Lesson
1 December 10,2003
DOCTRINE OF THE ANGELIC CONFLICT
A
Study of Angeology as it relates to Human History
Integrated
into a Systematic Theology
Intro Thoughts:
In the Bible, reality isn’t one thing; it’s
two things. There are two levels of being: the eternal existence of the
Infinite-Personal Creator in His manifold complexity, and the created existence
of man and nature that began and continues in utter dependency upon Him.
What we will find in Genesis 1 as to origins
is this, it tells you that your ultimate environment
is not DNA molecules nor the laws of physics nor some warm, fuzzy
"Good" principle.
Your ultimate environment is a Person Who
thinks, talks, experiences emotion, loves, has a sense of art, and appreciates
music!
Beyond the galaxies is not a cosmic dust
cloud radiating background energy from a Big Bang; but a living Personal God!
Paul tells us in Romans 1 that all men at
bottom line know God, in that He exists. If they didn’t, they could not be held
accountable at the final judgment. That judgment is "according to
truth" (Rom. 2:2) and falls upon men precisely because they anger God by
their deliberate suppression of the truth (Rom.
Fallen men, of course, deceive themselves
into thinking the evidence for God’s existence is not clear. By so doing, they
think they have a legitimate defense if such a judgment should ever come upon
them.
This pagan program of burying
God-consciousness resembles a little child who gets mad at his father. The
child defiantly shuts his eyes, thinking for a moment that by shutting off his
perception he can erase genuine existence.
He deludes himself that his father doesn’t
exist anymore because he can’t see him through deliberately closed eyes.
Throughout history the Church as it
communicates the Gospel, and truth, doctrine it confronts again and again men
who like the child have deliberately closed their eyes because they are mad at
their Creator. Of course one day God will rip off the self imposed veil off of
the closed eyes, but by then it will be too late.
And what does the pagan worldview tell you
that you are? It tells you that reality at the bottom line all is one. There is
only one level of being.
It matters not whether reality is pictured
as a vast machine (19th and early 20th century), or as
some sort of cosmic organism (ancient paganism and just now returning to
popularity). The universe beneath you, above you, in front of you, and behind
you is an Infinite Impersonal "It".
You and your "personal" nature
differ only in degree from It’s molecules and
atoms. In the Chain of Being, (there is continuity of being) your thinking,
talking, emotions, loving, and artistic expressions are merely surface appearances
on a reality that is basically impersonal.
You and other humans are really only
person-like bubbles floating for the moment on an impersonal ocean of chance.
Ultimately, you and other humans are alone.
In philosophy the area of knowing is called
epistemology which is derived from a Greek word meaning "to know".
This area deals basically deals with the question, how can we know? What is
knowledge? It concerns language and logic.
What distinctive answer comes from biblical
creation? Our concern here with this study.
In the two-level view of reality, God the
Creator thinks thoughts about everything. He created according to a plan (Eph.
1:4-5). Truth is His thoughts! They pre-exist your thoughts.
That means that we only discover truth, not
invent it. It also means you can only discover truth that He permits you to
(Deut. 29:29; Matt.11:25), not any more.
It means your personal relationship with
your Creator is directly involved in knowing His thoughts! You and He must be
"on speaking terms".
In all the various versions of paganism
there is no ultimate Personal Creator God. Gods, if existing at all,
themselves are surrounded by the same mystery you are. They may know more than
man in the Chain of Being, but in the end they, too, are limited.
In the pagan view it means you and other
beings truly originate thoughts that have no pre-existence. You invent truth,
not discover it. In short, you are autonomous.
Autonomous comes from two Greek words, one
meaning "self" (autos) and another meaning "law" (nomos). You, as a lonely self, determine whatever laws you
think about. There is no prior standard of truth.
A severe problem with all this, a problem paganism has never solved in either ancient or
modern forms, is how language and logic can be trusted as you attempt to think
about reality.
If you need stable categories and contexts
to get meaning, and you do, how can this occur if all reality is one? This continuity of being.
If there is no Personal Creator, there are
no pre-existing eternal thoughts that express the plan of the universe. There
is no assurance that today’s categories will remain tomorrow. There is no
knowable ultimate environment, only mystery.
A man in his everyday speech may use
universal terms ("all", "always", "never",
"truth", etc.), but they have no basis. Without the preconditions of
knowledge, paganism is what the Bible calls "vanity" (a more modern
word would be "speculation").
How Should We Live?
In philosophy this area is known as ethics
and axiology (The study of values and value judgments). It seeks answers to
questions like what ought we to do? What is the source of value? To answer the
question "how should I live" you have to seek your highest loyalty.
I just mentioned that in the pagan worldview
you are alone and autonomous. That means you have a big problem at this point!
With No One there to Whom you are ultimately
responsible, you are left on your own. You may do what seems right in your own
eyes.
The rub comes when you meet another
autonomous person who is doing what seems right in his eyes!
You could try to attach your loyalty to
"society", hoping to convince your doubting heart that at least here
you have a standard of right and wrong. Or you could try "mother
earth".
By now I hope you are beginning to see the
distinctives of biblical creation. Only with the creation event do you have the
distinctive two-level reality with the eternal, self-contained, infinite
personal God as your ultimate environment.
Only with ex-nihilo
creation do you have a standard of truth and a source of your "oughts".
All goes back to the Creator, God!
Introduction and approach to this
Doctrine?
A.
Since from God proceeds all matter,
creatures, time and space, it is necessary to understand His Character and how
it relates to His Creatures. Gen 1:1; 2:7; Ps 148:1-5
B.
God cannot do anything that will
compromise His Essence.
C.
Therefore, any point or activity that
contradicts His Divine Attributes must be rejected.
D. To fully comprehend why we are here, why human
history, it is necessary to understand the sequence of events of Pre-History.
E. This sequence must be derived from the written
Canon, logically evaluated and analyzed. 1 Cor
F.
Since God has chosen to reveal Himself
and His Plan through the entire canon of Scripture, its study cannot be
over-emphasized. 2 Tm 3:16-17;
G. The entirety of human history is based upon
resolving the conflict between God and Satan. (Gen 3 through Rev 20)
H. The Angelic Conflict is thus considered a
Basic Doctrine, but does not imply that all the answers are easy to find or
understand.