“She is beautiful!”
Do or can we express this to a Masculine form?
But, “Look at the way He Loves His children, it IS beautiful!”
Hold on! Gender mismatch! How can a Male have something “beautiful” about them?
BUT, in history…(recent history – for basketball fans) the way Magic Johnson or Michael Jordan played the game was ‘beautiful’; the moves had grace!
All of a sudden; the line is unclear, the waters murky. Why did we go there?
The BEAUTY of God! Remember, beyond this life there is NO gender! IF we recollect it, we simply would have feelings for those we loved. The physical ceases to exist! You are YOU, in you! A complex way of decribing/defining you.
One second! “In God’s image we are made!”
Where, who, why? The questions!
So what happens next?
Does God appear as Man? What we have is Earthly – organs. Have you ever ‘SEEN’ your mind? Or anyone else in fact?
A brain, yes! A mind, no! A product of thought is produced; but could we or can we see the thought? The product from labor…Yes!
The thought, no!
We can know the exact same thing. Faith causes us to believe in what we do not see! A little ‘crazy’? But, we just spoke of an individual who ‘thinks’ something and works to creat/produce it.
Complex you may say at first, but simple. A Being existed for Whom there is NO time or space (the Artist). A painting is created – a blueprint. A blank canvas exists and the original is used as a ‘miniature’ version of what is!
“And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, LORD, so that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”
2 Kings 6:17
As we pointed out a miniature was Created of what IS in the spiritual!
Nonetheless, in the myriad eons since creation; God made Earth a carbon copy THEN God created a mini-Him to rule over ALL.
The word dominion means “rule or power over.” God has sovereign power over His creation and has delegated the authority to mankind to have dominion over the animals (Genesis 1:26). David reinforces this truth: “You made [mankind] rulers over the works of your hands; you put everything under their feet” (Psalm 8:6). Humanity was to “subdue” the earth (Genesis 1:28)—we were to hold a position of command over it; we were placed in a superior role and were to exercise control over the earth and its flora and fauna. Mankind was set up as the ruler of this world. All else was subjugated to him.
God’s command to subdue the earth and the animal life in it is a command to have the mastery over all of it. A true mastery (of anything) cannot be accomplished without an understanding of the thing mastered. In order for a musician to master the violin, he or she must truly understand the instrument. In order for mankind to attain mastery over the animal kingdom, we must understand the animals.
With the authority to rule comes the responsibility to rule well. There is an inherent accountability in the command to subdue the earth. Man has a duty to exercise his dominion under the authority of the One who delegated it. All authority is of God (Romans 13:1-5), and He delegates it to whomever He will (Daniel 4:17). The word subdue doesn’t have to imply violence or mistreatment. It can mean “to bring under cultivation.”
Man is to be the steward of the earth; he is to bring the material world and all of its varied elements into the service of God and the good of mankind. The command to subdue the earth is actually part of God’s blessing on mankind. Created in the image of God, Adam and Eve were to use the earth’s vast resources in the service of both God and themselves. It would only make sense for God to decree this, since only humans were created in God’s image.
When God gave humanity dominion over the animals, it was in order to care for, tend to, and use those animals to their fullest potential in a just manner. At the time that God gave mankind dominion over the animals, humans did not eat meat (Genesis 1:29). Eating meat did not begin until after the Flood (Genesis 9:1–3), and it was at that time that animals started to fear humans. However, although God changed the way we interact with animals, in that they are now “meat,” we still bear a responsibility to treat animals humanely. Human rule over animals does not mean we have the right to mistreat or misuse those animals.
Having dominion over the animals should entail a humane management of them as the resource God has ordained them to be. We should consider that mankind was given the task (and blessing) of representing God in this world. We are the caretakers. We hold sway over all the earth, and we (bearing God’s image) bear a responsibility to act as God would. Does God misuse His creation? No. Is God unwise in His management of resources? No. Is God ever cruel or selfish or wasteful? No. Then neither should we be. Any misuse or mistreatment of God’s creation is the result of sin, not the result of following God’s original command. We must fulfill our duty to manage the earth wisely until that time when the wolf shall lie down with the lamb in the kingdom of Christ (Isaiah 11:6).
And we read further the ‘blueprint’ effects.
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them. The cow and the bear shall graze; their young shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. The nursing child shall play over the hole of the cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder’s den. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.
Isaiah 11:6-9
The wolf and the lamb shall graze together; the lion shall eat straw like the ox, and dust shall be the serpent’s food. They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain,” says the Lord.
Isaiah 65:25
And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea, and all that is in them, saying, “To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!”
Revelation 5:13
And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.’”
Luke 3:6
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war.
Revelation 19:11
The wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat, and the calf and the lion and the fattened calf together; and a little child shall lead them.
Isaiah 11:6
Whoever is righteous has regard for the life of his beast, but the mercy of the wickedESV is cruel.
Proverbs 12:10
Who knows whether the spirit of man goes upward and the spirit of the beast goes down into the earth?
Ecclesiastes 3:21
But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him”
1 Corinthians 2:9
And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses.
Revelations 19:14
Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? And not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.
Matthew 10:29
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
Romans 8:19-22
And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:24
Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until the time for restoring all the things about which God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets long ago.
Acts 3:19-21
And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:25
My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
Psalm 145:21
And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
Genesis 1:30
“But ask the beasts, and they will teach you; the birds of the heavens, and they will tell you; or the bushes of the earth, and they will teach you; and the fish of the sea will declare to you. Who among all these does not know that the hand of the Lord has done this? In his hand is the life of every living thing and the breath of all mankind.
Job 12:7-10
Back to our decription/definition/detail of what we DO NOT see. Our hope is to see and dwell in God’s presence!
So, how do we describe The glory of God?
Nothing ugly is ever called glorious in the Bible. There is “great sin” (Genesis 20:9), but never “glorious sin.” The evil one has “cosmic power” (Ephesians 6:12), but not cosmic “glory.” The reason for this is that sin and evil are not beautiful. But glory includes beauty. Glory includes more, but never less. Nothing ugly is glorious.
Therefore, the beauty of God is as pervasive and practical as the glory of God. If we admire the glory of God, we are admiring God’s beauty. If the glory of God has an effect in our lives, God’s beauty is having an effect. If God acts to magnify this glory, he is acting to magnify his beauty.
So consider the pervasive and practical place of beauty in all things.
Father LORD, Your beauty is blinding! We lay before You for The brilliance of Your Essence, Amen. You cover ALL! You are in ALL, Amen
You have given instructions, Father open my spirit to Your Word, Amen
We see what happens when The Will of God is placed aside. In His creation in the Heavenly realm, there is NO end!
Yes! There are principalities and powers in the spiritual realm.
What is particularly important is to understand the hierarchy:
1. Satan (commander-in-chief)
2. Thrones
3. Dominions (lordships)
4. Principalities (rulerships, princes)
5. Powers (authorities)
6. Rulers Of Darkness Of This World
7. Spiritual Wickedness (wicked spirits) In High Places (heavenly places)
We read/study and have read on these things. Time to open our eyes! We do not fight against flesh and blood!
The battle has already been won, in and through Jesus, Amen.
Be covered in His blood! He shed it for you! Cloak yourself in it! The question is “How much was there? Can I get a drop!?” It was shed for you. Each believer stands/kneels at the foot of the cross and recieves what was shed for him/her.
One time and one time ONLY! This was done for YOU!
Recieve! Live – successful, peaceful and Heaven bound IJN, Amen.
Matthew 22:30 speaks of people after the resurrection not participating in marriage–they become “like the angels.” However, this does not mean people are genderless. The masculine, not neuter, pronoun is used many times to describe angels (and HE was like…HIS appearance was like, etc.). So there is no real indication that the angels are genderless beings.
There is nothing in the Bible that indicates people will lose or change their gender in Heaven. In the book of Revelation (chapters 21-22), it seems that God is making things not just like they were in the Garden of Eden, but even better. Remember that gender is not bad–it is actually a good thing. God created Eve because Adam needed someone to complement him. Marriage (impossible without different genders), the model relationship between a man and a woman, is a picture of Christ and the church. The church is the bride and Christ is the groom (Ephesians 5:25-32).
Although it is not explicitly taught in the Bible, it seems most likely that people retain their memories after death of the way things were, by God’s awesome grace ONLY the positives in spirit will be brought to spirit.
Our genders are a part of who we are. Gender is more than physical–it is part of our very nature and part of the way we relate to God. Therefore, it seems that gender will be perfected and glorified in eternity. It is also noteworthy that Jesus retained His gender after His death and resurrection.
There is no doubt that every reference to angels in Scripture is in the masculine gender. The Greek word for “angel” in the New Testament, angelos, is in the masculine form. In fact, a feminine form of angelos does not exist. There are three genders in grammar—masculine (he, him, his), feminine (she, her, hers), and neuter (it, its). Angels are never referred to in any gender other than masculine. In the many appearances of angels in the Bible, never is an angel referred to as “she” or “it.” Furthermore, when angels appeared, they were always dressed as human males (Genesis 18:2, 16; Ezekiel 9:2). No angel ever appears in Scripture dressed as a female.
The only named angels in the Bible—Michael, Gabriel, Lucifer—had male names and all are referred to in the masculine. “Michael and his angels” (Revelation 12:7); “Mary was greatly troubled at his [Gabriel’s] words” (Luke 1:29); “Oh, Lucifer, son of the morning” (Isaiah 14:12). Other references to angels are always in the masculine gender. In Judges 6:21, the angel holds a staff in “his” hand. Zechariah asks an angel a question and reports that “he” answered (Zechariah 1:19). The angels in Revelation are all spoken of as “he” and their possessions as “his” (Revelation 10:1, 5; 14:19; 16:2, 4, 17; 19:17; 20:1).
Some people point to Zechariah 5:9 as an example of female angels. That verse says, “Then I looked up—and there before me were two women, with the wind in their wings! They had wings like those of a stork, and they lifted up the basket between heaven and earth.” The problem is that the “women” in this prophetic vision are not called angels. They are called nashiym (“women”), as is the woman in the basket representing wickedness in verses 7 and 8. By contrast, the angel that Zechariah was speaking to is called a malak, a completely different word meaning “angel” or “messenger.” The fact that the women have wings in Zechariah’s vision might suggest angels to our minds, but we must be careful about going beyond what the text actually says. A vision does not necessarily depict actual beings or objects—consider the huge flying scroll Zechariah sees earlier in the same chapter (Zechariah 5:1–2).
The confusion about genderless angels comes from a misreading of Matthew 22:30, which states that there will be no marriage in heaven because we “will be like the angels in heaven.” The fact that there will be no marriage has led some to believe that angels are “sexless” or genderless because (the thinking goes) the purpose of gender is procreation and, if there is to be no marriage and no procreation, there is no need for gender. But this is a leap that cannot be proven from the text. The fact that there is no marriage does not necessarily mean there is no gender. The many references to angels as males contradict the idea of genderless angels. Angels do not marry, but we can’t make the leap from “no marriage” to “no gender.”
Gender in language, then, is not to be understood strictly in terms of sexuality. Rather, the masculine gender pronouns applied to spirit beings throughout Scripture are more a reference to authority than to sex. God always refers to Himself in the masculine. The Holy Spirit is never described as an “it.” God is personal and authoritative—thus, the personal pronouns in the masculine gender. It would simply be inappropriate to refer to heavenly beings as anything other than masculine because of the authority God has granted to them to wield His power (2 Kings 19:35), carry His messages (Luke 2:10), and represent Him on earth.
The complexity here is the ‘beauty’ of Lucifer.
Have you ever wondered about the beauty of Lucifer and why he remains so appealing to a majority of the people on the face of this earth? For those not clothed in the blood of the Lamb, and being diligent to stay focused on Christ’s words, Lucifer’s appeal is beyond any appeal that could ever be brought before a man. It is overpowering and yet subtle and sly until you are engulfed in it. One can fall into Lucifer’s grasp without even knowing your very soul has landslid down a mountain of destruction leading to an unquenchable fire.
“No wonder, for even Satan [Previously known as “Lucifer”] disguises himself as an angel of light. ” 2 Corinthians 11:14
How did God originally create Lucifer? What were his attributes? We can read about him in Ezekiel 28. The immediate prophecy for these verses is towards the king of Tyre, but it doesn’t take long to realize these verses are not really about this king (as most doesn’t apply), but are in fact God telling us about his most beautiful creation, Lucifer…
“‘Thus says the Lord God,“You had the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.13 “You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; The beryl, the onyx and the jasper; The lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; And the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets,Was in you. “On the day that you were created They were prepared.” Ezekiel 28:12-13
So, what did we learn from these two verses?
• Lucifer was created perfect on the day the Lord God created him.
• Lucifer was full of wisdom so that all who heard him were in awe over his intelligence.
• Lucifer was full of perfect beauty so that all who look upon him were in captivated.
• Lucifer was covered in the richness and spender of precious stones and gold. His entire being glowed and was mesmerizing.
• Lucifer was placed in the Garden of Eden in its perfection as he was perfect and completed it.
“You were the anointed cherub who covers,And I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked in the midst of the stones of fire. “You were blameless in your waysfrom the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.” Ezekiel 28:14-15
• Lucifer was anointed by God as the angel who covered God, high above His throne.
• Lucifer had access to the very area which God resided.
• Lucifer was perfectly holy and blameless in all his ways, without error or fault.
• Lucifer turned from God as sin crept into his heart.
Lucifer was not created to be evil, but rather he became evil because of his pride. Just as man has the freedom to choose sin, angels also have free will to sin, though most will never consider it. (For more on angels) God never created “robots” because He wanted His creation all to love Him of their own freedom of choice. False love has no value.
“By the abundance of your trade [or merchandise, what God has given him] [h]You were internally filled with violence, And you sinned; Therefore I have cast you as profane From the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O[ covering cherub, From the midst of the stones of fire.
• Because Lucifer had been blessed so much by the Lord in all ways, he became full of conceit and violence in his heart. Because of this sin, God cast him from his position above God’s throne as the “one who covers” and destroyed not only his position in the heavenlies, but will destroy him completely in the end.
“Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty;You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.
• Lucifer became arrogant in his beauty and because of his focus on his external qualities, his wisdom could not see that beauty was not enough for him to set himself above the one who created him that way. And, with that, God cast him down to the earth, before the kings of the earth, that they might be enticed and fall by him.
“By the multitude of your iniquities, In the unrighteousness of your trade You profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; It has consumed you, And I have turned you to ashes on the earth In the eyes of all who see you. “All who know you among the peoples Are appalled at you; You have become terrified And you will cease to be forever.”’”” Ezekiel 28:12:19
• Lucifer’s sins extended from his arrogance to multiple transgressions so that all of what God had blessed him with became unholy and defiled. All of the glory of Lucifer became as a foul odor to God. God turned his glory to ashes and sent him to the earth. Though his glory will still appeal to man on the earth for a while (as he disguises himself still as an angel of light), in the end, God will destroy Lucifer in the sight of all the people who follow him. And, at the destroying of him, the people will finally cease their allegiance to him and will be appalled at who he really is.
“‘Thus says the Lord God,“Because your heart is lifted up And you have said, ‘I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods In the heart of the seas’; Yet you are a man and not God, Although you make your heart like the heart of God” Ez 28
• Lucifier does not realize that he is like a man, he is merely a created being by God. He does not realize that he cannot be like the Creator.
Behold, you are wiser than Daniel; There is no secret that is a match for you. “By your wisdom and understanding You have acquired riches for yourself And have acquired gold and silver for your treasuries. “By your great wisdom, by your tradeYou have increased your riches And your heart is lifted up because of your riches— Ez 28
• Lucifer is more wise than any man. There is nothing that he cannot figure out, or scheme against. Because of his incredible intelligence and wisdom, he has become wealthy on the earth, storing up treasures that will be destroyed. His ability to sell his ‘trade’ to many on the earth has increased his riches so that his heart has become more and more prideful.
Therefore thus says the Lord God,‘Because you have made your heart Like the heart of God,7 Therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you, The most ruthless of the nations.And they will draw their swords Against the beauty of your wisdom And defile your splendor. 8 ‘They will bring you down to the pit, And you will die the death of those who are slain In the heart of the seas.” Ez 28
• Because Lucifer continues to heap up sins of pride against God, He will bring in an army against him in the end. God says that His army, is Jesus Christ, and His resurrected saints, who will come with swords drawn to take down Satan in the end. Together, the army of Christ will defeat Satan and he will be brought down to the lake of fire, along with those who have followed him on this earth. ‘Will you still say, “I am a god,” In the presence of your slayer, Though you are a man and not God,In the hands of those who wound you? ‘You will die the death of the uncircumcised By the hand of strangers, For I have spoken!’ declares the LordGod!”’”” Ezekiel 28:1-10
• Lucifer not only thought himself as God, but he convince(s)(d) others he was god as well, though he is just as a man, he is created by God. Because of this, he will be delivered up to the army of Jesus Christ, who is a stranger to him.
We see another parallel for Lucifer in Isaiah 14 so we can learn a little bit more about him.
“9 “Sheol from beneath is excited over you to meet you when you come; It arouses for you the [e]spirits of the dead, all the [f]leaders of the earth; It raises all the kings of the nations from their thrones.10 “They will all respond and say to you, ‘Even you have been made weak as we, You have become like us. 11 ‘Your pomp and the music of your harps Have been brought down to Sheol; Maggots are spread out as your bed beneath you And worms are your covering.’ Is 14:9-11
• At the end, Lucifer will be sent to the lake of fire, and for those who he drew there before him, they will be excited to see him there to suffer as they were. All of the evil leaders of the earth, and the rest of the dead, will recognize that Lucifer has been made weak as they were, and he will become as one of the suffering and tormented.
12 “How you have fallen from heaven, O [g]star of the morning, son of the dawn!: Is 14:12A
• Lucifer’s original home was in heaven, but God has cast him down to the earth. Satan has also claimed the sun for his item of worship, so most pagan religions will have symbols of the sun for its worship, including within the Catholic Church we will see sun discs above the heads of Jesus, Mary, and the saints and this is also to draw worship towards the sun, claimed by Lucifer.
12You have been cut down to the earth, You who have weakened the nations!” Is 14:12B
• Lucifer’s effect on the earth has not strengthened them, but rather weakened them away from God’s Truth. His plagues have went out to all of the nations of the earth.
13 “But you said in your heart, ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north. 14 ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’” Is 14:13-14
• Because of Lucifer’s beauty and wisdom, pride crept into his heart and he thought that he deserved worship above every other being, and above even God, Himself. He felt that because of all of his blessings, he could become as God was, and become the ruler of them all.
15 “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol,To the recesses of the pit.16 “Those who see you will gaze at you, They will [h]ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man [Lucifer] who made the earth tremble, Who shook kingdoms, 17 Who made the world like a wilderness And overthrew its cities,Who did not [i]allow his prisoners to go home?’18 “All the kings of the nations lie in glory, Each in his own [j]tomb” Is 14:15-18
• In the end, Lucifer will be thrown down to hell, or the lake of fire, where others await who have died from the earth before him. They will no longer see him as a god, but only as a weak being as they are. They will recognize that it was him that lead evil on the earth, and lead them to the death they will receive forever and ever.
God allowed Lucifer to follow this path because God’s ultimate plan was to send His Son, Jesus Christ, in the flesh, but still God, to die for the sins of all who would follow Him, by their own choice. With the resurrection of His Son, and the resurrection of those who would call on the name of Jesus Christ, Lucifer’s plans would be defeated and his earthly reign would end in the eternal lake of fire. However, the immortal reign of the resurrected saints would continue with Jesus Christ for all of eternity. What a plan the Lord has made. We await for the day when Lucifer is no longer able to captivate the minds, hearts, and souls of all of those who do not call on the name of Jesus Christ. And, we pray for the grips of Lucifer to be loosened on those to who will seek you and find you. In the mighty name of the only one who saves, Jesus Christ. Amen.
But, mind you! The Archangel Micheal knows his place! God created Lucifer above all the Angel’s in Heaven. When in a disagreement angel Michael sq tr Soto Satan
Jude verse 9 refers to an event which is found nowhere else in Scripture. Michael had to struggle or dispute with Satan about the body of Moses, but what that entailed is not described. Another angelic struggle is related by Daniel, who describes an angel coming to him in a vision. This angel, named Gabriel in Daniel 8:16 and 9:21, tells Daniel that he was “resisted” by a demon called “the prince of Persia” until the archangel Michael came to his assistance (Daniel 10:13). So we learn from Daniel that angels and demons fight spiritual battles over the souls of men and nations, and that the demons resist angels and try to prevent them from doing God’s bidding. Jude tells us that Michael was sent by God to deal in some way with the body of Moses, which God Himself had buried after Moses’ death (Deuteronomy 34:5-6).
Various theories have been put forth as to what this struggle over Moses’ body was about. One is that Satan, ever the accuser of God’s people (Revelation 12:10), may have resisted the raising of Moses to eternal life on the grounds of Moses’ sin at Meribah (Deuteronomy 32:51) and his murder of the Egyptian (Exodus 2:12).
Some have supposed that the reference in Jude is the same as the passage in Zechariah 3:1-2, “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to accuse him. And the LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, O Satan!’” But the objections to this being the same incident are obvious: (1) The only similarity between the two passages is the expression, “the Lord rebuke you.” (2) The name “Michael” does not occur at all in the passage in Zechariah. (3) There is no mention made of the “body of Moses” in Zechariah, and no allusion to it whatever.
It has also been supposed that Jude is quoting an apocryphal book that contained this account, and that Jude means to confirm that the account is true. Origen (c. 185–254), an early Christian scholar and theologian, mentions the book “The Assumption of Moses” as extant in his time, containing this very account of the contest between Michael and the devil about the body of Moses. That book, now lost, was a Jewish Greek book, and Origen supposed that this was the source of the account in Jude.
The only material question, then, is whether the story is “true.” Whatever the origin of the account, Jude does in fact seem to refer to the contest between Michael and the devil as true. He speaks of it in the same way in which he would have done if he had spoken of the death of Moses or of his smiting the rock. And who can prove that it is not true? What evidence is there that it is not? There are many allusions in the Bible to angels. We know that the archangel Michael is real; there is frequent mention of the devil; and there are numerous affirmations that both bad and good angels are employed in important transactions on the earth. As the nature of this particular dispute over Moses’ body is wholly unknown, conjecture is useless. We do not know whether there was an argument over possession of the body, burial of the body, or anything else.
These two things we do know, however: first, Scripture is inerrant. The inerrancy of Scripture is one of the pillars of the Christian faith. As Christians, our goal is to approach Scripture reverently and prayerfully, and when we find something we do not understand, we pray harder, study more, and—if the answer still eludes us—humbly acknowledge our own limitations in the face of the perfect Word of God.
Second, Jude 9 is the supreme illustration of how Christians are to deal with Satan and demons. The example of Michael refusing to pronounce a curse upon Satan should be a lesson to Christians in how to relate to demonic forces. Believers are not to address them, but rather to seek the Lord’s intervening power against them. If as powerful a being as Michael deferred to the Lord in dealing with Satan, who are we to attempt to reproach, cast out, or command demons?
‘