Tuesday, January 25, 2005
Angels
I forget exactly where, but I was reading a piece about the development of environmental history and how the growth of modern science, turning us away from our old views of being above the animals and just below the angels, sparked a new understanding of nature. I was thinking about that some, as I think the subject of angels is interesting, and apparently TS O'Rama was, too. The Bible speaks of angels, telling us in 2 Peter 4,9 that angels rebelled and were cast down by God, and in 1 Cor 6:3 that we will eventually judge angels. This seems hard to for some people to understand, but for whatever, it made perfect sense to me.
Imagine there's a kingdom, and there's been a coup and the beloved king has been killed. The assassins look for the king's son and rightful heir, but can't find him because his faithful nurse has spirited him off to a sympathetic neighbor. Now, the prince is far weaker and more ignorant than his nurse, and he can be swayed for good or for bad by those who counsel him as he grows up. He never knows if an assassin will find him or if he'll simply get sick and die. However, when he grows to manhood, he will take his rightful place as king and judge both those who have harmed his family and those who have risked much to help him.
And this is the case. There may be far more angels than there are humans, and they constantly battle over the souls of mankind, with Satan's demons (fallen angels) trying to tempt us to sin and the LORD's angels, led by Michael, trying to protect us. I believe they watch us, see our every move, and wait with bated breath to see what we'll do.
I forget exactly where, but I was reading a piece about the development of environmental history and how the growth of modern science, turning us away from our old views of being above the animals and just below the angels, sparked a new understanding of nature. I was thinking about that some, as I think the subject of angels is interesting, and apparently TS O'Rama was, too. The Bible speaks of angels, telling us in 2 Peter 4,9 that angels rebelled and were cast down by God, and in 1 Cor 6:3 that we will eventually judge angels. This seems hard to for some people to understand, but for whatever, it made perfect sense to me.
Imagine there's a kingdom, and there's been a coup and the beloved king has been killed. The assassins look for the king's son and rightful heir, but can't find him because his faithful nurse has spirited him off to a sympathetic neighbor. Now, the prince is far weaker and more ignorant than his nurse, and he can be swayed for good or for bad by those who counsel him as he grows up. He never knows if an assassin will find him or if he'll simply get sick and die. However, when he grows to manhood, he will take his rightful place as king and judge both those who have harmed his family and those who have risked much to help him.
And this is the case. There may be far more angels than there are humans, and they constantly battle over the souls of mankind, with Satan's demons (fallen angels) trying to tempt us to sin and the LORD's angels, led by Michael, trying to protect us. I believe they watch us, see our every move, and wait with bated breath to see what we'll do.
