we will absolutely encounter evil spiritual beings.  Mt 10:8  This should be normal, just as it was for Jesus, but we need to be careful.  They will try to deceive us as often as they can.  Apparently, God also expects us to encounter His holy servants.  “Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God” 1Jn 4:1a  Notice this verse does not say, “Do not believe any spirit; they are not from God” rather, the Bible goes on to tell us how to test them; “Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.” 1Jn 4:2b&3a  If you are a Christian you have no reason to be afraid of angels or demons.  Angels are sent to work on your behalf, and you have been given authority to command demons.  Test them to know what you are dealing with.  The only danger is if you refuse to acknowledge they are at work; without resistance, their success is much easier.  If you are not a Christian, well, that is a bigger problem for many reasons, but definitely do not try to engage evil spirits with your authority; you don’t have any.  Call a Christian to help.

God's Law: Is the church to judge?

            “God’s Law” is the expressed will of God.  Any activity in someone’s life that is knowingly contrary to this is sin.  If it is persistent, they are said to be “living in sin”.  It can be a life-style, habit, a weakness or tendency, or even a persistent way of thinking.  One of the reasons God gave us the Bible is so we could know His will.
 

            Each of us is accountable to God for every action we willfully take, every thought we entertain. “It is written: ‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.’ So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” Ro 14:11&12.    Many sinful actions are taken by others, against our will, that affect our lives for which we are NOT responsible.  A husband or father drinks too much and comes home to abuse his family, for example.  Too often we ourselves are forced to participate in things that are against our will that would otherwise be sinful, but when forced upon us, are NOT.  Rape is a horrific example of this.  It is important to place the blame for such events as these on the people that chose to bring them about, as God does, and not on the victims.

 

            Most of us would agree that if we were the ones making willful choices to rape or otherwise abuse someone, we are responsible, should be held accountable, and if justice is served suffer the consequences.  The topic of sin gets very passionate and personal, however, when we discuss actions and ways of thinking that are perceived as harming no one, or at least harming no one except possibly the one making the choice.  I would agree with this method of justice when it comes to civil law; if my actions will not potentially harm another, stay out of my business.
 

            We have a responsibility to abide by the rule of law in our community, unless of course it conflicts with God’s law Acts 4:19.  If we disagree with a law, we can certainly try to change it.  If we can’t change it, we can choose to move to a different community.  Short of successfully doing either of these we have the option to change our ways, or break the law.  From 1974 to 1987 this entire country had a maximum speed limit of 55.  I hated it, disagreed with it, and frequently disobeyed it. On the couple of occasions that I was caught disobeying the law, I never tried to convince anyone that it was not the law or that I was not bound by it since I disagreed with it.  I accepted the financial consequences, hated the law a little more, and continued to unlawfully disregard it at times.  I knew it was my choice, my responsibility, and     my wallet that would potentially suffer the consequences. But is it wise to tell God, “Stay out of my business”?  Consequences to God’s Laws are eternal, and He alone has a perfect eternal perspective.
 

            There are some laws that are inherently built into the human race by our Creator.  They generally fall into the categories discussed earlier of doing harm to others.  We understand these laws, whether we obey them or not.  You can choose to steal from your neighbor without cause, but you know it is wrong.  While revealing Himself to the world through the Israeli people, God bullet- pointed these laws for all to understand in the Ten Commandments.  As members of the human race these commandments apply to us, we live under their jurisdiction, yes, even today.  We do not have the option to change, or move away from these laws.  We can only choose to abide by them or suffer the consequences (we don’t even have the option to disobey and not get caught as with my speeding). “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” Heb 4:13  Jesus said He did not come to abolish these commands, but rather to fulfill them.  He taught that it is really about the attitude of the heart.  For example:  “You have heard that it was said, ‘Do not commit adultery.’  But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. Mt 5:27&28  Ouch! That’s a tough one.
 

            We are further taught that love is the fulfillment of the law.  If you love perfectly, all of the commands will be kept. However, it is just as true that if you are not keeping the commands, you are not loving as you should.  We are told that “God is love”, meaning everything He does is done with love.  I believe this brings confusion to some.  God is love does NOT mean the same thing as “Love is God”, which means love trumps everything else.  I love the fact that much of the seeker-sensitive church of today has an understanding of God’s love for His children as opposed to believing He is angry and just waiting for us to mess up so He can smite us.  But to cling only to His love ignores everything He is in addition to love, including JUST.  The “Love Wins.” mentality somehow gets translated to, “If you are living in sin, contrary to God’s will, it’s okay, because I love you, and God loves you, period”. J
 

            This sounds nice, and is true until you add the period. There are some serious Biblical principals violated by this line of thinking.  The first is we are expected to REBUKE:

“If your brother sins, REBUKE HIM, and if he repents, forgive him.” Lk 17:3 

“Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; CORRECT; REBUKE and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction.” 2Ti 4:2

“This testimony is true. Therefore, REBUKE them SHARPLY, so that they will be sound in the faith” Tit 1:13

“These, then, are the things you should teach. Encourage and REBUKE with all authority.” Tit 2:15 

And Finally, Jesus says, “Those whom I love I REBUKE and DISCIPLINE. So be earnest, and repent.” Rev 3:19
 

            The reason I have listed so many Bible references here is to show this idea of rebuking wrong behavior is not an obscure, single reference taken out of context.  Many people today love to overlook all of this Godly instruction: “Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.” 2Ti 4:3
 

            So what is it we are expected to rebuke: things that make us uncomfortable; things that we ourselves would not do; things we think others should not be doing?  NO, we are not the ones to determine right from wrong, good from evil.  God alone stands apart from mankind and God alone can objectively determine these things without bias.  In His infinite wisdom He wrote us a beautiful love letter which is the Bible.  In it, He clarifies beyond question specific behaviors and attitudes as to their benefit vs. harm, goodness vs. evilness, as well as teaching many principles for us to apply in all areas of life:
 

 “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” Heb 4:12  God says it’s not hard to tell: “The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.” Gal 5:19-21
 

            Another principle violated by the “All you need is love” thinking is hated by many these days, JUDGMENT.  There are many different forms of judging as well as different motivations for judging.  There is judgment that is simply observing.  I can walk into my back yard, observe the evidence, and make a judgment; is my tree an oak or a maple?  As discussed earlier, there is civil judgment that we all live under.  It is simply the enforcement of the laws of the land.  But then there is judgment of morality which can either be done for the purpose of condemnation, or with the motivation of love to build up, encourage, to strengthen someone.
 

            God’s laws, rules, and commands are given to protect us; keep us safe from harm.  They are much more like the guardrails on a bridge than they are the chains of a prisoner.  When we are living outside of the will of God, we are in danger.  How loving is it to allow those you claim to love remain in danger, either because of their ignorance, or your discomfort?  Remember WE are COMMANDED to REBUKE, CORRECT, TRAIN (but don’t miss this part) with great patience and careful instruction, but also SHARPLY, which is: without compromise.
 

            The bible tells us equally to judge and to not judge.  This is because, using the Bible as our guide, we are to make observations and rebuke in love, but we are not to condemn.  Also, there is a distinction drawn between those we are to judge and those we are not. “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside?” 1Co 5:12  Again, we see that when a person chooses where they will reside they are responsible to follow the laws of the land.  They live under the jurisdiction of the King by choice.  Jesus warns everyone to consider the cost before signing up, before making Him their LORD.
 

            There will be varying responses from those in the church whom we are responsible to judge.  Some will respond with repentance and be built up. Others will ignore and continue living life as THEY choose.  In some cases we, the church, are commanded to issue consequences to those who persistently thumb their nose at God:  “But now I am writing you that you must not associate with anyone who calls himself a brother but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or a slanderer, a drunkard or a swindler. With such a man do not even eat.” 1Co 5:11 His instruction is to: “Expel the wicked man from among you.” 1Co 5:13b
 

            Freedom from sin is available to all in Christ.  One of the most misquoted verses in all of scripture is: “God will not give you more than you can handle.”  What people think they are quoting when they say this, actually reads: “And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.” 1Co 10:13  Big difference!  What this means is NO ONE has to sin.  And NO ONE can legitimately claim, “The devil made me do it.”  This claim is a very important one when we talk about the most controversial of all topics in today’s world regarding living in sin: homosexuality. 
 

            This topic may be unpopular, but God’s view is not complex: “In the same way the men also abandoned natural relations with women and were inflamed with lust for one another. Men committed indecent acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their perversion.” Ro 1:27  Anyone with an ounce of intellectual honesty can clearly see this is not God’s will.  Many claim that homosexuality is not a choice, that it is genetic.  Even if some have a stronger natural tendency than others, God says that you will not be tempted beyond what you can bear.  Others have strong tendencies toward   other sinful behaviors that must be overcome:  drunkenness, promiscuity, gluttony, even rage.  However, it is always our nature that must be made submissive to our spirit when we choose to follow Christ.  The good news is He empowers us to overcome, not to make excuses, for ourselves or others.  Love each other enough to tell the truth they may not want to hear.  You may save a life.

Salvation: What is it and who needs it?

            There is nothing more important to our eternal lives than salvation.  Having been created in God’s image (Ge 1:27), we too are eternal spiritual beings; we will live forever.  For those who have received salvation, this is great news, but for those who have not it should be frightening.

            Biblical salvation is God’s plan to save man from his condition of being eternally separated from God due to sin (an action or way of thinking that is contrary to the will of God).  I say “Biblical salvation” because there are many various plans of salvation.  Most all religions have one.  They generally include a list of things you must do, things you can never do, as well as numerous things that you should and should not do.  The lists vary from one religion to another, but being instructed to abide by a list of rules, regulation, rites, and rituals is common.  Performance, religious activity, is the name of the game.  The implication is: if you do the do’s and don’t do the don’t do’s, then somehow God will owe you for your proper performance, and eternal salvation is supposedly your reward.  This is actually describing religion, man’s effort to make himself right with God, not salvation.  Contrary to religion, the Bible rhetorically asks: “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him?” Ro 11:35

            God’s plan, as revealed in the Bible is quite different.  However, even topics of eternal significance are of little interest to those who believe they have no need.  How interested would you be in reading about the importance of medical care if no one you know has ever been sick or injured?  Before sharing God’s solution to the problem we have with Him, I will explain the problem.

            God is perfect, holy.  He defines what is good and right in Who He is.  God is not truthful because it is the right thing to be, truth is superior to deception because in His being God is truthful.  Justice is better than lawlessness without consequence because God is wholly just.  The same is true of everything He is.  No part of Him can ever be less than perfect, holy. 

            Our being created in His image comes with tremendous opportunity as well as responsibility.  Out of ALL creation we alone possess the opportunity to become sons of God.  Being a child of God is not a right or something inherent to the human race, only the opportunity is.  Sons are connected to, or a part of, their parents through a very special bond.  In order to be able to take advantage of this great opportunity, we have a responsibility to be perfect, holy, or else this is not possible.  How are you doing with your walk of perfection in God’s eyes?  You are not alone: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” Ro 3:23

            I say “in God’s eyes” because He alone establishes what is right and wrong.  It is His being that defines good apart from evil.  Many people today believe they can live a moral life by following what seems right to them.  But again, a caution comes from the Bible: “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” Pr 14:12. Having knowledge of good and evil in our hearts is not enough to guide us through a righteous life since we do not possess God’s understanding.  Knowledge without understanding results in separation.

            It was never God’s intention or desire for us to have instant access to the knowledge of good and evil: “but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die” Gen 2:17  God’s commands are not given to keep us from enjoying this life.  On the contrary, they are instructions to keep us safe.  This first recorded command is no different. 

            God’s statement “you will certainly die” was not a threat of punishment for disobedience, but rather a warning of natural, or supernatural, consequences to a poor choice.  It was His plan for us to walk in spiritual experience with Him as He did with Adam in the beginning.  Relationship teaches and trains, bringing understanding, whereas knowledge alone is dangerous. As with any loving parent, discipline will come for acts of disobedience, but that is not what this was.

            The first recorded act of sin was disobedience to this warning of God.  Through misrepresentation and half-truths, God’s enemy deceived our first parents into eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Many things happened as a result of this first poor choice.  Some were natural: fear, guilt, and shame brought about by their knowledge of evil caused them to hide, or separate, from God (Ge 3:10).  Another was supernatural, or spiritual; man did in fact die that day just as God’s warning said he would.  That death was in his spirit.  Since Adam and Eve, every person has been spiritually dead, without access to the tree of life, disconnected from our God and Father.

            Mankind was now in a condition of imperfection and separation that we could do nothing to repair.  Imagine that there is an exclusive club that you want to join for drivers with a perfect driving record.  The only problem is, that one speeding ticket you received years ago for going 1mph over the limit on the way to the hospital with your sick mother. Even if you drive absolutely perfectly the rest of your life you can never regain the status of perfect.  Remember, God’s standard is perfection, not because He is harsh, but because He is holy.  It is His standard that must be met to join His family, to live in His house.

            Immediately after our first parents fell short of the glory God intended for us, He promised One would come who would destroy His enemy and his plans.  He goes on to promise that this One would be our Redeemer, that He will fix our unfixable problem of separation.

            The Old Testament (the part of the Bible before Jesus came) is filled with stories, pictures, and prophecies about the One who would come.  It teaches of how He would come, where He would come, through whom He would come, what He will do when He comes, and even how He would die.  The most amazing thing of all, however, is that He will be called Immanuel.  This is amazing because Immanuel means, “God with us”.  God Himself promised to send His Son to live among us to restore our relationship with Himself.

            When Jesus was born on this earth it was in the right way, the right place, of the right people.  When He became a man He did the right things and even died in the right way; all in perfect fulfillment of the predictions in the Bible from hundreds and even thousands of years before He came.  Jesus came from heaven and lived a perfect, holy, sinless life on earth (the only person ever to do so). 

            Remember I said God is wholly just, meaning He cannot simply ignore or dismiss sin (violation of His law) arbitrarily?  If He   were to lovingly forgive our sin without consequence, He would be merciful (not giving us what we deserve), but not just.  If He were to lovingly grant sinners eternal life in heaven for no reason, He would be gracious (giving us what we do not deserve), but not just.  The problem we created for ourselves is only a problem because our God is completely loving, merciful, and gracious, BUT ALSO JUST.

            Because God loves mankind He has a plan of salvation, the only one that matters.  His plan includes sending His only Son to live a holy, perfect life (Heb 4:15).  With the Holy Spirit delivering His essence to the virgin, He was not even tainted through ancestry by the sin of His fathers as all of us are (Lk 1:35).  These two things make Him the only One who could ever be connected to the Father by His own doing. 

            Living the perfect sinless life was enough for Him to be connected to God the Father, but that alone only provided us with an example of how to live.  For us to be saved from our sins, we needed much more.  Condemned without cause and sentenced to death, God the Father placed upon His only Son, Jesus, the curse of death that each and every one of us deserved for our sin (Gal 3:13).  When Jesus died, justice was served, the death sentence was satisfied, and spiritual life was again available to the guilty.

            While Jesus’ sacrifice is offered to each of us, His death does not automatically apply or take our place (Jn 3:36).  We must ACCEPT His offer; we must BELIEVE in who He is and what He did for us; and we must CONFESS these things (Ro 10:9).  If we do so Jesus says we are born again (Jn 3:3), and our spirits come alive (Jn 3:5)! This is the gospel, the good news, of Jesus Christ.  You can’t earn it.  It is by faith alone (Eph 2:8&9).

            “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.  Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”  Jn 3:16-18

The Bible: Word of God or a good book?

            On the surface the Bible's claim to authority may appear to be self-proclaimed. Innumerable verses contain phrases that designate the Lord as the source of that which is being expressed. However, going just a little deeper will reveal that the evidence declares God's revelation is not just an empty claim. 

            Throughout the Old Testament, God spoke to His people through His prophets. Today’s prophets, psychics, and guides would not have faired well in that environment: "But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death." Dt 18:20.  The law required false prophets to be stoned to death, if even one statement they made "in the name of the Lord" was not fulfilled perfectly: "If what a prophet proclaims in the name of the LORD does not take place or come true, that is a message the LORD has not spoken." Dt 18:22  The reason for this seemingly harsh punishment is that fulfilled prophecy was, and is today, the authentication of God's word. If it was not perfect, it was not from God. He declared this Himself: "I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come." Is 46:9&10. 

            Through predictive prophecy and revelation of knowledge alone God provides much more evidence for the truth of His word than any court would need to satisfy a "reasonable doubt".  Predictive prophecy, simply put, is telling the future. Unlike the riddled quatrains of Nostradamas; or "percentage predictions" of an Edgar Cayce or a Jean Dixon, the Bible is 100% perfect in fulfilled prophecy. Approximately one third of the Bible was predictive prophecy when written. Over 300 specific prophecies about Jesus alone were fulfilled perfectly by Him when He came over 2,000 years ago. They named specific cities, methodology, events, character traits, persecutions, betrayal, resurrection, etc. One example in Psalm 22 says, "a band of evil men has encircled me, they have pierced my hands and my feet."  This describes part of the crucifixion, a penalty that would not be known to the world for another 600 years at the time it was written. No other book in the world attempts to authenticate itself by telling the future, because it is too easy to be proved wrong. In Isaiah 44:6-8 God challenges this very thing of any “other” gods.  God is unique and the Bible alone stands perfect, with its testimony of God's inspiration intact.

            Revealed knowledge, simply defined, is being told of a truth before man, science, the fossil record, or anything else has proved it by another means. Each time the world has set out to disprove the Bible using scientific evidence or any other means, it has only proved its own lack of knowledge. Once again the Bible stands perfect with not one statement disproved. It is interesting to me that Columbus sailed the ocean blue in 1492, over 500 years ago, to prove to a disbelieving world that the Earth was round; yet Isaiah, some 2700 years ago wrote, "He sits enthroned above the circle of the earth…" Is 40:22.  Before the earth was proved in fact to be round, "Flat Thinkers" may have pointed to this verse while trying to prove God was not the author of the Bible; thinking they had found an obvious error. 

            Earlier this century people were claiming that the Bible had to have been written long after the dates declared because the historical information given was too specific and accurate to be foretold. Shortly after this, in 1947, the "Dead Sea Scrolls" were discovered, establishing, even to scholars with no interest in God, the dates of the writings to be well before the events in question.

            Today we have The THEORY of Evolution. It's taught as fact even though the actual evidence supports the contradicting Biblical account. It seems dishonest scientists will scramble for any explanation they can dream up to avoid accountability to a universe creating, man ruling, God. BANG!!! The only thing evolving is Darwin's theory itself. The latest version is that everything "evolved" in huge leaping changes thus explaining the total lack of skeletal evidence for ANY transitional creatures.  Their problem is that this variation itself is completely contrary to the small long term changes that define evolution.

            The Bible is God's revealed message to us, His creation. There is not one thing in all of history, archeology, the fossil records, scientific discoveries, astrology, or anything else, that proves the Bible wrong on any single point. Overwhelmingly, the evidence in this world (and beyond) supports the Bible's account of creation, history, wisdom, and revelation. The evidence declares that the Bible is inspired by God. 

            We know from the Bible that God is holy, perfect, unable to lie or contradict Himself. So then we can safely conclude that anything that disagrees or contradicts the Bible is NOT from God. This is the most important fact that needs to be understood in discovering the truth. The Bible is the only thing in this world that we know with certainty to be from the only true God. Everything and everyone claiming God's inspiration needs to be "checked out" by the only verifiable authority of God.  Even the teachings of Paul (who was inspired to write most of the New Testament) was "examined" against the Scriptures by the Bereans; and they were praised for doing so: "Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true." Ac 17:11

            If fallen man had misunderstood God's inspiration, you would think that God would have corrected the errors while He was with us, but instead, Jesus quoted the Old Testament continually and declared of His own words: "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." Mt 24:35, Mk 13:31, & Lk 21:33. See also Mt 5:17-20 "…not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished…" 

            Jesus declared His words as well as the Scriptures of His day (the Old Testament) to be the eternal truth of God: "If anyone is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels." Lk 9:26.  His words were also promised to be reminded by the Holy Spirit to His servants, which foretells of the inspiration of the New Testament: "All this I have spoken while still with you. But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." Jn 14:25&26. 

            Even in the first century shortly after Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection, it was recognized that God was inspiring Scripture; Peter said of Paul's writings: "He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." II Pe 3:16. 

            So apparently, fallen man did not misunderstand God's perfect message, but was "carried along" by the Holy Spirit to give us God's perfect message: "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." 2Pe 1:20&21

            The Bible was written in the common language of the day, to be understood and used for daily living as the authority of God: II Timothy 3:16 boldly states that: "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." 

            God is not a human being, but He is a person. Actually, He is three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. That is hard for us to understand, but we have to allow God some room to be bigger than the nice neat box of our understanding that we can fit Him into. Think about H2O for a minute. What is it? Most of you would say water, and that is correct.  But isn't ice also H2O?  How about steam?  Yes, all three are H2O. The very core of their being is the exact same, but their characteristics are quite different. Think also about your father. He was also a son. He was probably also a husband, very different roles, responsibilities, and relationships, yet the same man. The three persons of God are not that simple because they are very distinct and separate persons with different roles; yet they are the one true God.
 

            To help us better understand who this mysterious God is, God the Son, The Word, came and lived with us, revealing God to us: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” Jn 1:14 Yes, God is very personal, just as your mother or spouse is very personal (not just any mother is your mother). God is personally offended when we make other things or people our god and put them in His place.

            Obviously this doesn't even scratch the surface of the available evidence for the truth of the Bible as God's inspired word, but, hopefully, this gives you enough information to see that it is worth looking into more deeply if you so choose. There are many excellent books that deal with this subject specifically and in more detail. The best however, is the Bible itself. Read it for yourself and let God reveal its truth to you personally.  Also, check out some other topics in this series now that you may have a better understanding of what the Bible is.