Study 2
God Created the Spirit World
Texts:
- God made spirits: Nehemiah 9:6; Job 38:4-7; Psalms 48:2,5; Psalms 68:17;
Psalms 99:1-3; Psalms 103:19-21; Colossians 1:15-16; Hebrews 1:13-14
- Satan is against God: Luke 10:18; 1 Timothy 3:6; Jude 6; Revelation 12:7-9;
- What Satan is like: 1John 3:8; John 8:44
- What pertains to Satan: Job 1:7; Job 2:2; John 12:31; Ephesians 2:2; Ephesians 6:12
- What God is preparing for Satan: Nahum 1:2-3; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 20:10
- Hell: Matthew 25:41, 46; Mark 9:47-48; 2 Thessalonians 1:8-10; Revelation 14:11
- There are 2 passages cited by some theologians as referring to Satan. Other theologians say that these passages are simply prophecies as they appear, concerning the kings of that day: Ezekiel 28:1-19; Isaiah 14:3-23
Themes: There is only one God. God made everything. God is powerful. God is holy and does not tolerate sin. Satan is always working against God. There is punishment for sin.
God Created the Spirit World
If a person asked you “when was God born?”, how would you respond? When did God’s life begin? Many people don’t know the answer to these questions, but the Bible teaches clearly about the nature of God.
Before this world existed, before there was man or the sun or the moon, God already existed. (Genesis 1:1, Nehemiah 9:6) God is Spirit. (John 4:24) God was not born, nor did He have a beginning. He has always existed and will always exist. (Psalms 90:1-2) God does not grow old as we do and He will never die. He has no end. (Psalms 102:26-27; Acts 17:24-25; Acts 1:8; Jude 25)
Even before this world was here, God already existed. He made a place we know as heaven. (Genesis 1:1) In heaven God made angels, so many that it would be difficult to count them. (Hebrews 12:22; Revelation 5:11) The Bible teaches us that angels do not have bodies like ours, but are spirits. The Bible also teaches that God created all these angels good. (Mark 8:38; Acts 1:22; Revelations 14:10) God made the angels so that they could serve Him, adore Him, and obey Him in all that he commanded. (Psalms 103:20; Psalms 148:2; Luke 1:19; Acts 7:53) God made the angels to help and protect man. (2 Kings 6:17; Psalms 34:7; Acts 12:6-11, Hebrews 1:14)
However, as time passed, and after the world was created, one of these angels changed. Evil appeared in his heart. He became very bad and deceitful. He became known as the father of lies (John 8:44). The truth was no longer present in him. He became proud and believed himself to be very important. (1 Timothy 3:6) Also, other angels rebelled against God. They refused to serve God and began to follow the angel who had turned from God. They disobeyed God and this was sin. (1 John 3:8; Revelations 12:7,9)
Do you think this bad angel could conquer God? No! It is impossible to conquer God. God knew the thoughts of these spirits, because God knows everything. (Psalms 147:5; Proverbs15:3; Matthew 10:30; Hebrews 4:13) God is holy. (Isaiah 6:1-3) He cannot tolerate sin. He is separated totally from sin. Because of what these rebellious spirits did, God had to throw them out of their places in heaven. (Matthew 25:8:12; Matthew 25:41)
Today we know this bad and deceitful angel by the name of Satan or the devil. Even now, he is against God. Satan and the evil spirits do what is wrong continally. However, God continues to be all powerful. These bad spirits cannot defeat God. (Romans 16:20; John 12:31) God has a plan to punish Satan and his demons forever. God prepared a place, called hell, for them. One day, they will go there to suffer for their rebellion against God. (Matthew 8:12; Matthew 25:41)
However, for the time being, God permits Satan and his demons to carry on their evil deeds in this world. (Job 1:12; Job 2:6; Corinthians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 2:18; Ephesians 6:12; James 4:7; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 John 5:19) Today, Satan deceives people so that they will disobey God. But Satan will not always be allowed to carry on like this. God loves His people and His creation. He has not forgotten us, nor abandoned us. Even now, He gives us the strength and resources we need to resist Satan and the demons. (1 Corinthians 10:13) We understand all of this by knowing God’s word.