Heavenly Host, ( part 2)
Many have wondered what this life is all about? Is there a purpose why we live in a universe seemingly all alone? All the other Planets in our universe are empty and are devoid of life. Only the earth has life and is suitable for men’s life upon it. The answers to these questions can be answered and are found in the pages of the Bible.
The language of the Bible is much higher than human thought.
Isaiah 55:9, “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
This is the reason why we are told in Ephesians 4:11 that God sends those who have grown from the Seed of promise we read of in Genesis 3:15, and grown from that Seed, little by little into maturity. Without maturity we would not be able to discern completely truth from error. This Seed will be every man’s born again experience, the one Seed Jesus Who became God’s anointed, the Christ, Acts 4:12.
Jacob Meets the Host of Heaven
In part 1 it was stated that the host of heaven were God’s children and referred to in different ways, as people, angels, spirit, stars and so on. God’s host are mentioned in dealing with Jacob in Genesis 32:1:
Genesis 32:1, And Jacob went on his way and the angels of God met him, 2, and when Jacob saw them he said, “This is God’s host and he called the name of that place Mahanaim.”
These host of heaven were a protection as well as a service to Jacob. It should be remembered at this time in Genesis that man fell from God’s grace and the Book of Roman’s 5:12 tells us that all men were deserving of death because all men have the nature of Satan within them.
It was stated in part 1 that some angels sinned in the age that was, before the foundation of this world. That is true of that 1st earth age and it is also true of this 2nd earth age. The difference lies now in this earth age that we are flesh and blood and in the world that was we were spirit, as God is Spirit.
During Jacob’s day, many men have died and their flesh returned to the dust of the ground as it was and the inner man, called the new man in Ephesians 4:24, returns back to God for examination of his soul, whether it be of God’s Spirit or the spirit of the world. If it be of God’s Spirit whatever work he will do for God’s Kingdom will be accepted. If it be of the spirit of Satan its works will be burnt up,1st Corinthians 3:14-15. These heavenly host can be the souls or people who have once been alive on the earth in a flesh body and his spirit has returned back to God who is in heaven. So today, not all the heavenly host or the host of heaven protect us or give us good advise. Some actually lead us astray.
Everyone Goes to Heaven
Some people of faith believe that we should try as best we can to be a good person and do what we believe is right and one day we will go to heaven. They know that God resides in heaven but Satan can also, Job 1:6; 2:1. The Book of Luke, 16:19-31 tells us what happens when one dies. It describes a divided heaven, a positive side as well as a negative side with a great gulf between the two. The point here is that all men, saint and sinner alike, all go back to God who resides in the heavens. Some people proclaim that they have heard from God on any particular day, or hear some other spiritual voice from heaven. This is when we need to be careful in who we listen to.
Experience of King Manasseh
King Hezekiah had a son named Manasseh and we read:
2nd Kings 21:2, “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. 3, For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal and made a grove, as did Ahab King of Israel; and worshipped all the host of heaven and served them.”
There are good and bad host, or spirits in heaven. These could be men who once lived on the earth and have died and have gone to heaven, possibly even on the wrong side of the gulf that is in heaven. We can’t be like Manasseh whoes name means forgetful. We need to be careful to whom we listen to. But how?
1st John, “Beloved, believe not every spirit but try the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets have gone out into the world.”
God has given us the earnest 0f the spirit as a helper to discern truth from error. When we are joined to God because of our love to Him or His instructions on Baptism, we are placed into the body of Christ. We not only have the earnest of the Spirit but we have the Word of God, the Bible, in our hands as well. The Bible is the Spirit of Christ that is read line upon line. See our article, “A Christian Net,” on this site. It is His Word passed on to us as believers when we absorb it, enabling us to discern truth from error.
Matthew 12:43, “When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walks through dry places, seeking rest, and findrth none. 44, Then he saith, ‘I will return unto my house from whence I came out;’ and when he is come out, he finded it empty, swept, and garnished. 45, then goeth he and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell therein: and the last state of that man is worst than the first. Even so shall it be for this wicked generation.”
This person neglected to fill himself as Mary did with good things, Luke 1:46-55. After his worldly thoughts were removed and swept clean, he neglected to fill himself with truth obtained through the Spirit and the Word of God. When we don’t fill our minds with good things, the host of the wickedness will influence our minds with ungodly teachings and thoughts.
2nd Peter, 1:10, ” Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure.”
Understanding We Were Once a Host of Heaven
In conclusion: We are everlasting souls created by God in the age that was, Ezekiel 18:4; 2nd Peter 3:6. These souls or angels called son’s of God were created but in that 1st earth age were not filled with the righteousness of God. We are a soul that is placed within a flesh body at birth and living out our life during this 2nd earth age, 2nd Peter 3:7. The controversy today is between life and death, Duteronomy 30:19, God and Satan as the two fathers mentioned in Malachi 4:6. We are vessels to be filled with good things as Mary was through the leading of the Spirit of Christ. One day, at the death of our flesh, our spirit will return to God and He will discover if our soul is filled with His word or if it is an empty soul. All the while we have lived out our life on earth, He will discover whose spirit were we influenced by or led by. He will know who was/is our father. He will know if we have remained useless to Him and worthless, or have we filled our souls, through His Spirit with good things.
We are given free will by God to make our own choice.