A Meditation
God made the angels perfect, beings of light, beautiful, and incapable of dying. So when sin was found in them, when Lucifer decided that he didn't want to be #2, but elevated himself into God's #1 spot, he was so beautiful, charming and deceptive that he drew a third of God's angels after him in his sin. Since they could not die, there could be no redemption for them. They would have to bear the consequences of their choices for all eternity.
Then God made Mankind. He made Man capable of dying, so that if he made the wrong choice, he would be subject to death, and therefore eligible to be saved. If he had made the right choice, and ate from the Tree of Life instead (which was not forbidden), then Man would also live forever. But he ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, disobeying the only rule God placed on him.
Now we, as Adam's children, are all subject to death, the separation of our life (spiritual parts) from our bodies (corporeal part). And, because we can die, now we can have a substitute die in our place, and continue to live. This was the animal, that God demonstrated to Adam and Eve, that had to die to furnish their clothing, to cover their nakedness.
Then the Old Testament Law stipulated all the sacrifices, all the animals that were to die, and their life-blood poured out. This all gave Mankind the picture of what our Redeemer would accomplish for us.
Then when Jesus was born, lived and died, then was resurrected, He fulfilled more than 400 prophesies, pictures, that had been given over the ages past, so that we would recognize Him, and let Him take our place on that Cross of execution.
No wonder Satan (formerly Lucifer) hates us so much. He was perfect, he sinned, and there is no hope for him. We were made to have the possibility to become perfect, like Lucifer was. But we sinned, too. Unlike the angels, though, God made provision for us to be able to be redeemed, and to become beings of light; essentially to take Lucifer's place as God's worship leaders. And we will judge those angels that sinned, we will have authority over them. That's why Satan and his demons (fallen angels) are trying to destroy us, to destroy our society, and to claim our world for himself.
But God is still greater than our adversary, and He wins in the end. God has it all "on a string," like a yo-yo, and even as everything seems to be careening totally out of control, when it reaches a certain point, God will tug on that string, and this world and all creation will return to Him.
Praise God for His greatness, goodness, power, authority, wisdom, compassion, faithfulness, integrity, creativity, generosity, truth and love.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
