Season 5 Podcast 83, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Justice and Mercy B.”

A New Voice of Freedom

Season 5 Podcast 83, A New Voice of Freedom, Argument for the Existence of God, “Justice and Mercy B.”

In Justice and Mercy A, we talked about the absolute nature of law and the role of Lucifer. The law of justice is unconditional. The law of mercy is conditional. Mercy satisfies the demands of the law of justice. It was stated that without justice there would be no God. Without mercy there would be no atonement. In Justice and Mercy B we continue to discuss Satan’s role. If there is good there must be evil. If there is God there must be Satan. If there is heaven there must be hell. Satan was so powerful before the fall that he was known as Son of the Morning. Let’s turn to Isaiah.

“How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, 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, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. They that see thee shall narrowly look upon thee, and consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble, that did shake kingdoms; That made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that opened not the house of his prisoners? (Isaiah 14:12-17)

“Son of the Morning” is a reference to the phrase, ‘morning star’ which we used to refer to Christ. With the fall, Lucifer, which means light bearer, lost his light, and he became the Prince of Darkness and Father of Lies. Lucifer is a counterfeit. He may appear as an angel of light, but he can no longer bear the light. He wanted to be our savior, but he wanted all the power. Clearly Lucifer, in heaven, was an enormously powerful spirit, perhaps more powerful than all the other spirits, save Christ, and must have presented himself as a God. He still presents himself as a God. In fact, his ambition was to rule over all the other children of God. As Isaiah recorded, “I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.” We know from Job 38 that the ‘Stars of God’ referred to all the spirit children of God.

“Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)

The war in heaven was fought over agency. So it is on earth. The battle against Satan on earth is a continuation of the battle against Lucifer in heaven. With the fall Lucifer became Satan, Prince of Devils. Only by leaving the presence of God and coming to earth could we live our own life and make our own choices. That required a veil between earth and heaven. Because of the veil, God remains invisible.

Who, for example, could sin if God were standing directly in front of him?

No one. We would be afraid to sin. Just as the war against Lucifer in heaven was fought outside of God’s direct presence, the war against Satan on earth is fought outside of God’s direct presence. That leads to another necessary attribute of God. That is why a veil was drawn over our minds when we came to earth.

For agency to exist we must be enticed both by Christ and by Satan. We must have a knowledge of both good and evil. We must be able to choose between God and Satan.