The Lord, the Most High God, is the Pre-Existent One. In the Beginning, there was God. God is the Beginning, and Jesus was there with Him. (John 1:1-2) The name He told to Moses explains our Lord so well. He said His name is “I AM.” (Exodus 3:14) He did not say “I was, I am and I will be.” God simply IS, and He dwells in the eternal plane of existence that we call the Spiritual Realm, or Heaven, where time, as we know it, does not exist.
This spiritual world, or Heaven, also possibly has always existed. It is something we mortals cannot understand. In Heaven, the Lord created many servants. We call them angels, although there are many ranks or offices within this group; for example, principalities, powers, rulers, chiefs, princes, governors. (Ephesians 6:12)
The Most Beautiful Created Being
We are given a description of one of these beings in Ezekiel 28:11-19. Ostensibly, the King of Tyre is being described, but it is clearly a supernatural being. Every precious stone was his covering. He was an anointed cherub. He was in the Garden of God. He walked among fiery stones. He was perfect from the day he was created, until iniquity was found in him. This being became proud because of his beauty. This being is the Devil, also known as Satan, the accuser.
The Devil wishes to usurp the Lord and take His place. Here are five statements of the Devil:
“I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation ... I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.” – Isaiah 14:13-14Notice the arrogant “I will”, five times.
There was rebellion in Heaven. The Devil rebelled against God.
It is thought that one-third of the uncounted millions of angelic beings rebelled against the Lord.
When the Devil rebelled, the Lord was not surprised. He had a Plan. The rebellion of the Devil occurred before the creation of the world in which we live. In fact, our physical world is part of the Plan of God. We, who are the Children of God, are also His servants. We play a part in the Lord’s grand Plan.
When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, again, the Lord was not surprised. Their sin initiated the plan to redeem all human servants so that they can live with the Lord in His kingdom. This part of the plan included Jesus, God in the form of man, coming to this world and being the Sin Offering for all our sins. By doing so, the Lord Jesus made certain that the faithful servants of the Lord would be rewarded by living with Him in His kingdom. Again, that was part of the Plan.
The Loss of God’s Most Beautiful Created Being
Why did not the Most High God just destroy the rebellious created beings? He created them. Surely, He could un-create them. The reason is because of the wonderful, loving, patient, merciful and gracious nature of God. God is not just gracious, merciful and patient with us. His nature applies to all of His created beings. Praise His name!
For example, the Lord mourns the loss of His brightest, most beautiful created being, the Devil. We know this because of the story of King David and Absalom, his son who sought to usurp his father. (2 Samuel chapters fifteen through eighteen.) The human characters in this story represent a picture of God and the Devil, who seeks to usurp the throne of the Lord.
The connection between the Devil and Absalom is found in 2 Samuel 14:25:
“But in all Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty.”The Devil was the most beautiful of all the Lord’s created beings; Absalom was the most beautiful man in Israel.
Absalom rebelled against his father. David, the warrior king, left Jerusalem to avoid bloodshed in the city. When the opposing forces met, the battle was supernatural. The forest claimed more lives that day than the sword. (2 Samuel 18:8) Absalom was killed and his body thrown in a pit, just as the Devil will be thrown in a pit for one-thousand years. (Revelation 20:3) When Absalom was killed, David mourned greatly, as does the Lord mourn for the loss of the Devil, in my opinion.
In review, the most beautiful of the Lord’s created beings rebelled against Him. Bible scholars believe one-third of the created beings we call angels followed the Devil. This occurred before the creation of the world in which we live. But the all-knowing Lord had a plan.
Seventy Nations
After the Flood of Genesis in chapters six through nine, the descendants of Noah are listed in Genesis chapter ten. This chapter is known as the Table of Nations. There are seventy nations listed. In Genesis chapter eleven, at the Tower of Babel these seventy nations were dispersed over the world.
The Lord appointed created spiritual beings of a certain rank to rule or govern or watch over these various nations. In Daniel chapter ten they are called “princes.” (sar Strong’s H8269 – prince, ruler, chief) Two such rulers are noted in Daniel 10:20; the prince, or ruler, of Persia and of Greece. For twenty-one days the “prince” of Persia withstood the mighty angel who was speaking to Daniel. This "prince" was a spiritual being. Human beings can not and do not withstand angels.
When, because of the famine, the Children of Israel came to Egypt during the regency of Joseph, son of Jacob, the Bible tells us that seventy souls came to that country. (Genesis 46:26-27) A few generations later, as Moses was leading the Children of Israel out of Egypt and to the Promised Land, the Lord appointed seventy elders from the Children of Israel to be judges or magistrates among the people. (Numbers 11:16-17) The number “seventy” appears to be associated with judges and leadership.
Here is an interesting passage that gives us a clue as to the Lord’s Plan:
“When the most High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Israel.” – Deuteronomy 32:8The Lord set the boundaries of the (seventy) nations according to the number of the sons of Israel, or Jacob, which was seventy. (Genesis 46:26-27) Therefore, the Bible infers that there are seventy spiritual rulers of the seventy nations.
The Mystery of Gog and Magog
Gog and Magog is a much discussed End Time prophecy found in Ezekiel chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine. There are many opinions as to who these names represent. In Hebrew, the letters of the alphabet have numeric values, like Roman numerals. The rabbis point out that the numeric value of “Gog and Magog” is seventy. There is that number again. The rabbis believe that Gog and Magog represent the seventy nations.
Here is what the Lord says about Gog:
“And it shall come to pass at the same time when Gog shall come against the land of Israel, saith the Lord GOD, that my fury shall come up in my face.” – Ezekiel 38:18 “And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord GOD: every man's sword shall be against his brother. And I will punish (see Strong’s H8199) him with pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great hailstones, fire, and brimstone. Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” – Ezekiel 38:21-23 (my emphasis)The purpose of Gog and Magog is to show the nations that our God is LORD!
The Most High God will fight against all the nations and all seventy of the spiritual entities that He placed over those nations. The Lord will overcome all seventy nations with only one small nation, Israel.
“… he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David shall be as God, as the angel of the LORD before them.” – Zechariah 12:8In effect, the Lord will defeat all the nations with one metaphoric arm tied behind His back. There will be no question as to who is LORD.
“Thus will I magnify myself, and sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they shall know that I am the LORD.” – Ezekiel 38:23All nations will know that our Heavenly Father is the LORD. Here is how the Prophet Zechariah said it:
“And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” – Zechariah 14:9Psalm Eighty-Two
From the very beginning the Lord orchestrated events with the planned result that there would be no question that He is Lord. There will be no question. There is one LORD over all the earth. The seventy ranking angels that were given the responsibility of governing the nations failed to obey the Lord. They rebelled against Him and against the angels that serve Him. The rebellious created beings will clearly be defeated, and they and all the people of the world will know there is one LORD over all the earth.
Which brings us to Psalm eighty-two.
First, let’s look at the context:
“God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.” – Psalm 82:1In this verse the word “mighty” in Hebrew is el (Strong’s H410), which is in the Old Testament translated (capital G) “God” 213 times, and (little g) “god” 16 times. The word “gods” in Hebrew is elohiym (Strong’s H430), which is in the Old Testament translated (capital G) “God” 2,346 times, and (little g) “god” 244 times. In the Old Testament the Hebrew words el and elohiym refer to spiritual beings, and they are used in that manner almost exclusively. In my opinion, verse one is referring to those spiritual beings.
There is no passage in the Bible, that I am aware of, where the Lord stands and meets with a group of men. He spoke to Abraham several times. The Lord appeared to Moses and Aaron in the Tabernacle. Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu and seventy of the elders of Israel were instructed to come up on Mount Sinai and worship the Lord from “afar off.” They saw the Lord sitting upon His throne, and the Lord “did not lay a hand on them.” This is noted because normally to see the Lord meant death. But there was no conversation. (Exodus 24:1-10) I know of no Scripture describing the Lord God standing with a group of men and conversing with them, and specifically judging them.
Because of the context in verse one, the Lord is judging the (little g) gods, not humans. He is judging those spiritual beings that were given the responsibility of governing the nations. The following verses could refer to human judges, but in the context of verse one they confirm the Lord’s judgment against the appointed spiritual rulers:
“How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.” – Psalm 82:2-4The Lord stated, “Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.” (Psalm 82:6) In the New Testament, Believers are blessed to be called “children of God,” but in the Old Testament men are never referred to as “sons of God.” In the New Testament, Adam, who was created by God, is called the son of God. (Luke 3:38) In the Old Testament only beings created by God are described as sons of God, or children of God. Psalm 82:6 is about created spiritual beings. In the next verse the Lord continued, “But ye shall die like men.” (Psalm 82:7) The “children of the most High,” the highly ranked spiritual beings that were given great authority and responsibility and who should have been immortal, will be punished and die like ordinary men.
The concluding verse of the Psalm confirms what Asaph the Psalmist was describing, and follows the context of the entire Psalm. In this Psalm the Lord is judging the gods, and in the end He will inherit and rule all nations.
“Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.” – Psalm 82:8Psalm eighty-two refers to the created beings that were given governorship over the seventy nations. The Lord will utterly defeat them and will unquestionably be “king over all the earth,” (Zechariah 14:9) and He will inherit all seventy nations. I look forward to the day! Psalm eighty-two describes the culmination of the Lord’s great Plan! That is what Ezekiel chapters thirty-eight and thirty-nine (the defeat of Gog and Magog) are all about! God is the victor! The nations “shall know that I am the LORD.” (Ezekiel 38:23)
In His wonderful grace, patience and mercy, the Lord planned this from the Beginning. We human beings are given a choice of whether to serve Him or rebel against Him. The Lord gave seventy of the higher ranking created beings the same choice, just as He gave Adam and Eve a choice in the Garden of Eden.
But these “angels” chose to rebel. The Lord will use the physical world that He created, defeat the spiritual beings that He created which rebelled against Him, and bring billions of human beings that He created to His home in Glory. Our God is so great! Praise His name!