Even Angels Fall

Even Angels Fall
Words of Faith 7-11-24
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2024
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Jude 1
[6] And the angels who did not keep their positions of authority but abandoned their own home--these he has kept in darkness, bound with everlasting chains for judgment on the great Day.

To show the seriousness of rebellion in the early Church, Jude pointed to three examples in which God did not spare judgment upon those who fell away. The first example was some who were led out of bondage in Egypt but later rebelled against God in the desert.
The second example of judgment was fallen angels. It is difficult to imagine that angels, after being in God's presence and the holy worship of heaven, would rebel. But this is the powerful nature of pride that seized Lucifer and other angels. Even angels fall.
The heart of Jude's comparison is that the angels did not stay within their own position of authority. More than anything else, the rebellion had to do with authority. They assumed an authority that was not theirs. They rebelled against God's authority and sought to be equal to him. God has kept these beings in eternal chains ever since.
When did this happen? Scholars point out the apparent reference to the fall of Lucifer and a third of the angels from heaven in Isaiah 14, but there is also allusion to the sin of angels in Genesis 6:1-4. The angels referred to as "sons of God" in Genesis came to earth and mingled with women. Jude quotes the Book of Enoch (a book in the Apocryphal writings of the Church), saying that these angels "did not keep their positions of authority."
Apparently, God assigned specific responsibilities and a set place to angels. Because of their rebellion, God has kept these fallen angels in darkness and in eternal chains, awaiting final judgment. This indicates that some fallen angels are in bondage while others are unbound and active among mankind as demons.
The warning here is a reminder that no matter how close we have been to our sense of authority or our place with God, we can find ourselves under judgment because of our prideful or selfish choices. In our human fallibility, we can become overly comfortable with our own sin and overly familiar with the Lord.
Jude knew all about this. No one had walked more closely with the Lord Jesus in the earthly realm. Yet Jude's familiarity with his brother Jesus initially led to a kind of disdain rather than faith. We may think that since we have walked closely with the Lord and understand all about grace, we are immune to God's judgment. This is a dangerous place because our pride insulates us from the conviction of the Holy Spirit.
We don't want to miss the point here. The overall topic is not salvation. Just because we have walked closely with the Lord is not a reason to assume we are immune from consequence and judgment before the Lord. Familiarity with the Lord can be a danger zone, especially if we take his grace and mercy for granted.

Father God, You look deeply into my soul, more deeply than I possibly could. Reveal to me any point of rebellion that I need to confess and repent before You. Show me how I need to contend for the faith and protect the truth. Give me that conviction and extend to me the power of Your Spirit. Forgive me for the times I have indulged my own sin and been overly familiar with You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2024
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2024 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.