These ghostly apparitions are not human, and have never been human. Neither are they aliens from another planet! They live right here on earth, and have continued to live here even before human beings were created. They live in a different dimension, or what some might describe as the fourth dimension. The Bible, however, describes it as ‘the heavenly or spirit realm’. You may not realize this, but the Bible gives us precise numbers of these spirit beings or demons who live on earth. One third of the angels rebelled against God and were cast to earth in exile from His presence. The other two-thirds, who remained faithful to God, are numbered as ‘thousands upon thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand’ (Rev 5:11, Dan 7:10). Ten thousand times ten thousand is 100 million. From this we can deduce that the rebellious third of the angels numbered in excess of 50,000,000. These 50 million demons live on earth and represent many classes of spirit beings, and as is the case with human beings, some are powerful and dominant, while others are weaker and of lesser significance. But all of them are very real, and what is more, very dangerous and unpredictable.

Human beings were created a little lower than the angels: Heb 2:6-12 "But there is a place where someone has testified: "What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him? ⁷ You made him a little lower than the angels; you crowned him with glory and honor ⁸ and put everything under his feet." In putting everything under him, God left nothing that is not subject to him. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him. ⁹ But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone (as an example to follow). ¹⁰ In bringing many sons to glory, it was fitting that God, for whom and through whom everything exists, should make the author of their salvation perfect through suffering. ¹¹ Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. ¹² He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation (of 100 million angels) I will sing your praises." The writers of the Book of Hebrews were quoting directly from King David in Ps 8:4, which is a very interesting Psalm, and especially V2 where He speaks of silencing the foe and the avenger. The point being made here is that those whom God refers to as ‘sons’ have power over everything to bring it under his subjection – including demons! Demons are well-aware of this and generally like to keep well away from them, but still do their best to corrupt them when the opportunity presents itself. Just to add one caveat to this, anyone who does not obey God is not His son! So be very careful before you start ordering demons around if you’re as rebellious against God’s Law as the demons are.

Presently, however, it’s these 50 million demons that manifest themselves in many forms that are occasionally seen by human beings. Some of them adopt a host and actually live in a human being. Such people are usually considered to be insane, and we’ve all seen a few of these. In other words, they’re demon-possessed. Luke 11:24-26 "When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, `I will return to the house I left.' ²⁵ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. ²⁶ Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that man is worse than the first." Such situations should not be tolerated, and anyone experiencing this type of demon intrusion should call on a man of God to cast out and dispossess the demons in the Name of Jesus Christ. These demons tremble with fear at the mere mention of His Name and flee in terror of the outcome if they disobey. Quite apart from the fact that they realize that the Lord Christ is coming back to destroy them, they still want to retain their temporary freedom to move around the earth at will. To disobey a true servant of God brings an instant response from the Lord Christ and they know it! This is the account of what happened on one occasion: Luke 8:30-31 "Jesus asked him, "What is your name?" "Legion," he replied, because many demons had gone into him. ³¹ And they begged him repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss." This is the outcome when anyone resists a true servant of God. Such demons are immediately transported to the Abyss – the most fearful place imaginable to a demon! As things presently stand, no demon would take this risk. The human equivalent of this would be for a human to be locked up in solitary confinement right next door to the torture chamber and readily available to the torturers. Demons will forgo anything rather than be sent to the Abyss. Obedience to a true servant of God is like a ‘get out of jail card’ to a demon and they are more than happy to accept this option rather than the punishment for disobedience. There is a particularly nasty ruler in the Abyss (Rev 9:11) and no demon wants to be put under his power.

Having said this, all human beings should firmly resist them and show no cowardice, because this is what they feed on. In other words, don’t listen to them or take advice from them! If you believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, then you will stand firm. However, don’t be invoking Jesus’ Name if you don’t obey Him. The consequences could be disastrous: Acts 19:13-16 "Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, "In the name of Jesus, whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out." ¹⁴ Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. ¹⁵ One day the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?" ¹⁶ Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding." So this is what happens to the hypocrites, and it should be a lesson to all.

While in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve encountered a serpent. This serpent actually spoke to Eve and she listened and believed it. That serpent is described as the ancient serpent, the dragon and Satan (Rev 12:9). Logic alone might have induced the serpent to appear in his original form as Lucifer, the magnificent creature that God created in the beginning. This would have been far more impressionable to Eve when she encountered him. The truth is that the serpent didn’t have this option. He no longer lived in the form that God originally created.

This begs the question of what happened to Lucifer - the 'Bringer of Light' as the devil was originally called. There are two accounts of the description of him given below. One concerns the King of Babylon, and the other the ruler of Tyre. Both Babylon and Tyre were renowned as trading cities, the hubs of commerce as we would refer to them. As a matter of fact, the Prophet Ezekiel actually records God’s words concerning Satan and his penchant for trading. He sees himself as a wheeler-dealer who likes to get his own way by lying and deception. He has an extensive trading history: Eze 28:1-10 "The word of the LORD came to me: ² "Son of man, say to the ruler of Tyre, `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`In the pride of your heart you say, "I am a god; I sit on the throne of a god in the heart of the seas." But you are a man and not a god, though you think you are as wise as a god. ³ Are you wiser than Daniel? Is no secret hidden from you? (There are plenty of secrets hidden from Satan, and he certainly lacks the wisdom of Daniel. Daniel had God’s Holy Spirit, but Satan doesn’t – and this is the difference! Satan doesn’t understand the Scriptures and is also ignorant of the meaning of Bible Prophecy!) V4 By your wisdom and understanding you have gained wealth for yourself and amassed gold and silver in your treasuries. ⁵ By your great skill in trading you have increased your wealth, and because of your wealth your heart has grown proud." Satan likes to live in opulence, surrounded by the finest of everything. He sets up house only where such conditions exist and he has no interest in living in squalid surroundings.

V6 "`Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`Because you think you are wise, as wise as a god, ⁷ I am going to bring foreigners against you, the most ruthless of nations; they will draw their swords against your beauty and wisdom and pierce your shining splendor. ⁸ They will bring you down to the pit, and you will die a violent death in the heart of the seas. ⁹ Will you then say, "I am a god," in the presence of those who kill you? You will be but a man, not a god, in the hands of those who slay you. ¹⁰ You will die the death of the uncircumcised at the hands of foreigners." Dying the death of a man relates to the period at the end of the Millennium when Satan is released for a short time. Like his brother Jesus, he too will die as a man, but unlike Jesus Christ, he will never be resurrected and will be no more!

The Prophet Isaiah was told to take up a taunt against the King of Babylon (Isa 14:4): Isa 14:12-17 "How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn! (This is where the name Lucifer comes from - the bringer of light, and is so translated in some editions of the Bible). You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations! ¹³ You said in your heart, "I 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. ¹⁴ I will ascend above the tops of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High." The Sacred Mountain was seen by Jacob in a vision at night, where he saw angels ascending and descending from a stairway on the earth, and there above it stood the LORD (Gen 28:12-13). The Sacred Mountain was a four-sided pyramid where God once dwelled. And this is where Lucifer wanted to sit enthroned - at the utmost heights. In other words, on God's Throne!

I think we all know that no human King of Babylon shook the earth or made the whole world a desert. But Satan did - long ago! What is more, after he was thrown to the ground from the heights of the Sacred Mountain, he then set out to destroy the world and did indeed turn it into a desert. He also held a third of the angels captive when he literally swept them to the earth with his tail (Rev 12:4). This is when Lucifer became a serpent or dragon - a considerable departure from his former appearance.

Then we find his own demon colleagues join in the taunt against him at a time, much later, when he is cast into the Abyss: V15-17 "But you are brought down to the grave, to the depths of the pit. ¹⁶ Those who see you stare at you, they ponder your fate: "Is this the man who shook the earth and made kingdoms tremble, ¹⁷ the man who made the world a desert, who overthrew its cities and would not let his captives go home?" This 'man' arrives in the Abyss divested of his power, and without it, he is as powerless as a man. All his pomp and arrogance is gone and he arrives to humiliation. Jail time is a good equalizer, especially when the inmate has lost all credibility and has been divested of everything, including his former power.

Sure, there was a human King of Tyre, until Alexander the Great came along and defeated him, just as he did to the King of Babylon. This has considerable portent for the future – and what will happen again. But the real power behind the throne was Satan himself, and he ruled! Now we have God telling Ezekiel to take up a lament (the mourning of the dead) against the King of Tyre. This king turns out to be a created cherub with great authority. This cherub was also in the Garden of Eden: Eze 28:11-15 "The word of the LORD came to me: ¹² "Son of man, take up a lament concerning the king of Tyre and say to him: `This is what the Sovereign LORD says: "`You were the model of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. ¹³ You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone adorned you: ruby, topaz and emerald, chrysolite, onyx and jasper, sapphire, turquoise and beryl. Your settings and mountings were made of gold; on the day you were created they were prepared. ¹⁴ You were anointed as a guardian cherub, for so I ordained you. You were on the holy mount of God; you walked among the fiery stones. ¹⁵ You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created till wickedness was found in you." Lucifer's wickedness began with his unbridled ambition to be greater than anyone else - including God, his father. And Lucifer was indeed a son of God. Lucifer never stopped plotting to gain ascendancy over others, and this became his launching-pad, a natural progression to being a trader in goods of every description – including slaves. He craves power over other beings and never lets his captives go free.

God created Lucifer the cherub, just as He created Adam. As we've already seen, Adam was created in the very likeness of his Creator. Adam is called "the son of God" (Luke 3:38). God the Father created Jesus in His own image, and Jesus is the exact likeness of Him. This is why Jesus constantly referred to God as His Father. The Almighty God is His Father because He created Him as His son.

Solomon, the wisest man who ever lived, and the son of David, spoke of the 'birth' of the Son of God: Pro 8:22-31 "The LORD brought me forth as the first of his works, before his deeds of old; ²³ I was appointed from eternity, from the beginning, before the world began. ²⁴ When there were no oceans, I was given birth, when there were no springs abounding with water; ²⁵ before the mountains were settled in place, before the hills, I was given birth, ²⁶ before he made the earth or its fields or any of the dust of the world. ²⁷ I was there when he set the heavens in place, when he marked out the horizon on the face of the deep, ²⁸ when he established the clouds above and fixed securely the fountains of the deep, ²⁹ when he gave the sea its boundary so the waters would not overstep his command, and when he marked out the foundations (landmass) of the earth. ³⁰ Then I was the craftsman at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence, ³¹ rejoicing in his whole world and delighting in mankind." The Son of God was a craftsman at the side of Almighty God. He was there when God created it all. This Craftsman was there beside God when He set the heavens in place, and when the earth and all the physical things of the earth were created. As we all understand, a craftsman creates, and He delighted in being in the presence of the One who created Him – His Father.

As we've already seen, Lucifer was also directly created by God, and can rightly be called a son of God. In fact, in the days of Job, when all the sons of God came before Him, Satan was among them (Job 1:6 - see marginal reference to 'sons of God'. Since both Jesus and Lucifer (and Adam for that matter!) were created sons of God, both are brothers - but with a subtle difference. Just as Abraham had two sons, Ishmael and Isaac, and while God acknowledged both of them as sons of Abraham, He later referred to Isaac as Abraham's only son. Abraham actually had a total of 8 sons, including those born to him by Keturah, but God considered only one son - Isaac to be Abraham's true son (Gen 22:2, Heb 11:17). None of Abraham's other sons possessed the characteristics of Abraham and God rejected them as Abraham’s sons. God has rejected some of His own sons - most notably Lucifer whom he calls Satan, the devil, the ancient serpent, and the dragon. In fact, the purpose of the lament, mentioned above, shows why God disinherited him.

We started out asking what happened to Lucifer, yet we find no further descriptions of him as that entity. Instead we see him described as a monster and an ugly dragon. If we looked upon him today, what would we see? Well, we would no longer see an impressive and glorious being that he once was; instead we would see something similar to what Eve saw. She saw a snake-like creature, which she described as a serpent. Was this merely Satan in disguise? No, this is exactly what he had become. And just to confirm this, God spoke these somewhat cryptic words to the serpent: Gen 3:14-15 "So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. ¹⁵ And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel." There's a wealth of information here about many things, but we'll confine comment to just the reference to the serpent. Was God just passing judgment on all serpents in the physical realm today, or was He specifically referring to this one serpent? God was referring only to that serpent, the one who had deceived the woman. This serpent would eat dust all the days of its life - and its life would have an end date. It would eventually die. Satan obviously didn't die with it. Satan was actually transformed into this snake or serpent and this creature also possessed Satan’s' great cunning and subtlety. It was, in fact, Satan himself.

This is the lesson we learn from Nebuchadnezzar and his transformation into a beast. For seven years, Nebuchadnezzar lived like a wild animal of the field until he was liberated and his sanity returned. His sanity returned (Dan 4:34) when he was no longer possessed by a demon being. This shows us two things; firstly, Nebuchadnezzar, the man, was totally dominated by a powerful ruler of the spirit realm, and secondly, once his term of punishment was over and he was freed of this evil monster, and his sanity was restored, he acknowledged and praised God. Dan 4:34 "At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever. His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation. ³⁵ All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. No one can hold back his hand or say to him: "What have you done?" ³⁶ At the same time that my sanity was restored, my honor and splendor were returned to me for the glory of my kingdom. My advisers and nobles sought me out, and I was restored to my throne and became even greater than before. ³⁷ Now I, Nebuchadnezzar, praise and exalt and glorify the King of heaven, because everything he does is right and all his ways are just. And those who walk in pride he is able to humble."

The strange thing about Nebuchadnezzar is that he was warned by Daniel about what would happen if he didn’t curb his arrogance, pride, and feelings of self-importance. It wasn’t Nebuchadnezzar that God was concerned about so much, but the spirit ruler within him. This arrogant beast was filled with the type of pomposity that God detests and he had Nebuchadnezzar thoroughly entwined. As Nebuchadnezzar later admitted when his sanity returned: "All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing. He does as he pleases with the powers of heaven and the peoples of the earth. So there’s a lesson for everyone, and especially those driven by the arrogance of self-importance. Those who fail to learn the lesson of Nebuchadnezzar can expect the worst.

Job 40:1 "The LORD said to Job: ² "Will the one who contends with the Almighty correct him? Let him who accuses God answer him!" V3 Then Job answered the LORD: ⁴ "I am unworthy--how can I reply to you? I put my hand over my mouth. ⁵ I spoke once, but I have no answer-- twice, but I will say no more." V6 Then the LORD spoke to Job out of the storm: ⁷ "Brace yourself like a man; I will question you, and you shall answer me. ⁸ "Would you discredit my justice? Would you condemn me to justify yourself? ⁹ Do you have an arm like God's, and can your voice thunder like his? ¹⁰ Then adorn yourself with glory and splendor, and clothe yourself in honor and majesty. ¹¹ Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low, ¹² look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand. ¹³ Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave. ¹⁴ Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you. The above words by the LORD God are a study in themselves, however we’ll move on.

Just a note of caution; God is not exaggerating in the description He gives below of these beasts. V15 Look at the behemoth, which I made along with you and which feeds on grass like an ox. ¹⁶ What strength he has in his loins, what power in the muscles of his belly! ¹⁷ His tail sways like a cedar; the sinews of his thighs are close-knit. ¹⁸ His bones are tubes of bronze, his limbs like rods of iron. ¹⁹ He ranks first among the works of God, yet his Maker can approach him with his sword. ²⁰ The hills bring him their produce, and all the wild animals play nearby. ²¹ Under the lotus plants he lies, hidden among the reeds in the marsh. ²² The lotuses conceal him in their shadow; the poplars by the stream surround him. ²³ When the river rages, he is not alarmed; he is secure, though the Jordan should surge against his mouth. ²⁴ Can anyone capture him by the eyes, or trap him and pierce his nose?

And again, God is not exaggerating – what He says is true. This next class of beast, the leviathan, is even more terrible than the first: Job 41:1 "Can you pull in the leviathan with a fishhook or tie down his tongue with a rope? ² Can you put a cord through his nose or pierce his jaw with a hook? ³ Will he keep begging you for mercy? Will he speak to you with gentle words? ⁴ Will he make an agreement with you for you to take him as your slave for life? ⁵ Can you make a pet of him like a bird or put him on a leash for your girls? ⁶ Will traders barter for him? Will they divide him up among the merchants? ⁷ Can you fill his hide with harpoons or his head with fishing spears? ⁸ If you lay a hand on him, you will remember the struggle and never do it again! ⁹ Any hope of subduing him is false; the mere sight of him is overpowering. ¹⁰ No one is fierce enough to rouse him. Who then is able to stand against me? ¹¹ Who has a claim against me that I must pay? Everything under heaven belongs to me. ¹² "I will not fail to speak of his limbs, his strength and his graceful form. ¹³ Who can strip off his outer coat? Who would approach him with a bridle? ¹⁴ Who dares open the doors of his mouth, ringed about with his fearsome teeth? ¹⁵ His back has rows of shields tightly sealed together; ¹⁶ each is so close to the next that no air can pass between. ¹⁷ They are joined fast to one another; they cling together and cannot be parted. ¹⁸ His snorting throws out flashes of light; his eyes are like the rays of dawn. ¹⁹ Firebrands stream from his mouth; sparks of fire shoot out. ²⁰ Smoke pours from his nostrils as from a boiling pot over a fire of reeds. ²¹ His breath sets coals ablaze, and flames dart from his mouth. ²² Strength resides in his neck; dismay goes before him. ²³ The folds of his flesh are tightly joined; they are firm and immovable. ²⁴ His chest is hard as rock, hard as a lower millstone. ²⁵ When he rises up, the mighty are terrified; they retreat before his thrashing. ²⁶ The sword that reaches him has no effect, nor does the spear or the dart or the javelin. ²⁷ Iron he treats like straw and bronze like rotten wood. ²⁸ Arrows do not make him flee; slingstones are like chaff to him. ²⁹ A club seems to him but a piece of straw; he laughs at the rattling of the lance. ³⁰ His undersides are jagged potsherds, leaving a trail in the mud like a threshing sledge. ³¹ He makes the depths churn like a boiling caldron and stirs up the sea like a pot of ointment. ³² Behind him he leaves a glistening wake; one would think the deep had white hair. ³³ Nothing on earth is his equal-- a creature without fear. ³⁴ He looks down on all that are haughty; he is king over all that are proud."

Job knew all about Leviathan, because it existed in his day and he even spoke of it earlier: Job 3:8 "May those who curse days curse that day, those who are ready to rouse Leviathan. ⁹ May its morning stars become dark; may it wait for daylight in vain and not see the first rays of dawn". I know that Job was comparing the day of his birth with Leviathan, but he certainly knew plenty about this beast! Notice Job’s malediction about this beast. It contains a reference to the morning stars, a long dark night, and the dawning of a new day. We can be sure that certain rulers of the spirit realm (and perhaps even Satan himself) once served some time locked in the body of this beast. Just as the serpent in the Garden of Eden could speak, so God indicates that this beast had the ability to communicate through speech when He says, ‘would he beg for mercy’ or ‘offer to become a slave for life’ or ‘would he speak to you with gentle words?’

God certainly didn’t create these beasts for any aesthetic purpose, and in fact, He confirms that He alone can kill them. He’s mortally wounded them in the past: Ps 74:14 "It was you who crushed the heads (Plural) of Leviathan and gave him as food to the creatures of the desert." And here we see that these were physical, flesh and blood creatures which were eaten by the desert jackals and other carnivores. God kills them off, once he has no further use for them. There is no purpose in them living among human beings except by way of example for us, and as punishment for God’s enemies of the spirit realm. God intents to kill them yet again in the future: Isa 27:1 "In that day, the LORD will punish with his sword, his fierce, great and powerful sword, Leviathan the gliding serpent, Leviathan the coiling serpent; he will slay the monster of the sea." So these monsters of the earthly, physical realm will die by the sword, and what is more, by the hand of the Mighty One.

Satan is described as an enormous red dragon in the Book of Revelation (Rev 12:3). Yet the description of him arriving at that Abyss describes him as something far less! In fact, he is taunted as being like a man – both powerless and severely tamed and humiliated.

The purpose of all this is to show that this monster of the sea will yet again arise. This is the one who formerly suffered a deadly or fatal wound and yet lived. This time he will have seven heads. I think we can safely assume that the second beast who arises from the land, and who supports the first, will be of the behemoth class, a formidable monster, but still slightly inferior to the first. But as Rev 13:11 says, he will appear with two horns like a lamb but will speak like a dragon. This shows that he is ambitious to emulate the first beast.

I know some readers may have difficulty believing some of this concerning these beasts, but I would advise them to believe God. He knows what he is talking about. Satan is about to sound the death knell on most of humanity and with unbridled ferocity. You’ll see the signs, wonders and sorcery performed by these spirit rulers that will almost make your heart fail or even send you insane – if you don’t know what to expect. So take it all onboard now, because later you’ll be so glad you did! And there are reasons for saying this. It has to do with the release from the Abyss of a huge number of transformed demons. These are freakish little monsters with tails, and they’re released for the sole purpose of stinging those who don’t have the Seal of God. Those who do have the Seal of God are 12,000 from each of the Tribes of Israel (Rev 7:3). It will be five months of severe torment for the inhabitants of the earth. Though they look like locusts flying around, they won’t be harming any plants or grass or trees as locusts do. These will be looking for human blood. There’s a good reason why they’re released in this form, but for reasons already stated, we won’t be going into it all now. These appear at the 5^th Trumpet. The Seven Trumpets are the 7^th Seal, and the description of these demons can be found in Rev 9:1-11.

Presently, the world is preoccupied with terrorism from the human offspring of Satan, that is, Muslims – who possess the mind of Satan. Once Satan is cast to the earth for the final time after a war in heaven, he will arrive on earth in a state of fury (Rev 12:12) and nothing will restrain him. Even the carefully crafted answers of apologists will be unable to explain what your own eyes will see. You’ll see a world in upheaval with death and destruction everywhere and you’ll wonder how anyone could possibly be saved (rescued). I would just remind the reader what God said to Job 40:11 "Unleash the fury of your wrath, look at every proud man and bring him low, ¹² look at every proud man and humble him, crush the wicked where they stand. ¹³ Bury them all in the dust together; shroud their faces in the grave. ¹⁴ Then I myself will admit to you that your own right hand can save you." Job was a servant of God (Job 1:8), and God’s servants are in a class of their own. God’s servants know what salvation means and how to achieve it. God intends for the proud and arrogant to be crushed where they stand, and to this end, God will empower His servants. God confirms that if they do these things, then He will admit that their right hand will save them. God calls as His servants decent and humble men who have divested of their arrogance and are wholly submissive to Him. These are wholehearted men (and women) who have dedicated their lives to God and His Kingdom. Anything, other than this, God has no interest! Weaklings, and the fearful, and especially self-righteous people are not the type of person that God calls as His servants. He esteems those who are humble in spirit and tremble at His Word (Isa 66:2). Unfortunately, this rules out most of mankind. Those who meet these conditions are in the extreme minority today.

Job was a prophet of God and he ranks among the most righteous of men who have ever lived. God especially honoured him through the writing of Ezekiel, when He ranked him with Noah and Daniel. The reader might like to ponder why God chose these three men as examples. All the relevant clues are contained in God’s words below: Eze 14:12-19 "The word of the LORD came to me: ¹³ "Son of man, if a country sins against me by being unfaithful and I stretch out my hand against it to cut off its food supply and send famine upon it and kill its men and their animals, ¹⁴ even if these three men--Noah, Daniel and Job--were in it, they could save only themselves by their righteousness, declares the Sovereign LORD. ¹⁵ "Or if I send wild beasts through that country and they leave it childless and it becomes desolate so that no one can pass through it because of the beasts, ¹⁶ as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved, but the land would be desolate. ¹⁷ "Or if I bring a sword against that country and say, `Let the sword pass throughout the land,' and I kill its men and their animals, ¹⁸ as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if these three men were in it, they could not save their own sons or daughters. They alone would be saved. ¹⁹ "Or if I send a plague into that land and pour out my wrath upon it through bloodshed, killing its men and their animals, ²⁰ as surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, even if Noah, Daniel and Job were in it, they could save neither son nor daughter. They would save only themselves by their righteousness."

Any country that fails to meet God’s standards of righteousness are subject to punishment and everyone will be judged according to their own conduct. Even the sons and daughters of a righteous man will not get a free pass. Job’s example is a particularly good one. Satan killed all his sons and daughters (Job 1:18-19) at the lowest ebb of Job’s life, but through all his trials, he remained faithful to God. God blessed Job in the latter part of his life more than ever before. He finished up extremely wealthy and had seven son and three daughters to replace those he lost (Job 42:12-17). So his faithfulness to God was greatly rewarded. As a point of interest, Job used his new wealth to build a monument to God in Egypt. This monument is depicted on Ephraim’s dollar bill.

We’ve all seen weaklings fall apart at the slightest sign of adversity and blame God and everyone else for it. Such people hardly invoke any sympathy from God. The servants of God, and especially the three whom God mentions as examples, don’t whine and complain about adversity. Jesus Christ can tell you all about adversity, because He Himself suffered it, and endured it without complaint. Why would God accept less from anyone who aspires to become His sons? As God once said, stop your whining and complaining "or your chains will only get heavier". It was said in regard to this: Isa 28:15 "You boast, "We have entered into a covenant with death, with the grave we have made an agreement. When an overwhelming scourge sweeps by, it cannot touch us, for we have made a lie our refuge and falsehood our hiding place." This, of course, is in direct reference to Ephraim (V1) and their city (same verse). Who is it that’s busily making agreements with the most vile and evil of entities – specifically Death and the Grave – in the hope of appeasing them? It’s the White House in Washington. They believe that by placating Islam, the overwhelming scourge will by-pass them. They think that by sacrificing Judah and Jerusalem to these hordes, this scourge of the earth will be placated and leave them alone.

So in regard to this, God made this proclamation: V22 "Now stop your mocking, or your chains will become heavier; the Lord, the LORD Almighty, has told me of the destruction decreed against the whole land."