<\/p>\n
\u00e2\u20ac\u0153How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High<\/span>.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00c2\u00a0But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Isaiah 14:12-15)<\/p>\n <\/span><\/sup>\u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will not surely die,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d the serpent said to the woman. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God<\/span>, knowing good and evil.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Genesis 3:4-5)<\/p>\n Last week I gave you my two cents worth on Dan Brown\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s new novel, The Lost Symbol<\/span><\/em>. Plenty of meat up front – a lot of baloney in the end. What did Dan really want us to take away from this book? \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Ye are gods.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> Dan\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s idea (not just his, it\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an old, old idea; I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll explain a little further down) that we have in us, the ability to chart our own paths, demonstrate our own wills and shape our own realities \u00e2\u20ac\u201c since, admittedly, we\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve been created in God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s image, we have the ability to become gods ourselves.<\/p>\n Dan even uses scripture to back it up, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 ye shall be gods \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Psalm 82:6) He didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t use the whole verse, which doesn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t bother me terribly; Bible \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcverses\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> as we know them today, were invented by Robert Stephens, a 16th<\/sup> century printer. What bothers me is that Brown took a tiny snippet \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 ye shall be gods \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> and ripped it out of context for his own purpose. It\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s an old trick.<\/p>\n Let me explain.<\/p>\n Satan (the name means \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcadversary\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>) wasn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t always known as Satan; once he was called Lucifer (\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcdaystar\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcson of the dawn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>). The prophet Ezekiel gives us a glimpse of what Lucifer was like before his fall. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Ezekiel 28:12b-13a).<\/p>\n Lucifer was a creature of beauty and power; then something happened. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Your heart became proud on account of your beauty, and you corrupted your wisdom because of your splendor.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Ezekiel 28:17) \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You said in your heart, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly, on the utmost heights of the sacred mountain. I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Isaiah 14: 13-14)<\/p>\n There was a time in creation when just one will existed; the will of the Creator, God. Then, because he regarded his own beauty and majesty as something worthy of independence, evil entered into the heart of Lucifer. Lucifer mounted an offensive on heaven to exert his will against the will of God. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153I will make myself like the Most High.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> It didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work out as planned. Satan and his allied angels were thrown out of heaven (Luke 10:18), down from the \u00e2\u20ac\u0153mount of assembly.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> There were now two wills in the universe; that of God in heaven and that of the adversary<\/em>, Satan, on earth.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Then God said, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcLet us create man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Genesis 1:26) God created Adam, breathed life into his nostrils and placed him in a garden that He had made.<\/p>\n Satan was nonplussed by this turn of events. That God, the One who cast Lucifer, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcSon of the Dawn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> from heaven to this dusty little ball in exile, should demonstrate His attention on such an insufficient creature as man was really too much. In the same way that Satan was cast down for pitting his own will against the will of God, he would see to it that this puny usurper, Adam, and his mate would trip and fall under the weight of their own independence.<\/p>\n God, in His purpose, didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t create angels or men to be without the power to demonstrate their own wills. Satan and his hosts proved that angels could submit to the will of God or oppose it. By putting a tree in the garden that Adam and his mate, Eve, could eat of, but were forbidden to, proved that God had given them the choice as well; submit to His will or don\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t, the power was in their hands from the beginning. It was Satan who made them aware of it by twisting the words of God.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Did God really say, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYou must not eat of any<\/span> tree in the garden\u00e2\u20ac\u2122?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Genesis 3:1)<\/p>\n Eve corrected him, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYou must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it or you will die.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Genesis 3:2)<\/p>\n Satan first twisted God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s words to deceive the woman; when that failed he resorted to discounting the words of God altogether. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u02dcYou will not surely die,\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 the serpent said to the woman. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcFor God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God<\/span>, knowing good and evil.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Genesis 3:4)<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You will be like God.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n The desire to be like God, to demonstrate his own will against that of his Creator, to raise himself up for admiration and worship; that was Lucifer\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s downfall.<\/p>\n The desire to be like God, to know the difference between good and evil and judge for himself<\/span> which path he would choose; that was the downfall of man.<\/p>\n \u00e2\u20ac\u0153… Ye are gods \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> the promise in Dan Brown\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s The Lost Symbol<\/span><\/em>, is just the retelling of an old story.<\/p>\n There was once One will in the universe. Now there are billions. God will not always contend with fallen angels and men. There will come a time when that One will reigns again, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153on earth as it is in heaven,\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Matthew 6:10). We, having the choice, will conform our wills to His \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 or not. But one will will<\/em> reign. We are not gods, not in ourselves anyway; but we do have the opportunity to become the children of God, joint heirs with His Son. That\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s His will.<\/p>\n *****<\/p>\n Last week I promised that I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122d explain what the psalmist meant when he stated \u00e2\u20ac\u0153\u00e2\u20ac\u00a6 ye are gods \u00e2\u20ac\u00a6\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n Unlike Dan Brown, I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ll give you a bit more of the passage so we understand the context in which the statement was made. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153They know nothing, they understand nothing. They walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken. \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI said, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgods\u00e2\u20ac\u2122; you are all sons of the Most High.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 But you will die like mere men; you will fall like every other ruler.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (Psalm 82:5-7)<\/p>\n The translation \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgods\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> in this passage is the Hebrew word \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcelohim.\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> Even though the form is plural is can have a singular meaning \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcGod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> or it can mean \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgods\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcidols\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmighty ones\u00e2\u20ac\u2122, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcjudges\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> or even \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsons of God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>.<\/p>\n Here\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s the context of the whole Psalm. The psalmist starts off saying that God presides over the great assembly of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcmighty ones\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> or \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcjudges\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> (elohim<\/em>) \u00e2\u20ac\u201c those who have been given the authority and responsibility of passing judgment on the affairs of men \u00e2\u20ac\u201c the people in power. But they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re not judging very well \u00e2\u20ac\u201c they\u00e2\u20ac\u2122re corrupt. \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How long will you defend the unjust and show partiality to the wicked?\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> These \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcjudges\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 <\/em>think of themselves and \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgods\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>; they \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcrule\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> over the affairs of men. But God says these corrupt \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcjudges\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> (elohim<\/em>) walk around in ignorance and darkness. He admits, \u00e2\u20ac\u0153You are \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgods\u00e2\u20ac\u2122; you are all sons of the Most High\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> (I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve bestowed upon you the station of \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcelohim\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>) But you\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve abused the power and privilege I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve given you; you will lose your sonship, your \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcgod\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> status and die like mere men; you will fall like every other creature I\u00e2\u20ac\u2122ve given power and authority to that has abused My appointment for their own glory and according to their own will (Satan must have winced at that one). The psalmist concludes: \u00e2\u20ac\u0153Rise up O God, judge the earth, for all the nations are your inheritance.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em><\/p>\n <\/span>Adam was created in God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s image, a \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcson\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> of God. When he fell by demonstrating his own will against the will of God he lost his \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcsonship\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>, he was no longer a creature \u00e2\u20ac\u0153in God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s image.\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em> To restore Adam and his race, another \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcAdam\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em> was required. This time God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s only \u00e2\u20ac\u0153begotton Son\u00e2\u20ac\u009d<\/em>, truly God and now, truly man, took upon his own flesh man\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s penalty for demonstrating his will against God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s and provided the way that leads men back into the \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcimage of God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122.<\/em><\/p>\n Satan deceived himself into believing that because his countenance was like that of a god he could become like God<\/em>. He passed that deceit on to man; that by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, man could become \u00e2\u20ac\u02dclike God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122<\/em>. Dan Brown and his ilk pass the tradition down to us today; by our knowledge of good and evil, by our mastery of the things of this world we can become gods<\/em> unto ourselves, masters of our own destiny.<\/p>\n If it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work for Satan and it didn\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t work for Adam, what makes Mr. Brown think it will work for us?<\/p>\n We can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t create ourselves in God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s image. We can\u00e2\u20ac\u2122t conform God into our image (although we try). We can only, through God\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Son, Jesus, the Christ, conform ourselves into His image and then truly become sons and daughters of God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u00e2\u20ac\u0153How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! You said in your heart, \u00e2\u20ac\u02dcI will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God; I will sit enthroned on the mount […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[233,791,798,256,797,799,796,36,800,64,793,801],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=426"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":429,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/426\/revisions\/429"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gotpotential.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}